1866 THE JAMAICA COMMITTEE 407 



by an absurd tribunal and with a brutal mockery of the 

 forms of justice, for offences with which impartial judges, 

 after a full investigation, declare there is no evidence to 

 show that he was connected. 



Ex-Governor Eyre seized the man, put him in the 

 hands of the preposterous subalterns, who pretended to 

 try him saw the evidence and approved of the sentence. 

 He is as much responsible for Gordon's death as if he had 

 shot him through the head with his own hand. I daresay 

 he did all this with the best of motives, and in a heroic 

 vein. But if English law will not declare that heroes 

 have no more right to kill people in this fashion than 

 other folk, I shall take an early opportunity of migrat- 

 ing to Texas or some other quiet place where there is 

 less hero-worship and more respect for justice, which is 

 to my mind of much more importance than hero- 

 worship. 



In point of fact, men take sides on this question, not so 

 much by looking at the mere facts of the case, but rather 

 as their deepest political convictions lead them. And 

 the great use of the prosecution, and one of my reasons 

 for joining it, is that it will help a great many people to 

 find out what their profoundest political beliefs are. 



The hero-worshippers who believe that the world is to 

 be governed by its great men, who are to lead the little 

 ones, justly if they can ; but if not, unjustly drive or kick 

 them the right way, will sympathise with Mr. Eyre. 



The other sect (to which I belong) who look upon 

 hero-worship as no better than any other idolatry, and 

 upon the attitude of mind of the hero-worshipper as 

 essentially immoral ; who think it is better for a man to 

 go wrong in freedom than to go right in chains ; who 

 look upon the observance of inflexible justice as between 

 man and man as of far greater importance than even the 

 preservation of social order, will believe that Mr. Eyre 

 has committed one of the greatest crimes of which a person 

 in authority can be guilty, and will strain every nerve to 



