M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1857-02-12

gone to hell" and instantly expir-
! ed.
SIN the name of God who did
thisl" exclaimed the appalled, specta-
tors. D.
81 did it." said the beautiful
milliner; 81 did it to save my hon
or" .. ...s b.
AS may be imagined, the deed
caused intense excitement. Public
opinion, however, was divided
The poorer classes crediting the girls
version Of the facts, lauded her hero.
ism in terms of measureless eulogy.-
But the friends of the deceased, and
his wealthy family, gave a different
and darker color to the affair, and de-
nounced the lovely homicide as an
atrocious criminal. Unfortunately
for her, the officers were devoted com.
RAIDS of the slain, and displayed their
feelings in a revoltingpartiality. The
Judge committed her without the priv
ilege of bail, and the sheriff chained
her in the felon's dungeon. Such is
brief abstract of the circumstances de-
veloped in the examination OF wit
nesses.
The testimony closed and the plead
ing began.
First of all, three advocates spoke
in succession, for the prosecution; but
neither their names nor their argu.
ments are worth preserving. Orators
of the blood thunder genius, they
about equally partitioned their howl
ing eloquence betwixt the prisoner
and her leather-robed counsel, as il
| in doubt who of the twain was then
on trial. AS for the stranger, he
seemed not to pay the slightest at
tention to his opponents, but remain
ed motionless, with his hands, like one
buried in deep thought or slum'
ber.
When the proper time came how
ever, he suddenly sprang to his feet,
crossed the bar, and took his position
almost touching the jury. lie then
commenced in a whisper, but it was q
whisper so wild, so clear, unutterably
ringing and distinct, as to fill the
hall from the floor to the galleries. -
At the outset he dwelt in pure logic
separating and combining the proven
facts, till the whole mass Of confused
evidence looked transparent as a globe
of glass, through which the innocence
of the client shone brilliant as a sun
beam; and the jurors nodded to each
other, signs of thorough conviction;
that thrilling whisper and fixed con-
centration and the language, sim
pie as a child's had convinced
all.
lie then changed his posture so as
to sweep the bar with his glance, and
began to tear and rend his legal ad-
versaries. His sallow face glowed
| like heated furnace;his eyes resemb-
ling living Goals. and his voice become
the clangor of q trumpet. lhave new
er, before or since, listened to such
murderous denunciations. 1t was
Jove's eagle charging a flock ofcrows;
it was like Jove himself, hurling red.
hot thunder bolts among the quaking
ranks ola conspiracy Of inferior Gods.
And yet, in the highest temper of his
fury, he seemed calm; he employed
no GESTURE save one-the flash of a
long bony tore-fnger, direct in the
eyes of his foes. lie painted their ve-
nality and unmanly meanness, in
coalescing for money to hunt down a
poor friendless woman, till shout oI
stifed rage arose from the multitude,
and even some Of the jury cried
"shame.
He changed his theme once more
His voice grew mournful as a funeral
song, and his eyes filled with tears, as
he traced a livid picture Of mans
cruelty and woman's wrongs, witt
particular illustrations in the case oI
his client, till one half of the audi,
ence wept like children. But it was
in the peroration that he reached hii
zenith, at once of terror and sublimity
His features were vivid as those of
corpse; his very hair seemed to stant
OH end; his nerves shook with pal
sy; lie tossed his hands wildly towards
heaven, each finger stretched apar
and quivering like the fame of {
candle, as he closed with the las
words of the deceased, Hiram
Shore:
"Tell my mother | am dead anc
gone to hell! "
His emphasis on the word hell EN-
bodied the ideal of all horror; it was &
wall of unreasonable despair. Nc
language can depict the effect on US
who heard it. Men groaned, females
screamed, and one poor mother faint
| ed and was borne awav in convul.
sidns. The whole speech occupied
but an hour. a Fti
The jury rendered a verdict of moi
guilty without leaving the box, snd
three cheers, like successive roars OF an
/ n