Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-05-09
Able Argument .by Col. Hamilton. /.

Able Argument by Col. Hamilton.
In the u. s. Circnit Court at Charles
ton, ON Wednesday last, in the trial ol
the KuKlux ease, The United States VS.
Robbers zT;zRigggins, of York, charged
with conspiracy and murder, Judge Bond
presiding Col Hamilton, of York, forthe
defence; at the CLOSE sof the. testimony,
made, the following argument before the
Court and jury: =. ,....-5y
The defence having nofurther witnesses,
Colonel Hamilton began his address to the
jury. he said: g May it please the court
and gentlemen of the jury, | congratulate
You upon the fact that you have. arrived
at,last at the end of Q case In which the
testimony has been volumineus and which,
| am convinced, has been a wearisome
trial TO you. ! congratulate you also for
the reason that you have come to the trial
of this case with your mind relieved Of
the prejudice which has surrounded the
general circumstances of this case. | be-
Iieve that the mists Of prejudice are begin
ming to rise, and that the fires of hatred
which have been invoked in the progress
of these cases now burns less fiercely. /
can very we'll understand the existence of
-tAis. Ais nreindice. if the horrid stories that
TT srrt r11eqea ran,,t nAue-
ed, and in high quarters of the govern
ment. that this grand conspiracy was "
new rebellion" but | think that by tins
time YOU are convinced that this is no such
thing. 1t has also been clrcumstanuaiiy
told that this was resuscltat!on OF the
Confederate army in secret, that 1t was
thoroughly organized throughout the
country, with generals and other oihcers,
and it has been great disappointment, no
doubt to find that this was all fable. 1t
is proven now that the Confederate army
is u not in it; that the organization, what
ever it is, is composed Of young. men IN
the humblcst walks Of life 1t IS a; very.
significant fact that after all this labor Of
the government, after all this force and
treasure 81 have been employed, after mill
ions of dollars have been expended. the
highest man in the community. against
whom is found any positive evidence Is
Mr. Jim Bunch, barkeeper IN Unlon
County, who had been a private soldier IN
the Confederate army, and who Is man
in the .humblest walk Of life The stories
of the extent and organization OF this con-
spiracv are shown to rest on supposltions
alone, they are myths, they are untrue,
thew are disproved. You understand py
this time what is the class of men belong
ing. 10 this conspiracy. You see them
every day in court, upon the witness stana
and on the streets. They are OF the hum
bier uneducated. class Of agricultural Ia
borers. They are men who work between
the handles of.the plough, and side by
side with colored laborers. 1t is among
these men that the organization preTailea9..
| Il was the natural, the inevitable result
among such classes Of the disturbed con.
dition OF society It. spr ing up locally
and spontaneously, and was secret, because
under the militia laws that had been maae
q nenitentiarv offence for white men te
ORGANIZE without the consent OF the Gov
crnor It is gentlemen, deliberate un'
truth and SANDER upon the educated, ihe
virtuous, the intelligent people Oh tnh I
State to say that they approve these
murders and these inhuman whlppln9s
Il i not So l can speak OF the senti
mcnt of this community upon tins sub
icct and the sentiment OF that community
is unanimously as much against THESE OUT
races as can be the feeling OF the strong
! est biased man upon the othsr SIDE OF
will find that there has been trouble los
tered between these laborlng men OF !n
| two races in the up-country, and this ma
I led to most deplorable results on elthe
side Lut YOU will also find that 1t sprsnIl
4 not from poltics, that its origin must u
son sought for in something deeper far thai
! politics" .,o
Colonel Hamilton continued, saying tina
he had asserted before and still MAINTAIN
ed that the jury in o case OF capital leon N
were the Judges both OF law and TACT. ~
ouoted two decisions to sustain this pom
i. the first being in the United States VI
Wilson and Porter, and the second cas-
in ID Sumuer In the first case the JuGde
distinctly laid down. that principle, ana ti !
the other case the Judge admitteo 9iI I;i
the jury were to Judge o. the applic9a11lal 91 Il
tv of the law to the case In hand. ina
] he said, was precisely %hat ne ciaime'
S It was great, sacred right, and one
2 the great bulwarks Of liberty which u u
' Pilgrims of the MayAower brought wit ut
. them in their bosoms. He illustrated tt
= point by relating that nearly two hul
+ drcd years ago in London poor Seuahe an,
u Penn by name, was brought up IN cou
charged with the terrible offence oil preacl1
s inc the gospel in Grace Church street,
o not being clergyman of the Estabiish'
IS Church. There was a law on the statu
q hooks which made that an awful oficnt
y There was no doubt about the fact IN
- = the poor Quaker had preached IN 'tra
= Church street, and the jury were iul
: charged by the Judge as to both the 10 10
and fact, but when they returned = N
2 court and the foreman was asked ior th
ia verdict he answered, "Not guilty, \
: lord.p That was the power they had
. iudre of the law and ihe fact. ii was
% :: RIGHT guaranteed by the constitute
III which declares that tho trial 10y jury sh
s. be inviolate, and it was q right VIII
g. could not he taken from them lie cal
er attention to another right which had
lis hundreds of years been guaranteed 10
:. defendant-th right to be tried by a j
drawn from the vicinagem which ne iiN
by jury of his peers and nelghHoe
Britain or this country, until these Gu
: arose, where defendant was tired exc