Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1810-11-26
@tserilanp.
INTERESTING NARRATIVE.

/
| A living Judge, who not many years since
travelled the north west circuit in Ireland.
| came to the trial Of cause, in which much
! OF the local consequences OF certain derDa-
| gogues in the neighborhood kwere concern
4 ed 1t Was the case Oh landlords prOsecu-
ton against poor man, his tenant, for as
| sauit and battery, committed on he person
| OF The prosecutor. BY the defendant, IA the
defence Ufhis only Child an innocent and
beautiful girl, from ravishmens. Not oais
! the Bench bot IL. Be-, dI<d ~iiIv
the prosecutors father The day Dsixre rhs
trtal, snd some OF them praise the se1ison
| and claret 10 this day. Next day The poor
man was brought into Court and pu, to lie
Bar The prosecutor appeared, and swore
rscst IDanfully to every little in the indict.
! nent. He was gross examined by the Iu-
| rors who were honest tradesmen and repu-
table Farmers. The poor man had 10 Law !.
yer TO tell his story lie pleaded his own
| cause-and he pleaded not TO the fancy, but
to the judgment and the heart. The Jury
found him not guilty The Court was ezra
ged but the surrounding spectators clad.
dened 10 exullation, uttered shout Z. sp.
plausc. The Judge told the Jury they must
20 back TO their Jury room, and re- consider
the matter adding, he was astonished
they could presume 10 return SO infamous
verdict The Jury bowed, went back AID
| in quarter Of an hour returned, when the
Foreman, venerable old man, thus address
sed the Bench:
My Lord, in compliance with your de-
sire, we went back to our Jury room; but
| as We found then no. reason to alter our o.
pinicns or our verdict, we return it to you in
the same words as before not guilty. We
heard your bordship's extraordinary Ian.
| guage Of reproof-but we do not accept it as
properly or warrantably to apply to US 1t
is true my Lord that we ourselves, indiyid.
uaiiy considered, in our private capacities,
may be- poor insignificant men--therefore
! we claim nothing in that light, without side
THIS Box above the common regards of our
humble, but honest stations but my Lord,
| assembled here as Jury, we cannot be In
sensible to the great and constitutional inn
rortance Of tho department we now fill ;
| we feel that we are appointed a. you are
by tho law and the cpnsttutiUn-not only
as an impartial tribunal to Judge between
the King and his suhjects--ths offended
and the ottender--hnt that by the favour oi
that constitution, we act In situation Of i
still greater confidence for We form as l
Jury, The barrier OF the people against the
possible influence, prejudice, passion, OF
corruption OF the bench.
"To you, my Lord, meeting you within
these walls, I, for nv own part might pos
sibly measure my respect by your private
virtues--in this place your private chsrsc
ter Is invisible; for il IS in my eyes veileu
by your official one, and it is to open cor
duct, aud in that only we can look.
"This Jury, my Lord, does not in TIL:
business presume to ofler that bench the
least disrespect, much less insult We pa,
it the respect one tribunal should paw L
another, fer the common honour Of both
This Jury, my Lord, did not arraign thai
bench with partially, prejudice, iDfanou.
decision, nor yet with influence, Passion
corruption, oppression, or tyranny no, we
BOXED to 1t as rlercy-seat OF Royalty--a.
the sanctuary q truth and Justice s,iIl m,
Losd we Cannot blot from our minds The
records Of our school books, nor erase TIE
early inscriptions written ON The FIRST pages
OF our lnteliects ard memories. Hence we
must be Mindful! that the monarchs and
Judges are but fallibIe moitais, that tyrants
have sat on throne 5, and ina, The nero, -se a
OF Royalty, and the sanctuary of justice have
been polluted by I'ressililan, a Scrsggs
and q ]etieries.
Here a fyoqon tJoan he Ieaeh
SHAY my Lord, am poor man, bat
am free-borD subject Ut The kingdom 81
lreland-a member of the constitution
nay, am now higher, for am represen
tatiye thereof. Therefore DO claim for rnl.
self and fellow jurors, the liberty Of speech
and If am refused il here, shah assume
il before the people, At the door of hi.
Courthouse, and tell them Why I deliver
my mlnd there instead OF this place.
HIRE Tie 6erch re -assunstd corn plareney.l
! Isty, my Lord, we have nothing 70 Ok
wdii your private ch-ractef-Wc knqw sol
here only in that Of Judge; and as such VS.
- ,uld respect ycu-you know nothing Dt u.
as a Jury--and in Inst we shah look K
ss.u for reciprocal rcrlect because We
know Of no man, howsleI high his title OF
his rank, ia whom ire l.-Sv Or constructor
( would warrant tl.a presumption of uDpro
vckcd insult tow1d s that srIbgnai in whoH
they have vested the dearest AID most val
liable privileges they possess. | befvle said
nv Lord, lh-t we are here met not indI,id
uaiiy, nor do we assume pre-emmence but
in tie sacred character of a jury. we woul.
be waiting III reverence 10 the cons.ItutioI
itseh, if We did not hook for the respect b
every maa who regards il. We sH here
my Lord sworn To give verdict according
10 our Sonscienccs, and the best OF OH
opinions OF the evidence before U.s. We haye
1T our minds acquitted cur duty As hones
men. Ii we have erred, We are snswera
bic, not 10 your LorcShlP, nor that bench
nor 20 the King VITO placed you there, bnl
to an higher power, tae Aias Vi KlIgs, AID
L.cru Ut Lo.ds-"
The bench was dumb, Ill bar WIS silent
but sstDnishmcnt ma. - I'd throughout tbs
crowd and tAr pos niau w.. d.slB..rgss