The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-12-07

hUlc " wall lOF MI OOlu1uS 6ITltal, ne
determined to send Mrs. Burch to New
York, he procured pot Of lampblack and
carefully erased his name from her trunks,
and with q similar intent he employed a
German artist to paint Mrs. Burch's portait
out Of the beautiful family group of husband,
wife and child which HeeIy had executed
for him, but still allowed the picture as
amended to hang in his parlor. In his
letters to his friends, too, about the affair,
he uses the most singular and Maworm-
like language, exciting laughter in spite of
the terrible news be conveys. Just as
laughable are the statements that Mrs.
Burch used to write out her husbands pray
ers and speeches, from which he gained great
reputation in church conferences; and that,
anxious for newspaper fame, he sends grapes
to the Prince Of Walesa and Lady Franklin.
All these things, and many others which
shall be mentioned, are not matters of oath
or evidence, but they are too generally ru-
mored and believed to be totally unfounded
and unauthentic. ......
Ofthe same class, perhaps, are the rumors,
current in Chicago, that newspapers have
been bought up by Mr.. Burch. Perhaps
this is unlikely; but it is true, beyond a
doubt, that in this case not only legal, but
political, social and every other means have
been employed to effect the trial and verdict.
For instance, the story is credited on the
street that it is not so much the fact that
some of the compliments lawyer are en-
gagged in the Fisher-Stone case, at Chicago,
as that Mr.. Burch don't like the jurors, and
hopes to get new and better deal on
Monday, the Sheriff being politically at.
tached to some of the counsel, which makes
him urge to postpone the trial till that day,
knowing that the present jury will be
discharged tomorrow.
Not to be placed among the rumors,
however, is Mrs. Burch's own story in
regard to the confession, and it would be
well if it could be made public; for bits of
it are circulating here and there, and are
very hard to catch. In the confession she
says that Stuart first had criminal inter-
course with her on the 18th of October,
and the story goes that an alibi can be most
distinctly shown. At other times this
intercourse was renewed, the confession says,
while Mr.. Burch was absent at Burlington,
or at the Historical Rooms and yet it is
freely said that by such men as Senator
Douglas alibis can be proven in each case.
In letter Mr.. Burch admits, in his own
hand writing, it is said, that be obtained
this confession by means of cross examina-
ton and pretending to know more about it
than he did, and "by every other mental
and moral means of persuasion of which
God gave him power" Mrs. Burch says
that besides abuse, threats of turning her
out of doors and VOWS of disgracing her,
these mild persuasives consisted of fist
shaken in her face and loaded pistol
displayed on the table. Mr.. Burch says
that the defence are rummaging every house
of prostitution to SANDER him. The defence
reply that Mr.. Burch began the same thing
to injure Mrs. Burch, ard so examinations
and recriminations continue. A lady of
Cincinnati gave testimony for the defence.
Two warrants of arrest on the charge of
perjury were obtained against her by the
complainant-one even before her evidence
was concluded--and her character as a
woman, as we'll as witness, was impeached.
Yet the woman was released upon bail,
and the French Consul answers for her
character. So the stories 60, only the tide
seems to have turned for while the de.
fence have now the best of the joke, and
such ladies as Mrs. Peck, of Chicago, open
their houses to Mr.. Burch, the alleged
adulteress and prostitute.