The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-07-25
Patrick Henry's Style in Court
His defense ct the Indicted
Preachers


Patrick Henry's style in CouI-
His defense ct the Indicted
Preachers
[From the Atlantic for July
The intolerance of the Establishe,
Church Mr.. Parton illustrates by tn
case, of three Baptist preachers VIII,
were arraigned as "disturbers of th
peace" before magistrates who wer
determined to convict them. Patl'icl
Henry rode fifty miles 10 defen(
them, and the following account i
given of his performance-it was NOR,
than speech-on that occasion
'He entered the Courthouse Will,
the prosecuting attorney, was reading
the Indictment. lie was stranger t.
most of the spectators, and, being
dressed in the country manner, lii.
entrance excited no remark. Whel
the prosecutor had finished his brie
opening, the newcomer took the in
dietment, and glancing at it with AT
expression of puzzled incredulity, be.
gan to speak of il in the tone of q nlau
who had just heard something too as.
tonishing for belief. -
s'8Iay it please your Worships, ]
think heard read by the prosecutor
as / entered the house, the paper
now hold in my hand. If, | have
rightly understood, the Kings Attor-
lley has framed an Indictment for the
purpose of arraigning and Furnishing
by imprisonment these three inoffen-
siye persons, before the bar of this
Court, for a crime of great magnitude
AS disturbers of the peace. May il
please the court, what did / hear read
Did i hear it distinctly, orgwas it a
mistake of my own? Did / hear an
as Of a crime; that these
men, whom your Wors hips are about
to try for misdemeanors, are charged
With-With-with achat? .sl.
*sHaving delivered these words in a
halting, broken manner, as If his mind
was staggering under the weight of
a monster idea, he lowered his voice
to its deepest bass, and, assuming the
profoundest soIemnity of manner, an
swered his own question "Preaching
the Gospel ofithe Son of Godp d.f VI
E"'Then he, paused Every. eye was
now riyeted upon him, and every
mind intent; for all this was executed
Is Kean or Siddons would haye
performed it on the stage-aye, voice,
gesture, all i'll accord, to the
Utmost possibility of effect. Amid a
silence that could be felt, he waved
he indictment three times round his
head, as though still amazed, still un-
Lble to comprehend the charge.
Then he raised his hands and eyes
o, heaven, and il, a tone of pathetic
;nergy wholly indescribable, exclaim-
ID, ''Great God !" tss. li5i'+''
itsAt this point, such was the power
# his delivery, that the audience re-
ieyed their feelings by, burst of
igns and tears. The orator continu-
i;ttMay it please your worships. in q
lay like this, when truth is about to
'urst her fetters, when mankind are
bout to be aroused to claim their nat
ral and inalienable rights, when the
oke of oppression that has reached
be wilderness of America, and the
nnatural alliance of ecclesiastical and
iyil powers are about to be dissever-
d-atA such a period, when liberty,
berty of conscience, is about to wake
rom her slumberings and inquire in
, the reason of such charges as find
.toolRy in this Indictment
[ere occurred one of his appalling /
auses, during which he cast piercing
,oks at the Judges and at the three |
Iergymen arraigned. Then resum-
ig he thrilled every hearer by his fa-
orite device of repetition: t
''If I am not Notwithstanding /
, the, contents of the, paper now
old in my hand-these men are ac-
lsed of preaching the gospel of the /
on of God He waived the docu-i
lent three times around his head, as
lough still lost in wonder. and then,
18th the same electric attitude of ap-
cal to heaven, he gasped: Great
odr
''This was followed by another
nrst of feeling from the spectators;
Id again this master of effect plung-
| into the tide of his discourse: n -
May it please your .Worsi1ips,
Iere are periods in the history of
an when corruption and deprayity +
i've so leng debased, the human char
ter, that man sinks under the weight
the oppressor's hand--becomes his
rvile, his abject slave. He licks the
Ind that smites him. He bows in
issive obedience to the mandates of
re despot; and in this state of fservil-
v, he receives the fetters of perpetu-
bondage. But, may it please your
orships, such a day has passed.
rom that period when our fathers
# the land Of their nativity for these !,
merican wilds, from the moment
ey placed their feet upon the Amer j
an continent, from that moment des-
,tism was crushed, the fetters of {
.rlzness were broken, and Heaven (,
,creed that man should be free, free !
worship God according to the BIZ ,
e. In vain were all their sufferings /;
ID bloodshed to subjugate this New {
-orld, if we, their offspring, must
i'll be oppressed and prosecuted. ,,
1T may it please your Worships, 7
rmit me to inquire once more. For /,
hat are these men about to be tried 7
lis paper says. For preaching the
ospel of the Savior to Adams fallen
ce p e s s5 .Ttt /
Again. he paused. For the third
ne he slowly waved the Indictment :
und his head and then turning to ;
c Judges, looking them full in the .
&c, exclaimed with the most inn :
essive effect, What laws have they :
plated p The whole assembly was !
wv painfully moved and excited.
le presiding Judge ended the scene :
: saying, Sheriff, discharge these /
en- i,
Bound to Stand by the Old =