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The Green Bag.

preme court of appeals in Virginia, in arrest A fanatic is aptly described as one, who, his of judgment. The application was refused mind run away with an idea misconceived, or its importance unduly magnified, would by the court of appeals and Brown was ex ecuted on the second of December, 1859, deluge a world in order to extinguish the the day appointed in the sentence of the fire in a haystack. Ignorant of negro character, as well as of circuit court. While in prison awaiting his trial, Brown the true relation between master and slave deported himself with something of dignity, in the southern States, Brown had totally misconceived the nature of the institution and while having fully reaffirmed the state he attempted to overthrow, and unduly mag ments made before his trial, that his inten nified the supposed tion was to incite the unhappy condition slaves to insurrec of the slaves. tion, he justified his He determined acts as being im upon a procedure pelled by conscien entirely disproportious convictions and tioned to the end to warrant of Scripture. be obtained. He de At his request his liberately proposed will was written by to subject the slave Mr. Hunter, his chief holders of the South prosecutor, with to the unna tr1able whom he had be horrors of a servile come friendly and insurrection, and if confiding. necessary to destroy He went to his them, a people of execution with com the highest develop posure and met ment, culture and death without trepi refinement of the dation. Anglo-Saxon race, In reviewing the in order to set free trial, it was probably some four millions a mistake in Brown of late Africans held tohave dismissed his SHERIFF JAMES CAMPBELL in a servitude so original counsel; (Who executed John Brown). mild that they were while they could not hardly conscious of have prevented his conviction, yet being better acquainted with it; and who, when he offered them the op portunity to rise, and placed the deadly the laws of Virginia and the rules of prac tice in Virginia courts than the gentlemen pikes in their hands, were outraged at the suggestion of rising against their masters, who succeeded them, they would have per haps secured for him some of the law's and fled to them in terror for protection. An undertaking more diabolic or fanatical delays. The acts of Brown for which he suffered can hardly be imagined. But whether fiend or fanatic, felon or the penalty, were either the acts of a bold martyr, John Brown will remain a unique and aggressive fanatic, or those of an incar nate fiend. The consensus of fair opinion character in our national annals. He was has attributed to him the former attribute. unquestionably a prime /actor in hastening