Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-02-20
Sentence Of stevens and Haaiett.

bills Of exception IN the cAso Va
HaElett. The prisoners were escorted into
Court under a military guard of twenty men.
Both wore an unconcerned air, and appeared
resolved to meet their fate as unshrinkingly as
had JOHN Brown and his associate victims of
the ruthless slave power. To the usual ques-
Ii u, il they had anything to say why sentence
Of death should not be passed upon them, both
that they had Stevens then said;
MAY It please the Court, have few words
to say, Some of the testimony given against |
me was untrue. One OF the witnesses stated
that said: Let US kill the - Of -
and burn the town To those who know me
it is useless to make denial Of this charge, !
but deny here, before God and man, ever
having made such a proposition. wish 10
say / am entirely satisfied with the conduct OF
my counsel, Mr.. Sennott. think he did all in
his power in my behalf l desire also to re-
turn my thanks 10 the officers who have had
charge Of me, for their universal kind treatment
and TO my physician for the services rendered
me whilst suffering from my wounds. When
think Of my brothers slaughtered and sisters
outraged, my conscience does not TeprOve me
for my actions. shall meet my fate manful-
ly."
This reference is understood to be the treat
ment of his Northern brethren and sisters dur-
ing the Kansas broils.l
Hazlett then spoke as follows: 81 have few
words to say. l am Innocent Of the charge on
which l have been convicted. / deny ever
having committed murder, or even having con-
templated murder, or ever having associated
with any one with such intentions. Some Of
the witnesses have sworn to things which I
deny, and which were positively false. For
instance, in reference TO my beari; have
never IN my life, until my imprisonment in jail,
allowed my beard to go more than three weeks
without shaving, and all testimony therefore as
to the length of my beard is false. Again, MIR.
Copeland testified that was sitting on stool
when he entered the cell at Carlisle; this
deny; was sitting on blanket back against
the wall, and another man was on the STOOL
| Copeland also SAID there were only two men in
the CELL this is also false, as there were four
other whitemen in the cell with me, and we
comprised all the white prisoners in the jail.
Others uf the witnesses made false statements,
but 1 forgive them all. I have been treated
kindly since my confinement much betterthan
| l had expected-and 1 must say think better
of Virginia. wish also to return my thanks
to the counsel who have SO ably defended me;
they have done more in my behllf than North
ern counsel could have done. I repest, 1 am
innocent of murder, but am prepared to meet
my fate"
Judge Kinney proceeded to sentence each of
them to be hung publicly on Friday, the 10th
March next, between 10 and P. NJ, and the
prisoners were remanded to Jail
Mr.. George sennOtt of Boston discharged
L h.. ,ac,pf
trial at ChaTlestOwn, Va, in manful and very
able manner The peroratiOn of his address to
the Jury was in the following touching strain
of elOquehee:
'tIf gentlemen, you cannot tell what the de-
sign Of John Brown and his men really was
and God alone can tell what it was-let your
doubt be given in favor of liberty and hGe-the
life which you did not give, and yet may take
aWay. Gentlemen, why should you take it
away! The broken law has been dreadfully
avenged. The active Abolitionists are all des-
troyed or captured. You can afford to be
magnanimous now. You are told he has bro
ken the law. Well, duelists break the law every
month, and come dripping with blood before
iuries, who yet acquit them. 1 recollect-you
probably never have forgotten-that fine
Young man, the son OF one OF your ClllL6us,
was stabbed to the hearty an SPOn day,in a
neiehboring place, by one of the schoolmates.
The murderer was tried, defended By nine law
vers, and when he was acquitted the town was
Illuminated for Joy. This man here never
murdered human beiDg-Dever threatened to
murder never laid bloody, ,vindictive hand upon
any one in all his life. His moral character
is above reproach. You heard your own jailer
say he had not heard profane or impatient
word from him during his long confinement
Could have had notice of the time of trial,
1 could have produced strong evidence before
YOU that he never committed crime in his life,
except the crime of insubOrdination. He was
trained in the North to hate Slavery he was
forcedto 6ghtin Kansas With amind fanaticized
by what he saw, he is here to-day having, af
ter all, rather attempted to break your law, than
succeeded in actually breaking it. Can't you
extend to this misguided, fanstical young man,
the same mercy you show to the murderer and
the duellist! You may be told that, on the
authority of the law, mercy is not yours. Cen
tlemen, I tell you, on the authority of God,
=" Vengeance is mine-I will repay, sIith the
Lord.T Aaron D. Stevens may soon die. You
and must follow him. Some of you may pre-
cede him. 1t is you, and not the Sheriff, who
will put the rope around mis- handsome neck
It is you, and not the Sheriff, that will answer
to our Lord. That responsibility is yours
alone And would rather mount the PalloWs,
1 would rather be riddled with shot in the street.
I would rather perish slowly in torment, and
there end, than fall into the hand of Him who
can destroy the soul and body in he'll, with
such dreadful doubt upon my shrinking soul.
Gentlemen, it has been said here that Stevens
threatened profaney to kill the prisoners and
burn the town L shall not impugn the testimony
except to say do not believe it; it is Inconsistent
with all we know OF ever heard Of him. Stevens
is brave young man. We all understand that
He showed that at HaTper's Ferry; he shows it
here to day. Now I will not call names, lest
should offeld delicacY, but we have brave men
in jefferson Co., as brave as Stevens, or even as
Brown himself You all know who l mean,
II anything at all distinguishes this class of men
beside their courage, it is their kindness and
tenderness of heart. 1t is with Stevens as
with his jailor. He is too brave 10 be cruel,
and the infamous thought of burning and
slaughter never came into or out of his heart
! Gentlemen, see white hairs among you. The
hair of Stevens father is very white-his heart
is very heavy. You can cause it to sing for
joy, or bring down that gray hair in sorrow to
the grave. The man writes to me that Aaron
was good boy to him; he thought he would
be comfort in his old age" Gentlemen, you
may take away that comfort. God alone can
Judge you for it. May he direct you. can
say no more, except to leave the case in your
hands, hoping. rather than cOnfding, in your
justice and good sense.
MoB LIBERGTINe PRIsoNEEs-MObs rule pref:
ty much as they please in the Slave States
They whip, tar and feather, hang or burn their
victims, or break open jaiIs and turn prisoners
loose, at will At Waverly, Tenn. on the night