The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1882-09-07
Steve, the House Painter, ana John,
the Timer.

It is fortunate for the prosecution in the
Star-Route case that the Attorney General
should lave undertaken the closing argu-
ment Ker had whaled away for two
or three days, Bliss had sounded his
nasalE fiat, and Merrick had snorted and
cavortcd all around the case, but none of
them had touched the evidence or glanced
at the indictment. But the Attorney
General had not been on his feet ten min
utes, so to speak, before he began to go for
tho very bowels of the alleged conspiracy.
He had his evidence. We don't remember
to have heard anything about 1t in the tes-
timony as given, but that doesn't matter;
the Attorney General had the evidence,
and that was enough "Wbo are these de-
fendants2' inquired the Attorney. General,
approaching his quarry with circumspec-
tion.
Here was John W. Dorsey, a tinsmith, from
Vermont. so It was with tho rest OF thom.
Who was s. W. Dorsey Originally, he was a
house.painter, then he went into politics and
became Senator.
Can this be true?
We doubted our senses when we heard 1t
and were on the point of accusing our eyes
of deceiving our earsight as it were. And
vet il seems there is no help for it.
John w. Dorsey, the wretch, did actually
learn the trade OF tinsmith. 1t had oc-
CURED to us to plead that he was very
youpg when he did it, and TO bespeak
some slight indulgence for the indiscretion
of youth: but on reflection we abandoned
that plea and decided to leave John W. to
his fate. The question whether, after learn
ing the trade, he actually welded the big
shears or brandished the red.hot soldering
iron is not material; the fact that he
learned the trade showed malice prepense,
and that fact, of course, throws the onus
probandi on the defense.
We desire to call particular attention to
our technical use of the phrase onus pro.
bandi. 1t must be borne in mind that We
are discussing the Acknowledgement.
But it amazes us to think that John w.
should have sat all through the trial with
this.borrible disclosure impending over him.
He must have concealed it from his coun-
sell; for If Bob Ingersoll had ever been per-
mitted to find it out he would have insisted
ON plea of guilty or abandoned the case.
Words fail us in the effort to ftly charac-
ize the behavior of John W., posing all
this time as an innocent man, knowing, as
he must have known, that Attorney.
General, whose unerring legal eye nothing
can escape. would draw the the fearful
record on him at the last moment!
But if John WIS concealment of his rec.
ord was oulpable what must be said of Ste
phenP There NAV be some palliation for
John W. in the fact that he never aspired
to a great public trust and never presumed
TO lead great rarty to victory, But Ste.
phen was man of the people. He had
held important public trusts. Around his
name had clustered the honors of position
and into bis hands had fallen the emolu.
nments of mower.
And vet all this time Stephen hal kent
the prinning skeleton in his closet yeiled
so securely from the public gaze that Moth
ino short of the superhuman strength of
The Acknowledgement could avail to rend
tbe mask asundcr and pibbet the fonl relic.
in the noon of public scorn.
A bouso.na;ntor forsootbi and from
vorn,ontrI kba,,,
We could wish for tbe awf,, ,n;er NJ
Edwin Forrest the f,orce lear os tbo 1ato
Mexican Rucbanan and tho droodrrI voico
of piyiron Kelley rolled into ono grand
dianason 10 give our feelings oven feeble
exnrcssion.
aOb. stenben. stepben. How con,a Won
be 60 doccivin, ~
How could vouP Echo answers "Hovv9,
Go far as the Dorsevs are concornol 70,
consider tbe case settled Tbov have con,
.n;rod Mo, who In tendor yorth oorI;
he canablo of sncb enormifios as maninulat
inc soft solder in Vermont and naintin,
things with naint and brusb-inst tbinf
of nainting things with paint and n brpsh
what wonld such misereants not do I,
the riper recreapcv of manhood or in tb
subtle schooling Of advancing ape9
All. Rob. where be vour logic and vou
nathos now The idoo of nloo5i,o tbo
two Aends in human shane ,verc entitled 4
n fair trial when the Attorrov GonoraI ha,
at his tongues end the dnmn;rs nrons tha @
one of them had monded Tin rers ona ~, ~,
other had maninnlatea n v;ila;nors 49,,
nopnd of white lead and linseo1 oil ,,it
The brusb of n horn consniratorl
Rut now the ouestion arises How ia A.,
great fact to affect the other defendants
This Is the question that must determir