The native American., 1838-11-17
THE BAMBER CASE AGAIN.

We have received a communication signed Saars
field, containing strong appeal to the Irish in this cry
" 10 meet at Conby's Thursday evening at O'Clock
NJ Tor the purpose Of considering me case OF nose
unfortunate men; and if possible devlsing some means
by which they may escape the horrible fate that awaits
them if the order OF the Governor to deliver them to the
British agents be carried into effect The meeting Is
right and proper, certainly. III Is perfectly natural 'ha
the Irish elngrants should feel the most lively interest
in the question and therefore they should take the lead
in any appeal the public for sympathy rrdress
Hare these cmnnliHed any cr7mp here? Hare heyI
been inflicted o, convicied for any offence herc2 No snch
charge is aIeged*t He (the Governo) has before
him an Irish indictment for murder committed in Ire
land and affidavit OF some English policemen that
these the charged in the Indictment" --Aew
Era 22d Feb. 1888.
Poari's was burglary and robbery Persons guilty
of those offences usually given up BY the comfy of
nations" DR. McNevens letter 10 the Recorder pub
lishpd in the Evening Star of the 3lst Oct. 1888.
We cannot forbear commenting ON these ex-
tracts, which we have made from the Evening
Star of the 3lst ult. We are especially impelled
to it by some remarks we have casually heard
upon article in the last number on the sub bject
of the Bambers' case. These extracts relate to
that case. DR.. McNeven, whose public and
private character we esteem, has placed himself in
a most unpleasant position as an American cit-
zen, by the prominent part he took in that affair,
and the strange grounds on which he attempted
to justify himself.
The good Doctor in his vivid hostility to the
British Government, seems to have lost sight Of
the fact that an Irish Jury hal .found an Irish
bill Of indictment, for a murder committed by
Lrishmen IN Ireland, and acho had escaped to,
and acre identified in this country. There Uas
no doubt about the identity Of the indiriduals
charged. He does not intimate doubt himself.
We do not mean to be understood as charging
these men with the murder On the contrary,
we have great doubts whether they were not en-
trey justlable in what they did. But we can
not but express surprise that the Doctor should
think murder a less henous offence than that Of
burglary and robbery. Observe-there was no
conviction in Polars case-there was charge
ment, for they have no such proceeding in Hol-
land. 1t was a crime, however, punishable with
death, and in it's consequences to the accused, OF
equal moment with that of which the Bambers
were accused Where then was the vigilance and
ceaseless anxiety Of the 8 adopted cifi,ens' OF
this country? Why slept the press! Where were
the thunders of that uor popui which rolled
throughout the land in the case Of the Bambers?
Polars was an offence for which, by the comfy
of nations, a person accused would be surrendered.
1t was burglary and robbery. The Bambers' was
All offence which the comfy of nations had not
provided fort was only case of murder. We
know of no parallel to this, but the verdict Of the
Jury in Stewards case, which pronounced PAR
R1c1DE to BE- murder in the second degree!
| But we will do the Doctor no injustice design
edly. He maintains it was no murder--if any
thing, he makes it out a political offence, short
of treason, but an excusable resistance against po
tical oppression, resulting in justifiabe hom-
eide; and he draws the distinction between COM
mon offences against the peace and good order of
society, and those originating in political causes.
We are no casuists. We know but little of the
condition Of the kingdom Of Ireland. We know
less Of the condition of her courts. But when a
Grand Jury prefers bill ofindictment, we strong
ly suspect that something wrong has been done,
,chich ought to be Investigated; and where ha,
indictment charges murder, we incline to think
it ought to operate strongly upon other go
vernmens, as charge for burglary, robbery, lar
ccny. swindling or cheating, Or any other grare
offence.
We have quoted this passage for another rea-
son. In our last paper we stated that threats were
used; that the countrymen Of the accused were
called upon to rescue them, if they should not be
discharged by the Recorder. This has been de-
MED. We now show by the admission of their
advocate, that persons accused of minor offences
may be surrendered, ''are usually given up by the
comfy of nations And we show by the ex-
tract from the New Era, that meeting was called
to devise means by which 'they might escape il
the order of the Governor to deliver them up
should be carried into eflect.'' At that very time
these men were in custody, and application had
been made to the Recorder for habeas corpus,
which was then pending, and was not finally deci-
ded upon till the 18th of March, We call upon
our fellow-citizens to ponder these things-o OBJ
serve the ground taken in this case. "Hare they
committed m1y crime here? Haze they been IN,
dicted or conuicted Of any offence here9" No,