The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-10-05

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Not at all. Yet feeling of safety per-
vaded the town. They soy this maj Is
poor and that bis friends are poor. One
thing certainly is remarkable; not one of
them are here by his side to take care of
him. Where Il that brother.in.law, that
mother and sister, You and know that If
there Il any one principle established above
another II Is that with which a mother
clings to the child who Is unfortunate. If
there was anything like that IN this case
she would be here. All this sympathy then
is manufactured for a purpose. to draw
your minds away from the case. If his
friends are poor the law provides remedy
as to their attending here. Ever since his
arrest he has had two attorneys at his ell
bow. 1t is unnecessary for gentlemen to
get up here and make long speech about
how he got into the case. The court is apt
to regulate that. They attempt to get up
false sympathy here on the idea that they
have been rushed into the cvse
After listening and hoping some clue
would be brought forward by the defense
which allow you to discharge this respond
ent, it turns out at last that there is no de-
Tense. 1t is not attempted while the at
torneys labor for nine long hours in at
tempting to prove his innocence by mere
assertions. They seem to be afraid also
that some interested party would talk to
you on the case
This is an important case, one of the
most vital importance TO the respondent,
and not only to him but to the community.
lie is not the only person interested; the
laws are not made for the punishment of
the guilty, but to protect the innocent If
this man is allowed to go quit here; if
twelve men, with all this testimony intro
duced before them, and with such lack
OF any defense, can turn him loose upon
the community, 1t is matter for very Sc
rious consideration. Has there been a man
in the court house during this trial could
rest quietly upon his pillow and feel safe If
this man was allowed to 90? Think OF it,
gentlemen 1t Is solemn matter. Your
verdict must lie of vital consequence to
this man, but the consequences are not with
you, or me, or with the court. 1t is our
duty we must do. our consciences must be
satisfied. We intend to be right, to look
at the case squarely, and back up our proof
by argument. This crime is the greatest
of all crimes, and the feeling in this com
munty sufficiently indicates it. The pen
atty of this crime is the same as was hand
ed down to the children of Israel from
Mount Sinai THAT man who takes the
life Of his fellow man, shall his life be
taken Such has always been the law it
is the law Of Vermont to-day. OF course
the penalty calls upon you to give it the
most careful attention and candid consd-
Grafton.
This case is peculiar in some of its fea-
lures. We hear of lion-lke temptation
leaping upon man and before he can raj
ly himself he commits an act of murder
But this was committed by man who was
not lead to it, not seized by any temptation,
not tor foul revenge, but COOL pure
money-making murder for mere pay, for
a few paltry dollars. There is another
thing which makes it an important case
A few years ago such a crime was an un-
usual thing, but during the last few years
crime has been continually on the increase.
At this very moment there are three MUIR
der trials going on in Vermont For the
last ten years more murders have occurred
than in the thirty or forty years previous.
1t is impossible to take up newspaper but
what we find half of it filled with accounts
OF the most shocking crimes Th6rayage
of crime is not only in the city but it is
finding its way into our own state. 1t be-
comes us as men, as christian men, to in
| quire into the cause of it and how this
march shall be stayed. Is there better
place to stop it than in court of justice
How shall 1t be done? Are we to be
stopped by any false sympathy as has been
been tried here, by laying aside all evil
dence and trying the case on mere asser-
tions? This case must be taken in hand
you must not be convinced without proof,
but when web of circumstances is drawn
around man until it brushes him literally
to death he should not be allowed to es-
cape That is one road out of this difficult
ty of woe and trouble and crime.
The gentleman who opened this case
started off by saying this woman who has
been murdered was of bad reputation.
That is hardly inside of this case.
think 1t is only necessary to believe simply
the evidence against the woman's charac-
ter, and all that has been produced has
been the testimony of Peter Lavigne and
one other man as to driving gentlemen
down there in the night. He starts off
with saying 1t is just as criminal to MUIR
| der her as any one. and then says the COM
munity suffers no loss, leaving the infer
ence that this man was commissioned to
become the executloner of all women who
have departed from the paths of chastity
and rectitude. have nothing to say
about this woman. 1t is your plain duty
to blot out of your mind entirely all such
ideas, and try this case on an entirely if-
terent theory than that. What would DO
the result if we adopted theory of that
kind? Know you not what slight thing
it is to ruin woman's character for life {?
One little insinuation or Islander upon the
street corner will ruin woman for lifp
who may still be as pure as the snow on
yonder mountain. She is turned out on to
the cold charity of the world, while her
sedacer and betrayer is petted and taken
into the best circles of society am well
justified in saying to you TO keep strictly
within the evidence in the case and not 90
outside OF it. This man is not to say who
shall be slaiI. and who shall not. How