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Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSLet them look at the conduct of Capt. Trotter. He was an officer of the British navy stationed on the coast of Africa, with directions to use his efforts in suppressing the slave trade. He was there discharging the particular duty assigned to him and was under no obligation to trouble himself about pirates. However, he received information about the robbery of the American brig and that the pirate was believed to be on the African coast. He immediately went in search of her. What motive could this gallant officer have

Here is the translated text as follows:766 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSHow could we support our claims to property, or claims of any other kind, but by human testimony? The only purpose for which these cases ought ever to be called before a jury is as a caution. If they were urged further than this, it would be an urging of the jury to betray their duty. He regretted seeing them introduced into an American court because our tribunals are not characterized by a thirst for blood. On the contrary, if we have anything of which we can justly boast, it

Here is the translated text as follows:Many things, said Judge Story, had been brought into the present case which he regretted. However, the counsel for the defense had undoubtedly done right in omitting nothing that might have occurred to their minds as likely to benefit the prisoners. The jury had been presented with many cases to illustrate the difficulty of deciding upon the identity of individuals. Some of these cases might be founded in fact, or they might, for all anyone could say to the contrary, be figments of the imagination. They were commonplaces of the law and had been

Here is the translated text as follows:764 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe gallantry with which they, upon all occasions, risked their lives in behalf of the general weal.November 24.JUDGE STORY'S CHARGEJudge Story:Gentlemen, this important and protracted case is now, I hope, drawing to a close. In terms of its duration and the extraordinary nature of the circumstances developed, it is without parallel in the history of our courts. Great diligence and exertion have been used to bring out the facts; those facts are now before the jury, and it is for you to decide as to the guilt or innocence of

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSPreviously, it was said that he could not read, yet he contradicted that assertion by reading in court. This circumstance would be one of the strongest proofs that he had testified truthfully. It would demonstrate that, however bad he was in other respects and whatever falsehoods he might have stated elsewhere, he had come into court on the present occasion with a full knowledge of his precarious situation. He was convinced that his life depended on his veracity and was determined to tell the truth, even if it meant contradicting anything

Here is the translated text as follows:At the time she was taken, what became of them after they left the vessel? They sought refuge among the negroes and in the forest. How different was the conduct of the Portuguese, who shipped at Prince’s Island and had no concern with the robbery. One of them went on board the Panda immediately after the English had taken possession of her, and the other sought a passage home in a vessel lying very near the Panda. From the instructions of the captain of the Panda, I believe the whole affair was a regular

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe mate of the Mexican vessel and Perez both recount that the pirates took some spars, butter, and fowls from them. Perez observed this while in the maintop of the schooner. He also noted seeing smoke coming from the galley of the Mexican, and Captain Butman corroborates this by stating that his vessel was nearly set on fire. Witnesses from both vessels confirm that these events occurred on September 20th. Perez specifically mentions the 20th as the day the Panda captured the American brig, and the logbook of the Mexican records

Here is the translated text as follows:Diack, with a white streak, noted that she had two small guns and something resembling a gun covered up amidships. She estimated the vessel to be about one hundred and fifty tons burden. Regarding this latter item—the amount of tonnage—allowances must be made for the state of alarm into which Capt. Butman was thrown. Mr. Peyton has explained how difficult it is to judge the tonnage of a vessel; he mentioned that he and his messmates were, in one instance, unable to decide within fifty or sixty tons the burden of the vessel in

Here is the translated text as follows:On the 20th or 26th of August, a vessel commanded by Captain Gibert set sail, manned by a crew, part of whom were the prisoners at the bar. This fact was undeniable, as it was corroborated by the Custom House documents and the testimony of Perez and Guzman. Perez stated that the vessel sailed on the 20th or 26th, and the ship’s papers and Moro Pass, dated the 18th, lead us to believe that the voyage commenced on the 20th of August.The track of the Mexican vessel is before us, marked by the mate

Here is the translated text as follows:But, gentlemen, all the indulgences I have enumerated have been granted not to facilitate the escape of guilt, but to afford protection to the innocent. Otherwise, our laws would be a mockery, and our courts of justice merely a theater where the prize of eloquence is to be won, and where, instead of protecting the rights of our citizens, guilt might revel in crime and defy discovery more than in any other place.If the prisoners are innocent, none of you, gentlemen, I am sure, will regret the length of time and the great labor

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe defendants have been instructed in matters of right; they have had counsel of their own selection; they have had the privilege of choosing their own jury from a large number of citizens collected from all parts of the vicinity. If ever there was a mode more calculated to secure the proper administration of justice, it is that adopted by us in this particular. They have had the advantage of the government's resources to procure any testimony within the process of the court. All witnesses whose testimony they desired are in

Here is the translated text as follows:The labors involved in this case have been unprecedented. We can find no parallel to them in the history of judicial proceedings in this country. None of us have yet broken down under the strain, although many times our bodies have been weary and our hearts sick and faint. Still, I do not believe these labors should be a subject of regret when we consider the great importance of the case now to be decided. It is significant because it involves the lives of twelve men and the interests of public justice, not only

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersThe possibility of the Panda encountering the Mexican was discussed, with a table of calculations presented to the jury. These calculations aimed to demonstrate that the schooner was significantly ahead of the brig at the time the robbery occurred.Regarding the prisoners' alleged involvement in the slave trade, it was argued that before this could be held against them, the government should ensure it approached the court with integrity. It was undeniable that, despite New Englanders' objections to this trade, the entire country was involved in it at the time. As recently

Here is the translated text as follows:754 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Such grounds as these, gentlemen, have never been seen in a case of piracy since the beginning of time. Is it a fact that Quentin did not know that the logbook or any of the papers were missing? Doubtless, all the books and papers fell into the same hands. I have no doubt that the logbook is now in the hands of the prosecutors. The schooner has always been known as a two-topsail schooner; as such, she was known in August 1832, in Havana, and also in Cadiz in 1833.

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSIt is false, as all travelers positively assert, that Spanish dollars are current all over Africa. Their value, doubtless, differs in different parts of the coast, depending on how much the inhabitants may need other articles. And the money was buried! How is it that it remains hidden to this very day, with a fleet of British vessels on the coast? How is it that it is still in possession of the natives, despite the powerful arms of the British navy, led by Capt. Henry D. Trotter? Why, also, were the

Here is the translated text as follows:752 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSMr. Child referenced "Parliamentary Tables," by which he claimed he could demonstrate the type of individuals who had entered the British navy. He stated he could show the names of over 3,000 lieutenants, many of them veterans in service, who had been superseded by inexperienced youths.The Court stated that any established work of science could be quoted as evidence, but the mere opinions of a writer regarding the conduct of a government or individuals could not be admitted.Mr. Child argued that if an announcement had been made regarding the loss

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersThe other witness, Quentin, affirmed positively that the guns were iron. Perez also mentioned that there was only one man and the third mate on board the Panda who spoke English, and that the former did not go on board the Mexican. Meanwhile, the crew of the latter vessel declared that several of the pirates spoke English fluently.The conduct of Captain Trotter did not suggest that he considered the prisoners to be pirates. He never kept them in chains long enough to maintain the pretense, if it was one, and even

Here is the translated text as follows:760 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe probability of his having perjured himself by the suppression of important truths is significant.I will now call your attention to another aspect of this witness's testimony. He has stated that the carpenter set fire to a bag of powder in the hold. Would the witness himself be willing to try this experiment? Would the carpenter have succeeded in such an attempt and made his escape to the shore in safety? Is it not more probable that he would have been in another world before reaching his boat? Yet, the

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSYou will be convinced, upon a moment's reflection, that this could not have been the case.I may have tested your patience during my cross-examination, gentlemen. I might have been more detailed in minor particulars than prudence would typically dictate. If we had possessed any other means, this would not have been necessary. However, as it was, we could not obtain a ray of light except through the strictest scrutiny and closest examination.Perez initially tells you that the men on board wore both black and white shoes. Later, he claims he saw

Here is the translated text as follows:It seems to me that the whole aim of Perez was to give a deeper hue to the crime with which these prisoners were charged. The carrying of knives by Spanish sailors could excite no suspicion in the breast of anyone if it was a customary thing. We cannot account for such evidence in any other way than by believing that he feared, should these men be discharged, his own imprisonment might be protracted.Perez also tells you, gentlemen, that the carpenter stove the American boat with something heavy, like a piece of wood; and

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe prosecution presented its case, yet it was revealed that the English officer who captured these men was once indebted for his life to their leader. Mr. Quentin, while on the stand, stated that he had no doubt that when Capt. Trotter was in the hands of the negro king, he was saved by the intercession of Capt. Gibert. Throughout the trial, the jury found no evidence to support the portrayal of these men as the dangerous and bloodthirsty miscreants described in the charges against them. They were told that much

Here is the translated text as follows:746 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe time will come when this world will be as nothing to you: when its opinions, its struggles, and its varied interests will hold no more place in your thoughts than last year's clouds. When memory, invested with preternatural power, will array before your mental gaze every action of your past lives. Then, gentlemen, at that awful moment, believe me, this verdict will not be forgotten; and if you have given it without due conviction of its justice, it will lie with the weight of mountains upon your souls. Let

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSIn the ocean of life, there are in his bosom the same social sympathies that animate our own. He has nerves to feel pain and a heart to throb with human affections, just as you do. His life, to establish the law or to further the ends of justice, is not required. Taken, it is of no value to us; given to him, it is above the price of rubies.And Costa, the cabin boy, only fifteen years of age when this crime was committed—shall he die? Shall the sword fall upon

Here is the translated text as follows:744 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSVictims, or that the sword of the law should fall until it is clogged with massacre. Antonio Ferrer is plainly but a servant. He is listed as a free black in the ship’s papers, but that is no proof that he is free. Were he a slave, he would, in all probability, be represented as free, and this for obvious reasons. He is, in all likelihood, a slave and a native African, as the tattooing on his face proves beyond a doubt. At any rate, he is but a servant.

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSMr. Hilliard addressed the court, highlighting several key points. He noted the fact that Perez had since stated that the cook was not present at all, which cast doubt on the reliability of Perez's testimony. Mr. Hilliard referred to Perez's statements to Mr. Badlam in jail, where Perez declared, "that all he had previously said was a lie." He pointed out the many inconsistencies in Perez's evidence and that of other witnesses. Finally, he mentioned the circumstance where all the crew identified Boyga as having been on board the Mexican, while

Here is the translated text as follows:742 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The extension was granted to Otis solely to provide the Executive with time to receive information from the court.Mr. Hilliard stated that some of the prisoners had been identified by the crew of the Mexican. It was well known that no evidence was more prone to objection than that relating to identity. Nothing changed more than the human countenance when exposed to the influence of a tropical sun or strong excitement. The records of the courts proved this. The captain thought he recognized a dead man (Delgardo) as one of

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSIf it was sound, we would have failed in our duty had we not done this. Had we not acted thus, and had the prisoners been convicted, that conviction would have been something we could never have overcome. The forms and countenances of these men would have haunted our midday steps, disturbed our midnight slumbers, and we would never again have known peace.If the individuals before you, gentlemen, are innocent, is there not something in their condition calculated to touch the heart? They are here, after a long confinement, with scarcely

Here is the translated text as follows:Consider the circumstances under which the prisoners have come to this country. They have been brought here with a sort of éclat, much to their disadvantage. A vast apparatus seems to have been put in motion against them. England, the queen of the ocean, has stretched forth her arm against them, and every man, from the Lords of the Admiralty down to the youngest midshipman on board the Curlew, seems to have decided upon their fate. We are too likely to be influenced by these circumstances and imagine that England would not have taken

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSTo the countenance and eye of the prisoner, a new expression emerges. We see guilt written in every lineament of his visage, and we translate the look of conscious innocence into ruffian hardiness or callous indifference.These men, gentlemen, are accused of the crime of piracy and are consequently viewed with horror as robbers and murderers. Let me entreat you to lay aside all prepossessions of this kind and not suppose, because the prisoners are accused, that they are guilty. There is not a man, perhaps, who has looked upon these individuals

Here is the translated text as follows:In the most unclouded state of understanding, with the most unwavering attention to facts and the strictest self-examination, we must be cautious not to, through rashness, inadvertency, or prejudice, pass sentence upon the innocent and commit a judicial murder. If these considerations are important when dealing with a solitary individual, how much greater must their importance be in the present case? You are not now called upon to decide the fate of one, but of twelve persons. The lives of twelve men are in your hands. Your verdict will determine whether the individuals who

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSIt's my turn now." He was in a state of excitement.Ebenezer Prescott: I am an officer of the court. Ridgly was intoxicated at the time. I saw Mr. Sumner and others talking to him a short time after, and not thinking it proper that he should be questioned in his then state, I went and told Mr. Dunlap.Henry Homer: Ridgly was one-half or two-thirds drunk. I saw many people around him, among others, Mr. Child, who was listening and speaking to him. I heard one of the bystanders say to Mr.

