New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-04

eviSenc.; Re may p1t leading lu.ssor'' be msE
plsce the guilty perscn himsta uP'c ne stand, snd
subject him 70 storm Of cross-eKaTnasOc with
ont LET or bnSera1ce. In lis in.errog .teriss be i.
not in The lfas. trsmue'ed b. teohncst;ss, and be
nsy eren, If he be Ingenious 81 va b, eItor. from
uitnts - a oenfes;i0n Of his guilt or compiicty.
Those who have paid any s.entios 70 the practice
Of Grim Ia Courts in Europe know 9hAt 4 trenen-
doUs vespor this is n the HANDS Of en- acute Cfcer.
The interrogation Of the prisoner Is TIE man icci-
oert Of tI;sl in FraLoe and il Germany. Ia Bs-
yaI.A, 10 murderer lie exs:u'ed until be has con-
fes.ed hs gait; AID he il taken periodically from
bis cell, 10 be periodically put TO tie question.
This method Of extorsiDg the truth, BY wsIl-di-
rected battery Of queries, is precisely what our
law perm. Is 10 the Coroner, and does not permit
70 any other Judicial officer. We need not say
that the opportunity .hOnld be skllfuly aud care
fully improved.
We have watched with great interest The inquest
in the matter Of the BCrd-street murder, and We
are obliged to add that we have watched it with
feelings Of great disgust In the first place II has
been inefficient, and in the second place it has been
iIdecOrcus. The Coroner does not sppear to have
had the slightest IDEA that he was IN Bond street for
any other purpose than to draw his fee and make
iokts for tie unthrkiDg 20 laugh AZ. We have il our
Gay, read the reports Of many ,rials, and We have
Litter ID to very stupid and 70 very skllful cross
examinations made by The best aud By the worst OF
LAWYERS; ard we DO Lot remember sDyttng half 80
STUPID as the style IN which Coroner COnnery man
ted his wlt1tsses. II eTer two persons should
have been taken in hand Of We may use tie expres-
sion decsrely sni ctx:erc1sly, these two persons
were Mrs. CUNNINGHAM aud Mr. J. J. Eckel. We
do lot say that they are TIE guilty parties but we
DO say that for tie purposes of tie finding, there
wss better prim0 faci. case against them tlan
against anybody else. II seems to US that what
they could say would be all important IL this insestl
CATION In this state Of thpgs the Coroner went a.
Mrs. Cunningham rs If she had been street-dfab
brought up for IIeerety, gave her substantially to
understand that he considered her the murdress
and slowed her time, by proPoundirg az iafnl'y Of
useless quesGons 10 prepare her answers for th)se
which were vital As for Mr. Excl, be has not
vet been questioned a. all si1ce the partial eGamina
ton Of Saturday. livery .aEyer, upon readiog the
Report &C this mans testimony. will thluk of
hume questions witch he you'd haze despsed bis
on stupidity !lhe had failed 70 stk. Now It must
be remembered that this Is the last chance Of inter
rogat;ng these peison-. II they appear in Court
aca n. II will be as crimrsls n the dock, with the
humsIe seal Of the Common Law upon their lips.
Tie whole ETY. d the inquest has been not only
bluuGerDg but yu' gar. Whatever may De 8 mans
proper siiy TO joke ~ tl-k it shoGld be restrained
with tt corpse overhead and possibly murderers
nuirg rg in the throrg around. We do not think
that il his best estate Coroner CCnnery is fellc-
tCusiy iaoetous persons ard sten hs humor is
aired q: the next thing TO funeral, no is a very
soriy lester Indeed. IL view Of els fees, lie may
consider the whole affair decidedly farcical; but
when a citizen is assassiLa.td, ct hight in his own
hOufo and in his own rooIn, the pubic is likely to
coLsiocr It as slightly Serious matter. The best
ttDg tbs Coroner can do in The premises is to hold
his tongue and leave the examination TO the Dis
tti:'. A,tolney and such Justices as NAY volunteer
TO sit,nd. In Ills wsy be msy possibly conceal
from the pubic bad heart, loo,e tongue,
lin !td intellect aud coarse nature.