North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1839-08-21
EDITED BY CANADIANS & AMERICANS

tious abode.
At the moment ! am writing these lines
(2sth March, 1882 | am still confined il
the new Jail, and God alone knows 70
what length of time. II is with gtea
%harshness that Mr., De ST. Ours, The sher
1T, asked US our names, had US handcutiet
before we left the old jail and shut us NJ
in the cells ofthe new one. He knew m,
well, he had been my school mate at III,
college, he bad even called on me at ms
house, and ] had exchanged this polite.
ness by calling too at his house; neverthe-
less he affected not TO be acquainted with
me, and asked for my name. This worthy
placeman was swimming with the tide.
With what pleasure would be have con
Quoted one of his counirymen to the scat
fold for the sake Of pleasing his masters!
tor | know not a more dreadful pest to So
ciety than an unworthy creature that has
been elevated to some high Office. He is
TO be dreaded if he has a tyrant for
master. In proportion to his desire 10 hide
his want OF talents, does he manifest his
servility and baseness, and through lear
of displeasing his wicked employer, he
generally surpasses him in acts Of barbara
".
Never has Roch De St Ours uttered a
word of sympathy in our favor, At first
he visited US every day, but it was ordinar-
ilv with his hat on his head and without
saving a word to US. However, sometime
after our incarceration, American sympa-
thy spread terrible alarm among the loyal
gentry. 1t was a common rumor at Mon
treal that the Canadian refugees were
coming back to this country and that this
city would be besieged +; it was also repor-
ted that their army was very formidable IN
numbers and in materials Of war. No
doubt that Mr.. De ST. Ours was a devoted
servant of his masters, but he wished also
TO be a prudent man. He %bethonght all
at once of the vicissitudes Of fortune and
thought that.one day or another a state
prisoner might perchance become the
sheriff or the %lailer. and that the present
sheriff mightin his turn become astate prls-
oner. Some Of my fellow prisoners be-
ing astonished at the sudden change they
had observed in the sheriff's conduct, ]
answered them that this extraordinary po-
likeness of his had been blown into him by
a breeze that came from the other side Of
latitude as. Since that moment he has
been polite or impolite, harsh or humane
according as the rumors were warllke or
of a peaceful character. He was a regular
political barometer, a living newspaper,
from which we could guess at the news
from the states /; an exact telegraph, from
the appearance Of which we could learn
what we had to expect or TO fear. Such
an instrument was very precious for US
poor unfortunate prisoners, to whom IT
was not allowed to see any friend, and 10
whom was i~nterdicted the very sight OF a
printed paper.
Although Martial law had been declared
at the beginning OF December, yet the
civil Courts were not suspended; and even
at the Criminal Court OF the month Of
March, nearly the whole charge OF the
Chief Justice to the Jury was against the
crime of high treason on which His Honor
told them they were 10 be called upon to
give their verdicts. However no political
trial has as yet taken place; the only thing
The Judges have decided on, was, that the
prisoners could be admitted 10
bail. The Sheriff was Immediately sum-
noned to set at liberty certain gentlemen
who offered 10 give bail, but he answered
hat he had nothing 10 do With these gen.
and that they were under the Gus
.ody ofihe military. He undoubtedly had
.eceived orders from bis master, in fact he
confessed it 10 some Of Us. Since that
lime we seldom saw the poor creature.
AsIhave been shut up in this jail for
- ~. -, md narhaua NAV efd, n !