The Portland daily press., 1867-07-02

etostSc ARGUMENT ot tnE rsstsosfRs Cous-
Mr.. Record, senior counsel for Verrill. conf
menced.. This argument Oh Saturday afternoon.
We select the more important points of his adj
dress to the Jury from the Lewiston Journals
report
After adverting 10 the popular impression,
when the crime was first made known to the
public, that no resident of the vicinity, no man
of An9lo-Saxon blood could have perpetrated
it and TO the circumstances of Frietches ar
rest Mr. Record said:
In Government testimony it has appeared
that this prisoner remarked before the arrest
of the negro that il you wanted TO find The
murderers you must inquire of Keith and
Harris And did not this furnish sufficient
motive to Keith as to Harris to charge this
crime upon Veril? Then when Harris was
arrested, and his confession came, what should
we look for? That he should desire to throw
the responsibility for the crime upon some one
else.
What motive more than this, Gentlemen OF
the Jury, could Clifton Harris want? You
Will remember that the first crime committed
was on the aunt of Mr.. Fl. Keith, Harris pro-
tectOr.-Weuld Harris confess to VIM. Fl.
Keith or to the world, Of committing rape on
Mrs. kinsley, and thus give up the only hope
he might have from perhaps the only protect
or he had on earth?
/ have shown from the first arrests made and
first public convictions that there was no ne
cessty in the case that more than one man
should commit this murder. The Attorney
General himself confesses that Clifton is as
black villain as you please, and now | want
to see him argue that Clifton Harris is to be
believed when he charges this crime upon
Luther j. Verill. Is Harris, both Liar and muir
derer, to be believed. =.-
Look into that house! We are to believe
that this puny, rickety Verrill, in his shirt
sleeves and stocking feet, in the great cold,
after numbering one woman and beating an
other woman's brains CUT, then committed
Was not this half SpaIiiard and half negro,
Harris, excited by sexual intercourse the even
before, and drunk with liquor, just the man to
commit this rape and these murders alone?
1t was as possible for Verrill to commit rape
last Monday on these exhumed bodies, as for
him to have committed that crime last Janu-
airy. Rather the rum excited, vigorous, little,
half Spaniard, half negro, Harris, was just the
man for this crime. 1t was impossible for any
white man ON Gods footstOoi, to have commit
ted such deed.
A man who would commit such a crime
would commit another crime and charge it up
on another person.
Harris comedies that he struck the first and
further evidence, gentlemen, that he struck all
those blows, that he alone committed these
crimes? ~ q r
believe this negro is half spaniard because
of his face; he has the Spaniard's cheek and
eve; more than this. the Spanard's brow He
is more than this, he is negro-one of those
terrible mixtures of blood, good for any crime
say this not from any prejudice against race,
but merely follow out the public instinct at
the time-that some mixed blood, some stray
Cling foreigner must be the guilty man, This
public verdict confirmed by Harris's own con-
fession, now plead on Verrills behalf. 1t dis
charges his alleged accomplish.
] call your attention to the fact that Harris
says he was in Mr.. Keith's house only 81 of an
hour before he got up to breakfast, after the
was in the house "a of an hour and then went
home. Where was he the rest OF the time?
How were these marks and liscolorations on
Mrs. Kinsley person made? Was it possible
ior this Luther j. Verrill to have been on that
person and not saturate his clothing with
blood? Whose bootmarks are those on Mrs.
Kinsley's body? Not particle of blood has
been found OH the prisoners boots.
Then what follows-There is no blood TO und
ON Verrill's pants, or coat, or overcoat. Now
did Luther j. Verrill make those scars on Mrs.
Kinsley's person? Blood from head to foot
was on the real murderer. Providentially we
are here furnished key to the real man from
government witnesses.
The aegro's boots it has accidentally appear
ed as we'll as his clothing, We're marked with
blood, but the governments Grled TO suppress
these boots. The government has not pre-
scented the knife that Clifton Harris wore that
night, and this detective here tried to conceal
IT from Drs. Eegecomb and Harlow-surely he
is the man who has been acorkang up this case.
Where is that knife? Did this detective lose
it in his travels in Oxford county?
He pretended to us that he had been a New
York detective for twenty-five years. but it
looks as though he belonged to some indepen-
dent order. He got up his theory, and being
ready to adapt himself TO circumstances, went
to work with Harris. Indeed he has been
Harris spiritual adviser this long time-in
and out of Jail almost every day.
He got hold of his knife and concluded it
could not make the wound on Mrs. Kinsley,
and the second time it was shown by DR.. Har-
| low there came appearances OF blood on it. 1t
| might be, too, that blood got upon it from the
| clothing in which it was wrapped. At all
events the doctors saw the knife looked differ
| emily the second time-what are called blood
spots were added. .-- .. q. .-
The counsel for Government after the OK
| ford County travels of these articles began to
| look out for them and to suspect their Detec-
| tive. 1 want to call your attention to the way
| in which this case has been managed by the
| managing government officer.
| As you well know gentleman, men always
| try whsn a crime has been committed to seek
| a motive. / do not understand from the test
| mony of Clifton Harris clearly what was the
| motive of his alleged accomplice, the prisoner.
Harris says Verrill first suggested to him to go
| for money; but If we are to believe the wit
| ness Harris, testimony, Verrill had another
motive for going there-desire for lust. And
according to the negro, Verrill did little to
search for money, but seemed satisfied with the
| accomplishment of his lust.
The County Attorney has told you that he
would show you that Verrll plotted his crime
long before. But when he was at his sister S,
Mrs. Lakin's, then he had the only COED Oppor-
tunity he could have had, to have perpetrated