Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1858-01-02
Sf(isttjIal)cous.
A OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

~ ~ l-4'@ ~ - '2-' 49,
a TRUE STORY OF CIRcuMsTANTlAL EVIDENCE.
"a Member of The Nississinpi Barr rnr-
nishes the New ORLEANS Delta with the fol-.
lowing interesting narrative:
The circumstances which I ara about TO
relate tganspired few veurs ago, and are
given 10 tho press nt the surTastion or -
gent aman Of New Orleans. whose friendsLip
highly value. aud TO whom | narrated the
same IL casual conversation on the lake q
few days ago.
was attending The Circuit Court of the
State of mississippi, held in and for Tie conn.
" Of ---, in tie autumn of 1852. when,
among other pleas for the Slato, there was a
bill Of indictment for arson against Edinbo.
rough slave. The Judge who presided
was o gentleman Of large learning and ey.
tended legal experience and lie still lives to
enjoy the rewards Of high professional re-
pute a. the capital city of Mississippi.
The accused was native African, and was
the property Of q gentleman of the county in
which the bill was found. The arson was
| laid in the destruction of the gin house of
his master--the plea was not guilty, when a
jury was empanneled and the cause proceeded
TO trial. The prosecution was conducted by
the District Attorney, while the defence was
under the management Of one Of the most
thoroughly read lawyers Of our State, as
sisted by his son, young lawyer then in the
opening promise of brilliant future. The
evidence on the part Of the State disclosed
the following lacts:
That ie" days previous TO the burning,
the defendant had run away upon some insult
Aclent cause that the day before the fire,
which occurred between riidnisht and dav.
light, the defendant had been seen lurking
abOUt in the vipiui,u Of tba ,r;r . ,ho, -, =;
enectual attempt was then made 20 capture
him that the overseer and a portion Of the
hands had been engaged at the gin till late
hour the night of the fro, packing cotton and
loading wagons for Grand Gulf; that when
they lest ioI the quarter they left every
thing as they supposed, safe at the gin that
when the alarm Of fire was made, the force
was carried to the gin, and an attempt made
to subdue the llames. which proved abortivo ::
that suspicion Immediately fell upon the de-
lendant, igom the fact Of bis being fugitive
and that he had been seen in the viciuity the
day previous; aul that, upon that suppusjtiou.
more vigorous search was Instituted. and
after a dliigent pursuit of about an hour and
half, the defendant was discovered in cot
ton house. about n mjle from, Tho ,,i,, !, an
adjacent field. That he WINS then wbinned
but not for the purpose of inducing conres.
sion, but as punishment for runping away
That after that, and while on the woy to The
quarter, the defendant had voluntarily con.
lcssed that lie burned the gin. That he spt il
on ire with u view of impiicatipg n nero on
the plantation who had incurred Ills animositv
The evidence for the State closed after in.
PRODUCING the negro to prove that the defend.
ant did owe him grudge for some cause.
not necessary here to be detailed
The defence offered no evidence and the
argument proceeded Tie District Attorney
opened the prosecution by brief reference
to the facts and the law applicable to the
same. The counsel for the defendant. emi.