The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-09-26
Dayy Jones, Junior,
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.g4cnr.TrTsyHA STos
TCoNCLUDED1 a. a. 1


at all costs to demonstrate their ac-
\ tiyity and to seem to be doing some
thing Others laughed outright at the
utter .absurdity. aof.s the business.
There was no case against Mr.. Starkie;
there could be no case against him.
There was not a title of evidence 70
connect him With Mr. Blsekss dsakhgl
Why. but few nights before that sad
event. his own life had been attempt
/ ed Besides, what possible motive
ssqla e saS1 e. ssn ft tsi ss Ok
commits crime must have motive.
1t was argued. What motive was
there to induce Mr.. Starkie to perpe-
trate aS4nprder p people asked, again
and again; paused for reply, and got
none-at least, none that they could
consider at all sufficient or satisfac
tory. He was without any such mo-
/ tive, they determined land. therefare,
he must be innocent, and the real
murderer must be sought for in some
other .dqafter. Il II7 IA
|oHNevertheIess, in spite Of all the ar
guments about motivey@opinions ad-
verse to the prisoner gradually arose.
In the minds of, many people the mere
fact that 4 charge is brought against d
man is quite sufficient for. his. conyic-.
ton and condemnation. Mr.. Starkie's,
-neighbors began at last to ask them
SELVES what they really knew about
him and this, itsHemed, "a me uhted to
little enough. He had come among
them with; same suddSnt1essy y oz6ne
was acquainted with, his anteeedents.
He was we'll and comely-
looking, and oftindussrious 1hehits;
but always reserved and taciturn- He
never spoke of his own affairs ;ihe aps,
peared to have no relations or person.
aI;friends. Yethe certainly had been
implicitly tt9ustedEby his late partner,
who had set store upon his services,
and was always supposed to entertain
a high opinion of him. By and by it
,oozed out thatsthe case against him
gained strength every day. There
upon many were found to declare that
they had never liked him from the
first, and had said all along that he
knew mere about Sampson Blocks
Edeath than he cared to tell. = :;
The trial took place at the Surrey
Sessions held ID Horsemunger Lane, !
Southwark. before tho Lord Chief:
Baron Sir Archibald Macdonald
The celebrated counsellor, MraGar-
row, appeared. on the part of the
Grown. The prisoner was assisted by,
a Juniors .barraster to- cross examine:
witnesses, and to argue any points of
law that might ARISEN the course of
the trial. 1t was not, it may be noted !;
| until many years later, that advocates
were permitted to appear on behalf of:
u A<so 1Av>o a "a n no
jury as to the fact of the case before
them. ~ =
The evidence of the witnesses called.
of Mr.ABlock's death, though of
course more fully stated, differed little
in effect from the narrative which has
been already laid before the reader.
| But the case before the prosecution
involved certainpeculiarities to which
brief allusion may be made. Mr..
Garrows theory of the prisoners guilt
tnecessitated proof in the-frst-iHstaRee
that sufficient motive existed to in
duce Starkie to take his. partners life,-
and secondly, jthatit was impossible
that any other ma q but Starkies could
have been guilty of the murderous'
deed. Lie followed; cas- part of this
theory, that the attempt upon his own
life, which, was alledged by Starkie to
have been made SOME nights previous
to the murder Of Mr. Block. was en-
ktirely fictitious, and that he had him.
1 self fred the pistol at the wall of Mr..
Block s parlor, In order to Tavert suso
picion, and to give rise to charge
against some ethers person when the
time arrived for his committing the
crime he had already in eontempla-
ton
The court wasbcrowded to excess.
Royal dukes with intellectual facial
angels were accommodated with seats
! upon the Bench. eIllustrious foreign
ers were in attendance to instruct
themselves concerning English forms
| Of trial for murder. Rank and fashion
besieged the doors of the Sessions
IsHouse in vain attempts to obtain adj
mission to the already overcrowded
court, The prisoner was plainly
dressed 10 dark-colorea = clothes,
ifanP perfect " composure = marked
his countenaIeesr and manner
during the greater part of the
Etrial. His handsome face and quiet
i beari ~ attracted aamiration aud sym
patty, particularly from the female
1 portion of the aadie nee. Mr. GAR
ROW s opening Grafton was listened to
I with wrapt attention ! TWAS the gen.
i eral opinion that the case, though in
Direct and depending greatly upon cir
| against the; accused. - .I4ilaE "a = 4 =
4 with regard to the motive inducing
I the prisoner to take the life of his
h