Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-08-10
The Gazette &Gntlret

nouhcea the result OF the trial at
Washington Of Miss HARRIS, fol de-
giiberately shooting down Mr.. BUR-
.RoUGHs, Treasury clerk. That
result was a verdict Of acquittal, on
the alleged plea of "moral insanity.''l z Z
Infdelity on the part of deceased to
his marriage engagement with the
nervous hysterical and high spirited
damsel was the instigating cause
which prompted her to commit the
deed. She was tried, acquitted, and
went on her way rejoicing; but the
serious point in the case is put in the
torn Of an interrogatory by the Ma
tionak Laellsgencer "Are lunatics to
be allowed to go abroad and mingle
in society after conviction of insane
impulses. which have actually led
the victims to commit homicide 7"
Miss HARRIS was not without her
sympathizers and some of them, after
her discharge, went SO far as to lion
ize her into position OF doubtful
eminence. This. the htelzigencer re-
Dukes in the following manner:
I'VE do not complain of this YER
dict; on the contrary, we feel bound
to accept it as a righteous and hu-
name Judgment, because it is the
voice of the law. But we do object
to making either '.lions' or "lion-
esses" out of homicides, however ex-
cusable such may be, The force of
examples, as the history of crime
fearfully tells ms, stimulates many a
vile person to things of like despera-
ton, in cases where insanity" is
simulated as a pretext for crime, the
conviction in bad females minds be.
ihg that woman, by virtue of her ser.
has only TO forge or to exaggerate
tails of love or outraged honor, and
that she will thus not only secure
immunity for homicide, but likewise
create quite an enyiable sensation.
Effects of this kind upon public
morals are. to say the very least, not
good" saa aa
Many of the leading journals of
The North are severely criticising the
history Of this memorable trial and
reprobatiag the verdict, as not alto
gether confined to the rules of law
and evidence, but as manifesting an
undue partiality for the "softer SEX"
even in cases where palpable crime
is shown to exist.
- An important question arises
IN reference to the rapidity with
which intelligence can be transmit
ted over the Atlantic telegraph,
should it be successfully laid. There
viii be over two thousand miles of
cable to be operated as one circuit.
At the outset, the company claimed
that it would transmit sixteen words
a minute. The longest submarine
cable now III operation is n portion
Of the Malta and Alexandra line.
about six hundred and fifty miles in
length, the entire line being about
one thousand three hundred and fifty
miles When this has been worked
as one circuit, four words per minute
iis the highest speed which it has yet
attained, while the six hundred and
fifty mile circuit alone has carried
fifteen words per minute. The re-
tarding influences in the transmission
of magnetic currents through sub
marine cables seem to increase
greatly as the length of the cable in
creases. A writer on this subject
says:
1.-THE phenomena of the Leyden
jar is developed in all submarine
telegraphs in proportion to the length
of the cable. When the conducting
wire is charged by an electric bat
terry, the negative Of that charge en-
circles the cable, and produces what
is called 'inductive retardation.' Be-
sides this hindrance, we must con-
slider the force of the earth's mag
netie currents, and Of this phe-
nomena we know but little"
We have no data by which TO de-
termine the measure of this rstard.
ing influence in the transmission of
messages through submarine cable
the length of that now being laid.
Some predict that it win be 30 great
as to render the line useless, or, at
least. nearly 80. from the slowness