Year: 1869




Acqnittal OF Miss Cairnes.


The trial of Miss Martha Jane Carnes for the
killing Of her alleged seaueer, Nicholas McComas
was concluded on Saturday and resulted in
verdict OF acquithl On the last day of the trial
The counsel for the accused made passionate ap-
peal to the jury, the child of the Young woman
was brought into the Courthouse and ladies of
'he neighborhood gathered near the dock and
gave demonstrative evidence of their sympathy
with the accused. The jury was out but ten min
utcs. We copy the following account of the clos
ing scene OF this trial from the Baltimore Sun


when the jury rc-entered, the crowd in attend
sncc was cautioned by the court not to make any
representation when the verdict was rendered, on
pain OF arrest and there is no doubt that the eau
uon was necessary to repress the enthusiasm of
'ne brawny yeomanry clustered around The
clerk poiled the jury, and after the other formali-
ues, the foreman gave the verdict of sNot guiltyn
when few furtive yells went up from some small
ooys IN the rear OF the crowd who were not to be
oe,csreo ny the threatening terrors of the court


Inc accused, whose composure during the trial
mad been SO generally noticed, could no longer
pear the strain upon her and gave away entirely;
sne wept and gasped for BREATH and seemed in
imminent danger of fainting. With the assist
ance OF the sheriff and others she was taken into
: an adjoining room, the door locked to keep out
the crowd that was pressing upon her. and after
inhaiing little fresh air she recovered sufficient
~ TO be taken over the street to her hotel where
ior long time parties were constantly coming to
inquire after her. Later in the evening, with her
mother and Others of the family and friends, she
iett TOR her home near Jarrettsville the scene of
the tragedy with which her name is so closely
connected.


The case of Miss Cairnes demands more
than passing notice from the public
journalist. The press is not the mere We
hicie of public intelligence-it is more
and ought, as far as it can, to be the con-
servator of public morality. But how
shall it moralize upon such theme 1t
may do SO, in the sense of pointing to this
and similar cases, as a warning to young
men and women against departure from
the strictcst rules of morality and propriety
In their intercourse with each other. How
much bitter anguish, how many scalding
tears, how many bleeding hearts, and what
shame and modification have resulted in
the worlds history, by violation of these
rules? We recall to memory few cases
of public notoricty, not to speak of many
Others of less prominence The cases OF
Herberton and Mercer, and of Smith and
Carter, in Philadelphia; Cole and His
cock, in the State of New York Grant
and Pollard, in Richmond the youth in
Canada, who recently shot the seducer Of
his sister; and the more recent case Of
Miss Cairnes and McComas. All these ca
ses show the deplorable frailty of human
nature when not under proper moral re-
straint. They also warn young men that
everywhere offences against female honor
are condemned by public sentiment and
that when their lives pay the forfeit of such
moral delinquency, the penalty of the law
does not overtake the ayenger. But truth
and candor compel the averment that they
are not always the sole offenders. Women
are too often pa'ticeps criminis in such
eases. This cannot be denied, however
unpleasant the admission. 1t is true, and
the world knows it,