Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-06-26


is based upon the assumption sbat the
shooting OF Ella Hears was inten.ionsl
and that death proceeded from the
wohnd inflicted. Al the same time, the
reduction Of the offence 20 The grade Of
manssaughter demonstrates that iheiu-
rymen could not adopt The suppos:tion
that Miss Duer had gone TO herfriend's
house with murder IN her heart or had
cherished the deliberate design ofharm-
higher. We take itthat they considered
the deed 20 have been done in the pas
sion or from the freak Of the moment,
and their recommendation Of the con-
vicied girl TO the mercy Of the court
means that they have takes into account
The imprisonment and the Suffering she
has already undergone. Really, SO far
as the theory of the wilful crime is con-
cerned, there was little evidence TO
throw light upon the act except the pro-
testalions Of Miss Hearn that !. was not
an accident, and the jury chose TO at
tach more weight 10 her declarations
during the last week OF her life than to
Miss Duer's story Of the affair aud all
the incidental testimony going TO sup
port IL. They threw aside the hypo-
thesis Of chloral poisoning, which is
hardly to be wondered at in view of the
conflict of evidence surrounding it. for
that which was submitted BY the phys
icians on the witness stand was largely
puzzIing and misleading. IL IL could
have been clearly shown that Miss
Hearn vas dosed with all Of the 5000
grains Of that drug sent 10 her home dur
ing her illness, IL would have been almost
q certainty that she was killed by il; but
It appeared that some was wasted and Q
portion used by her mother. The Wor-
cester doctors who attended her may be
very competent medical men, but il
looks as If their use Of choral was ex-
ceedingly careless. and that in fact they
were not equal to the most skilful treat
meRt of. Miss Hearn's case.
The trial has excited a great popular
interest. and It's progress has been re-
ported in all the leading papers of the
country. The romantic-wemsy even
say, MISUNDERSTANDING Of the connec-
ton between the two girls. the occa-
sional struggles of Miss Hearn to end it,
the tragedy Of the death, and the Gu
rious tastes and habits which rumor has
more or less correctly attributed to Miss
Duer-all combined to perplex coniec-
ture regarding the affair. If Lillian
Duer shot Ella Hearn Intentionally no
other motive than that Of unnatural
jealousy can even be imagined, for there
was no one Of the other sex then COM
ing between them. Now, jealousy as
between girls is usually confined to
those who are very young, and Is es-
sentially juvenile; but both OF these had
passed beyond the age of childish at
tachment, and Miss Duer seems older
than her years. Whatever remarkable
traits she possesses are not, so far as we
can tell, essentially unwomanly, and
they have probably been very much
magnified by the gossip OF country
town. They do not even appear to
amount to eccenlricity. and assuredly
are not inconsistent with perfect sani-
". Perhaps. however, If the occur
renee had taken place in great
city we should have had some of
the eminent authorities on brain dis
eases and abnormal tendencies called
TO examine Miss Duer and tell us wheth-
er her nature is a warped or distorted
one. II may be well that she has
not been subjected to the additional no.
toriety, but there is such general re-
luctance to believe that she attempted a
murder that whatever can be said in
her behalf IS due to her. We think
that if il had not resulted otherwise,
the trial would at least have been much
more satisfactory could it have taken
place with different surroundings and
under different circumstances, such as
might have permitted the clearing up
of points that will not cease TO be dis
cussed so long as the sad affair is re-
membered.
What we have said above is particu-
larry appropriate in view of the fact
that, according TO our Snow Hill des-
patches, some Of the jurors since the
rendering of the verdict have expressed
their belief that Miss Duer was inno-
cent. They compromised on the find
ing given, as we suppose, for the sake
OF bringing the trial to al end; but #
seems like queer outcome ofthe pro-
ceeding. The court acted upon the re-
commentator to mercy. and foregoing
all imprisonment, sentenced her SIM
ply to a fine Of $500, which IT is said
her friends will make up by their con-
tributiOns and pay-for her.-Baitimore
.AmerieaH.
o. Is a promise to pay after death
valid : Judge Hanna, Of Philadelphis,
rules in the affirmative. la settling the
estate Of Frederick Dewaldr the exeeu-