Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1865-11-23
Patrick Henry.

The indictment
brought against them was. ''for
preaching the Gospel of the Son of
God, contrary to the statute ia that
case provided, and, therefore, dis
turbers of the peace. The clerk
was reading the indictment in a
slow and formal manner, and he
pronounced the crime with enpha-
sis, "ior preaching the gospel Of
the Son of God,' when plain
dressed man dismounted his horse,
entered the courthouse, and took
his seat within the bar. He was
known to the court and lawyers,
but stranger to the mass of spec
tators who had gathered on the oc-
easion. This was Patrick Henry,
who, on hearing of this prosecu-l
ton, had ridden fifty or sixty
miles from his residence, in Hano-
yer county, to volunteer his servl-
ces in the defense of the prisoners.
He listened to the further reading
of the indictment with marked at
tention; the first sentence of which
that had caught his ear was, Hfor
preaching the gospel of the Son of
God" When the indictment had
been read, and the prosecuting at
torney had submitted a few remarks
Henry arose stretched out his hand,
and received the paper, and then adj
dressed the court:
"May it please your worships: l
think l heard by the prosecutor, as
! entered this house, the paper |
now hold in my hand. If | have
rightly understood, the Kings at
torney of this county has framed
al Indictment for the purpose of
arraigning and furnishing by i'm
prisonment three inoffensive per-
sons before the bar of this court,
for crime of great magnitude
rs disturbers of the peace. May
it please the court, what did hear
read? Did hear an expression
as if crime, that these men whom
your worships are about to try
for misdemeanor, are charged
with-what ?"and continuing in a
low, solemn, heavy tone, "for
preaching the gospel of the Son of
God?" Pausing, amid the pro-
found silence and breathless aston
ishment of his hearers, he slowly
waved the paper three times a.
round his head, then lifting up his
hands and eyes to heaven, with
extraordinary and impressive en-
ergy, he exclaimed, "Great God p
The exclamation, the action, the
burst of feeling from the audience
where all overpowering. Mr..
Henry resumed:
"May it please your worships:
In day like this, when truth is
about to burst her fetters--when
mankind are about to be raised to
claim their natural and inaliena-
BILE rights-when the yoke of OPP
preston which has reached the
wilderness of America, and the
unnatural alliance of ecclesiastic-
al and civil power is about to be
dissevered-atsuch period, when
liberty-liberty of conscience-is
about to wake from her slumber-
ings and inquire into the reasons
of such charges as | find exhibited
here today in this Indictment"
Another fearful pause, while the
speaker alternately cast his sharp
piercing eyes on the court and the
prisoners, and resumed:
off 1 am not deceived, according
to the contents of the paper |
now hold in my hand, these men
are accused of preaching the Cos
pei of the Son of God Great
Cod"
Another long pause, during
which he again waved the indict-
ment around his head while deep
er impression was made on the
auditory, Resuming his speech :
"May it please your worships,
there are periods in the history of
man, when corruption and deprav-
ity have so long debased the hui
man character, that man sinks
under the weight of the oppres-
sor's hand, and becomes his servile,
his AFFECT slave; he licks the hand
that smites him; he bows in pass
i've obedience to the mandates of
the despot, and in his state of ser
Witty he receives his letters of
perpetual bondage. But may it
please your worshippers, such a
day has passed away!