Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-03-28
THE MAJESTY OF THE LAW.

Those morning tears will quite dissolve my frame;
Ihey melt the soul which threats could never shake"
HIGGoNs.
Edmund Rowan was hurriedly dragged off
to a loathsome cell in the nearest station
house, and locked therein. lettering to the
stone seat, he fell into a drunken slumber,
from which it was almost impossible to ava
ken him. When the morning came, two rough
policemen summoned him to arise and 90
with them, and he was led through the streets
an object to the boots and jibes of a motley
crowd of men and boys. Up from Southwark
to the old State House, was his course, and
In a few moments he was deposited in the
criminals dock in the Mayors court.
As the spider-like finger of the clock neared
the hour Of nine, the Office began to be filled.
The dock presented a loathsome sight, in
deed. Next to the now sober Rowland sat
two belligerent lrishmen, each of whose Opt
cal orbs were ornamented by sombre rings.
Then there was a fat German woman, who
had evidently seen better days, a huge native
OF the same land of schnapps and lager, sigh
ing for his vaderlandt, a filthy Ethiopian, and
a murderous looking villain completed the list.
Nine, pealed from the heavy bell, when the
Mayor appeared, and the cricr demanded 81
lence. At this stage of the proceedings, John
Garland entered, and whispering a few words
" III A1oiois IdiCtJ Sedlcu HlillScll WltIlOul
the crowd of bystanders, and calmly awaited
the indictment of Rowand.
TIL two Irishmen were first brought ND.
and having taken the prescribed oath, the one
swore that the other struck him first, while
the other swore to the opposite. The Mayor,
however, cutting short the dispute arising in
consequence, remanded both to keep the peace,
and called for the next. This proved to be
the swarthy son of Ham who had been caught
in the hen roost Of a happy Arcadian, and be-
ing of a suspicious character, was naturally
arrested in his foul career. This case being
disposed of, the German lady waddled up to
the bar and heard, with establishment, that
she had violated one of the principal market
ordinances. After a long jabber of Anglicized
German, the matter was settled by a fine, and
the old lady went on her way rejoicing.
The next was one Gottliet Yaiser, who had
threatened to shoot that tam rascal Shones.
nit er knife" But his fiery passion having
been cooled down by a presentment before
the mayor, he begged his frient Shones par
don" and arm in arm, marched from the
court in joy. The man left was the bully, a
villainous looking individual who had been
held in ''durance vile" for rioting. A severe
reprimand and a heavy sentence was his por-
ton.
What a theatre to study human nature in,
a Mayors Court Here all visages of men,
whose rim outrival Tartarian~ midnight in
their hue, men whose hearts are dead in sin,
and whose first emotions would be to plunge
the knife into the bosom of their adversary.
Then again are men, fallen victims in the
tempter's snare, who, like Edmund Rowand,
had known better days, when the name OF
crime and sin would be an insult heaped upon
them.which they would bitterly resent. Then
some poor and wretched foreigner, ignorant
OF the laws of our free republic, would seek
redress against the oppression of some greedy
cormorant. And often, too, some wretched
child of shame would veil her face from the de-
riding crowd and listen to the penalty of de-
luded folly. Yet It's well said to be a school
of vice haunted by the idle and the curious,
the innocent youth sees visions of woe and
misery which make a lasting impression on
his morals contaminated by the touch of the
vulgar populace, who daily assemble to ridi-
culet the unfortunate beings who have trans
crossed the law, he too, becomes one of them.
Though, perhaps, termed rightly a school of
morals, how vicious are the ultimate results /;
and the graduate from its halls too often ex-
plates a crime against outraged justice upon
the gallows or within a prison house.
Edmund RowandI"
lutii dIOSc Lit SPECTATORS,
wearied, had dwindled down to a very few,
and among them was the anxious wife and
mother, bearing the traces of the husbands
brutality, aforced witness againsthim. There,
too, supported by the strong arm of John
Garland, was Alice, gazing with throbbine
heart and fearful eye upon the now sober
wretch, quivering beneath the majestic eye Of
the law.
'Your Honor" exclaimed a handsome
young man, who had been conversing with
the editor. 81 desire to become the counsel
for this man"
swell, Mr.. Green,' returned the Mayor
'if you have no objections to raise, we will
proceed at once with the case"
Mrs. Rowand was called to the stand anc
simply narrated the tale of sorrow with which
the reader is already acquainted. The hus
band leaned his head against the bench before
him, and audible sobs issued from his lips
The features of the injured woman corrobora
ted her evidence. Alice was next called tc
the stand, and she told too, her childish story
"Your HONOR" said Mrs. Rowand, aftcl
the evidence had been taken, will Won allow
me to say a word g