They say that he
is a good father, or husband, or son, or neighbor, and that they never
saw in him any signs of a cruel or tyrannical disposition. I have even
known evidence admitted to show the character he bore when a boy at
school. The owners of the vessel, and other merchants, and perhaps the
president of the insurance company, are then introduced; and they
testify to his correct deportment, express their confidence in his
honesty, and say that they have never seen anything in his conduct
to justify a suspicion of his being capable of cruelty or tyranny.
This evidence is then put together, and great stress is laid upon
the extreme respectability of those who give it. They are the
companions and neighbors of the captain, it is said,- men who know
him in his business and domestic relations, and who knew him in his
early youth. They are also men of the highest standing in the
community, and who, as the captain's employers, must be supposed to
know his character. This testimony is then contrasted with that of
some half dozen obscure sailors, who, the counsel will not forget to
add, are exasperated against the captain because he has found it
necessary to punish them moderately, and who have combined against
him, and if they have not fabricated a story entirely, have at least
so exaggerated it, that little confidence can be placed in it.
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