The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1859-12-30

not: U6nllcfIleu, QdS VI t"o uioolp pdtCS
all the mists of this imaginary question o
law. True, acts of murder, acts, if yol
; please, of treason, acts of burglary, acts o
rapine, had been perpetrated upon The
grounds of the armory at Harper's Ferry
but not there only, for john Brown, is the
most insane-whateve may be said of the
character Of the plaa-1nost criminal out
rage, had been gnilty of five violations O
law, three of them, at least, capital felo
nies by the laws of the State of Virginia
lie had perpetrate9 burglary, robbery, in
cilement to sedition, treason, murder
three, at least, say, capital felonies, what
ever other felonies he may have commit
ted within the limits of Harper's Ferry ar
mory, he had perpetrated outside the linn
its of Harper's Ferry armory, and in the
sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the State
of Virginia. Applause.
That was the law of this case; and |
now therefore, say to you, gentlemen-I
say it upon my own judgment as jurist
that John Brown was duly and lawfully
convicted, in full course of law; that what
ever forms were involved, they were for
the exclusive determination of the State
of Virginia; and there was no substantial
question to be determined, for there was
no question with regard to the guilt of the
prisoner Who says John Brown was not
guilty? Who says he did not commit bur-
glary! Who says he did not perpetrate
invasion and treason! Who says he did
not slay unarmed, inoffensive men in the
streets of Uarper's Ferry9 No man de-
MES this. Nay, instead of denying this,
all that is said and done in regard to that
is to assume that those acts of atrocous,
ferocious felony were mesitorious acts. |
say, then, gentlemen, all honor to the
State of Virginia loud applause and cries
Of Good" Good to her judiciel au-
thorities; all homer to the State Of Virgin
ia that this traitor and murderer appre-
hended in the very act of murder and trea-
son, was duly, fully and lawfully tried and
convicted accordidg to the law of tue lard,
not alone of the State of Virginia, but of
every one of the States of the Union. APP
| plause.
But then, gentler en-, in these most ex
trsordinary manifestations which have oc-
Cured in the State of Massachusetts and
eIsewhere-prayer-meetings,pu public assem-
blies Of rejoicing and of pretended sub,
scription laughter and applauseI-in all
! these ic Is urged there is eXtenuation Gt
there be no other suggestions) applicable
to the case, that should change our appre
citation of tie character of the acts ofJohn
Brown.
"Extenuation?" What extenuation 3.
Gentlemen, we have been told that John
Brown was maddened to perform those
acts by a sense of the wrong committed
upon him by the violent death of one of
his sons in Kansas. That is question of
fact. Is it so, gentlemen? Fellow citi-
zens, we live here in a apopulous Common
wealth, with all the securities of life and
peace around us, under the shelter, not
only of the laws, but of our relations to our
fellow citizens. But 90 with me to one
Of those fertile prairies Of the far West :;
90 with me to the frontier cabin of a pio-
neer settler in the far West. There, gen
tlemen, in the dead ofnght, the husband
reposing in the arms of his beloved wife,
with their dear little ones around them, in
the fancied repose af their common secu-
rity, under the laws of their country, they
are aroused from their slumbers by the
treacherous approach of armed murderers
The husband-two husbands are torn from
the arms of their wives, and ruthessly
slaughtered in cold blood. Nay, their
youthful children are Drained before their
eyes. Methinks can hear now the wall
ing cry Of that poor woman, Mahala
Doyle-of that unhappy Louisa Wilkin-
son-that waiing cry should smite upon
the ears and enter the hearts of every one
of us,-as they cling to the limbs of the
murderer, and pray for the deliverance OF
their husbands and their children. But
they spoke to merciless heart, for they
spoke to John Brown! A voice-'That
has been denied.'3 I say, gentlemen, de-
ny it who will and who dare, that man
was John BrowZ Loud cheers.
lie was there, his sword dripping with
the gore of those slaughtered, inoffensive
peaceful, slumbering men and children
and that sword came from the State Of
Massachusetts. l say this is proved. Il
is proved by incontrovertible evidence
That evidence exists on record In the re
port Of the committee" appointed by The
House of Representatives., to examine int
the disorders in Kansas. | say, that mur
derous act of John Brown was the com
mencement of bloodshed in Kansas. AnC
by the lurid light of those blazing houses
!, and by the reflection of the demoniac cru
city of that man on that occasion,-by al
that, we have the key to events wlici
might otherwise have been yet in mystery
That is the commencement OF bloodshe'
in these United States, and it was in tha
same spirit that John Brown, with an in
| sane ferocity of cruelty, proposed to con
sign the peaceful Inhabitants of the Stat
2 of Virginia, the millions and millions c
/ White men and white women, to servie in
e surrection and civil war, and to outrage
/ indescribable, impossible to be imagined
= worse than a million deaths.
Y But it is said that John Brown wa. in
Z sane and therefore that he should not hav
+ been convicted. Was he insane. Ger
, tlemen, have many times had occasio
e in this Commonwealth-al rejecting me
4 have bad occasion-to meet a simila
g question. / cannot meet that questio
/ without speaking plainly. Shall 1 spea
: plainlya General cries of "Yes, yes,
/ | say, in this Commonwealth of Massacht