Old Bailey New Court, Tue...
The Times, 1824-06-09T00:00:00

Witn Camtpion, a youth apparently of about the age of 19, was iniicted for having published and sold, in the sbop of Richard Caflile, in Fleet-street, a book caUed Paine's Age of Reason, in which was contained certain libellous and blasphemous passages, di3paraging and insulting to the Christian religion, and injurious to the public morals. The prisoner having pleaded " not guilty," Dlr. BOLLAND (with whom was ,lr. BERNs\ARD) stated the case to the jury. He then called a police-officer to prove the purchase of the book mentioned in the indictment of the prisoner. The passages set forth in the indictment were read from the same book, and this having been done, the case for the prosecution was concluded. The RECORDEIi told the primrner-iliatlitmnight ask the witness afn vquestions, but he declined to do so. Tfhe prisoner then entered upon his defence, which. he read from a manusript of considerable size. It occupied more than an hourand a half in reading, and consisted merely o.arepetitionofthediatribes which have been published by Carlile and hisadherents in support of their opinions. lt began with an assurance by the prisoner, that in the publication for which he was now indicted, he was solely actuat- ed by a desire for the morat improvement of mankind, by directing the human mind to the pursuit of truth. He then went on to exa- mine the truth of religion, by negativing in gross all the facts upon which it is fbunded, and denying all its evidences, historical as well as revealed. At length, the course which he had been advised to adopt became so ofFensive to Sir Cr EUNTER. who sat on the Bench, that he stopped the prisoner. lVhile the Alderman was con- ferring with theREcoaDER, one of the jurysaid-"Aly Lord, are we to be compelled to sit and hear this ?" The RECOanDEf said he was willing to suffer the prisoner to go on uninterruptedly, that there might not be a pretence for saying' that he had experienced a denial of justice: at the same time he could not but observe to the prisoner that he was not at all advanc- in his cause by such a line of defence. ir C. S. HUUNTEn said, that while the defence was within the bounds of common decency, no man could be more unwilling than he to stop it; but he would not sit there to hear the indecent blasphe- mies which had lately been uttered by the prisoner. The prisoner said then he should abandon that part of his de- fence; and, turning over a leaf, he proceeded to finish, as well as the hard words would permit him, the stuff which had been put into his hand.s, and of the impozt of which the unfortunate lad was evi- When he had concluded the RECORDEn summed up, and the jury retired to consider of their verdict. After being absen, more than an hour, they returned to the Court, and the Foreman an- nounced that they had found the prisoner Guilty. The REcoRDER then passed upon him the sentence of the Court the severity of which, he said, had'been enhanced by the de- fence he had been persuaded to make, and the resolution he had ex- pressed to continue, as faras he should be able, the practicec which a brought him into his present situation. He was then sentenced to be Imprisoned in the gaol of Newgate for the termot three years, and at the end of that period to enter into his own recognizance to the aount of 1001. to be of good behaviour during his life. Toa maS Jefereye was next put to the bar charged with a similar The Counsel for the prosecution, who wera the same as in the last case stated the particulars to thejury, and called a witness who gave evitn ence of the publication. Alr. FRENCYT was retained for the prisoner, and madeas ir- genious a defence as the unpromising nature of the case would admit. The main argument which lie urged was, that while the doctrines of Unitarians, which he insisted were essentially blasphemous, should continue not only to be tolerated, but their professors in. vested with offices of authority, it was unjust to visit with punish- ment the otTence of the prisoner, which was not more hostile to the Christian religion than those committed with impunity by the Unitarians. The RECORDRR summed up, after which the jury, witdout re- tiring, found the prisoner guilty. The RECORDER then sentenced him to 18 months' imprisonment, and to give his own security in 501. for his good behaviour during his life John Christopher was then brought up, charged upon three seps. rateindictments for offences similar to the last. Mir. C. PHCLLIPS, for the prisoner, objected to his being tried by the same jury, on the ground that they had already made up their minds on the subject, as was proved by their last verdict. This ob- jection was allowed, aud the jury was about to be dismissed, when a suggestion was made by the prisoner to his counsel that lie was wil- ling to plead guilty, and to throw himself upon the indulgence of the CourL After a few minutes' conference with his client, gr. Phillips said the prisoner had resolved to do so, and his plea of gut was accordingly recorded by the Clerk of the Arraigns. The eCOUst' then passeil upon hims.asentence of imprisonment for the term of two months on each indictment (making together six mnionths), and tof eDter into his own recognizances for his good beha- OLD BAILEY NEW COURT, i'URSDAY, JUNE & CARLILE's gnfNrv.