Memorial to the Missouri Legislature, 24 January 1839 [State of Missouri v. Gates et al. for Treason]

Your memorialists having a few days since, Solicited your attention to the same subject, would now respectfully submit to your Honorable body a few additional facts in support of their prayer.

They are now in imprisonment imprisoned Under a charge of Treason against the State of , And their lives and fortunes and characters being suspended upon the result of the trial on the criminal charges preferred against them, your Hon. body will excuse them for manifesting the deep concerns they feel in relation to their trials for a crime so enormous as that of treason

It is not our object to complain—to asperse any one. All we ask is a fair and impartial trial. We ask the sympathies of no one, we ask sheer justice— tis all we expect— and all we merit, but we merit that— We know the people of no county in this to which we would ask our final trials to be sent are prejudiced in our favour. But we believe that the state of excitement existing in most of the upper Counties is such that a jury would be improperly influenced by it. But that excitement, and the prejudice against us in the counties comprising the fifth Judicial court circuit are not the only obstacle we are compelled to meet.

We know that much of that prejudice against us is not so much to be attributed to a want of honest motive among the citizens, as it is to wrong information

But it is a difficult task to change opinions once formed, The other [p. 66]