Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-06-17
To the Editor of the Gazette.

| Tic EllIoI vi tiC odLt w .
MIR. SNOWDEN: Certain magistrates
lN9 of the county of Prince William, tor
the purpose of giving themselves wider
| fame for upwrighlness in decision, ana
purity in the discharge OF their Judicial
| functions, having through the medium "f
your paper caused record to be publish
ed. OF rule under which they were laid
calling upon them TO shew cause why m
formations should not be filed against
them for oppression III the administration
of Justice and having likewise published
the opinion OF the court, without Tire e'i-
dencr upon which that opinion was found
| edit seems TO me every way proper,
that | should lay before the community the
motives and the evidence which induced
the public enquiry into The conduct OF the
aforesaid justices. :.
! An author of great distinction and abr
| lity mas said, that" opinion is the queen
! ofthe worId.'' The character OF indivl-
duals in the exercise OF public authority is
interesting to the community ':li every
! citizen ought to feel the highest solicitude
| IN st.nd fair before tribunal IN a nations
| of great power and importance but a.
mong this people perfectly omnlpotent as
well as indubilably sovereign. IL, there,
fore, they are not salistied with an acqu'tal
by his honor, the ju'ige OF iiIe superior
court for the county OF Prince Wi!i'an, out
| mink it necessary for the establishment oi
their good conduct in relation t. he llnpar'
tial administrator 81 justice, 10 make IN ap'
real TO the ,iorn;er resort OF American III
igants. puJiic opiniOn;it will be Conceded
| think, that there car be nothing lfhPfo-
uer in NV attempting to demonstrate 10
| the public, that the evidence upon which
the prosecution aipresaiI va" instituted,
was no, such as should not " create the
least doubt" of the oppressive conGuct OF
the accused. fancy, il will not he de-
J MED either, that the publication OF me
;ucg.s opinion sui Jccts It to every species
! of fair and candid criticism. fertnit me
then. gentlemen, to give you Tie evidence
&c | understood it--..nd this Tor lie pur-
pose, not of showing that the conclusions
TO which the m nd OF the judge OF Inc :u'
perior court arrived, do not COMFORT WIN
| truth nor for the purpose OF hXIng upon
the justices aforesaid, The crime OF leiony ];
I but that it may appt ar to The puo'ic \'or
whose opinion have The highest 'eheia.
ton, as every good citizen ought to navel
| that the prosecution was not cause'essiy
SET IN foot and that 1t is very possible lof
| different persons TO come to oihefei' Iesui''
unon an examination OF the same tcstlho-
nv oreyen Ior nations t" change their o.
n;n;on with regard 10 the guilt or mo
cepce of The same action and The same
man.
If this were not so, could We believe
that the same community who drove u
cero from Rome with disgrace ana
;onominy could recall him with honor and
serve him with fidelity OF, that the same
;udyes who condemned Socrates to death,
would unite IN decreeIng the hiShesl no
uors TO his memory. Tie county courl
of Prince William al its June SESSION, IN
1918. tried cause instituted by Cornth,
us X inch loe against Jesse Scott, tor what
may be TENED breach OF trust I'D the SET
Element OF some long standing accounts
the ple as wert the general issue and sta
tute of limitations. The jury after short
retirement, returned in o court and deliver
ed their verdict IN the following words !:
1--WE, OF the Jury, find for ihe PlaIntih
and ass, SIS his damages 10 ~ dolls. II CTS.
with interest from the go! Feb. 100 2, toll
Maid. (Signed) A. c. Hayes J he coun'
ell for the plaintiff knowing the intormall-
,v of the verdict thus delivered; hrst be-
cause the issues were not found, and he
cause the whole sum should have been gi-
ven in damages, requested of iheJuIy per-
mission to alter the torn of their verdict,
which was Immediately granted, as IS the
nr,ct;ce 60 far as | know any thing about
i universally and the verdict made TO
read in the following words )" we: OF Inc
Jury. find the issues for the pIain'if' ana
asses his damages to the sum OF ~ dolls.
and 70 cents thus verdict was read 10
the iurv while they were all III The nox.
and delivered to the foreman, By whom u
was nut into the hands OF the clerk An
iutereniation of the first veTdic' was at
te .npled at first, but was found 10 De
impra cticabe from the closeness WIN
which It was written The whole was
Immediately struck out. ana the last , xgi.
dict written directly under the other. Inc
county court without any inquiry al all a.
bout what the jury had done. or waiting
for such inquiry, discharged the jury ; and
although the first verdict with The consent
and direction OF the jury. was entirely OBJ
liberated. ordered il To be recorded, ana
ponsuit to De entered.