Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1859-11-25
him guilty Of the origin or the results Of
the outbreak Mt Harneris TERRY.


whom you arc thinking to punish alike.
Gan it be that a jury of Christian men
will find no discrimination should be
made between them Arc the tempter
and the tempted the same in your eyes?
Is the beguiled youth to die the same as
the old offender who has pondercd his
crime for thirty years Are there no
grades in yom estimation of guilt? Is
each one without respect to age or cir
cumstance, to be beaten with the same
number Of striaes? Such is not the law,
human or divine. We are all to be re-
warded according to our works, whether
\ ,3s s.'s,'4 liaepl or or aIzesings iag
good that we have done. You are here
to do justice, and if justice requires the
same fate to befal Cook that bcfals Brown,
| know nothing of her rules, and do not
care to learn They are as widely asun-
der in all that constitutes guilt as tho
poles of the earth, and should be dealt
with accordingly. 1t is in your power to
do SO, and by the principles by which
you yourselves are willing to he judged
hereafter ! mplore you to do it
Come with me, however, gentlemen.
and let us approach the spot where tho
tragedy of the 18th of October occurred,
and analyze the conduct of the prisoner
there. 1t is not true that he came as
citizen to your State and gained homo
in your midst to betray you. lie was
ordered to take his position at Harper's
Ferry in advance of his party for the
sole purpose of ascertainng whether Col.
Forbes, of New York, had diyulged tho
plan. This order came from John
Brown, the d" commander-in-c and
was doubtless a matter Of as much inter-
est to others Of prominent station as to
himself Cook simply obeyed-no more.
There is not particle Of evidence that
he tempered with your slaves during his
temporary residence. On the contrary.
it is admitted on all hands that he did
not. His position there is well defined.
Nor was he from under the coli, stern
eye Of his leader From the top Of tho
mountain his chief looked down upon
him, and held him as within charmed
circle. Would Cook have lived day
had he tried to break the meshes which
enyironed him? Happy the hour in
which he had made the attempt even
had he persisted, but, in fixing the mea-
sure Of his guilt, the circumstances by
which he was surrounded must all be
weighed. Az every step VIC see him as
the instrument in the hands OF other men,
and not as originating or advising any
thing. His conduct towards that elegant
and excellent gentleman, Col. Washing
ton, is matter of sore regret TO his
friends and also to himself. II is tho
one act most difficult Of all others to re-
concilc with the well-known character Of
the man. But even there his offence is
palliated by the dictatorship which gov
erned him. At first glance we sec
a heightened gentleman's hospitality
abused This has been used TO aggra-
vate his acknowledged offenses But
the truth is, that when Cook first visited
Col. Washington's house and received
from him various acts Of kindness, the
thought that soon he was to be ordered
back over that threshold in hostile
manner had never entered his brain
The act was not Cooks, but Browns
The nero soldier is never punished for
the outrages Of his commander. And
when you allow that the prisoners great
error was his enlistment under the lead
crship Of Brown in the FIRST place, then
you must admit that everything else has
followed in logical sequence Obedience
and fidelity upon leader in false and
pernicious cause are entitled TO Offset, in
some measure at least, the evil that has
flown from them. But the prisoner took
certain weapons hallowed by great and
sacred associations from the possession
Of Col Washington. All in this he is
once more consistent with the visionary
and dreamy cast Of his mind The act
was not plumber, for he pledged their
safe return TO their owner, and has faith
fully kept that pledge to the full extent
Of his power. But his Maynard fancy
was caught with the idea that spell Of
encbantment hung around them, and
that. like the relics Of saint, thoy would
bless and prosper any cause in which
they were invoked. The sword Of Fred
erick the Great aud the pistols of Lafay-
cite linked to the name and family of
Washington With whata charm such
associations would strike the poetic tenn
permanent ola young enthusiast embarked
in an enterprise presenting TO his per-
yertcd imagination the incentives Of dan
ger and glory; and il new order Of
things was TO be inaugurated, and storm
and revolution we're 10 shake the country
and the world like the heart Of the Bruce
or the eagles Of Napoleon. these warlike
incentives Of heroes were 10 faseinate and
allure followers, and hallow the battles
in which they were lifted. The mind Of
the prisoner is fully capable Of dreaming
such dreams and nursing such visions.
But It has been said that Cook left the
scene at EIarper's Ferry at an early hour
to avoid the danger Of the occasion, and
thus broke faith with his comrades in
wrong. Even this is wholly untrue
Again we find the faithful obedient sub
altern carrying out the orders Of his chief,
and when he had crossed the river and full
filed the commands Of Brown, he did what
Browns son would not do-by returning
and exposing himselfto the Gro Of the SOL
dlcrs and citizens for the relief Of Brown
aud his party. We see much, alas too
much, 10 condemn in bis conduct. but
nothing TO despisc we look in vain for
an act that belongs to base or malignant
(C5aciuren on ne .fourth Pq0s.)