Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-02-23
C0LE-HARMON.


AN ILLUSTRATION.
To the Editor Of the Blade:
The supper given to Probate Judge
Haley. by the Bar of Henry County on
his retirement at the close of his fourth
consecutive term, was a very graceful
and appropriate occasion. But what, in
that connection even more concerns the
people of that County and of this region,
is the expression made by the company
there assembled is the unanimous and
hearty Endorsement OF the resolution Of
fered by Hon. ]. NJ. Haag. already pub
lished in the BLADE, but which | would
be glad to see reproduced. tits as follows:
"ResolUed, That while we recognize in
the press one of the most potent and pow
erful engines of public morals and free
government, and would consent to no
measures tending to an abridgement of
its privileges and franchises, we cannot
but regret that unlicensed, crude and in.
consisderate journalism which seeks to
makethe law subservient to public sympa.
thy to individual interests and prejudices.
and to make the clamor of a mob an ex-
cuse for judicial and official perjury,
Such doctrine is destructive of that lib
erty regulated by law, which gives the
citizen protection. 1t is the same teach
ing which gave birth to the Regicides of
England and the Jecobins of France.
The same "higher law" doctrine invoked
the insurrection at Harper's Ferry. and
eliminated in the assassination of two
Presidents of the Republic, and which. if
tolerated, would place the lives and prop
erty of the citizen at the mercy of an un-
bridled rabple which might ever find
protection and immunity from punish
ment upon plea of fancied wrong"
Nothing could be more timely than
such expression by the Bar of Henry
County, at Napoleon, which had so re-
Gently been the scene of events well cal
culated to excite the deepest soiictlude as
to the place which "liberty regulates by
law" is to hold in that community. Such
interest had been greatly deepened by
the extraordinary course taken by
large number of newspapers in this
section, whereby it was persistently de-
manded, that "the law shall be made
subservient to public sympathy" and no
longer to stand as the buiwark of justice
and right against all clamor of the "un-
brided rabble." Well may not only the
Bar of Henry County, but every consider
ate citizen, be alarmed at such evidence
of decentralization in quarters to which
the friends of good government have the
right to look for aid and reliable support,
against the constantly vigilant and ac-
tive enemy of good order. The time has
come when the friends of law should
cry aloud, and nowhere could they more
fittingly begin than with the Bar of the
county.
AS already we'll known tho recent ex
traordinary outburst against the enforce.
ment of law in Henry County, was made
in the name Of sympathy with "poor
heart-broken, disconsolate. husband
whose domestic peace had been ruth
lessly crushed by the insidious machina.
tions of a professed friend, in misleading
a poor wife to wrong" The distress of
Cole, the slayer of Harmon, it was al
legged, was too deep and overpowering,
in the presence of virtue dethroned and
his home deserted. bringing him to the
con dition of absolute responsibility
and justifying the killing of that author
of all this outrage on his fine sensibili.
ties.
No ordinary consideration could war
rant protracted discussion OF the more
delicate features of this case; but mas
much as fabric of this sentiment, :"
threatening the very foundation of all
government, has been erected upon a
basis of falsehood and error, it becomes
a matter of duty to subordinate common
delicacy, in defence of the interests
thus menaced. In answer, then. to all
this sentimental fiction about Coles suf-
fering, and to show on what fimsy basis
1.-THE sentiment of this community" may
be erected, it will be sufficient to state on
proper authority, that this man Cole, the
subject of so much touching sentimen-
tality, was SO overcome with the rela-
tions of his wife and Harmon, that, find
ing himself in the same prison with a
notorious prostitute, confined there for
punishment, he commenced wit h her a
series of illicit 1irtations through the
prison bars, and even urged the Sheriff
to permit him and the woman to occupy
the same cell. What pressure of an
guish over his wife's sin must have sug-
gested such desire! Poor man! Was he
not entitled to all the tears of employed
council and sympathetic editors, shed
over his lacerated heart?
Nothing could more readily illustrate
the madness Of attempting to substitute
sentiment" for law, than does this very
case, and in that way it may prove high
ly useful.
TTrcTICp