, 1865-07-24
Whtraqu Wrtbn1te.


time II c1nb zasta ApTzH TIE cun has been tAised.
provided full years subscription u made.
u-Adtreas EHiCA9D TK1HUEK." Chicago, NJ,
MONDAY. JULY a. 1ss6.
TRIALS For MURDER.
We have nothing to say OF tbe conduct Of
Jadson Bm1uughs-the victim Of the Wash-
tngton tagcdy-in his relation to Afiss
Hanls, who killed him. We accept as proof
Of It's Utmost crlmtnality. the statement Of
her counsel and friends, that 1t involved no
other dlsh1nor than the retuaal to fulfil
marriage contract entered Into With her; sad
that, In defiance Of that obligation, he mar
t1ed another. This, We take It, IL Ill that is
charged. There il no allegation Of seduction
and ruin, OF which, BY Burroughs agency,
Miss Har7's Vas the victim. Be eourted her
aaaldusuely, wrote her many foolish letters
during their years Of intimacy, dandled her
on his lap With lncons,derata familiarity, and
was no doubt under promise more fool.
ish and lnconslderate stE1, to mako
her his welded vile. II does
rot appear from the testimony why he did
not carry ut his purpose, unless we suppose
that change In his circumstances, whereby
hs felt tLat he was unable to educate hor II he
wished, also changed his mind, aud mAde
him 1o K elsewhere for a companion who did
not require this educational process. This
is the account given on one side, nnd. we be.
1icve conceded On the othcr. We have,
then, the extent Of his offending. We put
in no word Of excu]pation; but We may
sugg"at that It Is purely N er pdrtt state
m.0t. ar. Burroughs IL dad. As In life
1T was accounted an upright man, It ia no.
4 violent assumption to suppose that be
act. d according to bis notions Of fairness and
to whcm be was engaged. We know not
whether Ill his lettess have besn produced.
A shrewd attorney, defending prisoner on
trial for an offens+, the penalty Of which ia
death. would not, having all the correspond
ence In his bands, introduce anything preiu-
dcial 10 his client Miss Harris letters to
Burroughs do not appear. That she hsd
vrttttn many times. Is clear enough prob
ably upon his marriage, her favors Of that
sort were prudently destroyed. Thus the
testimony from the let 'ers creates the feeling
thAt all has not been told. What Of the mss-
sing facts Burroughs could have supplied,
Whist explanations he could have made, what
excuses he could have offered, what counter
charges lie could have preferred, We shall
never know. The fatal shot which began the
case, probably destroyed the only means by
which we could have ever seen his slde OF It.
But take tie proof IS the Witnesses
disclosed It, and the vhole case
as lie court lsfs 1t, VIC hays
this question 10 ask, "Was Jnason Bur-
roughs guilty OF any crime for which he
opght to have suffered sudden and violent
death: The law of the land, and the con-
mon-sense Of mankind, wherever civilization
and Christianity are the rule, have but one
answer, and that is written In every statute
book aud every c-nseience, No!
We bave 10 feeling Of Ike OF dlalike for
either Miss Harris VI Mr.. Burroughs. We
never knew thak either Of them lived or hsd
lived, until the announc emen: came In the
papers that Burroughs Was dead--thst Miss
Hnr1is had shot him. We know nothiaC Of
the social Lift or the familiar friends Of either
Of them. They were aud are as far removed
frcm our personal fasnnEs and symp.thles as
II they lad lived In China or Madagascar.
Hence we can be Influenced by nothing
else than desire to mate this CASE warning
and m example to tie public. In pursuit. Of
that purpose, we ask our renders, with all the
important parts Of the testimony before
them. If Tho plea Of insanity pub In by tbs de-
fense wss borne ont by the proofs Let each
man answer that QUESTION for himself. In
regard TO ths fact that this plea OF insanity
bas BECAME The usual reaort Of 1avyers in
ccnl,a1 cases and trat 1t. xhen ronn1ad with
tie disltke Of furors 70 take avav the life of
a fellox.hc1ur. br a verdict az eui1tv in
tr;.le for mnrd,r has made lt,,tnv tba s,fsst
Of offences, VIC need not to be reticent. Eyery
day the inct1|cicucy Of the law. AZ IL now
stands On the statute booxs OF most OF the
States. As well az In the District OF Columbia.
il forced urop our attention. and every day
". .rr nnYe md more firmly convinced
that untI1 the law of murder allows
;,,.,eo IN e,ect he,v an ,mov;sonInent e,r
Ia. ava m. tnf,tc,3on ~ d.sth In c.ses that
a-e t,3ed hefo,r them ue shalt TIM of1en hs
.mns1Icd =, .ss o1I ,,nnfshrnent x1,hba,a
wha snnn,sc. 4n.t h,d N,.s Tar,,s ~, cone N ~
yya.h,nrton snd hsa .na.a haen ao.scttd II
4,.,..aens ~ 49, - s,,r = .sta 49, .nn.as .to..
49, r,os 49, .arsa - hs. 80. - sha :. ! sts,n.G
Las -. 49, ~ -, 49, ~ = -, pn,-ennhs -~oa1s
har. ara,,oa. whn snnnosas -h.t ~ 49,
+rts1 ~.5ct 1eo,,a bo,-a nro.n ~ ~ ~
,n;nor ofTsnss thia ,;1ea ron1a have heen mt
T., a. all. ~ n mt IN tbaf tborrh ann
no,1,d bv .cst,monr n. 1.rt,nept tn tte case
In hsnd as 1h.t which We read in tn. mur-
der csse. It would not have been hooted
ort Of Court. and with II the law.
n,n,,;tv oncbt In 1,o1d the lires of those ,vho
o,r,,rs. {, ,,,,t .. rn,,b rasns.t soN doo.