Here is the translated text as follows:736 ¥. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He deceived him by telling him that he would not be kept a prisoner, while, in reality, he was now as much a prisoner as the others. I think, when he said this, he did not refer to any individuals in this country, but to the English. I told Mr. Dunlap what the prisoner had said, and Mr. Dunlap replied, "Very well, he may do as he pleases; if he does not like to be a witness, we can do without him." Perez then cooled down, did not appear in

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersThe engagement was not considered in Havana to disparage any man's character.Isaac A. Coolidge, the underkeeper of the jail, was asked to identify the colored men, Ridgly and Lewis, of the Mexican, as the persons who called at the jail and stated that they recognized one of the prisoners. He was unable to swear to the parties.Charles Sumner saw Ridgly in court, either at the time the prisoners were arraigned or when they were brought up to receive copies of the indictment against them. Ridgly was near the crier's desk, surrounded

Here is the translated text as follows:134 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSI think, from what I see of the Mexican's track, that she was a dull sailer, and there would be a difference of about one-third between her and a Baltimore clipper in smooth water. The meeting of the Panda and Mexican, with one sailing on the 20th from Havana and the other from Salem on the 29th, would be very improbable, but not impossible. I should think the Panda would be at the Cape de Verde by the 20th of September. To pass through the Bahama Channel and reach 30°

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSPedro Gibert and others. 733°Six, or six and a half. A clipper will, on average, sail one-third faster than a merchant vessel. The Panda and Mexican would not be likely to meet because the schooner ought to be much ahead of the brig. I am well acquainted with the currency on the African coast. Spanish dollars are current there—even doubloons and ounces will pass. I have been on the coast as far as Congo and thirty leagues up the river. Petty Sestos and Nyphoo are not the same places. Vessels going

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsWith a stock of the best provisions on the coast, owing to the best sources, such as beef, pork, etc., the weather was favorable. It is advisable to take but little bread, as it spoils.Mr. Dunlap asked the witness if he had not been involved in the slave trade. Mr. Child objected to the question as irrelevant. Judge Story did not think so, as the query concerned the gentleman’s—she begged pardon—the witness's character. Mr. Dunlap again posed his question, to which the witness replied that when he could not get ivory, he

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersThe average rate of sailing for ships is about one hundred and twenty miles per day. In summer, they typically sail one hundred and twenty miles, while in winter, they cover around one hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy miles. The passage from New York to Liverpool is completed in twenty-seven to thirty-three days during the summer. However, the yards of packet ships are squarer than those of ordinary merchantmen, and they carry a heavier crew. On average, it can be said that packet ships sail a knot an

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsCaptain Jeremiah Briggs: I have commanded nine merchantmen over 32 years. My voyages have generally been to the East Indies, and I have also been to Rio and other South American ports. It is customary, when hailed, if from Salem, to answer "from Boston," as Boston is a port more known than Salem, particularly to foreign navigators. I have never been on the coast of Guinea.Mr. Dunlap: Suppose a clipper, bound for the coast of Africa, sails from Havana on the 20th of August, and a vessel like the Mexican, a dull

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe English crew was not called up to take their share of any money. Captain Gibert went ashore when the Panda reached Nazareth and came back after two months. He was sick on board for five days. Once he recovered, he went ashore again and did not return to the ship. I think the captain went on board once after that.Anastasio Sivera, 23 years of age, shipped on board the Panda on the 8th of February, 1833. We first went to Cape Lopez and then to Nazareth. They ran her ashore

Here is the translated text as follows:728 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe Panda did not pursue them themselves but sent the negroes who were standing armed on the beach. There was a great number of negroes, though I don't know how many; they extended all along the beach.Captain Trotter went to the king two or three times to demand the prisoners. At last, he went with the crew to take the prisoners by force. I don't know if Captain Gibert and his men interceded with the king not to harm the English. When the Panda was blown up, part of the

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersJean went ashore at Nazareth by Captain Trotter's orders to search for the hidden money. Two of the prisoners guided us, but we found no money. The prisoners were accompanied by an English officer, to whom they were obedient. They showed him the place where it was first buried but could not tell where it had been taken to. The English captain got some money, but I don't know how much; he took it away from Captain Gibert at Cape Lopez. I was a prisoner but not in irons. I never

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsMr. Dunlap: I scarcely know what Mr. Child means by restricting the prisoners. I believe the other counsel, Mr. Hilliard, would not say what Mr. Child had said.Mr. Hilliard was perfectly satisfied with the conduct of the District Attorney on this, as on all other occasions, and should always feel happy in being opposed to the gentleman.**Simon Domingo:** I went with the Panda from Prince’s Island to the River Nazareth. When we arrived there, we came to anchor and lay there for four months, "doing nothing." They had previously traded for negroes.

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSMr. Child: We do not know gentle or simple here.Justice Story: If there is anything objectionable in my usage of the word "gentleman," I will use the word "man," although I consider that all present are entitled to the former appellation.Cross-Examination Continued:I do not know whether the powder placed in the cabin to blow up the vessel was in a bag or not. I saw a bag hauled up and also a match still burning. The name of the man who first went down is Trumbull. I know nothing of Trumbull

Here is the translated text as follows:X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSWhile in Cape Lopez, we had more prisoners than men of our own. There was then some appearance of a rising among the prisoners, but never at any other time.At Cape Lopez, Captain Trotter and some of our men were taken prisoners by the African king. They were captured on Sunday and kept until Wednesday. It required considerable negotiation to secure their release. Captain Trotter was never anxious on account of the capture of the Panda or the Esperanza. I was in Fernando Po when Perez was examined. Captain Trotter, in

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSI remember going ashore and don't think Perez was in the boat; there were only two of the prisoners, and they were the men whom I have mentioned. I recall going to the River Bona in the Curlew. Some of the prisoners were on board the Esperanza, and others on board the Curlew. The mate, the carpenter, and three others were in irons. The captain of the Panda did some translations for Captain Trotter; Captain Trotter might have regaled him with wine and brandy. When we were in the River Bona,

Here is the translated text as follows:We found the ship on fire and I was the first to board her. The first thing we did was to put out the fire, which we found in the magazine below the cabin floor. One of our men went down and discovered a quantity of cotton and brimstone burning, along with a slow match ignited and communicating with the magazine. The magazine contained fourteen or sixteen water casks of powder. We looked for the ship’s papers and logbook but did not find them.We then bent the schooner’s sails and went up the river.

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSCaptain Pedro Gibert hailed the English captain and ordered him to come on board. The English captain replied that his boat leaked so badly that he would not be able to keep it afloat. Captain Gibert insisted that the English captain come on board quickly. The English then launched their boat, and the captain, boatswain, and two men came on board the schooner.The corvette was robbed of five goats, one cheese, several cases of preserves, cordials, and two half coils of rigging. No other piracy was committed after the robbery of

Here is the translated text as follows:They were never permitted to speak to anyone except in the presence of a sentinel. On board the Panda was a sailor who could speak English; his name was Perico. He was a fat white man, but I do not know his country. He died on board the schooner. Perico was a Spaniard but had sailed on board an American brig. The powder of the Panda was stowed in her hold at Havana. I had not been concerned in the war between Spain and her colonies. I have been on board both Danish and

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSReiterating the assertion that he could not write, the witness stated that he was asked by the government at Fernando Po to sign his name to the deposition he made there. However, he could not do it and was therefore told to make his mark. The witness attempted to write but, finding he could not, threw down the pen in despair. The court wished it to be understood that this trial of the witness, although permitted, could not be legally called for by the prisoner's counsel.Cross-Examination ContinuedThe witness did not distrust

Here is the translated text as follows:718X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSWhile in the canoe, the captain asked why the ship had not been blown up. The carpenter replied that he did not know why an explosion had not occurred. The captain and mate questioned him further, asking why he had not burst a barrel of powder over the deck, loaded a gun, tied a fish-line to the lock, and pulled it when he came off in the canoe. The cabin scuttle leads down into the magazine.Sixty negroes had been bought with the cargo of the Panda, and the remainder had been

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSFour or five days after the schooner had been carried to Cape Lopez, it was buried before the schooner was taken and remained buried until after the English captured her. The captain then sent word that all hands should run away, as the English were coming after them. The money that was buried at Nazareth remained there for about four months. Part of it was carried off and buried among the mountains. I never heard of this money afterward, as I and five others got on board a boat and started

Here is the translated text as follows:Mr. Child expressed himself very strongly in relation to the officer for the government and the court. He said he had never witnessed such an exercise of the power of the powerful against the weak and stated that, from the most careful examination, he had become convinced of the innocence of the prisoners and believed them to be victims of one of the vilest plots ever invented.Mr. Dunlap said he should not let personal feelings influence him in this matter. It had been his desire, as on all other occasions, to give the prisoners

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe boatswain had a distinctive appearance with a long nose and black, curly hair. If he were alive, everyone would recognize him by the scar across his nose. He was of medium height and sometimes wore a straw hat, sometimes a cap, but generally a light felt hat with a low round crown. I never saw other felt hats on board the schooner. I don't recall what shoes he wore at the time; sometimes he wore yellow shoes, sometimes black. The crew wore shoes of both colors. Yellow shoes were made

Here is the translated text as follows:714X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The captain ordered us to count out $5,000 and leave it there for him. We left the $5,000 and took away $6,000, which was all that remained. This sum was divided among us. We were told that the captain was going to divide it, and that if each man did not go and get his share, there would be the devil to pay. I was not taken but surrendered myself voluntarily at Fernando Po. The boatswain, four seamen, and I went to Fernando Po. Three of them are now in court.

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersAt the brig, Captain Gibert was angry and sent another man into the maintop to keep a lookout with me. Shortly after, I saw two sails and called out to the captain, who asked where she was. I said she was astern of the American brig and so near that I could see her three masts. On the forecastle of the American brig, I saw one of the schooner's men keeping guard with a handspike in his hand. The captain shouted, "Take them out of the forecastle and shut them up

Here is the translated text as follows:X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe witness was informed that if he did not tell the truth, he would forfeit all claims to favor and be considered in the same light as the prisoners at the bar. He was then sworn upon a Bible authenticated by the Catholic bishop of this place and permitted, through the medium of the interpreter, to commence his testimony.I was born at Margarita, twenty-two years ago. I was last in Havana, 2 years and 6 months ago, and shipped at that time on board the Panda, under Captain Gibert. Bernardo de

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERS"Think Ruiz had on a blue jacket and cap when he came on board. He told his comrades to get something. The pirates hailed us in good English, though I could understand them readily; their language had a rather foreign accent. I first saw the men on the deck of the Mexican and saw them afterwards in jail. I first recognized Ruiz the day he was brought up here but mentioned it to no one. I do not feel any resentment against Ruiz more than the rest."Benjamin Daniels testified, "I was

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsI remember the shape of his nose—I think he wore a blue jacket. He was a middle-sized man, not very stout. When I saw Ruiz at Salem, I did not tell anyone at the time that I recognized him. I think there might have been about sixty men on board the schooner when we were boarded by them.(The counsel for the prisoners here called upon the witness to look the prisoner Ruiz in the face and say upon his oath whether that was one of the men who came on board the

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSHe came back and asked me where my watch was, but before I had time to tell him, he had it out of my pocket. Then he asked me where my money was. It was hidden, but I told him I would bring it. He took the money and told me to stay in the forecastle. I heard the boatswain asking the captain for his chronometer. The captain said he had none. The boatswain then caught up the speaking-trumpet and gave the captain such a blow that it broke almost to

Here is the translated text as follows:Havana and African trade. The guns were made of brass, and I think they were long twelve-pounders.Benjamin Brown Head: I am the mate of the Mexican. At four A.M., I came on deck and was informed of the circumstance by the second mate. When he told me this, I asked if he could still see the vessel he spoke of. He said no. I asked him for the glass, went with it to the forecastle, and saw the schooner. She was then standing towards us. I went below and called the captain, thinking she

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSThe incident began with the sighting of a schooner, which appeared to have two long guns. There was also something covered up amidships, though I couldn't ascertain whether it was a gun or not. The crew of the schooner asked where we were from and where we were bound. After I informed them, they inquired about our cargo, to which I replied that it was saltpeter and tea. They then ordered me to come aboard the schooner.At that time, the schooner's crew was on deck, numbering about fifty or sixty men.

