The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1855-10-26

they were conmendatory Of the frnness Of the
Judges. all admitting it must concede that to
that extent they could have been nc more
than Just. Though the Judges did no more
than their duty, they did it faarlessly aud
manfulIy, and that, too, under circumstances
we'll calculated 10 excite their sympathy, and
| TO swerve them from rigid and faithful adhe--
1 renee 10 the law as il is, for which they de-
serve public commendation rather than censare.
and as an independent and impartial journalist,
we did not hesitate 10 award them Their due
| We spoke Of their decision, Of the conclusion
at which they had arrived, and not OF the pro-
cess OF reasoning or the language employed by
/ Judge Black IN making that decision. There
are many views expressed 10 that written oPin-
ion with which we do not eoncuri we may go
/ further, and say, there arr some sentiments
| expressed in it TO Which NE cannot and % not
subscribe 1t is bat due 10 candor, however, TO
admit that among these Is not the one embodied
| in the concluding paragraph OF the oPmton OF
the Court, to which our correspondent refers.
/ To the verify and ustness OF that sediment we
fully subscribe, all the indignant ouiberst OF To-
gic and defamation Of oar correspondent to the
contrary notwithstanding.
Saw what our correspondent may, he tails to
disprove the assertion OF Judge Black. Pass
more Williamson does carry the key IN his
own pocket whereby he may release himself
from prison, if hr sees proper to do 50. We
will not here fellow the process OF reasoning
employed by our correspondent, and enter up
on an inquiry rs 10 the truth OF what he as
snmps, that Williamson did make truthful
return, and that he cannot amend that FttnEa
without an implied, if not express acknowl-
edgment that his first return was false. Sut-
fee il for US now to say, that a man may be
guilty of iasehood by suppression OF truth
as we'll as the expression OF iaisehood and that
Williamson did not, in his sworn return, state
the truth, and the cchoLe truth, it does not be-
come him now to higgle or hesitate about cor
rectiDg that return, and make one that will dis
close all the knowledge he has 10 relation to the
matter Instead of haIting and hrsilatng about
doing so, because tia; might subject him TO
the imputation of not having acted properly
in the first instance, he should as an hon
est man only consult duty, HAT duty which he
| owes to himself and to the laws Of the country.
| IT is true, then, as Judge Black observes, he
does carry the key with him, whereby hr may
unlock the bolts and bars OF the prison, unless Ii
be assumed, as does cur correspondent, that he
made clean breast in the outstart, and dlscios-
/ ed all the knowledge he has on the subject in
/ his original return but this, in the face OF all
F! the evidence already disclosed, would be going
/ farther than our candor permits. The quIbble
/ that there can be no property in slaves IN tins
! State and that be therefore never had IN his
| possession the property claimed by Wheeler,
will mol suffice justification for the return
/ made by bin. 1t was not for him to decide
whether Wheeler could claim and hold those
slaves as property or not, nor for hlm TO assume
| that because he did:not regard Them as property
that he never had iHlhiS possession such refugees
| from service. His duty was to answer the writ
I of hGbefS corpus as commanded, esther by bring
! ing the persons claimed into the Court, or by
/ sworn return disclosing all the knowledge be
/ had on the subject, Passmore Williamson has
4 no one to thank but himself for the difficulties
] in which he now fads himself. Had he mind
ed his own business and lei other people unmo-
| Tested attend 10 theirs, be might now be ENJOY
ing the pleasures of his family circle at his own
I fire-side, and find enough within stones-throw
around hlm deserving of charity and acts OF be-
nevolence, TO engage all the means be has TO
spare for purposes Of that kind, and ali the time
his business engagement would allow him to de-
vote 10 so noble cause. Instead Of looking
around him al hong TO do good, where IN the.
exercise OF charity and brnevolenCe would have
threatened him, be choos. the hazardous and
hess laudab!e undertaking Of interfering with the
rights of others, and having done 50 with a full
knowledge Of the responsibilities attached to his
conduct, he can blame himself only for the
awkward predIcament in which he is now
/ placed.
As for the conduct of Judge Kane we shall
/ have more on another occasion to say. Our
remarks are already extended TO too great length
to express our views fully in relation to him.
( Let it therefore, be sufficient for the present 10
say, that we have no doubt the coart over which
! be presdes bad jurisdiction in the premises
| and he had therefore lawful authority to issue
7 the writ prayed for by Colonel Wheeer. Be-
! lieying this, il follows, of conrSe, that We regard
| il to have been the duty Of Williamson to make
/ fail and complete retuTn, disclosing by an TN
vanished statement, under oath, all the facts ct
which he had any knowledge, and that, on
failing 10 do so, he committed a grIerous mis-
/ take, and exhibited a spirit Of defiance TO the
/ judcia! tribunal before which he had been sum
moned to answer, that no law and order-lovlng
/ citizen ever should exhibit. or can consistently
Justify. So far, then, we regard Williamson IN
/ the wrong wholly in the wrong to iGeddle 10
business which it did not concern, and again
equally in the wrong in not disclosing unreser-
vedly all the knowledge, as he was legally
bound to do, be had 10 relation to the transat-
ton.
G7-Our paper this week is unusually fGll Of
advertisements. Many interesting atieies are
held back for our next issue.
Anecdote Of Sheep.