The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-15
MURDER AND MONEY.
Tho Case Of MeConnen-Acquittal Of the
Prisoner.

on murQer trlai HuiCu oeefaclo hoAS sn"A Va
dinary at ention, both from the peculiar cir
cumstances OF the crime and the fact that the
agency relied upon for conviction was circum-
stsntial evidence. The following Is brief
abatement OF the facts involved IN the case
Oathe morning of the 9th Of February last
the inhabitants Of the quiet little village OF
Jacksonville were startled by finding dead and
murdered in his Office Mr.. Murray Mcdonnell.
one Of the oldest and most promlnent OF the
citizens Of the place. 1t was shortly before
there is least apprehension OF danger or crime,
eyery one being moving. Within short time,
suspicion being Of course intensely excited,
facts we're developed which led to the arrest OF
VIM. A. Robinson, young man OF heretofore
good character, grocer by occupation, and
the son Of an old and esteemed citizen. BOD
inson was the debtor OF General McConneu,
and the theory Of the prosecution is that out
In the Western village was re-enacted on 4
small scale the Webster. Parkman tragedy.
which has made Boston celebrated. The
amount. it is true. in this c1se was but small
some few hundred dJllars-but the passions
aroused were the same.
At all evsnts, this tragedy starts sugges-
tive reflection. One Of the great risks asterd
Ing the loaniug of money does not ordinarily
seem to be taken into account Lenders will
carefully weigh the security. the danger OF
loss by death, fire. fraud or other causes, but
they rarely take into estimation the peril lnto
which they may venture their lives. AD igno-
.rsnt or though htless debtor will always look on
The death Of creditor as relief, and IN more
than one way 1t is. 1t Is at least suspension
Of proceedings or temporary diversion, and
human nature knows that administrators do
not push and collect with the same vigor as
their dead prmmpale. Athousand times, debt
has made the DEBTOR wish, even perhaps IN,
consciously, for the end OF his creditor; and
more than once il has nerved the arm to drive
The fatal blow. should the bargain be hard
Oue-should the terms be exactlpg and grl-
ping-the conscience Of the debtor will even at
tempt to defend what his hand shrlnks from.
In this case, 30 far as We know, the loan was
usurious. In the statement OF the prisoner,
received in evidence, We find that be admits
that he owed mouey to the murdered man, and
giyes us the items Of the transaction. says
the accused ~ have been acquainted with
General Mcconnell ever since came to Jack
sonvAle, intimately; have bad business with
him; the first was on the 81 day OF May, 1857;
I borrowed money Of hm-s420, $500 at 40 per
cent premium; gave my note. due in one
year, at 10 per cent it was paid and taken up;
Igaye an)ther note IN September OF that year;
Kelsey Bod signed the $500 note; General Nc
Cornell gave me gold coin-no coupons or
bonds; pai j the note by giving another note
for 400. at 10 per cent interest from date;
don't remember when 1t was due; Messrs. Mil
Ter b Msyfoid d were securities; executed the
note in SeptembeI; the 17tb, think; 1t was
paidin December; paid the last note in this
Office; General Mcconnell and we're present,
and no one else; 1t was in the afternoon late
In the day; ! paid hum an even S400; thlnk-
th note included the Interests; paid 1t, and
he gave me- S.; think the Dote was drawn iu-
cluding 10 per cent. Q lyance on the first note;
Ipsid the first note BY giving him his note
and paying $40 and interest, cash; this ls the
@ S ae 0sSsT note %ss sssn ss nst
Hiyen for 800, and T paid zhun that amount,
md he paid me IS; destigyed That note on
The same day; burned 1t IN my etoye In De-
oember; did not notify my nysecuritiesth
had paid that note and execu ed another. :"
In more than one feature thus statement is
vague and unsatisfactory. Was the forty per
Cant. premlum given in exchange for gold? II
not, Mcconnell was asking and rece wing fifty
Per cent. tor this loaD-a rate which, III exact
I'd, the ueb or could not live under. On the
Sd OF May. 1867, gold Was not at forty per cent.
premium but at hrty-fve, 80 that, under the
most favorable CONSTRUCTION. Mr. Mcconnell
was getting some fifteen per cent. from maa
who Gould only apparently pay his notes by
giving new ones.
Grea' sympsthy for the prisoner prevailed
among his nrlghbors and those Of the mur-
dered man. Every morning, We are told be u
tiful bouquets OF flowers were sent him and
lent their grateful presence to the otherwise
grim hall OF jusGlce.
Tue prosecution depended entirely on cir
CumstantiaI evldence-that r mance-ground Of
the law-and this iact stimulated Unusual in
terest aud discussion. Above we have given
the motive as ureed by the State IN it's theory
a prost oution. It ID Of coarse, IN our limit,
Impossible tO ev, u out Inc the testimony, which
consists Of vast mass or slight aud ludepen-
dent facts.
Some Of the Jurors in this rase. when select
ed asserted their Willingness to convict man
ON direct tcstim my Of murder. but they were
unwllling to do 30 when the evidence is purely
Circpmsta utial Tbs dIsiihc ION is more than
foolish. IF fact is proved, 1t matters lit Ie
how II i. dODu. and lawyers and me aphysiciAns
both admit nov that OF the two kinds OF evil
dence, that commonly known as cIrcumstan-
Eal, when. tulr and unbroken is more relio BILE
than that which ls properly know as direct.
And yet men, or Q good man men, as III this
case, from the timldity Of ignorance, ignore
this fact.
It has, indeed, among professional men,
grown almost automatic TO asse /. that crcun.
stautiai eylaeuce ~ almost aiw; ys more relia-
BILE than direct test tmouy. This ls. however,
peEhspe" pushlng the doctrine too far, and
cer'a.niy opens the advocate who breaches It
70 ser ous danger.
CrcumsIaqcea5.the mnte Witnesses Of this
line Ut evidence-do not come into court OF
themselve. 1bev Iequire 10 be proved by
Witnesses who give dlre,t test moLy to the
tact OF their exstence.c In their being BRO.
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