Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-21

in one person in a-mOrhid and oyerruifng
desire for money. Midas, for some service
that was rendered by him to Bacchus was
told he should have Ehatever he wished.
And so absorbing was his desire for gold
that he wished that whatever he touched
might be turned into gold. And from those
NEUROLOGICAL times until now there have
been those whose whole being has beer, abb
sorbed and ov~ershadoWed by this ruling pas
sion. 5000
ambition and glory. A disdem casts its
m~addening CLEANS into the eyes OF ambi-
tious men, and they long for that giddy
elevation, and are ready to INVADE through
slaughter to he throne" Every desire IL
for that end and every thought is how they
can gain it..
Sometimes it takes a religious turn, and
from the time when Peter the Hermit went
back fIom Asia to Europe, and kindied a ire
Of enthusiasm which lighted up all Europe,
and which led to the famous c~russdes, until
t pday, there nave been religious enthusi-
asts who, in the wildness and blindness Of
their enthusiasm, have looked on a martyrs
death with indifference. .wa
Again it takes the more tender form of
love. Paris stole the Grecian Helen L fed
with her to Troy, and this Illicit love led 70
the siege and utter destruction of Troy.
Mark Antony, the greatest Of Rome, gave
up the world for Cleopatra Leand swan
the Hellespont for his love. Henry VIII,
of England, under the influence of this pas
sion, threw off the power of the Church of
Rome in England, and established himself
as the head of both the Church and State,
and thus led the way for the emancipation
of the English people from the fearfully tyr
annous grasp and authority of the Roman
Church
And so all through the worlds history,
both in ancient fable, and in ancient and
modern history, we find numberless exam
Piles ofthose over whom the tender passion
held complete control. My unfortunate
client is one of the latter class. Love is the
ruling passion with him. 1t absorbs all
others. 1t rises out of his temperament as
naturally as perfume issues from the rose.
To this peculiar tendency of his tempera-
ment he adds the morbid predisposi-
ton, in the same direction which he inheri-,
he superadds the stimulating and exciting
effect of intoxication. These tendencies OF
temperament and hereditary morbid predis-
| position, excited and intensified by intoxica-
ton, gives that passion a supreme and abb
solute control over him. And the whole
strength and current of his being sets in
that direction, and makes the object OF his
love everything to him.
Here the Speaker discussed at great
length the evidence in the case in relation
to the question o~fiHsanity and Drunkenness,
and the peculiar temperament of defendant,
and the effect on his temperament Of intox-
icating liquors, and reading from various
scientific and literary authorities in support
of his propositions, and proceeded as follows:
Bnt the prosecution say, and truly
too, that the defendant is a person
of extraordinary intellect and of rare
learning. We admit it. But is a great
genius proof against vice and temptation 2
By no means. The power to control our
actions lies not in the greatness of our intel
lect or the power and activity of our moral
force. If the intellect alone is the power
which exercises moral control over any in
dividual, then the most intellectual men
would be the best But is such the case?
no gentlemen. Lord Bacon, one of the most
| intellectual of men, on account of his vice
and crime has been characterized as the
'~sbrightest, wisest, meanest of mankind"
And it was in a felon's cell that he gave
birth to those wonderful lucubratious which
| fell on the earth like an apocalypse Of ma
ture, and from which arose the "exhalations
of a new intellectual morning" that has
arisen into a still increasing day, the genial
sun of which has warmed into life a giant
brood of useful arts and a still more giant
brood of useful sciences, and which rolled
back that cloud of darkness which envel-
oped the earth for thousand years.
Our safety from vice cannot be found in
the strength of intellect. but alone in the
complete ascendancy Of the moral nature.
The great intellect and attachments Of de-
fendant could lave no force in restraining
the wild, morbid and overpowering passions
which were his inheritance.
Here there follows a lengthy argument
showing that with a weak nature the de-
PENDANT was possessed of a most powerful,
passionate nature, when, where itfound an
object meeting its fancy, made him become
wildly and madly attached thereto; that
Tamzen Parsons, the deceased, was that OBJ
ject; that he loved her madly and blindly,
and, when he found the object Of that love
forsake him and turn away from him, the
awful passion of love was disappointed, and
he, under the influence of disappointment,
became insane, and when that fearful
cloud and paroxysm crossed his mind
his intellect became eclipsed and, failing in
s~elf-control and Judgment, perpetrated
the fearful deed.
The speaker concluded by asking the
jury, when they retired for elaboration, to
so decide that when they should separate
from their labors here and return home
again, they may say in their devOtions and
prayers to God,
''That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me-" b
On the conclusion of Mr.. Knights elabo-
rate plea, NJ. s. Castle, Esq, associate coun-
sci for the defendant, entered upon his ar
gument, holding the attentioh of Court Jury
and spectators for two hours and a half. He
confined himself to a review of the evidence
taken, a searching analysis Of and an able
commentary on, the same. The unusual
pressure on our local columns this morning
forbids giving a synopsis of his argument.
He will continue his brilliant, powerful plea
this morning.
ELEGANT Piano Covers at Beckwith 4
Sterling's. Dec2l:272
Il CHOICE HOLIDAY ARTIcLEs.-We have ia
ken occasion to look in upon the stock of