Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-12-17
THE CASE OF CLUVERiUS.

and its victim, still feels the duty
of allowing the criminal an oppor.
tunity to seek Gods mercy after
ascertaining his utter want OF claim
to the mercy of men in view Of his
terrible crime. In Virginia annals
there is no parallel to the fiendish
atrOcity OF Cluverus's crime save
that of Jeter Phillips perpetrated
seventeen years ago. That great
Virginia lawyer and advocate,
Judge Crump, was one of Philhps's
counsel, as he has been recently
one of Cluverius's counsel. He was
assisted in the defence by Marina
duke johnson, orator, advocate and
sOldier-One of the most gifted of
Virginia gentlemen long since gone
prematurely to his grave. Phillips
cruelty murdered his wife. Per
sistently denying his guilt, for more
than three years and through sue
cesSiYe trials, he maintained the
stoical indifference and affected air
of innocence that deceived many
people then, just as CluveuuS' sim
liar bearing has deceived a few
sensible people and great many
feminine "cranks" since his trial.
There is a moral for not only
numerous editorials but for many
sermons III the absurd plea made
tor Cluyerius by distraught women
mainly since it has been fairly as
certained that he would be executed
women haye contributed much to
the sentiment and the abstract no.
illness Of society. Their hearts are
the abiding places Of the emotion
and sympathy that save the world
in its morale, and of the devotion
that made them "last at the cross
and first at the tomb of the Divine
Master. But Of the naked justice
Of the law, stripped of all sentiment
or sentimentality, devoid OF all poet
~, and naked as to pity, they know
nothing. Appropriately enough,
too, because OF the social regula-
tions, as well as the human in
stincts that save them from attri-
ton with the world in the sense
that men are compelled to know the
world. Yet "cranky" women gave
their sympathy to Phillips during
all the long struggle that ended
with confession that he had in the
most brutal manner murdered the
woman who had nursed him back
from impending death to vigorous
health, and whom he had subse-
quently married. The same class
of women, unsexing themselves as
far as may be, are impOrtuning Tor
CluveIius' pardon. And pray, why
What flaw in the law, the trial, the
management of his case 10y his ar
ray of able counsel, leaves "A peg
upon winch to hang a doubt as to
his guiitl
Take his own statement presnm-
ably made to give himself the hest
possible showing. All Of its as
sumed facts could have been Ine-
scented ON his original trial. After
all these weary months, ana when
confronting the eXecutioner he
makes feeble statement in the ma
ture Of proving an oiibj, when at
least a dozen witnesses saw him IN
the company Of the hapless girl /
whose body was found bruised with /
blows, and clutching in her hands /
the soil from the reservoir into /
which she had been thrown. No
fact elected by his counsel during +
his trial or developed by his estate .
ment,r contr0vcrts the testimony Of
witnesses who saw him in the com
pany of Miss Madison on the dag I
before her body was discovered
And yet he coolly ignores that fact, /
andreies upon unimportant details |
as to his movements utterly INSULT I
oient to the fillingup Of the time he
spent in Richmond.
Cluverius' statement is a dismal I
failure as an attempt TO prove his
because while he denies
100 much he proves absolutely moth
NC Of an affirmative character
Seen together many times by many
parties during the day previous to
he murder, Cluverius aud his cous-
"a were also seen together on the
treet.car and on the street near
he scene Of the murder ON the
light Of its preparation. There
90 on the fence was the mute wit
less, the red shawl, fatal to all
heories of CluveriuS innocence,
when remembered in connection
With the satchel oil the girl found
.oatlng in the river Immediately in
he trend Of the current as it begins
ard by where the girl was muir.
cred, and in connection with the
ratch.key torn of m the struggle
Or life, and with the partially es.
abhshed death-cry of the poor girl
worn to by one witness. OF cir
evidence against Gu.
erius there has been a superabund-
nee. OF rebuttal there has been
one, although every possible delay
f the law has been allowed the
man.
While deploring that such crimes
5 that successfully charged against