The Press., 1886-08-19
TAmerican MIssionary.] MONUMENT TO JUDGE HARRINGTON.


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 Who was Judge Harrington? Possibly Esome of our old abolition readers may be able to answer this question To the present generation the name Is certainly not familiaf HIt ought to be, and the Missionary desires to do what 1t can to make it so.
 On the third of July last in Chippen- hook Cemetery, Clarendon, Vt, by an ap- Epropriation of $400 made hy the Vermont general assembly in 1884, monument was dedicated in the presence of 900 people, on which were the words, Judge HTheophilus Harrington, l762-1S13, Erect ed by the State, 1886. :" But why did the state single out man so long dead and thus honor him? It was because man had lived and died, whose life largely had entered into present history with moulding power. but of whom the world knew little. Judge Harrington was Vermont farmer
 whose good sense and sturdy character led his townsmen to send hlm to the gen. eral assembly, as their representative from | 1795-1803.s Notwithstanding the fact that he had never. studied law he. was elected
 presiding judge of Rutland county court in 180O.,i h 1903 he was elected iudge of the supreme court, which position he held
 until 1913. After this election, he was by courtesy admitted member of the bar of the county court of which he had already
 been judge. He thus became nominally a member of the legal profession, though he
 was always a farmer and never a lawyer by education, profession or practice.
 Some of the decisions rendered by this remarkab ble man. though ignorant ofa the law, have become the authority for ide-
 cisions in similar cases in all courts of jus
 tice, and some of them have been the pre-
 cursors of mighty revolutions in public
 sentiment. A man stole horse in Canada
 and took it through Vermont into Massa-
 chusetts and sold it. He was indicted for
 stealing the horse ill Vermont and hls case
 came before the 'suprehde court. It was
 objected that he stole the horse in Canada \ and merely took it;through Vermont and
 could be punished criminally only in Gan
 ada where he stole it or in Massachusetts l where he sold it. The other judges were in doubt, but Judge Harrington said that in his opinion the, man stole the horse Il when he took it, and stole it every step oi the way he took with it until he sold it. and, was stealing it all the way. through Vermont. The judges concurred at onct } land the man was convicted. This decision
 remains good law and is recognized every where, , r. ,4sr ...1f
 But the decision that makes Judge liar Frington, worthy of monumental5 remem ) brance, not only by Vermont but by al the civilized world, is 8 decision that ht ) gave interference toa fugitive slave brough into his court for warrant, to be returned
 to his owner. Congress had passed law . empowering the owner of slave that haC
 escaped. into another state to bring hin before any magistrate, and upon proof tc the satisfaction of the magistrate that tht person selzed ttsdoth under the laws of tho state or territory from which he or sht | fled owe service: or labor to the persol .l claiming him or her, /" it was the duty O n the magistrate to direct the fugitive's re :. turn, Under this law slave was brough q before Judge Harrington. The attorne. ;. Representing the person who claimed tt be the owner undertook to prove to hin
 that the slave owed service to the master
 To do this he would prove that the master owned the slave. The attorney was armed with affdavits of title. to the slave. H. } seemed to doubt whether Judge Harring : ton understood the procedure and put il
 proof an affidavit of the bill of sale of th' man. Judge Harrington asked if that wa all. Then he put in an affidavit of bill o sale of the mother to the man who solt
 the slave. Judge Harrington said, Fl that all ?" The attorney said he had gon,
 back to the ownership of the mother Judge Harrington said, F'But you don't g back. to the original proprietor. "as The at torney, surprised at this, asked what would answer beyond these bills of sale, and tn, E sIiudge replied, i':A bill of sale from God Al mighty" The attorney could not produc 4 that, the certificate was refused and tn,
 slave went free. @'f7 .ri 'I h13.',"
 This man might well be called the morn
 ing star of emancipaton! In that decision
 lies the whole arsenal of argument who's ringing use by Phillips, Garrison, Tappal 5 and others prepared the moral sentimen hof. the nation to bring forth the abolition t of slavery, when the time came that in tn, E providence of God the oppressed were t. | go free. We are glad that the Vernon
 people have rescued the name of thi . Egrand John the Baptist of freedom, thi |. Irighteonsl and just, though funlearned judge, from an oblivion into which ther 3 was danger it might fall, and brought forth to the gaze. and the admiration 0
 the civilized world. As Judge Wheeler, o
 BrattlebOro, said, in his oratien at the ded l1 lcati0n of the monument :li,"Wheresoeve
 this gospel of freedom shall be preache, < throughoutithe whole world, this also tha E this state has done shall be spoken as , llmemorial of her, .''.J. .ss.sss .8 stQ lGf- :
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