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsDue to some accident, the ship shortly afterwards blew up, killing several of the Curlew’s men. Captain Trotter then sailed to other ports, continuing his efforts to discover the crew of the Panda. Eventually, he succeeded in arresting the individuals now present.One of these men, named Perez, had been received as State’s evidence. Additionally, two other individuals, Portuguese nationals who had served on board the Panda but had not been involved in the robbery of the Mexican, would also appear to give their testimony.Mr. Dunlap paid a high compliment to the British

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersIn 33 degrees North latitude and 94.30 degrees West longitude, a vessel encountered a suspicious-looking schooner. Despite numerous attempts to evade the schooner, the vessel, named the Mexican, was unable to escape. The schooner, armed with one long gun and two smaller ones, had decks crowded with men. The captain of the Mexican, realizing the threat, felt compelled to submit and hove to.The schooner hailed the Mexican, ordering the captain to come aboard. Complying with the order, he used his own boat to reach the schooner. Upon arrival, five men jumped

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsSenior counsel, Mr. Child, availed themselves extensively of their right to object to the jurors as called by the clerk, challenging the full number (twenty) allowed by law. The following jurors were eventually selected, impaneled, and sworn: Jeremiah Washburn, Charles Hudson, Leavitt Corbett, John Beals, Joseph Kelley, Anthony Kelley, Isaac Wise, Thacher R. Raymond, Charles Lawrence, William Knight, Peter Brigham, and Jacob H. Bates.Mr. Child addressed the Court regarding a motion he had previously made concerning the logbook of the Panda (the alleged piratical schooner). He read an affidavit from the mate

Here is the translated text as follows:PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERSOne hundred and fifty jurors were in attendance under the venire previously issued. Captain Gibert and his mate, Bernardo de Soto, through their..."Slavery Standard" in New York (1843-1844). Died in Wayland, Massachusetts.Hilliard, George Stillman (1808-1879), was born in Machias, Maine. He graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in 1828, an A.M. in 1831, an LL.B. in 1832, and an LL.D. from Trinity College in 1857. He was admitted to the Boston Bar in 1833. Hilliard was a joint editor with George Ripley of the "Christian Register" in 1833 and with Charles

Here is the translated text as follows:In Salem, after the usual formalities, the charge was surrendered into their hands, with the English government waiving their right to try and punish the prisoners in favor of the United States, against whom the principal offense had been committed.A primary examination was held in the Town Hall at Salem, with Judge Davis presiding. The prisoners were directed to be transferred to the jail in Boston, where they would await their trial at the October term of the United States Circuit Court. This was done, and on the 23rd of October, they were brought

Here is the translated text as follows:Pedro Gibert and OthersIn 1832, while patrolling off the coast of Africa for slavers, a British vessel captured the Spanish schooner Panda. Several crew members of the Panda were identified as the perpetrators who had robbed the brig Mexican, of Salem, on September 20, 1832, during its voyage from Salem to Rio de Janeiro. Some of the crew were apprehended and taken to England, while others escaped to shore, where they were protected by the natives.On August 26, the British gun-brig Savage arrived in the harbor of Salem, carrying the following prisoners: Pedro Gibert,

Here is the translated text as follows:700 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThey were all jailed and subsequently taken to Boston, where all of them, except one who had committed suicide while in prison, were put on trial before a Federal Court. The court was presided over by Mr. Justice Story, and the charge was piracy.The evidence was quite conclusive regarding their identity. However, some of them—the cook, Ferrer; the cabin boy, Costa; and the three sailors: Guzman, Portana, and Velazquez—were thought by the jury to have acted under the compulsion of the others. Consequently, they were found not guilty. However, seven

Here is the translated text as follows:The Trial of Pedro Gibert, Bernardo de Soto, Francisco Ruiz, Nicola Costa, Antonio Ferrer, Manuel Boyga, Domingo de Guzman, Juan Antonio Portana, Manuel Castillo, Angel Garcia, Jose Velazquez, and Juan Montenegro for Piracy, Boston, MassachusettsThe NarrativeIn August 1832, the American brig *Mexican*, owned by one of the leading merchants of Salem, Massachusetts, set sail for Rio Janeiro. Onboard was a valuable cargo and over twenty thousand dollars in specie. Around the same time, the ship *Panda*, with a Spanish captain and crew, departed from Havana on a slaving expedition.The two vessels encountered each other

Here is the translated text as follows:698 X. American State TrialsWith the case as far as her guilt or innocence was concerned, the jury must not allow the position of the prosecutor as mayor, his power, or past record to influence them.The Verdict and SentenceThe jury retired and, after an absence of 25 minutes, returned to the court with a verdict of guilty.Mr. Russell requested a poll of the jury. The clerk called each man's name, and each juror stood and was questioned as to whether that was his verdict, with all twelve answering in the affirmative.Judge Hn stated that

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHThe evidence must be strong enough to exclude every other reasonable hypothesis.It is immaterial whether the prosecutor was guilty of adultery or not. Even if the jury believes that improper relations did take place, nevertheless, if Mrs. Hirsch and Cook took advantage of that fact to extort money, these two people conspired illegally, and it is the duty of the jury to find her guilty.If a man suspects that a crime is about to be perpetrated, he has the right to use all legal means to expose the crime and protect

Here is the translated text as follows:The voices of law and fact, as determined by the evidence, are paramount. Any juror who listens to any other voice dishonors their position, disgraces the state, and undermines the purpose of trial by jury.The indictment charges Mrs. H. H. Hirsch and W. J. Cook with blackmail, specifically accusing Asa G. Candler, Sr., of adultery with Mrs. Hirsch with the intent to extort money. The second clause in the indictment accuses them of verbal blackmail, alleging that they threatened to accuse Asa G. Candler, Sr., of adultery with Mrs. Hirsch with the intent to

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHCandler’s influence and power were significant. She did not ask him to support her in a denial that Cook would never dare to challenge against their combined statements. No, she wanted to impress upon Candler that Handsome Bill was going to tell her husband. Candler wouldn’t speak to her, so she confided in Forrest Adair. She was perfectly frank and immediately confessed the immoral act. Can you imagine any decent woman admitting her shame when there was no one in the world to deny her innocence but a hobo like Cook?Wouldn't

Here is the translated text as follows:694 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe noble man of the world was asked to go and see Bill Cook, to persuade him and do what he could to keep him quiet.No, her game was to impress upon Mr. Candler that Cook "has caught me red-handed, is going to tell my husband, and I've got to get out of town"—with plenty of cash!You remember that she states that after Mr. Adair had considered giving her an annuity of $3,000 a year, she went to a card party. When she got back, her figure was raised to

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHThe mysterious eyewitnesses are a lie. Why don’t they produce their witnesses? The reason is that Cook just picked the names Lee and Smith. If such men ever existed, they have considerably more brains than Cook, for he didn’t get out of the way.I do not wish to be harsh on a woman. A virtuous woman is the noblest work of God, but the mold of virtue has been lost in this case. A scheming woman with a man like Cook, hunting trouble for a 66-year-old man of the integrity and

Here is the translated text as follows:692 & AMERICAN STATE TRIALSOnce the woman was in the hospital and the raffle was over, the necessity of being with her had passed. Yet, day in and day out, he visited the hospital, bringing flowers and fruit. After she was discharged from the hospital, he spent much time with her at restaurants, dining and conversing. They met by appointment in a clandestine manner, sneaking into the restaurant—sometimes one first and sometimes the other—but always waiting until the other arrived. What does the testimony show? On at least one occasion, Mrs. Hirsch waited for

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHGentlemen, you cannot select, as the State would have you do, the evidence you wish to believe and disregard what you wish to classify as false. On one side of this case stands reputation, power, and wealth. On the other side stands a poor, ruined woman. When the whole world is fighting for democracy, when the guns are roaring and the swords are flashing, ensure that she has a fair trial. Before you convict, consider how you would feel if she were your own daughter. If it is true that she

Here is the translated text as follows:690 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He said, "I knew you couldn’t impeach me in Fulton County." There is the gauntlet that he flings down to the State. "I knew you couldn’t impeach me." Did they accept the challenge? No one was introduced to try to impeach him. It is cowardly to attack a man’s character as Arnold did Cook’s when the challenge for impeachment has been made and they haven’t attempted to accept it. Cook is a stranger to me, but give him fair play.There is no conspiracy shown by the State. They say that

Here is the translated text as follows:Mrs. Herman H. Hirsch, 689There was a scheme, or at least he suspected one. If there had been one, you can be sure he would have done more than merely "suspect it." When she met Forrest Adair in his private office, that poor woman stood no more chance than a straw in the river or a snowball in hell. She was compromised the minute she entered Adair’s private office. Adair admits he is a man of the world and claims to know everything about women. He says he knows women "up one side and

Here is the translated text as follows:Blackmail was not committed either through accusation or demand. Candler admits she's been to his office a number of times. Do you realize just how busy a man the Mayor of Atlanta is, with all the huge business interests of Asa G. Candler? Isn't it significant that she is given so much of his time for interviews in his office? Think that little point over when you get in the jury room. I don't have time to go more fully into it now.Remember, if there is any reasonable doubt in your minds as to

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHThe issue at hand is found in Section 118 of the criminal code of the State. That section reads as follows:"Sec. 118, Blackmail Defined. If any person shall, verbally, or by printing or writing, accuse another of a crime or offense, or expose or publish any of his or her personal or business acts, infirmities, failings, or compel any person to do any act, or to refrain from doing any lawful act, against his will, with intent to extort money or other thing of value from any person, or if any

Here is the translated text as follows:686 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSReparation to Mrs. Hirsch can be made this side of the grave. Be kind, be charitable. Charity is the greatest word in the English language. We don’t ask for mercy. We ask for justice, everlasting and eternal justice. Do unto her as you would have it done unto you under like circumstances.You can’t be merciful. The judge is the only man who can lawfully extend mercy in a court. We are asking for a verdict of not guilty. Let us flash that verdict to the waiting world through these resourceful

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHTo cover, and not even Bishop Candler, who has been sitting here so long, knows it better: I am no saint, but a sinner. However, there is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who is saved than over ninety-nine who went astray.Arnold is not a gentleman. He claims that he is bigger than all the lawyers and legislators of Georgia because he criticizes them when they make blackmail a misdemeanor and says it ought to be a felony. That man has so much sense that he is dangerous. I wonder

Here is the translated text as follows:684 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSHe was guilty and didn't want to talk to her, so he brought Forrest Adair into the case. If I had done such a thing in my own office, I would have given her money. Mr. Candler admits enough in his own testimony to warrant him paying her, and he ought to pay for it.I hope you have enough manhood, gentlemen of the jury, to stand up for a poor woman against this paid prosecuting attorney. Arnold has been having his own way for so long in this section that

Here is the translated text as follows:On February 6 or after, if the facts had been known, Mrs. H. H. Hirsch would never have been arrested. If the prosecutor had been an ordinary average citizen, the trial would have proceeded like any other misdemeanor case. However, due to the fact that Mr. Candler is the Mayor of the city and a multi-millionaire, the defendant was indicted at a special session of the grand jury. Regardless of his financial or political standing, the defendant still has rights in a courthouse before a jury. She has the right to an unprejudiced trial.No

Here is the translated text as follows:682 Y. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe massacres of St. Bartholomew’s Eve were instigated by some of the most cruel criminals, and among them were women.When some women begin to lead a life of shame, they start to prevaricate. They will not betray each other. Mrs. Humphries would not tell on Mrs. Hirsch. There is a code of ethics among them.I have discussed this case as best I could. You are the final arbiters. The law has the fullest confidence in you and expects you to observe your oath to try men and women alike. Put

Here is the translated text as follows:Mrs. Herman H. Hirsch, 681After she had left town, there was a notion that Cook should join her, and my, what a time they would have had with that money! So, when she thought that Mr. Candler was going to provide for her, Cook said, "Raise your figures." And she did, indeed. She lived with her husband from Friday until Sunday after all this had happened, yet carried in her heart the intention to wreck and ruin him, desert him, and destroy everything worthwhile in his life for money.I have full sympathy for anyone

Here is the translated text as follows:680 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSIt is old in Europe and the East. It is new in Georgia because we have not had many rich people. After this prosecution, blackmailers in this part of the world will roost lower.I doubt if Mrs. Hirsch would have admitted the figures about her husband’s debts if her notations on the margin of The Constitution had not been kept. She wanted half a million for herself and $5,000 for him! Think of the way that husband has been treated. How would any man feel in like circumstances? He must

Here is the translated text as follows:Mrs. Herman H. Hirsch, 679Cook was scared. I don’t believe he would have yielded to this woman’s importunities, but if he had, they would have pulled the blackmail stunt then.Let me detail some of the key points in the case that speak louder than others: First, there were Mr. Candler’s employees in the adjoining office with an unlocked door between the two rooms. Cook saw through the letterbox without encountering any obstruction. There were two windows on Pryor Street with the blinds up and a hotel across the street. No man performs an immoral

Here is the translated text as follows:In the past, a married woman found guilty of the crime of adultery was stoned to death. While that penalty was excessively severe, the current one is too lenient.Before you sits a very dangerous woman. As an actress, she surpasses even Sarah Bernhardt. The clearing of the courtroom for her statement and her tears are all part of an act. What difference does it make when it will all be made public in the records? She laughed and cried at will. I would love to try her before a jury of good women. There

Here is the translated text as follows:Mrs. Herman H. HirschLater, he dropped the idea for a better money-making plan, and that is the companion Mrs. Hirsch chose.However, she claims that Forrest Adair led her into all this. That is part of her game. One had to pretend to be caught, and one had to be the catcher. In some senses, this plot is slick, but in others, it is a terrible botch and does not do credit to Mrs. Hirsch’s brain. Sometimes, the size of the money involved clouds the brain. She was determined to get at Candler. She tried

Here is the translated text as follows:676 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.It is not classed as such, and I do not ask you to punish this woman. The question of her sentence rests with the court, and I do not desire her punishment. All I want is your disapproval of her actions.There is nothing as good as a good woman, and nothing sinks as low or becomes as dangerous as a fallen woman. When a woman once falls from virtue, how deception follows in her wake! No matter how beautiful and charming she may be, who does she consort with? Creatures

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH, 675THE SPEECHES TO THE JURYMR. ARNOLD FOR THE STATEMr. Arnold: Gentlemen, in the brief space at my disposal, I cannot possibly discuss all of the facts in this case. It has taken over a day and a half for the hearing of the witnesses, and it is therefore only possible for me to touch on the high points. I hope to cover all the significant aspects of the testimony before my time expires. Every case is controlled by a few main features in the evidence, and these features are impossible

Here is the translated text as follows:American State TrialsI was on the running board of an automobile, and she continued to hold my hand during the taking of the pictures. I held my hand behind my back as I did not want this to appear. While still holding my hand, Mrs. Hirsch whispered to me, "Look out, he'll touch the button directly." I had met Mrs. Hirsch and Cook at the automobile races, and Mrs. Hirsch had asked me to show her the way to the ladies’ restroom at the fairground. I took her towards the restroom, but seeing Cook

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN B. HIRSCHI was engaged as an assistant solicitor, discussing my conversation with Mrs. Humphries.Cross-examination:The Humphries woman was placed in jail two days after Mrs. Hirsch. She provided no reason for Mrs. Hirsch’s alleged confession. I have no interest in the case except as an officer of the State.Fred Smith, the deputy jailer, testified to the same effect.Forrest Adair (recalled):My brother and I did not tell Cook that I suspected a plot to blackmail Mayor Candler, as Cook testified. I did not suggest to Mrs. Hirsch that she leave her husband or that

