Today, I spent time working in the archives, exploring the McClintock riots.\u00a0 Beginning with the John McClintock Collection Register, I examined information pertaining to years around 1847.\u00a0 I looked in John McClintock’s drop file under Miscellaneous Materials, Folder 6 Box 3 MC 1999.12(1). \u00a0There I discovered the defense speech or closing speech for John McClintock given by William M. Biddle. \u00a0Biddle was one of the three attorneys helping lead prosecutor, J. Ellis Bonham.\u00a0 I transcribed pages 1-3 below and read the rest of the 15 page speech for content on McClintock and the riots.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Page 1)<\/p>\n
W.M. Biddle, Esq rose and said-<\/p>\n
May it please the court- Gentleman of the Jury-<\/p>\n
In this case the defense differs from that which has been ______ for the other Defts.\u00a0 Some of choose who have proceeded me have gone upon the ground that no riot was committed or that if there was a violent skives in the streets it was justifiable under the laws of the land or that there was some excuse and +c and a vast deal of law has been reads and a great many casts cited on that subject.\u00a0 So far as Mr. McClintock is concerned he had nothing to do with it. Mr. McClintock case is like that of any gentleman in the jury______.\u00a0 If it was wrong, in was something to which he was not a party.\u00a0 There was no______ of his dove is which he was not perfectly justifiable under the laws which goverce us all.\u00a0 Therefore, Gentleman in this case, the observations made by others in Defts of the other Defts are not applicable to his defence (I mean where either attempt justified force or anything of that kind).\u00a0 It is not for me to remark situated as I am upon the defence for standing as a co-defendant it might have an injurious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Page 2)<\/p>\n
Effect upon the cases of the other Defts. But I wish the Jury to bear district in mind whether they believed in the doctrine +c different Defts.\u00a0 It is a question of no moment to Mr. McClintock for we say he had nothing to do at all with any illegal proceedings.\u00a0 Gentleman, I _____ the case to you and I told you there has been scueues of a riotous nature going out form are early hour of that day.\u00a0 I told you earl as 8, 9, or 10 o\u2019clock at the Justice\u2019s office, there was a tumultuous assemblage around the jail and the people seemed to think there will be a riot.\u00a0 I told you that of all these transactions Mr. McClintock was profoundly ignorant and I told you that I would show you that +c not yet the intimations were so strong that gentleman left the courthouse knowing how the weather was to terminate.\u00a0 Did we prove this?\u00a0 Why, Gentleman this most indubitable.\u00a0 Law any man on earth disbelieve Mr. Sanderson? And does not his detail of what they took place carry conviction to the mind of very unprejudical man. He says that<\/p>\n
(Page 3)<\/p>\n
Professor Mr. McClintock, +c or his way here with letter and paper in his hand +c talking a diagonal; cut at the corner of the Square, he hailed Mr. McClintock.\u00a0 He first asked him if he was not going upstairs \u201cWhat for?\u201d said Mr. McClintock.\u00a0 There is a slave case +c.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William M. Biddle kept emphasizing that McClintock was “perfectly proper” throughout the speech.\u00a0 He focused on how McClintock did nothing wrong.\u00a0 I continued to read the closing statement, but it did not offer any insight or additional information that might be helpful to continuing exploration.\u00a0 However, it helped me get a feel for McClintock and the case that was presented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My primary goal was to find out more about the individuals, besides John McClintock and Daniel Kauffman.\u00a0 Initially, I wanted to examine more information on Judge Samuel Hepburn during McClintock\u2019s trial.\u00a0 Was he elected or was he appointed?\u00a0 Was he a state or county judge?\u00a0\u00a0 I determined that he was a county judge, so my plan is to research at the Cumberland County Historical Society.\u00a0 I will be looking for records on the county judges and court records. I may not achieve any results, therefore I will have to look at other records\u00a0in the Congress, where Hepburn ran for an office before this trial.\u00a0 In addition, I should explore family genealogy to see if that gives any insight on his life in Carlisle.<\/p>\n
