Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-03-17
From the Albany JouraaI.
A Methodist Clergyman Imprisoned 70
2 Speaking Against = lavery-- COm blnatiOu of

A Methodist Clergyman Imprisoned 70
2 Speaking AgRin5t = AIaVery-- Combination oi
Lawyers against Him, .r,..s --.1- w
WO have to>day to add danother to the already
long catalogue of outrages on the liberty Of
speech, committed in behalf of Slavery.
= Rev. Mr.. Hows,a Methodist clergyman in
Harrison county, Missouri, was challenged by q
Kentuckian neighbor to debate the Slavery dIesr
tiOn. lie accepted the challenge in good faith,
and the debate took place, with no unusual cir
cumstanees, about elk miles from Bethany, the
County seat. Immediately afterEards Mr. Howe
was arrested. nah owning 5000 worth OF
slaves had made afiidavittshat he was an s 'Abo
litiOlist, and demanded his incarceration in the
PenitentiarY. AprOsecution SO evidently MALI
cious and absurd, did not alarm Mr.. IL. until his
return to town, when he found that al tbe law
yers, with one exception, had combined to refuse
to defend him. Out Of this combination were
selected W. G. Lewis, Circuit Attorney, and J.
W. Wyatt TO conduct the prosecution. Tie one
exception was o. L. Abbott, Esq, q native OF
this State; and a graduate of the Albany Law
School. He undertook Mr.. Howe's defence,
but was allowed no time for preparation. Not
Eithstanding be offered in behalf of the prisoner
any amount Of bail, and asked that the exams
nation might be postponed he was compelled to
/
! hours time 10 ascertain the nature Of the case
or obtain evidence, and that too in regard to an
offence hitherto unknown TO the record ei
crime! 90 -
During the examination, the Court sustained
every objection made by tie Prosecuting Attor-
neys to questions which were all important to
the interests ofthe defence The defence was
required to produce ali the testimony in his be-
half in Court at midnight! AT O'Clock, how
eYer,the Judge, for his own convenience, having
other business coming on in the morning. con-
scented 10 postponemtnt for two days. In the
meantime, all the influence that could be ex-
erted to enbarrass the defence was resorted to.
When the trial was resumed, the town was
/ filled with people from all parts of the
county. The large Court Room was densely
crowded. The evidence closed late in The
afternoon. Mr.. Abbott summed up his case,
assisted, since no lawyer could assist him, BY
Rev. John S. Allen, who, though STAKEHOLDER
himself was not willing to see his town dis
grsced by such tyranny against Free Speech -
Judge Lewis followed in fanatcaI Proslavery
TRADE against the prisoner, his counsel, sin
cendiaries and "abolitOnists' in general, and
the case was submitted for decision.
That decision WILDE looked for with interest,
even at this distance from the scene. The crime
with which Mr.. H is charged is defined as cut
teriug words, the tendency of which is to excite
any slave to insolence ard insubO1dination, -
missouri R. s., vel l, page 1861 although it
was shown on evidence that there was not a
negro, bond or free, within two miles Of the
place of debate The penalty for this offence
is five years imprisonment at hard labor in the
Penitentiary.
During and since the trial, thu eats have been
freely made of "tar and feathers" against the
prisoners counsel and various attempts made
to intimidste and drive him from the place. The
generous and upfiinching manhood with which
he stepped forth to aid the persecutsd. Clergy
man, in spite OF the hostility of parlizan Bar
and Bench is thing that his friends and old
instructors here may well be proud of A con.
spira cy between Lawyers, Judges and Proseeu.
tors against one poor Clergyman to send him to
the Penitentiary for words spoken IN debate, is
not the kind Of Law he was brought up under
in New York and instructed in at the Albany
Law School -