Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1854-03-16
The Martha Washington Case

The recent arrest Of the defendants in thi
case' upon the charges Of murder aud arson
has again invested it with the greatest publ
interest. 1t is topic of conversation in ever,
circle Of society, and attracts more or less at
tention from the press all over the country
II is doubtful, in our judgement, whether ther,
ever was, in the United States, such an extra
ordinary affair as this Martha Washington
case has been. from the commencement. Il
possesses many Of the features Of an eventful
romance. 1t will stand out, in broad relief
upon the Judicial annals Of the country, as one
OF the most remarkable cases that was ever in.
scrIbed upon them. The magnitude and en-.
ormity OF the crime charged. from the contem.
PlatlOn of which humanity recoils-the previ-
GUS good standing ofsome of the parties in so.
elety--the coup dc main surprises and ex-
traordInary disclosures which have marked the
progress of the trial-the desperate manner in
which both the prosecution and defence have
been conducted--all are peculiar and nOticea-
bic features of the case.
Upon the part of the prosecution, at least so
far as the principle witness is concerned, there
has been exhibited perseverance and an up.
finching courage in pursuing the matter. which
has made the name of Sidney G. Burton cele-
orated' and which has been only eoualed by
the extraordinary manner in which he has
been met by the prisoners ana their friends
upon the hial Burton has Travelled thou
sands Of miles in search of testimony-be has
been daunteL by no obstacle and deferred by
no danger in pu. suit Of his investigations--he
has not been dish esrted by defeat, but has
Kept his hold ofthe pr. sOners with more than
bull dog pertinacity, and has evinced charae-
-eristics which not one man in million pos
'esses. Upon the part of botl the defense
and prosecution we he ar of loud and fierce
,harges Of Subornation of witnesses, perjury
and other undue appliances to defeat the ends
Of justice, and seemingly supported by good
eviden ce of its truth.
New disclosures and developements have
followed each other so rapidly that the aston
shed public would not be surprised now at
any phase or aspect the case may assume.
out ofthe ordinary course of legal
and bordering on tha.remarkable
is expected, and astonisLment has entirely
ceased. 1t would require, as we said before,
but slight establishment Of fiction to weave
out of the incidents that have grown cut of
he trial, a singular romance, for they have
surpassed anything that ever before occurred
n criminal jurisprudence.
No case that we know of ever had such
wide publicity, or was so generally discussed
n the public press and in private circles 1t
las now been something more than year since
The first arrest of the prisoners, and the matter
8 Jet by no means disposed Of butts to under
70 a legal investigation in Arkansas. The
expense of the judicial proceedings that have
been had must be very great; indeed, almost
not quite unparalleled We presume that
lpon the Arkansas trial the public will have
continuation of the Surprises and 'new
ievelopements" they have attended the hsto-
: of the the case thus far, and which in fact
las given to it in part its absorbing interest,"
GIN. Enquirer.