Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-03-02

in state prison not exceeding five wears or in
county jail not exceeding one year or by q
fine not exceeding FIVE hundred dollars. or by
both such fine and imprisonment; and every
person who shall purchase or receive the dead
body of any human being, knowing the same to
have been disinterred, contrary to the forego-
ing provisions, shall, upon conviction. be sub
Ject 10 the punishment in said section specified
Now, here was an awkward fix. To be locked
up in the service of the state Is no joke at any
time; but, under such circumstances a these,
1t Is d serious matter.
And so our hero regarded it and we may
suppose that he tossed about that night on his
bed with anything but comfortable sensations.
as he thought of professional prospects dished
reputation ruined, and all his cherished affec
tioIs nipped in the bud; for, as he afterwards
acknowledged the face Of the fair Ellen had
haunted him even since that mysterious warn
ing. and he could not help regarding her as a
kind of guardian angel. or at least fair dam
sci restrained in her affections by cruel uncle
from whom it would be his happiness at some
future day. to set her at liberty. But now the
order of things WAS to be reversed; he WAS tO
be the imprisoned knight; and he dreamed of
himself peepinS through the bars. while the
fair one gazcd at him with rcproachfu looks.
n much ~ to say. why did you not heed my
warning Then he awoke. and was glad to
hnd that. IA yet. II was only Il dream. But aS
he went to his breakfast at the village tavern.
(for he slept in his back Ofiice) he was reminded
that there was some reality about ii by the
way IN which the schOOl-boys peered curiOusly
at him, just "a people do at man who is about tO
be hanged He ecOuld see mt glance that bis case
was the talk of the town. But to breakfast he
went, although he would have had but little
appetite had he not been seated next to his
lawyer. who boarded Mt the same house. and
who chcered him up by his confident assertions
that the State could never make out a case OH
such evidence Us that.
And, while he is awaiting his trial it will
not be out of place to mention the way in which
our professor of law used to tell us how lie got n
celebrated physician clear of similar charge.
The bodies of two men, Tiff and Towner. were
disinterred at Northampton by some medical
students, and traced To the Medical College at
New Haven. where the professor of anatomy
dlsSectcd them. without knowing whence they
came. lie WAS indicted in two coupts-one for
dlssccting the body Of Tiff, the other for dis-
secting the body of Towner. Mr.. Da.ge:t a
counsel, insisted that the State must prove each
count n laid, position in which the court sus-
tanned him; and il became necessary to prove,
first that the prisoner dissected the body OF
lift. There was Il barrel of legs, arms. and
bones; but which of these belonged 10 lift and
which belonged TO TOwner it wa impossible to
tell; and so, although they had evidence as to
the corpora deiictt mentioned in the whole in
prs delicti mentioned in any one count; ac-
cOrdingly, the court instructed the jury that
the evidence did not sustain the indictment,
and the prisoner must be acquitted; and greatly
did Judge Daggett ever afterward chuckle "a
he told of the victory over the District Attor-
ney. whereby he saved Il worthy physician for
life of great usefulness and honor.
To return to DIR. Vernon. He had been wise
enough to take his counsel with him at the first
examination, and, by his advice refused to an
swer any questions, which was well; for, in
the confusion of the moment. he might have
been bothered to give very intelligible ex-
planatiOn as to whence he got the skeleton.
which now seemed to grin out an accusation.
The day of the trial came on, and our hero
was formally arraigned in the presence Of an
immense audience. to answer the charge pre-
terTed, with the usual verbosity, for that, on a
certain day. he. the said Edward Vernon did
at. etc. felOniOusly and wilfulIy open the grave
wherein was deposited the dead body late oI
one Catherine Quiglet. knowing that the same
had been unlawfully abstracted from the grave
etc. All of which was declared to be against
the peace of the State. and the statute in such
case made and provided; and TO all Of which
the prisoner pleaded not guilty
To be CUNTINUED.