Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-07-07
THE WALWORTH TRIAL.
Scenes at the Most Memorable Murder
Trial Of the Century.
Appearance Of the Prisoner, his Mother.
the Counsel, and the Judge and
Jury.

n n the Counsel, and the Judge and
r Jury.
New York Correspondence Boston Fostl
"a Judge Davis, who presides ever the
v trial, and who has gained considerable
J. notoriety as having granted the stay of
> proceedings in the Stokes case, was
d seated on wide, Ottoman-like chair,
i The only other person on the bench be-
: ing visiting judge, whose name 1 did
: not hear, from some other court. Judge
/ Davis does not look like Judge. He
+ has much more the air of a well -tO-do
4 merchant, who, having acquired q sub
: stantial fortune, had retired. There is
= very little that is lawyer-like in his ap-
e Pearanee. His is short, thick-set, red
q faced man. with a quiet face, small
eyes but occasionally irritable manner.
lie was dressed scrupulOusly in black
de evidently pays close attention to
: lhe case, for his eyes always rest on
: the counsel or witness who is
: speaking, and he apparently takes
4 copious notes. As for the jury, they
] seemed rather dull, sleepy-lOoking set |
, more evenly taken from the ignorant |
Glass; should say, than usual. In the |
most moving scenes which transpired-
1 produce emotlOn-I saw no indication of |
2 feeling in the jury-box. 1t so happened |
that just as | entered and pressed nv |
self as near to the bar as possible /
: Charles OCOnor had got upon his feet /
10 argue an objection raised by District /
Attorney Phelps as to whether the per-
: sOnal violence of WalwOrth to his wife
was admissible as evidence. 1t was the
hrst time l had ever seen or heard speak |
the great advocate whose fame, though |
he confines his eIoquenee to the /
New York courts, has become
general throughout the country. Both /
fOConOr's person and manner are
, imposing and attractive. Tall and /
rather gaunt, with snOwy-white, thin
nish hair and slight, white whiskers, a
most expressive mobile eOuntenance,
large, fine, bright eyes, and clear, de-
IIberate, engaging tones of voice, he is a
man who would at once strike any one
who saw or heard him as a person of no
common character and powers. Young
WalwOrth was most fortunate in secur-
ing an advocate at once so powerful and
redOubtable at the bar, and one whose I
| reputation is that Of a lawyer too lofty :
minded to descend to trickery, and too
| dignified to indulge in abuse. An ex-
| ample Of his Influence was immediately
| afforded to me; for, although Judge Da- {
| Wis at first ruled against him, after fur
| ther argument the evidence of personal !
violence was admitted. Standing on l
tip-toe could just see the youthful pris- I
oner sitting among the lawyers, s
with lady relative in deep I
mourning on his left, and beyOud /
her his little brothers and sisters. Wal i
worth looks, as he is, about twenty. OIL
rather slight and graceful build. with I
soft, curly, brown hair and slight, brown I j
adolescent whiskers on either cheek, a L
lOngish nose and obstinate mouth, his a
face would be prepOssessing one, were
1t not rather heavy. He was dressed in
black, with a white waistcOast. and
seemed, in general appearance, a quiet
young man of good family, unrecogniz- r
able for anything peculiar or Oltre what
ever. l was astOnished, in the early part
OF the day, at his utter GOODNESS and self
possession. He sat before a lawer's table
and slowly famed himself every now i,
and then resting his forehead on the I
tan, making note on piece of paper
before him or turning to address a few
words to the lady by his Side. When
any especially important testimony F
was being given he would lean slightly
forward, and when it was doTse d
would quietly lean back again. do not II
think that any one would have been n
able to pick him out as the prisoner st 81
the bar, charged with the murder of his n
father, unless he was pointed out e,,- Il
pecially. He certainly does not look ol
vicious or brutal, although he has an a
expression which one might easily Il
imagine 10 indicate obstinacy and reek- b
less courage. heard only one witness, b
but that was the most important wit IT
"a n all I 7 /
lady seated on 4 raised platform. near al
Judge Davis, and facing the bar and the 81
audience. She was dressed in the deep az
est mourning. At first a heavy black Sc
veil covered her face, which was further az
concealed by the fan which she held to III
it. Presently, however, she lifted her ca
veil, and discovered features which. now Sc
bearing most palpably the marks Of the DC
most poignant sorrow, must at one hG
time have been Of unusual comeli- OIL
uess. Mrs. Walworth - it was w
she, the widow Of the murdered, the ST,
mother OF the murderer-seems to be in hs
the vicinity OF forty-five; her complex tn
lou IS rather fair, and her hair dark hi
brown, while her face is a long ovaI. lin
One noticed first of all, however, the nj
settled expression of profound care and frC
which her rcountenance wore. on
There was net the least sign of trepida- III
lion, nervousness or Excitement the Of
lady sat with perfect calmness, and an tt
5wered the questions which Mr.. O'Conor to-
put to her, with singular delieacy and an
laet, in a low but unbroken voice. NJ
Once or twice she faintly-very family ge
smiled, and when She went on tol
20 describe, with touching simplici- si1
", the cruel treatment to which ob
she had been subjected by her ab
husband, she told it almost as unmoved an
Is II 1t were the tale of some other and frC
Indifferent existence. In the course of du
be day friday it became clear that tn
dr. O'COnOr proposed to rest his defense ne
If the case on insanity; and, in order to in
10 this, it was necessary for him to show be
what prOyOcations, threats and violence in.
III the fathers part to the mother had en-
trlVen the young man to what he claims Sc
vas frenzy. More than this. Mr.. stf
pCOnOr aimed to show, by the fathers in
etters, that Mansfield WalWOrth was tE11
himself insane, and that the son had tw
Inherited it. After an obsti- thl
late struggle, he succeeded in getting ge
he letters, addressed by Walw0rth to an
lis wife during the past two years, adj foG
nitted in evidence, and the dramatic in
interest Of the day eliminated when ye
pConor rose, with the original rie
pAollSc III LIS uautl, 10 Iedu LQeIQ LOT
o the jury. Mrs. WalwUrtn, VINO was Jnt
itting, as always, near the judge, on hu
lis left hand, seemed visibly to shrink hu
rom the ordeal of listening again to 1t
hese horrible rawlings and denuncia- pal
ions; the prisoner pressed his hands to wh
is forehead, and for the first time dur att
lg the day manifested some indication sal
feeling; even the judge and jury sal
eemed to anticipate an event destined DIRE
D sorely try their nerves. Every one abe
] the room seemed to hold his breath bet
ne tipstaves stood still, and forgot to age
esist the eDcroachments of the crowd; wo
be only cool person in the court seemed ste;
Ir. OConOr, whose task was to be ing
" from an agreeable or easy one. yea
commencing in clear, strong, hun
CELEBRATE voice. he read SEN wei
,nce after sentence of the poor. age
and, doubt not, thoroughly this
'azed man, who was so suddenly de- hay
rived Of life, full of hatred. not only of nur
is wife and eldest son, but of his dead the
ther, OF his brothers and sisters; and sail
; he proceeded, Mrs. WalWorth was so sen
that she was led from the wit
,om, while the prisoner, in a fainting abo
ate, begged for glass Of water The pas,
enc was an impressive one. The let cab
rs seemed voices from the dead, re- wee
etc now with a more than ghostly and
)rror, while the stricken mother and buu
son were forced again to gar,
ffer the tortures which had brought to gers
lss deed dark even in the annals of case
ime, and never to be recalled. as