Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-26

mass Judgment in the most trivial case, it is no
| fault of the lawyers. | grant tha. if the grand
Jury was not properly constituted its finding was
of no force. Ii it was not formed as provided
by law, it was through gross negligence, or
something worse, on the part Of the judicial au-
Ihorties. If their action was void in this case,
it is void in every other of hundreds which come
before them. II our judges are so Ignorant of
law that they cannot properly direct the empan-
nelina of grand jury; or if they are so cor
rupt or careless that they viii not do SO, it is
time we got rid of them.
In any case, the whole matter lay in nut
she'll All the evidence and all the arguments
could have been presented in three hours; and
so the whole matter have been presented in
day. Instead of this it has dragged on for some
thing like fortnight, and there is no reason to
anticipate that the end is at hand. What the
verdict of this petit jury may be, no one can
venture to say. But thelawyers have won their
point, which was to gain time. | think it the
very sharpest trick in disreputable practice
which has ever been tried.
Another extraordinary case is drag 5ing
through our courts. If any novelist had made
its leading points the basis Of tale, his fictioa
would have been secuted as impossible. Wilkie
Collins, with all his skill, never framed plot so
full of surprises. Let me touch upon a few of
its salient points:
Perhaps three quarters of century ago there
lived in Rhode Island handsome girl, who bore
the name of Betsey Bowen. Her character was
none of the best; and it is pretty clearly shown
that she became mother without having been
a wife. She drfted to New York where she
came to be domestic servant, then mistress, and
afterwards wife, of Stephen Jumel, a wealthy
old French merchant. Madame Jumel, as she
came to be called, was no ordinary woman.
She soon mastered the ordinary accomplish
ments of society; went to Paris, where she be-
came belle at the French court. Her husband
died, leaving to her his whole property, CON
siderable part of which consisted in country
seat with ten or fifteen acres of land on the up
per part of the island of New York. Here she
lived in much state. A few. years ago, not long
after her death, visited the house. Even now
it would be considered fine mansion. 1t was
filled with obi relies, among which l call to
mind a huge trunk once belonging to the first
Napoleon, in which he carried his maps during
his disastrous campaign in lssia.
One day, some half century ago, keen
eyed elderly gentleman presented himself at the
Jumel mansion. and cooy informed the widow
that he had come TO marry her that evening,
and that the clergyman would soon arrive. She
absolutely declined the strange proposal: but in
the course of an hour or two he fairly talked her
over, and the marriage ceremony was performed
The man was no other than Aaron Burr, not
long returned from his exile in Europe. and then
living in poverty in New York. The marriage
was ill-starred. The parties som onorreled and
separated, I think Madame JnmeI meyer took
the name of her husband; at all events. he meyer
seems 10 have secured any mart of her nronertv
Madame Jumel had niece fine dourI,ter of
her sister, whom she seems 10 have adonted ~
| her heir. This niece in time married n l,wver
named Chase A she ora,v old Madame J,mol
| manifested STRANGE freaks amountiur almost IN
insanity. During one of these NOT lonr before
her death she made n win Leaving tho bnllr of
her propertv to a rcliriors society The will
was contested by her heirs: but the matter was
somehow compromised md Mr. Chase tool,
possession of the propertv as the Guardian of
his children. fine heirs.at-,ow For some voors
his title seems not to have been called IN onps-
ton. Meanwhile the v,lne If if increased
enormously. The worth of the land il now es,i.
mated Mt several millions of dollars
Not lono AFRO new claimant a,nooroa 10
was a man far advanced in wears He called
himself Georce WASHINGTON Rovcn and
claimed to he the ilIooitimato SON Of Madame
,IumcI horn in those ola R5o1e Islond dors
when she vvas Ratsov R,,yen a sor,.,r+ Of ONO
Major BalIou former aid or Goorgo W.sb.
inrtou. Bowen claimed lint this R,llor was
his father. Now hy onr law an i3or;,;p,oto
child is in defauI, Of any horn in ,vod,oo1, Tho
heir-at-law of his parents. TO the cx.
clusion of collateral relatives Tno o,a mas
ton in the case is whether this Gaorra wash
, ington Bowen is the son of that Rotsev k,uon
known as Madame JumaI If ca potbino In :
death can prevent him from comipr into NOS
session of the whole estate Il do rot nroto,d %
be able to give any opinion as to the norris n
the case. But Mr.. Bowen has ot least spfi,;or,t
show to induce eminent counsel to npdertolo
his case: their fees of coprse holm, con,ir,rort
upon success.
1t is really worth ones while to Iook in at tho
court where this case is under trial and note
the difference between the thieves, ,o,vvors oe
whom have spoken. and the gentlemen who
| conduct this case, on both isides. Chas. O'Con-
nor confassedlv tho iaador Of o,,- h,,. ,o,l, r..
| ~ ie"N0i VI Oo' o'i 'o"us Ior
| the defense. can not help regrettiug that fate
| has not permitted thar tho la+o Io,nsS r Read,
VINO at the time Of his untime!y death fairly
shared with Mr.. O'Connor the place of honor as
the head of the bar, should be the leader on the
opposite side in this great case A legal light
between the dashing Brady and the keen O'Cor
nor would have been something worth seeing.
1t would have been, in its wav. not unlike fine
trial of skill and force between the scimetar of
Sa adm and the two-handed sword of Richard
Of the lion heart, in Scotts TaIismap.
| have before me what believe to be an aeon
rare statement of the sums paid by our civ IN.
| tborities for ADVERTISING in rho dieF,ror4 -,