The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-05
CHAPTER XIII.
The Knighfs Trial.
ole hnlh resisted law.
And therefore law shall scOrm him further trill
Than the severity OF public power n-ShakSPeaIs

! " He hath resisted law,
And therefore law shall scOrn him further thai
Than the severity of public power "-ShakSPedTs.
The trial came on. The Jurors were chosen.
! Eleven of them, under oath, confessed them
selves prejudced, but thought, notwithstanding,
that they could decide according to evidence.
| They were challenged but the objection to
| them was set aside because, as it was torclbly
argued, other people were prejudiced, too. In
shed, not far from the courthouse twenty
men, with BACKED faces, ropes, and materials
| for putting up an imprOmptu gallows, awaited
the result of the process.
Edward stood at Herman's side. Mr.. Broad.
stone, in his cOdt-of.aIplS, had ridden over on a
hired horse--his own having been found mys-
teriously famed in his stalI-and interposed
every possible obstacle at every stage Of the
proceedings. From time to time, the spectators
Kissed him; and he foamed at the mouth. To
bacco and its consequences abOunded. The
! jostling crowd, of the species that most doth
! congregate at a horse race or a cock tight,
eddied to and fro, and alternately pushed and
/ fought for places nearest to the noble young
/ forms in the dock as the Roman UulguS used
to do, no doubt, some centuries ago, for posts OF
observation nearest to the edge of the arena,
| when certain eccentric religionistS, patricans,
/ and others, were about to be thrown to wild
beasts. What is the precise difference be-
] L
Messrs Broadstone and Hartgon, opposing
counseS, pitted against each other successfully
all the heroes Of antiquity whom they could
catch in their memories. Mr. Hartgons chief
dependence was upon Leonidas-Herman be-
ing viewed in the light of an invading Persian,
coming with an army at his heels to take away
the rights and liberties of bondage. Woe to
those whose "rghts are but wrongs against
their fellows.l Mr.. Broadstone's, upon Arts
tides-because he was fond of justice, and that
was what Herman wanted. The public"
meanwhile, ofhciated as a Greek chorus. They
cheered Leonidas uproariously; but Arstides
found little favor with them.
Having first in manner exhausted htera-
ture and eloquence, the legal gentlemen next
proceeded to law and logic They had paired
| off upon the facts Immediately connected with
| Herman's capture. Noble had vanished, leav-
| ing word with old JUDY, that he was going to
one of the free States, to try to learn an hon
est trade, and be an honest man. In the abb
sence of his evidence, the lawyers had there
fore made this compromise: Hartgon agreed
not to accuse Herman of shooting the slave
catcher, on condition that Broadstone should
not put to the jury the improbability of a slave
stealer's tarrying in the very jaws of danger, to
nurse a slave-catcher
However, Mr.. Broadstone proved conclusive
ly, to his clients and himself, that there was no
existing statute under which Herman could be
legally convicted, "upon such evidence, or
rather, utter absence of evidence, as the case
presented; and that, if such statute was wanted
for the preservation of their property, he should
recommend first trying little more corn-cake
and a little less cow-hide- as he made this
suggestion, he CHANGED to catch the cold sar-
donic eve of Squire st. Dominique, shook his
fist at him by an involuntary variation of his
violent and incessant gesticulation, and was
called to order by the judge j they must wait
for the next Legislature to pass it, and in the
mean time, of course, discharge the prisoner"
But it was ruled by the court, Sharper, j., on
the bench, that " it could make no manner of
difference to the criminal, if he be convicted,
whether the statute according to which he be
convicted was made after his sentence or be-
FORE"
Mr.. Hartgon then demonstrated, to the per-
feet satisfaction of the majority present, that,
GAS to anybody's treatment of his servants, that
was nobody's business. A merciful man was
merciful to his beast as we learned from a
Book which we could none of US peruse too