Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-01-20
LOCAL NEWS.

| SENTENCE OF COLLINS DIX0r-Yesterda
| morning, Judge Oin, in passing sentence upoi
Collins Dixon, convicted Of an assault ana
battery upon q. VI McGill, made the folio "
| ing remarks: =
| mt, Dixon, you have been indicted for ths
crime OF intending to- take the life OF your f.
low man-the witness, MIR. McGili. The inry
nave sdueed that offence to the crime ef sim
PIE assault and battery. They doubtless fell
lions considered it my duty to give them t.
hna you guilty only of the minor offense. Have
you any thing to say by wsy Of excuse or e1.
Nj. Diron.-Nothing further, Your homer
than that the act las committed in defenss OF
an innocent and outraged sister. -EfE 3 81
The Court am fully aware that YOU seek
TO excnss the crime you attempted to commit.
upon the ground that this man had said or
published something slald erous upon the char.
acIes OF your sister Those who com NIT great
CHenses always endeavor to find some excuse
Tor the commission OF them. In the one case il
may be from motives of revenge or malice an d
In others fem desire for ecuniary gain; but
no man ia his senses wantoply attacks his fell =.
low man, unless he fancies himself urged TO it
by some capse; and that cause he generally nm
dertakes to reconcile his conscience is sufficient
70 jusufys him in the commission Of the act
The circumstances of this case are that about
month after the publication of this paper
onto The truth or falsehood of which am not
10 inqnire,t you deliberately armed yourself
went to a public house in this city, where, at
The time, there We're some twenty or forty per-
scns, ana commenced an assault upon Mr.
you, except the offensive language used by
Yourself. And when you discovered Mr.
MpGlll was abont to draw a pistol to pro .
fst ms person, hnt, on finding himself I'M
abte 10 use II. showed q disposition to flee
from your Presence. you pursued him, rsck-
esSiy fiji ed into the crowd, Cd on bit ess aiming
ATM athin,) threatening 70 shoot him, and only
missing him ny @ few inches. the balls striking
oEe or mere innocent bys andsrs who vvera in
the house at the time, - -
Thes care The circumstances of the case The
n IN n Iyy0 to
reason of the particular statute under which
yonr are arrigned, that you had not formed the
deliberate purpose Of taking this mans lie
until after you had inflicted that hloy with the
cane. the statute being unlike most statutes of
this kind; for under almost every statute in
the States, although you formed the iusen-
man after the assault, you would have baen
convicted of that intent. This statute mo-
vidss that there must he a s.battery'' ~ fya,I
as assault" and II the intention was only
formed after yen had mmitteds the battery
then You could not. be, convicted under this
statute. It is fortunate escape for you. Had
1t been Otherwise, you must Inevitably have
beei. 81 Htencea to penitentiary. You are none
the less guilty, however, In the sight Of God
and OF man of the intention of taking the life of
your fellow being. The act was committed
En6er circumstances evincing great brutality
and disregard of human life. Let me here say
to YOU that whatever others may advise You,
or whatever notions you may yourself indulge
in with reference to transactions of this kind,
there is nothing courageous in them; there is
nothing manly about them; but, on the other
hand, every featnre of such action is stamped
with kind CT mean coWardice that true man.
hood rejects with scorn and contempt,
? Now il your sister has really been traduced
and slandered by MI. McGill, he is amenabls
10 the severest penalties Of the law; and you
assaulting or shooting him in q public house
Will neither vin6iieate your sisters character
or make any one think the more or less or her.
II does net alter the in the slightest
degree. Whereas If You resort TO that peacei
able remedy which the law has ne cessarily and
placed in your hand, The character
of your sister may be yiadicated properly, and
the libelier punished. and no court or jury
would hesitate a moment to- give her the
always mete out the most ,condign punish.
meIt to q man who maliciously asperses
the ehai "a cter of. q gvtrtncns family. Never to
my knowledge in the administration or Justice
haveI lever witnessed the least Hesitation on
the part or courts and jutfes to exercise the fun
riecr Or the law in such cases, Indeed tho
effort has been, ard the tronhie has been TO
bounds Of discretion and prudence under such
circIiusia ncess a0n the ether baad, the course
you SAT-, III To- pursued s0nlY calculated to pro-
eSIe.aliation IN time, and yindieatas THO
character of no one.
I. j feel constrained toiimposs upca gon.a pfet-
~ Eevs re sents nee, tecauses SO long as hAvb
an yflafng 10 do with the adm inistration Of the
i scAR In any why hysR vigorous exercise Of the
authority with Wbfch lam cinthedt Eut an end
10 sce nhs OF yioleace And hioodshed Of this de-
scrintaou. Ishan DO U.r II, ,th1re be any vigot /
a re law % wetr AIN hid punish such offenl
defs 1 Intend. SO far as am codoerneu. It
do 4 the moro caeerfuily In your case. be-