Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-03-27
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE STAR ROUTE.
Stephen w. Dorsey IN Court for the
First Time.

his crOss-eXamlDatl0n or the witness Hill.
The witnes. identified an order by Dorsey
upon Rerdell, for the payment of money $50
due the witness. Possibly he had presented
that paper to Rerjell and mad received the
money. At the conclusion of his testimony.
Ingersoll called Stephen W. Dorsey to the
stand.
The clerk was about to administer the
oath when Merrick arose and asked permis-
sion to question the witness regarding his
belief and its binding force. The request
was granted, and Merrick inquired if the
witness regarded the oath binding upon
his conscience. He answered. fiercely shak-
ing his finger at the gentleman. that the oath
was as binding upon him as upon Merrick.
He regarded it binding upon his conscience.
Merrick asked if in taking the oath the wit
ness had in mind the effect of a failure TO
observe it upon his future state OF reward
and punishment.
Instantly, Ingersoll was upon his feet.
Il object. Sit down. said he to Dorsey;
and then proceeded to nour out an impas
stoned address. lie objected to the perpetra-
ton of this monstrositv of the dark ages.
The country had passed that. Ia nearly
every State, in every civilized State, every
man was allow ed to testify whether he be-
lieved in the future punishment of a personal
God or not.
He was one of the defendants in the case;
the government bad tainted him for year
for not taking the stand. and when he came
here they sought 10 prevent his testimony,
because he did not believe in their Jehovah.
They admitted that in the States a gentle
man could not testify that Humboldt
would not have been allowed to testify if his
own brother had been murdered before his
eyes. So with Tyniall, Smith and Hawley,
but in these States, said Ingersoll with ex
treme bitterness, a man who beats his wife
could go upon the stand and testify.
He did not believe that his honor would
allow such procedure. The last time he
had seen it tried, was before Judge Drum
mond at Chicago, and the Judge said that the
examination concerned matters of this world.
The witness was to testify about what ne
knew here.
Merrick replied that the religion of nine
centuries needed no defence from him. He
was acting under the rules of the law. He
referred to Ingersoli's charge that the gov
eminent did not wish Dorsey to testify, and
declared that it was untrue. What he did
desire was that the court and jury might
know what weight to attach TO his testimony
when he invoked the Supreme Being.
The witnesses were under great
obligations of personal honor, and
integrity, but in addition they had an obliga-
ton that they had invoked the justice of
Heaven and the wrath of man if they falsi-
fed and the court and jury should have the
witnesses opinion of weight of that obligation.
He wanted to know that if in taking oath he
felt that his conscience was involved, and
that there was an obligation to tell the truth.
He read from Greenleaf in support OF his po-
sition.
III. l.
world, and he had acted ba lily in this, he
would expect to fare badly there, and so he
would expect to fare well if he had acted well
here. He regarded truth as the most sacred
OF all obligations. If he was thei stand
and all he held most dear was at stake, still
would he be compelled to express his belief
and say he did not believe in a personal
Deity, and there were many excellent, gen
erous people of that belief. In the dark
ages the people were SO given to lying that
nobody was expected to tell the truth unless
they were scared
The gentleman (Mr. Merrick) had quoted
law. Now the laws were not always right.
Many people believed many laws to be
wrong as these were" Many laws that
were not right, they had such laws under the
old inquisition with its thumb screws and
racks, and fires and other horrible monstros-
tiles. He hoped the court would not enter
'"I" 'ie Pup a.i: -, III. oo".' "a" ''ia'
WY" W.. III q" o'ii.'.' po'' ., u ""S
a.. &c W III. -s ~ y, Wv 10
n ny ~! " i'
~. u' /" &c ~ ,. ." ~, 10y t".' ,'e
'iN.u '.''s IA" ."u .''' u. '''' nc
w., ~ouiu "'''i"is'el ','i' u'e '"' 's"o'e 'i,"t
A"Iy VIZ ny n'"'. ~ '"e .ou,' a"u !,
couiu ony "pP's ~ '"era :" 'nt ','eo'nSi !,
4ues.'on ~ wa. u'cue. az sun =. iene." ''ie
~ m, ~. So -
V, III" w. 10
u'"ue y. ''ur"' ~ 49, az" .""' se'''eu
.ia' po.n', ~ 49, VI, o"', t'e'''o' o' ,o''
NJ, "s r. :j, az, 9'i'
" nv" "a" ' az i''iou'
" '",u e . So y.
r. no IN :, so,p va, qu..u
". ~. >. - AZ w.. ~. Nv. p"'s ~
$3.50 '@. .I ~, s,o"S
no' o.s o"u "a. ~, Ia" Vi 80
" I"funeu VI. i"'
ii ri, -, ,I,aJ So ~. l.,
,,n;.Le5 g.. -. e ~ - Ia Nv, .nIi .t
49, =, w. f>''' " " NV '' '"e
Wo,r;oL ,,,.,,o,,aa ,h.. H., -
IL 10 wy
;n,er,;nn IS nrsran,,n, ,ba ,r;,nas. s,n',, az, a"s
,;fy;ng and ,b.. aover,ner, .,. dss;r',,s ,h,.
no. should ,ss,;fY
IT. Cor,, d,;,;.,. ,ho ,,.,,
IrnarsoII ..ua r,a,. go. g., ;,
w. .Oh,Ihsa ;,a, VI "l. Il" Sc
'''-. - ~ So'i' 0'' N"i'