Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-08-07
rae TREASON CASE IN BOSTON.
.percu FOR THE DEFENCE BY
Mr.. SENNOrT, TOE DEFENDEN
of JOHN BROWN, IN VA.

.SENNOrT, TOE DEFENDEN
Of JOHN BROWN, IN VA.
cAusT1c DENUSCIArroN OF PURITAN
smkl,I>o COMMITTEES, YANKEE sNEAks
AsD ABOLITION THUGS!
An examination of parties charged
with treason has just been concluded Il
Boston, Mass, the essential points 10
i. hich the reader will comprehend by
The following report Of the closing pro-
ceed,ngs, winch took place before a
United States Commissioner on We'd
ncsday, 23I. We may here remark
hat Mr.. Sennott. whose speech for the
iefence is given at length, ic the young
lawyer of Boston who hastily packed bis
carpet.bag and went down to Virginia
20 defend John Brown at a moment
when it seemed doubtful whether the
excited state of public feeling in Vir-
ginis would permit defence OF him by
northern alvo@ atc,-not that Mr.. Sem
mott approved John B'own-be did not
but that he insisted that the meapest
citizen and greatest criminal should
have the rights acceded to him by the
constitution.
II. Ii. Dana, Jr., the District Attor-
oey, appeared aud said in substance that
there was no statute Of the Tn ted States
under winch the Gordons could be helu
merely tor expressions Of hostility to the
government, or for receiving intel l.
yence from the South; that such things
were not actually treason, there being
no overt acts proved; that the line must
ne drawn somewhere, and that, although
the conduct of the Gordons was pretty
close up to it, he uust enter noIe
prosequi in the case.
Nj. NJ. Parker, Esq, replied that after
what had been said by the Attorney, II
WAS his duty to protest against any DIS
position OF the case, except by hear
ing and determination by the Mays
,rate. lie said that no one Of the five
Gordons had been guilty even Of i'm
proper talk, except Henry. the young.
est. lie warned those self constituted
committees that the community would
not tolerate slch interference as they
nad been guilty Of. He thought the
counsel for the defendants ought to have
IN opportunity to vindicatc the char
acter of these men. He had not him
eli preferred to argue this case, having
from the beginning left that to the jun
Tor counsel, Mr.. Sennott.
Mr.. Dana said that an argument in
the case, after government had aban.
doned it, would be useless, but, if any
thing could be said in vindicat,on OF
the Gordons, it would be quite fair to
allow it.
MIR. Sennott was obliged to the Dis
trct Attorney for that. lie said that,
after what the G"rdons had suffered, ii
| would be no advantage for them to ar
que their case. What they wanted their
counsel TO do was to vindicstc their
character, and expose the mcanness OF
their prosecutors. THIS he proposed to
! 10 now He then addressed the Com
missioner as follows:
Charles +. Gordon is sixty years oil
age. lie has four so,s. They are all
natives of New England, and are silver
smiths by trade. They reside iw the
suburbs, and do business here, in the
building of Deacon Palmer in Washing
ton street. They arc men Of respects
able standing and, as to their political
sentiments, they voted the Douglas tick
ct. These are the parties prosecuted.
Mr.. Peter lioba,t, Jr., is house
church. Mr.. Hayes is Superintendent
of the fremont Temple, and was mem
Der OF the church Of Mr.. Kaloch. Mr..
fhrasher is aa acquaintance and associ
ate Of theirs. Mr.. Palmer is another
deacon, in who building a committe e
ne, to try ;he loyalty OF the suspected
citizens. Mr.. William Washburn is an
architect, formerly a member of the City
Couaoil. These persons are OF repub-
mean politics and are the real p.osecu,.
-ols.
Mr.. Thrashcr complained to Mr.. Ho-
bart that the Goldons were disatfected
people who sympa.hized with the Son,ii.
Mr.. Hobart, acting on this information,
wrote them a letter, which, with it's an
swcr from the Gordons, is in the case.
he next day, b, tae Invitation of Dea-
con Palmer, the above named persons
met by concert in his basement with a
number OF Others, elected Deacon Pal
mer chairman of the meeting, and call
ed the Gordons bsio e them. The eld-
est son, teing asked by Mr.. Hobar', the
letter writer, If he would "a isfy them
OF his loyalty, by putting out flag, re.
piled in an ontbnrst Of passion that he
would not be coerced espc cially by men
who were his enemies. Mr.. Washburn
having attempted to interfere was inter.
rnpted by Gordon to whom, for some
reason or other, Mr., Washbnrn is pecu-
ha'ly offensive and WAS Informed that
from him nothing would be heard.
From this violent scene the son was
drawn away by his father, andthe strange
committee dissolved and disappeared
throu n Deacon Pamtr's back door.
The Assistant District Attorney was
then Informed that the Gordons had eiy
en- aid and comfort to the enemy. This
information he says upon his oath he be.
Ileves. In cons. qeencc they were ar
rested. Their Whole life and conve,sa
ton for year has been sif. d and pried
into. Their friends and neighbors have
been summoned to testify ab tut them,
and en- the testimony so obtained we are
to bold them. il it offers probable cause.
Nn,r dnnc II Q