The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-10-31

A TIMELY BIT OF SATIRE.-The t'Knick'' for
August is a rare number. It's editors table
| is tastefully and bountifully spread, and con-
tains many rich dishes. We snatch the follow
ing little ssknicknack'' which hits off admirably
one of the prevailing weaknesses of the times.
| A man town of-committed murder
black, diabolical murder There was not a
single feature in the case that mercy could rem
der available. 1t was cred murder in the
truest acceptation of the term. A lawyer of
considerable eminence was called on by the
prisoner but after hearing his own statement
he would give him to other advice than the
| following:
"My friend, if you are not hanged, it will be
because you have broken Jail, cut your throat
Or slammed mad. -..
| The murderer took the hint. He was not
able to accomplish the first, he was unwilling to
do the secoud, so he attempted the third.
He came into the court on the day of his
trial with one glove and one boot on, listening
with apparent delight to his arraignment, and
when asked at the conclusion, if he was guilty
or not guilty, answered, with horse laugh
such as l never heard before or since:
.sYes thank you sir, and no mistake!"
! sIn.this philanthropic age, this was quite sufi-
cient to arrest the torrent Of indignation which
had been rightfully setting against the offender
and to substitute in place thereof a feeling of
intense sympathy.
'He is mad, says one.
| s'Poor fellow" muttered another.
"What mercy we have discovered it before
he was tried!' calculated third. .
s'Why don't they take him out of the box?"
demanded fourth.
| By this time, the prisoner, in glee, had put
his glove upon his foot, and thrust his hand into
| his boot
Of course this was too much for the feelings
of the crowd. It was the last hair that broke the
camel's back.
"Shame! shamen' was muttered by dozen
phlanthropc souls.
Take him out of the box!' uttered the mob
in general.
"Certainly," said the Judge" "take him out by
all means. Mr.. district attorney, you can have
no objecton!''
t'Not the slightest, may it please your honor,
provided you let two or three of the baiffs
stand between him and me-"
The by-standers made rush to execute the
mandate of the court, but the prisoner checked
their ZEAL though not their sympathy. by knock
ing down a halfdezen Of them with his boot!
The court briefly addressed the jury:
'It was unnecessary to enter into the evi-
dence. The unhappy prisoner had certainly
destroyed the life of mana husband and a
father, leaving his, widow and helpless children
to misery and want. At the same time, it
seemed evident that this was the result rather
of misfortune than of crime We have the evil
dence of our own senses that the prisoner is
mad, gentlemen of Jury, as a March hare.
"Would any man, gentlemen, conduct him
self so strange in the court room-wear his
boots and his gloves in so eccentric a manner
if he were not mad?
"Gentlemen: have studied the anatomy o.
the human mind with much industry, and
I think I may say with considerable success
and l fatter myself am particularly conver
SAINT with the subject of insanity.
"The brain is delicate organ. It's mem
brances are of still more delicate organization
There are the dura mater and the pia mater
These entertwning with, and intersecting as i
were the porous substance of the BRAIN conr
butte largely to the exercise of its trancendsn
powers"
"Ourj dge knows something don't he?" said
one of the sympathizers.
"know!' said the interlocutor 'sknow
should think he did! All l have got to say is,
that never know d man as knows as much as
what he knows"
""But,' continued thejudge, "these mem bran
ces become impaired, and even Reason gen
tlemen, Reason reels and totters on her throne
f'The most prevalent species of intellectual
wandering, however, is denominaed s'homici-
dal insanity" the prominent symptom Of which
is desire to take away human life. Such, I
doubt not is the case with the prisoner
MAY it please your HONOR interposed the
district attorney, ''dont you think that the jury
might pronounce this a case of malicious prose-
cution?'
'Perhaps not, Mr.. district Attorney" res
ponded the Judge.
Il honor your humanity, sir, am rejoiced
to see that you can rise superior to the feeling
which, am compelled to say, too often prompts
public prosecutors. But sir, think, as man
has really been killed, itmight be considered a
bad precedent to declare this prosecution ma
licious one.
The Indiana presbytery of the Cumberland
presbyterian church has suspended from the
ministry one of its clergymen, for unchristian
conduct. The following are the specifications:
"First specification For associatng him
self with an association known as the under
ground railroad, whose avowed business is
to assist slaves from slave to free territory.
"Second specifcation.-For actually engag
ing in the business Of assisting slaves in ma
king their escape from the slave to the free ter
rltory, which is contrary to the law ofthe United
States and statute laws of the state of Indiana"
Several of the witnesses stated that the Of
Tending minister had boasted to them of the
number of slaves he had aided to escape, Civ
ing the names and places in Kentucky from
which they had escaped, and one of them tes
tilted that he had heard him say that he had
never denied belonging to the underground rail-
road, and that he had said in April, this year,
in speaking of the relative numbers taken to
Liberia by colonization, and to Canada by un-
derground railroad, that 10000 had gone to
Liberia and 5,o0oto Canada by underground
railroad.
-.. .. ~-~~~~0~~z0~~-o~~~-~~0~~~~-
SANTA ANNA.-There is much uncertainty
and mystery about the present abiding place
of this celebrated man. Some time ago we had