The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-07-16 00:00:00, page 2

[ swarms
Prom Spun; i turn. Iron. Spain that
V,'ithSupi:r.sTiTiON’.-j ghastly forms,—
Rude forms which, in Religion’s name,
Idolatrv alone could frame: [rit' ?—
These eyes, that weep, have scut those
Sad proofs of Ki: tsos’s maniac flights—
Rites forged in hell, by Fraud design'd
And riveted upon the mind !
From Spain I turn. Oblivion's queen
Shall throw her shadow o’er the scute ;
Nor shall Remembrance fill this brain
"With those fantastic groups again.
Front Spain 1 go : but, tangent-wise,
Thy friend front southern Europe flies.
To Ocean’s mistress, Britain’s Isle,
W ell pleased to linger there awhile.
O ! might I linger out my days
IVhere oft nty Fancy loves to gaze !
iVhcrc dwell remote, so clear to me,
icndski/t, and Law , and Liberty!
At least Delusion, which so oft
Has made nty tcar-soak’cl pillow soft,
Robb’d me of many a wakeful hour,
And deck’d my dreams with many a
flow’r—
'Flow’rs front fair F ANCY’sbowcrvcull’d
Sweeter than Reason ever pull’d 1)
Yes / dear Delusion still shall cheat,
And beckon me to Goswell street,
And with nty valued friends renew
The festive joys at number two.
[ To be continued.]
THE JUNKET
By Iiichard Kummager, Esq.
No. IX
ct laurels, drenched in pure Parnafl'an dew?,
lcward his numoiy, dear to every mufe,
Who, with a courage ot ui fli ken n ot,
’n Honour’* field advancing hi fit in loot,
. 'lant- it upon the lit.e that JuJlUe draws,
„ .And will picvai!, or perifti in htr canfe.
Cow PER
A practice has for some time prevail
. ad in tnis country, of discussing in tlu
newspapers the guilt or innocence of a i
- person charged v ith a crime, n hile a
prosecution is pending. 'This practice,
vhich is directly subversive of tlu first
principles of justice, ought to he exe
cuted by every good man. The mis
chiefs it may produce are almost intal
-'ulahlc, and are pom ra ved by the hand
•of a master in the subjoined article.
it may be necessary to remaik, that it
'is the exordium of a speech delivered
by Samuel Dexter, E ,<j. in defence of
Thomas O. Selfridg., who was tried for
manslaughter, and acquitted, at Boston,
in December last.—It may also b; nc
cessnrvto explain in what manner party
politics had any connection with this
transaction.
On the 4th of July, 1800, a large party
of Republicans dined at a tavern in Bos
ton. A dispute arose about the bill, and
the tavern-keeper employed Selfridge,
who was a Lawyer, and a Federalist, to
bring a suit against the Committee. A
Mr. Austin, who was one of the Com
mittee, was somehow led to charge Sel
fridge with having persuaded the ta
vern-keeper to sue them. This charge
readied Selfridge, who demanded some
explanation from Austin. Austin e
vaded giving such an explanation as
would satisfy Selfridge. Seliriuge post
ed him iu the newspapers, as a coward
and a liar. The next day a son of Aus
tin’s met SeliVidge in the street, and at
tacked him with a cane. Selfridge had
a pistol in his pocket, which he drew,
and shot Austin as he was striking ei
ther the first or second blow. Austin
died of the v. ound in a f< w minutes, and
Selfridge was committed to prison for
trial. This is a brief sketch ol the prin
cipal circumstances of the transaction,
and I presume the remarks of Mr. Dex
ter will be sufficiently intelligible with
out further introduction* t
“ It is my duty to submit to your
consideration some observations in the
close of the defence of this important
and interesting cause. In doing it, tho’
1 feel perfectly satisfied that \ on are
men of pure minds, yet I r* fleet with
anxiety, that no exertion or zeal on the
parted the defendant’s counsel can pos
sibly i nsttre justice, unless you likewise
pirform your duty. Do not suppose
that I mean to suggest the least suspi
cion with respect to your principles or
motives. 1 know you have been select
ed in a manner most likely to obtain
impartial justice; and doubtless \ou
have honestly resolved, and endeavour
ed to lay aside all opinions v.inch \ou
may have entertained before this tri il.
Hut the diffu ulty of doing this is p r
haps not fully cstimat cl; a man deceive s
himsell o'i net than he misleads others;
and he does injustice from his c rrers;
when his principles are ail on the side
of rectitude. To exhort him to over
come Ms prejudices, is like telling a
blind man to see. He may be di posed
to overcome them, and vet be unable,
because they are unknown to himself.
When prejudice is once known, it is m
longer prejudice; il becomes corruption
but -o lung as it is not known the pos
r>cssor cherishes it without guilt; he fee?s
indignation for vice, and pays homage
to virtue ; and yet he does injustice. It
is the apprehension that you may thu*.
mistake—that you may call your preju
dices principles, and believe them such,
and that their effects may appear to you
the fruits of virtue, which leads us so
anxiously to repeat the request that you
would i xamine your hearts, and ascer
tain that you do not come here with
partial minds. In ordinary cases there
is no reason for this precaution. Jurors
are so appointed by the institutions of
our country, as to place them out of ‘be
reach ot improper influence on common
occasions ; at least as much as frail hu
manity will permit.
“ But when a cause has been a long
time the subject oi party discussion—
when t very man amongst us belongs to
one party or the other, or at least is so
consult red—when presses throughout
the country have teemed with publica
tions, iraught with appeals to the pas
sions, and bitter invective against the
defendant;—when on one side every
thing has been done, that party rag<;
could do, to prejudice this cause ; and
on the other, little has been said in vin
j mention oi tne supposed offender; tho
on one occasion I admit tliat too much
has been said ; when silence has been
opposed to clamour, and patient waiting
to systematic labour to prevent justice j
—Wiien the friends of the accused, re
strained by respect for the laws, have
ktp* silence, because it was the exclu
sive right of a Court of Justice to speak;
"’hen no voice has been heard from the
walls ol the defendant's prison, but are
quest that he may not be condemned
without a trial ;—the necessary conse
quence must be, that opinion will pro
grrs , one wav,—that the stream of in
cessant exertion will wear a channel in
the public mind, and the current mav be
strong enough to carry away those who
may be jurors, though they know not
how,or when, they r,.c< iv d the impulse
that hurries them f nvard.
“ 1 am laminate enough not to know,
with respect to most of \ou, to what po
'iticjtl p.’rtv you b- long. Are you Re
publican 1 e»i-ralists ? I a* k you to for
fet it ; leave all your political opinions
( b< hind von , lor it would be more mis
i c ii votis,that you should acquit the cle
I h ndar.t frun these, than that an inno
j c< nt in'n should, by mistake, be con*
v’cti b In tli latter case, his would be
the misfortune* and to him would it be