St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-02-07
THE CONSPIRACY AND MUIR.
DER TRIAL.

tlial, which is now in progress.
The following forcible editorial APP
pearsd in Thursdays Times Demo-
crdt:
The testimony in the Murphy
murder trial is all in, and the pub
lie know precisely the situation.
Every feature Of this most repul-
sive and extraordinary crime has
been clearly revealed by the testi-
mony, which has been printed At
length by the city press, and the
shock experienced when the bloody
deed was first made known has
been intensified by the perusal Of
the dreadful details.
After reading it all over. after
giving to tue testimony for the de-
Tense every atom Of weigh. to which
it is entitled, it 10 impossible to
avoid the conviction that the MUIR
dered man was the victim of as foul
and detestable conspiracy ~ was
ever planned in America, or in the
worlds conspiracy Of which the
chief was a judge upon the bench.
aud his coadjutors members Of his
family and officers of his court; {
conspiracy SO bold in conception,
So sudacious aud inhuman in exc
cution. SO fragrant in its disregard
of all ordinary precautions. that,
looking back at it now, with ali tue
light that has been thrown upon il
by the testimony, one is lost in
amazsment and moved by conflict
ing emotions of alarm and indi.na-
ton. Alarm for the result upon
society ut large. and Indignation
that SO base a conspiracy against
human life could he Matched and
carried out successfully in this
city.
Think Of it, for one moment, citi-
zens of New Orleans! And it would
be we'll for every thoughtful citi-
zen this morning to ponder on the
grave aud portentious situation that
now confronts us.
Five men are now on trial for
their lives, for the murder Of citi
zen in broad daylight in one of our
public streets. The testimony
shows that the accused entered
into a conspiracy to put this man
out of the way; that, at a given
time, they assembled in the vicin-
ity Of where they knew their VIC
tim to be, and deploying as in a
battle. surrounded theic unsus-
pecting prey. overwhelming him by
numbers, and deliberately shot him
to death like dog. giving him no
chance for his life, mutilating his
poor dead body, and walking of
with smoking rsvolvsrs in their
hands before the sstonished multi
tude Of witnesses. as if they had
done brave and noble deed.
The publication of this awful
crime sent a shudder of horror
throughout the land, aud men said,
and said truly: IF the murderers
be not punished swiftly, then New
Orleans is given over to violence
and crime, aud is q city to be shun-
ned" The local press plead for a
suspension of public opinion. and
declared that in due course Of time
the outraged law should be vindi-
Gated. whoever the criminals mig t
prove to be.
There is no longer the shadow Of
a donht M To who are the criminals.
They are known as we'll as the
name Of the man they slew with
such inhuman ferocity. They are
in the hands of the law. aud the
whole terrible testimony is before
the jury as we'll rs before the public.
Aud yet there is doubt in men 9
is u hideous suspi-
cion that the jury will not do their
duty. Rumors Of al acquittsl, Of .
fill the sir, aud bets on
the result have been offered.
In the face Of all the damning
facts, these rumors are startling IN
deed; 80 startling that every citi-
zen may well pause from his ordi-
nary avocation aud consider what
possibilities to himself. to his fam