Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-19
Rev. Herbert H. Hayden.

II Audience.
 The Rev. Herbert H. Hayden, whose trial in this city for the murder of Mary E. Stan nard is yet fresh in the minds of every one, appeared in public for the first time last even- ing at Roberts Opera House, Hartford, as lecturer. There was not a large attendance, which was owing no doubt in a great measure to the severe storm which prevailed. Prompt ly at o'clock Mir. Hayden, accompanied by Samuel Jones, Esq, one of his counsel in the late trial, stepped upon the platform. MT. Hayden seated himself in 8 chair near the desk, and MT. Jones stepping to the front of the stage introduced MT. Hayden to the audi ence.
 MT. Hayden, on rising, was greeted with manifestations of approval by the audience. and with his manuscript before him addressed the audience in substacne as follows:
 Ladies and Gentlemen:
 In appearing before you this evening de- l sire to say few words in explanation of my appearance before the public as a lecturer. l may say that have passed through one of the most terrible experiences known to human | being. Imprisoned for many long and weary | months, I have passed through long and ex- haustive trial, and the result of that trial you are acquainted with Though am now per mitted to go forth among my fellow-men, yet | this freedom is restrained. What little had | of worldly goods is gone. My father and l mother have become almost impoverished, and my usefulness as 8 minister of the gospel is impaired if not entirely destroyed. leone forth with only my innocence as my fortune | and an eternal God as my support. But do not come to discuss this matter it is known to you all. I come to discuss circumstantial evidence. I do not come to you for sym pathy, for that is unmanly. come to help others who may be suspicioned and be 1 brought before @ public tribunal for safely over bridge that may be broken by the | next person has not only to thank God for his ! deliverance, but he should warn others of the danger. We know that circumstances are only what witnesses say they have seen, but which may be erroneous. Let me illustrate A man was seen to go by at a critical moment. | How do you know but that the witness himself may be the guilty party and trying to fix the crime on somebody else /? I could refer you to many cases where persons have been con- l victed on circumstantial evidence and often | the real criminal has come to light by death | bed confession. No reparation can be made 1 in such case, but man who dies thus does l not entirely die in vain. From the many records of connections by circumstantial evil | dence, will only quote few. A man WAS l in charge of mail coach, the coach was robbed l and the passengers were men of undoubted in- | tegrity. He was tried, found guilty and sen | fenced to along term in State prison. Two years | after his confinement he died and on his death bed he called Almighty God to witness that he was innocent of the crime of which he was | charged. Time rolled on and the real robber | was found. He was not tried, but allowed to go at large. Another, however, had died in l felon's cell for the crime that he had commit l ted. The speaker here related other cases of 8 similar character where persons had been l convicted on crcumstantial evidence, all l tending to show that rhe cases of conviction | and ultimate discovery of the true criminals l were numerous not only in this country but in Europe. A gentleman travelling toward Hull in England was stopped by highway man and robbed of his purse. The man rode l on by byway and the traveller continued on ! his way to the village. He thought by cer- tain marks on the man he would know him. | He arrived at the inn, and after awhile the landlord stated that he had sent off man l named Jennings to make a purchase. He had gone to bed. They went to his room and searching his pockets found the travellers purse and nineteen guineas in his l pockets which was recognized by the traveller. He was arrested the judge gave strong charge, and the jury, | without leaving their seats, gave a verdict of guilty. He was sentenced to be hanged, and shortly after was executed at Hull. Time rolled on, and the landlord of the inn where the accused man lived was convicted of 8 
 he himself committed the robbery for which Jennings was hung. Fearing detection he l had placed the money in his pocket to escape himself, and poor Jennings was executed for | the crime.
 After several other illustrations of convic ton by circumstantial evidence the speaker said: Here let me pause for moment to con- | sider the disgrace an executed man carries to his family. Alas for the victims of the laws of the State, when | IL lives on and on. Allow me to say word re- garding my own case. I have children who l are dearer to me than life. I have wife that | I love most dearly and tenderly. When other hearts quailed she stood by me the more | closely. There was nothing she would not do l for me except to perjure herself. This wife | and these children represent to me the inno- cent victims of the law. Should I, innocent as am, stand upon the gellows, I could l realize at that last hour the terrible agony and disgrace that would fall upon my innocent | person. Pardon this Aggression. I could not, ! however painful to myself, refrain from I briefly referring to my own case.
 ! The speaker after this brief Aggression passed to other cases of circumstantial evidence as recorded in the books, and said: Some years ago there lived man in Edin- l burgh, Scotland, named William Shaw He paid attention to a young lady and was for I bidden by the young lady's father to do so. I He desired that she should marry young man named Lawson. A conversation was heard between Shaw and the girl, in which the words Ecruelty" and Etdeath' were used. ! They heard pounding and went to the room and there found the girl wetering in her | blood. She was dying, and when asked if her | father did 1t she was seen to move her head in I assent. Shaw came into the room and his ! actions and appearances indicated his guilt. The father was tried, however, found guilty | and on the gallows declared his innocence. ! Later letter was found, written by the | daughter, showing that she had killed herself and that her poor father had been condemned to death and hung, another innocent victim of the law.
 Beyond all bangs of prison combination, said the speaker, when all hope of truth and l right has fled and the victim of crcumstantial ! evidence stands alone, yet full of faith of the revealments of future world, these ties can not be broken without the deepest bangs. Then it is that man is almost led to doubt the existence of 8 God. I cannot, if I would, paint the picture of mans inhumanity to man. Continuing, he said: It should be | noticed that circumstantial evidence support | ed by perjury is often the evidence by which innocent persons are convicted, and it is one of the most terrible things in such cases. I will not detain you by other cases bearing upon circumstantial evidence. Innocent men have not only been hanged for crime, but | they have ever after been pointed to as felons and their families have been forever disgraced
 
 l monster, as one who has gone so near the | grave as to feel it's icy chill, and I should be recreant to my duty if I did not raise my voice against the confidence so often reposed in circum- stantial evidence. The speaker here referred to the murder of Mrs. Hull of New York, who was found dead in her bed, ,and the evidence pointed strongly to her husband as the mur- derer until the right man was caught. Dr. Hull was shadowed for many days and the press were generally committed to the belief | that he was the murderer. No case of mod | ern times was ever so pressed to popular yer l dict and it was almost the universal opinion | that Dr. Hull was the murderer. If anybody 1 attempted to advance 8 different theory the press was ready to show how slight such 8 theory was. How many cases there are where yOu know that influences of circumstances have put you wrong in regard to some one in society. I should be unjust to accuse the press generally of wrong doing; but it is not unjust to say that the newspaper is not infal- ible. As general rule I believe the press intend to do right. but we must remember that behind the press is only the man after all I cannot show how public opinion changed better than by reading from the New York Herald an article on the Hull murder after