The Portland daily press., 1889-08-10
STRONG EFFORT FOR MRS. MAVERICK.
The english People Do Not Think
she Should be Hanged.
Roth Liverpool and London much
AgItated over the Verdict.
The Condemned Woman Protests
Her Innocence to the Chaplain.

Among those from whom expressions are
received is Mr.. Alexander w. MacDougall,
who was chairman of the public meeting
called twelve years ago "to consider the
summing up of the judge and the verdict of
tho jury" in the "Penge mystery" case, In
which four persons were sentenced to death.
Such an expression of publlcs opinion was
ELECTED that Home Secretary Cross was led
to call meeting at the Home OfRce for the
same purpose as that which actuated the
public meeting, and the result of the Home
Office meeting was the unconditional release
of Alice Rhodes and the remission of capi-
tai punishment in the cases Of her three
companions.
Mr.. MacDougall suggests the same action
in the Maybrick case. and such course will
almost certainly be taken. A large proper
tion of the public think that the jury failed
to consider the element of doubt, and that it
was swayed by the cogent and exhaustive
charge Of Mr.. Justice Stephen.
1t is almost useless to attempt to describe
by cable the intense amount of popular ex-
element on the subject Of the cruel sentence
which condemns an American girl to forfeit
her life on the scaffold. There Is no case on
have aroused more violent feeling. A great
outburst of popular sympathy for Mrs. May
brick has taken place, which last night as
sumed the form of position for clemency
to the Queen from the lawyers, doctors and
by plans of public meeting in Hyde Park to
protest against her sentence being carried
out.
Immediately after the verdict was made
public Wednesday afternoon an impromptu
mass meeting was held on the steps Of the
building where the trial occurred, the
speakers expressing in the most unrestrain-
speaker observed that whereas there had
only been jury Of IL inside the hall, there
was jury of 1900 outside, who had read
every word of the evidence and were unani-
nous that the case was not proven.
Among the prominent lawyers enrolled
against the verdict is Sir Henry James, Q. G.
and M. p. who is represented as saying that
he would spare no efforts to get it set aside
Members of Parliament are discussing it,
and movement has been started in the
lobby to get Communication of the sentence.
There is very strong feeling at the bar, and
sion on the subject of the medical testimony
produced, and in view of its conflicting ma
ture it is considered that it would be an ex-
ceedingly wrong thing to carry ont the sem
tence. The medical profession unite in the
protests of the bar chiefly because the Judge
ticular paius to snub them and to sneer at
them. BE said that the medical men of the
one side were certain that they had detected
signs of arsenical poisoning, while the medi-
cal men of the other side were equally GER
tain tain that they 70 detected an absence Of any
quoted the old saying about the doctor as
Deing man who puts drugs. about which
he knows little, into a body of which he
knows less. In addition to this there are
thousands of people who protest against the
sentence simply because they are opposed to
capital punishment in general. and all the
old arguments against hanging anybody, and
particularly woman, are repeated afresh.
The majority of newspapers throughout
the length and breadth of England are dead
papers are concerned, the Times mildly dis
approves; the Telegraph and Daily News
stay carefully on the fence; while the Chron-
icle and the Standard both express their ap-
proyal. All the evening papers condemn the
verdict of the jury IS unfair.
The question is now as to how far will all
this public pressure effect the home secretary
1t Is he who is the sole court Of appeal now,
and he has the convicted woman's life in his
hands. Previous experience here has been
that appeals to the home secretary in cases
of this kind are futile Secretary Matthews
is a particularly hard man to deal with.
He is rigid disciplinarian. and, as his ac-
tion in connection with the wave of popular
indignation caused by the Whitechapel MUIR
ders show, is man who pays but little at
tention to what the public says or thinks so
lar as it affects his individual judgment of
the discharge of his duty. If popular move
ment for Communication fails, and the death
sentence is carried out, the time for hanging
rests solely with the sheriff. 1t may be very
soon. The law simply requires that three
successive Sundays must intervene between
the sentence of death and the execution date.
Mrs. Maybrick was completely prostrated
yesterday. and was unable to see anybody
but her mother and her counsel.
TO her mother, Mrs. Maybrick said that
but for the judges severe comments and
lengthy allusion to the wicked immortality Of
which she had been guilty, and which she
freely admits, the jury certainly would have
acquitted her. She says that she could see
throughout that the judge discounted all evil
dence that had been adduced for her, and
when the court adjourned to luncheon, before
the Judge concluded his address. she was as
sured that the jury were all in her favor.
She continues to protest her innocence. and
declares that but for her evil connection with
Briefly and the prejudice agyinst her in con-
sequence of her infidelity to her husband,
and the judges strong reference to this inf
deity, the jury would not have found her
guilty on the fiimsy. though no doubt suspi-
cious, facts related as evidence against her.
Mrs. Maybrick added she had an inward
conviction that she would not be hanged, for
many who would remain friendly to her are
making every effort to obtain reprieve.
1t had, she considered, been conclusively
proved by medical evidence of the, most
weighty description that her husband had
not died from arsenical poisoning. She felt
that II the medical evidence alone was placed
before the home ot1ce authorities, they
would never endorse the sentence OF the jury
"a sentence which she knew perfectly well
was not in accord with the feeling of the
general public. Not single member OF the
jury was Liverpool man. The foreman be-
longed to st. Helenes, and all the other ju-
rors were drawn in from the different parts
OF the county. No one had held any COM
who served them with their meals, and his
conversation was entirely on busiHess mat
ters.
Mrs. Maybricks wo children have, since
the commencement of the prosecution, been
staying with friends of the family in the
neighborhood OF Aigbarth. They. have been
left in complete ignorance of the charge
against their mother, and have not been told
the cause of her absence, though they know
their father is dead.
LIVERPOOL, August 9.-The feeling with
reference to the verdict in the Maybrick case
runs very high in Liverpool, one section
maintaining that the prisoner should have
had the benefit of the doubt set up by the
conflict of medical evidence as to the cause
of death, while Others maintain that the Jury
upon the evidence and summing up, had no
other course open to them than that of find
ing the prisoner guilty. Two memorials
have already been set on foot. one from the
bar and the other from merchants and brok-
ers, this afternoon.
MIR. Pickf0rd, the junior counsel engaged
with Sir Charles Russell in the defence of
Mrs. Maybrick, has placed the following pc
tition in the Barrlster's Library at St. George s
Hall, where 1t was numerously signed:
To the RigIt Hon. Henry Matthews. O. C NJ p..
Her Mdjestys Secretary Of State for the Home
Department.
We. the undersigned. members of the Bar OF the
Northern Circuit, having paid great attention TO
the evidence in the case Of Florence Elizabeth
MAVERICK humbly pray that you will recommend
Her Majesty to commute the death sentence and
grant reprieve on the ground that such evidence.
In view of the great conflict of medical testimonv
as to the cause OF death, leaves so much doubt
that 1t is inexpedient and unsafe to carry out an
irreyOcable sentence.
Dated this Sth day OF August, 1889.
The petition will be sent first TO Mancbes.
ter and then to London. 20 that members of
the bar who have left / erpool NAV have an
opportunity of signing IL.
The merchants and brokers pray that the
sentence of death may be respited with a
view to Communication or reprieve. on the
ground that there was no direct evidence of
the administration of arsenic by the prisoner
to the deceased; that the case against the
prisoner on general facts was unduly pre-
iudiced by the evidence of motive that there
Is room for grave doubt whether the circum-
atantial evidence relied on bv tho nrosaontion