I found some information on Hepburn as well as other participants in these trials in Martha C. Slotten\u2019s The McClintock Slave Riot of 1847 <\/em>from Cumberland County Historical Society and Hamilton Library Association of Carlisle(2). \u00a0Slotten’s is available at the Cumberland County Historical Society as well as online at Cumberland Civil War<\/a>.\u00a0 In doing this, I discovered that Judge Samuel Hepburn was a Democrat who ran for Congress, but ended up narrowing losing to a Whig.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, McClintock recorded many comments in his diary about Judge Hepburn and how he felt Hepburn influenced the trial(3).\u00a0 McClintock wrote to a friend in Connecticut:<\/p>\n \u201cThe conduct of our judge has been severaly in Pennsylvania as it could be in New England: the weightiest newspapers of both parties have spoken of his conduct in very much the same terms as those used in your letter.\u00a0 Several of them threaten him with impeachment, and some of the politicians of the state have preferred me their assistance in the case I undertake it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n McClintock also said in that diary entry:<\/p>\n \u201cThe judge has but one more year to serve and will not be reappointed.\u00a0 He is a young man very ambitious of politics distinction, but of very narrow mind, limited education, and vulgar feelings.\u00a0 His hatred of the College is intense and he would do anything to break it down.\u201d<\/p>\n I discovered that they generally selected judges based on their integrity and character in the community(4).\u00a0 In addition, the Carlisle bar was under the direction of Judge Reed, the President Judge of the District when Samuel Hepburn was a member of the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n I will continue to work on exploring Judge Hepburn, but I would like to find out more about the defendants of the case, James Kennedy and Howard Hollingsworth.\u00a0 This is one piece of information that seems to be lacking. \u00a0The next starting point in the research I intend to pursue includes some pieces from newspapers.\u00a0 I will then follow leads from what I find in the context.\u00a0 The newspapers are as follows:(5)<\/p>\n Hagerstown Herald of Freedom<\/em><\/p>\n Philadelphia Public Ledger<\/em><\/p>\n Philadelphia Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n American Volunteer<\/em><\/p>\n Richmond Enquirer<\/em><\/p>\n US Gazette<\/em><\/p>\n The Freedman<\/em><\/p>\n Carlisle Herald and Expositor<\/em><\/p>\n New York Commercial Adversities<\/em><\/p>\n Christian Repository<\/em><\/p>\n New York Daily Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n Manufacturer and Farmer\u2019s Journal<\/em><\/p>\n National Anti-Slavery Standard<\/em><\/p>\n Hagerstown Torchlight<\/em><\/p>\n Additionally, I could look at the\u00a0Sheriff and officer who arrested the slaves, Sheriff Jacob and Robert McCartney.\u00a0 This may not help, but could have some insight to the feelings surrounding the trials as well as people’s general opinion on slavery.\u00a0<\/p>\n (2) Slotten, Martha C. \u201cThe McClintock Slave Riot of 1847\u201d. Cumberland County Historical Society and Hamilton Library Association: Carlisle<\/em>, Summer 2000, vol, 17, num 1, 31.\u00a0<\/p>\n (3) John McClintock Diary, McClintock Papers, Emory University Special Collections, October 12, 1847.\u00a0<\/p>\n (4) Conway, P Wing. A History of Cumberland County<\/em>. (Philadelphia: James D. Scott, 1879), 157<\/p>\n (5) Slotten, Martha C. \u201cThe McClintock Slave Riot of 1847\u201d. Cumberland County Historical Society and Hamilton Library Association: Carlisle<\/em>, Summer 2000, vol, 17, num 1, 35.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, I spent time working in the archives, exploring the McClintock riots.\u00a0 Beginning with the John McClintock Collection Register, I examined information pertaining to years around 1847.\u00a0 I looked in John McClintock’s drop file under Miscellaneous Materials, Folder 6 Box … Continue reading
(1) Defense Speech for John McClintock by William M. Biddle, 1847, ( filed labeled Miscellaneous Materials), John McClintock Records, Box 3, Folder 3, MC 1999.12, Dickinson College Archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n