The trial of Haywood for the murder of Governor Steunberg ended last week in his acquittal by the jury that tried his case. This case has attracted world-wide attention, and as is usual in such cases, some are saying that they think the decision was right, and others are saying that they think it was wrong. Judge Wood, who presided in the case, gave such instruction to the jury that it was stated in the papers in advance of the verdict that it was plain what his conviction was. Whatever the exact truth in the case is, it is not in the province of this paper to express a conviction, even if we had one. The jury did not feel justified in rendering a verdict of guilty because the main testimony for conviction was given by Orchard, who confessed to such an unspeakable list of crimes that they thought it would be easy for him to add another to the list by trying to get Haywood condemned to death.
But since so much has been said on both sides of the case, it shows a state of feeling in society that is decidedly ominous. The strong utterances both for and against Haywood show the revolutionary spirit that is in the very air. And when that revolution breaks out, it will not be like any of the revolutions in the past from which we could hope for better things after the storm was over; the social upheaval that is before the world now will be such a display of disorganized violence that nothing short of the power of the Son of Man in His coming can stop it. This is the clear forecast of the prophecy, and we see the events that are so rapidly shaping themselves in that direction.