-
Articles/Ads
Article CRIME, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN ITHACA* ← Page 4 of 7 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Crime, And Criminal Justice In Ithaca*
less 'distinctly and emphatically ascribed to the young man expressions of a very different nature . This was , in fact , so clear a case of perjury , that tlie witness was sentenced to three years' imprisonment , which she was undergoing at the period of my visit to the island . 1 Such was the cream of the direct testimony against Soleure— -lame enough , no doubt , and bearing much in its own face tending to show the existence of a conspiracy against the unfortunate old man . On the
other hand , there were certainly some strong points of circumstantial evidence of an unfavourable nature . In the first jilace , it seemed strange that a plot on the part of his own enemies , and of those of Freemasonry , should have been so managed as to wreak its malice on the wife and son , while he himself escaped comparatively uninjured . Hence it was assumed by the party unfavourable to him , that the flight to the bedthe terrorand the swoonwere mere pretexts ; ancl that thc
, , , wound in the arm was inflicted with his own hand , the'better to avert all suspicion from himself . And yet no reasonable motive was ever suggested that could have instigated him to so monstrous an act . Something , indeed , was said of a feeling of jealousy having been occasionally expressed by him towards his wife ; but no weight was attached by impartial persons to this circumstance . The parties were hoth well past the period of life when conjugal harmony is exposed to
much risk of interruption from any such cause ; and there was every reason to believe , that whatever had passed between them on tlie subject was-but in jest . Nor would this have accounted for the destruction of his only son , whom , there was abundant proof , he tenderly loved , ancl with whom , there was no evidence of his ever having had a quarrel .
Many , too , of those who knew him best , ridiculed the notion that so weak , nervous , and timid an old man—even had he been ferocious enough to have formed the design—should have been able to muster sufficient energy , either of mind or body , successfully to carry into effect an assault of this kind against two persons much more active ancl able-bodied than himself . It was , moreover , proved , that his right arm , from the effects of an old hurt , added to constitutional debility , hailfor many yearsbeen incapable of any great exertion ; and it was
, , hence argued by bis counsel , that it would have been impossible for him to have thrown the sword to the distance at which it ivas found from the shore . The newly-appointed advocate , considered a man of great talent , but , apparently , altogether devoid of principle , on observing how strong the tide of popular feeling set against the prisoner , had , shortly after his arrivalthrown aside even a semblance of impartiality , ancl completely
, identified himself with his enemies ; exerting himself , with a zeal almost amounting to enthusiasm , to fix the stain of guilt upon him , and remove it from others on whom suspicion might have fallen . Tlie Ex-Freemason , who had been arrested at the commencement , and against whom so much circumstantial evidence existed , was released by him shortly after his arrival . Immediately on being set at large , tho man'started for Constantinople ; but returned two or three months
afterwards ; when , hearing that the servant-maid had been imprisoned for perjury , he again decamped , after a two clays' stay in the island , and had not since been heard of . ¦ For a long time thc feeling , uot only of the populace , but of all ¦ classes , even of the English residents , was-unfavourable to Soleure . owiiiir lo the apparent plausibility , ut first sight , both of the testimony
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Crime, And Criminal Justice In Ithaca*
less 'distinctly and emphatically ascribed to the young man expressions of a very different nature . This was , in fact , so clear a case of perjury , that tlie witness was sentenced to three years' imprisonment , which she was undergoing at the period of my visit to the island . 1 Such was the cream of the direct testimony against Soleure— -lame enough , no doubt , and bearing much in its own face tending to show the existence of a conspiracy against the unfortunate old man . On the
other hand , there were certainly some strong points of circumstantial evidence of an unfavourable nature . In the first jilace , it seemed strange that a plot on the part of his own enemies , and of those of Freemasonry , should have been so managed as to wreak its malice on the wife and son , while he himself escaped comparatively uninjured . Hence it was assumed by the party unfavourable to him , that the flight to the bedthe terrorand the swoonwere mere pretexts ; ancl that thc
, , , wound in the arm was inflicted with his own hand , the'better to avert all suspicion from himself . And yet no reasonable motive was ever suggested that could have instigated him to so monstrous an act . Something , indeed , was said of a feeling of jealousy having been occasionally expressed by him towards his wife ; but no weight was attached by impartial persons to this circumstance . The parties were hoth well past the period of life when conjugal harmony is exposed to
much risk of interruption from any such cause ; and there was every reason to believe , that whatever had passed between them on tlie subject was-but in jest . Nor would this have accounted for the destruction of his only son , whom , there was abundant proof , he tenderly loved , ancl with whom , there was no evidence of his ever having had a quarrel .
Many , too , of those who knew him best , ridiculed the notion that so weak , nervous , and timid an old man—even had he been ferocious enough to have formed the design—should have been able to muster sufficient energy , either of mind or body , successfully to carry into effect an assault of this kind against two persons much more active ancl able-bodied than himself . It was , moreover , proved , that his right arm , from the effects of an old hurt , added to constitutional debility , hailfor many yearsbeen incapable of any great exertion ; and it was
, , hence argued by bis counsel , that it would have been impossible for him to have thrown the sword to the distance at which it ivas found from the shore . The newly-appointed advocate , considered a man of great talent , but , apparently , altogether devoid of principle , on observing how strong the tide of popular feeling set against the prisoner , had , shortly after his arrivalthrown aside even a semblance of impartiality , ancl completely
, identified himself with his enemies ; exerting himself , with a zeal almost amounting to enthusiasm , to fix the stain of guilt upon him , and remove it from others on whom suspicion might have fallen . Tlie Ex-Freemason , who had been arrested at the commencement , and against whom so much circumstantial evidence existed , was released by him shortly after his arrival . Immediately on being set at large , tho man'started for Constantinople ; but returned two or three months
afterwards ; when , hearing that the servant-maid had been imprisoned for perjury , he again decamped , after a two clays' stay in the island , and had not since been heard of . ¦ For a long time thc feeling , uot only of the populace , but of all ¦ classes , even of the English residents , was-unfavourable to Soleure . owiiiir lo the apparent plausibility , ut first sight , both of the testimony