Here is the translated text as follows:672 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS"Do you want to see me?" He said, "No, he doesn’t." He asked, "Aunt Margaret, do you think Uncle Herman ought to live with you now?" and I said, "No."That afternoon, I employed James R. Bedgood to represent me. They had brought Mr. Cook into my room at the Tower and informed me that this was a joint indictment of Mr. Cook and myself. They mentioned that if I employed a different attorney, it might cause a clash in the two defenses, and that my case and Mr. Cook's case

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCHI tried to convey my intentions clearly. "Well," I said, "I have attempted to do charitable work here. I have visited the mill districts, the different nurseries, and worked through the Associated Charities. I have found that doing charitable work requires a lot of money. If you don't have money, it requires bodily strength. All the work I have done has been through bodily strength. I would have liked to ask Mr. Candler if he could help me bring good out of bad. If I wanted to dedicate the rest of

Here is the translated text as follows:Because evidently, he hasn’t,” and he said, “You are going to have to go.”When I told Forrest Adair about my trip to the station with my husband, he took my hand, kissed it, and tears came into his eyes. He said, “Little woman, my heart goes out to you. When I came into this, I came in as a friend of Mr. Candler, but I'm your friend now, too.” He continued, “I’m so sorry for you, and my brother George is just as sorry for you as I am. We are both your friends,

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH"You'll be protected, and we'll stand by you. We'll see that you shall never be harmed, and you shall be taken care of."I went to the bridge party and, after leaving, returned to Mr. Adair’s office. I told him that I had been thinking over the matter and didn’t know what to do. He said, “Well, there’s only one thing to do: you’ll simply have to go away.” I replied, “Mr. Adair, I have practically realized that I have to do anything you all say because I'm going to be ruined

Here is the translated text as follows:The office had one public phone, and I had no private phone there. The next morning, which was Thursday, around 11 o'clock, I received a message that a lady wanted to speak with me. I went down and called Mr. Adair’s number, and he asked me to come over to his office.The next morning, I went to Mr. Adair’s office before noon. I had been invited to a bridge party that afternoon at a friend's home. They took me back into the private office, where Forrest and George Adair were present. They informed me

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH, 667I went down to the train, which was due at 7 o'clock. When I arrived at Mr. Hirsch's office and opened the door, I found a note that had been tucked through the letter slot. The note was signed by "Cook," and it was the same note that I later gave to Mr. Forrest Adair. I immediately went to the telephone and called Mr. Candler to tell him that evidently Mr. Cook was going to try to cause some trouble, as he had left this note for Mr. Hirsch to

Here is the translated text as follows:666 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I was so alarmed at him seeing me that I grabbed the coat, hat, and other clothing from the table and started to run out of the door. I turned the thumb bolt from the inside and opened the door. As I opened the door, Mr. Cook raised himself up and said, "There's someone at the door, too." I threw up my hands and dropped what I had in my arms. He made a grab for them, and so did I. He got them and put them in his pocket,

Here is the translated text as follows:HRS, HERMAN H. HIRSCH. 665They said, "You sent it out and quit going to his office, now." That was before I went the first time after I came out of the hospital. They have said in their testimony that on Tuesday, the 4th of February, that I met Mr. Candler on Forsyth Street—they said on Monday. To the best of my recollection, it was on Tuesday.When I came through the Grant building that day, I came through there because it was cold, and the wind was blowing, and I took the shortcut through to

Here is the translated text as follows:664 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.For the first time in Will's life, she had seen him interested in something that was to his advantage. I called Mr. Cook up, at his mother's solicitation, and asked him to go and hear Billy Sunday on the first Sunday that he preached a sermon for men only. Mr. Cook went to hear the sermon and came back by St. Joseph's hospital, and told me he was very much impressed with Billy Sunday, and that he intended to go to hear him again. His mother afterwards remarked to me

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH, 663I told him during my visits that my doctor had advised me to give up all charitable work and to go into the hospital. I was in a very serious condition and nearing the verge of a nervous breakdown. He suggested that I give up this kind of work, but I said I couldn’t because I was involved with an automobile that hadn’t been raffled yet.I went again to his office to see him about allowing a banner to float across the street. On that day, I was so ill

Here is the translated text as follows:662 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I was introduced to the Rotary Club by Mayor Candler, who presented Mrs. Atkinson to the club. Instead of making a speech, Mrs. Atkinson introduced me, and I had to address the gentlemen and explain our efforts. The talk seemed to meet with their approval. Afterwards, Mrs. Atkinson and I went to the door and sold tickets to the men as they left. Mr. Candler bought another ticket, which were the only two he purchased for the automobile. I then left the club to go to the Ansley Hotel and

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH, 661He kissed me and put his arms around me; he pulled me down on his lap, and he made every advance that a man could make to show a woman that he wanted to do things that he shouldn’t do. I finally got loose from him, went to the door and started out, and said, “Mr. Candler, don’t ask me to do something that I shouldn’t do and don’t want to do, because I am under obligations to you.” I left the office on those terms, after promising him that

Here is the translated text as follows:660 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.MRS. HIRSCH'S STATEMENT TO THE JURY.Mrs. Hirsch: Gentlemen, I met Mr. Candler when a prominent lady of this city introduced me to him at his office in the city hall. Last summer, the Atlanta Woman's Club formed an auxiliary to the Red Cross and asked me to be the chairman of the finance committee of this auxiliary. Our goal was to raise money to donate eighty-five dozen operating gowns to the base hospital, which would require between $800 and $1,000. We decided to raise the funds by raffling an automobile.

Here is the translated text as follows:HRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH.659I was a patient at the hospital and have seen a quantity of fruit in Mrs. Hirsch’s room at different times. She told me this fruit was sent to her by Mr. Cook. Mrs. Hirsch said to me that should Mr. Hirsch ever come and find Mr. Cook calling upon her, she would tell her husband that Cook had been visiting a male patient in the hospital and had simply dropped in when passing her room to ask how she was.Cross-examined.I was in charge of the hospital at night. It would

Here is the translated text as follows:658AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Candler: I did not set any trap for Cook or Mrs. Hirsch, but simply did all I could to develop the plot, which I believed had been laid.Mr. Russell: Were you sorry for her when you said you were?Yes, and I am yet.Didn't you wipe your eyes and pretend deep sympathy, and squeeze Mrs. Hirsch's hand, and say, "Little woman, I am mighty sorry for you?"I did not.You've kissed many ladies' hands, haven't you?Many a one. You are a man of the world, aren't you, Mr. Adair?Yes, to the extent that I

Here is the translated text as follows:MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH657Did Mrs. Hirsch call you on the telephone in regard to the Rotary Club luncheon? Didn’t she ask you to speak? Perhaps, I don’t remember for certain. And then didn’t you tell her you would introduce her at the Rotary Club if she would come by your office and give you a “great big hug?” I did not. Didn’t you ask her for a photograph in the presence of an Atlanta lady when she and the lady went to your office to see you about the humane officer? I did not.

Here is the translated text as follows:656 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.(Cook, having been tried separately and convicted, see ante, p. 654) was placed on trial today.For the State:John A. Boykin, Solicitor General, and Reuben R. Arnold.For the Prisoner:Richard B. Russell, John R. B. Cooper, and James S. Bedgood.The following jurymen were selected and sworn: R. L. Crawford, W. H. Blackstock, L. C. Berry, J. T. Carroll, W. L. Holcomb, V. R. Hollis, C. A. Meager, J. R. Lee, M. B. Hinton, Jacob Heiman, J. T. Stark, H. L. Dewell.THE WITNESSES FOR THE STATE:Asa G. Candler:His evidence in chief was substantially

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF MRS. HERMAN H. HIRSCH FOR BLACKMAIL, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 1918THE NARRATIVELess than three weeks after the conviction of her confederate, Cook (ante, p. 624), Mrs. Hirsch was brought to trial. Mayor Candler (ante, p. 629) and Mr. Adair (ante, p. 633) repeated the amazing story which they had testified to at the trial of Cook. The other witnesses from Cook's trial gave similar evidence here. Then, Mrs. Hirsch, with the court having been cleared of all spectators, made a long statement or address to the jury. In it, she stuck to the

Here is the translated text as follows:654 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The defendant has the right to use any means within the law to discover the purpose of the accusations or threats. The methods used would not affect the innocence or guilt of the defendant.THE VERDICT AND SENTENCEThe jury returned after an absence of twenty minutes from the courtroom with a verdict of guilty. Judge Huw sentenced Cook to twelve months at hard labor on the public roads of Fulton County and a fine of $1,000.---

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK. 653Did you ever hear of a grand jury being called in a special session for a misdemeanor case? This is an extraordinary misdemeanor because there are millions behind the prosecution. I am representing a poor man here today, so hear his call. You've heard the other side. Now hear his. There's no case been made against him. The only case made against him is that he butted in where he wasn’t wanted.This is just a case of a man caught in a wrongful act. If he had been an ordinary man,

Here is the translated text as follows:652 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The testimony of Toney has been passed in this case. Even Mr. Adair admits that there was no demand made for money either by Mrs. Hirsch or Cook. That clears Cook. What will we do with him? Release him! I'm not surprised you won't try the woman. You would have little enough sense to try her, for you know there's not a jury in Georgia that would convict her. What act can they show against Mr. Cook that constitutes blackmail? None! What overt act have they shown that Cook has

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK, 651No one is safe. But it is actions such as Mr. Candler's which make it safer for others.The crime of blackmail does not depend on the truth of the charge alleged by the blackmailers. Even had Candler been guilty, the blackmailing would still have been a crime.As to the photograph of a group containing Mrs. Hirsch and Mr. Candler, I believe that Mrs. Hirsch was groomed for the affair by Cook even before that photo was taken in September 1917, and that they had laid their plans before that date. But

Here is the translated text as follows:650 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Asa Candler has contributed to every philanthropic enterprise and always stood for the highest and best things in public and private life. Shall we tear him down for a man who admits and boasts that he has committed every crime on the statute books except the crime of murder—a man who brags that he provided for a woman when he was fifteen years of age, who brags that he drank two quarts of liquor a day until Georgia went bone-dry, a man who brags that he was tried for assault

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOKE. 649He makes a most remarkable statement, yet doesn’t produce a witness. No one, on oath, you will notice, has dared to state that Mayor Candler and Mrs. Hirsch had these frequently mentioned improper relations. Here is Cook, who immediately rushes round to the husband’s office to nobly tell what he has seen. He leaves a note on the husband’s desk saying, “See me at once.” This is on Wednesday. Yet the husband is in town from the following Friday until Sunday, and Cook never told him anything about it!Gentlemen, that note

Here is the translated text as follows:648 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.No, he makes the woman do all the dirty work—while he occupies the proud position of a friend of her husband's. Cook and Mrs. Hirsch had made all arrangements. Cook wanted them to "get her out of town," did he? Cook would surely have joined her later. Suppose she had gotten as much as $100,000. What a time they would have had! And poor Hirsch. What a doormat they have made of him. Then Cook would have denied ever knowing Mrs. Hirsch, if it hadn't been for Al Martin's visit

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK. 647Honorable Mayor! You are a nice pair! I saw this bundle lying on the floor with her coat and hat, and I reached down and got it, and walked out and went by her husband's office and left him a note to see me before he went home or to call me. I didn't hear anything from him, but I heard from Mr. Forrest Adair. I went over to Mr. Thrower's office, and Mrs. Hirsch called me up from Mr. Candler's office, and said, "Mr. Cook, won't you please come back

Here is the translated text as follows:646 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He had his arm around her before he closed the door. Well, I stopped; I thought for a second I would walk over to his office door leading into the hall. He has a mail slot in his door with a spring slot that you can shove up from the outside and see everything in his office. I saw him pull Mrs. Hirsch down into his lap and kiss her. The elevator was running, and I let the slide down and walked down a step or two, then went back

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK.645He came to me the next morning and again offered me $200.00 to get him a master key to the second floor of the Candler building. He said that he wanted to get a paper from an office in that building, explaining that there was a party who had not dealt fairly with him. He believed that if he could get this paper, he could get half out of a certain trade. I told him I would have to think the matter over and made him no promise.Mrs. J. Frank Snelgrove.I know

Here is the translated text as follows:644X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Jean C. Waldron, a trained nurse, nursed Mrs. Hirsch at the Davis-Fisher Sanitarium for one week in December 1917. Mr. Cook visited her every day during the week I was nursing her, except for one day.Jean C. Waldron, a trained nurse, also nursed Mrs. Hirsch at the Davis-Fisher Sanitarium last December for four days. Cook came to see her twice out of the four days during which I nursed her.R. A. Gordon knows J. W. Cook. About two months ago, Cook came to his office and told him he was going

Here is the translated text as follows:W.D.COOK. 643On that occasion, the purpose of the meeting was that I was trying to get Mr. Cook to recede from his demand that he had made of Mr. Candler, that Mrs. Hirsch be forced to quit her husband and leave town. That would have hushed it up and saved Mr. Candler, my friend. That is your question; that would have hushed it up.The next conference I had with Mr. Cook was on the following Monday morning. I made that engagement myself. I met him at Thrower's office, and we walked down Walton Street.

