The Cecil Whig

When the trial of the State against I for resisting "Squire Jones in the discharge of his duty was progressing in Court, those who heard it will remember some remarkable contradictions in the testimony. One witness for instance, saw Jones strike P with a stick : he was positive it was Jones he was ten or twelve yards off, yet he saw Jones strike the blow with a black "hickory" stick. It was after dusk, men could not distinguish each other, yet he could see color of the stick and the sort of wood it was made of, other witnesses said Jones had no stick in his hands whatever: and others again, that they saw a man strike Price with a cane but that that man was not Jones.- The most pointed contradiction, however, was between Wood and Knight. Wood swore that at one time during the disturbance he saw Knight with an open knife in hand: Knight when on the stand and oath said that Wood swore to that which was false--that when he said he would "cut the liver out" of a man who was present, he had his hand on his knife in his pocket : that the knife was open, but that at no time did he draw it from his pocket. Now it is not probable that men would perjure themselves in a little matter of assault and battery : but some of them are mistaken, and as this matter has been referred to by the Cecil Democrat, on political grounds, let us give it a moment's attention. How did Knight open his knife in his pocket?-and if he did: why did he open it in his pocket? Can a man open a knife in his pocket with one hand ?.. Possibly he could: but would this have been Knight, who could boldly call a mechanic a … ruffian blacksmith " take the trouble to do the almost impossible thing of sneakingly opening a knife, in his pocket? Let any one, who has the curiosity, try to open a knife in his pocket with one hand, and then ask himself, which is the plausible story : whether Knight, at the time of the row when everybody was excited, did open the knife without taking it from his pocket? or, whether he did take it from his pocket, Wood, who is as credible a witness, as Knight, having sworn that he did see it open in his hand?

SASSAFRAS.