New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-09-07
THE HENRY CLAY DISAS TER.
Judge Edmonds's Opinion.


beT, lsj2.-Tbe prisoners presented peu on u NJ
Justice EomoLds setting forth that th~v tat been ar
rested by the Sheriff Of W-srh-ster County, am ~sre
IN biz custody warrant issued oy the County Judge
OF hat County, charging them ai:h the crime IL
der In this: That they the 9th ers Ia Oh Of
the STEAMBOAT Henry Clay, ~hcn was engaged In tie
rsp'pousuon Of passengers bet seen Al1apy and S-E
York, On the HUDSON River. that Ia their trip dOsn
n riytr The 25h July, e52 they engaged In
Nth sJOth.r boot Al for tue purpose ~ e,ce-tlng
that boat Increasing the fperd OF their own DC I,
hey created an undue suo unsafe qasnti'y Of Steam,
and n sde exc-Oive hres 0Oad d, aud 90 conti9u~d
thsm until The boat hi IRE, rhen II ashore
IN the Town Of Y"nkefS Ia that county that one 81
passengers waS burned 10 death sn0 hiyssv6u OF th1n
drowned, and that thereby hs d"i"ndaots nsd oe-n
guilty of murder IN having killed 'nose persons With
out sutt orlty Of law by act hmm nenIy dangerous
10 9th, rs evincir Ceprsved mad, rlrss Of m
msu iie though without prrrn' dt4ed de'gn & e.",t
the d-stb " any particular inrividud.
TIE petition al'o tia, the petit ners ha3 oetl
ssd on process Il usd oct Of the Oisicct Court Of
the Ured Sstes ard been h.lr Co b-i on charge ~
man.sus for ire act IN having, ~ tne- is
conduct negligence, mater ton 10 caty board
u boat caused the death OF the same persons while
PASSENGERS on Oosfo.
From the return n the habeds coTpqs he additional
fac, spuesed that nout SITS had Neeu h. By oGs 0fhs
CoTOners Of We.tcne.ter County IN ~nich an inquls
uop of murder h.d n fOuud aga nst tna f-r ndauta
Whereupon the Dhtrlct Attorney OF W--'chelEs'
County hsd made his compliant tn the County judge,
and obtained ths warrant which The defend w-rs
tried
On the return o'the Haoess Corpus. .. McMsaou. F.
Cutiug snd &. OCon0r for ne prOoers, applied for
their 6ischsrte on the following grounds;
/. Tbst Congress having pissed law rcachiog 'ne OF
Tense char geo. m authorities had thus aslu n-d
u iscicion It, aud that exclusive 81 al STATE
authority
? That the On. nse charged was not murder under
the State stafues because there charge % al G
ten,inD 10 do oodi harm ~ any ooe
Thrt Il -As not msnslau Snt,r In the fret degree,
because the psonerss zine Of toe killing we're not
aged IN The perpetrsi N OF sny crime mlsdem@an
or smOutbg to felony ard therefore, rhzs n the
State Courts nd juiscc ion ,h- prisoners ought 20
ne let 20 b'il W'lls District Attorney Of WesicloS
ter, ARD X. Locssood. contra.
EDMONDs, J.-lt appears. on the return
to the H.bts- Corpus, tn-t prisoners ara bold "a
CUSTODY warrant ISSUED bv one Of sus.e Nude
tIsie,, charging them with the crime Of nufier, ia
causing the death If certain parsons named AMI that
they already been arrested process i,susd
OF The IT, ). Courts, for the ssns act, charge u
msLslaURhter
There are two important questions preeut,d In this
ms'ter one ~he,ns, toe otsuse charged in ihs war.
IsLi 10 murder uDcer stu'c, aid toe other ~hetI
er n Il 10, The ffsnss Is mol ucder the II Coogss
soenzsce ~ the Federal CJurts 70 tbs exclusion Of h1
State courts
There an Their quaIiol sLish II may be necessary
t. examine AID tozS H. ~hether ths 1-rss, n not
murder IL not usn.sut bier pnser th etsts TUE.
The question OF jurisdiction ist- % ~ at mat ri
FIR II the State Court. have ot 10 he clrcu nsal
o,s, eosLzHuce Of toe oeosa snargsd the defendants
enu'ieo q. absolute dsc1srge from tnsr
Nhefsas, thtrWsc tns quTsl u Oo merely Whsth.
eT n ey shal be- iet a. ~ u or not
gin by saying thet csnnot recoszs III sn don
taken b. one OF the Counsel, that because Con.
has rot made the ohtDse = hch rs ttNuIG med al,
nuIder but only m-n.l.ushier tlaTeiofe the St@ IT.
