James Wilson / Prosecutor

James Wilson

The man who is being held by the court stands accused of ignoring considerable debt. Many historians claim that he was brilliant and was second to only James Madison in preparation of the final draft of the Constitution. It is generally agreed that he wanted desperately to be a man of means. He read the law which means that under a tutor, for a period of time he was trained in this profession. There were no law schools at that time.

Prosecutor: Mr. Wilson, you have led us on a merry chase. A gentleman such as you should obey the simple laws that are designed to protect our citizens against fraud. Are you fully aware of what I am saying?

James Wilson: Yes, I am.

Prosecutor: Fleeing from the law, in its attempt to arrest you, is a criminal act, which adds to the gravity of your original offense. Your eyes seem somewhat unfocused. Do you understand what I am saying?

Wilson: Yes, I understand.

Prosecutor: Because the name James Wilson is relatively common, I want you to speak to me about your early life. Just to make certain that we are holding the appropriate Wilson. Where, for example, were you born?

Wilson: I was born in 1741 at Carskerdo, near St. Andrews, Scotland, and educated at the universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

Prosecutor: And you immigrated to America on or about the year 1765. Is that correct?

Wilson: That is correct.

Prosecutor: We’ve got the right man, unfortunately for you. We were notified that you moved away from Philadelphia to escape an arrest order. You lived in Burlington, New Jersey for about a year. Then you moved to North Carolina, again to avoid arrest.

Wilson: I went to Edenton, North Carolina on federal circuit court business, not to escape arrest.

Prosecutor: How very strange, a judge coordinating legal business running from the law.
Tell me just how important a person you are.

Wilson: Just what do you wish to know?

Prosecutor: I see here in your record that some way you managed to lecture on English literature at the College of Philadelphia, which had awarded you an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1766. Were all your degrees honorary?

Wilson: (raising his voice) I told you already that my degrees were earned in Scotland. In 1767, I was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar.

Prosecutor: Please move that tongue of yours in a civil way. I am an officer of the court and your prosecutor. Now, when did you first take an interest in politics? I read here that you were a Whig leader.

Wilson: I was elected to the provincial assembly and the Continental Congress, where I sat mainly on military and Indian affairs committees. On the critical ballots of July 1 and 2, however, I voted in the affirmative and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Prosecutor: How nice for you. However, what I’m trying to ascertain is at what point your ambition outran your ability. At what point did you crack under the strain of the competition.

Wilson: (raising his voice again) I’m afraid that is none of your business.

Prosecutor: Here is where it is my business. If your crime of ignoring your considerable debts and fleeing your responsibilities was directly the result of mental strain and professional disappointment, there may be a reason for me to accept a lessor penalty as suggested by your attorney. Now, don’t ever say to me that a question I’ve asked you is none of my business. Your fragile career is in my hands.

Wilson: I’m sorry for my outbreak. I’ll try to keep calm.

Prosecutor: Now once again, is it true that you were in line to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

Wilson: My career was on the upturn. I was proving myself valuable to the leaders. When the talk turned to the establishment of a Supreme Court, I was encouraged.

Prosecutor: What happened?

Wilson: For my services in the formation of the federal government, I expected to be appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1789 President Washington named me as an associate justice.

Prosecutor: You have a very elevated opinion of yourself. You’ve moved from being a Whig to being a moderate to finally espousing the voice of a Federalist. Then you expect to go to the head of the pack to take the grand prize. How did your move to conservatism affect your ability to earn money?

Wilson: The switch to conservatism on my part, led to my removal from Congress the following year. To avoid the clamor among my frontier constituents, I abandoned them. I became the target of the unrest and made myself scarce.

Prosecutor: When did you realize that you had no talent for business ventures such as your investments in land?

Wilson: I borrowed money foolishly from the people who believed in me. My debts became enormous. I believed that with one good investment I could clear my accounts but no one would lend me money. I could no longer ask help from my son who had paid some of my earlier debts.

Prosecutor: You are a very sick man, Mr. Wilson. Go home and we will let you know what we decide.

In the summer of 1798, Wilson suffered a bout of malaria and then died of a stroke at the age of 55, while visiting a friend in Edenton, North Carolina. His death came 7 days after meeting with the court’s prosecutor.