New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-10-15
ZANE ILLUSTRATED.

The old New England primer, that ancient
schoo-book, now antiquated and superseded, but
which served as first instructor in letters phioso-
ply and the fine arts to so many sturdy genera
tops contained among other lessons Of wisd I'm, to
which both words and the art pictorial contributed
an illustration of the letter c. for which might
properly enough have been substituted, represent
ing cat rampant with eyes leering, mouth slightly
omen and fore paws extended, one upward toward
heaven. the other downward upon an unfortunate
mouse. which stood before her with tail fiat on the
ground and fore paws lifted up with an ak of the
most pteous supplicston, as if begging for mercy,
but utterly hopeless of it. And beneath this
speaking picture stood the following trite but sig
nifcant legend:
The cat will play and sfter slay.'
It ia generally admitted that in the fine arts an
tiouity has the better Of US. Our finest prOduc-
tions in that line are apt to be only limitations Of
the antique, adapted to new purpose Grecian
temples are turned into banks, and gothic churches
into dwelling houses and perhaps some of our nge
NOUS caricaturists could not do better than Dor
rowing from the old printer, the above-men.
toned pictorial outline to replace the head eav-
ing claws and tail as they are) of the old cat by
the physognomy of Judge Kane of the United
States District court of eastern Pennsylvania
stin leaving to it, however, certain catfish
aspect-in which case the duplicating mouse
might well be supposed to typify the writ of
babeas corpus which Judge Kane, IN his lately
delivered opinion on the petition of Jane Johnson
pats so tenderly and patronizingly on the head as
preliminary to swallowing it entire so that not
vestige of it, considered as writ OF delivery,
remains anywhere to be seen
A single picture, however, never can represent
the entire of great action. Such one as we
have proposed would fail to do the judge COM
plete Justice, or to convey full idea Of bis judi
cial authority. Not only like the Inflated Saturn
who upnaturay devoured his own children-and
lost his throne tbereby-does Judge Kane ruth
lessy suck the blood and swallow the bones of
the writ Of habeas corpus; he goes further, and
from the guaranty and guardian OF liberty he
seeks to convert it, so far as his court is con-
cerned, into deadly instrument of oppression.
The full parallel, the adequate representation of
his outrageous conduct is not to be sought or
found in the sober realities Of the New-England
primer but only in stories Of magic and diablerie;
and Judge Kane ought, in second picture, to be
represented as wicked magician who BY the
touch of his legal wand, transforms the angel of
mercy coming with the key Of deiyerance in her
hand, into stern and ferocious ailor, binding his
victim with handouts and letters and giving him
in this helpless condition into the clutches OF
the tormentors But as it always happens in the
stories of magic that the charm fails when ex-
posed to the contact of intelligence and truth, so
it emnently happens in the case Of this opinion Of
Judge Kane. The question raised by Jane John
sons petition was whether Kane, as United States
judge for the eastern district of Pennsylvania had
hanson, commanding him to bring up the body of
Jane johnson and her children, and to take any
proceedings whatever founded upon that writ.
The report of Judge Kane's opinion as published
in our columns to-day, shows an unfortunate gap
in that part of it in which he undertakes to
vindicate his authority to issue the writ; but still
it is sufficiently apparent that with all his ridicu-
lOus and uncalled for parade Of antiquarian learn
ing, be puts his authority TO issue the writ solely
on the ground that Jane Johnson was slave. To
give him any color or pretence Of jurisdiction in
the case it is necessary to assume that by bringing
the woman Jane and her children Tito Psnnsylva-
MIA, Mr.. Wheeler did not lose his ownership of
them, such as he had or claimed to have under the
laws Of Virginia. Some persons have been sur
priied at what they deemed the unnecessary ex.
travsgance of Judge Kane in his urgency upon
this point but it is upon the establishment OF this
very position that the justification of his having
meddled at all in the matter can alons be sus
tanned.
Let our readers then, look for moment at the
reasoning BY which in speaking of the right Of
'laveholdsrtO carry bis slaves through the Free
States, the Judge undertakes to reestablsh Slavery
IN Pennsylvania, and to e1tendi generally to oil tho
the now free parts Of the Union II will be seen |
bat With characteristic intrepiditx nnon thi.