The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-06-10
THE CARLISLE TRIAL
VERDICT, MURDER IN THE FIRST
So. DEGREE siw gldmazso
Sentence, imprisonment for Life.I9'


[Rsported for the evansville Joufnal-
The, trial of the CarlisIes, at Mt.
Vernon. forothe murder of Lieutenant
Thosj " Hampton, was completed on
Saturday, at 2! P. NJ, when, the jury
returned their, verdict, pronopncing
them. guilty of murder9in the first de-
gree. and fixing the punishment at
imprisonment inithe Penitentiary dur
ing life... The case was one of much
interest, not only on. account, of the
enormity of the crime for which the
persons were being tried. but also
from the peculiar circumstances sur
rounding the whole transaction, and
the peculiarly abarbarous character of
those circumstances as developed by
the evidence. - III. Fl @..;.-.;..
The trial was also extremely inter
esting. from the fact that our best le-
gal ability was employed in the pros
ecution and defence of the criminals.
The jury. which was, empanneled ON
Wednesday morning with much less
difficulty than was anticipated, was
composed of as good men as could be
found In any of our neigh boring coun-
ties. Probably more impartial and In
telligent jury could not again be impan-
neled In that or any other county.
As to politics, "a question by the. way,
which ought never to cut any figure. in
the matter of impanneling a jury, but
which unfortunately for our laws and
their enforcemepts, does come profni-.
nently in sight, the jury was nearly
equally divided. Some. who assumed
to know, saying there were seven Dem
ocrats and Eve Republicans and
some others, equally we'll. informed,
stating that there was an equal num-
Der Of each in the box. 1t was said
that certain persons and amoDgthem em an
official of quite long sta anding in Posey
County, interested themselves more
than the statutes of our State, accord
ing to their true intent and meaning
contemplate, In the working up of the
Jury. and were said to have Been some
what qdisgusted with the verdict Of
the jury, The trial. throughout its
whole course, was conducted with
fairness on the part of the. State. as
indeed it could not have been other
wise, as the defendants able counsel,
Messrs Dyer, DENLY and Harrow, look
ed to the interest of their clients; and
under the candid and fair ruling of
His. Honor, Judge Parrett, nothing
other than fair and impartial trial
could take place. Even the most
jealous partisans of the prisoners ad-
mitted that they had been fairly and
impartially tried and convicted The
arguments of Messrs. DENLY, Dyer and
Harrow were able and Ingenious,
but impressed one listening to the
fact that they had the hard side of
the cases and that it was extremely
difficult for counsel to hold up the
wrong side of such a case, however
talented. and eloquent they may be.
The argument of counsel for the
State. Messrs. Hynes, Shackelford
and DeBruler,' was also able and
eloquent; and while all were eloquent
and earnest, the argument of Judge
DeBruler was particularly so. 1t
was pronounced by all to have been
an argument of exceeding force. clear
cogent and convincing.
After the verdict had been an
nounced, the jury waszlpolled, each
member thereof declaring himself
content with the verdict; when, after
the usual motion for new trial and
arrest of Judgment, the Court pro-
ceeded- to pronounce sentence upon
the criminals. 3 On being asked if
they had anything to say why sen
tence should nat Iben pronounced, the
old man Carlisle made ashort speech
to the assembly. declaring his in
nocence, and at the same time exhib-
iting considerable emotion.
= The result of this trial, and the
melting out of justice to these crimi-
nails, in these times, when one has
been almost forced to the conclusion
that it was useless ~ to un-
dertake to punish crime, in
dicates return to those senti-
ments and feelings of former years,
which prompted juries of those times
to execute the law faithfully, and to
see that persons shown to have been
guilty of enormous crime should not
escape unwhipped of justice. Its
effect will be felt for good on both
sides of the Ohio River iH