Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-07-08

dication of the manner in which it is to b,
conductsd to its close. the result is easily
foretold. With equal ease will it be dc
termined by whom the responsibility fol
that result will have TO be shouldcred.
Lane and his Offense.
If we had been able to commence will
the beginning of the testimony in the tria
of Gen. j.. III. Lane, of Kansas. for til,
killing Of Gaius Jenkins, we should have
published 1T as 1t came to us In full Fail
ing IN that we know nothing better than to
glance at the general DRIFT of it, But be
ioresdoing this we have a word to say in
regard to the course pursued towards Lane
10y some fprominent papers That they
should denounce his crime, if crime II
proves to be, and in any event reprobate
the awful imprnlence that hurled an un-
prepared soul into eternity in defense of q
disputed right OF trivial consequence, is
right. But to accept this one act as the
expression of his whole character, and pro
ceed upon ii to denounce him a cruel, COW.
ardly and treacherous, and to discover all
at once that he never was worthy of the
place he held in Kansas; that he was al
ways noisy, restless, treacherous dem
agogue, who excited trouble from which he
ran away. and urged terrible vengence
which he did not dare help to take, is both
unjust and silly We think of Lane
Kansas war career, now Just what VIC
thought while it was being performed, and
have always thought We believe he was
the very man for the time and the crisis in
which he appeared; that his fiery zeal,
though often dangerous, was safer than
not to act at all; that he consolidated and
gave direction to the resentment that the
conduct of the Rufians excited, and with
1t worked out the redemption of Kansas
from an oppression with which Bomba' S
was mild and pleasant in comparison
Those who now call him "tire branl'
forget that lire brand was the very
thing neclel to burn down the systemized
robbery that the Fe.leral Government had
instituted i'll the territory. He~as .lire
brand,' AMI it Is q compliment to him,
for fire and steel and not mild words or
watery decis were nccJled In that day of
the oppression of Kansas He came like
fire, and swept the rufians oat of the ter
ritory He cauIc at the very time when
his fierce hate and lpadlong zeal were the
! very buhvarls of safety, when any ything bat
implacable ennitv would have been a
crime. and any policy but his decided and
stern hostility would have been suir-i,lal.
He did good in his day and generation, and
we do not envy the facility of feeling that
condemns him for a WORTHLESS, pernuious
meddler always, because he has at last
done a most uninsti6able, and 1T may be,
criminal act We never admired him,
and never were his champion, but we can
sag that IT Is unjust to accept the occasion
Offered by his misconduct 10 retract all that
was ever said to his credit, and to assert
that he never did anything creditable or
beneficial. He never was a COOL or
great man, but he was the very man need
ed IN Kansas when ordinary men and or
dinay counsels were useless. Let him
then have ere lit for what he has been, and
has done. and condem as it deserves the
homicide he has perpetrated.
The testimony on the pant of the pros
ecution has been direct and clear I: es-
tablishes the killing, (which was ADMITTEDLY
and the circumstances as hitherto related
substantially On the part OF the defence
it was proved that the man who shot Lane
(Green) stated that if his pistol had gone
off at first Lane would not have killed JelI-
kins, which wouldindicate that the attack
was from JenlSin' side; and it was proved
BY three witnesses that three shots were 6rel
at Lane before he fired at at ALL Two wo-
men, and Mr.. Gates, man Mrc,l by Lane
swear to this. Ii this, is creditable testi-
mony it will acqut Lane, and Justly
Whether it be, OF not, we cannot Judge.
The chief witnesses against Lane were Jen-
kin smen. who were concerned in the fight,
and therefore not as reliable as they other
wise might be. The CHARACTER of-Jenkins' S
trespass, If 1t was so on Lanes property,
was shown to he of most provoking
kind, aud bis own conduct is stated by one
side to have been menaeing, and by the
other only determined, without any hos
tile appearance. In any event. the ev
idense elicted shows that Lane had provo
cation. probably excited in some degree by |
his conduct to Jenkins previously. and |
that,it is not certain but that he only fred |
after he had been twice or thrice fred at
His act undcr'these circumstances, cannot
be stigmatized as cowardly or blood thirs-
ty, though it may have been headlong, .un-
necessary. and unjustifiablc. Without
any kind of prepossession in Lane favor, /
forwe nererthought hm anestimable man. !
it may be justly doubted if he has
committed any greater offence than Mari |
on county jnries have time and time again (
no crime hid .Joss5-sa = 'si
8T Dare tFe-Dlacks Repablicans deny
having voted 10 admit Kansas. into the
Union as slave State. -Seatn nsl..
How mad you are that the facts of histo- /
Y give the lie to alf your false charges Of
1886 aeAinstthe RepnblieAnsl They never
,retendestto oppose the admission of slave
States II clear majority of the people de- i
lred il, The vote of the Republicans in
egar,l to the adnission Of Kansas, was
'onsistent With their professions, that when
hey come to form State. the rights of +,
ne pea?le'areE sacred During their mi Il
lority. il is the duty Of Congress to legislate 7,