Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-06-06


America, will satisfy the world ofthe purity o.
Bolivar's intentions, and refute the calumno.
of his enemies. That he should have been vii.
fed and traduced is not at all singular, since
those who have no reputation Of their own
are anxious to blur and blast the chara oters o
those, who stand pre-eminently conspicuous
among the good, the great and the virtuous
y.~~u--~-~~-
CAPTAIN JOHN B. AMEDIE.-On the Goth
ultimo. sentence Of death was pronounced o..
this misguided man, by Chief Justice Marshall
and he has been doomed to be hanged on the
29th Of July. Although we are generally un-
willing to copy things of tho kind, we will in
this particular instance, lay before our readers
tho remarks of Chief Justice Marshal, which
are made in mild and concia,ory manner,
and with an evident disposition 10 spare the
feelings Of the wrctchcd and misguided pris-
oncr; for unlike too many of the learned GEN
tlemcn Of the bench, he did not recount in a
long speech, the nature of The offenders crime,
and gid it with thousand exaggerated tints,
and false oolorings. On the contrary, he sim
ply performed the painful duty assigned him,
and recommended the culprt TO the mercy Of
his God;
"Sou have been tried for the crime Of de-
s'royiDs vessel at sea, of which You were the
! commander, for the purpose of inlurinc he un-
! derwri'ers; and, nfier as skilfd a defence as
! perhaps was ever made, have been found guilty
! 1.yu i,fp ,,,I Il
doubt having arisen RESPECTING the admissibility
oftcstimony which was received at tho trial.
that question was referred in the Supreme Court
OF the United States, where il has been argued
, and deliberately considered. The opinion of
that Court rs, that the testimony was properly
admitted; and with this direction, the case has
been remanded to this Court. Our duty re-
quires that in obedience 10 this mandate, we
pronounce the judgment of the law, on the vcr-
dict OF the Jury.-But before we perform that
duty, let us exhort you most earnestly TO avail
yourself of the short portion Of life which vet
remains, to prepare for that still more awful
Judgment which will be passed upon you by
that Being, who looks into the heart and pcne-
| trates ITS most ecret reCesses. We are assured
that, with him, true repentance will obtain par
don for the blacklist crimes His mercy trans
! cends even the sinfulncss of man, if that mercy
be sincerely implored by an humble and a con-
trlte heart. We coniure you, then, TO recon-
mend yourself 10 him.
"To this Court, nothing remains but to pro-
nounce the sentence of the law, which is, that
you, John B. Amedie, be taken 10 the pla &C
from which you were brought, and be there
closely confined until Friday, the 29th Of June
next. On that day, between the hours of nine
I IN the morning AID two in the afternoon, YOU
are to be conveyed from the place Of confine-
ment to the place Of execution, and there be
hanged by the neck until you shall be dead =
And may God have mercy on your SOUL"
This sentence we hope will not be carried
( into execution, and if there ever was a man
entitled TO the clemcncy of the Executive of
| the United States, that man is John B. Amc-
die. That he was guilty Of the crime charged
I upon him, we have not doubt, but that he
was driven to it by the ina chnations of vii
lain, we are perfectly satisfied, and therefore
we think he is entitled to the clemency Of the
! Executive.
Amedie was the master Of vessel fitted out
| from the port Of Boston, owned and frcighted
| by one Froding, German, a native Of Bre-
| men, who had spent three or four years in this
country, and was married to respectable lady
of H5ston The vessel was loaded for sea, and
! by her invoice il appeared, that she had on
| board something like one or two hundred thou
sand dollars in valuable goods; and insurance
to that amount was effected at the Offices in
Boston. But instead ofhavng such an amount
J on board of her, il appears that she was laden
with stones and rubbish, together with sufic-
| lent quantity Of property to deceive the UNDER
writer's, with which cargo she put to sea, and
on reaching some part Of the coast Of Europe,
was scuttled and sunk by Amodic, the COM
mander. Although il is admitted that Amc-
die was guilty Of the act, il is not proved that
he contemplated the commission Of it, when
he sailed from Boston, or that he knew that
Trading had loaded the vessel with rubbish,
and contemplated the commission Of fraud on
the underwriters.
We are perfectly aware, that these circum-
stances do not, in the eyes Of the law, lessen
the crime, yet If properly considered, they in
justice, detract from its enormity. Amedie
gained nothing, or comparatively nothing by
the act; and il is not believed that he would
have committed il, but for the extraordinary
wilos and address Of the villain Froding, who
has escaped punishment. We think that the