Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-06-30
.sr1saasoteD S2a WsO-
TUESDAY MORNING. JUNE 40. 1922.


| DR.. Wottins.-The case of this unfortunate in
dvldsai is assuming moro interesting aspect from
tue obvious and eager anxiety of the government to
convict hun, and from the extraordinary, unprcce-
dented, and dangerous steps, taken by the ,.osccn-
tors to fhlil the wishes of the Powers nj Washipo-
ton.
Ninc bills OF indictment have been sent m TO the
''rand Jury against him, Of which five were isror-
ea oy tho Grand Jury three qua she'd for insutcicncy
ny the court, and the ninth is yet pending During
all TINS period two months, Watkins has been rio.
orouSy imprisoned, thus sustaining in advance of his
convection, all the punishment due TO guilt, bnt
what Is yet more extraordinary, md what we never
heard OF IN any other example, the Grand Jury has
been Kept impannelcd during tho whole time. fact
that plainly says, we determined TO have bill
found by the Grand Jury, that the Cour, will sus.
tam, and If this shall prove such one, we will,
semi another and another, md her. until the pa
tlcnce of the Court and Jury are exhausted and
they worried into the course we wish. If this DO
not departure from the regular course of criminal
proceeding, and nagran, inffaction OF the hui
name theory Of English criminal law, VIC arc at n
loss to conceive what is one.
Nor IS this ALL Afcr eight bills ofn,lictmon, for
the same offences, have been sncccssivev irnored
by the Grand Jury, qnashcd by the Court, the
prosecution move for Instructions to the Grand Jury
that the facts found by them amount To the crime of
forgery! We believe speak the general fealrus of
the Bar Of this City, when we express our astonsh-
mcnt ut this course!
But even this is little reprclersilc whom compar.
cd with The efforts made out of doors to prejudice
the public mind against the accused and to drauoon
The Court and Jury into finding and SUSTAINING bill
against him. No sooner had the Grand Jury ignored
the first bill, than the Telegraph announced that one
ot the Editors Of the National Inteligcnccr and
nineteen friends of the late Administration. were
members of the body thus plainly ntlmatinp. tina,
the Marshal had taken care to summon a majority NJ
the political friends of Watkins and that that
majority had sacrificed their oalhs and consccnccs
to the purpose Of acquittng him, though guilty
since that time, inccndary has written to the
Baltimore Republican from Washington to this effect
that the Court and Jury and Defendants Counsel
were IN n league to acquit Watkins at a hazards
and that to this end, the Grand Jury was to ruore
every bill which the Court would sustuin upon a
motion T" q"ash and tho Court quash every bill
which the Grand Jury would find! thus. in direct
terms imlputing the most infamous crimes to the
Judges aud to the Jury! We are amazed that these
audacious contempts and il suits have been permitted
by the Court to pass without punishment or obscr-
vaton.
We have adycrtcd to these things, for the purpose
OF claiming the readers attention to the indignant
speech Of Gen. Walter Jones, delivered on Thursday
on the motion to instruct the Grand Jury a sketch
OF which is furnished by the National Journal Of
Friday We repeat again the declaration, that We
have no desire if we had the power, to skreen Wat.
kns from the punishment hc may have deserved; but
II ought TO arouse the Indignation Of every man to
see the base means resortcd to, to convict HIM the
severity of punishment inflicted upon him while in
consideration Of law lie is yet Innocent tho darnr
and agltious attempts to rule the court and Jury by
threats and terror into his conviction; and i. n1usf
and ought to enlist every generous mans sympathy
to see the whole power Of the Government arraycd
against individual.
The Grand Jury summoned before there was amy de-
vclopnent III regard to w atkins.