Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1847-01-16

complsh his purpose. You, then, are emit
tied to no sympathy or compassion at our
hands, unless we shall find some good rea-
son TO doubt OF your guilt, or OF the motives
by which you have been ac,uated. But
can there be any mistake or the part OF the
witnesses; there can be none, think. Some
four or five respectable persons have sworn
distinctly 10 the same facts; and if there
can be no mistake, there can be no doubt;
for the character Of the witnesses forbid US
10 suppose for moment, that they, acting
under the solemn obligations OF an oath,
have spoken the thing that they have mag
ined, or the thing that is not; they had no
motive for desiring your conviction, II inno-
cent, for nothing like personal hostility has
been attempted to be shown, or even init.
mated in argument. We admit that the
kind Of evidence on which you have been
convicted, should always be received with
extreme caution, and when received, be sub,
jected TO the severest scrutiny. But If
these witnesses have been neither mistaken
or forsworn, you have been convicted on
the plalnest and most conclusive testimony;
"for out OF your own mouth have you been
convcted;" not that you have admitted
your guilt, in direct terms, but you have
said some things, and directly or indirectly,
admitted others, utterly inconsistent with
innocence on any rational hypothesis
When you were informed by the negro
that he was going to Canada, and requested
to give him his free paper or papers, you
told him that you had at that time no pa.
per suitable for that purpose. but the next
evening you were going to Boonvie, and
would procure some, and that if he would
come the night after, he could get them.
When he informed you that his masters
family were all from home at that time,
and that he had determined to start at any
rate, and enquired of you which was the
best route, gu advised HIM to 90 by way
Of Columbia, to Paris, from thence to some
point on the Mississippi river, you told him
that II he would be active, he might get
thirty-five miles that night and cross the ri.
yer the next night or the night after that;
and then he would be safe. When he asked
you for some OF the money he had given you
some time before, you told him that you
had spent it; when he asked you what you
had done with the pocket book and papers,
you said that you had burned them, as he
(the negro) had requested you; and this in
connexion with the fact, that a pocket book
containing money, and papers, had been a
short time before, stolen from James Hughs.
the master Of the slave, and a part OF the
money easily identified Ia gold piece) found
in possession Of the slave.
do not mention these latter circumstan.
ces, as furnishing in themselves any d.
rect evidence Of guilt, for the greaest zeaot
in the pro.slavery cause would hardly con
tend that rogue must of necessity be ar
aboltionist or guilty Of the offence Of which
yon have been convicted, but it does fur
nish evidence OF the intimacy which haC
previously existed between you and the
slave, and thus forms an important link ia
the chain oievidence by which you have beer
convicted, and besides, strips you OF every
pretext of having acted under the influence
of conscience; for had you been acting under
some mistaken view of conscientious obiga
ton you would not have appropriated tc
your own use. fund which you woult
then have considered as sacred, or suffered
it 10 be 10 any manner diverted from thu
hallowed purpose for which it was proba
bly, designed, you stand, then, condemned
not only by the laws OF man, but in thu
sight OF that Infallihle Judge, who $50 sure
ly as he lveth," will visit crimes commit
ted in this world with condign punishment
in the next.
But let 1t be Your consolation, and YOU
comfort, that the offence which you have
committed does not in its punishment Gu
you off ''unannealed, unanointed, with you
sins on your head" but that YOU have We
time to repent and reconcile yourself will
that Supreme Being, whom you have 81
deeply offended, but who has told US that h
, will accept Of repentance as an atonemen
) for sin. But on this view Of the subject,
forbear to enlarge, as | am sensible that
: may come, certainly with more grace. pei
haps with more force, and effect from thos
! pious men, who have made the cure of soul
their peculiar charge. have, then, bu
: one more argument which shall address
, to you; that is one which rather commend
itself to our evil, than our better natures;
=. is this--ihat even if there were no account
3 ability hereafter, it would be still good Dol
3 cy to live within the pale Of human law
: and of Gods law too, so far at least as
e violation of the one includes also violatio
: OF the other; for that old law which say
Y that ''honesty is the bes. policy" is replet
y with the wisdom, and experience of ages
!. what offence, short of actual rebellion c
!. the attempt to excite it, can be imagine
d more dangerous to slave holding commit
i nifty, than that of which you have been col
J. victed-what offence will be therefor
S more jealousy watched, or more prompt
o and condignly punished, when detected
l Indeed there is much reason to fear TIL
It the dangerous nature of the offence ms
1t some times lead to conviction on light al