Here is the translated text as follows:642X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.When she returned from the card party, money was discussed. She stated that if she left her husband and town, she would need a sum of money or securities or bonds that would yield three thousand dollars per annum.After the conference was over, I told her we would take it under advisement and see her further.As to the question of whether we led her to believe on that occasion that we would give her money if she left town, I don't think we led her to believe it, Mr. Cooper. However,

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK641I stated to Mr. Candler in his office before he turned the matter over to me that it was a blackmail scheme. I did not jump at the conclusion that they were guilty of blackmail; I arrived at the conclusion it was blackmail before it was turned over to me, and I have been of that opinion ever since. I did not jump at the conclusion after it was turned over to me; I knew about the case before it was turned over to me. I did not see the woman in

Here is the translated text as follows:640X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The Court: Register your objection, and register the fact that it is overruled.Cross-examined: I am in the real estate business, and the firm of Forrest and George Adair does a great deal of business for Mr. Candler. Mr. Candler has been a friend of my family for a great many years; for the past several years, we have done a great deal of business for him and with him. I don't think there is a man in the State of Georgia in whom I would take a greater interest or for

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. Cook, 639, made the claim, but that Mr. Candler was a good man, and she felt very strongly and affectionately for him. She admired Mr. Candler and said she had thought a good deal about Mr. Candler's great work. She had always had a great desire to do charitable and philanthropic work herself, but she had never had the means or the money to do it. It had always been her ambition to be in a position where she could not only have the personal touch with the people with whom she

Here is the translated text as follows:638X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He said, "I told you on Saturday that I had committed every crime except murder. I kept a woman when I was fifteen years old, working in the Southern shops." He continued, "Before I was twenty, I was arrested in bed one night; a fellow came in and caught me with his wife, and I was arrested for rape and taken to the station house. I got out of it by being able to prove that the fellow was never married to her; he was keeping her himself. I got into

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK637W. J. Cook was very upset and nervous over the matter; it had distressed him greatly. He said he himself had been a very bad man; that he had committed every crime except murder; that he had left his home and father when he was 12 years of age.**Mr. Cooper:** I object to this. We wish to register an objection to this testimony on the ground that they cannot put in a separate and distinct offense against the defendant other than the one on trial.**The Court:** It is not a separate and

Here is the translated text as follows:636X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.She thought she ought to have a sum of money or securities, bonds, that would yield her at least $3,000.00 a year. She explained she had an engagement to go that afternoon to a card party with a lady who had been a very dear friend of hers, and that she would come back to the office afterward. That broke off the conversation. She claimed Cook came upon her and Mr. Candler in a compromising position. I asked her what it meant, if Cook had merely interrupted them in the office

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK.635He had changed his mind, and he had decided he would not come to my office. I said, "Let us not talk it over the telephone; suppose you leave your office and meet me on the Whitehall Street viaduct in a few minutes." He said, "All right." I left my office, and we walked out on the sidewalk. He said, "I will arrange a place to meet him. I don't want to talk to him in your office or his office. I will talk to him in the place I suggest." I

Here is the translated text as follows:634X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSIn Mrs. Hirsch's office, she went down to her husband's office and upon reaching it, she found a note. This is the note she gave me. (The note is dated February 6, 18__: "H. H. Call me at Ivy 164, before you go home this P.M. without fail. Cook.") She said her husband had gone to Rome that morning and would return about seven, and if he got that note, he would probably kill her and then go after Mr. Candler to kill him, or else would sue her for divorce.

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK. 638There were two windows to that room. The transom was not closed over my door. There are shades to the windows, but they were up. She was not in my office for more than ten minutes; she did not take any liberties with her. I suppose I shook her hand when she came in, receiving her cordially. I did not embrace her or take any liberties at all with her, nor get her on a lounge; I was not having intercourse with her when Cook came in, and she was not

Here is the translated text as follows:632X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.On the next Wednesday, the 13th, he walked up to the Mayor's desk. I said, "What do you want?" He replied, "You are trifling with me. I have given you reasonable time, now I will give you until Friday. If this thing has not been done, I will expose you and the whole of it,"—the thing of getting Mrs. Hirsch out of town. I said, "That is not an easy job, separating a man from his wife." He said, "I will take the blame," and I told him to go. I

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK.631I had been trapped. I ran to his office on the floor below and ran back with him; I was gone probably a minute. When I got back, Cook was gone; Mrs. Hirsch was in my office crying. I left her crying; she began to cry before I left. When my son and I got back, I don't recollect what she said except in answer to my question, "Who was that?" She said, "That is Mr. Cook," that she had seen him at his mother's and sister's. "I visit at their home,

Here is the translated text as follows:630XII. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I received a request to conduct a raffle for the benefit of the Red Cross. I had been informed that it would be against the law, and they wanted authority from me to proceed with it. I told them to go ahead, as I believed they would not be interfered with. Later, I saw Mrs. Hirsch at a luncheon given by the Rotary Club for General Swift and his staff. The ladies were selling tickets to the members for the raffle, and there was a photograph taken in which General Swift,

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK. 629Mr. Bedgood moved for a change of venue on the grounds of the unusual calling of a special session of the Grand Jury to indict the defendants when said jury had adjourned. He also argued that the public mind had been prejudiced by sensational headlines in the evening papers on the day of the indictment. Additionally, he cited the reputation, character, influence, and standing of the mayor of the city, where nine-tenths of the population of Fulton County resides, and the great financial standing of Asa G. Candler, rendering it unlikely

Here is the translated text as follows:628 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The jury very promptly returned a verdict of guilty on all the counts of the indictment, and the male blackmailer was sentenced by the judge to pay a fine of $1,000 and to work at hard labor on the public roads of the county for a term of twelve months.THE TRIALIn the Superior Court of Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, February 1918.Hon. Benjamin H. Hill, Judge.February 27.An indictment had been previously returned by the Grand Jury against W. J. Cook and Mrs. Herman H. Hirsch for blackmail. It contained three counts:

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK, 627The charge of immoral conduct made by Cook and Mrs. Hirsch was absolutely denied. Mr. Adair followed, detailing the conspirators' demands as they were presented to him as the representative of Mr. Candler. Two nurses from a hospital where Mrs. Hirsch had been a patient for several weeks testified that Cook visited her nearly every day. Additionally, the proprietor of a cafe and one of his waiters testified that the couple visited the cafe together on several occasions, staying for several hours and choosing a part of the room where they

Here is the translated text as follows:626 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Mr. Adair, representing Mr. Candler, contacted Cook by phone and invited him to his office. Cook revealed that he was a close friend of Mr. Hirsch and had recently discovered shocking information about Hirsch's wife. He described Candler as an old hypocrite and insisted that he would only discuss the matter directly with Candler. Consequently, a meeting was arranged for the following day in Mr. Adair's office.During the meeting, Cook informed the Mayor that he had been suspicious of Mrs. Hirsch and had been watching her. He claimed to have

Here is the translated text as follows:W. J. COOK. 625A month after receiving another official favor, a woman met Mayor Candler on the street and made an appointment with him to receive her the following Monday regarding a complaint she had made against an officer of the Humane Society. At three in the afternoon, she entered the office, complained of the heat, took off her hat and coat, and sat down in a chair near the Mayor. Very soon, she jumped up and said there was a man at the window. The Mayor suggested it was probably a window-washer, but

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF W. J. COOK FOR BLACKMAIL, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 1918THE NARRATIVEAsa G. Candler, Mayor of the City of Atlanta, Georgia, a man of substantial wealth and a noted philanthropist, was approached one day in the summer of 1917 by two women seeking a license to raffle an automobile for the benefit of the Red Cross. One of the women, whom he had met before, introduced the other as Mrs. Hirsch. Some time later, at a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club for General Swift and his staff, Mayor Candler encountered Mrs. Hirsch again.

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHYI changed and hid them; the money, shot-pouch, and the tin, I hid on the north side of Jack's Mountain, half or three-quarters of a mile from the path on the left-hand side, about halfway down the mountain. I put the things under an old log, near a deadened piece of woods; the money I put above the log and covered it with a piece of bark.Going over, I did not take the path but went through the woods. After I had hidden the things and the money, I came out right above

Here is the translated text as follows:622 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I was waiting for the old woman to come out. She came near the door, and I shot at her and hit her in the arm—and she ran about the house holding her arm. I then ran to the house and asked her if she knew who did it. She said she did not know. I told her to go into the room and go to bed. I said this for fear she would faint. I then brought her a drink of water. God bless her! But I have pitied

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHYOn Friday, November 16, 1840, you will be hanged by the neck until you are dead—dead—dead. And may God have mercy upon your soul!THE EXECUTION AND CONFESSIONThough repeatedly urged by the clergymen who attended him during the trial to confess his guilt, Robert McConaghy continually refused, entertaining the belief that if he did not confess, he would escape being hanged. He persisted in his refusal until the very last moment. He was brought forth to the place of execution, and although he shuddered at the sight of the scaffold and death, he turned

Here is the translated text as follows:620 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.You followed the child—seized and choked him until life was extinct. You returned to the house. There, your aged mother-in-law was engaged in baking, and you struck her senseless, and then cut her throat. You covered her up in bed. Then, with your rifles, you returned to the mow of the barn to await the arrival of John; and, on reaching his father's dwelling, you killed him, as before described. You dragged him under his mother's bed, washed up the floor, then returned to your hiding place in the barn

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY, 619Even if a human being (of which the court and jury have knowledge) is clear of suspicion, it still lies with the Commonwealth to satisfy the jury by the evidence that the prisoner is guilty. If that has been done, it is the duty of the jury to pronounce according to the evidence. If, on the whole case, they cannot come to that conclusion, but doubt, rationally doubt—their minds vacillating—it will operate in favor of the prisoner.THE VERDICT AND SENTENCEThe jury, after a short delay, returned a verdict of guilty.Judge Burnes: Robert

Here is the translated text as follows:618 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS."It was not." After this, he accounts for himself by stating that he was in the woods sitting on a log, on Clear Ridge. When it remains necessary for a man to account for where he was the day before, if he gives different relations of what he was doing and where he was, it is a circumstance against him. You have heard how he seduced John to return to his father's on Saturday. You have heard the circumstances of the tracks and the boots—the alleged blood on his hands—his

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY. 617Robert McConaghy left his wound undressed. Many men were questioning whether he knew who shot at him. To some, he answered "no," while to others, he stated that the prisoner was the man who shot at him, and he knew him. That he did, situated as he was, declare on Sunday that he did not know who shot at him, and that he so declared at some other times, seems to be true. We agree this militates against his evidence. Yet, we think great allowance may be made by the jury to

Here is the translated text as follows:616 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The defendant testified that he traveled in company with Fisher and saw and spoke to several persons on the road, reaching his own dwelling around 5 o'clock in the evening. So far, his testimony is supported and stands uncontradicted. He swears, "I stepped up and took hold of the handle of the door; found the handle not there; looked towards Robert McConaghy's, and looked round, passed the barn at the rye-fields; straightened myself up; there was a shot; I saw the blaze out of the mow of the barn; I

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY, 615There is no doubt that the crime was committed "wilfully, deliberately, and premeditatedly," as stated in the indictment. The consensus is unanimous. The crime, in its wickedness and atrocity, is unparalleled in this or any other civilized country.The only question that remains is whether the evidence convinces you that the prisoner committed the acts he is charged with. If this inquiry is answered affirmatively, there can be only one outcome.The evidence presented is presumptive. Direct and positive evidence is not always obtainable. The law allows for circumstantial or probable evidence. Presumptive proof

Here is the translated text as follows:614 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He could not say whether there were two balls in the gun—the hole was larger behind than in front—but he stated that it was immaterial, as such a wound would produce instant death.He believed that these two were the first to be killed, as fermentation had commenced in the wounds, and worms had formed.The next victim was John. He found a wound through the right breast. He initially thought the ball had entered the breast; however, upon further examination, he concluded that it had entered near the spine and exited

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY, 613The law states, "If any person be found guilty of murder, the jury must ascertain in their verdict whether it be murder of the first or second degree."The indictment, in the first and second counts, charges the prisoner with the murder of Rosanna Brown. The first count specifies that she was killed by a mortal wound inflicted with the barrel of a gun over the right eye, in the forepart of the head. The second count alleges that her throat was cut with a knife.The third count charges the prisoner with the

Here is the translated text as follows:612X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I saw the way he was tied; I slackened the rope a little on his arms. I asked Lightner if he thought that was a bullet mark in Brown's cheek; he said it was. He said if he had done it himself, his face would have been powder burnt. I went to the house to see Brown and asked him to let me look at his cheek. Then he commenced telling me when he left the furnace; he did not know who it was. It was a smallish man in his

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGEYBrown would kill or shoot him. I then asked him if he and Brown had had any serious quarrel lately. He first said they had, but afterwards he said it was two or three years since they had some pretty bad words. Brown’s horses had gotten into the corn, and he was running after them, and had gotten very angry. He came to the house and told Brown that if he had a gun, he would shoot the horses. Brown told him that he had better take care; that if he shot the

Here is the translated text as follows:610 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.George Quary: I arrived at Brown's on Saturday between 11 and 12 o'clock. I then went to Mr. McConaghy's house, which was shut up. I continued on, and after I had gone about 600 yards, I heard the crack of a gun down near Brown's house. I made a kind of stop and looked, but could see nothing. I thought Brown's sons were out in the field and had their guns with them. I saw none of Brown's children when I was there; I saw no one but the old

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY609The first wound I examined was close beneath the skull; it presented about the same appearance as Elizabeth's. If anything, the worms in her wounds were slightly larger, which might have been caused by her hair creating more heat. The wound was larger in the front part of the head; I could insert two or three fingers into it. It would have caused instant death.The next was John; his wound was through the body. I think it entered near the spine and came out in his right breast, passing through the right lobe

