The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-05
BALTIMORE.
MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1858.

Blackstone enjoyed the honor of knowing Cor
oner Gorton he never would have spoken so
disparagingy of Coroners, at least would
have made an exception in favor of that exem-
pary and enlightened official. Coroner Gorton,
unlike the mercenary individuals of whom the
learned commentator writes, "serves his country
from no other consideration than the desire to do
his duty, and to the discharge of that duty, he
brings, as the following narrative will show, no
ordinary share of zeal and sagacity
Nine days ago, a young man, named Edward
Worthington, was shot on Pratt street. near Light,
about haf-past ten o'clock in the evening, while
going to fire. He was, at the time, assisting in
drawing the hose carriage of the Columbian Fire
Company, Of which association he was member.
He was shot by some person or persons flor three
shots fired, and four balls took effect upon his
body who were with the apparatus of the Frank
lin Fire Company He fell upon the pavement,
was carried into the Maltby House. thence taken to
his home and died the next day. During the past
week. ''the Coroner hath set on him. and finds it
Christian burial, at least that is about the sub
stance of the verdict. On Sunday, Coroner Cor
ton summoned jury, Which was duly sworn, and
proceeded to take testimony, but without conclud-
ing the inquest, adjourned until Monday evening
On Monday evening one of the Jurors was absent,
and the inquest was adjourned until Tuesday eve
ming. On Tuesday eVening-said Juror still alb
senting himself-another person was chosen in his
stead, and the oath originally taken by the jury
being supposed to have in the meantime lost its
virtue the whole jury was sworn over again. and
the commenced anew First the medica1
witness was examined, one DR.. Thomas NJ Busk
who had attended the unfortunate young man at
the house of his parents and in his last moments.
The Doctor described the wounds; zone ball had
passed through the left hand one through the left
arm, another had entered the left thigh below the
hip, and fourth had entered the left side and
passed through to the right side, where it lodged
and where the Doctor felt the ball under the skim
Thus far the Doctor, and one may almost ven
ture to suppose that he might have gone farther,
and testified that from these wounds the Young
man died. Not so the Doctor. A tender con-
science hath Doctor Thomas NJ. Busk, and sharp
eye to his professional reputation, and we may add
to his professional fees. 'EWound," SAYS he
speaking of that last described might have caused
death-under the impression that it did, but could
not say so professionally, without making post
Unlike his apostolical namesake this "doubt-
ing Thomas" would not believe, although he felt
the ball and saw the wound in the side which it
had made. Nothing would remove the possible
doubts which existed in the mind of this cautious
disciple of Esculapus but "a post norton examipa-
ton" True, the young man was not only dead,
but buried; amid the tears of sorrowing friends.
and with decent rites of Christian sepulture, his
body had been laid in the grave But that is
trtng consideration in the eyes of such insatiate
ghouls as coroners and doctors. The coroner, the
jury, and the Deputy States Attorney laid their
heads together, and although one irreverent indi-
vidual, not being sufficiently imbued with respect
for 'he powers that be, and in pitiable ignorance
1t would SEEM of the zeal and vigilance with which
Mr. Whitney discharges the duties of States Attor-
ney, did venture to suggest, that it was useless
trouble and expense las it was doubtful if the
matter would ever be brought before the criminal
court the post norton decided upon Ac-
cordlngy the coroner and the doctor proceed to
the grave yard; the body is dug up and the doctor
having cut and sliced to his entire satisfaction and
earned his fees was thereby enabled to testify Dro-
reasonably that the man was really dead and that
he had died from the wounds he had received. All
doubt upon this point being thus removed, the in
quest proceeded more witnesses were examined,
and on Thursday night the final conclusion arrived
at THAT the deceased, Edward Worthington,
came to his death by a pistol shot fired by the
hand OF some person or persons to the Jury I'M
known" Thereupon the jury were DISCHARGED
the various parties who had been arrested bv the
police on suspicion of completely in the crime were
ordered to be released from CUSTODY and so to the
satisfaction of all concerned and particularly of the
murderer, the farce is ended "And is this law9,
we are tempted to exclaim with the clown in Ham,
let, upon reviewing this recital of facts CAV.
marry is't; GROWERS quest law" We give it as
fair sample of the way in which inquests in cases
of murder are conducted by the States officers.
with scrupuous care to avoid every possibility of
their leading to the detection of the murderer. A
man is slain, as in this instance in the public street.
and in the midst of crowd, almost, if not actually
before the very eyes of the police one of whom tes
TINED THAT he heard the shots, rushed into the
crowd, y and arrested the party who was pointed
out as the perpetrator of the deed and what is the
resulR 'The coroner hath set on him, and finds
1t Christian burial and that is the end of it. The
jury lind that at all events it was not suicide and
That Is all the light which their deliberations -
their hive days inquest their score or so of witness
ses examined, and their ''post mortem - throw I'M
on the transaction. The coroner "sits uponn the
corpse of the murdered man, and after nearly
week incubation conducted with all the gravity
and decorum of a setting hen, he matches verdict
like that above recorded. We give these details
for the sake of calling public attention to the
very defective state of this part of our criminal
law, for we can not conceive of their being greater
obstacle (other than that which is found in the
corruption and delinquency of public oficials) in
the way of the detection and punishment of Often
ders than that inerposed by the stupidity of coro-
ners, and the absurd mockery of their inquests-
Let the trial OF criminals be open and public as
the noontlde sun, but common sense suggests that
those preliminary proceedings which have for their
object the detection of crime and the discovery of
the guilty parties should be expeditions. and above
all, secret, that they should be rather executive
than judicial In their character, and ought more
properly to be carried on in the office of the Chief
OF Police by some experienced detective, than in a
common station house, by jury picked up at ran
dom in the streets As for the particular case under
consideration inasmuch as the murder of young
Worthington is involved in so much doubt and
mystery that not all the sagacity of twelve men,
assisted by coroner Gorton and Deputy States
Attorney Plnkney, and the post morton examina-
uon made by DIR. Thomas NJ. Busk could discover
us perpetrator we would respectfully suggest to
Ills Honor, Mayor Swami, that he might at least,
take as much trouble to unravel the mystery as he
would to discover the whereabouts of a nonter tbot
had been stolen from His Honors ward IF the
dull scent of the hounds of justice whose dulv il 10
10 De upon the track of all offenders requires sharp
ehing let reward be offered for the arrest of the
murderer OF Edward Worthington Too MANY
crimes have been committed in this community