The Harper’s Ferry Insurgent at Carlisle
Carlisle, Pa., Oct. 29. The prisoner in the jail at Carlisle, for whom a requisition was made by the Governor of Virginia, as Albert Hazlett, had a hearing before the Judge to-day, upon a writ of habeas corpus. Messrs. Miller, Sharp Shearer appeared for the prisoner, and claimed his discharge on the ground that his name was not Albert Hazlett, but William Harrison.
Several witnesses, residents at Harper’s Ferry, were examined and testified positively that the prisoner was one of the persons who invaded Harper’s Ferry – that they had conversed with them there, and that they recognized him how. One of the witnesses, Mr. Copeland, said that he had seen the flash of his (the prisoner’s) rifle when in the act of shooting at a citizen.
None of the witnesses knew the name of the man, nor had they ever seen him before his appearance in the streets at Harper’s Ferry.
N. Wates, Esq., appeared as counsel for Virginia, and asked his Honor to re-commit the prisoner, to await the requisition of the Governor of Virginia by the name he had assumed. The Court took this ground, and said, “We are clearly of the opinion that the requisition presented to us is legally and formally right, but there is no evidence that we have any man in our custody named Albert Hazlett, whom we can deliver on the requisition; but we are satisfied that a monstrous crime has been committed, that the prisoner was there and participated in it, as clearly testified to by three witnesses, and we will therefore re-commit him to await the requisition of the Governor of Virginia.”
