but said that I was the cause of it. The foregoing is the amount of the whole testimony delivered before the court at that time, so far as I can recollect, and so far as the minutes taken by me; at that time, will evince. The case was submitted to the justice without argument; and he, after some deliberation, ordered me to be bound over in a bond of $750, with good and sufficient security, for a trial on the said com plaint, before the then next Superior Court to be holden in Norwich, in the September then following; and I was allowed five days to go among my acquaintance and procure bail or security for my appearance-I suppose in the hope that I would run away. Thus my destruction as a minister, which had been attempted for almost twenty years, was now likely to be effected. Bishop Hobart would be justified in his neglect of me, and of my parishes. Bishop Jarvis's friends would exult in their final success; my parishes were mortifi ed and confounded, and I was in distress. I immediately resigned my parishes and declined all ministerial duties, except on extraordinary occasions. I procured bail and prepared for trial. Let me pray. O, Father of mercies and God of all comfort, my only help in time of need, look down from heaven I humbly beseech thee, behold, visit and relieve me; look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy, comfort me with a sense of thy goodness, preserve me from the temptations of the enemy,give me patience under my affliction. Thou, O God, who knowest the hearts of all men, knowest that 1 am not guilty of the crimes charged upon me; in thy good time deliver me in thy righteousness; forgive the dreadful perjury and the subornation of perjury committed against me of thy great mercy forgive my enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and turn their hearts; lift up the light of thy countenance upon me, and give me peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Father who art in heaven, &c. "False witnesses with forged complaints, And to my charge such things they laid, As I had ne'er design'd. Amen. 'The good which I to them had done, And did, with malice undeserv❜l, My harmless life invade," &c. 35th Palm, 2d part in the Prayer Book. CHAPTER X. PERSECUTION. To impeach a court of justice is not my intention, where there is no abuse of power. To err is human, to retract a known error is noble, is manly, is generous; but with the evidence laid before the court of inquiry, where is there any man of good sense and strict integrity, if he were unprejudiced, would have bound a respectable clergyman to a trial for crimes so enormous, and supported by testimony so doubtful? And where is there another state's attorney who would have gone eight miles, been shut up alone with a young woman, in the situation of Asenath, from one or two o'clock in the afternoon until nine or ten o'clock at night, and there advised, persuaded, and urged her to bring forward charges of that nature, and expose herself to everlasting dishonor and contempt !for if their story which she related were true, and she had consented to what was alleged, and suffered herself to be operated upon in the manner she represented; where is the woman on earth, who would, of her own accord, have come forward and told it? If it were true, I say, where is the woman on earth that would have told it? If it were not true, who would have told such a thing against herself? The story in itself, whether true or false, is disgraceful, and any of woman kind who would tell it, ought to be despised, and not to be believed one way or the other; yet Mr. Lanman could say to this unfortunate girl, that it would be the best and most honorable thing that she could do; that it never should hurt her, nor cost her any thing, that she should be protected, and that she need not, and should not be called upon to testify publicly in the case; she followed his advice, has broken her peace of mind forever, and brought everlasting disgrace and ruin upon herself, and others, and what good, what profit, what advantage has she, or the public, derived from it! Let others take warning from this example, never to say or do that at one time, f which they would have just cause to be ashamed at another. Within a few days after 1 was bound over, I called on Farwel Coit, Esq. at his house in Norwich, and requested him to return to me the foregoing papers, which I had delivered to him at the binding over; at that moment Mr. Lanman came in and directed him not to give them up, and insulted and abused me in that manner, of which any gentleman would be ashamed. Coit refused to give up the papers on the ground that it was his duty to keep them for the trial. My next object was to see the witnesses if possible, and learn from them the cause of their bringing these false charges against me ; but they were kept out of my sight. Asenath was confined at the house of widow Lester, a strong Presbyterian woman of violent passions and prejudices in Griswold, and was guarded day and night, and forbidden to see me, or any of my friends, or to speak, or to have any communication