New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-31

The trial of Huntington, which has been before
the Court and in the newspapers for the last two
weeks, has at last been brought to just con ouson
by verdict of guilty and the sentence of the pris-
oper to four years and ten months in the State
Prison. The progress Of the trial has somewhs!
stripped the case of the Mysterious and inexplcs.
bic circumstal ces with which it had been invested.
STILL it may justly claim to rank among celebrated
causes-not, however, entirely or mainly from any
interest impaired to it by Huntington himself. He
msy be considered, indeed, as having become but
very secondary parsonage in thu drama Of his Sn
trial Though, so far as legal consequences are
concerned, be has been placed at the bar, and
though the case will always 60 by his name in the
books, vet, considered not merely as trial before
tie Court of Sessions, but as proceeding before
the great tribunal of the public, quite number Of
other parties have been brought into question.
A large part of the closing argument for the pris
oner was taken up in the defense not SO much Of
the prisoner as of the prisoners counsel. The
prisoners counsel considered themselves as stand
ing charged in the public prints with having re-
sorted, in setting up the plea of insanity, to des
rerate attempt to delude the Jury into acqutta;
newspapers, the closing argument for the Govern
meDt did certainly contain such charge, very ex-
plictly put. That argument ascribed to the junior
counsel for the prisoner the invention of this project
of insanity (unless, indeed part of the credit of
il was to be shared with Huntington himsel0-au
idee, it was alleged, which, up to the time of the
c. consultations of Huntington with his junior cOun-
sci, had never occurred to anybody else of all
Huntipeton's relatives and business connections,
and an idea suggested only by the absolute despe-
ration Of defending him on any other ground.
To his numerous frauds in matters of money per-
petrated upon individuals, twas alleged that Hunt
pgton, with the assistance of his counsel, was now
seeking to add new fraud in matter of science to
be perpetrated on the Jury, as means of defense
against the consequences of his business frauds.
And in this new fraud-such was the case present
ed on the part of the Government-he had not
merely legal but medical assistance in the testi-
mony of the two physicians which, SO fara the de.
tense of insanity was concerned, formed the only
testimony of any weight in the case
There was no charge or insinuation that those
two medical men were in any way parties to the
alleged conspiracy to cheat the Jury int YER
DICT of scquittal Still the view taken of their
conduct in the Gaze, in allowing themselves to be
made the tools of that conspiracy, did implicate
their professional character, and stin more their
character as men of sense and good citizens, in a
very serious degree It was alleged as very
noticeable Circumstance, and one well calculated TO
throw ditcredit on the good faith of the prisoners
counsel, that they had sprung this de.
Tense Of Insanity as it were BY surprise.
Instead of giving notice, as is usual in such cases
and highly reason able, that they believed sus-
pected the prisoner to be insane, and that they
intended to defend him n that ground, at the same
time requesting the Government to join with them
in medical examination having in view, not tho
manufacture of testimony, but the discovery Of the
facts-instead Of adopting this course the prisoners
counsel had kept the whole matter to themselves,
and had set on foot private medical examination,
for the very purpose of decevipg the medical gen.
tlemen and deuding them into premature com.
initial of themselves-a practice upon them which,
it was alleged had completely succeeded, and in
part BY their own fault in consenting to take part
in any such private and one sided procedure.
But it was not only on the side Of the Govero-
ment that charges were made involving others be-
side Huntington. The prisoners counsel turned
with ferocity, almost, upon the parties who had
suffered Losses by the forgeries, holding them forth
to the Jury in the character of confederates with
Hustir gton in schemes TO plumber the public, which
having been carried out, they had turned round in
duced Huntington to make them an assignment
Of all bis property, and were now attempting to
send him to the PenitentiMy, in the course Of
which operation they did not stick even at per- lry
To this charge against the Governments witnesses
may be added the denunciatioDs on the part of the
medical witnesses sgainst the law of insanity as
laid down by the Judges of England and in our
own Courts, which they represented as based on
an utter ignorance Of the whole subject; and on
he part Of the prisoners counsel denunciatens
seainst Wall street and the newspapers Of inter.
teriDg with the right Of the prisoner to fair trial
by raising senseless and irrational aud ignorant
clamOr against the defense which had been set up
for him. This slight sketch will serve to Neow the
number Of parties beside Huntington who6 the
course Of this trial has implicated. We proceed
nowto add few reflections in connection with this>
case VIA gVn; II jaiese'i f. everybody. How