Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-04-24

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TO nc following enect The presence before nc Jory
was charged with offence which was at least in s
cd IL e more necessary that he should give statement
as to The nature of the evidence which he should NO
duce and further, because many runlors wide of the
rum 1t" usually happened in such cases had zone
abroad me prisoner charged with an assault with
intent 10 XII ana murder; and the object of that assault
was the Chei Magistrate of the country There uero
TWO counts IN the indictment. One charging the as
sauit with intent TO kill DC. the other oi7nr n,ro
particularly tile manner, nstrumenls &c II was an Of
renee; winch was by our laws mere M stcmeanor and
p ;cI ny me ana imprisonment. The station or
olhce, OF the object of this crime was TO bc Loft cnt}r
ot @, tie question, and 1T to be considered in the
Sig 'gnl DIS iough committed the humble in
uiVlduai IN the country. The trainers Of orr C,ons
on mad not thought necessary to surround The Cliff
dgistfhts with any additional protection than tbnsn
laws, winch were deemed sufficient for the citizen d
ing inc most obscure station. The love of order aud f
Juscc had heretofore been found, and he hoped would
continue to be found, sufficient for this nurp6sc The
were not to look on the extraordinary and Providenai
dehvery OF the President from the danger of the prso
ncr act; but free from any anxiety 10 iudoe Of the
case according to The evidence which would be offered
II would be found, that, public occasion the Pro
sident and Heads of the Departments were retiring from
'hc nan OF representatives. from the funeral ccremo-
mes winch had taken place in consequence Of tho dend
OF one of The members of the House OF cour.e tbeo
was large concourse of persons prrsrnt &c.,,
hem was the prisoner, armed with pistols perfectly
wen loaded who planted himself in situation ,e Lcst
adapted for The accomplishment of the object ne had in
view. lie placed himself at the entrance of n door
through which he knew the President must passb,vin
The pistols concealed under his coat The nercussioS
cap FNpGded put did not unicatc with the powder
III tie uOe ne immediately dropt that pistol haynC
oeen sezcd by several individuals hut moi so az IN c
vent INN from directing second pistol al The President
winch he snapped, with like success The friends ~
the President, with iobcaruncc hghlv commrndabIc
placed no further constraint on him used mo a.,
her violence Than 20 give him into the hands of the Of
n. d hp AVN afs.
fore The Chiei Justice could have acted win
more camncss or intelligence. He was now before tba
no'oi"uIe Conrl Tor tFal The sole defence which can.
oe SET uPi ana winch 1t - to be presumed will be set nm
49, that the prisoner is Of unsOtind mind and tercI1
incapable Of being acluated by malicious motive
The ground Of defence will no doubt be that NJ In,
cy That nc IS dcraugcd And in asccriainipg tho trt
Of tins, les the only difficulty but il will bc conccdcd
'ha inns ~ ground Oh defence liable be rebnted by
evidence To the contrary La making this statement IL
was not his wish TO influence the minds of the iury II
might turn out that the prisoner was insane and he Or
~ believed the community in general would be- clad TO
eI tlg such an excuse existed; bat, at the same time
was due to the interests and safety Of society tbai II
should be shown BY clear evidence that Inc was not
Ieasonabic being and therefore dispunshahc II
was Tor this reason necessary, that he ,hould sfate
what the law was, to the nature Of he evidence NO
cessary TO prove such irresponsible state and he
should 90 50 by referring TO grave adiudicsions on This
subjects There various states Of nsapity Tls,c
were many who were totaHy insane: whose r,aor wac
altogether gone either by Of some accident Or
nom some inherent Incapacity. Sgch persons should
OF course, be confined To- Keep them from dou
IN MS case tlc person IS totally nsane no ray Of men
tai Hg ihuHinlng ms BRAIN he is ut all times and on
aIi SUBJECT No one, however, would contcud for n
moment, That the prisoner belonged to this class lie
(Nr ) admitted there were states OF madness ,vbicb
fell ar short Of this Of partial insanity m which
The individual was 90 times perfectly sane; had what IL
tetmcdf his lucid intervals The inquiry then arises
whether the person was IN state ofinaanfy or whether
1t WIS during lucid interval that he committed tbe
crime IL The prisoner is 10 be considered as BELONGING
TO s second class then tlc question would be- m VIM
state Of mind was the prisoner when be- committed the
assault
~ in the state Of lanacy, then hc was disOunishalle
but done during lucid interval tbpn he was not fo be-
excused aud must be punished nasnuch as ia is a act
done ny man IN possession Of lis reason fhe dis.
tmcilon was clear But This not all There was an
infinite variety Of feelings bound up in the form of Ira
cy there was another description Of partial deranvc
ment There was state Of unacy IN which The person
affected was only insane as 10 patcuar subject be-
ing as capable Of reasoning an others as any other
person. and these were lhc Of the greatest difficult
" 10 It appears that man 10 a nnafc, and further
that lac IS partially 50 only If tsppoars he Is only so as