Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-06-13
Judge Underwood Reads the People
OF Richmond a Good Lesson, and
Compares their City to SOdOm.

Gentlemen of the Grand Jluy Il am happy to
meet you again. and to know that you are still liv-
ing notwithstanding the assaults that have been
made upon you. Little need be said in addition to
the instructions given at Norfolk. Your last session
has made you historical and trust that the efforts
which have been made to intimidate you and to i'm
pede the of justice will not make you less
faithful and earnest in the discharge of your public
duties We ought not to be surprised that the treas
enable and icentious press of this State and city
should vince, and rage, and become furious when
treason and RIGHTEOUSNESS are exposed and arragned
for trial and punishment. Nor should we be sur
prised at the enOrmity and desperation exhibited
when we remember that this city has long been the
centre and seat of the greatest traffic in human be-
ings that has ever disgraced the worlds traffic
which has annually employed many hundreds of
moral monsters and many millions of capital, sub
sidizing the press, pulpit and politics OF the State
rendering Richmond more infamous among men for
its participation in this great crime than all the cit
les along the coasts of Senegambia Upper and Lower
Guinea, Congo, Loango Angola or Benguela COM
| bined The wonder rather is that so many traces
of kindness, humanity and Christian civilization
should have survived such debasing and brutalizlng
/ influences and let us thank God and take courage
that more fortunate than the devoted cities of an
tiQuity, we can count more than ten men who have
stood faithful among the faithleSs. The complaints
of threatened violence and intimidation which have
| been forwarded to me by several of your number,
for your late heroic and patriotic actions have been
submitted to the highest legal and military authori-
ties of the Government and l assure you of the
earnest sympathy and firm support of all the officers
! of the law, not excepting the President, whom the
| reasonable now fatter and fawn upon, but whom
they will probably soon curse heartily they did
| two years ago. But, gentlemen, am glad to call
your attention to law of Congress which puts your
own vindcation we'll that of the country, into
YOUR own hands In 1881 Congress enacted, as you
will find passage 1873 OF the fourth volume OF the
| Statutes at Large, as follows:
/ Sec 2 And he it further slGcteT That II
person persons shall corruptly, or by threats or
! force endeavor to influence, intimidate or impede
any Juror, witness officer in any court of the
nted States in the discharge of his duty or should
corrupty or by threats or force obstruct impede
the due administration of justice therein, every per-
son or persons offending shall be liable to prose-
cution therefor by indictment, and SHALL on cOnvic
| ton therefor, be punished by fine not exceeding
! five hundred dollars or by imprisonment not exceed
| ing three months or both according to the nature
and aggravation of the ofense. Approved March
| 2, 1897
You will thus have it in your own power to eX-
ercise wholesome restraint upon licentous tongues
and pens, and upon press which, as blind leader
of the blind has been and still is of the chief
causes of past present and prospective calumny and
I misfortune the murders, duels assassinatons, viO-
lent and ungoverned passions ending in selt-conta-
| grafton or self-immOlatiOn, unparalleled In any
heather country; the poverty suffering agony and
degradation which have given this city, of almost
unequalled natural capaDlIlIleS us Odu eulihehCe
are the legitimate perils of the teachings of its pub
lie press; and anything you can be able to contrib
ute towards its reformation WILL in the highest de-
gree be ervceable to the cause of the country and
Of humanity. But gentlemen, let us act with mod
Grafton and discrimination, for, though prostituted
press is one of the greatest calamites, free and
vrtuous press of the greatest public blessings
the greatest ornament and support of public viz
/ tue.
After delivering the charge, Judge Underwood
remarked that in the absence of the foreman, Mr..
Harrison would act in that capacity.
! The Grand Jury then retired to their room.