Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-11-10

We have observed, with deep regret. some
TWO or three notices of the respite given by
Gov. Chambers 70 the three Winnebago lndi'
ans convicted at the late term of the District
Court for Dubuque county, of the murder OF
reagarden, Aiwell. &c. contained lnlate num-
bers of The Miners Express, published at Du'
buoue in which the most disrespectful Ian
uaoe was used towards that officer. For Gov.
Chambers we have only that respect which Is
due 10 any incumbent Of the station he occu'
pies, and who performs his official acts with
a seeming desire TO attain the ends CT law and
Justice. To avoid charge of hostility TO-
wards the editors of that paper-knowlns that
whenever we take the slightest exception to
ANYTHING contained therein, we are liable to
false charges, and receive the grossest abuse
we have permitted them to pass in silence
but when we see the judiciary Of our country
assailed, in the person Of one Of our fellow
citizens. who has passed, unsca,hed, through
the fiery ordeal, and gained an enduring name
as friend TO law and justice, We conceive 1t
10 be our duty, as public journalist, TO take
some notice Of the matter, such language con-
corning such an officer being well calculated
10 bring the entire press of the Territory into
disrepu.e, and destroy tina. Influence which
such language ought TO have when their con-
duct is such as 10 merit condemnation. The
great crime for which Judge Williams is con-
demned, may be found 10 the first paragraph
Of the following quotation from the Express
Of the Sd inst. That paper says:
"a Writ of Error has been granted in the
case of the convicted Indians, by Judge Will
liams, which will suspend all further proceed
ings until the decision Of the Supreme Court,
in January, upon the legal points involved.
1--WE regret the course Of Judge Williams
in this matter it is not only unusual but alto
ge,her uncaled for, and will ado largely to the
already immense expense to this county OF the
trial and custody Of these criminals. The eX-
ceplons we are told are too trivial for mo-
menl's consideration. The application for a
Writ of Error was very properly denied by
Chief Justice Mason, who was not willing 10
interfere in the criminal administration OF JUS
rice in this District for no better reason than 10
crafty the oyer-weening anxiety of interested
counsel.
"The Indians may hereafter murder the
whites with mpuni,y. Our citizens will not
soon again arrest them. Our present expert
ence proves that it is impossible to punish
them, so long as men high in authority will
pervert their stations to the screening Of such
bIoou thirsty m!screanls from pupIlc justice.
Again, after manufacturing bloody Ter
out of drunken spree which a few Chippe-
ways took at the establishment, Of French
trader, few miles above Prairie du Chen, in
which white man was so frightened that he
runaway and reported the death Of the trader,
the editors say:
"We hear Of no attempts to arrest the muir.
derers, and we would be opposed to any, for
such thing as making them amenable TO our
laws for theirinhumah outrages, is not permit
ted -! Because our forefathers sometime
since the days Of the flood, wronged the poor
red an,--excites the sympathies Of our gran
M Governor for set Of fends who in their
murders, spare neither age nor sex, and yet
Justice must be defeated, and the gallows
cheated If its victims, through his unjust and
unusual interference. AID if our Governor
should sometimes think that murder ought TO
he punished, it seems tha: sympathetic
Judge can be found who is willing to arrest
The sentence"
We have neither the legal knowledge nor
the information on the subject sufficient to
enable US to pass judgment upon, the ase,
but if what we have heard from citizens Of
Dubuque be true, we should be slow to ques~
lion he proprie,y of the course pursued By
Judge Williams. We conceive that if there
. loop upon which to hang doubt concern
ing their guilt, the accused ough, to have all
The benefit which the strictest investigation
can afford them, and in granting the applca-
lion Of their counsel for wri, Of error, their
punishment was not commu,ed, nor the ends
If justice defeated, but simple frightening
If their days, if found guilty after re inves-
,iga,ion Of the matter, and if not, their future
freedom. Ii is better that ninety -and-nine un.
just persons go unpublished than that one in
nocent man should suffer, so we can see no
good reason for casting censure upon Judge
Williams for his action. in this case.
We are not of those who think ihe few dol.
lars and cents which it may cost TO safely keep
prisoner, should have any influence in deci.
ding their fate.
The articles of the Express being copied
entire, the reader will see from their tone and
absurd expressions the kind OF hear, from
which they emaua,ed, and give them only thai
saaa.ns,dera,lon which they merit.