Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-03-22
From the Albany Journal.

From the Albany Journal.
A Methodist Clergyman Impris-
oned for Speaking against Sla-
= very Com bination of Lawyers
against Him.
We have to-day to add another to the
already long catalogue Of outrages on the
liberty of speech, committed in behalf of
Slavery.
Rev. Mr.. Howe, Methodist clergymen
in Harrison county, Missouri, was chal-
lenged by a Kentuckian neighbor to debate
the, Slavery question. He accepted the
challenge in good faith, and the debate
took place, with no unusual circumstances,
about six miles from Bethany the County
seat. Immediately afterwards Mr.. Howe
was arrested. A man owning $4,000
WORTH of slaves had made affidavit that he
was an aAbolitionist," and demanded his
incarceration in the Penitentiary. A pros
ecution so evidently malicious and absurd,
did not alarm MIR. H. until his return to
town., when he found that all the lawyers,
with one exception, had combined to refuse
to defend him. Out of this combination
were selected W. G. Lewis, Circuit Attor-
ney, and ]. w. Wyatt to conduct the pros
ecution. The one exception was 0. L. Alb
bott, ESQ.,, native of this State; and a
graduate of the Albany Law School. He
undertook Mr.. Howe's defence but was al
lowed no time for preparation. Notwith-
standing he offered in behalf of the pris-
oner any amount of BAIL and asked that
the examination might be postponed, he
was compelled to go on Immediately, with
out having had an hours time to ascertain
the nature Of the case or obtain evidence,
and that too in regard to an offence hith-
erto unknown to the record of crime!
During the examination, the Court sus-
tanned every objection made by the Pros
ecuting Attorneys to questions which were
all important to the interests of the de-
fence. The defence was required to pro-
duce all the testimony in his behalf in
Court at midnight! AT / o'clock, however,
the Judge, for his convenience, having
other business coming on in the morning
consented to postponement for two days.
In the meantime, all the influence that
could be exerted to embarrass the defence
was resorted to. When the trial was re-
sumed, the town was filled with people
from all parts of the country. The large
! Court Room was densely crowded. The
evidence closed late in the afternoon. Mr.
Abbott summed up bis case, assisted, since
no lawyer could assist him, by Rev. John
S. Allen, who, though STAKEHOLDER him
self was not willing to see his town dis
graced by such tyranny, against Free Speech
Judge Lewis followed in fanatical Pro
slavery TRADE against the Prisoner, his
counsel, '.incendiaries" in general, and the
case was submitted for decision. -.---.
That decision will be looked for with in.
terest, even at this distance from the scene
The crime with which Mr.. H. is charged is
defined as "uttering words, the tendency Of
which,,is to excite any slave TO insolence and
insubordinatiop," Missouri R. S., vol
page 1867 although, it was shown on evi
dence that there was nota negro, bond OF
free, within two miles of the place of de
bate Inc penalty Tor this offence Is hve
years Imprisonment at hard labor in the
Penitentiary. -
During and since the trial, threats have
been freely made of "tar and feathers
against the prisoners counsel and various
attempts made to intimidate and drive hin
from the place. The generous and unfiinch
ing manhood with which be stepped forth
to aid the prosecuted Clergyman, in spite o.
the hostility of partizan Bar and Bench is
thing that his friends and old, instructors
here may well be proud Of. A conspiracy
between Lawyers, Judges and Prosecutor:
against one poor Clergyman to send him
to the Penitentiary for words spoken in de-
bate, is not the kind of Law he was
brought up under in New York and instruc-
ted in at the Albany Law School!