208

fore the said trial was not on a par with that of mankind in general, &c. I testify, that I'consider Sam Wheeler, the negro, who has lived and was brought up within about 40 rods of me, to have been,at the time of the said trial,and long before, and since a most notorious liar, and a thief, and I have no knowl. edge of ever having sent any one into my chamber after a bag at any time, [see pages 95 and 124.] for I always keep my bags, not in my chamber, but in my corn house. &c.

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PERRY CLARK. Griswold, Sept. 10, 1823.-Subscribed and sworn before me, 1 JEDEDIAH BARSTOW, Justice of Peace. James Cook, Esq. testified that he had examined a purporting to be a report of my trial, printed by Samuel Green that it contained a false report of the said trial. 1st, That not E. B. Downing, but Elisha Geer, was the first witness, and his testimony was objected to, &c. 2d, That it represented him and others as testifying that on said trial which was not true, and which they never did testify. [tiere he stated many particulars of the falsehoods and misrepresentations contained in that book.] 34. He testified that the general moral characters of the said Maria and Sam, the negro, were very bad, and particularly as to truth and veracity, and were so at the time of said trial, &c.

Subscribed and sworn to, in due form of law, in Preston, September 8th, 1823, before

WILLIAM WILLIAMS, Justice of Peace. The seventeen objections, page 193, were fully proved to be well founded, and true.

Mr. Enoch Baker, Mr. Samuel Dorrance, and many oth ers, testified that they personally knew that the said book was false, and that the characters of the principal witnesses against me, in said trial, were had, and particularly as to truth and veracity, and that they ought not to have been believed. Would any other state's attorney, except James Lanman, have gone to the house of Elisha Geer, eight miles, and used the means which he did, to form such a infor.na. tion, and brought forward such witnesses as Sam, the negro, and Maria, to support it, against a respectable clergyman,

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[see the Rev. Mr. Blakeslee's letter, page 73,] and where the wardens made oath, that for six years then last past, they had never known or heard of a vote or a voice against him in his parish, except one man, (see page 100.) Would any other Judge, except Asa Chapman, have admitted such witnesses, and conducted the trial as he did? Do you ask why was all this? I answer, turn to pages 37 and 38, read that, and what follows, and you have the answer.

May it please the court, I have brought this suit, not to rob a neighbor of his money or to distress him; but to convince him and the world, that the book is a scandalous and malicious libel; and I think I have proved it to be so, by the most indubitable and incontestibie testimony. The defendant moved to have the court adjourn, on the ground, that he wanted the testimony of Constance F. Daniels, the reputed author of said book; it was agreed to, and the court adjourned to the 5th day of November, 1823, then to meet at the same place at 10 o'clock, A. M.

The said Daniels had been called upon, and acknowledged himself the author of said Book, and on the 19th day of November, 1822, in the town of Chatham, in Connecticut, before Ralph Smith, Esq. a Justice of the Peace, made solemn oath, that he could not recollect whether the testimony of Maria A. Smith was stated with precision or not, and all his answers were so equivocal and evasive, (though sworn to tell the whole truth,) that no satisfaction could be obtained from him, (his poverty and insignificance were his security.) On the 5th day of November, 1823, the court was called according to adjournment; the defendant did not appear, and the case went against him by default.

N. B. And it is decreed, that whoever shall give, sell, or lend, or in any way circulate that scandalous and malicious libel, purporting to be a report of the trial of Ammi Rogers, printed by Samuel Green, in New-London, in 1820, is liable to prosecution. Take Notice!!

AGAINST LY NG AND FALSE SWEARING.

The Eternal God hath declared, in thundering and lightning, in the most solemn and awful manner, from mount Si