with us. I sent counsel to converse with her, but he was refused. I interceded with Mr. Perry Clark to procure for me the privilege of speaking to her in his presence: that if she was a witness in a public prosecution, one party had as much right to converse with her as the other; but he said they were afraid that she would retract, that she was strictly guarded at the widow Lester's, and that he could give me no encouragement. Ma-ria was gone off to parts unknown to me--I was out of business, and might as well board at one place as another, and it was convenient for me to board at Mr. Baker's in Jewett City, where I had formerly boarded; and did hope that by some means I might find out the PLAN which had induced these witnesses so swear falsely against me. I employed several friends to see Asenath, and talk with her on the subject, but no one could obtain an opportunity. It was said that the Rev. Levi Nelson, the Presbyterian minister of Lisbon, and the Rev. Horatio Waldo, the Presbyterian minister of Griswold, 'The good which I to them had done, With evil they repaid; And did, with malice undeserv'd, My harmless life invade," &c. 35th Palm, 2d part in the Prayer Book, CHAPTER X. PERSECUTION. To impeach a court of justice is not my intention, where there is no abuse of power. To err is human, to retract a known error is noble, is manly, is generous; but with the evidence laid before the court of inquiry, where is there any man of good sense and strict integrity, if he were unprejudiced, would have bound a respectable clergyman to a trial for crimes so enormous, and supported by testimony so doubtful? And where is there another state's attorney who would have gone eight miles, been shut up alone with a young woman, in the situation of Asenath, from one or two o'clock in the afternoon until nine or ten o'clock at night, and there advised, persuaded, and urged her to bring forward charges of that nature, and expose herself to everlasting dishonor and contempt !for if their story which she related were true, and she had consented to what was alleged, and suffered herself to be operated upon in the manner she represented; where is the woman on earth, who would, of her own accord, have come forward and told it? If it were true, I say, where is the woman on earth that would have told it? If it were not true, who would have told such a thing against herself? The story in itself, whether true or false, is disgraceful, and any of woman kind who would tell it, ought to be despised, and not to be believed one way or the other; yet Mr. Lanman could say to this unfortunate girl, that it would be the best and most honorable thing that she could do; that it never should hurt her, nor cost her any thing, that she should be protected, and that she need not, and should not be called upon to testify publicly in the case; she followed his advice, has broken her peace of mind forever, and brought everlasting disgrace and ruin upon herself, and others, and what good, what profit, what advantage has she, or the public, derived from it! Let others take warning from this example, never to say or do that at one time, f which they would have just cause to be ashamed at another. Within a few days after 1 was bound over, I called on Farwel Coit, Esq. at his house in Norwich, and requested him to return to me the foregoing papers, which I had delivered to him at the binding over; at that moment. Mr. Lanauan came in and directed him not to give them up, and insulted and abused me in that manner, of which any gentleman would be ashamed. Coit refused to give up the papers on the ground that it was his duty to keep them for the trial. My next object was to see the witnesses if possible, and learn from them the cause of their bringing these false charges against me; but they were kept out of my sight. Asenath was confined at the house of widow Lester, a strong Presbyterian woman of vio lent passions and prejudices in Gr swold, and was guarded day and night, and forbidden to see me, or any of my friends, or to speak, or to have any communication with us. I sent counsel to converse with her, but he was refused. I interceded with Mr. Perry Clark to procure for me the privilege of speaking to her in his presence: that if she was a witness in a public prosecution, one party had as much right to converse with her as the other; but he said they were afraid that she would retract, that she was strictly guarded at the widow Lester's, and that he could give me no encouragement. Maria was gone off to parts unknown to me--I was out of business, and might as well board at one place as another, and it was convenient for me to board at Mr. Baker's in Jewett City, where I had formerly boarded; and did hope that by some means I might find out the PLAN which had induced these witnesses So swear falsely against me. I employed several friends to see Asenath, and talk with her on the subject, but no one could obtain an opportunity. It was said that the Rev. Levi Nelson, the Presbyterian minister of Lisbon, and the Rev. Horatio Waldo, the Presbyterian minister of Griswold, |