Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-06-30

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rUEspAY sIoRNiNsi, sIINE 10, 1879.

TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 10, 1929.
| Dr. Pdthias.-The case of this unfortunate in
divldaal is assuming more interesting aspect from,
the opFicus and eager anxiety OF the government to
convict him. and from the extraordinary unprece-
denied, and dangerous steps, taken by the prosccu-
tors to fulfil the wishes oftic Powers at Washing
ten.
Nine bills Of Indictment have hccu sent IN 10 the
Grand Jury against him, of wkich five were ig,,or-
Gil by the Grand larry. three qua she'd for nsucicncy
10y the court, and the ninth is yet pending. During
all :hs period Of TWO months " atkins has been rig
orousiy Imprisoned, thus sustaining iii advance Of his
! CONVICTION, nj the punishment drc to guilt; but
what Is yet more extraordinary, and what we
heard of in any other example, the Grand Jury has
bnen kept inlpanneed during the whole time fact
that plainly says we determined to have bill
! found by the Grand Jury that the Court will s,ls
ian and ii this shall not prove such one we will
scn another, and another, and anot her. until the pa
tience of the Court and Jury are exhausted, and
they worried into the course we wish. r this; be
not departure from the regular course OF criminal
proceeding and most fragrant infracton OF the hu
name theory Of English criminal law, We are at a
loss to conceive what is one
Nor Is this all At;cr eight bill OF IL l;csnr,;> for
the sai'e offences, have been srccessivelv ignored
! ny the Hrand Jury, Or qliishcd by the Court, the
prosecution move for instructions 10 the Grand I,ry
that The facts innl by them amount to the crime OF
forgery We 'ieve we speak the general feelings Of
the Bar ci this City, when we express our astonisl,-
ment al this COURSE.
But cv,n this is lits'c rcprahcmsi,e when compar
cd with the efforts made out of doors to prejudice
the pubic mind against the accilseh aud to lraruon
The Court and Jury INFO finding and sustaining bill
against him. no sooner had the Grand jury IGNORED
the first hill ;han the Telegraph announced that one
Of the Editors of the National Inte,,ucpcer md
nineteen friends Of tue late Administration. were
'nenbars OF the body! thus plainly nfmatin, that
me Marshal had taken summon majority Of
'ie political friends Of Wak,s,@ and that TINT
majority bad sacrificed their oahs and corsciencos
10 the purpose OF acIuitting him, though guilty.
thst Time, some inccndlary has written the
Baltimore Republican from Washington to this effect
that the Court and Jury and Defendants Counsel
wern l." tongue TO acqnit Watkins at all hazards
and that 20 this end, the Grand Jury was to o,ore
every Oil which the Court would sustain upon n
motion to quash, and the Court 10 q,rash every bill,
which the Grand Jury would find! thus, in direct
terms niputing the most infamous crimes to the
Judges and to tiie jury we are amazed that these
audacIous contemps and insults have BEEN permitted
by the Court TO pass wtIpat punishment or obxer-
vation.
We have adrcrted to these things, for the pitrroso
of Claiming the readers attention to The Indignant,
speech Of Cen Walter Jones, delivered on Thursday
on the motion to instruct the Grand Jury, sketch
of which is furnished by the National Journal of
Friday We repeat again the dcclafatan that We
lave desire, if we had the power to skreen Wat
kins from the punishment he may have deserved but
it ought TO the Indignation Of everv man 70
see the base rcSortcd to- to convict him. the
severity OF punishment inflicted upon him, whilc in
consideration of law lie is yet Innocent tho dar;nr
and fogtious attempts TO rule the court and irrv BIZ
threats and terror into his convction aud it must
and ought 10 enlist, every generous mans sympathy
to see the w!role power Of the Government aTraycd
against one individual.
- The Grand Jury summoned before there was a.,y de-
vcicpmeJr i'll regard 10 " atkins.