Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-09
NEW YORK.
MCFARLAND TriaLFifth Day.

Mcfarland TriaI-Fifth Day.
NEW YORK, April 6-The interest felt
by the public in the Mcfarland case
deepens as the case progresses. To-day
the court room was filed TO repletion with
spectators, the stairs and corridors were
rendered almost impossible, and in the
space in front of the building were to be
seen groupes earnestly discussing the cas- e
and Specializing as to the probable result /.
Opening of the Defense.
Upon the reassembling of the court Mr..
Spencer rose to open the case for the de-
tense.
He said he was about to tell the jury and
the world story of an humble birth and
struggling life, and of the lifetime of a lib
ertine and child robber sent into eternity
by the avenging bullet of aus outraged
father and husband He then criticised
the District Attorney for calling to his aid
the most able counsel in the country, and
his action in doing 50 showed the abso-
Lutte weakness of the case. He told the
Jury to beware lesd they send into eternity
before his time a man who, in a moment of
irresponsible passion, killed the destroyer
of his home and happiness. The paper
upon which Mcfarland wrote when stand
ing at his desk would prove that the prls-
oner was then in an insane condition Of
mind.
Counsel then alluded to the cases of
Cole and Huntingdon, and concluded that
men apparently sane in moments OF su-
preme excitement were liable to yield to
uncomfortable impulses for which they
we're responsible. At the time RICHARDSON
was pistoled by Mcfarland he, Mcfarland,
was not responsible for the action, either
in the eyes of God or by the laws of man.
The counsel then reviewed the whole
history of the prisoner, from boyhood to
the present time, !alluding to all the Incl
dents connected with the marriage and
welded life of Mr.. Richardson, and the en-
trance on the scene and circumstances of
the intercourse between Mrs. Mcfarland
and Richardson, claiming that the de-
tense would be able to prove satisfactorily
that it was an adulterous connection. He
stigmatized Mrs Calhoun as a conspiratOr,
panderer and procureEs, who commenced
the work, rendering Mrs Mcfarland dis
satisfied with her husband
He referred to intercepted letters from
Richardson to Mrs. Mcfarland in which
Richardson ridicules Puritan principles,
and tells this woman that he often In the
night. thought of her and longed to clasp
his darling IN his arms. Was not thls
enough, asked the counsel, to. make any
husband with the heart of a man in his
bosom mad. The counsel had a wife
whom he loved, and whom he believed
pure as the angels that mustered at the
throne, and if he found such letter from
any man to her, he would meet that man
and shoot him dead. (Applause.) At the
close Of Spencer's opening the court took
recess.
TA letter from Richardson TO Mrs. Nc
Farland, etc, are received, for which We
snust refer such as care to read, to the P0-
ice Gdz6tte-ED.
Hanged.
Sylvester Brien, alias Jack Reynolds,
murderer of VIM. Townsend, was hanged
this morning in the prison yard. In an
swer to questions by his counsel, Mr..
Lowe. he said: / have prayed and now
am all right / know / have been very
bad, but have prayed God to forgive me
and I hope he has. On the scaffold h'
wept freely and prayed fervenuy. Tn,
rope did not slip behind his ear, and dealt
was cruel torture for several minutes. Oh
the street there were great crowds OF men
women and children, anxious to hear ]
Jack died game. The body was given t
his relat ives for interment