The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-11-18
VOLUME X. NO. 46.
End of the Charlestown Trials.
Cook, Green, Coppic and Cope
land Sentenced TO be Hung.

town dispatch, Of tho lo.b, states that Mr.
Harding, the Distric. Attorney, refused to
sign aOle prosequi in the case of Stephens,
demanding that he should be tried by the
Virginia State Court; but that tho Court
had banded the prisoner over to The L. S.
Marshal, without regard to tho objections
of Mr. Harding.
The Court, Oh tho samo day, sentenced
Cook, Green, Coppic and Copeland, to be
executed on Friday, the 18th Of December
Cook and Coppic both addressed the Court.
denying that thcy had any knowledge of
Browns intention to soize the Armory. IN
til the Sunday previous, when thcv wore
called upon to take the oath of obedionco
to their commander. They expected to be
punished, but thought they did no. deserve
to bc hung. We give tho remarks of Judge
Parker, in pronouncing sentence on tho
prisoners;
"Your trials, on which we have been
30 long employed, have at length ended,
and all that remains TO be done to com.
plete these Judicial proceedings, is to pro.
nounce and record the Judgments which
by law must follow upon tie crimes for
which you have been tried and of which
you have been found gvlty. These crimes
have all grown out Of a mad inroad upon
this State, made with the predetermined
purpose TO raise in our midst the standard
Of servile iasurec,ion. In the execu.
tlon oil this Purpose, in The darkness Of q
Saooaf Eight, you seized upon portion
OF our territory; captured several of our
best citizens, holding them as hostages of
war until your party was itself overcome
by force; armed such Of our slaves as YOU
could seize upon with deadly weapons,
which they were TO use against their own
ers, whom you denounced TO them as
their oppressors; and, in your efforts to
push your bold and unholy scheme
through to a successful issue, YOU have
taken human life in no fewer than five in
stances. The evidence most abundantly
proved that all these things had been
Gone, and by the force of that evidence
Jury after Jury has felt itself compelled to
bring in its verdict Of guilty against each
one of you. Happily for the peace of our
whole land, you obtained no support from
that quarter whence you so confidently
expected it. MT slave united himself
TO your party, but, so soon as he could
get without the range Of your rifles,
or as night gave him an opportunity
made his escape from men who had come
to give him freedom, and hurried to place
himself once more beneath the care and
protection OF his owner. When we reflect
upon all the mischief and ruin, the darl
And fearful crimes which must have at,
tended even your palt success-men
everywhere should be thankful that you
were so soon and so easily overpowered
For these offences the law demands the
penalty OF death, and imposes upon mt
the duty of pronouncng that sentence. -
1t is the most painful duty / have eve
been called on to perform. In spite o
your offences against our laws, canno
but feel deeply for you, and sincerely
most sincerely,d l sympathize with those
friends and relatives. whose lives are
bound up in yours, and whose hearts vii
be so wrung with grief when they shal
hear OF the sad fate which has overtaker
you, the objects of their warmcst and ho
liest affections. For them we all do sor
row; while due regard for our sa(c,,
may not permit us to forgive the oifense
OF which you haye been guilty, l hop,
they will turn for consolation, aud YOU 70
pardon, 70 that good Being, who in hi
wrath remembcreth mercy. Make thel
your peace with Him-for you must sool
be ushered into His presence, there TO b.
dealt with as His justice and His mcrcy
may ordain. To conclude this sad duty
now announce that the sentence of tn,
law is. that you, and each one of you
John E. Cook, Edwin Coppic, Shield
Green, and John Copeland, be hanged b
the neck until you are dead-and tha
the execution of this judgment be mad
and done by the Sheriff this County, oI
Friday, the sixteenth day OF Decembe
next, upon you, Shields Green and JOIN
Copeland, between the hours Of eight il
the forenoon and twelve, noon, Of tha
dny--and upon you. John E. Cook an,
Edwin Coppic, between the hours Q
twelve, noon, and five in the afternoon c
the same day. And the Court being c
opinion that the execution Of this sentenc
should be public. it is further ordcre
that this sentence be enforced and execu
tod. not in the jail yard, but at such pub
lic place convenient thereto as the sal
Sheriff may appoint--and may God hav
mercy upon the soul Of each one Of you
Tho N. Y. Tribune makes tho followin
remarks upon the conclusion of tho Charlie
town trials:
Tho Harpor's Ferry trials Aro now ore
with the exception OF that of tho man Ila1lir
arrested at Chambersburg, and taken
Charlestown on requisiton of Gov. Wise,
Whether any indictment has bceu four
agaiast him, docs not yet appear. Tho pro
ecutiOn ia his case labor under cOnsiderab
difficulties. Thoy have no evidence to sho
that ho was actually at Harper's Ferry
Ho has the discretion to hold his tongu
and the convicted prisoners do not roco
nize him. Even if they did, boing convict,
folons, they could not he used as witnessc
Perhaps, in lack Of evidence to convict III
man, he may DO turned over 20 tho mob wi
murdered the prisoner Thompson.
Tho Virginia court of Appeals, to viii
the eaSos have been carried by writ of err
meets we believe, on tho Goth. No dou
n