The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-08-06

Il
her practice: she always told him tina,
whether or not she could tell fortunes she
did not know but if people would have
il she could, and would fock TO he,
house for thepurposc, she could not af.
lord to lose her time for nothing, and
thought s5 cents but reasonable COM
pensation she had, however, adopted
one invariablc rule never to take money
from either children or old fools.
The defendant offered no testimony.
Mr.. Vin,on, for the Prosecution, adj
dressed the Jury.
He urged that the present was an Of
fence clearly within the letter of the sta.
'ute, and 'he intention of the legislature.
All wise governments (said he) in every
age OF the world, have made provision
| against offences OF this nature. Con, in
his Providence. for his own wise pur.
poses, and the peace Of society, has SO or
dalned that the page Of fu,urity should
be totally hid from our view indeed,
the knowledge of it would not only tend
to make deadly breach upon the har-
mony OF society, but hasten the work of
our obstruction. The days of inspiration
have gone by. To teach man his true
nature and estate, to bring about the great
purposes OF Heaven, and to publish The
glad tidings OF a happy restoration to lost
man, the Almighty saw fit to communi>
cate portion Of his will to the prophets
and secrs of old, but those ends are now
! accomplished, and we live under more
practical dispcnsation which addresses
itself 10 the heart and the life. The eol-
den rule Is left for our comfort and mo-
milton; our laws are all made in tur,he-
rance OF that divine precept Can
IT be pretended, gentlemen, that
this woman was OF is divinely inspired :
is not even the superstition itself hor-
ribly inpiouss Is she not then basely
usurping an attribute that belongs to God
alone! And that Oet il not be namely
through the false and sorry devices Of
shutting Of cards, and inspecting the
palm OF the hand. Are you prepared
gentlemen, to say, that these pretences
are not false ? What then is the simple
scope Of your consideration Has she
no, obtained money from the witness
Badgley, by these means and pretences,
and are they not false? If the defendant
knew at the time that she was not en-
dowed with the power of foretelliDe fu.
ture events, was it no, fraud practised
upon the witness to obtain his money |?
y as it not with intent to cheat and de
fraud him in the very words of the sta.
tute Again, gentlem en-, the wisdom Of
applying this statute to such cases is ap.
parent from the one before you. Have
| not the doings of this woman tended to
stir up strife in the country, AVID to sci
peaceful neighbors at odds and quarrels
with each other! Mr.. Vin,on concluded
by observing he had no doubt but the
jury from the evidence before them
would have no hesitation in finding the
defendant guilty.
MIR. Douglas, for the defendant, could
not forbear complimen,ing his young
| friend for The clear and correct views he
had taken OF the dispensations of Provi.
dence as applied to the general state and
condition of man, they afforded an ex.
ample testimonial not only Of the artor Of
his thought anc sound structure Of his
mind, but also Of the purity of his prin.
tiples. But, gentlemen, said Mr.. Doug
las, cannot agree with him either in the
cxpediency OF his appeal or the fitness Of
its application. Those sublime truths
are too awful for the present occasion,
and we're designed for a more noble and
glorious purpose than the aid of a prose.
cution so contemplate and unsupported
as the present. There is something
grand in our appeals to heaven, when the
| subject calls for them and that orator