The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-16
THE NATIONAL ERA, WASHINGTON D. c. OCTOBER Is, 1851


trine reeking with blood and fendish malig
nifty.
Recollect it is the whole doctrine of construc-
tive treason, which is thus struggled into our
jurisprudence. Should Louis Runaway be con-
vcted and should he then escape, his own sister,
were she to give him food and shelter would be
guilty of treason-she would be liable to arrest
as principal traitor, and the penalty of her
sisterly conduct would be death upon the gal
lows This is the Internal doctrine, that Z" in
treason there are no accessories
See, how it subserved the vindictive policy of
the black-hearted James the Second. ALICE
Isle was a lady of wealth and intelligence,
distinguished for her hospitality and human
ity. While her husband, created d Lord by
Cromwell lived, though loyal to the Common
wealth, her womanly heart led her to give pro-
lection to many of the Cavaliers in their dis
tress. After the overthrow Of the Common
wealth and death of her husband her habitual
sympathy with the unfortunate prompted her to
give shelter and reliefto those who were outlawed
from time to time by the King. Hiekes and
Nellthorpe, after the failure of the Monmouth
rebellion in which they had been actors being
hunted down by the bOOdhounds on their
track, sought refuge with the Lady Alice.
The same womanly kindness" says Macaulay,
which had led her to befriend the Royalists
in their time of trouble would not suffer her
to refuse meal and hiding-place to the
wretched men who now entreated her to pro-
tect them Her house was soon surrounded
by soldiers, and the unfortunate men were
found and dragged to prison. She was arrested
on the charge of treason, and tried by the inta-
nous Jeffreys, on the principle now declared by
Judge Kane, upheld expressly by the Washing
ton Union and the Pennsylvania, and tacity
sanctioned by the Wing and Democratic press
generally, that I" in Treason there are no ac-
cessories" Universal sympathy was excited
for her. Tory gentlemen besought the King i9/
her behalf; the ablest counsel were enlisted
the reluctant jury procrastinated but the fe{
cous Chief Justice browbeat the counsel, bA-
lied the jury forced verdict against her, and
sentenced hefNto' be burnt at the sake Tbs
was more than eseD aslA a,,syy a,s,ssssr~y >2,.n
stand, and they loudly protested so that her
punishment was mitigated to beheading. King
James was piled with prayers for her pardon,
bat he was as memorable as United States
Commissioner under the Fugitive Law Lady
Alice was publicly beheaded under the law
which declares that IN treason there are no
dcCesSOrleSp
We wish now to direct the attention of the
reader to an important point The Monmouth
rebellion was confessedly levyng par, for
the purpose of dethroning the King 1t was
treason, unequivocal, overt, absolute Hickes
and Nellthorpe had been actively engaged in
it; and this the Lady Alice knew She knew,
too, that by giving them shelter and relief, she
was involving herself in the guilt of Treason, as
a principal. This was the Law in England. |
But, what tongue has not cursed the memory
of Jeffreys and his royal master, for her execu.
ton? The act was worthy of Nero.
In this country we have no such Law: but |
it is sought by judicial decisions to smuggle in
this detestable English Law; and under it we
find a man indicted for high treason in Phila-
delphia. In the case of Lady Alice, there had
been an actual "levying Of war to overthrow
the Government; the men whom she relieved
had been actually engaged in it and she knew
it. In the case of Williams of Philadelphia, there
had been, VIGOROUSLY, no levying of war, and
his only offence consisted in giving notice of the
designs of certain claimant to certain persons,
who up to that time had done nothing, and, SO
far as he knew, had no purpose of doing any
thing but to secure their escape. For this he
is indicted by an American Grand Jury, acting
under the Instructions of Democratic Judge,
for high treason. Had the offence of Lady
Alice been no more, the monster Jeffreys him.
self would hardly have had the audacity to is
sue a warrant for his arrest-at all events, no
English Jury, even in those corrupt time, could
have been induced to render u verdict against
her Is this Administration ambitious to throw
into the shade the mercful deeds of the tender
hearted James the Secondl How long since
the pious and humane Jefreys has become
model for American juristsi
We have not done with this subject Fries
and his associates took up arms to resist the
operation of Law in the State of PENINSULA 4
MIA; but an indictment for treason was found
against him alone; his associates were indicted |
only for a high misdemeanor The colored
people of Christana did not take up arms to l. |
sist generally the operation of the Fugitive |
Law-they gathered suddenly at certjin |
point to save from recapture four alleged fiji
tiyes The result s, the Indictment for hkh |
treason Of thirty-seyen persons, some of whdm |
a. confessed, were not acting at all, and SOME |
of whom were absent
Jefireys' circuit after the Monmouth rebel. |
lion is known in history as the BLOODY AssrzEs
are the United States to have their BLOODY |
AsslzEs and are they to be forever associated |
with the name OF the city of Brotherly Love-
We shall see
GENERAL SCOTT.
We puhlish On aur Eo,,rtb ,,o,,a Al