Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-01-10

has been established. A large and respecta'
bic meeting in Iberia has set forth the facts
as we'll understood in the community. In
addition to this, have the testimony Of three
men, made on oath before magistrate, "that
the men were not beaten unmercifully-that
the birchen rods used we're not over one inch in
circumference at the large end-that Mr..
Gordon les we conscientiously believe did
not take an active part in the proceedings-
that be did not caution those present net to
use names, and that be was not there at all,
until about ten minutes before the proceed
ings closed" Two of these men are re-
proachless church members, and the other
young man Of excellent moral character -
Their oath in this case is extrajudicial,
but thousand times more worthy Of belief
than that of two human blood-hounds, in
tsnsely tempted to swear falsely. Thus the
declarations of the large meeting, the sworn
testimony of these men, and my own deOlar-
ations to the court agree, and if we all united
can be believed, then Renick and Barber
sWore TO unqualified falsehoods.
Ny conviction was for Constructing pro-
cess" but the abuse to which the men gave
false witness, and the adroit and bitter man
uer in which even that was msgni6ed in the
pleading, undoubtedly led the minds of the
jury from the real point beiore them, and Sc
cured it. The only solicitude felt, has been to
get the facts before the public. Then every
one can form his own opinion of the case.
Opinions win differ. Some look at the
transaction from the official position of the
two slave-catchers; call the company that in
terfered mob, and their doings a lawless
outrage. Others view the matter from the
wanton provocation given by these officials,
and excuse the discipline meted out. A
third class look at the palpsble unconstitu-
tionality Of the slave act-see its author in
open rebellion against the Government-and
nearly all who voted for it, either openly or
secretly abetting treason: hence they look on
the dunkies who execute it with as little re-
spect as they do on the knaves who enacted
it and regard both as outside all constitu-
tional and legal protection. This conclusion
is logical and true, and a fair Interpretation
ton. Ny own humble view, whilst it fully
sccords with the last, would, if necessary, go
far beyond it. A Constitution framed in OPP
position to Gods law, has no moral or strictly
| legal force. Gods law is above all Constitu-
tions and all enactments. The common con-
servative notion, that we must obey a wicked
enactment until it is repealed, is unmixed
diabolism-intensely wicked, and unquali-
6edly silly Such persons may be religious,
but they have not learned the alphabet Of
Christianity. They are political Papists.-
Rome assumes to make void Gods law by
church DEGREES and ghostly bulls; they in
plain Anglo Saxon would say, we must obey
men rather than God. Whenever any Gov
ernment, whether under constitutional enact
ments or over them, steps outside its God
appointed mission, and assails and crushes
the rights it is ordained to protect, that hour
it becomes, in theory, revolutionary, and its
only element is mob power. Siford and his
rufian gang, with their hand-cufs, pistols
and boWie-knives, no matter how fully they
represented Msson's bill, or Buchanan's ad-
ministration, were ss bona .Jfde 6 mob as ever
graeed q sharp rail, or welded the artillery
of rotten eggs. If so, the chastisement they
received was just and righteously inflicted
If the assassin forfeits his life when he at
tempts yours, and you may kill him with
impunity, must he bs protected il robbing
you of that which is better than lifs-person-
al libery7 But you say the assassin is de.
stroyed at once, under an immediate neces-
sity; but these men were captured and could
have been subjected to the forms of law
But there is really no difference. In the
one case the government is not present, and
therefore cannot protect you: in the other il
has proved traitor to its mission, snd
will not.
At the November term of the United States
District Court indictments were issued
against from fifteen to twenty psrsens.-
Many of these had no manner of connection
with the affair-some were probably in theiI
beds at the time it happened, and one mar
was actually out Of the county. Some thir.
ty witnesses were summoned, most of whom
knew nothing about it, and simply worked
themselves into the case for the sake OF theiI
fees. The Grand Jury was about thret
weeks grinding out the bills; the witnesses
all the time receiving, besides their liberia
milage, 81 80 per day, and Other officer:
still higher pay. Most of the persons in
dicted avoided the officers. 1 came up with
out arrest, intending to 60 into court and
meet my fate, but finally after stay oi
four days in the city, followed other coun-
sells, and for the purpose Of running the
trial into President Lincoln's Administra-
ton, crossed over into Canada, and spent
the winter under the protection Of Victoria
few days before Sumter was assaulted,
returned, gave myself up t. avoid ar
rest, aRd was dismissed till July on my own
recognizanee. By the March term, after an
indefinite number of water haule," the
Democratic Marshals caught in their "drag.
net two men, Messrs. BroWnlee end Dunn,
neither even remotely connected with the
affair. Dunn is an upright man, very poor,
and lily able to bear needless expense. He
lay few days in jail till a neighbor came
up and bailed him out. think this was
the work of Belden. Mr.. Brownlee was
brought up, and then released on his own
recognisance. Between the Courts, he
wrote Mr.. Paine, assuring him that he hal
40 connection with the case, and offered
satisfactory testimonials, but to no purpose
he and Dunn were compelled to lose the
time and expense of coming up in July
when the discovery was made without &
trial that they were Innocent When nc
more money could be decently made out o.
them by witnesses or officials, they werC
graciously permitted, without redress, to e
home. Thus Mr.. Belden, the experienced
and veteran commander Of ths legal forcel
in the war with Oberlin and Wellington, in
two campaigns against the Ibsrians, sue
ceeded in swamping the United States Treas
my with thousands in useless and v;llainoul
costs, and running down two perfectly limo
cent men, bleeding their pockets, Zone O
which was by no means plethOric) and IL
this disabled condition, handing them ovei
to his successor. Mr.. Paine drew his mai
den sword, phlebotonized the Treasury Vt &
little more m ney; drained out of The two
men some additional expenses, and pulled
the last feather out of the tsil of th.
achievement to sdorn his legal CAP. By
the JuIv term the Whole affair vvoo In N,