St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-04-25

Wsiteea ees the Farass.
CIRCClCSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
4 difference Of opinion has LONG
prevailed respecting circumstantial
evadence, some asserting Il In many
cases better than oral evidence, de-
claring Il easier for men to give in
false witness, than to produce q
chain Of circumstances often be-
You'd the control Of man. This
seems plausible. and hence ouz
courts allow . series Of facts, point
ing toward the guilt Of any person,
- equal in law to direct testimony.
But the reliance on well directed
circumstances to point out guilt,
has often led the courts to the most
glazing errors. and punished with
the extreme penalties Of the Law
persons entirely innocent Of crimes
they suffered for. It b noticeable
here, that smong "the mistakes OF
Noses" In that dark age. be never
allowed . man 10 he Condemned ON
circumstantial evidence, and to
guard against plots and lying, no
evidence OF one only person could
BY any means b taken to forfeit
the life Of = human being. The
witnesses must he ut least 1.-TWO or
three persons," and when . plot
was feared, no witness was exam
ined within the hearing Of another.
l know It 10 true that men do not
seek witnesses in crime, but shun
them, and therefore we'll attested
circumstances pointing to guilt
should be taken. This, II done,
should Be done very deliberately,
and when human life il ut stake.
the circumstances should render It
impoestble to point to any other
than the one who i charged.
/ do not contend, with some OF
the old Puritans. that We in thu
day should follow the laws Of
Moses. The great ssmistale'' Of
ignorant ounces il not to under.
stand the purposes Of the Mosaic
laws. They were given to = par.
ticular people under peculiar cir.
cumstancee, for . limited period.
tor . certain province And Christ
himself began to abrogate those
ceremonials while on earth. which
Get the Jewish people 20 against
him. They Thought with some del
luded iniidels Of our own dav. that
God gave them to govern all pso-
pie In al ages, when He only gave
them to the Jewish people for . |
limited space Of time; and I defv
any one who views them in this |
proper sense to find . mistake |
among them. Even Hume admit.
ted. respecting the slavine OF men. |
women and children Of the Canaan
'tes' tnat " was not the Jewish rule |
Of war, who were remarkably mild
to prisoners. '.but only . particu-
lar charge, under peculiar circum-
stances, toward . certain people,"
and no divine has better put It
Within the memory Of some pen
pie yet. local minister Of the
Methodist Church, who lived in
Georgia. cultivated . small farm
md preached gratis. He was mar.
ned. having no children, and his
MES sister. . girl Of Is vears.
ived with them. The man owned
'ne slave, > negro man, horses.
satfle. sheep, etc.. necessary for
'is agricultural operations, vet
v0rked himself.
At dinner time one day the maid
rent to the branch spring to bring
'ome water: but not returning.
!earch was made but unsuccessful.
he netghhors were aroused the
FhoIe nsighborhood searched: at
enRth she Was found not . hundred
ards from the spring. The maid had
yellow thong from 50 piece" bv
'hich che was choked around her
'eck: allowed signs Of abuse and
re dead. |;
The mans wife swore to the
thong" or string. that . day or ,
NO before her husband hal asked
'er for hame-string, and that was .
be one she gave him. His h.rness
vere found with M string In them.
le was tried and convicted and /,
'ung. protesting his innocence. The
Kicked laughed. the scofFers sheer.
d and condemned all preachers - {
ypocritcs. II
A few years after the negro man {
e owned was taken on . charge Of Z
,urder and proved guilty: and q
hen under the gallows declared he 4
I'D stolen his masters me-strinx q
nd caught and tied the girl to keep '
er from screaming, and choked her q
'ith II to keep her from telling.
Shortly after this confession the
Judge, overcome With rem0rse at G
he thought Of having been instru- {
rental in the hanging Of an limo Q
ent man, blew his brains out With
pistol. CIV.