South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-05-16


Wilson came to 3 sudden close on Sa.
tor'iay by tae States Attorney apollo
giving for the Gland Jury ANT himself
IN the bringing in OF an Indictment, on
the ground tnat the evidence OF q thief
and perjlrer before ths court was differ
ent from his testimony before the Grand
jury; hut there was no word of apology
t. MIR. Wiilison for setting him among
criminals and publishing him as con.
sort OF thieves. From every quarter
Cana papers containing the fact OF his
indictment and probably in not one out
OF ten will the result Of the trial he given.
The Grand Jury and the States At
tornev never committed greater .JJur
Fss than when on letters from convicts
those penitentiary bir,ls we're summoned
to testify agsinst n gentleman OF the
standing Il Hanson Wiilisoa in this com.
mnnity. We commend u States Atlor.
ney for zeal in ferreting GU, crime and
Furnishing criminals; a Grand Jury can.
not be praised too much for ITS efforts to
expose rascality and to present rascals
to tue court for trial; and the court it
self is eeldom conicD aed 10y tho public
Tor severe sentences.
But there are reru atoms that are
dearer than life to men who have lived
near three-score years respected aud
hvnofed in community, end neither
/ gland jury, S'ates's Attorney or the
court its II has the right 10 su!ly that
nam upon the evidence Of men convic.
ted OF PERJURY anil THEFT. Was there no
homes. CT izeu in all OF Al.eganv county
that could be brought 10 show a dark
spot u on the white garment Of Mr.. Will
lisoD, in order to give scme fiinsy ex.
cuse for receiving the testimony Of foul
and besotted criminals? There was
none. was there any circumstantiGl
| evidence established on the testimony of
good citizens upon which suppositiors
case might be made out ? There was
none. Were there personal spite or DO.
litical enmtiesto be grati6ed We are
told there were not. Then, in the name
OF 20 why this parody on justice. AMI
why this persecution Of a man who,
though innocent as the newborn babe,
will bear TO his grave the cankering
knowledge that grand jury OF his fell.
iow-citzcns Of Allegany county presCn.
tel him as Il consort with criminals and
as In coliusion with thieves! And this,
too, after the man bad spent his time
and money and ridden day and night
through the mountains of Pennsylvania
to capture the thieves and recover the
property of his personal frieads, from
whom lie would take no reward.
Were not thes, facts recorded i'm the
journals of tae iay ana known at The
time these rascals were being tried p
were these facts not easy of access to
the grand jury Was not the States
Of
was he 80 deeply absorbed in his law
stuiies that the events Of the day were
blank TO him These questions fol-
low one another with Lightning rapidity
through the mind, and tho responses are
enigmas to the intelligent interrogation.
From our personal knowledge Of a
number of the grand jury that body was
fa'rly representative one in intelli-
gence; and yet we are tc Id by the States
Attorney that il the TINES bad not pub
!ished vote OF theirs and commanded
cen uro the jury from the court they
would never have indicted Mr. Wilson.
Can IL he pc 'sihle that this jury, upon
their individual oath to Judge impartial.
~, presented and indicted Ha nson Will
lison for coliusion with thieves to spite
The DAILY TINES! Out upon such an
assertion The thought wi II no, be en-.
tertaincd moment by any rationa al man
because it, makes fool Of him who
ASSERTS II, or fools of u grand jury VIE
would do it.
Young men just entering upon the
arena of public life are too often over
ambitious, and III their zeal TO perform
their duty exceed the bounds Of Justice.
prud nee and common sense; and some.
times they permit their private rejudi.
ces and quarrels to enter into their pub
lie duties. This should never be for
moments revenge may prove TO them
selves the thorn Of lifetime. We have
ourselves been the object OF revenge
OF such character, and have becn pro.
sented for misdemeanor upon q law
wnich Judge Pearre himself said he did
not know was upon the statute books.
We aye glad to say that sober reflection
and spirit ofjustice AMI honor PROMPT.
cd the States Alto -ney to drop tue mat
ter; but lis prosecui ion would not have
edriched him nor made US poorer; and
the barbed conscience would lave been
his and not ours.
The States Attorney will CO .tinue in
Office Tor nearly four years The grand
July VI WI. w IllSOU Is n dead
body. TIE past cannot be recalled nor
can the injury already done be reme-
died. But the incidents of the past two
weeks are lesson that the States Az.
torney and coming grand juries NAV
study with profit. The criminals of tho
penitentiary and the respected citizens
OF community are not upon equal terms
AMI do not occupy the same plane in CT.
viIization. On scale OF 1000 Ike one
stands at the Top, The other az the base,
and there must be many connecting links
before they meet on n common level
and he who sioop' 10 morally lift the
criminal on a level TO bis great superior
commits on error as gross as no who
would drag an hopored citizen to the
base of tue scale and cousort hifs with
| the low aud vic.
There must be proofs as strong az
Holy Writ, and the light must be a,
/ oil 10.