The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-11-09

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asked by moral lady how he felt when struggling
between lie and death in the waves. replied
Wet, madam, very wet"
The TRIAL OF FREmIGRATH.-We find among
our foreign files the following interesting account
Of the trial of Ferdinand FreiIigratha trial which,
from all the circumstances connected with it. will
hereafter be marked event in the political his
tory Of Germany:
On the Sd Of this month Ferdinand Freiligrath
was brought to trial at Dusseldorf on the charpe of
endeavorlng to stir up the people to sedtion, and
to the overturning of the present Government by
his poem Of the " Dead TO the Living" The occa-
sion was rendered peculiarly interesting and strik
ing by Its being the opening trial of the opening
Asslzes under the new constitution.
The first exercise of the public trial and trial by
jury in Prussia was thus TO be that of bold attack
on the condition of the King, by a popular poet
whom the said King had ordered to be arrested un-
der the old regime for similar freedoms, in his
writings, with his political conduct; and who had
been compelled to seek voluntary exile in order to
escape the vengeance Of the irritated monarch
Scarcely returned to his native country under the
promises, liberty, and security Of the revolutonized
Government, the bile of the monarch again over
flows, he stretches out his hand, and imprisons the
poet on charge of high treason, the penalty of
which is death or perpetual exile
What has been the result? An acquittal, amid
the laundering acclamations of the people, and the
opening of the new system Of public trial by iury
thus made glorious and memorable by the united
triumph of Liberty and Literature under the work
ing Of the popular constitution.
The chief magistrate had demanded thirty Of the |
Burgher Guard to protect the proceedings in the |
court house but above 600 of the Burgher Guard
were found t. have posted t tbemselyss pa ha d
body of them had taken up their position round
the courthouse. The accused was conducted into |
the hall of Asszes from the prison, and took his
Taoa in fba rao4,Ior ~ 81 b,,e
at the table, between his two advocates, Herr !
Meyer from Cologne. and Counsellor Weller of |
Dusseldorf The doors of the court were not /
thrown open till the accused was seated, when /
there was tremendous rush of the people, who /
flung showers of bouquets on the poet but with the
utmost solemnity, and without any outcries. Prin-
ter, publisher and Freiligrath himself testified I'M
hesitatingly to his commission of the alleged crime |
by his writing and publishing 5000 copies of the |
offending poem.
Counsellor Meyer made an eloquent defence and |
on being followed by Mr.. Weller, the feelings of /
the people were no longer to be restrained, but /
burst forth in a stormy and thrice repeated hurrah.
The jury came TO a speedy verdict of not guilty, |
and again the hall shook with huTas and the ac-
CARNATIONS of the crowds within and without the /
court. The poet and his friends were borne along
by the out-rushing thrOng into the open air. where
1t was one mass Of agitated people, and hurrahing,
and out Of everv window ladies waving handker-
chiefs and hinging flowers. The Burgher Guard /
marched along in the midst of the vast procession,
toward the poets dwelling, and a triumphal |
wreath being flung to the poet, one of the Guards |
caught it on his bayonet, and thus bore it along
From his chamber-window Freiligrath addressed /
the crushing crowd, and ended by saying: " Not |
to me- but to the German Democracy is this tri- |
umph owing" In the evening torch train, at
tended by band of music, marched to the poets
house; and thus ended, after six months imprison-
ment, trial and day which have given a stamp
Of peculiar spendor to the opening of the trial by
Jury in Prussia