The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-16

conceal the crime by diverting suspicion
to another, aud by telling pntruths:
Upon the evidences e We have sketched
1t Eliza Fenning was convicted by the
jury and sentenced to DEATH The case,
however, created 30 whispered an aRita-
ton in the public mind that justice hesi-
tated to execute its fatal decree. Inc
utter absence of a conceivable motive
was a serious blow in the case.i Why
should this light-hearted, amiabls young
girl. whose worst known fault was her
coouetry with the apprentices, poison a
whole family9 The great Irish advo-
cate. Curran. then in the height of his
fame. exclaimed in burning eloquence
against the horrible cruelty OF her late.
She was reprieved for three months, LII
the hope that new evidence would trans
pire to save her. None was forthcom-
ing. She was executed amid the great
est excitement throughout the metropo-
| lis: and on warm July day she was
borne. amid tine sorrowing faces of ten
thousand spectators, and her pail upheld
by six young girls robed in white, from
her humble home to tho graveyard of
the founding hospital. One who lived
amid the scenes wrote long after: "Poor
Eliza Fenning. So young, 50 fair, so
innocent Cut down even in thy morn
ing, with life's brightness only in It's
dawn Little did it profit thee that q
city mourned over thy early grave, and
that the most eloquent men did justice
to thy ,nemory!" N
For more than half century the guilt
or innocence of Eliza Fenning was dis
puted point. Then the confession of
the real murderer came out, and her in
nocence was established beyond a doubt.
We need not emphasize the many ex-
amples in which the identity of an ac-
cused person has been mistaken by pos
tive and honest witnesses. Those who
are old enough to remember the trial OF
Webster for the murder of DIR. Park
man, will recall that several witnesses OF
the most perfect good faith swore very
positively that they saw DR.. Parkman on
Washington street, In Boston, at 3
o'clock, or Whereabouts, ON Saturday at
ternoon, when it was proved, and APP
peared afterward, by Webster's confes-
sion, that DR.. Parkman had ceased to
live before noon Of that day.
A singular case of mistaken identity
occurred not very long ago at the Old
Bailey court in London. A young man
was arraigned for q serious crime. 1t
was alledged that the crime was commit
ted on a certain day, which we will say
was on the 10th of March. A number
of persons swore positively that the pris-
oner was the criminal, and very strong
web of evidence closed around him.
The identity, at least, seemed fully
proved. The prisoner, who defended
his own case, did not cross examine the
prosecuting witness and, when the case
against him was closed, he announced
that he had no witnesses to call. He
simply requested the Judge to order
the records OF the court for the 10th OF
March (the day on which the crime was
committed) to be produced. It then APP
peared that on that very day he was be-
ing tried at the Old Bailey for another
ohense, of which, by the way, he had
been acquitted. This indisputable
proof of a perfect alibi, of course, put
an end to the case against him, and he
YVES ut once discharged.
The illustrations OF the various phases
of circumstantial evidences are, of
course, almost numberless and we can
only select here and there one worthy of
study for some peculiarly of incident or
character, remarkable either for rarity or
mystery. Two cases entirely dissimilar,
yet both putting into bold relief the
bearing OF indirect evidence, merit brief
narration. Motive to commit crime,
as has often been said. is difficult of
measurement, since crimes have fire.
quently been committed from what APP
pear TO the ordinary mind very made
quate motives. The murder of Madame
Paw, in France, about ten years ago,
shows, on the other hand, how a conspic-
uous and powerful motive, in the absence
OF other conclusive evidence, sometimes
puts justice successfully upon the track
OF the criminal. Madame PAW was a
widow with three children, who had an
intimate friend in the Count de In POM
merais. This titled parsonage was in
need of money, and he had head for
scheming. He planned fraud upon
eight insurance companies, and persua-
ded the poor widow to become his instru-
ment In it. Her life was to be insured
she was then to feign dangerous illness,
and, while lying apparently in serious
strait, the insurance companies were to
be persuaded to change the life policies
into annuities. The Count advanced
the premiums the policies were made
out, transferable by Endorsement. Mad
anne Paw was then induced to indorse
them to him, and also to make q will in
his favor. The next thing was for the
widow to pretend to fall Ill, which she
did ; but, instead of the policies being
transferred into annuities, the poor lady
died, it was grave blunder of the Count
to tell the Doctor, when he came in, that
Madame Paw had fallen down stairs
for not only was this denied by abund-
ant testimony, but the post-mortem ex-
animation betrayed the presence of
poison as the cause of her death. At
once thereafter, the Count de Pommerais
came into possession OF the half million
francs which accrued under the policies
and the win. Here occurred singular
incident in the trial. 1t is clear that, if
the Count had intended the fraud in
earnest, when he proposed it to Madame
PAW, and really designed to obtain for
her an annuity by thismeans, thus secur-
ing to himself life income, he could
have had no serious motive for killing
her. And this was actually his defense