American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-04-10
THURSDAY, March 21st; 1867.

Ihe court convened to adjourn hent
ihe prisoner was brought into court by
the SHERIFF. 4ha,ipry we're. called ,oysl
and tound2to be present. s.'iHs X.
loha NJ. Thompson, for defendant,
SAID, after the tedious review oftbis case
which had already been had, he ohly pr1p.
posed to take eprsQry review ef the
facts. 1t is fact that the men, Teeple
and Cunningham, came to the party ur,
invited, and behaved in manner which
resulted fearfully apd'terribIyl They
were strangers and foisted themselves
upon that 'qniet, peaceful party. Their
terrible death was the consequence of
their ewn conduct. The defendant was
comparatively stranger in that commu.
nifty his character was not impugncd
But character is not formed in day NOR
year. The defendant was poor, with a
family ofsi$ children, com parative stran>
ger, and he was Charged with the high
est crime known to our law lie (fhomp>
S would rather stand beside the un
fortunate man aud his sobbing wife an1
chldren than 70 advocate the cIuss ot
the prOulest monarch on the globe. -
W he;revcr the downlrodden or oppress,
ed were tpnnd-n no matter what. ereel or
colcr-thefe his voice and his arm should
be raised in their behalf Mr.. Thomp.
SON was truly eloquent, and we cuuid
not attemft To do him anything like jus.
tice, in u report OF his remarks. He
said, Tor his client, that ii by charging
another person with the offence who was
innocent he could clear the defendant he
would soon do SO. lie stood i ,re TO de-
iend himself, aud no other man should
be charged with the offence for that pur
poe. NJ. T,a M IS n then recapitulatsd
the testilo y tO'sJme extent, The crime
might have been done b. some other per
son. He entmerated several persons
who were at the party, and Witnessed the
TRANSACTION; yet the Commonwealth have ]
failed 10 place them on the staud. They
were houudto place all theSevidence bee.
fore the jury when they ask them to cor
Wet the defendant. Ii w4s not sufficient
for the Com monw eulth to prove that the
deiaptant vas in a position that he could
aud might have done the deed :. til
must prove tEat it was morally iirpassi
bletUhaTe been done by another He
would not impagn any witness the de-
fend dautrelied On the strength of his own
testim6ny'a given by the Uommon@ wealth
Calvin Weller said as he went out of the |
room she saw what looked like knife /; /
saw it at a glance - did not say it was
a Snite, on y what he Moitght was knife. |
lie was taking Bowder out Of the room.
and could not take more than ccrsory |
glance. Sidney Oliver saw it at the.same
tmej he vas taking the lamp out re- !
ceIved a blow and was confused the
chimney knocked OF in reeling condi.
lion lie saw what he thought was knife. |
No other mortal man in The room, who |
had every opportunity of seeing, saw the
snife, or heard the words, Il give YOU
james Marshall stood to the
eft of the door; he sawthe whole ofthe
ight; he WIS not struck; his faculties
we're unimpaired, he swears whatever
4 Arlington had in his hand, it was not
! knife. He could see defendant plain
y, and he saw him raise it over his head
ind struck a downward blow Hc de-
crbed the stick minutsiy Tic man
Who struck the e'blow, did not flourish the
inife Or strike downward blow. IS He
I'D not cry out"'l warn you J" 1t was
lone SO secretly that ii had not been found
ut. There was not a witness who'swore
'ctore this jury Tut would if they could,
ave sworn glaily, if they had known
act that would convict the defendapt:
'ecause it would throw suspicion from
themselves. Self preservation is the frs,
aw9of nature> They all testifel with
reat trepidaticu. They stood up,n a
o'cano, and the least casual word might
xplode the M ne, which wot,fd disclose
he real crimipa Il Ofver oould have
one this Zee t. then IN law says the /,
eieusani ili noy II FIR J5Iw.:e mi't
ave lone l., then nh law says JoHn IA.
ngto fdid pot do III # it might dave ,
ecu done by any 'other person. ID the
'pm, thsn the defendant did not do it. {
{ trust beProveu tbat'it e5ull not be I
que by any other person but the de :
'ndant, IN order tp.convict him. - Miss :
ainpbell stated that when iAdlinat ton =
ame cut and asked, ''damu you, where
70 the knives?" was after she heard the r
y of "Oh!" and after the body was +
card to fall on the floor She also I
wears she saw a man come out of the :
tting room hurriedly, Just after the 4
Jdy fell, ana 90 out Of the north door {
the dsnciug room into o'thestreet.% aud /,
le swear positively it was nor Aiding Ia
70. She hid the knives after the cry of 5
'h!' ana the fan 6i the body. know, ii
nd Air. Thompson, lhat it, viii be ar "
led that the defendant catne out and ;,
lied for the knives tbr the purpose Of a
ardihg off Suspicion from himself. Now,
e evidence shows that the time Tesple Il
As down with Oliver, riie defendant had f
chair raised an : struck, and Oliver re- v
lived it at the time; he immediately ,ei
n Jut and asked fos the knives in his &,
when he thought those two
en- we're whipping the whole house. = re
y what We will, Cunning gham aud Teepie tb,
uld whip all Portersyille, and did whip Of
The very moment Shaffer struck
,epIe, he sank down and cried soh !p
at was the shrotffent he received the
,rtalistab The defendant was then ia tv
ch position that he could not possi- Oh
J have committed tho strnLo NJ - 4,