bunS' NJ O-'fy nisse COMPLIANCE NJ the matter
tho sts'e l-w. eevste the crime - that grade ina
would be N kins The punishment and bOt the oHeus4,
III. Usndsfd # juTsdciiOD ard you'd permi, Stae
sutbOrit,s by ipcressii tho p-taty 10 ootu Iu'i,
ceu' over ofrnses clearly cognzaoe only oy tbs fed
eTsl Courts
I. the nature and quality Of the sct not th- ak
tent of the p-Ds'ty punishment which Is q b "a
measure ~ he jwisdictiun
Ard in hts act, must look into ths warrant 10
wh.i thstb
s.sed In carry log p,'sepgers tn Hudson, that "a
Of Der trips, with certain passengers board she
caught Ere sbd was consumed, whereby the persons
psrn-o 10 n p warrant were XVI cd
Amer this Ut nnA statement OF fac's the warrant
oh tia the prison ers Who then hsd charge ~ ls
boat for the pur pose Of eXceiiug Ia speed other
boat, or for the purpose II ncreaing the speed ~
their ef, did create slow 10 be- created "a
III due unsafe quantity Of steam, snd iu d1rg
did mske slice To be- m DE excessive ir-s
AZ old not use ordirsry prudence In the anaxenGnt
Of said hfrs" hut, ihou.h demonstrated 10, Tor q
long - bile, contputd the sane, ia cOns-' c@v1srt.
II the ious ere all the cesths eusue1 and IL con
cudes thst the deceased murdered by the prls.
obtrs ~ act which rAs "eIiH, My dangerous 10
others. aud evil ced depraveo mnd regardless of hu.
rlsn life though sithou. Rnv prensdita,et eesiyn u
effect The death Of any p-rl,culsr individual"
The proceedings of the Unnsd states authorities
charge that the defendants 10y their misconduct
If, igeI OF ipsIt-ntOD u theG duues bOsr the
.sid 81 smbos, did cause the death Of o. The
came peitous.
The ,roc,s cling. In the United States Courts are
DER The lsw u Congress, watch enac,s that every
captain, engineer. pilot Other person employed GA
board any s,esr bOsl &c, by whose misconduct
reshs nee or attention ~ his OF their respesi.ye
dut,. The IN, ar lives Of sDy person Or psrsoos on
h.ald AID ha hsN n.sd
guilty OF N nssughtor 5 ; Statutes al Large 3UJ.
sec. -
Tht proeeeeiu- q IN the State Court, are under tina
= ale STATUTE shrh eb.cis that the king ~ human
belt whhcui he suItor'y Of l.a wren perpelratoi
by an act inn,n entity dangerous q others syirciug
deprsvsd mind regardless Of human 'r, shoush with
out any yrenedi-ed seal. 70 eject the dealt Of Eny
particular individual. ..muidr
Ana the question before q. shelter they ara I,
bic 81 be prodeeoed ss.ost 10 the State Courts,
whether thos- Cou'ts p"t busted OF their jursd
rcn BY tsAt Of sss Federal our;s
Tie iSei TIA, the f.dstal urts have lrcsiy insti
tu I'd pfoceedngs and thus assumed ur sdcilon Is not
N Aiersl On this Inquiry for 10 ths turnlnau a and
net ihe commencement " W csedin.s Ia one Court
Which nay Dc plead IN another = % tho Judgment
ard not hs proc rJius. pr-hmns ~ 'aer,,c which 10
bsr o. Sec 20 iCcgrpent
% no unusual thing proceed'n.s % bs ins,t ited
Tor the II action Ia Ga arsat cogrs hsy
lbs e"ucu'rrpt Juri.oictioni nor sh glususl whore
thr Uasd Ststss aud the state c1rl 4se concurrent
iurh dictoI for them o. allow isdg nt rendered. Ia
one "a 30 Oar ~ me r"cv'rfy 81 ladf neat IN the
other - Kent. Com 500
III therefore necessary for - 3 sell rpon The
consicersnn Which ptes.ed On tho Argurnonl that
Tie pi.ourf may BE- ~ DANCE Of heir t~i elnv.t.t
foI the s.ne orersr iIr thr s O. r,lIe Tao 90 s, "a
hss rot e, sTfyed sIi ~hrs shA trrysth- so,,f.
o lTis MI e abb G. siufd the soeql.is RELIEF srAnr
what would ~ 81. .t.fant wrong
The yufisdiaa OF 80 icdsral su,Aoritio, over IN,
subject !. claimed . rest that Of tho ,ns,i,u
ucp ~hieh gives Congress toe powsE b rcsuai- com.
msfc~ snopg ise sovcrgl -ia,.s" All Sec = ana
that witch slvrs b. The L. Cuurts Judicial p,sst
ever Ali eAses u aJmifsy and nafltins afl,ilson
All ~ Sec
his vel settled that until CoBsfess does sx.ruiss a..
poser over sus Get properly ~i'5a lie lau.dciisn
The PREVIOUSLY essilng sutboshy Of ths stats b. &C,
apo ,be suheci y unafrcsed II 10 ouly nsc~.
ssfy D. r.sr 10 iluassdon b. tho question q s.,s Ia
so eut Laws dc,srnissi In stufsis' or Cfo-nins salad
4 Wheat fga
hut vhstbsrin ell whsn Goa :rcss doss ,.ss cog
fssass VI sub 10 W The exessVs VI ell stsss ~,