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JAMES THOMPSON CALLENDER. 815

And the reckless conduct of Judge Chase in the court room
ean only be explained by his knowledge that it was to be a
struggle to the death between himself and the distinguished
lawyers which Virginia had sent against him: Edmund
Randolph, George Hay, William Wirt, and Philip Nicholas.

No mention was made in the indictment of the book ‘‘The
Prospect Before Us.’ A few sentences, by no means the
bitterest that could be found, were chosen, and upon them
the case was based. The reign of Mr. Adams, Callender
wrote, had been one continued tempest of malignant pas-
sion. Never since taking his seat in the Presidential chair,
had he opened his lips or lifted his pen, but scolding or
threatening followed. He had exasperated the rage of con-
tending parties, he had ealuminated and destroyed every
man who had differed from him in his opinions, he had
driven from office everybody who would not vote as he
wished, and he was besides, a professed aristocrat.

The case opened with the usual plea for time, which was
granted. The lawyers then prepared a trap for the judge.
They presented an affidavit from Callender that he must
have still more time, in fact until the next term. The wit-
nesses on whose testimony he relied to prove the truth of
his statements could not be essembled in a few weeks. The
paper then gave # list of witnesses scattered over the face
of the country. He must have William Gardner who lived
at Portsmouth, and Judge Bee, who lived in South Caro-
lina, and Tench Coxe and Timothy Piekering, who were at
Philadelphia, and General Blackburn, from Bath county,
Virginia, and William B. Giles, of Amelia county, in the
same state. Great stress was laid on the testimony of Giles,
and the Court put off the trial for a few days; and when
the case was again called the lawyers for the defense de-
elared they did not think Giles would come, and had the
boldness to claim that, as the Court had consented to a de-
lay in the hope that Giles would come, the judge had by so
doing admitted the extreme importance of that witness and
ought, therefore, to put off the trial till Giles did come.

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