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St. Louis Murderers

St. Louis Murderers image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
July
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

- Madison. on eof the negroes indicted for the murder of VVeaver and Baker, has been tried and convicted. Brown, anotherof the four negroes, has also been found guiily. But instead of Brown, another negro, named Edmund, had been arrested in New Orleans, being mistaken for brown; and while in prison, being ihreatened, whipped, &.c. confessed himselFguiltyas the only mear.6 to escape further cruelty. But when broupht lo trial at St. Louis, he denied all knowledge of Ihe transqction,and proved by Ihe Captnin that he was on board the steam boat Rtmn,between New Orleans and Natches, when the murder was committed, and was dischared. How seldom is Iruth extorted by violence. - Monroe Advocate. It seems by the above paragraph, that iho trial by torture which has been banish ed from most civilizad countries, is stil] practised at the South, Who threatened and whipped this innocent, man while in prison? Was it done by'the Attorney General of ilje State, under the authorit cf luw, or was any person who pleased allowcd to go into the prison, and examine the prisoner by torture till hts doubts should be removed 2 We published some weeks sinee, a.n knproved and económica! melhod of preaching which is practised at the South, by which ministers of ihe gospel can l-e manufactured as fust as sluves can be purchased and orduined for the sacred calling: but our unonlightened mind had not (lien perceived the excellency of this melhodof manuiacturing witncsses by a short and easy process, lo any e.vte.nt,to euit any case whatever. IVe cununend this southern plan to the legal profession especially to our State Atiornies when they have a difficulty in coming at the truth in any crooked matter. A sound drubbing on the back and repeated at stated intervals, as is practked at the South, might be very efticacious in bringing to light the defaications of Bank Oilicer?, Swartoutei's, and all public defaulters. Noone need be afraid of this melhod because it is neto, h ie not new. It was practiced wiih the most astonishing success by Heroil the great, by Nero and Caligulu, and Tamulare, and by most of the distinguished worihies of ancient times, and now in these latter days as we have seen it is found exceedingly tiseful by our south ern brethren. The efficacy of it can not be disputed. What but such n plan as lilis could have made an innocent man acknowledge himself guilty of a crime which would surely hang hun? lis effica cy is a'eo vouched for by one of Walter Scott'ö héroes in the time of Charles I. Speaking of just such a case as this, where the prisoner refuscd to own what he was commanded to, he says, "tiea cord around lus head and twist it tight with liis pistol, and my hfe for it, but you shall get the truth out of his mouth, or liis eyes out of his head!' But we have sa id enough to in troduce this expeditious rnanner of making witnesses to the notice of our readers, and would now invite some of the legal gentlemen of the South who are familiar with the subject practically to givc to their northern brethren a dissertation thereon show ing how much torture must be applied to the accused accordingto the different gradation8 of the crime, and the most approved method of applying it.Perhaps some scriptue may be brought to Ilústrate the subject. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are told werc slaveholders, and, how could' they get aloug with (heir dome8tic institulions without 6omething of the kind? We read concerning Paul that he was bound with things, and "iho chief Captain commanded that he should be examined by scourging hitn." This you see, was a parallel case to the one in question. If thenlhis plan of procuring testimony s so efficacioas, chcrip, ancient, honorable, and expeditious, and has been so generally )raclised in all ages of the world, and is sanctionedby the general usage of apos- olie times, even in the case of Paul himelf, why should we scruple to follow the example of our Southern brothren in intro ucing this improvement into ourjurisarudencc.