Year: 1859




paat mooth in our criminal ANNALS, as we'll as
former f evidences Of The decision Of rubuc
sentiment upon this point, show that it is
known to the community aud the jurispru.
dence OF Chicago exactly as It is designated
by Holy Writ and the judgment Of the hu.
man race to Wit, the direst crime Of which
man is capable, and in Its nature 80 outra-
geous that society cannot tolerate the exist
ence OF him wlo commits it. Our sympathies
naturally. 90 out to the prisoner resting ~: IN:
der the heavy condemnation Of the law, for
however barbarous and .revolting The deed
which has brought him under sentence, the
dull agony Of him who counts the minutes
which separate him from certain doom, ap-
peals to the liveliess emotions Of our nature.
But order is Heavens first law,and it is essen
tial to the security of the peaccable million
that the individual assassin be put out Of the
reach OF victims. d"


We have thus far foreborne comment on
the unhappy prisoners who have occupied 30
large space in the public eye, nor would
nc now add a word to bear with severer
force upon them than the solemn Judgment
Of the Bench which has fixed for each o day
certain as the limit OF their lives. In the
case Of Jumpertz, there is a considerable
opinion prevalent, not that he Is not charge
able with the death of Sophie Werner, bat
that he has been convicted on insufficient
evidence. It is true the crime Was not fixed
upon him by tile direct testimony Of eye
witnesses, but this fact gires It no peculiarity,
nor does it distinguish !. from hundreds Of
Just convictions which are fresh in the public
mind. The first step Of the deliberate mur-
dcrer is to bar all direct testimony, TO seques-
ter himaen. and his deed as tar as possible
from the reach Of human eyes and cars. The
killing that resuIts from the heat Of passion
is done in the presence Of whomeoeyer may
chance to seq or hear the cool, premeditatcd
assassination is performed at midnight By
suoh means as shall awake no cry and leave
no trace of the victim. The testimony in tile
famous Webster trial was not so direct and
sonclusive as that which sends Jumpertz to
murderer's doom. The confession Of the prison
er, unlcss it be taken for whole truth, aud he ac
quilted upon it at once, must 60 for nothing.
1tmust be excluded from every opinion form
cd upon the case. It has no place whatever
in the minds ofjudge or jury. The carefully
mangled body Of the missing woman il found
in distant city and traced to Jumpertz. Tile
recent whereabouts Of the living woman are
then discovered and uudeniably traced to
Jumpcrtz: The two chains Of evidence
meet mathematieaily ut his door.
Sothin: which carries probability to
to any mind is addueed to support the theory
Of sell destruction. On the contrary the
evidence is strong to show TINT she contem-
plated living at'least beyond the period Of m
approaching confinement: How t6cn was she
suddenly and strangely deprived Of life !?
Why we're her remains disposed of uy the for
mu1as Of the slaughter-house7 Why was the
only portion Of her body which could hare
teld Of poison csresully removed, and 60 we'll
sccreted that the peraon who disposed Of it
cannot tell what he did. with It'll These are
questions which ndmit Of but one answer to
wit, that Henri Jumpertz deliberately took
The life Of Sophie Werner. If human tribus
mails must pause ut each failure Of direct OCH.
lar testimony, no murderer need ever he con-
victed.


The case Of McNamee, in these particulars,
Is not unlike that Of Jumperlz. The body
Of his wife was found in her bed, beaten ul-
most out of human semblance. McNamee
Was the first to know anything about it. lie
alone could give any history Of the bloody
Transaction. The remains were mutilated in
way, and placed il q position, to give color
to falsehood which be Eaa prepared
to tell Yet Ed irresistible was the evidence
Of his guilt, that his counsel felt constrained
to place his defence on q wholly different
theory-maud1in insanity. This was as ire
concilable with The facts as the other; and he
too, meets murderer's end because there is
blood upon Lis hands which be can give no
account Of, May It be long before we have
another calendar like that which has 80 lately
shocked the community, and which is coming
to 80 speedy and solemn conclusion.