New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-24
THE SEwAPD MONUMENT.

long one and att r9cted wide attention. Men drove
miles 10 hear the arguments which were MADE
Among them was General John y. Knapp. VINO was
then a young law student, and he drove sixteen
miles across country ~ hear the argument Of MI
Seward for the defence The speech made such an
impression upon him that hc can now repeat most
of it from memory. I'm the closing lines OF Mr..
Stewards remarkable address, after he had STOOD
the taunts and sncers Of his neShboN. lapoT'd
under the unjust dcrision Of Judges and fought
inch by inch the best legal talent of the State. he
referred TO himself and his position in these words
In due time gentlemen of the jury, when
shall have paid the debt of nature, my remains
will rest here in your midst with those Of my
kindred and neighbour 1t is very possible they
may be unhOnOrcd, neglected, spurned but
perhaps wears hence. when the passion and cN-
element which now agitate this community
shall have passed away, some wandering stranger
some lone exile some Indian, some negro, may
erect over them Il simple stone and Oh 10 TINS
epitaph lie faithful
The jury rendered verdict on the morning
of July / Of that year. SO intense had been the
excitement attending the trial that all thoughts
Of "A celebration OF. the day had escaped the minds
of every one All night long crowds hung around
the courtroom, and Mr. Seward and lis family
were frequently startled during the night by the
discordsnt cries OF angry men. Repeated threats
Of personal violence 10 the Seward family had
been made. and there were many men who would
not have hcsitatcd to apply the torch to the
Seward home. When the news came that the
negro had been found guilty there was the wild
est excitement TIE church bells were rung, and
throughout the town there were eXhbltI, rs Jf
great JOY. The prisoner in his cell heard the
NOSE, hut he could lot Understand what IT.
meant more than Alien 1t" sat IN the dock
during his ulal ginning continuously at the
slaY ' lao RI
room, could he he made TO understand that he
being tried for the crime Of murder.
IN the prison he died while an appeal TO
higher court was pending, and examination
OF lis brain showed that il was badly diseased.
lie WAS FAITHFUL"
Then the people of Auburn began to see the
Justice OF Mr. Stewards defence of the negro, ana
those who had been most bitter against him
became his warmest admirers. On tho mon
ument in the Auburn Cemetery, where the dust
of Secretary Seward lies, there is engraved this
sentence:
81 He was faithful"
Nearly forty years after this trial, long afte:
the excitement and passion which it had aroused
had died away, and, in fact, had been almost
forgotten, movement was put on foot by
of the leading citizens of Auburn to erect
monument TO the Secretary of State OH the same
plot in front of the old mansion. where mob
of his felow-tOWnsmen met to hiss him
The accompanying cut shows the monument which
has been built here in front of the old Seward
mansion in South-st. The figure is the work
of Walter G.. Robinson an Auburn man, and
by those who knew Secretary Seward in life it
is considered to be of the best representations
of him in stone or metal that has ever been pro-
duced. In 1871 Mr.. Robinson. who then
ma rblecutter of rather eccentric turn Of mind,
designed a medallion portrait Of the dead states
man and copied it in marble. All who il
were Immediately impressed with the work. and by
the Secretary's family and friends i considered
10 be q most truthful likeness The praise which
Mr. Robinson received from the few who We're
permitted to sec the work moved him to attempt
something on a grander scale. The marblecutcr
did not have the time nor the means 70 devote
constant attention to his work lie had to fol-
low his trade 10 earn living, and his mind for
time gave way and he had to cease his labors
altogether while under treatment Sixteen years
alter he first began the work of designing a life
size statue Of the statesman he consented To allow
the model Of it 10 be exhibited publicly. j.
ceived Immediately the unanimous approval Of all
who saw it, and the order for bronze cast quickly
followed
UNWILLING OF THE MONUMENT.
Two years ago, in pouring rain all the people
Of Auburn turned out TO witness the unwilling of
the statue TO the man who, two score years before,
was despised and hated as O niger defender