Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-05-07
LEGAL INCIDENT.

Serfatl0n within the last iOur years. OF Oo-
vious reasons he withholds the name of the UNI
fortunate victim Of illegal accident" MIR.
T., young man Of high character, with
respectable family connections, was employed
for twelve years in one of the largest firms in
the "Manchester line" IN London, the last
three Of which as buyer for the establishment;
in that capacity he laid out on an average from
f4O,O O0 to 900 year. In the early part
of the year 1858, he left town for Manchester
by the night mail on arriving at - station, |
he changed his mind and determined not 10
proceed to Manchester that night. On leaving |
the station for the hotel, he was stopped by u |
police officer, who accused him OF stealing the
carpet bag which he had in his hand on eX-
animation, il was found TO be the property of
another gentleman. He endeayored to explain
that he took it by mistake but to no purpose.
He was searched his ticket for Manchester
was found on him. This TACT was considered
conclusive evidence that his leaving the train
at this intermediate station was done for felo-
NOUS purposes. Another policeman coming
up ut that moment, at once recognized in the
per OF of Mr.. ia notorious swellmobs-
man from London, and, jocOsely taking the gold
watch and chain IRON my friends neck, said,
81 suppose this is part Of the proceeds of your
Calling" ExpostulatiOn ON the part of the
accused was in vain. lie declared his inno-
cence and asked for his own bag, but the idea
of his possessing such an article was utterly
rdiculed, and his request was looked upon as
part Of the sharper's dodge. After little
further ceremony, he was consigned to a cell
for the night, to wait his examination. He i'm
plored permission to write TO his wife, but so
great favor could not be granted. The accu-
sation, even at this early stage, had done its
work.
Excitement set in, and in the agony of his
distress he conceived the futile design Of at
tempting to escape from the horrors of the place
he was in and the ioulness Of the charge. I'm
fortunately the attempt was made, and from
that moment his fate was sealed. Without be-
ing permitted to communicate with his friends,
he was examined before the magistrates and
committed TO the county Jail. Eight days
from this time, his wife, who was IN perfect ig-
norance of what had happened to her husband,
went In great distress Of mind to the city to
make inquiries as to his absence, when to her
CONSERVATION she was told there was an account
in acOuntry newspaper Of his having been COM
mitted to prison on u charge of robbery. At
once she set off to his prison, and, after an IN
terview, proceeded to the magistrate who had
committed him, with Il view of having him bail
ed out, but in vain. Now, without going into
minute details Of what took place from the time
| OF his wife seeing him in prison TO the day Of
his trial, shall state that the day for his trial
| was appointed the solicitor for the defence
mad instructions to telegraph to his brother,
|
with my unhappy friends employer, intended
to be present ut the trial, to. speak as to his
| character. But the fatality which in the first
instance befell him, pursued him with unrelent-
ing perseverance. The business Of the court,
which was calculated to occupy a certain time,
was got over much sooner than was at first eX-
pected. Poor u was called upon to plead
| to the charge. His counsel, in defence, point
ed out to the judge and the jury the improba-
Dllty of man committing such an act who
held position Of great trust in society, and
whose character for honesty was beyond all
question, as he should prove by evidence of the
highest Responsibility.
Alter his address, the names of the witnesses
for character was called but, as the trial untor-
tnnately took place twenty-iour hours earlier
than IN the ordinary course was expected, they
were not present. The jury without leaving the
box, found him guilty. the judge approved
the verdict, and the poor man was sentenced to
some years Imprisonment. 1t may DO asked
where was the wife all this timer Why was she
not present. Wonder not. The day before
l the trial. she gave birth TO r sixth child and
from distress of mind was not expected to sur
we the day through. Fever came ON, insen-
slOillty followed, and for ten days she was I'M
conscious Of everything about her. At the
DrSt CLEAN of returning sense, she inquired of
her nurse if John had returned home, evident
~ abiding to his usual return from business /:
but memory, like flash of lightning, recalled
to her his sad position, aud SHE sank back into
: the state Of insensibijity from which she ap-
peared TO be recovering. | am not induging
IN sentiment | relate what l saw.
Three weeks later her two eldest children
were carried oil by an attack of, ssgrlet fever.
IN ten days more her intanI uled' W lthln th&e
s---.. Ar svvrrnur Of the 1lil that her husband
| was dying, and that she must proceed immedi-
ately TO him if she wished TO see him alive
She entered the wretched cell. There, before
her, lay hcrhusband-a helpless, paralyzed old
man--an idiot. His age, thirty-fve. Fortu.
haeIy Tor him. he knew her not. Her passion
ate and heart.rending grief, which wrung the
hearts Of those around fell dead on lis ear; all
human sympathes were gone. Reason was
rudely jostled from her seat. Ifc cared not for
Judge, jury or policeman, and he gazed uncon-
scOusly on the wife OF his carly aud uffrctionatc
love and the mother Of his helpless children.
l need not dwell upon this scene. After some
iOrmalities at the Home Office, he was removed
to private asylum, near London. He was
once more free man but to what purpOsel In
a short time he sank and died.
This was just one OF those cases in which il
is easy to 1iX suspicion, and next to impossible
to remove it. II no two carpct-blg were alike
| If there were no confusion at a railway station
on the arrival of a train no rusl. for luggage
but, on the contrary, such order that il would
be dffcult-instead Of easy as II lS--tO make q
mistake ii the railway authorities had on Their
part done their duty, and made proper search
and inquiry for T-'s carpet-hag, which they
would not believe lie possessed, but which they
afterwards found il they had allowed him Ia
communicate with his friends, so as 10 give him
an opportunity before ha was consigned to
prison, OF proving that he was not one of tho
swellmob, as they rashly and fatally suspected
and if he had failed TO verify the account he
gave OF hlmsel:-then it might have been said
that there was case for jury. But there was
no such case. The man was falsely Accused
imprisoned convicted and driven mad, Two
years passed, and the little all the wife had
! was consumed in the support Of her helples,
: children.
SCARCITY OF FEED.-Great complaint is madl
l by farmers and Stocli-brecders in many places
Of the scarcity Of hay and feed. The winter
was so long and severe that ordinary stocks OF
iced have given ont long since, while the back
wardness of spring and the recent deep SHOWS
have oecasiOncd an absence of grass, which i,
severely felt. The Charlottesville (VaJ Adyo
n cate says; "WG hear Of some farmers who
: were forced this week to go into the mountains
, where the snow was five inches deep, and cu
down trees, that their cattle might feed upol
the buds From this until the early Grass i,
sufficiently grown 10 be grazed our cattle must
suffer greatly in many parts Of the country
------s-s eS-S-------
: An atrociouS murder was committed on 4
: farm in Allegheny county, near Pitt4burg, last
week. Two old persons, brother and sister.
named Wilson, were killed during THURSDAY
night, in their own house, by some person. a
dissolute niece of theirs had been strylng nj
l the house, but left, saying that she was going
to Mckeesport to see her husband. She did
! not, however, take the direction of that place
4 and from her subsequent mysterious actions
there seems general belief that She murder
K ed her relatives to get their money, abou
n SGOD which thny had nnnnarpd ia Lo.ira ~, -