The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-04-27
Guilty or Not Guilty.

In nv earlier years I studied for q
session at Edinburgh. 1t was in
Burke's year, not that of Edmund
Burke, but of another countryman OF
| the same name, and not less celebTat-
ed. The number, the atrocity, and
the cool speculative motives of the
fiend's misdeeds, approached genius
in their way, and III the excitement oi
his trial and execution, all other top
les were forgotten. 1 shall not easily
forget the singular fever of the public
mind during these few weeks. was
myself present at the trial, and wit
messed the spectacle of the greatest
criminal of the country being defend
ed by the first counsel of the bar of
Scotland. A rumor had gone abroad
that no counsel could be found to APP
pear for such a monster; and as tes-
timony to the duty Of counsel under
all circumstances, the most celebrated
advocates of the day, without fee or
reward, defended this gangOf murder
ers in the face CT torrent Of public
prejudice.
The afternoon of the day on which
Burke was executed was distinguish
ed BY a first rate college row. The
students at Edinburgh, like its mob,
have, when aroused, always been a
formidable and dangerous body; and
on this occasion, the police having in
truded into thequadrangle to preserve
order among the crowd that hurried
to the dissecting room, a battle royal
had ensued, attended by some severe
injuries, and resulting in a trium-
phant and glorious defeat of the au-
thorities.
To celebrate this propitious event, a
supper party assembled that evening
in a tavern called the "Rain bow"
The chair was occupied by bard and
satirist of the college, a fellow of inf
mite lest, who made his mark in the
world afterward, but who at that time
was mainly famed and feared for the
sarcastic and biting power of his hui
NOR. Opposite him sat the prince Of
students, tall, handsome, reckless
flashing with the eXuberance of youth
/ fuI spirit and a flow of cOnvivial fancy
| 1 have never known equalled.
@AmongSothers were two who figure
| in nv story. One was student
named Johnston, the Thersites of the
circle-a disagreeable specimen Of {
stamp of man who is generally to bt
found in every circle, without either
wit or talent, to make Others feel un-
comfortable. Bold and inscriptions
and quick to see and seize on the
weakness Of others, he was a fdgelL1SBl
fiy-blister; people feared 10 make
him their friend and still more tC
make him their enemy; and so he ex.
/ torted from hate what he never would
have obtained from love, and was ad'
mitted to the most select cOterie of the
/ University.
/ The other was stalwart, handsome
} Young Irishman, who had done mighty
execution in the melee of the day; ear
! ing but little, after the temperament
his nation, about the merits of the
conflict, but hitting right and left as
I his leader told him. He was an open
browed, Spanish looking son of Erin
half rolieking, half sad in expression
who was winding up a happy day
with a happy night; he had had
| fight in the morning and frOllc II
( the evening. His name was Power,
medical student who had been but ;
week or two in Edinburgh. He wa
conse0ueutly an entire stranger to tn
others and had been invited to max
one of the party solely on the strength
of fist.
and anecdote had gone round, rose +
nronosa tbe toast of the evening
tsConfnsion to the police, and baI
dreams 10 BaiIie RintOul." In thos
days the town council ruled over Tn
college, and the obnoxious Ballie ma
given orders to the police. As = 7
the first part of the toast" =" he salai
, was superfiuous; a pleonasn, Tor IN
police were in such confusion aireao;
that nothing the company could drlnl
cou d add to it. As to the Baiie, tn
sentiment expressed in the toast va