Here is the translated text as follows:608X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Brown said he did not know what injury he had done to the folks that they should kill off his family in that way. About ten or fifteen minutes before Brown came to alarm us, I heard two shots go off. Brown said the man had a dark waistcoat and shirt sleeves rolled up above the elbows, and black hair.**Cross-examined:** I should think it was near 5 o'clock when Brown came to us. He told me he found John under the bed. I saw no marks of anything being dragged on

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY607I had come together and saw the man in the mow from his breast to the top of his head. He had darkish clothes on, a clean shirt, and black hair. He had no hat on. To all appearances, it was Robert McConaghy. I saw his face; it was plain to me, and I knew him. I do not mind what I told Taylor. He asked me if I saw the man; I said I did. He asked me if I knew him; I told him I did and that it was Robert

Here is the translated text as follows:606X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I came and saw the blaze coming out of the mow of the barn. I looked in that place to see but could see nothing. Then the other shot came. I made a step down and then saw his face between the logs. I said, "You damned infernal rascal, what are you doing there?" I saw him from his breast to the top of his head as I started to run towards the barn. I saw him run towards the mow hole and stoop down. That was the last that I

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGRY, 605The prisoner is charged with the murder of John Brown with a rifle; the bullet entering the right side of the breast and penetrating through the breast. The fourth and fifth counts charge the prisoner with the murder of Elizabeth Brown; the fourth count by giving her a mortal wound with a stone as described, on the back part of the head; the fifth by giving her a mortal wound with a stone on the forepart of the head. The sixth count charges the prisoner with the murder of George Brown by

Here is the translated text as follows:604 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSWealth. Andrew P. Wilson, James M. Bell, and S. Calvin, for the Prisoner.The indictment in the first and second counts charges the prisoner with the murder of Rosanna Brown. In the first count, the charge is by a mortal wound given with the barrel of a gun over the right eye in the forepart of the head. The second count charges the murder by cutting her throat with a knife. The third count charges the prisoner with the murder of Rosanna Brown by a mortal wound given with the barrel

Here is the translated text as follows:ROBERT McCONAGHY, 608John, Elizabeth, George, Jacob, and David Brown had pleaded not guilty. Alexander Gwin and George Taylor represented the Commonwealth.Robert McConaghy brought his family to America and settled in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in 1793. He studied law and began practicing in 1804. In March 1804, he moved to Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and was admitted as an attorney at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, at the April term of 1804. He served as a member of the State Senate from 1811 to 1812 and was elected to the 14th Congress, serving from March 4, 1815, to April 1818,

Here is the translated text as follows:602 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The boys were gunning in the woods and coaxed him to go with them. As he walked from the house in front of him, he shot him in the back. He returned and told little Elizabeth (17) to come with him and gather some strawberries. When they got down to the field, he stunned her with a stone and then strangled her. He went back to the farm and watched for the wife, Rosanna, who was making bread in the kitchen, to come to the door. When she did, he

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF ROBERT MCCONAGHY FOR THE MURDER OF ROSANNA BROWN AND HER FIVE CHILDREN: JOHN, ELIZABETH, GEORGE, JACOB, AND DAVID, HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, 1840.THE NARRATIVEWhen Farmer John Brown of Cromwell Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, left home to do a week's plowing some distance away, he said goodbye to his wife, Rosanna, and his five children. All the family lived with him except two married daughters, one of whom was the wife of Robert McConaghy. On Saturday afternoon, when he returned, he was surprised to see the handle of the front door missing. Looking towards

Here is the translated text as follows:600 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.We can, therefore, even upon her own testimony, be justified in dismissing the present complaint. Accordingly, we order that the application to charge the defendant as the father of the illegitimate child be overruled, and that he be discharged from his recognizance.---

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO, 599Several medical experts have been called to give their opinions, and they almost unanimously declare that the defendant is not the father of the child, as it would be a deviation from the course of nature. Doctor Pascalis has fortified his opinion with some very able remarks; and Sir James Jay, a physician of great respectability and of the longest standing in the city, has given a decided opinion to the same effect. He has particularly indicated the want of crisped hair as a conclusive circumstance against the testimony of the woman.

Here is the translated text as follows:598. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.There remains but one topic of the evidence to discuss. Cases have been related and assented to by Doctor Mitchill, that where there has been a rapid succession of intercourse between a white and a black man, twins have been born, each resembling the respective incumbent to whom he owes his origin. Upon this ground, we are at length enabled to make a proposition which will meet the justice of the case, and of course, the approbation of the Court. It appears here that there has been a rapid succession of

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 597In etiquette—but not in reality. "Montague's men are always thrust from the wall, and their women to the wall." Can we believe that the white watch made the black watch turn out, merely for the sake of a warm hammock? If that be so, I can only say, "delicate pleasures to susceptible minds!"But that is not the argument. The woman herself says that there were no young ones that time, because they fought all the time. If they fought, what more is wanted? One of the counsel asked whether many races of

Here is the translated text as follows:596 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.She was with a black man in a bad house, and he worried her out and had a connection with her. Very good. Shortly afterwards, she scuffled, or fought, as she termed it, with a white man, and knocked off his hat, but he afterwards came to bed with his hat, and had a connection with her. Did you cry out? No, sir. What then did you do? I bade him be quiet! Well! Where is the difference, except in this, that the white man had no hat upon his

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO, 595A Prussian soldier was detected taking certain jewels and corporal ornaments from the image of the Virgin Mary, and boldly asserted that she gave them to him. The case was novel, and a counsel of prelates and other learned men was convened, who, not averse to miracles, adjudged the thing possible. Frederick the Great understood the trap and suffered the soldier to be discharged; but the next day it was proclaimed that on pain of death, none should thereafter take advantage of the generosity of the Virgin Mary. Now let it be

Here is the translated text as follows:594 2%, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Harlequins playing about! But for the ignorance of our fathers, we might have been burnished like game cocks, and had wives like birds of paradise, and daughters like cockatoos. Now and then, those that love curiosities might have a little monster, and for those who think two heads better than one, it would be quite easy to frighten the mother out of a child with two heads.Let not the learned witness complain that we treat his opinions lightly; the greatest philosophers in the universe have been thought, upon some particular

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 593Doctor Mitchill observed a full-grown man in the very act of metamorphosis, a sight that one would think could not be influenced at that stage by any affection of his mother to change his color. This fact remains to be accounted for on some newer principle. I once knew a Mr. Perey, a composer and singing master who taught in my family. In the fullness of his heart, he confessed one day that he had been credulous enough to throw away a guinea per visit for several months to a quack who

Here is the translated text as follows:592 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.According to Censorinus, supported by the single argument of an egg, the ancients argued that no egg could be produced without a bird, and no bird without an egg. As it could never be shown which was first formed, it followed that the world had no beginning. We might have shown, upon the authority of Aristophanes, how the world was produced by divine love, and divine love from the egg of night, hatched by chaos. If we had been prepared to go into eternity, there would have been a range!

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 591As for whether it was a dancing master, I would not undertake to say: it was, however, a merry-begotten devil, and probably a dancing one; and it is not impossible that it might have been one of those that tempted Saint Anthony. It is said that twenty thousand of these devils could dance a saraband upon the point of a cambric needle without incommoding each other.That the learned sometimes account for things quite differently from the rest of mankind will appear from the sequel of the story of the lady of Milan

Here is the translated text as follows:590 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Who made it black, and not rather be taken to be his who made it white? Even upon legal principles, such an act of ownership exercised by a man over the child of another, as bleaching him without authority, entitles him, whose child was so bleached against his consent, to abandon altogether to the wrongdoer, and to throw the child upon his hands. Certainly, if such a principle be established, as that white men can father their children upon negro fathers, it will very much advance industry, and encourage many

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 589It is suggested that the Calipoedia, or the art of begetting beautiful children, as well as the art of procreating males or females, may be taught by affecting the imagination of the male parent. The theory posits that the delicate extremities of the seminal glands irritate the organs of sense, either of sight or of touch. The art is recommended very seriously to those who are interested in the procreation of male and female children. It is observed that the phalli, which were hung around the necks of Roman ladies or worn

Here is the translated text as follows:588 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.We passed on to Aristotle; but with all his form and substance, his matter and motion, his cause and effect, he could not inform us how, without violating probability, the black man could get the white child. Therefore, as we gained no light, we had no need of any photometer to measure how much. Fearing to trust myself longer in the dark, I passed on to the next topic, recollecting an old maxim:*Desperas tractata nitescere posse relinquas.*But I had the consolation to think that for all that had yet passed

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 587Sport is a quit rent which the learned owe to us small wits; it is an indemnity for the shade they cast upon us, and we seize upon it by the title of amends. I do very much respect the witness and admire his learning and his candor; but when I think of the odd excursion we have made to discover the parentage of this child of nature, I must either laugh or die of it.If a witness was wanted with a mind well stored with facts, he stands unequalled. His is

Here is the translated text as follows:586 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS,If it would be any satisfaction to him, we will retract that saying. We will admit that there was first and second fiddle and bass accompaniment. But as he is himself the leader of the band, he ought not to complain of the effect.After breaking a lance upon my colleague in the honor of this daughter of Eve, he attacks the doctors en masse. "What do they know," he says, "more than other men?" But that is not all; he goes farther and levels a shaft at your Honors on

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO, 585Some prefer the darkness rather than the light, though we do not know why.It is said that her evidence was meritorious and beneficial to the community, charitable, and advantageous to the Almshouse. I have never before heard of such pious and patriotic fornication.If she was inclined to perjure herself, would she not have attributed the child to the richest father as well as to the fairest?Perhaps not. Perhaps she wished to establish a partnership according to the custom of merchants, long used and approved within this city, to make one a sleeping

Here is the translated text as follows:584 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS,The first wonder is that the child, though black, is not of the color of the mother, nor yet of the African—but strange to tell, of the most degenerate white.The second wonder is that the greatest of these wonders, she remained, as the counsel for the Almshouse charitably testifies, a lady of virtue and unblemished credit!I had heard of a sect that trusted more to faith than to good works. The counsel, it appears, is of that sect when he asks this honorable Court to put its hand and seal

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO. 583Lastly, the woman's testimony serves to support the supposition that the influence of fear or surprise, and the sudden appearance of the white man armed with a pistol, combined with the ensuing struggle and the irritation it produced, all contributed to the change that occurred.Although she is an unfortunate woman and the mother of an illegitimate child, let me reiterate that her evidence is meritorious here. It helps to relieve the community from the burden of supporting a bastard and justly assigns the responsibility of maintenance to the man who begot it.

Here is the translated text as follows:582 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Enough evidence has been presented to discredit her. What she said at the police station is of little importance, being easily reconcilable with what she has sworn here. She said she had no connection with a white man, meaning no such connection as could produce a child; and she admitted before the same magistrates, on the same occasion, that she had a struggle with one, and that he tore her petticoat. If she did not say the whole of this when under oath, at the time her depositions were written

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO - 581It has been only one month from the time she swears to his having gotten her with child. All the physicians agree that the symptom of pregnancy does not take place in less than three months, and that it is more commonly four. She has also positively contradicted upon one examination under oath what she positively swore upon another. At the police office, she said she had no connection with the white man—before this Court, she has acknowledged that she had.There is at least as much reason to charge the white

Here is the translated text as follows:580 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The white man, because of the matter, I have found the old fighting; it would be good to see practice good enough for me, whether the pistol-barrel could end. Have I made no experiments? Have I got it? Then, sir, you must inquire elsewhere touching that in the way you allude to.THE SPEECHES TO THE JURY.Mr. Morton addressed the Court, premising that it was his intention to be very brief and to confine himself entirely to the positive testimony and the inferences of law which it furnished, and leave to

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO579There is a general rule; for instance, wherever the complexion partakes more of the white than from the known parentage, it should be expected, then it would be found that in some other of those indications there will be a preponderance the other way. One example out of many I had noticed was the French general, Rigand. He was the son of a white man, a relation of mine, by a black woman. He was so dark as to differ little from the true African complexion; but in return for that, he had

Here is the translated text as follows:578X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Some children will be witty. Some do have a great deal of wit, but I don’t know how they come by it. Do you think, doctor, as the counsel on the other side does, that a pistol is an instrument of much efficacy in generation? On the contrary, sir, a pistol is generally used to take away life. There is what is called the cannon de la vie. Do you mean that? Of what color may that be, doctor? It may be black or white. Which of the two would be

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELOB77The other side will not fail to avail himself of your opinions to the utmost extent, perhaps beyond your intention. I wish, therefore, by taking your opinion touching the probability of other facts, to find what degree of belief you attach to the present, and by establishing a standard of faith, fix a boundary line between us; and also to discover, if possible, how much light learned opinions may throw upon this cause.Dr. Mitch: Some years ago there was a machine invented, called a light gauge or photometer, which was to measure the

Here is the translated text as follows:576X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Direct and cross-examination meant only an indirect examination. The ignorant, who take things in the wrong sense, often show ill-humor and put themselves in an attitude to be cross, because they are to be cross-examined. With the candid and enlightened, it proves often an agreeable mode of discussion, and is particularly so to our profession, when it gives us occasion to extract from those of superior learning, knowledge, which we might not otherwise have the means of acquiring.Mr. Sampson: What do you think, doctor, of the opinions of Plato, touching the

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO575Alexander Whistelo followed the profession of an attorney, or a scrivener, who had a very amorous wife. However, he did not have the leisure to attend to all her gaieties. Once, unable to free himself from her importunities in any other way, he upset his ink bottle into her shoes while toying with her. She subsequently bore him a black child. He reproached her, but she reminded him of the ink bottle and his awkwardness. There is also the story told by Malebranche of the woman who saw a man broken on the