things written in the book of the law to do them.) that, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Cooly and deliberately to call the God of all worlds to witness and to sanction that which we know to be false, or that which we do not know to be true; or to induce others to do the same, is profane, is impious, is Heaven-daring, is God-defying! O, how dreadful! how shocking! how dangerous for time and for eternity! It hardens the soul against all the impressions of divine love and fear; it banishes the influence of divine grace from our hearts; it fixes upon our souls the black, the horrible seal of damnation! it dissolves all civil compact. Our courts of law ought to render judgment according to evidence; if that evidence be false, the judgment will be false. And as it respects individuals, how unjust, how cruel, how abu sive is false witness. It deprives us of life, and of every thing which can make life desirable-by it, I have suffered, and by it you may suffer. No character, no honor, no profession,no property, nothing valuable can be safe! Do I see my beloved father or mother, do I see a dear brother or a charming sister, do I see, O, Gracious God! do I see my wife or daughter, by perjury and by falsehood, torn from my bleeding bosom, from every thing honorable, pleasant, gay and cheerful; dragged to a court of justice, stript of honor, character and happiness; loaded with indelible infamy and disgrace; my fondest hopes are blasted, my animating expectations are cut off, all my comfort is gone, and with unspeakable sorrow and an guish my gray hairs are brought down to the grave!! And what is the cause? Oh, it is false swearing and perjury! Thou fell monster of hell! what hast thou not done! Begone, get thee hence! begone forever thou child of the dev it!

What can make any person appear so perfectly ridiculous, hateful and contemptible, as to be detected in a disgraceful, mean lie? There is not a decent person on earth who would not resent even the suspicion of it; there is not the meanest scoundrel who walks the streets of New-York, or any other place, who would not be ashamed of it.. Liars and hypocrites are to have their portion in a bad place, in The devil himthe lake that burns with fire and brimstone !

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perjured persons are the children of the devil. I love and pity their souls, but I despise their conduct. If it be possible, O, Father in Heaven, to forgive so great, so heinous, so destructive, so disgraceful sins against thee, and against all human safety and happiness, look upon them in mercy, make them sensible of their crimes, and bring them to repentance, and to a better use of their tongues.

Let a person possess all the wealth of the Indies, or all the gold of Peru; let him be honored with all the offices and stations in the power of men to bestow, yet, if he be destitute of truth, he is rotten at the core, he is detestible in the sight of God and man-look at him! see a liar! a false swearer! a perjured person! How mean he is! how despicable! how dreadful! I advise parents to teach their children, above all other qualifications, the love and practice of truth; and to impress their minds, as much as possible, with an inward abhorrence and detestation of falsehood and misrepresentation. If a person be never so poor, if misfortunes surround him on every side, if he be afflicted in mind, body and estate, and is overwhelmed in sorrows and troubles, yet, if he be a man of truth, if what he says may be relied on, he will be respected, he will be comforted and relieved. We have a silent imonitor within us, unless, by falsehood and perjury we have banished him, and he will inform us what is true, and what is not. In this case the words of Pope are excellent, viz. What conscience dictates to be done,

Or warns me not to do,

This teach me more than hell to shun,

That, more than Heaven pursue.

Saint Paul says, our rejoicing is this, the testimony of a good conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world. But conscience is not an infallible guide: how often have I conscienciously, and sincerely thought I was right, and afterwards been convinced that I was wrong! and even in matters of religion, our conSciences are greatly influenced by education and custom! Still it is the best guide in the world when regulated by the

The witnesses testified before the court, and their testinony was supported by the testimony of others, that Col. Halsey and Dr. Downer, and James Lanman, Esq. did overpersuade and hire them to testify against me as they did before Now the court, and that it was not true, and they knew it. stand still and see the judgments of leaven upon these wicked men :-In less than three years,

Col. Jeremiah Halsey, who had been a noted lawyer, a man of great property and distinction, has become a poor, miserable vagabond; he has had the numb palsey, his mouth drawn on one side, he spits and drules; he got drunk, fell from his horse, was taken up out of compassion, at Mr. Abel Spicer's, where he lay all night, wet the bed and dirtied himself; his son-in-law turned him out of door, he has not a house to shelter his head; a demand of $20 was offered to me against him by a Mr. Kimba! for one of these books-only fifty cents.

Dr. Avery Downer, of Preston,was once a noted Physician, loooked upon to be a man of good property, well respected In less than two years after I and promoted in the town. came out of Jail, every cent of his property was sold at the post by the Sheriff; he has not a shelter of his own to cover his head, and now goes from grog-shop to grog-shop, a poor, miserable outcast in society, by most of his acquaintances hated and despised.

James Lunman, Esq. was educated in the same college and at the same time with me; he has been a noted lawyer, a State's Attorney, and a Senator of the United States. Since

false accusations against me, he has been publicly burut