Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-03-03
THE DEAD, ALIVE.
BY s. NJ. BIGELow.

Many has been the tale that has been
written to depict the uncertainties, and not
frequent injustices, that arise from the re-
suits of a trial, the prosecution of which
is founded purely on circumstantial evil
dence; still juries do not seem to heed
| them, and when prejudice is once raised
against an accused party on account OF
certain suspicious circumstances by which
he may be accidentally surrounded, they
seem to blindly seek his conviction, and as
quickly return verdicts to that etfect-when
if the wisdom of the Bench does not de-
tect the fallacy and unjustness of the pro-
ceeding, the unhappy but innocent priso-
ner is doomed to pass weeks and months
and even years of suffering, in an agony
of spirit that none but those who have been
thus martyred on the altar of public opin-
ion, can appreciate or imagine. More ter
rible is it, when a capital crime is charged
land apparently sustained-when sentence
| is passed-when the day of execution ar
rives, and fellow being is deprived of his
existence-swung into the mysteries of
eternity, by vi,tue of the administration
of an teven handed justice !'-while myr-
lads of whose guilt there is positive, over
whelminp, and direct testimony, escape
through the dodge of a sharp practition-
er, or by reason of some technical Illegal
ity or immaterial proceeding on the part of
the prosecution, not according TO the strict
letter of the law, which would not howev
er in the slightest degree affect the intrin-
sic rights of the accused. Justice may
well be represented as blind, for as she pre-
sides in our courts, her shafts equally de-
stroy and ruin the innocent as they fail to
reach the guilty but we'll defended villain.
Some FIVE years since, on a lovely day
about the middle of August, a party OF
children, whose parents resided in Lecouk,
Rhode Island, started on black -berrying
expedition. With elated spirits, and the
free, bounding step of unsuspicious and
pleesome childhood, they sought the neigh
boring woods, fully expecting the holiday
they were thus improving would be one OF
unalloyed and uninterrupted pleasure
Their only protector was large New
Foundland dog, whose sagacity was
equalled only by his symmetrical form
Away went the party over hills and across
the cultivated fields to their destination.
J-he wood, TO which they bent their steps,
Law upon the side of a gently rising hill,
somewhat retired from the public roads,
and was favorite summer-day resort for
parties of pleasure from the surrounding
country. Arriving on the spot, they soon
found the greatest profusion of berries,
and accordingly alternately engaged IN
picking and romping.
Not long had they thus amused them
selves, when their boisterous mlrth was
suddenly checked by scream of alright
from one of the youngest OF the party
who, in company with two or three others
had sauntered short distance from the
III
rest. fastening to the spot, they all
with universal shrek of horror fled rap
idly towards their homes. The sight tina
met their eyes was one that was well cal
culated to fill their young minds with the
utmost CONSERVATION. 1t seems that the
dog Bruno had been scratching in thu
ground at place which on examination
bore the marks of recent removal. In s.
doing he had exposed to view the face OF
human being, which had been covered Will
chloride of lime. Announcing the discov
erv bv succession of sharp barks, he hat
drawn the attention of the young children
to the place. The horrible intelligenc
spread with almost lightning speed through
the usually unexcitable town of Lecouk
and a crowd rapidly fastened to the fata
wood, where they speedily exhumed tn
BODY. It was Immediately recognized
the bodv of a woman whose husband, be
ing a sea captain, had left Providence tn
day previous for Norfolk by the way of Ne'
York. A coroner's jury were immediate
ly called, and testimony taken. Dozen
recoonized the body as that of captain Lc
lder's wife, and swore to that fact. Th
sister of the deceased identified the dres
as the one she usually wore, and also he
ear rings. The murderous decd had ev
IDENTITY been committed some two or thre
davs previous; several marks of violenc
were found, some of which appeared
have been made with knife. Her cour
tenance was SO disfgured that her feature
could not be recognized. But her sist'
remarking that her relative had losta tool
from the center of the upper front roy
on examination that tooth was found to
missing, and no further doubt RENAME
as to the body.
1t had been a matter of gossip amor
the neighbors, that trouble existed betwe'
Captain Loder and his wife, which W
very manifest from the frequent quarre
that would take place between them whe
ever he was at home. Several testified
angry words having been heard issuii
from their dwelling but a few days previoU
Both were we'll known to be in an i'll n
NOR, and were suddenly missing, but
wss supposed that she had accomPpani
him to Providence, as she occasionally
u when her husband was about leaving wi
m his vessel for the South. Nothing furtf
IN was said relative to her absence until Il
accidental and horrible discovery.
ior The excitement of the good people
me Lecouk was intense; the coroner's jul
of without moments hesitation, brought
nd that the deceased came to her death by
ne olence inflicted by her husband. A d
lat patch was therefore Immediately forwal
Did ed to the Chiefs Office in New York,
I which city, steps were taken to secure
,n,, | annurnd rarfu AZ annn "a his vessel Shoi