The Vicksburg weekly herald. [volume] (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1864-1867, 1866-06-02

GrEHal o. thiscauu-
uy.
Tha Chia usiico Of lhc United
st#o v boen clolt 81. b. re-
cea Zof0 nqfusW aath0hly
10 haa g special tern ,r the Cr-
cuE g8uH Of the Uni d Smim 30
Mchmoad, Il Is now , ry generally
conels q that ex-PF don't Davis,
will p aHaigned fdr Hal upou
/ charge Of atreasoN' ii her N the
mOnt Of June OF orJ Is next.
The trial will be ih most impor-
tant which has cvurtaktn placn eth
eF in this or any other cormlry.-
No such State trial ever occurred IN
England. It Is n remarkable fact
In the history Of Richmond, that If
the trial Of eA-Prc5idcnt Davis shall
be hold there, three Of the most i'm
portaBt STATE trials which have Ia
kenplace in this country will have
occurred in that city.
The history Of the two previous
trials, are thus given by the Rich
mond Times:
The trial Of John Thompson Cal.
lendar, in 1850, form sediiious libel
npeL PresideHtJ John "A ms. was
the first Of these famOns criminal
cases.
Gallendcf, himself was iittie yor-
thy of the wtfrlwind OF Ok he
mont whichfhis trial then excited.
lie vase fOEeignnwhOis rHufe.
scented TO base been a. deprayod in
morals as he was malignant in tem-
per. His casa derives az impor-
lance from the fact that3thc Dcino-
mnrshaled their forces for q terrible
conflict with The Federal party,
ayailed themselves Of IDS trial. and
Of tho rude, c%oniemptOus and iihdc-.
cent e0pdnet of the partisan Judge.
WHO presided, 10 brelk down the
alien and sedition laws, and luz
peach theJHsaice Of Tire Supreme
SOHr,, wh0had mado himself most
Odious in mercilcssly enforcing
them. LAY.
Tie alien and scdiiion laws pun
tshed with lur and Imprisonment
any Que who discussed With dis
rcspeC' nII asperity The public acts
of the President or the United
States. Calendar publ lied a harsh
aud vntghr political Tamphlet IN
which nc abused Presi, ent Adams.
For this he was indi, cd. OH the
2Sth of May, 1900, by III, grand ju-
ry for The Circuit Court THE Uni
ted states, Justice Chase Presiding.
The prisoner was def ndcd by
| Mcssrs. Hay, Nichols and Writ, and
the whole course Of tile rial was
marked by the most brutal and in-
decent conduct upon the part Of ]
tice Chase towards the counsel for
the defence. Hcrcfused q treason
ahlr aud proper motions 70 o con
tinuancG, bullied and scolded the
counsel fm' Calendar, and played
the part Of prosecutor in q manner
10 completely eclipse the district
attorney, His rulings were evil
IDENTIFY dictated by bitter party
feelings, and not by justice or pre-
cedent.
When Writ was proceeding 10
argue to the jury that the alien aud
scdition act was unconstitutional,
Judge Chase insUltingly ordered
him to take his seat. The cOaIiscl
for the defence thcn refused TO ar
que h c'case. After along and yio-
lent charge from Justice Chase The
jury retired, and, after au abscittG
Of two hours, brought in Il verdict
Of guilty and the Court yontcnG
cd Calendar, to, nine months, ip,
prisOntnent, and imposed u tihb 0t
two hundred dollars. Callcnlar.
was subsequently, %pardoncd by Pres.
ident Jefferson, upon The cXprrsg
grounds "thatthc law was as abs0,
Iutc Il nullity as HCongrcss had on:
deredus TO fall down aud worship
q golden image"
The tempest which this trial &C
caSiOnea throughout tho Emlted
States at that time cal scarcely be
understood. The new spapcfs OF
that day were, for the first time,
Crnmmcd with detailed reports Of
the case. Virginia was IN u fame /;
for, even before The trial. afidavits
were circulated IN which it was
stated that, before the trial, Justice
Chase had said he would have no
Id Democrats on the grant
jury and "tliat hc would teach the
lawyers Of Virginia the difference
between the liberty and IicentiUus-
Hess Of the press" lie also likened
himself to u "schOOlmastcr who
was about TO birch n few unruly
boys as they deserved"
His political admirers got up carl
caturcs Of this judicial rufian
stretching, In turn, Writ, Nicholas,
Hay aud other eminent YirginianS
across his knee and logging them
sOmldly. Ills rade, cOarsc and IN
:, Geccat behavior duying CallCndcr'S
trial was designed f. humiliatc the
able and spirited h r. of this city.
The Slaps he gave nj 'hClasand Hay,
at the Ouis6i Of the rial, were ter
riblc specimens of iu licial rudenoss,
The offended aud insulled law
yers resented tho conduct Of Judge
Chase so. ferCOly, that John Ram
: dOlplI, % their instance, preferred
articles OF impeachment against
him, five of them we're based upon
"Callendar's trial" lie was found
guilty upon the article which
charged "rude, cOutrmptuOus and
indecent conduct TO counsel" al
though acquitted gpop other
charges. Nothing but party SYM.
pathy Of the Federal members OF
; tho Senate saved him nom oOnvic.
ton by q twO-thirds vote, aud the
l impeachment is said to have utterly
crushed Judge Chase.
| The next great State trial, which
, directed the attention Of millions ia
/ the Circuit Court of the United
States at Richmond, was that Of
Burr, for Treason, which COMMENCED
on tho ed Of May, 1907 Rich.
mQni was then a city Of My si1
thousand Inhabitants, and Is said
1 that there were ut the COZ menoe,
VI mnnL Of Lln irinl Lminn lLn nttun.