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Article CRIME, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN ITHACA* ← Page 2 of 7 →
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Crime, And Criminal Justice In Ithaca*
members , however , objected to this plan as a mean subserviency to popular clamour , and an act of injustice to the people themselves , by still further countenancing and confirming their foolish prejudices ; and so it fell to the ground . Soon after , a violent sermon was preached by the bishop against Masonry , and the same night the Lodge was broken into , and robbed of arms and other articles used in the ceremonial of the society . Soleureas the head of the establishment and a foreignerwas
, , the chief object of popular odium . He was frequently mobbed in tha streets ; and , as he resided at some little distance from the town , he requested and obtained from the superintendent of police ( a retired British officer of great respectability ) , a constable to guard his housi by night until the excitement had subsided . A few nights afterwards , several hours before daybreak , the superintendent was roused by the servant maid of the Soleure family , who announced that the work of
murder was going on in the house ; she could give no further particulars , as , on hearing a tumult and screama in the family apartment from another part of the dwelling where she slept , she had fled for assistance . lie immediately proceeded to the spot , where the unfortunate woman and her son were found lying quite dead , and fearfully mutilated , on the floor . Soleure himself was stretched on the bed in a corner of the room , also apparently lifeless from terrorbut with no other bodily injury than
, a slight wound in the flesh ofthe arm . His account was , that when the assassins broke in , the family were preparing to retire to rest ; that , becoming aware of their purpose , he . instinctively took refuge in the bed , where he had swooned from terror ; and that the wound in his arm had been inflicted by a random thrust , aimed at hirri as he lay enveloped in
the clothes . Nothing tending to afford any trace of the rnurderers ' was found , but the scabbard of a sword lying on the bed by his side . By a coincidence which appeared almost too singular to be the effect of accident , the constable appointed to guard the house , was , upon some pretext , absent , from his post that night . Soleure , although he did not pretend to recognise his person , which was disguised , denounced as the murderer a man formerly a Freemason , but who had been expelled the Lodgebhis sanction and authorityfor disreputable life . This
indi-, y , vidual had since become a sworn foe of his former Brethren , ancl of Soleure in particular , identifying his cause with that of the priests , by whom be had been absolved from his previous crime of participation in the profane mysteries , and received into special favour ancl confidence . The superintendent proceeded , therefore , at once to the house of this man , who was not found within ; and it was afterwards proved that lie had been seen that morning at three o ' clock , in company with the son of
a priest distinguished for the violent part he had taken against the Freemasons . The only reason he could assign for this circumstance was , that he was an earl y riser , and fond of exercise in the morning ; ami he . was accordingly placed under arrest . Suspicion , however , at ihe same time , fell upon Soleure himself , ancl , as will appear in the sequel , not altogether without reason . Public feeling ran , as might bs expectedstrongly against him—partlfrom his previous unpopularity
, y , partly from a patriotic anxiety on the part of the Ithacans to shift the ! odium , of , so horrible a crime from their own shoulders upon those of a foreigner—and he was also taken into custody . The office of crown prosecutor for the island about this time became vacant , and , owing to the importance and mystery of the case , a lawyer of distinguished ability was sent from Corfu to follow out the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Crime, And Criminal Justice In Ithaca*
members , however , objected to this plan as a mean subserviency to popular clamour , and an act of injustice to the people themselves , by still further countenancing and confirming their foolish prejudices ; and so it fell to the ground . Soon after , a violent sermon was preached by the bishop against Masonry , and the same night the Lodge was broken into , and robbed of arms and other articles used in the ceremonial of the society . Soleureas the head of the establishment and a foreignerwas
, , the chief object of popular odium . He was frequently mobbed in tha streets ; and , as he resided at some little distance from the town , he requested and obtained from the superintendent of police ( a retired British officer of great respectability ) , a constable to guard his housi by night until the excitement had subsided . A few nights afterwards , several hours before daybreak , the superintendent was roused by the servant maid of the Soleure family , who announced that the work of
murder was going on in the house ; she could give no further particulars , as , on hearing a tumult and screama in the family apartment from another part of the dwelling where she slept , she had fled for assistance . lie immediately proceeded to the spot , where the unfortunate woman and her son were found lying quite dead , and fearfully mutilated , on the floor . Soleure himself was stretched on the bed in a corner of the room , also apparently lifeless from terrorbut with no other bodily injury than
, a slight wound in the flesh ofthe arm . His account was , that when the assassins broke in , the family were preparing to retire to rest ; that , becoming aware of their purpose , he . instinctively took refuge in the bed , where he had swooned from terror ; and that the wound in his arm had been inflicted by a random thrust , aimed at hirri as he lay enveloped in
the clothes . Nothing tending to afford any trace of the rnurderers ' was found , but the scabbard of a sword lying on the bed by his side . By a coincidence which appeared almost too singular to be the effect of accident , the constable appointed to guard the house , was , upon some pretext , absent , from his post that night . Soleure , although he did not pretend to recognise his person , which was disguised , denounced as the murderer a man formerly a Freemason , but who had been expelled the Lodgebhis sanction and authorityfor disreputable life . This
indi-, y , vidual had since become a sworn foe of his former Brethren , ancl of Soleure in particular , identifying his cause with that of the priests , by whom be had been absolved from his previous crime of participation in the profane mysteries , and received into special favour ancl confidence . The superintendent proceeded , therefore , at once to the house of this man , who was not found within ; and it was afterwards proved that lie had been seen that morning at three o ' clock , in company with the son of
a priest distinguished for the violent part he had taken against the Freemasons . The only reason he could assign for this circumstance was , that he was an earl y riser , and fond of exercise in the morning ; ami he . was accordingly placed under arrest . Suspicion , however , at ihe same time , fell upon Soleure himself , ancl , as will appear in the sequel , not altogether without reason . Public feeling ran , as might bs expectedstrongly against him—partlfrom his previous unpopularity
, y , partly from a patriotic anxiety on the part of the Ithacans to shift the ! odium , of , so horrible a crime from their own shoulders upon those of a foreigner—and he was also taken into custody . The office of crown prosecutor for the island about this time became vacant , and , owing to the importance and mystery of the case , a lawyer of distinguished ability was sent from Corfu to follow out the