Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/415

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
382
The Green Bag.

recollection the famous Elisha Williams laughed the at Washington, for the seduction of his wife, whom case out of court. John was living at Hudson in con he afterwards forgave; of Ned Stokes, the "genial tented wedlock when the writer of these lines was a host of the Hoffman House, New York, for killing law student there. It is amazing how many soldiers, Jim Fisk; of young Walworth for killing his father, clergymen, and " nobs " of both sexes are involved Mansfield, a well-known novelist and son of Chancel in this kind of fiery trials. The most astonishing ar lor Walworth. for whom Charles O'Conor made the ticle in this category is the '• Apology for the Life of unsuccessful defence of epilepsy, — case of "sur Major General Gunning" (London, 1792), accom vival of the fittest; " of Tirrell for killing his para panying a trial. His life certainly needed apology : mour, Maria Bickford. at Boston, in 1846. in which for according to a note in the catalogue, it shows " a Choate got his man off on the plea of somnambulism; list of his conquests to the number of one hundred and of Webster, the Harvard professor, for killing Dr Parkman; of Wirz, '•the Demon of Andersonville." forty-five, and of his known descendants to the num Among the most famous trials in this country we ber of one hundred and thirty-five. — the last one a republican (Thomas Paine), who is -the crude fruit find the Girard will case; the libel case of J. Feniof an old maid!'" This is indeed painful. In another more Cooper against Horace Greeley, in which the novelist made it hot for the philanthropist; the case the defendant is " Mrs. Robert Tighe, Esq." Sometimes a coachman or a footman is charged, and Zeuger libel case in New York, in 1733, in which Andrew Hamilton, of Philadelphia, first in this once a " footboy." In another case the erring gentle country combated the maxim, " The greater the man is Dr. John Wolcot, otherwise " Peter Pindar." truth the greater the libel;" and the case of CrosIn another. " Frederick Calvert, Esq., Haron of Bal well prosecuted for libel on Thomas Jefferson, in timore, in Ireland, for Rape on Sarah Woodcock" which Alexander Hamilton followed suit, in 1804. (London, 1768) Among the divorce cases is the We get a glimpse of a fox-hunting parson in '• Earl Dalton case, in which Rufus Choate attained the of Essex against Hon and William Capel for Tres loftiest height of forensic advocacy in America. The passes committed in hunting with the Berkeley Fox Beecher-Tilton case also is included. Among famous murder cases are those of Colt for ' Hounds, 1810." There are a number of articles about the disappear killing Adams in New York, about 1841 (the jail took fire, and Colt killed himself on the morning when anee of Morgan, in western New York, which caused he was to have been executed; and many believed a an " Anti-Masonick " rage that dominated politics body was substituted and he escaped); Eugene Aram, for years. Another title is •' Free Masonry Un the hero of Hulwer's novel, who defended himself so masked, or Minutes of the Trial of a Suit wherein ably; Polly Hodine, abortionist (N. Y., 1846); the Thaddeus Stevens was plaintiff and Jacob Lefevre romantic case of the Vermont Boorns (1819), who Defendant " (Gettysburg. 1835). The " spirit of '76 " is evidenced in •' Life of John confessed and were convicted, and the victim turned up alive in time to save them; the poisoner. Mad. de Gilbert, who was executed at Gloucester, Apl. 19. 1776, for House Brcaking." Brinvilliers (Amsterdam. 1676); Crowninshield and Richard Pepper Arden, Attorney-General, insti the Knapps for the murder of White at Salem, in which Webster made that immortal address; Dr. K. tuted a proceeding to repeal Arkwright's patent for his spinning-jenny. K. French, tried at Philadelphia, 1835, for man slaughter '• by the administration of certain ThomAmong cases illustrative of ancient history is the trial of Susan B. Anthony for illegal voting. sonian Remedies" iwe do not find that of Thompson There are a number of peerage and family cases, himself in Massachusetts on the like charge); the Guiteau case; the mysterious Connecticut cases of like the Berkeley, Douglas, Duchess of Kingston, and Hayden for the murder of Mary Stannard. and the Tichborne trials. An interesting tract is " The Genuine Life and M alley boys for the murder of Jennie Cramer; the Trial of George Barrington (Manchester, 1790). He equally mysterious case of Mary Rogers, " the beau tiful cigar girl," at Hoboken. in 1841, which inspired was transported for picking pockets, and became Poe's " Mystery of Marie Roget : " also the story of Governor of New South Wales. It was he who the murder of Parker, at Manchester, N. H. originated the expression, "We left our country for (wrongly stated as '• Vt." in the catalogue), in 1845; our country's good." This appeared (we believe) in (the writer heard Franklin Pierce sum up to the jury a History of New South Wales which he wrote. Robert Wedderburn was tried at London, about in defence of somebody accused of this crime about 1851, — a beautiful piece of advocacy;) the case of; 820, for blasphemy, — Unitarianism. How this must Mrs. Robinson, "the veiled murderess," at Troy, shock the inhabitants of our Modern Athens! The trial of Cagliostro (1791) revives the story of N.Y.; that of Ruloff at Binghamton, N. Y., about 1871; the Diamond Necklace. that of Dr. Seliridge, in Massachusetts, about 1806; Trials of superstition and persecution are repre of Daniel E. Sickles for killing Philip Barton Key,