Litchfield enquirer., 1862-04-24
ykoodford,s Trial 1.-The Verdict

Woodford's Triai;--The Verdict. ' This long and exciting trial, which reached . Examination, after we had gone to press last week, In the verdict of the Jury that the prisoner .Ludusy. wSodford was guilty of the murder of Jssa Tuttlse the 2d degree, and the sentence pronodStSd, Judge Dutton on Monday last, eondemning the prisoner to the State Prison for the remainder of his life, form the closing chap. tsrs of the tragedy which shocked and alarmed the peaceful communities in our county six months ago..
 h our opinion, Both verdict and sentence are .emineutly right and just, and answer fully the demands of justice and mercy. Withthe verdict nine-tsnths of those who listened to all the evi dsnee on tho trial, and nine-tenths of the com- nunity in which the tragedy immediately occur rod, will be satisfied. It could hardly have been otherwise. The guilt of the prisoner was fully shown, the malice prepense proved, the homi- eide, indeed, admitted by the defence, and the only doubt thrown at all upon the transaction, was in the manner and place of the killing. Up- on this point, the defence, however ingenious, and plausible, vas not sufficiently probable to convince the disinterestsd listener or tho jury of its ersdihility. The efforts of the counsel for the defence have rarely been excsllsd for the ingsn- aity and eloquence with which they developed and urged their theory, but so overwhelming was the presumption of the facts brought forward by the state, that the Jury were unanimous in re. surning the prisoner guilty of uujusti6able homi- eide, and eyen it is reported, stood nine to three fora verdict of murder in the first degree. In his verdict the learned Judges, who presided with the highest impartiality and dignity as tho trial, fully concur.
 The sentence is severe, tho punishment terri. ble. To shat man up, in the full viaor of life, * within the walls of the prison-house, with no hope, no expectation of release, with eyes confn. sd ever downward from the world, with though, ever turned inward upon the deeds of the pas, Ms-alone, solitary, silent-the retribution, to a murderer, it would seem, must be almost ''great sr than he could bea.." And yet if the man is murderer-if in deliberate madness he raised his hand against his brothers life, if by his stern unlawful arm he sent the soul of his fellow. man, unwarned, to its Msker,--the blood of that broth CT crieth out from the ground, as of old it did, : and what punishment can be too severe, or what instice too stern?
 We need not go into the details of this last trial Ito find pallatons to excuse the guilt of the condemned prisoner. We shall find none if we gid. Whatever may have been past provocations-- whatever the insults and ignominies suffered by ! the prisoner of the deceased, (and while we can not excuse these, we should find, perhaps, equal wrongs on both sides) there is nothing, absolute nothing, to justify the awful crime which clos. ed the long and bitter disputes. We write the word murder with awe and terror; we shudder ,. as we hear of the dark deed committed the most terrible, 6endish crime known to law is its only companion, and ia punishment should be as se. were, terrible and pprelenting as its accomplish. ment atsa a&s3,
 For on6 we feel ,afer since this verdict; we are sure our peaceful communities will eseSs&s aAfer; we trust its influence will long be felt fol the prevention of future tragedies, such ss.i atohss for to the outraged law, in this County, 1T which of late such tragedies have become sofre saents and we most earnestly hope that to thu oeadsmnsd t may be repentance. though ths ! ssEy repsnsanes of fire.