Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-01-06
The Alleged Bribery Cases.

Court, two weeks ago, against Israel Gu
telius, for an alleged attempt to bribe Geo
Heimhach, late one of the County Com
missioners, to sign the bonds for the pre-
yious subscription Of 100000 to the
Sus1uehanna Railroad This is the same
accusation, precisely. and from the same
quarter, on which, as our readers will re.
member, Mr. G. was arrested some months
ago, aud procured most thorough and
searching investigation, before Judge Mar.
shall, on n hGrbus corpus,which resulted in
his triuphant discharge. lie voluntarily
appeared in Court last week, aud offered
bail for his appearance at the next Court,
to answer the bill found To this the
District Attorney objected, and insisted
on having him brought in on a capias i!
These circumstances are significant, and
speak for themselves. The Court, how
ever, fixed his bail at S400 with two sure,
ties and recognzances were promptly en-.
tered into on the spot. A bill was also
found agains. John Gundy and Isaac Eyer,
from whom, it seems, Heimbach swore tc.
fore the Grand Jury he had st'citcd and
received $500 to sign the bonds They
both promptly appeared in Court, and were
each held in their own reccgnizance, re-
spectiv-ly, in s400 for their appearance at
the next Court to answer. The Grand
jury also made a presen,ment against
Heimbach, on his OWN confession, for taking
brlbe, but the District Attorney refused
to send MP bill! against him.
Motious were made-which will be
argued and disposed of at the February
Court--to quash the bills, because illegal
and highly improper testimony was sent
beiore the Grand Jury illegal documents
smuggled into the Grand Jury room, to
gnide and influence their action against the
defendants and because some Of the
Grand Jurors were believed to have con-
tributed or subscr. bed money to aid the
p usoc Ition. Also lecarse their was no
suihcIent Ueai'e or return thereto the
jurors not selected and drawn according
to law aud many of those selected, not
summoned or in attendance. Dispositions
to sustain the motions will be taken, in the
moan time, under the general rule Of Court
a special rule for that purpose on short
notice having been refused by the Court.
1T has been well understood at home
that the object of these prosecutions is to
affect the division question and if possible
compel surrender Of the railroad bonds.
No sooner were the bills found than the
Lnion Times, the organ of the prosecution,
boldly threw off the mask, and publicly
proposed to " compromise" the matter by
taking back the bonds. That is, in plain
English, conspiracy is got up to convict
private individuals of penitentiary offences,
for local political purposes, followed up BY
an offer to compound felony by way of
" compromise ! But it dom. happen to
be chiid's play, exactly, and the defendants,
who are not irnbecile Or irresponsible par
ties, will unqucstionably adhere to the de-
claration Of one Of their Counsel, JOSHUA
w. Comfy, Esq, in open Court, that
"thcy make no bargains, and accept no
compromises Messrs. Gundy and Eyer
are respectable citizens, farmers, of high
standing and unblemished regulations, who
positively deny the truth of the charge
preferred against them and where they
are known, VIC take it their simple allega-
ton will outweigh the oaths Of thousand
George Heimbach's to the contrary. They
ask no fayors, but have a right to fair
trial before an impartial jury-and will
avail themselves Of all honest and legal
means to secure that object
The proceedings on the part Of the Com
monwealth at the late Court, have tended
to expose more c!esrly the true character
Of the prosecution, besides giving to the
Division movement an impetus it never
before had.