Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-10-23
soltpetonoo Rhamphant..

AT the last term Of the Orange County Count,
New York, the following case was tired, upon
which Tie jury was addfeSStd by tue deiendunl,
who had concluded 10 appear in lis own defeucsi
rHE PsoPLE VS.. JAHES ALLERTON. was
very Interesting case, rendered SO lIOm the fact
that lie defendant acted as "hls own lawyer" on
the irial, without having the advantage oil being
one OF tue legal fraternity. HIS Summing up"
Of which we are able to give nesEly VeIbatlnEe-
port, with the exception Of the "acliug," was de-
cdedlY rich, ard afforded much amusement for
tho legal gentlemen present. The defendant
who Is a small, Eed.lailed, thin sPtcme oil
a Yankee, Wps Indicted for an assault aud battery
on one Mt. DodLeT The facts, as divuged upon
trial, IRE briefly as follows; The defendant is IN
the employ Of Mongaup Valley, Fom albuGP, aud
POTl JEWS Plank TOAD Company as 0loll'galher'
ef, aud resides upon tue road, some miles above
Porl JeFyis, he and The complainant, MI bod.
der, ore near neighboTs. 4.
On Sunday ia February last the defendant saw
Tue comnlalnnhl, MI. Douder ~ The ocl Of beating
lbs ;delendanIs) COW along The hIglrwOy, and, o.
an inducelnenL for him to quit, hurled few stones
al him, one Of Which, as Tue complainant lesll.
fed, struck hin on the back Of lie nsCk'
Tie testimony being concluded, the defendant
addressed the jury os follOwsi
Gentlemen Of the Jury! I don't know much
about law, and siuce Tie lflal hss been going on
have concluded Innl ought to know a little more.
ought TO apologize perbupS for uppeanng IN my
own defence, anu will do so by telling you thai
Iced Que lawyer and hired another in this case,
but tnsy both come up missing VI en need tnem
most. suppose might save secuted tue seTVi
ces Of some OF these Otnef climbs Of lue law" lhal
see aTouud me, but naVing been cheated by two
Of ZEN, concluded ~ 90 ''On my own hook
nd heT- Oml want IoIell you, gentlemen, oe-
fore 20 iur;het that 1t Is not my fault that tins
case is here taking up the time Of This louorable
fhiuk tytll an credit IgF telling
the ruth when say hutltOugbtt to have been tried
beiote Juslice olthe Peace, II being better adopt
ed 10 The capacities VI such q court than OF this
one. AGIerlhs difficulty DOGdeT did get Swar.
rant for me from Squire Cuddeback, over in Deter
park. He then ella ged that mad insulted himi
but Ave or SIX nionu' nave Iteshened nis TecOllec
ton, aud no now sbys ihot assaulted and battered
him. believe thsEe is some difference between
the two cnarges. ..-,....,...E
podder says he swore 10 the comploiht before
Squire Cuddeback, ami leave II (oI you 10 say
whether he tells the roth now in saying that
battered him, was taken by constable before
the Squire, and eitueT because the Justice was
sshanied Of what he hhd already done or hadn't
Time 20 attend 10 IL, don't Know wIucn,il we vi
down. Two or three weeks after that was
arrested again, aud, my wife having been con-
iued, thought Il lest, as duIiiul nUsbJnd' 20
he around mum, so got rid ofilby giving security
IUf my appearance 10 coUn.
You know, gentlemen, that am ia the employ
of line MOngaIp Valley, toHeslGuTg, aud Port
Jetyis Plank ROsd Company as gnte keeper.-
TINS company, II seems, mad Sufficient confidence
IN my integrity and honesty TO place me in that
important slhliouS and even il Should receive
$1,000 aud steal $1,000 Of il, that's between me
and lne company, and Ills none oil DodOeSs Ousl.
ness. Now Wnen the company sent me up Oloag
this road 10 collect tolls, lhls Dodd6r was one OF
The inhabitanls lou1d there IN the woods, and /
will soy fIF him that be sa SeIyfaI specimen
OF The re Of The population But There 'sTt
any OF them that seem TO appreciate all Tue bene'
lIs OF this plank road.
Il lei ont to civilization Glass Of people who
neyl before realized the iden that t1kfe was such
thing aS civilized life, and this DOddeT is one VI
them. II is TACT that suon nller | moved tnvte b
young We man, years old, cumlOS onl oil tile
mountains on the plank Tood one day aud said sue
lad never been out before, She fairl! seemed sur
prise 10 see white ,DaN, and al!eT 9sklAg q. few
questions went bsck into the woods. Tbis DOdder
was nv nearest neighbour aud good deal nearer
tlau wanlsd bimj and hadn't Uesn There long
before heard he hhd been lying about me 10 one
Of the directors. und soon found out that lie
vented 10 ; ct his son, wiOhas sWOEn here against
me, 10 my place. But no HASN'T done u yel, and
II you DON'T convict me | reckon Ito won't very
SOON.
II WON'T take long 10 dispose Of DoldsT No. O..
He test;ies that he saw mo throw three stones 81
his Iallef sod saw the 'Old man dodge" On
bis crosse minaiOn be says that he was in bic
own house the woods, and bad TO look over
hlll twenty l high, and also over thee slab
lences end twt stone wallSl Well, il ls tells the
Truth, all wisiS n thal had young DoddeFs eyes,
lie u eeTleiNly a 8alkable boy, and can't COW
llgIently deny nis "JaI ,', . 40
am willing 10 admit n did wrong 70 throw
stones At DOddsr, and an, oglEs 70 all the void,
aud this court particularly. n, Tue doeloIh tell
Us that there are two causes n diseases, pre-
disposition and exci;aoilily. ~ Il was the
latter cause that moved me- - DoddeR.
therelore confess myself rui,v 81 assault, but
he battery deny, and n you sa5 guilty. Of
Inc battery l viii appeal from ihs " y 10 10 the
CouTl OF Heaven ilself before viii s1 tph
Now. gentlemen, YOU saw Nj, 49, d hebTi
him F,vesT ngoinst me- asked bin, many