Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-10
From the National Iatelligeacer, July Sd.
PIMINAI. COURT TRIAL m TUE pIorrl

CRIMINAL COURT TRIAL OF THE RIOTERS.
Yesterday morning the cases 6fthe parties charged
with rioting and illegal interference with the exer
else with the right of suffrage at the first precinct of
the Seventh Ward at the late municipal election were
! concluded. p aJFEET> 81.
! The District Attorney, Mr. Key, opened for the
prosecution in an address of great pointedness and
power for about three quarters of an hour and was
followed by Mr. John j. Smith, who surrendered one
of his clients Warnock to the tender mercies of the
jury, having defense to make for him His other
client, William Williams, he defended with zeal, and
referred to the favorable testimony of witnesses on
both sides in his behalf Mr.. Darlington then ad-
dressed the jury for the space of about an hour and
La half in speech of great earnesness and power
being of the best appeals he ever made at this
bar His chief legal point was that the charge of
riot was not sustained, the evidence not showing a
| state of things defined riot by the law
The case being at length given to the Jury thew
RETIRED and at halfpast three o'clock returned with
their verdict, finding VIM. Warnock John Webster
VIM. Wilson, Isaac Stoddard, and VIM Williams
GUILTY as indicted, and Jesse Williams not gully
All of the parties then in Court Warnoek having
decamped and Wilson in the country-were brought
before the bar for sentence - p IA ~ e'Th
In passing sentence Judge Crawford remarked
that they had been convicted of very heinous of
fence, indeed that cut at the very roots of our
system of government. He (the Judge) was very
sorry to see SO many men who had hitherto main
ta1neQ gO0Q characters engaged IN sHch acts, and
especially did he regret to mark among them who
had been peace officer of the country. Persons he
said who might be elected by such means as had
been sought to be put in operation by the prisoners
such means as cliques, combinations, holiness
and foree-coud not be properly said to be elected
at all. To be of genuine value our elections must be
free entirely free Of all the rights which are dear
to u.s. of all the rights ii is wisdom and duty to
guard perhaps the right Of exercising the suffrage
free from all intimidation and terror is the most i'm
portant and it is all the necessary that this
freedom of elections should be maintained inYiolae
since there is less likelihood that persons who have
been deprived of their vote at elections will make
the effort to right themselves by appeal to the law
The exertion of violence and intimidation at or
about the polls is less private than public wrong
and it is therefore incumbent the public to vindi-
cate its rights. uralized ciizan has right to
his vote as much (said Judge Crewford) as you or l.
or any other native, and that right must be fully
respected. Is it not preposerous, continued the
Judge to refuse citizen his right of suffrage be-
teduse he was born in England; or Ireland, or Ger
many? Ifthere be any differences in fact there
is not and ought not to be in reason or in law-the
difference is in their favor for they have made this
country their own by adoption, by voluntary choice
for born here At any rate, the law protects
them in the exercise of their rights citizens and
they must therefore be protected. The Judge con-
cluded by saying that the of the Court is
that all the parties convicted be imprisoned in the
county Jail of Washington county for the space of one
year, and each of them to pay fine of twenty
dollars. ..
cd Warnock and Wilson having been called on BY the
Deputy Marshal to come into Court and not answer
ing thereto their sureties, Mr.. Jackson Humphrey
and Mr. James H. Birch, respectively, were apprized
that their reeognizances would be forfeited