Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-05-11

diyldual L can not have the slighes st pre1u-
dice. But if the testimony condo INNS her
then the law condemns her. l cheerfully
share in the censure cast on the officers of
this court that have done their duty in order
that whoever has committed murder shall
be brought to justice. This is an extraor-
binary, mysterious case and has no prece-
dent in this county. l cannot but feel
great pity for the prisoner at the bar
as I've no doubt you do. Sin
always brings punishment. But I should
be false to my honor, if, as prosecuting off
Ger of this county, should allow it to de-
ter me from doing my duty. This applies
equally to the representatives of the people
sitting in those jury chairs. You'd be less
than men if you failed to do your whole
duty.
Mr.. Carleton referred TO case tried in
Androscoggin county, where, after years,
the prisoner was tried, and to the charge of
Judge Walton, in which he said there are
two things to guard against in criminal law,
an unjust conviction and an unjust acquit-
tai. One fault is as bad as the other.
1t is not in the nature of responsibility to
make good men timid. The calamity of
great crime lie more than doubled when the
criminal escapes detection. The greater
the mystery the greater the effort should be
to have justice done. But | have seen
from your close attention from day to day,
that You feel the full responsibility. You
have sworn to do only impartial justice.
Human research has found no better pro-
lection of the innocent than the punishment
of the guilty. You, on your oaths, will de-
clare only what has been proven here.
On Dec. 8 William Henry Getchell died
very suddenly. Suspicious were aroused
He was buried. Why those suspicious? If
a man had been constantly wishing for death
for years why those suspicious? Why was
it not finally accepted thathe had the cour-
age to commit suicide? Yet it did not occur
to any body. 1t did not occur to anybody
that he died natural death. Careful OK
animation found no org tnic cause for death.
After long and careful examination of the
case by the grand jury they found an in
dictment against this woman. Am blame
able for that. 1t has been my purpose t.
learn the facts. l cheerfully concede to
the learned counsel ability far SUPERIOR to
my own. Yet Notwithstanding he gave me
the credit of being honest, he says the gov
eminent has no faith in its case. Gentle
men, l am sorry for that statement. l
should be extremely Inundated if though
would advocate a criminal case that
didn't believe in. How stands the case a'
this hour? The position of the governme:
has been attacked at every point that coulo
be suggested by the ingenuity of the abe
counsel. | submit TO you if he has i'm
paired a single point in the case presente
to you. l ask you as men of affairs if you
ever saw witnesses appear more reluctant
or more honest than the government wit
nesses standing at the bar. What
multitude of facts, all coming from
independent sources and all pointing to the
same thing. Yet it has been sought to sweep
away this mass of testimony by the breath
of counsel. Gentlemen l have faithfully
tried to find what the defence is. At ore
time it was that Ambrose Getchell when he
took the body of his brother to Augusta
placed rychine in that body. Witness
were examined at length on this point. 81 t
this was abandoned when showed the con-
dition of the casket when it arrived here
At another time it appeared to be Il e
purpose to show that Ambrose killed b
brother to get the property. You remem-
Der Howard Wyman was asked if Ambrose
didn't say he'd get the property by far
means or foul. Again they spent time to
show that he was common drunkard; that
because he was hard drinking man four
grains of strychnine could be found in him
Do you believe he was a common drunk
ard, that he had been drinking fearfully of
late? You know it isn't true. What was
that brought into this case for?
Was it to give you more light on this case
Was it for that they put on pe1jured wit
nesses, false swearers as you know they
were. His memory must be blackened.
Nobody could be hard drinker in a coun-
try town like that without everybody there
knowing it. You have heard the testimony
of the neighbors on that point. The drink
ing theory of causing his death had to be
dropped out. Then they must have the
suicide theory. And whom do we have for
witnesses to this? We have heard all about
the marvt llous love of this marvellous
woman and this dear little boy and vet they
would have you believe Henry Getchell
wanted to die; that all he lacked was cour-
age to do it. Very funny that he should
have lamented this lack of courage to An
ME Dudley, to Mi1nie Jones, to Sewall
Glidden, to Laforest Trask. | can't see
any other process, according to the argu-
ment of the counsel, than that these four
grains of strychnine gravitated into this
mans stomach. The gravest theory put
forth by the defense is the suicide theory.
1t seems that some person of decent re-
spectabilify and standing in all that commu-
nifty might have heard him express a desire
to commit suicide. Tint theory is brought
in here and urged as a reasonable doubt so
that this prisoner may go free.
| say there isn't a reasonable possibility
that he ever contemplated suicide. Do
you believe it? But suppose he had said
he was tired of living, as we all may have,
he never thought of suicide. He may have
made such a statement. But surely he
wasn't thinking of committing suicide that
week because, according to his wifes testi-
mony, he lay awake nights planning to
work Sundays and his wife would be
obliged to stay at home from meeting. He
didn't, according to that testimony, intend
to commit suicide before Monday. Yet he
had been very hard atwork cutting cord
wood. Probably he looked so happy that
noon when he came in because he had
got his courage up to commit suicide. And
yet, his courage failed him. The first thing
he wanted doctor. She said before she
knew she was suspected, Henry said Il
guess I'll have Doctor" He took the
medicine and according to her own testi-