- Dearborn— H. A. S.
- Wilson Patrick
Morning snow, which powdered the face of the earth; and cleared away
before the setting Sun— I rode to the Capitol with Mr W. S.
Smith, and Elizabeth C.
Adams came afterwards— I was busied in preparation in the
Clerk of the Supreme
Court’s room, nearly an hour to the moment of the meeting
of the Court— When that was opened Josiah
Randall, and Mr Polk now a Clerk in the Department of War were
admitted as Attornies and Counsellors of the Court, and Chief Justice Taney announced to
me, that the Court were ready to hear me— The judges present were Taney,
Story, Thompson
M’Lean, Baldwin, Wayne, Barbour
and Catron. Judge M’Kinley has been present during
any part of this trial— The Court room was full, but not crowded, and
there were not many Ladies. I had been deeply distressed and agitated
till the moment when I rose, and then my Spirit did not sink within me—
With grateful heart for aid from above, though in humiliation for the
weakness incident to the limits of my powers, I spoke four hours and a
half, with sufficient method and order to witness little flagging of
attention, by the judges or the auditory; till at half past 3. O’Clock,
when the Chief Justice said the Court would hear me further to-morrow—
Mr
Baldwin mentioned that he would stay and hear me
to-morrow, but that he should be obliged to leave the City on Friday to
return home. The structure of my argument so far as I have yet proceeded
is perfectly simple and comprehensive—needing no artificial division
into distinct points, but admitting the steady and undeviating pursuit
of one fundimental principle, the ministration of Justice— I then assigned my reason for invoking Justice, specially, aware that this was always the duty of the court; but because an
immense array of power, the executive administration, instigated by the
Minister of a foreign Nation has been brought to bear in this case on
the side of injustice— I then commenced a review
of the Correspondence between the Secretary
of State, and the Spanish Ministers Calderon and Argaiz, which I analyzed with
critical research as far as I was able, but with not half the acuteness
nor with a tenth part of the vigour which I would have applied had they
been at my command— I did not I could not answer public expectation—but
I have not yet utterly failed— God speed me to the end. After the
adjournment of the Court, I went for a few minutes into the house, but
they were yet in recess— I rode home with Mr
Smith and Elizabeth C. Adams at 4. General Dearborn called here, while I was absent— After
dinner, a written inventory was taken by Mr
Smith, signed by him and Patrick
Wilson, of all the effects left by my poor deceased
Jeremy Leary— Thomas Dumphy and myself were present
all the time—the effects as far as possible were packed in his trunk
which was locked up, and I have the key.