The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-05
THE TRIAL or LIDBIE GARRADRANT
Summing Up Of the Prosecution-A Nominal De-
1buee- Characteristic Charge Of Judge Bedle-j
Aftsr an Absence Of Forty Minutes the
Jury Render Verdict Of Murder in
the First Degree Sentence TO Be
Pronounced on the 18th Inst


Ransom r. Benroughs, which has been in progress
In the Paterson courts before Judge, Bede for
nearly two weeks, and which no doubt the public
began to think was intermnable, was concluded
Yesterday To the surprise Of everybody the jury,
AFTER an absence of but forty minutes returned into
court with verdict of murder in the first
de0ree. The same remarkable GOODNESS which has
been evinced by the prisoner faOm the start was
visible even to the very end, and even during the
terrible ordeal OF announcing the verdict her emo
tlon was but passing and merely momcntary at
that The girl must either be possessed OF the most
astounding nerve, an utter lack OF all feeling and
perfect absence Of anything like fear or else she il
not possessed OF her right senses. Many adhere to
the latter opinion. Certain 1t is that her cool In
dinerence throughout has been most astounding
and unaccounaable The following is synopsis Of
yesterdays proceedings at the trial.
: The Court met ut a quarter past nine A. NJ,
the room being crowded with spectators, among
whom, during the course OF the day. was a large
number OF well dressed females.
Mr.. Hopper, the county prosecutor, asked leave
10 present some new evidence which he had secured
Friday night. Mr.. futile, the prisoners coun-
SOL objected to this, and the Court finally ruled 1t
out not desiring reopen the case, 1t having been
formally closed the night before.
Mr. HOPPER then arose and presented some law
points to the Court especially In reference to the
different degrees Of murder, and quoted from Nix
On's Digest, to show that all murder by
poison s murder Ia the first de-
gree. He also quoted from the law books,
in regard to circumstantial evidence showing that
where positive proof conld not be attained circum-
stantial evidence must be received As to reason
able doubt, that II there were any, the prisoner
should have the benefit Of 1t; but that such doubt
so0uld not be vague, visionary doubt, but a well
founded ono.
CLOSING FOR THE DEFENCE
Mr. futile then arose and began his address to
the Jury. He reminded the jury that he had not
attempted to establish any absurd or unlikely
theory for the defence. He had claimed that If
Burroughs died poison Libbie wholly innocent.
Libbie's own declarations had shown that though
not the guilty one she was evidently not entirely
innocent She had lover corrupt like herself her
intimate, her friend engaged to be married to her,
YET without means, and seeking to possess property
TO shield him from all suspicion because she
loved him, and after she learned that he had made
statements to clear himself from suspicion, she de-
clared her intention to tell the truth 1t is for the
Jury 70 say whether her statement In the material
satemep in reerence true nS Is tS er
poison and giving it to Bogert, and Its sub
segment use, true or not That is the question.
Let us consider the parties In this case. Weo are
thcyf What are they There is Burroughs-forty-
eight years Of age@going down the hin OF life. We
nnaly Of her departure for e' state N Prison ison
morality and prostt%so s As is sessneS even
when he was away from his wife he was continually
visiting her The street Green street,, where he
lived had become so notorious by the character OF
his house that decent people who lived there were
ashamed to say so, and property deprecated.
after being sent to State Prison. There his life was
shameful His own sisters tell that they dared not
he lived on the money drawn from , the crime
and shame Of poor down-trodden women
The killing. Of human being is murder
the killing OF monster is not murder, never was
and never will be- What feeling one have for
man who opens his house and lives by the destruc
ton OF young and innocent girls. Such crime Is
greater than taking life. If you consider his crime
great 1t would surely be even lesser
girls than to have deoanc is u t hem.
Rob girl OF her purity. and whether she live or
s sne Is t GRIEF to al her friends The
ness. Lbbie herself tells she was there
receiving receiving young s men and turning over the
cume, who furnished nothing to Burroughs
revenue Burroughs gives her notice that
raises up means to deprive the world OF such
ster as Burroughs 1t is question 1T is murder at
AL Can one help seeing In it the hand or divine
vengeance In the eye Of the law IL may be
sfdered murder; yet Burroughs was far from
being q human creature in any sense Of
OF the word. We have another character in this
grOup-a girl In her nineteenth year; daughter OF
respectable citizen who has raised nine chldren;a
the stand and the jury knew him. He tells you she
girl or weak mnd-just the girl TO become the
victim Of such man as Burroughs man who
you have seen her on the stand; you have heard
her story; you know to what cross-examination
which she has been thrown she has
become T an object Of pity to every feeling
nronn man who picture in the
with her nearly every day beyond question with her
when Burroughs was sick and after his death
knowing all that was going on and perfectly under
stand it. The testimony given by the State show
ing bis connection with the affair cannot be
nd
introduced her as his future wife. He was DESTROYS
Of having the bed room set which Burroughs owned
months. The developments OF the case showed
what he wanted II fol-to bring il to his own home
her. He loaded it upon the wagon in the
darkness OF a Sunday night, knowing that Bur
r0ughs was at the same hour lying dead In q room
OF dnat very house a paper IN found IN the pocket
Of Burr0ughs-we acknowledge that Libbe wrote it,
She wrote 1t with pencil; Van Wrinkle Bogert
carried pencil in book in his poceet Our the
DRY Is that Libbie wrote that the dictation
o. Sogert and that he furnished her the pencil; he
TO write that note-but the pencil and its story
tel different tale, Can the jury say
that she sr,m Is gully After hearing her story
felons deathP Can they say her statement l.
Iaise ~ case of life and death the jury must
guDstantlal she Is only accessory after the fact
should she be acquitted she is moi to be sent at
large, ont To be indicted and punished for that
crime. Are we TO have the spectacle in this county
10 TINS Town, OF girl OF nineteen dying on
sns scanoof Mr iu,tle tnen TOOK up the evidence
and quoied IRON u largely To show that his theory
OF the ease was the correct one He claimed
that Van Wrinkle Bogert was compe.
tent witness aud II Lbbies statements were
incorrect could have gone on the stand
and denied what she said He argued strongly ana
ably to throw the onus OF the poisoning of Bur.
rOslghs upon BOgerf and upon him alone. lie would
not claim excinption-ioal cxemption--from
guilt but he did claim her exemption from the gal.
lows. She had yielded to nearly every temp
tatiOn during her life, and was ii not easy
after her long career OF shame. to fan into the
power OF such villain as Bogerts She had been
trained In the very school OF crime ia the house OF
the murdered man. And she has told us why
she did not reveal the ciime-because she loved
Van Wrinkle Bogert, and that held her back. For
the first time In her weary, iorsakcn. unhappy
life she had found one who promised to love her,
and upon whom the hopes OF her almost wrecked
life had been placed. Consider the training Of this
poor unfortunate being, and the education IN CRIME
by which she had been trained Deep indeed must
he the degradation OF woman who has lost
she power OF loving. Though lost TO every moral
RenSe Lihhe Gould still love man. even criminal