The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-03

The Assault on Mr.. Isaac Hone by Messrs
VIM. B. and Matthew Morgan, Jun,
at Newport.
SENTENCE OF THE MORGANS,
&C., &c., So
Reported for the New York Herald.

Reported ZOE the New York Herald.
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PL IN
TAIIoNs, COURT OF ooMsoN PLEAS, COUNTY OF
NEWPORT, NOVEMBER TERM, 1858.
THIRD DAY OF TERM
wm R. Staples Judge of he Supreme Court presiding
Nov 3o-The State William Il Morgan and Aat1tsa
Morgan, Jr.
The Court opened at nine O'Clock A. NJ
The Attorney General waltr S. Burgess, Esq, then
owed for the arraignmsnt OF William R. Morgan and
Matthew Morgan, Jr his brother upon the Indictment
found by the Grand Jury the facts presented In rea-
tion to their ault upon the of Isaac Hone
ESQ committed the city Of Newport during the month
OF September last.
Through the kindness OF the officers OF the Court your
reporter furnished with desk and every facility for
the perfol of his highly responsible duties. We
take this opportunity of returning thanks those
gentlemen well to his Honor Judge Staples and to
the both sides for the uniform courtesy which
we have experienced at their hands.
Mr. Hone and the Morgans Ated with their re
spscvs counsel around large Die which pied the
centre OF tie court room.
Mr. Hone had retained the services of NJ Perry
Sheffield and Potter while the Morgans tortu aats
have secured the valuable Legal services of Msssrs
g. Crsnston and Son. also those of Abraham Payne
Esq, and Mr. Samuel Ames of Providence, gentleman
Mr. Hone appeared calm and COOL and thsou yhout this
trial preserved dignity OF de which ELECTED ths
respect Of au who heard his straight forward and un
FASHIONED testimony
The Morgsns both yeuny men, the elder bsiug IS
aud the younger 20 years Of age They ABOUT the
medium height and strongly built though perhaps not
athletic has been represented They plainly
dressed and behaved with perfect proprety during their
trial. hs younger might naturally be expected show
ing the greater interest of the two and appars
ing ssnsiby the very peculiar position in which they
had been placed
Upon being called upon to plead the ind they
ssvsrsny pleaded guilty to the charge.
whereupon the Attorney General moved for sentence
be pr anounced
Upon the usual question bel, put, as t. why the sea
tencs OF the Court should pronounc gans
them the prisoners answered by their counsel that they
desired to set forth certain matters and OF provo
cation which light tend to m'tigats its severity
The Attorney General rema This case was one of
assault and battery. The plaintiff Mr. Isaac Hone,
accosted the Bellevue House, where he had besa
soou ing, By the younger of the Defendants Matthew
Morgan Jr, he about step2 ping into his carriage
with his wife, preparatory to leaving spor Mr.
was at the moment encountered with heavy overcoat
upon arm, while he he'll his umbrella in the other
M Morgan stated that person wished to speak with
him. Upon advancing t, meet this person, William R.
Morgan came upon him saying, You called me
ter and am come to pay you for it, ard at the
time drew from his breast coshide with which he in
Acted fifteen twenty cuts upon the head and
shoulders of Mr. Hone whereby his face was severely
wounded to draw bcou; and having done so effected
his escape Nor did he eesst from this savage method
of violence until Robert G. Winthrop who present
at the attack spraDg upon kim and wrsstsd he weapon
from his hands, at the same time taking him By the
throat There nothing to provoke this the part
Mr. Hone In addition to tae coshide The fists Of the
assailant were freely used until Mr. H badly hurt
and bruised The only provocation alleged by defend
ant was that he had called him monster several
days before rejoice to say that this unmanly st
u without parallel in community. l have known of
similar ini lance in the whole course of my expo
riencs at the bar. 1t is case which calls
ier such prompt and strenuous action Shall
deter from ike course, and ssrvs a.
an exaD pie for all time to coms-fur = punishment.
which shall vindcats the dignity Of the outraged
and to the public large tos the tiibuna Of
Stats will metz out due pu ish,nent for
of Ler or6inancs We therefore ask for such
"a the az; en Of this requires.
