The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1841-10-01
Ono Hundred aud Twelve NPn tried ut the
G.ic Gommiy Gomrt Tor l.mrdcT.
UREGON YIN, UGLE Co.. MS. I
September 20, ISL


Editors cfikc Free TrGder.
Srus-Thc September Term of the Og'e Cir
cui, Court has jus, closed and its session has been
marked 10y trial, which in the number Of the
accused tried in one Indictment, lo- the crime of
murder is, / think, without parallel. Oue hum
drcd and twelve men were indicted for the muir
der of John Driskall and William Driska'L in June
last, near Washington Grove in this couuty.
About one hundred plead not gritty, and were
put upon their trial. The prosecution was con-
Quoted by Seth b. Farwell, Esl, States Attor-
noy. The accused were defended by \. r. Dodge,
Esd Of Ottawa; John d. Cation, Esq. of Plain
field; O. Peters Esq of PEORIA and John, c.
Champlin. Esq, of Ottawa. Judge Ford, what
ever might have been his feelings (hc accused
were his ncighbors, Judge +. living in Ogle coun-
ty) exhibited upon the bench stern determine
ton that the accused should be fully and fairly
tried. However. the very fact of the great coafu-
sion occasioned by SO many names in the ndIct-
mcnt, left the accused without any evidence to
contend against. The two or three first witness
''' N"'Sc "'l'cS "''' ''''''S'" upon ''' i''"'''-
mcnt, land by the laws of this State none, except
those whose names are 50 endorsed can DC called
to prove the substantive part Of the accusation)
only knew some of the preparatory steps taken,
which led to the supposed offence lheir cN-
dence did not Impl'catc the accused and all the
rest OF the witnesses, whose names were so en-
dorsed, were found upon close examhauon'to be
a part OF the accused themselves, and o! course
could not testify Admitting Iof the sake oil ar
gumcnt, what you cannot get any respectable man
here to conccdc, that the act Tor which the ndict-
stlI not easy to say thst there Is any one bl-me-
worthy Tor this accident Not tie Hrand Jurors,
because It might not occur to them, II they knew
the names OF the accused and the Witnesses to be
their testimony; and BECAUSE IN such multi
pIicIiy oil Names 1t was not probable they should
observe the Idcntity-not the state s Attorney,
because 1t was a matter with which ne had moth
ing TO no. ana Tor the last reason assigned would
be still less likely to observe It thar the Grand
Jury, and could not remedy 1t II he hal observed
It,
That the Dnskal's were shot, nobody doubts.
nat any OF the accused had hand IN IT, may or
may not be the TACT. Conccdin5 that they had,
every man here, who IS not suspected OF being IN
collision with the Dr'skaii gang Jusl'lcS IT. As,
however IN 'his position 'hey challenge the good
opinions OF the world, 1t may not be amIss to cx-
anime the grounds Of IT,
lac reasoning which SuPpor'si H. proceeds upon
the presumed existence OF the following facts,
which, thInN' VIII not be disputed; That the
DushaIls were part oil an mSad Sed gdng,embra-
eng large number OF persons IN the county OF
Og'o ana inc ADJOINING countess VINO carried on
SJ@femaii-ed scheme OF operations against the
lives ana property oil the inhabitants. ma! mar.
ders' roooeHes, ana Ia!cenles had been carried on
by them, Tor number OF years; and' that owing
to the extent and perfection OF their combinations,
1t had become impossible to convict, BY the oTdI-
nary process oi law required members OF Their
gang swearing 70 aIo!s' OF sucA deienccS as were
'uop'cu 10 'ne occasion hai' Ior a Tong nne' de-
"co ana dictated the course OF Ju9'ic'' IhaI
le" days previous to the execution OF the Dus-
Nalis' a Mr' Iampbe! a c'lIhcn oil the highest re-
'PecnhiIIty, had been wantonIy shot II his own
yard io' his presumed eEcrllon5 against this gang,
ana that there was sufficient evidence to leave no
reasonable doubt that the DHsNaiIS planned and
melted, and probably perpetracd his murder,
Further that the DrsNaIIs were the chief and
most dangerous OF the gang. They were shot al
ter an examination which satisfied several hun
drcd of the most respectable citizens Of Oglc and
the adjoining countess of the truth of the lorego-
ING facts.
Whatever these proceedings wcre--whciher
they may, or may not be justified, they were not
those of a mob. Mob law generally Is, and al
ways ought to he exccutcd. Passion, phrcnzy,
revenge, are the impulses that excite t-ycngc-
ance, not rctrbuuon-to destroy, not to protect, is
It's object. Nobody will pretend that these cha
ractcristics apply to this transaction. The facts