Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-21
PATRICK HENRY In COURT.
HIS Brilliant defence Of the indicted
Preachers.
From the Atlantic fer July.


From the Atlantic for July.
The intolerance Of the established church
Mr. Parton illustrates by tie case Of three
Baptist preaehers who were arfaigned as
"distur0ers o. the peace" before magistrates
who were determined to convict them.
Patrick Henry rode fifty miles TO defend
them, and the following account is given of
bis performance Ii WAS more than speech
on that occasion:
He entered the courthouse while The pros
ecuting attorney was reading the itdict-
ment. he was a stranger TO most Of the
spectators, and, being dressed in the coun-
try manner, his entrance excited Lao remark.
When the prosecutor had finished his brief
opening, the newcomer took the indict-
ment, and glancing at # with an expression
of puzzled incredulity, begantO speak in the
tone of man who has Just heard some
thing too astonishing for belief. 49,
May it please your Wor5hips, / think /
heard read by the prosecutor, as I entered
the house, the paper | now hold in my
hand. If l have rightly understood, the
Kings attorney has framed an Indictment
for the purpose of arraigning and furnishing
By Imprisonment these three inofensive
persons before the bar Of this court for a
crime of great Lnasnitude-as disturbers Of
the peace. May it please the court, what
did / hear read? Did hear it distinctly,
or was it mistake of my own? Did bear
an expression Of crime, that these men,
whom your Borships are about to try for
misdemeanor, are charged with-with--
with WHAT?
Having delivered these words in a halting,
broken manner, as if his mind was stagger-
ing under the weight Of monstrous idea,
he lowered bis voice to its deepest bass,
and, assuming the prOfoundest sOlemnity
of manner, answered his own question:
preaching the gospel Of the Son of GodP
Then he paused. Every eye was now
riyeted upon him, and every mind intent;
for al this was executed as a Kean or a
Siddons would have performed it on the
stage-eye, voice, attitude, gesture, all in
accord to produce the utmost possibility Of
effect. Amid a silence that could be felt,
he waved the Indictment three times round
his head, as though still amazed, still
unable to comprehend the charge.
"Then he raised his hands and eyes 10
heaven, and, in tone OF pathetic energy
wholly Undesirable, exclaimed 'Great
Godn --.... -.--
his delivery, the audience relieved their
feelings by burst of signs and tears. The
orator continued: $1,000. F..
inlay II please your WOTSbipS, in a day
like this, when truth is about to burst her
letters, when mankind are about to be
aroused TO claim their natural and inalien-
able rights, when the yoke of oppression
that has searched the wilderness of America,
OIL r.
and civil power are about to be discovered
at such period, when liberty, liberty Of
conscience, is about to wake from her
slumberings and inquire into the reason Of
such charges as fnd exhibited here to-
day in this indictment = Here
occurred another of bis appalling
pauses, during which he cast piercing Looks !
at the judges and at he three clergynen
aTraigned. Then resuming he thrilled
every nearer by his fsvorite device Of rePe-
tition: IF am not Notwithstanding to
the contents ofthe paper now hold in my
hand-these men are accused of preaching
the gospel ofthe Son of God. He waived
the document three times round his head as
though still lost in wonder, and then, with
the same electric attitude Of appeal to
Heaven, he gasped, Great God
''This was followed by another burst of
feeling from the spectators; and again this
master Of effect plunged into the tide Of
his discourse: I,...-. ..- .. -
May it please your wOrships, there are
pei iods in the history of man when cor
rUpsiOn and depraYity have so debased the
human character, that man sinks under the
weight of the OppressOr's hand-becoInes
his serVile, his abject slave. He ticks the
hand that smites him. He bows in passive
obedience to the mandates of the desDot;
and, in this state Of seryility, he receives his
letters of perpetual bondage. But, may It
please your WOrships, such 4 day has pass
ed. From that period when our fathers
left the land of their nativity for these
American Wilds, from the moment they
placed their feet upon the American conti- |
nent, from that moment despOtism was
the letters of darkness were
broken, and Heaven decreed that man
should be free, free to worship God
to the Bible. In vain were
all theiI suferings and blOOdshed to subju-
gaze this New World, If we, their offspring,
must still be oppressed and prosecuted.
But, may it please your wOrships, permit |
me to inquire once more, for what are these
men about to be tried? This paper says,
For preaching the gospel of the Saviour to
Adams fallen racer -a,- 4
"Again he paused. For the third time |
he slowly waved the Indictment round his |
head; and then, turning to the judges, look
ing them fall in the face, exclaimed with !
the most impressive effect. What laws |
have they violated p The whole assembly
was now painfully moved aud excited. |
The presiding judge ended the scene by
saying, Sheriff, discharge these men, ]