Abraham PayLs, Esq of Prov dence, OF the coan-
Sci fer tbs accused then opeEed their By remarns
that there appeared to be enough to Justify the
which I'd been made BY the Attorney General that tas
unusual enc. But ON the manner ia
which the had bsen stated by his Learned orothe
might be lee suppose the extent his clisas
provocation lay in the app alton Of the ephst 'mon
ster This Ia not the Gaze; there other acs knowa
to your Honor facts which familiar to every reader
Of the Eewspapers-which have BEEN through the ms
dunn Of the public press the ,epgue of scandal or
common rumor scattered broadcast through the LAID
he has Tsy could eny eom. to
him through the testimony given before the Grand
Juy This, then, becomes another proof OF what
Aavs affirmed that there facts and well known
facts. 100, connected with this matter, which have
had no small effect in producing the consequences
q this trial Enough has bssn broazht to light
70 justify me in saying tbat the defendant should
have the benefit Of all the mitigating crcums aocss
which We shall deduce from hs afiavits
purpose hng 1t should be recolectsd that these mat
ters occurred in Newport during The height of the fash
ionabe when that feverish love Of excitement.
which IS ever generated BY watering place gave double
TO the reports Of scandAlnons and that fur
thermoIe it through The gossiping disposition of
these persons also the of Instant aggAvan
pursued by hr. Hone, that the vi lAton OF the law
cured to ich The accused have fresly pleaded
guilty Nor should the prejudice naturally growing out
of statements like the be regarded to the disadvantage
Of my clients Such reports most uncertain guide;
and uniformly 10 tais lime Bsitner in alton
through the medup. & u pnonc press have thsss
gentlemen tusre 10 pot forsard taer own statements
NO been the prosecutors who have put forth thsir
YEz statements of these sactons. Ny clients have
freely admitted their violation of the law and
ask to mitigate their sentence BY proving to his Court
seras Of provoca the part Of the gentleman
sauited, FLOWED up, not CAY after day. but noue oy
hour snd we'll calculated to lead ut such results 1t
will appear that Mr. Hone claims TO be the friend of my
clients fan ily and, noreoysr, that it in be
half of the daty he owed 10 that friendship tina.
he at to interfere ia the domestic relations
OF Mr. Morgan Mr.. Morgan had mad difficulties with his
wife these difficulties have been settled AID the
parties since v.d together the sams not upon
more favora de footing ihat before Their difficulties
needed such interference Had any jndicous person
intsrered the result voud have been widely different
But with all this Mr. Hone akes an apphcation for a
writ of babeus corpus, alleging that the wife Of Nc.
Morgan restrained Of her personal liberty At ths
hands Of her husband and he ttis at time when
Ars Lorgan at ibsrty-vhen she had nsver been
otherwise than at brge-it being known TO Mr.. Home
that such the case and that The day when
the alleged conflict took place. Ye, wta all this Mr.
a. stats that she restrained Of her liberty in GER
tain Of the Truro House. in this city-and this oy
the agency Of her husband Mr. II obtains his writ
and accompanied by the sheriff, with Msssrs Shefsld
and Perry proceeds TO the Truro House. whore be
tween the hours Of nine and ten O'Clock r NJ My client
who bad returned from the steamboat wharf about the
hour found the parties at the hots At this tins
be had no scquautance with Mr.. Hone he had never
even spoken mr. II. asked If he was Mr.. Morgan, to
which my client replied in the affirmative. Mr. II. then
explained what they had come fcr they went stairs
into Mr. Aorgans and found state Of things thsrs
which abundap proved that ths visit pectsd
and surprise to Mrs Morgan She was Ia bed, we're
also her children Mr. Morgan then asked the writ
which his family were TO be taken from him. His
quest refused Ny client repeated his request and
it again disregsrdsd and the parties take their
bearing away his wife and children without any
exhibition Of their authority for doing TIE Sheriff