The true Democrat., 1855-01-03
From the Helena Shield Dec g, I65+ Martha WashinotOn Case.


 For nine months past this imp5 s, ;fta t!, mt @ cas- which has for nearly three years attracted tn, attention of the whole Union, has absorbed mucl of the public attention among us. Our reader will bear Us witness that during this time w, have published nothing which could influence the community so as to affect an impartial trial We have studiously forborne 10 publish or com ment upon the testimony, and have alwav looked forward with confidence to a fair an( impartial trial, which we mover doubted would result in a conviction of the accused Three o the Chapins and Earle have been, at the elev enth hour, discharged for want of jurisdiction Cummings has been acquitted, and a0zle pros equi entered in the case of Holland We nov propose to make few comments upon wha has passed, more in a spirit of sorrow than o anger.
 In the early part of March last Kssane, Cole Lorenzo Chapin, Adams Chapin. Amasa Chapin Earle, Cummings and Holland were landed up on our shores, and placed in the county ial For neary y two weeks a Habcas Corpus court was held in this town, to determine whethe the courts of this State had jurisdiction of the crime committed by the six conspirators frs above named. We do not pretend to mucI legal knowledge but 1t does seem strange tha the question, lattcrly so easily decided could not be determined in March, after so much la bor It does seem strange to us, that these si, men should be immured in an iron den fo three months withoutrhyme or reason, and thel afterwards held in bon Is to answer a crim which 1t was known they had not committed and that when the fact was so easily arrived or to have been arrived at, a few months pr .viously. This may be law, but 1t does not lc'.- to us like justice We have heard of "spe'd pleading" the refnements of technicalitind and such like things; but holding men ul'S- such circumstances as these for nine monto while settling the mighty difference 't,y- tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee," seems pas ln strange. Yet 1t may have been all right;
 compared with the after history of the case loo0 like straining at a gnat and swallowing can Looks like torturing men when you can't p, ish them. At least, the lawyers for the defen- with all their eminent ability, were certain very unfortunate in not being able property |. present the question of jurisdiction in Mare 1954 o
 Time dragged its weary length along, a, after weeks of labor jury was empanneledl- try Jno. N. Cummings for arson. Days oles, tient investigation were spent in puttingsal case before the jury-'in introducing the is donce for the State and for the defence Able early hour on Saturday morning, the 16th ina, the testimony was closed At last the pube was to be satisfied. The weeks of resort to ex traordnary appliances and influences, by tn prisoners and their friends, was now to produc a result. We confess that we confidently look ed for something that was to satisfy the publi mind, long since disgusted with the mockin forms of law. The jury had the case, and W wanted to see them dispose of it. The argu ment of the case was opened by J. c. PALMEH Esq, one of the associate counsel for the State in plain and concise statement of the testimo ny, with such comments upon its bearings an relevancy as seemed necessary to a full under standing of it. The counsel for the defenc made no reply. They did not even ask fo special instructions, upon any point in the case Nor was any necessary. We are no lawyer We can give no legal opinion on the matter but it seems to Us that no part was reserved fo the jury to play. The charge of the Judge lei them no alternative to bring in verdict of Not Guilty, unless they disregarded it entirely Altogether. this has been a strange case. w hope never to witness such another. Hereafte