Connecticut western news., 1874-10-30
A TRIAL FOR PERJURY.

A TRIAL FOR PERJURY.
 During the last session of the crimi nal court in L., in the province O S-, trial for perjury excited un usual interest. The accused was al accomplished young girl, who for som, years had been 8 governess in wealthy family, and whose conduct had beer above reproach.
 She had been called as a witness il an ordinary civil suit, and had ans weret in the negative the usual question a. to whether she had ever been punished for any criminal offense. By acciden it was afterward discovered that she some years previously, had been sen tenced to prison for thirty days fol theft, and consequently the charge O. perjury was brought against her. Lesi on account of the false oath than of tn. theft committed by 8 beautiful anG highly-cultured young lady, the court room, on the day of the trial, was filled to repletion. was unavoidably hin dered from being present until the pro ceedings were nearly ended. The counsel for the prisoner haG risen to speak for his client. He was { dignifed old gentleman, and wal usually somewhat stiff, cold, anG measured in his manner of speaking but to-day his voice trembled, and i was evident that he was deeply moved
 Gentlemen of the jury" he began "I have stood here many times to de fend the accused, but never before witt 50 heavy heart as to-day. While have never been more fully convinced of the innocence of my client, have on the other hand, never been nor, fully conscious of the difficulty, of tht improbability, perhaps, of obtaining . favorable verdict.
 "The accused is an orphan. By tn, death of her parents before she haG scarcely reached womanhood, she wal early compelled to seek her bread enabled her to obtain a situation a governess. For two years she was il the same house-always industrious simple in her manners, and modest il her pretentions-without there eve having been the shadow of a doub with regard to her honesty, when all a once she was accused of theft, and ar rested. She has assured me that sh, was unjustly convicted. I have prac ticed my profession for fifty years Long experience has made me insensi ble to tears and plausible stories Here, gentlemen, there were no tears Her words were simple, but (to me convincing. The accused was no guilty of the theft, and consequent, she could, with a clear conscience answer tho question with regard to hay ing been punished for any crime, as sh did, in the negative for she had no been punished, but had been the vic tim of 8 great injustice.
 "I am, of course, not unmindful o the fact that my opinion can hardly b taken into account. The defense i compelled to admit that, if iudge solely by the evidence, the charge ha been substantiated but I beg, gen tlemen, that you will for a moment i'm agine yourselves in the place of tn accused. Again she had found situa tion :; nothing was known of her havin ever been imprisoned: for some year she had discharged the duties of he position to the entire satisfaction c her employers; she had won the estee1 and love of large and cultivated Gil l O4Os INV" A 16A yOUS AOAV4OA0us COu1 she, even had it been true, make con fession that would have sent her ou friendless into the cold world? Woul it not have required more than huma strength to make such confession Gan you not understand, gentlemen that what she suffered when she wa asked, Have you ever been punishe for any criminal offense?' was suff cient to rob her, for the moment s least, of reason?
 "The unusualness of the case wi excuse me, l trust, for calling your al tention to the severe punishment ths must follow your verdict of Guilty Shall young girl who, on 8 single O. casion-and, gentlemen, in this il stance, even that is not the case here has committed 8 fault, for which sh has fully atoned by long years of irr, proachable conduct, be brought tt gether for time, long or short, wit the dregs of society Never, gentl, men-never Till now her soul hs been pure and unsullied. Were she serve term in the penitentiary, wh, would she be then ? Who will assum the responsibility of sending h. there? #-. =. ..t.a ..!t. -
 "I can say no more, gentlemen.
 leave the case in your hands, and
 trust and pray that you will give me
 verdict of Not gnilty.'"
 The old jurist's plea was listened } with breathless silence. It was shor but on that account all the more effe
 tive. No one seemed to be unmove and many of the women present wep
 I glanced toward the accused sl , raised her eyes with a1ook of gfatitud and reached out her hand to her age
 counsel. Where had I seen this pa but beautiful face, this wealth of dar
 brown hair, and these large, hone
 eyes? ? It seemedIto me as though the very lips, at some time, had told me
 story of bitter suffering but when ar where? I tried to awaken recolle tion, but my efforts were fruitless.
 The judge began the usual charge
 the jury. While it was evident that
 felt deeply for the. prisoner, he call' IT the attention of the jury to the facts the case, which had been clear : proved, and which: alone, said b r should govern them in finding the | verdict. In speaking of the life of t 5 accused, he said 1t r :" For three years after the offense which she was convicted, her condu