Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-31
COMMISSION MERCHANT.

his public efforts merely the reflex of better
minds, redreSsed and furbished up for the
end in view-that Of making money, which,
when obtained, he was only too anxious 70
get rid Of, no matter how. The trial has
done him no good, nor can he ever take up
the work he has thrown aside for the pur-
pose Of making wag upon his oppouani.
lie has already cOmDared himselfto Samp-
son, and said that, like that ancient cham
piOn, he would pull the Plymouth temple
about all their heads. He may or may not
succeed. In either case he has, like SamD-
son, destroyed himself and inflicted griev-
Gus injury on the defendant.
Then there are the witnesses. If the
readers Of this trial, as il is reported from
day 10 day, had been told beforehand that
the people who we're to enter the witness
box w0ald testify as they have done, and
give a series Of pictures Of domestic life
such as we find revealed in the sworn testi-
mOny, the assertion would have been
laughed a. rs improbable. Yet it is in this
extraordinary evidence that we find reyela-
tiOns which simply astound us. Men and
women appear and naTrate facts and events
which seem impossible; yet we must be-
lieve that they are telling the truth or a
part of the truth. Either way, the state
ments Of these witnesses surprise and be-
wilder the reader. We find men confess
ing themselves hsathens and atheists, yet
they seek TO counsel 4 pastor OF a great
church, or aid him in his editorial conduct
Of q religious journal, or the preparation
of a life Of the RedeemeT Of mankind.
We see these witnesses discussing abstruse
questions Of moral law and ethics, or drop
ping into the consideration Of divine things
they confess to have no belief in. We
hear statements affecting the moral purity
Of men and women who have no cOnnec-
tiOn with the scandal, and stand aghast
while wounds are inflicted upon others
who ought to be held apart
from the awful Wickedness i'm
puted to them. We see women e
virtue and intelligence cOnfesSing them
selves 10 have been messengers and conf
dants Of those they believed to be utterly
wicked and outside the pale Of human sym
pathy or consideration. We read the state
ments Of a young girl which betray lack
Of common sense on her part-in fact COu-
mon sense seems TO be a great want among
all Of these pe0ple-and she describes the
home life of the plaintiff to be Of q charac-
ter beth remarkable and peculiar. The
whole range Of testimony is a positive rev.
elatiOn, such as has never before been given
in any court, and it simply stuns our minds
By its detJrmitY and responsiveness. Thus
we see that the trial has done positive harm,
by shatteriHg our belief in human goodness
and beauty. But there is one relief 70 be
found, and that is in the fact that so re-
markable a phase Of human conduct cannot
be found iu any other community on this
continent. If it were otherwise the very
foundations Of society would be in danger
and the course Of civilization not only re-
tarded but turned into channels that would
eventually destroy it.
these are the lessons Of the trial, and as
such they carry their own moral. Let as
hope that out Of 80 much evil great good
may come forth, and that the better in
stincts Of the human mind viii hereafter
receive stricter attention. Thus the trial
may prove q benefit to mankind, no matter
how it may affect those most interested
in it.