The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-05-24


An eminent lawyer gave it as His
opinion that if undue Importance at
tached to circumstantial ev.den 9 had
Teen the means of pun 'shing some in
nocent persons, it hal far oftener al
lowed the guilty 10 escape the just pun
ishment of their deeds. Thus in the in
stance of III, trial of Goldsborough, in
England, some thirty years ago, for the
murder of William Huntley, it S thought
that a too rigid restriction of the jury's
consideration to immediate circum-
stances was the acquittal of man pre-
sumptively guilty of horr be crime.
William Huntley had disappeared; one
of the last persons seen with him had
been Goldsborou9h. Huntley had Just
come into possession of considerable
money. and had previously announced
his intention of hurrying / to America
before he should be Obliged to paw some
debts that he owed. Goldsborough told
half dozen conflicting stories about
Huntley's departure, and was seen to
have number OF articles, clothes, two
watches, and other things of Huntley's
in his possession, and made no effort to
conceal them. but said that Huntley,
going to America, hal left them in his
charge. What was still more remarka-
BILE, from having been a very poor man
he seemed to have become quite well to-
do, and spent money lavishly. When
the village folk asked him: What have
you done with Huntley?" he always
looked embarrassed, but sometimes sad:
- 80 =, - e \, ~" = ~ VIZ
known whether HEntlov was really
dead. no ACT on was taken AGAINST the
other. and very | file search was made
for the missing man. GcIdshororrh
soon after left his village and ~oinr 70
another some distance an settled there
under an assumed name Eleven wears
| later n skeleton snnnosad IN no that of
| William Hnntlev was found hnriad mn :
der a bank near the snot where he was
last seen. The imnorIant roint Of veri-
| flcat.on was a very neculiar nroiectino.
! side tooth. VIII oh All who saw n reeoo7
nized as BELONGING TO the missing Hnnt
lev. TTpon l1osnre tn the air he teeth
| of the skeleton fell ONT and This nocu-
liar tooth was. 81 anoelv enouob lost
or stolen Goldsboronrh was now an
pretended. and had a Iono trial He
] had able counseI who made tbe nnoet
of the element of donbt in the matter
| and the iurv. overlooking the strono
| element of probability in fhe evi,ience
AGAINST the prisoner aconitted hin,
But the General impression of his omit
remained. and the account Of his trial
incline, the reader to believe that the
general impre sion was probably cor
Rect.
! Tho lo,v hollis man - ho ;r,oo,,4
until bn . ,,roS,od n';i+ W 70 iH1ooG,,V
;or h,i,,o, - : - IL
anSncos ,. ro,ir,s, 80 :" ~ ga T"C oho IL
tban tbo low - aaiSo,, gu" ,,, SnJS
R,,+ u - go, fs,,.t,'4a % ' uiLui
,1nbl;o % J dna ou.i"ss 'n. "nen
p p ~ 9 Jna 80 h"s neiy Gon-
A. So, IL. ~ |" - u Jus
hat ninotyen'na ,,;lt s 49, ~ w Ie,'I5 5'eei
oa,,o tiy IL IT, oo'i 80 20
cent man sbo,,ld o., aar Nv -', tL;.
sentiment cannot he fonpdod ID" "n i hn
name norsidarot;ons n,,,.aiSr oiso =
MIGHT he ;nstIv resro ,.Clod &c uo,.S y
sentiment ;ndee5 In a worIJ ,vh ""o
tLe innocnnt boyo hoo, f",. ~
guilty for nearly civ thomsand Co. ,or 'r -
Smiobt VOL he onaet;onoJ ,,,hatha. - -
wo9Id not no for i Iottar fo,. ~ -. ~
cent man 70 sn rff and dc ;f Nod ~ ho
rather than infi;ot ~, -soo;ot,, +h,, l., -,
caused bv n;netv.nine or;nainais ~
large. es1ec;alIv as these or;,,,ino Iv
would be verv likely 10 emf NJ in tbe;,
nrime a hundTed mr. so of ;nnoosnt VIC
Tins. But the noint Of the saving is
this Though II is mnfor,nnots
that crime p,uet son,at;,,,os ~,
nnnunished If Is more ,,nfS,.1
tunate if a wrono dec sion take the
life of the Innocent and Tins seriousIv
shake ! ublic confidence in the inst al.
ministration Of conrts Eor this reason
the conviction Of EIiza FEMININE and her
execution JuIv DC 1914 were nea,,l;or-
" unfortunate Not that She can he
instanced as one Of the unouestionabIy
innocent victims of judicial error No
the case was doubtful. and the doubt
involved in it has never been cleared mn
She was a youno servant GIRL CHARGED
with an at;empt to poison fhe family in
which she was employed. That thev
had been poisoned nv some dumnlInGs
which thew had eaten was unouestioned.
Some remains Of the dumphnos ana.
lived were found to con n a laT0e nro-
portion OF arsenic. The tlonr from
which they had been made and The