Here is the translated text as follows:574 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS**Mr. Sampson:** Was there not some other case which you mentioned before the police office?I mentioned somewhat jocularly the loves of Theagines and Chariclea. Chariclea was a beautiful and fair virgin, of Ethiopian parents. Her whiteness was occasioned by her looking at a statue of Venus.**The Mayor:** About what time, doctor, might that have happened?The work is written by a Christian bishop, Heliodorus, who wrote about the fourth century. It was the first novel I ever read, and it made a great impression on me.**Mr. Sampson:** As to those cases

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO573I take this to be an exception; for if I have no knowledge of any matters which go positively to contradict the woman's testimony, I should naturally lean towards it. Do you consider this case as having any affinity with what is called albinism? I have not much experience on the subject of albinos, as my residence has been chiefly in New York, where such accidents rarely occur. But I have known instances of negroes turning white where there was no symptom of disease or sickness.Mr. Morton: Have the goodness, doctor, to relate

Here is the translated text as follows:572X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.There are three distinct effects that can be observed when a constitutional change manifests itself in the skin of a black, white, or other variety of color. First, when the cause or agency manifests its power by frizzling or curling the hair or feathers, this is termed crispation. Second, when the same constitutional change shows itself by a loss of hair or plumage so as to leave a naked skin, it is called peeling. Of these three effects, the last occurs but seldom; the second pretty often; and the first is

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO571The black man, Whistelo, took the child, but at the same time said it was not his.**Dr. De Witt:** Have no doubt it is the child of a white man.**Adam Ray (a black):** Knew of Whistelo having taken the child to board, and of the mother having it carried away; asked her reasons for taking it back, and her answer was that since he would not own the child at first, he should not have it now, for it was not his.**Nancy Cook:** Lived with the witness six weeks; cannot say as to

Here is the translated text as follows:570X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Dr. Hosack: From the appearance of the father, the mother, and the child, and the laws of nature which I have uniformly observed in such cases, I certainly would not take it for the child of a black man; I would say it was that of a white one, or at most of a very fair mulatto.Mr. Vanhook: Has it not some of the features of a negro? If its features, in my judgment, were those of a negro, I should not have given the opinion I did. Dr. Hosack, might

Here is the translated text as follows:ALEXANDER WHISTELO, 569In the case of Alexander Whistelo, it was argued that to contradict a positive oath should be received with many grains of caution—the more so, as those opinions would probably be opposed by others of very great authority. However, it was thought that unless the woman could be otherwise discredited, such opinions, opposed to positive testimony, were of little weight and ought to fall to the ground.THE EVIDENCE**Lucy Williams:** I know Alexander Whistelo. Two years ago this August, I first saw him. He then told me he was a married man, divorced

Here is the translated text as follows:568 &X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.August 19,A complaint had been made on June 9th to the Commissioners of the Alms House and Overseers of the Poor of New York City, stating that they were charged with the support of a certain bastard child of one Lucy Williams, and that one Alexander Whistelo, a negro, was the reputed father of the said child. The negro appeared before the Magistrates on June 10th and pleaded not guilty to the charge. After hearing witnesses, the Magistrates disagreed, and the case was brought to this Court for decision.Mr. Vanhook

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF ALEXANDER WHISTELO FOR BASTARDY, NEW YORK CITY, 1808THE NARRATIVEIn New York City, a dissolute woman charged a negro coachman with being the father of her child, which he denied. When the infant was produced, it proved to be white. The question that the Court had to decide was whether such a thing could be possible. Dr. Mitchill, the great expert of the day, thought the thing quite possible. Although he fortified his opinion with much learning and much authority from history, both sacred and profane, the Court decided that the woman's

Here is the translated text as follows:566 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I knew the man, but I told others that I found him in the street. Accompanied by the sexton, I carried Stiles home. His wife asked me if I had killed him. I said, "No." She replied that she was glad I had not killed him, and that she would rather he be brought home in this condition than brought home drunk.The next morning, he came into the barn. I asked him how he had killed Stiles. He said that he had put his hand into his handkerchief on the

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF. 565Someone told him that Stiles wished him to go and see his wife, and he visited her. After some days, as she did not get better, he said, "If she does not get well by the first of January, I should leave her; or I would kill you if I had to wallow to my knees in blood." I said to him that I told his wife that I was diseased; he said that he did not know anything about it. Things continued in this manner until Monday night before Stiles'

Here is the translated text as follows:564 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.To induce the wife of Stiles to screen herself, or to escape, is a strong point. With these views, you will take this important case and, after a careful investigation, render such a verdict as it requires. It is important that the laws should be administered according to the principles of Justice and Truth, so that the guilty may not escape, and the innocent shall not suffer. If the law accomplishes that, it is a perfect law. You will, therefore, carefully consider the evidence which has been laid before you

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF. 568The defense argues that there was no time when this offense could have been committed. When witnesses speak of a few minutes, their testimony does not admit of very great accuracy. If the prisoner committed this crime, he would have done it under circumstances that would be the least likely to subject him to suspicion.According to his confession, he could not have done it at any other place than at the stable. One of the witnesses has stated that a much lesser degree of force would produce death while in a

Here is the translated text as follows:562 XY, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Otherwise, or that he should escape with a lighter punishment. But it must be considered in every part. If the facts stated or any part of them are inconsistent with the other evidence, then these may be excluded. Gentlemen, what are the facts in corroboration? In answering this question, you will consider the previous intimacy of the defendant with the wife of the deceased; the testimony showing illicit intercourse between them, the complaints frequently made by Stiles respecting the intimacy and intercourse, and the frequently expressed expectations of De Wolf

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF. BelOrrin De Wolf's confession was witnessed by the sheriff and jailer and subsequently presented to the attorney. The defendant was informed that his confession would not benefit him as it did not provide evidence against others implicated in the statement. The prisoner further stated that the part of his confession relating to Mrs. Stiles was untrue. He admitted to the illicit intercourse and claimed that Stiles was a diseased and intemperate man whose wife wished him dead. De Wolf confessed that he had procured poison for Mrs. Stiles to administer to

Here is the translated text as follows:560 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The confession may be received as very satisfactory. There is one other fact of importance in the case connected with this confession, one which may test its truth. Mr. Mathews testifies that after De Wolf had made this confession to him, he (Mathews) told him he did not believe his story but that he had thought of a way to test the truth of it, if he would consent to it. He (the prisoner) wanted to know what it was. Mathews told him he would have Stone arrested that evening

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF, ESQ.In determining this point, you are to look at the motives, the time, and the circumstances.It is proper, therefore, to consider circumstantial evidence. It differs from positive evidence in that it does not profess to be direct proof. Instead, it connects one fact with another, and the inference drawn must be one that can be proven to be factual based on the connection of all the circumstances. It has been said that a case built on circumstantial evidence may be more compelling than one supported by positive evidence.One witness may testify

Here is the translated text as follows:558 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS,The deceased was given to habits of intemperance, sometimes excessive. He had expended a part of his property under circumstances which induced the officers of the town to make an application for a guardianship over him. Instead of a guardianship, however, trustees were appointed to take charge of his remaining property. He could not, therefore, spend his property during his lifetime. Thus, he was situated in the summer and fall of 1844, and during the winter until his death, doing but little work and living generally in idleness and indulging

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF, BTWhen a death has occurred from violence, a suitable and competent officer shall proceed to the spot for the purpose of investigating the cause and instituting such inquiries as may be proper. This is done in order that the facts may be properly stated, so that the public may be satisfied there was no crime or carelessness in the case, or if otherwise, that the crime may be charged upon its author. Such was the course pursued, and such was the mode of examination adopted in the present case. Now, what

Here is the translated text as follows:556 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The central issues before us are whether a human life was destroyed and, if so, was it done by the hand of the prisoner? These two questions will therefore occupy your attention.If the destruction of human life is attained by human means, no matter how near the end, no matter what the circumstances may be, the victim is entitled to the hope of recovery, and his life is under the protection of the law. To take such a life is an act of homicide. Now, was the life of William

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF. 555It is the duty of the Court to instruct the jury on all points relating to the law and evidence, and to determine what evidence is admissible. It then becomes the duty of the jury to apply that evidence in accordance with the principles of truth and justice. The question is, therefore, one of complicated law and fact.The prisoner at the bar, gentlemen, is charged with the willful murder of Wm. Stiles. In order for you to understand the nature of the offense, it is necessary that you understand that this

Here is the translated text as follows:554 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The responsibility imposed upon both the Court and the jury is immense. Nothing might reconcile us to such a responsibility, but the stern necessity of maintaining the supremacy and integrity of the laws. Unless we do that, we prove recreant to the solemn trust which society has reposed in us, and which the public good requires us faithfully to fulfill. The laws must be strictly carried into effect, while the rights of the accused are entitled to all the consideration which is guaranteed to them. You are selected, therefore, for

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLFOrrin De Wolf was imprisoned due to the insinuations he repeatedly made about soon coming into possession of Stiles' property, the falsehoods by which he deceived the Doctor and coroner (for which the advice of others does not excuse him), and the results of the post-mortem examination. Every fact and circumstance in the evidence is consistent with the hypothesis of strangulation by the hands of De Wolf. Much stress has been laid on the imperfect character of the post-mortem examination. Was it really imperfect? Even had there been no such examination, the

Here is the translated text as follows:552 ZX. AMERICAN STATE TRIALSIt is essential that the community understands the importance of the strict execution of laws, and no sympathy for the prisoner should be allowed to interfere with the administration of justice. If the notion spreads that a murderer may escape due to a lack of firmness on the part of jurors, it could encourage an assassin who is wavering in his purpose. Consequently, the jury that hesitates to return a verdict against the criminal becomes responsible for two deaths instead of one. It is the duty of the jury to

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF551Dr. Orrin De Wolf testified that he could not conceive of a man strangled by a ligature without congestion of the lungs. He believed that if enough force were applied to prevent respiration, the effect would be to leave clotted blood in the heart. He stated that he would not be able to draw an opinion on the cause of Stiles' death from the medical testimony that had been given, as it did not satisfy him that death resulted from the pressure of a ligature around the neck. He noted that the

Here is the translated text as follows:550AMERICAN STATE TRIALSTHE TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENSE**Ruth Willard:** I was in Stiles' family for about a fortnight, six years ago last December. While there, Stiles was sent to Worcester one morning on business and was brought home at night apparently helpless. We got him into the room where his wife was, and at last she got him to bed and said if he went to sleep he would be fine. All at once, he jumped out of bed and went to the secretary and seized some razors. She took them away and got him

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF549"You had better make it to the sheriff," he said to me. I promised to see him in the afternoon. In the afternoon, I took him into the sitting room with Mr. Matthews, where his conversation was put to writing and signed by him, as well as by Mr. Matthews and myself as witnesses. I never gave him any encouragement to hope for escape or commutation of punishment; I told him he had no right to hope for anything but death. I told him that any confession he could make would do

Here is the translated text as follows:548X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He then said that there were others concerned in it, and others did it, but he was perfectly innocent. He said he hired another man to do it. I have frequently been into De Wolf's cell for the purpose of having conversation with him, at his request. I never told him that the best thing he could do would be to make a confession. The most I ever said to encourage him to confess was that if he was perfectly innocent, as he said he was, and if he knew who

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF547If he was, I didn’t think he would be hurt. After a while, he said he could tell me more about it if I would promise to say nothing about it. He asked if I thought he would be clear if he could tell who did murder him. I told him I could tell nothing about it without knowing what he could tell, but I should advise him not to say anything that would convict himself in any way whatsoever. I told him that if he was perfectly innocent and could bring

Here is the translated text as follows:546X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.He appeared to be slewed and cold; I asked if he knew where he had been that evening—he said no—if he knew where he got his liquor—he said he did not. He said he was acquainted with him and had boarded in his family. When he found him, he was the worse for liquor, and he got the hostler to help carry him up and laid him on the bunk. He then took a newspaper and sat down and read until he fell asleep. When he woke up, he went to

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF545I did not particularly note Stiles’ appearance. De Wolf and myself carried him down, put him in a sleigh, and carried him home. De Wolf shaved him. After we had taken off the clothes, I observed for the first time the mark around the neck. When De Wolf came to my house, he said there was a man at the stable, dead—that he found him in the road by a sleigh, and Dr. Heywood said he was chilled through—he was intoxicated, and in the habit of getting intoxicated. While we were going

Here is the translated text as follows:B44X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.I returned without finding him. I then told him to go for Mr. Gates, the sexton, as he would know what should be done. I noticed a little redness about the throat, but made no particular examination at that time. After the jury of inquest was summoned, I made a post-mortem examination in company with Dr. Green and my son. On the back of the neck, the blood had settled as is usual after death. In front of the neck, the red mark was very distinct. Whatever had been applied to

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF543I entered a room to the left. This was a little after nine in the morning.Rodolphus C. Edwards was at Flagg & Dodd's tavern the night of Stiles' death. I saw De Wolf about half past ten in the bar room. He said there was a man at the barn who was drunk, and he wanted some salt and water to give him. De Wolf, myself, Nathaniel Watson, and a man from Boston went out together. We found Stiles lying on a cot bed. De Wolf went for Dr. Heywood, who arrived

