Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-07-17


law, and looks for compensation in damages
General and prolonged laughter.)
Presiding Judge-Every mark of appreciation
or censure must be interdicted. These laughs
are out of place in such question.
Hugo resumed-it has had blood, but that is
not enough il requires an apology and prison.
I(Applause.)
Gentlemen of the jury; when this bit Of
stamped paper, from my son, was brought to me
this citation to a most unqualifable suit
strange as are the times in which we ive-and
we ought to be accustomed to them-I will CON
Tess that I-~as overwhelmed with SURPRISE
What have we reached such pitch! What |!
have the encroachments on good sense, on rea-
son, on liberty of thought, on natural right, ex-
tended so far, that we are called upon to pay,
not our material respects, which are readily con-
ceded, but our moral respects, to penalties which
open the profoundest abysses of conscience,
which turns whoever thinks of them pale, and
which religion abhors ?-to those penalties which
knowing that they are blind, yet dare to be ire
parable-penalties which dip their fingers in hu-
man blood, to write the commandment, thou
shalt not kill )" penalties which make us doubt
of God when they fall upon the innocent! No!
no! no we cannot have arrived at that pitch
Loud and general applause.)
For, gentlemen, since am brought to it,
must tell you, that you may the better compre-
hend my emotion,-the true criminal in this af-
fair, if there be criminal, it is not my son, but
myself (Emotion.) The real criminal, say, is
he who for twenty-five years has combatted ire
parable penalties under all their forms. IT'S /
who for twenty-five years have vindcated on
every occasion, the inviolability of human life.
The crime of defending the sanctity of life,
have committed, long before my son committed
it, oftener than he has committed i'll denounce
myself, advocate for the State! have commit
ted the crime, under the most aggravating cir
cumstances, with the fullest premeditaton, with
tenacity in the wrong doing, with frequent re.
newals Of the offense (Renewed applause.)
Yes, proclaim it, this remnant of barbarism
this old and unreasoning len taIiOnis, this law Of
blood for blood, | have battled with all my life
and so long as there is breath in my body,
will battle with it, with all my efforts as a wri
ter, with all my votes and acts as a legislator
and l swear it, (pointing to figure Of Christ al
the bottom Of the halD before that victim of the
penalty of death, now looking upon US and hear
ing us, Iswear it before that gibbet where two
thousand years since, for the eternal instruction
Of The generations, the human law nailed up the
Divine! profound an irrepressible emotion)
What my son has written, he has written,
repeat it, because have inspired him with II
from his childhood; because at the same time
that he is my son according to the flesh, he is al
so my son according to the spirit, and wishes tc
continue the traditions of his father. A marvel
lous crime truly. The novelty could only have
been produced by those who are the exclusive
defenders of the Family! (Laughter.)
Yet confess that this accusation confound
me A law may be terrible in its effects-ma,
furnish the populace the most immoral, danger
GUS, degrading and ferocious spectacles-ma.
tend to render the people cruel, yet all the Will
we are interdcted for signalling the terribl
effect which it produces. Well, then-if it b
so let us shut up the chambers, let us close ou
schools progress is no longer possible; and W
will call ourselves Mogul or Thibet, but not
-, Voc - vunuId ho ho hnftpF III
you to persuade us that we were in Asia, tha
the country once called France was no mort
and that it has been replaced by something
which will agree, is not the monarchy, an
certainly cannot be the republic. (Renewe
laughter)
Presiding Judge.-I now renew my remar
call the audience to silence again-otherwise
shall be forced to clear the rooms
M. Hugo continued: But let US look lit
into the phraseology of the accusation.
Spain, gentlemen, the inquisition has been tn
law, but we must say, that even in Spain, the
fail in respect to the inqulsition. In France
torture has been the law-well, we must aga
say, that we fail in our respect for the tortur
Cutting has been the law, but we want respe
for the cleaver. The hot iron has been the lay
but we want respect for the hot iron. The gui
lotine is the law-well, that is true, but | wi
, confess that we want respect for the guiotn
: (Movement)
Gentlemen, the right of criticism, of critici
= ing severely, and above all, of criticising la
which may so easily restore the manners of Il
savage state, this right of the writer no less 8
cred than that of the legislator, this necessa
right, this imprescrptable right, you will reco
Mise by your verdict in the acquittal of the a
cused.
. But The advocate for the state this was h
g second point maintained that the article in d
Evenemet went too far that it was too veh
: ment. But look at the facts A man, co
@ demned and miserable man, is dragged in t
0 morning to public place, where he meets t
d scaffold. He revolts, he argues, he refuses
: die. He is still young, scarcely twenty-nir
e Two executioners seize him, bind his hands a
= his rect; ne repulses them; Irlghttul pat
It ensues. The condemned, his feet tied by col
= to the ladder, uses the scaffold against the &c
= fold the battle is prolonged, horror seizes
n crowd. The executioners, with shame and sw,
9 on their brows, pale, palpitating, terrified, d
: perate with know not what horrible despair
weighed down by the public reprobation VIII
s ought to curse the penalty, and not Its pass
r lnstrument-make savage efforts. The n
1t cliDgs to the scaffold and begs for mercy.
e dress is torn to pieces, and his shoulders
IS wet with blood. Then, after three quarters
D, an hOur--three quarters of an hour--(s (sonsat
- the Advocate General mods a denial no
II we bubble about minutes-after thirty FIVE n
ID utes, if you will, of this kind of monstrous