New-York daily tribune., 1859-05-27
CAPTAIN CORRIE.

the Wanderer. has taken rather peculiar turn II
will be recollected that having gone to Charleston
subsequently to the landing Of the Africans be
was there arrested and committed to Jail on Ger.
tain charges growing out cf that transaction. Mean
while the United States Grand Jury for the Sa-
vannah district found indictments against him,
under the save-trsde acts, upon which indictments
his transfer was asked TO Savannah that he might
there be tried upon them. Judge Msgrath how
ever, of the United States District Court for the
District of South Carolina-who seems disposed to
avail himself 10 the utmost extent of his Judicial
position to defeat the enforcement of the acts
sganst the slsve-trade refused to deliver Corrie up
He held that inasmuch as proceedings were pend
ing against him in the Charleston district those
proceedings must first be disposed of before
he could be delivered over for trial at
Savannah. The other day. the session coming
round of the United States Circuit Court for the
District Of South Carolina, at which Judge Wayne
of the Supreme Court aud District-J Judge Msgrath
presided. the Grand Jury for the Charleston Dis
trict expressed their satisfaction with the conduct
Of Capt Corrie by refusing t. find bill against
him. Shortly after, however, it appears to have
occurred to them that in thus giving vent to their
own antipathy to the acts prohibiting the slave
trade they had left their friend the slave-trading
Captaiu in predicament which might prove
awkward TO him. He would now be liable to be
handed over for trial at Savannah, where possibly,
as the Grand Jury had already found bill, Petit
jury might consict him. Or perhaps the Charles
ton Grand Jury. not satisfied with the glory which
South Carolina had obtained by the acquttal OF the
Echo prisoners wished to add to it the honor of
acquitting Capt Corrie sl.o, and thus furnishing
him with plea of &" "once acquitted of which,
in case of necessity, he might avail himself in
Georgia
1t was, We suppose, on some such view OF the
case that, on being called into Court the next
morning, preliminary to their discharge, the fore
man of the Grand Jury requested that the bill
against Capt. Corrie, which the day before they
had refused to fnd should be recommitted TO them,
request which he attempted to preface by some
excuse or other for not having found the bill, aud
some explanation Of the present request, bat to
which Judge Wayne refused to listen, on the
ground that the Grand Jurors were bound to keep
secret their own deliberations. and that the Court
was bound to presume that they had discharged
their duties, and would continue to do so. AS to
the reoue st to have the bill back again, he con-
sidered that the duties Of Grand Juries in the
Cour,s of the United States depended exclusively
on statute provisions, and he knew of no statute
authority for such a proceeding. Judge Magrath
took the opposite view, but as the judges dif-
fered, the application was refused, and Judge
Wayne proceeded to discharge the Jury. Pend
ing this process, however, the Jury claimed
the right of making presentments, which was
conceded to them, when they shortly after made a
presentment against Captain Corre for violating
the slave. trade acts. and requested the Court to
instruct the District-Attorney to take measures
accordingly. After this paper was read the Grand
Jury were discharged, but the counsel for Captain
Corrie thereupon stepped forward, and, claiming
that this presentment was in the nature of an in
dictment. moved an immediate trial. Meanwhile
however, an application was made to the Court
to admit Corrie to bail, upon which point an argu
ment was had. According to the meager report
of The Charleston Courier, which contains the
only report we have seen, the Dstrict-At.Orney,
instead of opposing this motion, argued in favor
of it, 1t is difficult to understand what precisely
his position is in connection with this new attempt
to secure to Capt. COrrie the benefit of South |
Carolina Jury. Judge Wayne also seems on this
occasion to have acted non-conmlttal part, leay-
ing the whole matter in the hands of the District
Judge, who, after Judge Wayne's departure, pro-
ceed.d to admit Capt Corrie to bail. Though the
rationale of all these proceedings may be little
obscure, we are justified from what We have seen
of the doings of South Carolina Juries, in con-
Guiding, that this anxiety to keep up the show Of
proceedings against Capt Corrie, does not arise
from any very ardent desire to enforce the laws
against the African saye-trade.