The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-01-24

cruelties only few months before, at
Badajos and st. Sebastian and here a
gain they were to be rewarded with
beauty and booty. The defense seemed
like forlorn hope, without a particle
ofconfdence in its success-no one had,
except what was inspired by the cour-
age, genious, and energy of their great
commander.
But he was host in himself. They
wisely determined that they would
throw the whole responsibility upon
him-that they would put their fate en-
tirely in his hands, and they did so.
Members of the Legislature, officers of
the city corporation and judges Of the
courts came and laid their powers at
his feet, and voluntarily agreed that
they would surrenderand suspend their
official functions until the danger was
over. The whole population, with one
voice, besought him that he would
make the city part of his camp, and
take the absolute command upon him
self of every human being within its
limits. He did this at the universal
request. He had right to do it. 1t
was proper that he should do it, for
this simple and plain reason, that the
city acas Ia q state Of actual siege. 1t
was no fiction. His act bore no kind
of resemblance to the wanton outrage
of declaring martial law, which is no
law at all, for the mere purpose of
trampling down the law of the land at
a place where there are no military
operations going on. LGreat applause.
Jackson executed the authority thus
bestowed upon him, not only moder-
ately but benignly. He gathered the
people around him, and protected their
rights to the whole extent that he was
able to do SO, consistently with their
own good and proper defense of the
place, as tenderly as a father would
care for his children. But he didn't
allow himself to be trifed with. And
that brings me to the only fact in his
whole life that has ever been criticised
with reference to this point. A gen.
tleman named Louallier, who had been
a member of the Legislature, became,
in the course of time, discontented. He
was one of General Jackson's soldiers
that is, he had put himself under his
command as much as any volunteer in
his army. But he became restive, and
after while he published an address,
and printed and circulated it over the
city, in which he counseled disobedi-
ence to the Generals orders That was
simply mutiny, and the punishment of
mutiny was death. But General Jack
son only confined him, declaring at the
time his intention to release him the
very moment that he could do so with
safety.
Then came Judge Hall, another of
his voluntary subordinates. He under
took to interfere with the discipline of
General Jackson's camp, by issuing a
habeas corpus for the body of the mutt
neer. The General, in order to save all
trouble, sent the Judge four miles up
the river, with directions that he
should remain outside of his picket
lines until it should be known that the
enemy had retired from the coast
When the great battle had been won,
when the invader had been driven a
way, when the city was saved with all
its beauty and its booty, then Judge
Hall returned; and so soon as he got
back he commenced prosecution a.
gainst General Jackson for-What do
you think? Contempt of court The
General thought that was very absurd.
Nevertheless, although he had a vic
tOrious army at his back although he
was surrounded by population that
adored him as their great deliverer, he
bowed his head to the lawful authorities
of the country, as lowly as the hum
blest man in the nation. Great ap-
plause. He not only submitted to the
legal process which was issued against
him, but he gave to the judge the as
surance that the same arm which had
defended the city against foreign
invader, would stand between him and
the danger of a popular outbreak
Applause. He appeared before the
court and made a defense which was
worthy of his character as a lawyer,
and perfectly consistent with his high
ren0Wn as a statesman and a patriot.
He pleaded that he was not, and could
not, be guilty ofany contempt of court,
because that court had of its own ac-
cord relinquished its authority during
the siege, and had notified him of the
fact. He said that even if his act was
illegal, he had committed, not con-
tempt of court, but personal tres
pass against the judge, and to this he
was willing to respond in a personal
action before court OF fcompetent juris-
diction and an impartial jury. But he
insisted that his adversary had no right
to sit in judgment upon his own case.
This defense was overruied by the
judge, and it was overruled in
such manifest defiance of reason and
and justice that the judge would have
been torn into pieces if General Jack
son had not redeemed his promise to
protect him. But he did. When the
the Judge faltered for fear of the indig-
nation of the crowd with which he