Here is the translated text as follows:542X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Jury:Nathan Haskell, foreman; Holland Albes, Gilbert Bond, Joel Barnard, Zalmon Bellows, Salem Cobb, Charles Cutler, Franklin M. Farnum, Ephraim Fisher, Lincoln Fay, Wilcott Harwood, Emerson Johnson.Witnesses for the Commonwealth:Benjamin Baldwin:I reside in Worcester and tend the stable for Flagg & Dodd, hotel-keepers. Mr. Whipple's stable adjoins the hotel. I remember the death of William Stiles. De Wolf called me as I was coming from Flagg & Dodd's stable to the house and said he had Stiles drunk in his sleigh. He asked me to help get him upstairs in Whipple's stable

Here is the translated text as follows:ORRIN DE WOLF, 541June 10.Today began the trial of Orrin De Wolf. The first count of the indictment charged the prisoner with committing a felonious assault on William Stiles at Worcester on the fourteenth of January last, and producing the death of said Stiles by strangling him with a silk handkerchief. The second and third counts alleged that the cause of his death was a large quantity of a noxious ingredient, called first-proof gin, administered by the said De Wolf to the said Stiles.Mr. Wilkinson, District Attorney, stated that it would probably be shown

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF ORRIN DE WOLF FOR THE MURDER OF WILLIAM STILES, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, 1845THE NARRATIVEWilliam Stiles, a deformed and feeble man, was married to a good-looking wife. He was lazy and given to intemperance. He had a small property which, on account of his habits, had been placed in the hands of trustees, and it would go to his wife at his death. She was not fond of him and told this more than once to a boarder named De Wolf. One night, Stiles proposed to the boarder that they should go for

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARD"Have you anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced?"The Prisoner: "I have nothing more to offer than what my counsel have offered, and what is contained in my last petition."The Chief Justice: "I am sorry to find you so impenitent of your crime, which is so heinous and abominable in the sight of God and man. You have lately made reflections upon the proceedings of this court against you as if it had been a design to do the job, comparing your case to that of Naboth’s vineyard. But I hope

Here is the translated text as follows:538 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALSThe prisoner made an urgent appeal in a letter addressed to De Peyster, one of his judges, in which he says:“Believe me, sir, as you may give credit to the words of a dying man, I die with a clear and good conscience, free of that horrid crime laid to my charge as the child yet unborn; and therefore hope God’s merciful hand, who has never left nor forsaken me, will continue to support me to the very last, and that I may look death in the face, as a

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDNicholas Bayard was found guilty; he had the advantage of moving in arrest of judgment and might be relieved as to matters of law.Mr. Emot argued, "This is not fair, to give the jury a handle to find the prisoner guilty, in expectation of relief in arrest of judgment; for they are judges both of law and fact, as the case is now circumstanced. If they will enslave themselves and their posterity, and debar themselves of all access to their prince, they will be worse than negroes."The Chief Justice responded, "This is not

Here is the translated text as follows:536AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Upon loan, without interest, several considerable sums of money were provided for the preservation of his majesty's interest and government in New York. Of these, upwards of 200 pounds in specie lent is still unpaid. I desire that the clerk of the council may be sworn.Mr. Jamison, who was then the clerk of the council, was addressed by Chief Justice Atwood. The Chief Justice stated, "Mr. Jamison has refused to purge himself of signing those addresses and is particeps criminis, for which reason he cannot be allowed to be an evidence."The Chief

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDMr. Emot: By Your Honor's permission, I am counsel for Colonel Bayard, the prisoner at the bar. However, I am unwilling to take up too much of your time, as this trial has already been very long. Mr. Nicholl, who is also counsel on the same side, has, amongst other things, made it very evident that for the subjects to petition His Majesty is their ancient and indubitable right. Therefore, I shall make it my business only, as near as I can, to demonstrate to this court and jury that even if the

Here is the translated text as follows:534 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS,Complaining is made treason! Here is a strange and fatal dilemma for the subjects of the plantations. They must either suffer their oppressions or be hanged for traitors if they complain.The act of assembly of this country cannot, by any natural or legal construction, be extended to make the prisoner culpable. It is plain by the whole purport of the act that it has made no new treason; it only recognizes the king and queen and enacts that those who shall do anything destructive to that establishment, by force of

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDIt plainly appears to be the right of the subject to petition the House of Commons, or the King. The proviso in that act says, "that neither that act, nor anything therein contained, shall be construed to extend or hinder any person or persons, not exceeding the number of ten, to present any public or private grievance or complaint to any member of the House of Commons after his election, or to the king's majesty." By the act of recognition of William and Mary, declaring the rights and liberties of the subjects, and

Here is the translated text as follows:532 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.By the course of the evidence, it appears there was an address to the king, an address to the House of Commons, an address to my Lord Cornbury, and a petition or address to the lieutenant governor and council. However, all the evidence is very lame and weak, particularly concerning the first three addresses. Even if we were to admit that making or signing them constitutes any fault or crime, more especially if it were to amount to treason, none of the evidence indicates that the prisoner signed these addresses.

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARD**The Solicitor General:** I have now proved by the witnesses those false and scandalous libels set forth in the indictment, whereby the good, peace, and quiet of the government have been disturbed, which by this act of assembly is high treason. I have likewise proved that the soldiers were drawn in to sign those scandalous libels, and that some did sign blank rolls, which was listing of soldiers, and is treason. These words in the petition to the lieutenant governor and council, viz. "who we understand, by certain advice we have received from

Here is the translated text as follows:530AMERICAN STATE TRIALSOthers at their request, having first put their marks, I and the others expected by this to be made free of the city. I believe that out of 160 men now belonging to the fort or thereabouts, there may be thirty that signed.One Bovell, coming to Capt. Hutchins, was shown some papers which were told to be addresses. I put my mark without being desired by anybody; I cannot write nor read. When I had set my mark, Mr. Hutchins told me that if any of my fellow soldiers would come and

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARD**John Buckley:** Coming home from the fort and passing by Mr. Hutchins' house, I was asked to walk in by Mr. Hutchins, which I did. I saw some papers there which were called addresses, but I did not read any of them except the one to my Lord Cornbury. As I understand, it was a compliment and congratulation to him upon his arrival here. Mr. Hutchins asked me to sign it, but I refused because, being a lieutenant in the garrison, I was unwilling to do any such thing before any of my

Here is the translated text as follows:528X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Some of them complained that the people lay under some hardships here.**The Solicitor General:** You declared much more before the council. I was then called suddenly before the council and was surprised.**John Bashford:** I was at the coffee house, where I saw the papers or addresses, but do not know what they were or contained; and I signed four or five papers there, but did not stay half a quarter of an hour. When I was there, I saw Colonel Bayard amongst many others in the room, but did not see

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARD527Initially, I thought the word was 'seum', but I now believe it was meant to convey that the 'hottests' and 'ignorantests' were put into positions of trust. "Mr. Clows, pray tell us, what was the reason you did not sign the other two addresses?" "I think I am not obliged to tell that at this time, as it does not affect the matter at all."The Chief Justice responded, "Yes, but it does; you must tell us. One of the chief reasons was because I then thought that the assembly's gift to the Lieutenant

Here is the translated text as follows:526X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The document asserts that the inhabitants of New York were entitled to the privileges of Englishmen. It speaks concerning the late revolution here, of which I have but a confused idea, and can remember nothing particular. Afterwards, it speaks concerning my Lord Bellamont's administration, in several articles, of which I can remember but one, which is that the hottest and most ignorant of the people were put into places of trust. Then it speaks concerning the late assembly here, and tells you that after this assembly had chosen a speaker, some

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDThe following individuals were present: Saunders, Jacob Cornelisse, Barent Kool, Goert Olpherts, Samuel Cornelius Clopper, Conrael Teneyck, and Jacobus Goelet.The prisoner then read a petition to the court, in which he set forth the injustice and irregularity of the proceedings against him. He stated that the indictment was not agreed upon by any twelve members of the grand jury, and he requested that all members of the grand jury be examined by the court on this point. He also insisted that, as a matter of justice to him, the grand jury ought to

Here is the translated text as follows:524 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The bill was presented, and the court took possession of it; it was now a record, and there was no averment against a record. It was ordered that the prisoner come to trial on the following Monday; the court adjourned accordingly until that day. March 2.Mr. Nichol moved that the indictment be quashed, as it was not found by twelve men. The Court overruled the motion and called on the prisoner, Nicholas Bayard, to plead.The indictment charged that Nicholas Bayard, by conspiracy as aforesaid, on the tenth day of December

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDFor the service, Nicholas Bayard attended them with the proofs and insisted on being present with the grand jury. He demanded that no person should be sent for except those he named and that no questions should be asked of them except those he approved. On the other hand, John Corbitt, Caleb Cooper, John Cortland, and John d’Key insisted that the King’s counsel ought not to be present with them during their private debates. They maintained that they had the right to send for whatever persons and ask whatever questions they deemed necessary

Here is the translated text as follows:522 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Neither the address nor the petitions nor any matter therein contained is criminal and illegal, but nevertheless the Council issued its warrant for the arrest of Nicholas Bayard and John Hutchins under a recent statute. This statute provided that "whatsoever person or persons shall by any manner of way, or upon any pretense whatsoever, endeavor, by force of arms or otherwise, to disturb the peace, good and quiet of this, their majesty's government, as it is now established, shall be deemed and esteemed as rebels and traitors unto their majesties

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDTHE TRIALIn a Special Court of Oyer and Terminer, New York City, February 1702.Hon. William Atwood, Chief JusticeHon. Abraham De Peyster, JudgesHon. Robert WaltersJanuary 6, Lieutenant Governor John Nanfan and his council complained of libels against the government in the form of petitions circulated and signed by Colonel Nicholas Bayard and others. These petitions were addressed to the King of England, the Parliament, and Lord Cornbury, who had succeeded Lord Bellamont as Governor of these Colonies and who was now on his way here.Attorney General Broughton gave a written opinion that the petitions

Here is the translated text as follows:520, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.The objection was immediately overruled. A part of the jury insisted that they had a right to deliberate alone, whereupon the Solicitor General took down their names and threatened that he "would cause them to be trounced." The jury broke up in confusion without acting. The Solicitor General then complained to the court that four of the jury insisted that he should not be present at their deliberations, and the court ordered them to be forthwith discharged. Still, the jury hesitated to find a bill of indictment, and when they did

Here is the translated text as follows:NICHOLAS BAYARDIn the political landscape of New York, the aristocratic party, now in the minority, took measures to secure the new governor to their own interests. Nicholas Bayard, who had been long imprisoned by Leisler and was instrumental in his death, procured addresses to be signed to the king, the parliament, and to Cornbury. These addresses contained charges of bribery, public plunder, and oppression against the lieutenant governor, the chief justice, and the assembly. Additionally, reflections were liberally cast upon the memory of Lord Bellamont himself.Previously, Bayard had procured a law to be enacted

Here is the translated text as follows:THE TRIAL OF NICHOLAS BAYARD FOR HIGH TREASON, NEW YORK CITY, 1702THE NARRATIVEJacob Leisler fell victim to the malignant feelings engendered by political contentions in the Provinces in 1691. The passions excited in his adherents by his melancholy fate continued to distract the public councils and embitter the social intercourse of the inhabitants of the province for a long time. His son, Jacob, unmindful of his father's dying request made upon the gallows, could never forget or forgive his father's melancholy death. He lost no opportunity to vindicate his father's name and to cast

Here is the translated text as follows:JACOB LEISLER, 517Hoped they would act as such. Turning to Milborne, he exclaimed, "Why must you die? You have been but as a servant, doing my will; and, as I am a dying man, I declare before God and the world that what I have done was for King William and Queen Mary, the defense of the Protestant religion, and the good of the country." Having again professed his reliance on God, he signified his readiness to depart, and his sufferings were soon ended.The populace, overawed by the soldiers, were dreadfully agitated by this

Here is the translated text as follows:516 %. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.THE EXECUTION.On May 16th, 1691, Leisler, along with his son-in-law, Milborne, was led to the gallows. After parting with his wife Alice and his numerous family, he met his death with fortitude, as befitted a Christian. Following praise to God, he expressed his awareness of his dying state and submitted himself before a just God with humility and hope. He avowed that, at the request of a committee chosen by the majority of the inhabitants of the province, he had taken upon himself, "to the great grief of relations to

Here is the translated text as follows:JACOB LEISLERJacob Leisler was seized and thrown into prison, along with his son-in-law and several of his adherents. The prisoners were immediately brought to trial before a special court of oyer and terminer. Six of the inferior insurgents were convicted of high treason and subsequently reprieved. Leisler and Milborne denied the governor's power to institute a tribunal for judging his predecessor and vainly appealed to the king. The trials proceeded before a tribunal erected for the purpose of giving the sanctions of the law to the determinations of power.Joseph Dudley, the chief justice, had

Here is the translated text as follows:514 XY. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.Jacob Leisler considered the commission as directed to himself and esteemed his authority to have received the royal sanction. By advice of the committee of safety, he now assumed the title of lieutenant governor. To add strength to his party, a convention was summoned of deputies from all the towns to which his influence extended, and various regulations were adopted for the temporary government of the province.Nicholas Bayard, a member of the Albany convention, was found in New York, arrested, and imprisoned for high misdemeanors and for certain libellous writings

Here is the translated text as follows:JACOB LEISLERJacob Leisler published a declaration that "as soon as the bearer of orders from the Prince of Orange shall let us see his power, then without delay we do intend to obey, not the orders only, but also the bearer thereof."Massachusetts and Connecticut supported his measures, and his authority was soon generally acknowledged by the middle and lower classes. Nicholson, the lieutenant governor, fled to England, and Courtlandt, the mayor of New York, Colonel Bayard, and others of his council, "gentlemen of figure," unable to brook the ascendency of a man "mean in