Browsing: Legal Papers of John Adams, Volume 3

“Captain Preston's reasons were the following, his Lawyers thought it best to bring on his trial because if a verdict was found for him the matter was ended, if the verdict went against him an arrest of Judgment founded on some refinements of the law was to be moved, to which the Court would have agreed. The argument was to have been postponed to the term in March, in the mean time the proceedings would have been reported, and a foundation for a Pardon laid before judgement could be pronounced, the Pardon would have had sufficient time to arrive before March.”