Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-06-18
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LEXINGTON, Ky, june Is,

EDITOR hERALD:-All Presidents and
Professors of Incorporated Colleges, and
all School Commissioners and Teachers of
Common Schools in Kentucky, are now
required by law to take the following oath
of loyalty:
do solemnly swear that ! will sup
port the Constitution of Kentucky, and be
true and faithful to the Commonwealth, so
long as | remain a citizen thereof. That
recognize the binding obligation of the
Constitution Of the United States, the duty
OF every citizen to submit thereto, as the
supreme law of the land. That | will not
give aid to the rebellion against the gov
eminent Of tire United States, nor give
aid to the so-called provisional government
of Kentucky, either directly or indirectly,
so long as | remain citizen or reside in
Kentucky, and that this my oath is taken
by me without any mental reservation"
Several teachers, male and female, of
this city, resigned their positions because
they would not take this oath.
All Grand and Petit Jurors are requir-
ed to take similar oath, which includes
the statement that they have not given
aid or comfort to the so-called Confederate
Government. Some of the lawyers, who
are of secession proclivities, and probably
know all that are so, viii often challenge
lot of jurymen, seemingly for no other
reason than that they cannot take the re-
CURED oath.
The Circuit, which is the highest Grim
inal court of Kentucky, is now in session
in this city. One man has been tried and
convicted for the murder of his wife,
Five negroes are on trial for feloneOus
assault upon the person of white woman
in the night time. The fact Of the out
rage, and also that negroes were the au
thors, was undisputed the difficulty was
in the Identification. | should not sup
pose that any jury would convict white
man of capital crime on such testimony
as was given in this case, and the counsel
| for the defence are careful to remind the
jury that they are sitting upon the life of
human being, and that color has nothing
to do with the question,
They speak of the accused as belonging
to prescribed race, without education or
other advantages, perfectly helpless and
friendless. This is not strictly true, for
while the poor wretch sits back by
himself on the negro bench, his owner
employs the ablest counsel at the bar, sits
up close to him, and whispers in his ear
occasionally.
| notice that the lawyers in examining
witnesses, never take down any of the
testimony. There is no table or writing
materials inside the bar. They retain all
the testimony in their memory, if they re-
tain it at all, and in addressing the jury
they are very rarely at fault with regard
to facts or names TO one who has such
poor memory as | have it is perfectly
inconceivable how they can retain so
much.
| have just learned that the jury on the
negro case could not agree on a verdict,
and that although they have been called
together again, the probability was that
they would "agree to disagree,
The 4Sth Pennsylvania regiment are
stationed here to guard the city. A large
train of wagons goes out every day, Sun
days not excepted, to forage. They come
in loaded with the big ears of corn.
The city is in a state Of excitement
over "grape vine despatch that Vlcks-
burg has gone up.
NJ B.