The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1906-11-15
4 SATURDAY
i NIGHT TALKS
8 By F. E. Dawson Rutland "
A DISGRACEFUL TRIAL.
Nov. 1S, 'O6-(Matt. ss:57-es.)

ances, and where "the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the
truth" is weighed In those delicate
scales. But as matter Of fact, some
! of the greatest outrages of history
have been wrought in the court
room, virtue punished and vice set
| free.
The greatest farce that was ever
| perpretrated In the annals of juris-
prudence took place In the holy city
| Of Jerusalem, where the holiest man
| of the ages was the prisoner at the
| bar, n Jewish high priest was one Of
| the side Judges, and the witnesses
were members of the church, in good
and regular standing. Three greater
| rascals never wore the judicial er-
| mine than Herod. PLATE and Gaia
phas. Witnesses never more un-
blushingly perjured themselves than
| the Jewish witnesses who swore to q
lie. Lynch law never rounded up q
more desperate mob Of incarnate
| flends than the priests, elders and
| scribes who crowded the temple Of
Justice courts, yelling Cruelty! Cru
city Him.
Revenge called the witnesses,
| masQuerading as justice. The jurors
were bloodthirsty tigers, Judging a
lamb. Everything was brought for
ward that perjured rascals could
hatch out; everything was sup
pressed that could by any possibility
favor the prisoner. The verdict was
made up before the crier called the
court to order. The worn and ex-
hausted victim was dragged from
pillar to post, from one Jurisdiction
to another, now in the hands of the
ecclesiastical authorities, then turn
ed over to the civil government, but
everywhere followed by the bowling,
hooting, disappearing mob, who
reached out their hands to drag him
from the soldiers that they might
rend him asunder. But the guard
kept their prisoner safe, not that
they might protect his person, but
that they might have the brutal sat-
tsfaction of torturing him, tearing
off his clothes. mocking his royal
claims with old cast off garments.
Of reed. They made hilarious sport
of the uncomplaining Nazarine and
worried him as cat does mouse
before devouring its prey. And JUS
tice, Roman Justice! Jewish Justice!
opened not its lips In condemnation
Of such an outrage and travesty.
Jesus Christ was a victim of human
hate, Jewish bigotry, envy. ecclesias-
tical politics, civil incapacity and
cowardice, lynch law, the voice OF
the aristocracy and the voice of the
slums, human and satanic forces
breaking In waves Of wrath over his
holy person. Since the world began,
never was there such a farce, impo-
sition, fraud. swindle, and decep-
ton as the impeachment. trial and
execution Of Jesus Of Nazareth.
But that unfair trial has had
many limitations. The ermine Of the
Judge has often rested upon the
shoulders of the thief, the libertine,
the drunkard. Many a man has
reeled into his seat on the bench and
sentenced virtue to prison. Perjury
and bribery and chicanery Of every
description has put handouts on In
nocence, and scattered families, and
broken Wills, and made sworn enc
mics of bosom friends, and shot the
bolts of prisons and erected scaf-
folds, and off1ciated at executions.
Justice has torn the bandage from
the eyes and winked at the jurors.
Shyster lawyers have plead for
clients and tearfully eulogized those
whom they know to be criminals.
Rich rascals have been set free for
price and poor unfortunates have
been given the limit of punishment.
Wealthy debauchees, and notorious
females have been given spectacular
attention, the court room crowded
daily with gushing women. who send
perfumed notes and keep the hero's
or heroine's cell fragrant with
bouquets, and ignorant and besotted
prisoners, guilty of the same offences
have been railroaded to prison with
out a pause in the proceedings. II the
Almighty should suddenly utter his
fiat that all the wrongs of life should
be righted. there is not bank or q
safe deposit vault that would not
have its sides blown out. Parch-
ments would rip, gold would shoot,
mortgages would rend. beggars
would get carriages, stock-gamblers
would go to the almshouse, prisoners
would go out at liberty, and judges
and jailors would take their places
behind the bars. Ten thousand revo-
lutions would take place in society,
the world would be turned upside
down, which would bring 1t right
side up.
In view of all this it is no wonder
that Tennyson sings:
Right forever on the scafold.
wrong forever on the throne,
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
and beyond the dim unknown
Stendeth God, within the shadow,
keeping watch above His own"
Though the trial of Jesus was
mockery and farce, the prisoner at
the bar had the best Of 1t. Temper
ary eclipse was followed by eternal
Brightness History has recorded its
verdict, and has hung up in the pill
lory Of execration, the judges, the
witnesses, the mob. The innocent
can afford to bide their time. They
NAV be helpless in the hands of their
enemies, but vindication will come.
To-day, Christ is triumphant, and
Herod, Caiaphas and PLATE are