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The forensic speeches of David Paul Brown
The forensic speeches of David Paul Brown Author:David Paul Brown Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SPEECH IN BINNS' CASE. THE COURT, GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY: The unusual concourse of spectators and auditors here assembled—the interest and anxiety expressed... more » in the countenance of every one—the zeal and abilities of the gentlemen to whom I am opposed—the painfully solicitous emotions of my own bosom—all, refer me to the importance of the cause in which I am engaged. Important, not simply as respects this poor child, or me, her humble advocate, but as regards the jury who sit here to decide, as regards your honors who sit there to adjudge, and as relates to the world. I say it is important in relation to the world, because the principles upon which this case are to be decided are intertwined, I might say identified, with the nearest and dearest feelings of the human heart. Impressed with this idea, I cannot but regret the great and manifest embarrassments under which I labor—embarrassments not simply arising from my youth and consequent inexperience, but resulting, in an eminent degree, from the magnitude of the issue in which I am engaged, and the abilities of the gentlemen to whom I am opposed. Nor is this wonderful ; for such is the constitution of the human mind, that our very fear frequently occasions that which we fear, and in proportion as we feel ourselves called upon for great exertions, in the same proportion we are frequently compelled to acknowledge an utter inability to obey that call. There is also another disadvantage under which I laborin common with my professional brethren, and which I beg leave as far as possible to endeavor to remove—I mean the prejudice too generally entertained by jurors to whom a case may be submitted, that whatever may be the force or quality of the arguments of counsel, they are still entitled to but little weight, inasmuch as they a...« less