New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-28
TRIBUNE.
BOSTON.
The shadrach Rescue Trials.


Correspondence Of The Tribune.
Bos7oN, Monday Nay 20
The trial Of the indictments IN the id'noo'
e. leone vii commence to-IhoI-
TOW. These indictments, seven IN hui"O'' s.+.
.,~,o counts each. all the indictments Oelhs oA"o
\, IT, ovccr, the names Of the parties. Inc P,Oo
-, 80 have found good deal OF ohnCui'y ~
.nvthing IN the facts they expect 70 prove
20 Constitute an Ofense terrible QUERY
S.o-d ~, that marked friend OF law anu 'HVie
-reci.l advocate Of Dor rebelhons, before "hoih
- r,elainarv examinations were had-oi oOuise
80 the notorious Hallet-about the grie'ous Oh
tense of resisting the process OF Ia" ana h'as Di'
'e.-s 49,, ~ . Court Of Justice Mr. Commissioner
Cuy,is as YOU viii recollect teleTaphed 70 WASH
Sngton that the rescue Of Shadrach was case OF
nc war against the United States IN consequence %
1wRich Presidential Proclamation was lssueo, a. IL
rs,on ,gye IN state Of open rebellion. lntne llocl-
ents however, at least IN the hIsi @
roatfeT is very much sOitened down. mdlsndi Dc'oi'
and his deputies far from appearing IN the respeG
&c character Of officers Of the United states IN the
execution Of duty ludclauy inpOSel upon ll.i' a.
,neciaIlv set out and described as the agents anu
assistants Of De Bow and Carhart, the save iitei
eod 10 attorney The ofense charged not resls-
lance TO the process OF any court Oat mercy tuC
helping person seized as iugltNe sld't looSoeP.
from his pretended owner and the assistants OF lha
owner This surely is a very different anaI rom
trampling under foot the process OF court oI JUS
nee and even II the accused should be found guiiy
Of H. Ine1 crime, IN the oycs Of many, viii PROBABLY
he houq hi quite venialin fact OF those instances
ef human weakness which make US love those over
taken by II so much the better There are, It Is true,
Al the end Of the indictment three counts under the
old Statute for obstructng legal process buI apart
from the very doubtful Legality OF attempting 10 III
cude two different Oaenses under one Indictment
single circumstance Will show that the prosecution
expec 10 make very little Of TINS latter charge Inc
original indictments contained hitcen counts. Dut
some ten days ago the origlhal indictments Teie '
rrossed and the defendants were arrHgned on new
ones which, however, were precisely IKE tle olo
one except the insertion 81 new count az lhe ehd
OF the first twelve The penal case Is stated IN ths
new count as IN the twelve ola ones namely tha' oI
an escape from the claimant under whom the mar
shas were rcDrosentcd as acting merely a. deputy
slave-huners, and not officers OF the United states
the only difference beng that the facts are more luly
and fOrclbly set out. This new count Is undouDI-
edly the one on which the prosecution mainly reles
And its insertion timely, since the hrst twelve
counts land the same may DC sad OF inc tnee laSt
are undoubtedly bad on general demurrer. ana nave
been preserved IN the new indictments only as sort
Of safvo 10 the honor Of the drawers. They were
drawn probably by the cOnont abors OF District At
forney Lunt and Commissioner Hallet, and are
pretty fair specimen OF the legal learning of those
gentlemen who IN fact ten times greater "pairl-
OTIS" than lawyers. Commissioner Curtis would, no
doubt, have been called IN TO aid, but unfortunately
there is a mortal quanel between him and Lunt,
whose place he has been attempting % get having
sent on 70 Washington complaints against Lunt for
incapacity, and multiplication Of unnecessary suits
fOT the sake OF tie COSlS--d llihg almost uFtiNti
with U. S. District Attorneys, and which always Will
be so as long as they are paid By fees. However
am not sure that the indictments would have been
any the less vulnerable for Curtls's assistance.
No respectable lawyer IN the city can be got TO aid
openly IN these prosecutions ChOate was urgently
applied TO but declined. Whether the new count
above referred to was cOncocted by secret chamber
council here or whether II manufactured at
Washington, cannot say, nor do ! hear whether
Mr. District Attorney Is 20 have any ald IN conducting
the trials The prisoners viii be dciendedby MeSSrs
II. H. Dana, Jr and John Z. Hale. Judge Allen,
who was originally retained as senior COUNSEL has
been obliged by i'll health to retire.
The trials Will come on before Judge Spraguc, of
the District Court Sprague obtained his seat on the
bench partly at least as reward Tor ms services y
speech in 1885 at Faneuil Hail. IN stirring up the
Garrison and Thompson mob SD celebrated as having
been composed OF 81 men OF property and standing
IL was hoped however, that beng secure for life I'M
his present Office and not likely 10 get any better one
he might prefer on the present occasion, to assume
the position of an impartial and liberal minded Judge.
not disposed TO stretch barbarOus and arbitrary
statute, instead the dscredtabe position occupied
of late by Curtis, Haet, and that sort OF gentry All
such hopes, however, were completely eXungushcd
by his conduct as TO certain applications made to him
in the Sims case. Very plausible and adrou as cum
ming as a fox and slippery as an eel, he has gen
orally treacherous smile on his face, and his cX
coedingly bland manner, being IN fact very Belal at
making the worse appear the better reason His
charge 10 The Grand Jury, by whom the bills were
found-sO ably dlsSecicd By DR.. Cheeyer, of your
clty--is fair specimen OF the man. There IS no
danger however, IN his case of any OF that insoent
stupidity of those unblushng vO atoms OF all legal
rules and principles dSgacCully exhibited on the
preliminary examinations. Sprague knows the law,
and he knows, too, that It VIII not do to rule every
NpOlnt open court for which plausible reasons can
not be given. Better OF than some even who have
been engaged in the execution OF the Fugitive Slave
Law, he has reputation to preserve both as q law
yer and u man and more than ALL he knows that he
is watched.
shall keep YOU informed of the progress OF the
trials.