Plymouth banner. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1852-1855, 1854-05-04
glIe Tria, nj tie UsF,lc

The Hardin Circuit Court commences
| its April term on Monday next. The
trial OF the WARDS for the murder OF
Butler, i; is said. will be The 6rst thing
to occupy the attention of the Court.
I The issue of the trial Will be looked TO
with intense interest bT very large cir.
Gle Of the community. The evidence
elected on the primary examination. has
pretty conclusively satissfed the public
mind with regard re the merits of this
! important case. and we believe verdict
of guilty has already been dispassion-
stelr pronounced by public opinion
against the accused-that they were the
wanton and deliberate murderers Of an
inoffensive. upright and christian man.
who in the Legitimate pursuance of his
high calling, had only offended their
false pride.
We learn from the newspapers of thai,
vicinity that the Hon. J. 7. Crittenden
has volunteered his legal services 10 de-
fend the Wards. The Elzahethtown
Register. paper in that circuit. in
speaking of the proffered services of Mr..
Crietenden. says:
This fact speaks loudly for Mr.. Ward.
All who know the moral worth Of Mr..
Cr;ttenden. and his great purity of cha:-
scier, will al once concur with us IN the
opinion that Mr. Crittenden would new
er volunteer 10 defend tad man, much
less murderer"
This extract was copied by the Louis
we lesve for the public TO settle. Both
the papers have severely cbided other
sheets for expressing any opinion on the
subject. and stoutly insisted that prop
er sense of propriety would dictate that
the whole matter should be left TO the
proper judicial authorities TO be deter,
mined.
Has their mice sense OF prop5iety"
forsaken them. that they should now, up
on the very eve of the trial. send out
the opinion 10 tie very community from
which jury is 10 be selected. that Mr.
Ward lis good man and no murderer?"
This cese involves a grea, principle. the
dearest of all that affects human life and
the punishment of the highest crime
known to our sriminal code: the vndica-
tion of law and Justice; the guilt or in
nocence Of the accused-ell enter deep
ly into this case. The killing of Butler,
as il appears upon its face. was delib
crate, premcditated and advised homi- |
eide. and even should he escape punish
ment at the hands of Kentucky judicial |
tribunal. that verdict will! be recorded BY |
public sentiment against the perpetrator
of the deed.
The voluntary services Of Mr.. Critten.
den. with the assurance of two newspa.
pers. (and one the acknowledged journal
of the WesD that he would never volun-
teer 10 defend bad man, much less
murderer. does not "speak we'll for
Ward" as those papers aver. 1t is on
ly an acknowledgment that it is a des-
perate case. and requires gigantic eff
for, to carry il through. Perhaps Mr..
Crittenden would just as soon have vol
his services in behalf of some
poor. obscure and good man." but we
incline TO the opinion that poor unin-
fluen,ial mans case. under similar cir
Gums stances, with the same weight efl
testimony bearing upon his guilt, would
not have been deemed by Mr.. c.. worth
defending at all. lie would have very
probably have advised HIM TO plead
guilty" and supplicste the clemency Of
the Court. J.