Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-05-27
Education Morality Temperance Agriculture Local and Foreign
EXTRACT FROM TIE CLOSING
SPEECH OF EX-GOv. CORWIN.
At THE RECENT TRIAL OF ".
VI. CONNELLY. -.
ArrTAI TO TnE IrRY.

aiEtAL ~ HE Jlhf.
had, said the speaker. some au-
thorities, but in those which / have
read TO your Honor, you will find ref
erences TO others. j have nothing fur
ther to say on the matter of law
! Cunning to the Jury l am graft
fed to see that some of you belong to
the worthy profession of law. You
will be better aide to appreciate the
points l have presented to his Honor.
There are some principles which
you should understand. You should
know that it requires more proof to
establish a matter on the criminal side
of Court than on the civil. To con-
yict man you need stronger evidence
than you do to establish a fact upon
property. After enlarglng somewhat
upon this point, he continued-In that
country whence comes the trial by
Jury, it is the custom for the Judge to
require the prisoner to hold up his
hand as he says guilty or not guilty,
and the judge too holds up his hand.
and when the prisoner says not guilty,
utters prayer that the right might
prevail. In some sort of approxima-
ton to the way in which the law is to
be applied to us are we to apply it to
others. Mercy must be mingled in the
cup Of Justice Are we not taught
that when the wings Of the cherubim
that shielded the altar were folded up.
Mercy was found on the right hand
and justice on the left? While excr-
cising the solemn pcrogat!vcs of the
law -givcr, let us also exercise the pre-
rogative of the merciful, and if we
find that wrong has been committed
but through mistake, let us not enforce
the letter that killcth. but resort to the
spirit that makcth alive.
All the proof of the guilt of the de-
fendant up % his two letters here pro-
duced, is that the two negroes were
found In room sometimes occupied
by the accused and that he was some
times found there. If there is any
thing else it must be the testimony of
.lr. Riley, who two days before the
negroes were discovered, saw Connel-
ly going through the streets with some
bread and some other articles rolled up
in newspaper, of which he and his
brother were to make their supper, the
exigencies of their calling requiring
them to work early in the evening ami
preventing their going to their usual
meal.
There is nothing beyond this but
his voluntary letters. Do these look
as if my client were dishonorablc or
dishonest in his motives? In them he
appeals to the secret knowledge which
he knew the Prosecuting Attorney
must have that the man who discov-
cred him was the one who got away
the negroes. That man came TO him
Will you let some poor people stay
in that room of yours? He replied
yes. let 'em rest. He didn't ask wheth-
cr they were slaves Or whose slaves
,hcy were.
Mr.. Corwin explained the letters and
Connelly's conduct on the hypothesis
that he was the victim of conSpira V
among some OF the Marshals, whose
populations in the Gaines case he had
been instrumental in exposing. One
of the men having decoyed away the
slaves, asks Connolly to let them go
to his room, with that generous, reck-
less confidence which he gives every
one. he answered Yes. Then this per-
6dious rascal, this scoundrel. goes to
Col. Withers-therc's fcller by the
name Connolly. who reports for a
newspaper that's got your niggers.-
3ut you mustn't tell who told you;
and Col. Withers promises never to
reveal it. Why does that villain skulk
rom public observation if he only re-
vealed the whereabouts of some fugi-
tives? You lawyers understand why
Doss innocence shun the light? Ii is
willing to be known. All this the U
s. Government knew; the District At
torney knew; the Marshals knew.
ask you whether the Government of
the United States is likely to add to
its lustrc by employing liars, spies,
common iniormers, to execute Its great
purposes of preserving the entirety
unity and harmony of the Republic?
(Here Mr.. Corwin took sip OF
Something in tumbler, and was
watched by the jury. who were very
thirsty, quite intently. AS he set
down the glass with that indescribablc
look of his, he said: That's not bad.
| saw YOU cast wishful eye on it.")
What's the next step? Let's take
a general view. Seven marshals being
told by one of their number that some
one who wrote out notes, somebody
who cut down the fees of the Marshals
S11, 900, was in fix. Now was the
time to nab him, and then we'd see he
didn't cut down any more $1,000.
Commissioner Newhall, filled with
a patriotic desire to prevent dissolu-
ton of the Union, thereupon issues a
warrant for the arrest of two negroes,
believcing those two negroes to DC the
chosen instruments of the Devil to
break up the Union, and spread mise
ry all over the world. He conhdes the
warrant to these worthy instruments,
the Marshals, and at 10 o'clock the
consecrated host moves forth. They
are devoted to the preservation of the
Union, AMI the maintenance of uni.
versal freedom. The banner of the
United States waves over them; they
are pail from the United States Trea
sury; they have at their command tn,
forces a. the barracks, they can call
out the 200. 900 militia of Ohio to
catch niger or break a window
So they go to No. Is Taft's Bailding