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WILLIAM WEMMS AND SEVEN OTHERS. 435

agreeable; what at first was irksome, soon becomes pleasing.
But does experience teach that misery begets in general a
hatred of lifel By no means. We all relact at death; we
long for one short space more; we grasp with anxious sclici-
tude even after a wretched existence. God and nature have
implanted this love of life. Expel, therefore, from your
breasts an opinion so unwarrantable by any law, human or
divine; let not anything so injurious to the prisoners, who
value life ag much as you, let not anything so repugnant to
all justice, have influence in thie trial. The reputation of
the country depends much on your conduct, gentlemen; and,
may I not add, justice calls aloud for candor in hearing, aud
impartiality in deciding, this cause, which has, perhaps, too
much engrossed our affections; and, I speak for one, too
much excited our passions,

The law by which the prisoners are to be tried, is a law of
mercy, a law applying to us all, a law, Blackstone will tell us,
“founded in principles that are permanent, uniform and
universal, always conformable to the feelings of humanity,
and the indelible righta of mankind.” How ought we all, who
are to bear a part in this day, to aim at a strict adherence
to the principles of this law; how ought we all to aim at
utterly eradicating every undue bias of the judgment; bias
subversive of all justice and humanity!

Another opinion, equally foreign to truth and law, has
been adopted by many. It has been thought, that no possible
ease could happen, in which a soldier could fire without the
aid of a civil magistrate. This is a great mistake—a very un-
happy mistake indeed! one, I am afraid, that had its influence
on the fatal night which we all lament. The law, as to the
Present point, puts the citizen and soldier under equal re-
straint. What will justify and mitigate the action of the one,
will do the same to the other. Let us bear this invariably in
mind, in examining the evidence. But before we proceed to
this examination, let ua take a transient view of some oceur-

rences preceding and subsequent to, the melancholy fifth of
March.

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