The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-23

spontaneous OutDurSt Oh Wratn among Jne
people who are mostly concerned in the
upholding of English laws as would we'll
nigh have shaken the foundations OF the
throne itself, and, as it is regarded on this
side of the Atlantic. would have been little
short of an outrage upon civilization every
where. The woman is impure and will al
ways bear the weight of dark suspicion
that after all she may be guilty; but there
is doubt of it so substantial and pro-
nounced that to sweep it aside and hang
her ''whether or no'' would have met with
all the resentment Of which the people gen
orally are capable.
Now that she is TO be spared, so far as
her life is concerned, it is as well to con-
slider some points in connection with this
most extraordinary case. Her husband
was confirmed arsenic eater, and when
she gave him the poison she did so undoubt-
eddy at his own request. The point upon
which the whole case hung would then
seem to be-Did she give him more than he
called for or his system endure and do 1t
purposelys If she did, she committed muir
der; if not, she was innocent of it. But
she received no benefit from the state of
uncertainty which such a proposition
naturally creates; on the other hand, it was
construed against her by Judge STEPHEN,
who, under the guise of a charge to the
jury, made two-days' speech in support
of the theory of the prosecution. No
such proceeding ever took place in
the United States, nor would any
such be tolerated here, where the
Judge in every instance, whether
the case be great or small, in
structs the jury to give the defendant the
benefit of every reasonable doubt; this
charge to the MAVERICK jury would have
that if the jury had ignored it the court
who gave it would have been bound to set
their verdict aside.
Another thing: We do not have to go so
far as England to hear the statements that
it was case of getting even" freely
banded. This refers, of course, to the
execution of MAXWELL at St. Louis
year ago, and is only spoken of by GER
tain class-a class to which Judge STEPHEN
belongs beyond all question. The more
superstitious remembered the curse which
the Englishman pronounced upon the gal
lows, the wish that some American might
be placed in the same position in England
that he occupied here, and then added to
this was the fact that the woman was con-
victed on the very day and time of day
that the execution in St. Louis occurred.
For their sakes, if for nothing more, it is
as well that Mrs. MAVERICKS sentence was
committed.
1t is hardly likely that she will end her
days in penal servitude unless she dies
within year or two. After while, when
all passions have subsidized and the mists
have been entirely cleared from the case,
it will receive more careful and less preiu-
dicial consideration. The home secretary
for Great Britain, who is really the ruler
of the nation (the Queen being only an ex-
pensive figurehead), will look upon the case
as it is herein set forth and conclude that
if the erring woman is entitled to any i'm
whatever, she is entitled to absolute
freedom. If not that, a change in the gov
eminent may take place and there is much
to hope for from it, not only for the
woman herself but for the people at large.