Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-03-06
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

denly awakened the press in all sections o.
the country, to the Importance of the sugres.
ton we made months ago, viz that the coun.
| sci for the claim, in whose hands its original
legal management rested, shall be prose- tied
Tor completely in the fraud. if they can be i'm
Phcated in it. Not only the Washington
On'on, but the Baltimore San, the New
lork Herald. and many other leaiin G
journals, re-iterate our demand for such pro-
ceedings. Since the 9TH of July last when the
! Star came into our hands, we have earnestly
labored to use it to the end of breaking Up the
| system Of the transaction of public business,
| by which men now or heretofore in public life
| act as brokers to procure the enactment Of spe
| cisl laws, or fer the procurement of money
from the Treasury on questionable p.etenees
Such, in brief, is the point in this connection
to which we have directed our editorial labors
Their result is so soon exhibited, We are
happy to be able to write, in the already vel,
nigh general demand of the press Of the conn
try, that the vicious practice in question shall
cease. De "
In the matter of this particular (GaIdiner)
case, we quote from synopsis of the opening
address to the jury, by the Hon. Henry May,
that our distant reade may understand its
chief points-as follows: -f .-.
He described this as the boldest largest and
most successful scheme of fraud ever perpe
trated against the government The dignity
and responsibility Of the United States gov
eminent, in the eyes of the world were at
stake on the issue. He gave a succinct history
OF the case, and then stated what the prosecu-
ton expected to prove. DR.. Gardiner, in a
memorial to the Board Of Commissioners, stated
that early in the year 1874 he was largely en-
gagged in mining operations in the State of San
Luis Potosi. Mexico, employed five hundred
laborers, and had upwards Of three hundred
thous and dollars invested in men, buildings,
steam engines, horses, mules, and men of
science; that in 1916 he was compelled to
abandon the establishment, his property having
been despoiled by the Mexican sOldiery; that
said mines were worth half million, and
would have yielded him fifty thousand dollars
per annum. The accused FLED with this me
mortal dispositions purpOrting to come from
persons residing in Mexico, going to show that
he owned said mine. The issue was on the
truth OF falsity of these assertions The United
States affirmed. and expected to prove. that
every statement in the memorial, and every
paper presented by him, was false from be-
ginning to cnd-pure fiction and invention.
Gardiner received from the United States, as
the fruits Of the fraud $i2S, 80. The mine
was 80 vaguely located that it could not be
found by the commissioners. although they
offered $500 reward for it; that persons whose
names were furnished as evidence of tie
could not be found in Mexico that every one
OF the dispositions was made in Washington:
the title was manufactured here; that Dr. Gar
diner was poor dentist and never could have
worked such mine as he described that he
was practising dentistry and peddling small
wares on the Pacific coast, hundreds or thou
sands of miles distant, instead that the mine.
the title, the seals and signatures of public
officers in Mexico, were all forged.
And We further heartily adopt with refer
ence to the result, the following comments of
the Baltimore SnH of this morning:
The recorded verdict of an honest, intclli-
gent, uueorrnpttbke jury, has yindicated the
essential truth, that neither the ingenuity of
the knave, nor the audacity of the penjurer
nor the influence Of the politician, nor the
zeal Of counsel, nor the pliancy of credulity OF
the press, nor the utmost latitude of legal
favor, nor all these combined, are sufficient to
overturn the just rigor and final integrity of
the law. 1t Is true that justice is too often
foiled. and the impartial administration of the
cessful evasion of its penalties by the guilty
But for these things, the reproach almost in
variably belongs to the jury. 10 the jury,
therefore, in the case of Gardiner, the honor
Of this great and important yindicaion of the
outraged law and public dignity of the United
States, attaches In very eminent degree
One plant, one corrupt, one venal spirit there
could have successfully thwarted all the dill
gence Of the Government all the expenditure
of time and money, all the labor Of IL costly
commission, all the skill. vigilance, arduous
and thaDkless toll OF a legal prosecution
The result has proved the integrity Of the
jury and while we know how to appreciate
the valuable services of distinguished men who
have contributed to the thorough exposition Of
this enormous crime, we ascribe the first need
Of praise to the jury
Sudden Death Of Thomas Devin Riley We
are greatly panied to have to announce the
sudden death of Thomas Devin Riley, Eau
we'll known Us a refugee leader in the Irish
troubles of 1913, as well as a literary man.
which took place at his residence in this city
last night at half past ten O'Clock He retired
to rest on Saturday night last apparently in
good health and in fine spirits, when his " life
awoke in the morning, she discovered him
lying on the floor in an apoplectic fit, and in
sensible. He did not recover from it, but died
as above described.
He was noble hearted, generous, and high
ly accomplished gentleman; dearly beloved by
all who knew him well. As writer, he was
unquestionably one of the most talented and
brilliant men in our country at this time.
At the age of fifteen, Mr.. r. had an attack
of apoplexy, and was relieved by a celebrated
surgeon Of Dublin, who told him that at the
age Of thirty, he would be again similarly at
tackled, and if he did not then die, his consti-
ton would be destroyed by it. For ten days
past, he had been repeating this prediction to
his wife; as he would have been thirty years Of
age had he lived two or three days longer He
leaves a wife and infant child.
The Senatorial Nomination in Ohio We
received te legraphic despatch yesterday
morning from Columbus, Ohio, announcing
that the Harmonious Of the Legislature
there had at length nominated George t.
Pugh, Esq, of Cincinnati, late State Attorney
General, to succeed Salmon p Chase. in the
United States Senate. A nice time they have
had Of it, in making a nomination. We pre-
sumo that the political history of the country
full rs it is Of inter party squabbles, cannot
furnish another instance in which a nomina
ton has been made afte: as much pulling and
hauling Of the characters and pretcnsions Of