The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-02-05
A. Ti. Eridiey. the ID 'faultcr-A Specia.
Plea Oh his b In ali by his paid AttOr.
neys, Rice, HOilinsllc a and Becker.

A. Vi. Eridiey. the ID ,6aultcr-A Specia.
Plea Oh his behalf by his paid AttOr.
neys, Rice, HOilinshc a and Becker.
TH DsnO.rN Of S lturday evening, tn,
3 nH., cont linS a communication iron
Me SIS RICE, ii ,IIINsIIEAD & Becker, cat
torneys for y. NJ. Fr.dley, and Others
which is Intended as an exculpat:on of thu
lttc agent Cor the Winnebago tribe of In
d.aas, from the charge Of dcfalcat.on brought
az inst him by the Secretary of the Treasu
~ Of the UGis-d States.
TlCs. attorneys state that Mr. Fridlc,
m de the last payment to the Winncba-
goes, ia My, 1858, and that the sam,
anoIl.el to upwards Of $50, 000 Thai
$ o. after su;h p yneLt, and before vouch
crs coud lie prepared and forwarded t.
Washington, the then new administration
directed si.t to he commenced against
Mr.. Fr.dlcy and his sureties. That the pro
cecling MAS unjustfiablc, and was regarded
by MIR Fr.diey as ali attempt insti"ated 10y
his oaem.cs to injure him personally That
lie consequently pnt himself o. the defer
s.yc, AMI awaited the commencement Of the
sl.t which had bcea thus unnecessarily
threatened. That he employed said attor
n,ys as his counsel and that he has acted
under their direction from that date since
TIE attorneys then say:
We u,h Mr.. Fridey that as the Government had
determined to sue hun, tnout affo,din. him oE-
pnrmm', I" settle his accounts, he ought to retain IN
h,- ,">> Inc evidence necessary to ro,ect him
against such suit.
Ac :. uon that advice, he withheld the vouchers
Of lhe ;a,mrut referred 10, and other vouchers
which had b-rn, previously thereto, disallwed b,
The acr,.,nti g ohscrS, but which capable Il
Ct, N aud t,itrtmy explanation and correction.
We do not recolect any other instance
ia winch lawyers, enjoy ng respectable po-
s.t;oa as men Of ability, have presumed to
50 cxor!).tant a length upon the supposed
ignorance and creduity of the public, as
have Ncssrs. RICE, HoILINsHEAD Il BECKER
ii tic par graphs above quoted. They
l5a.c fer Inference, what they have not the
harJ.hool to assert, that Mr. FRlDLEy. as
agent, secured only single set of vouch-
crs for his disbursements, and that it was
necessary this single set should be retained
in his possession, for his own safety in de-
fence to the suit with which he was threat
ened by the general government. Whereas
it was known to these Attorneys that, at
the least, ;r.plicate sets Of vouchers were
always required by the government to be
taken one set for transmission to the In
I.an Depar ment at Washinton second,
for DEPOSIT with the local Superintendent OF
Indian Affairs and the third, for retention
ny the agent, for his own protection. II
vas k own to these attorneys that their eli
eat, Mr.. FsIDlEy, had heretofore procured
these several sets of vouchers, as required
l.y his Instructions and if in this single in
stance he neglected to furnish himself with
these several evidences of disbursements
made bv him as agent, that fact alone, is
satisfactory proof to our mind, and would
be to the minds Of any court and jury, of a
premcditated intention OIL the part Of Mr.
FMD,Ey to swiudle the government.
o. the other hand, if Mr.. FRIDIEY did
procure these tr.plicate sets of vouchers,
MessrS. RICE, uoLuNLHEAD & BECKER, will
not so far belle their own intelligence and
degrade their reputation, as to say that they
advised him to retain this triple proof to be
uel III court for his defence; when they
k low, when MIR. FRlDLEY, and every other
maa OF common sense knows, that che
receipt for the payment of money, is as
good, and as conclusive, to establish that
fact. in court and out OF court, as one Mous-
and receipts would be. If such was their
advice, and if that advice was taken by Mr.
FRIDLEy, it could only have been given and
taken for single purpose, viz: TO furnish
Their clieut, Mr. FR1DLEY, with technical
excuse for retaining in his own hands, for
speculstive''or other private purposes, a