Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-04-10
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

moments were distinguished by the same calm
fortitude which has characterized his long and
painful illness. Almost up to the moment of
his death be worked with the full force of his
indomitable energy upon his great work, tho
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress. By
force Of will, apparently, he suspended physical
dissolution until that work was completed, and
he, In fact, brought it down TO the time pro-
sion of 1850
Mr.. Benton was in the Senate for twenty
four years, and in the House, as member from
the st. Louis District, two years.
For upwards of thirty years Mr.. Benton has
been resident of this city, and has, indeed,
looked upon Washington as his home. He
leaves three daughters, one of whom, Mrs
Fremont, is now on her way with her husband
to California.
Mr.. Benton has stamped his name indelibly
upon the history of the country, in connection
with the Administration of General Jackson,
the expunging resolutions, the United States
Bank, the currency question, the specie bill,
Fishing bounties, the Texas resolutions, South
Carolina notification, and his last Herculean
labor, the Arrangement of the Debates in Con-
gress.
The letter from Mr. Benton, read in the House
yesterday, has reference to foot-nOte to speech
of Mr.. Randolph. AS a matter of interest we
append this note:
''Of this Mr.. Randolph gave the appropriate
evidence six years afterwards, on an occasion
when the probabilities of death were sufficiently
strong to make him prepare for the event. He
placed draft for 81 900 I'm the hands of friend
to have his body carried home and buried at his
own expense-forbidding all parade and pagean-
try. w hat was said and done upon this occa-
sion of the death of Mr.. Walker, coatrasted with
what is now said and done on the death of
member, is pregnant instance of the tendency
OF the Government to slide from its foundation in
all its workings. Mr.. Walker was, what his
dying request showed him to be- man Of native
dignity of mind and his last &C, one Of de-
votion to duty, having himself brought dying
into the House to give his vote the portentious
| Missouri question"
| The ARREsTED.-On the day before yester.
day, we published the following paragraph, in
an article in our local columns:
| l." Van Loman johnson, aged twentv-four a
| Washingtonan, also arrested as All accOmplice
| of Heissler, Is said to be the husband Of the
woman for producing whose death William r.
Sasscer was tried here some years ago Van L..
| J. was discharged in this (Stoop murder) case,
| there bein. no evidence to connect him with
\ the affair. Van LOmtn Johnson has been tri.
repeatedly before the criminal court, md is now
| under commitment for participation in the riot
some months since in which an Irish funeIal was
| stoned, il will be Tecollect.d -
| 1t has induced this man. Johnson to send US
| the following letter for publication, which we
| print rerbatinl ct i,teratim that this commu-
| nifty may duly comprehend the current tone"
OF the class of persons of whom he is, indeed, a
| representative man, under the license growing
out of the late failure of our county and cor
| PorahOn authorities to deal with them as the
public interests and the law plainly demand
| Mr.. Editor, EreHing Star: SIR In Thurs
days paper in an article headed the arrested YOU
mention that Van Loman Johnson was arrested
as an accomplish In the Stoop murder case this
| Is not so, was arrested in the stoneiDg case as
referred to in your artcle-but the officers thong bit
proper to arrest me just at the time of the StOop
| case arrests-tor the express purpose of making
| IL appear to the public that was of their
| number, also to prejudice my case now to be
tried In few DAYS before the criminal court this
| l Know TO be their object in thus arfesting me
| just at that ttme-in regard to the stoning case
| the public will in few days see wheather am
| guilty as charged or not in that am will
Ing 10 abid that invest igation your article udps
! to my connection with w Sassers trial some
| ten years ago the attempt thus made Just at this
| time Is only equald by the damning desire of
| those who now seek to destroy nv cha racter /
pronounce this an unnIiitgatsd lie and still an
other attempt or attaCt is made against me by
stating in the same article that have often been
\ sd
neanors-ths is also lie. the record Of the court
Will prove ii to be so was never but once beside
| this recent arrest brought up before that court
| that once was in the bloody monday riot of June
| lo0'-when IL is knowd that some Of our moest
respected citizens were also arrested for partic-
| pating in sad riot but could not sustain the
| charges thus made, pronounce the whole plan,
| 1dbrlcat1ons made against me as malicious trap
set to try to Catch me to INCUR my character MIR
| Editor will you please publish this-oblig an in
| Surto man VAN LOMAN JOHNSON
| This letter is in itself suggestive Of proper
| comments, to the minds of respectable and law
abiding citizens, as to induce Us TO bestow on il
| very few remarks for II does, indeed, speak vol
umes going to prove to ALL that unlss. our crimi-
| nal law be administered hereafter with firmness,
| every other class in society in the Federal me-
tropois had better vacate It, If valuing their lives
or their property.
On a second inquiry We find that It was not
Van Loman Johnson who was the husband of
the woman Of the Sasscer case as we enormously
| stated, but brother Of that individual Also.
that though held for a few brief hours as an &C.
complete in the murder of Stoops, the real pur-
| pose of the officers in thus holding him was to
| obtain time to get the proof upon which to Mold
him for participation in the brutal and frip htfu
attack with stones on an Irish funeral on Sun
day OF last summer in one Of the principal streets
| OF the city OF Washington
| He has been tried, we fad but once before our
Criminal Court. That was for fendish assault
upon an aged and defenceless man when he
was convicted He is now under Indictment
we are informed, not only for the assault on the
funeral mentioned above, but for participating
in the deplorable election riot of June 4th last
We aPprehend that Mr.. Van Lonan Johnson
will not be long, in the present state Of he Wash
ington public's mind with reference to gentlemen
OF bis Propensities, In comprehending that the
quicker he selects some other place for the scene
OF his future exploits, the better 1t will be for his
prospect Of enjoying the largest liberty Of loco
motion.
THE PROGRESS OF THE WoRK.--We under
stand that last week the miners in tunnel No 2
of the W ashington Aqueduct, met. This tunnel
is near the Great Falls, and is the seventh one
pierced in the construction of the W Washington
Aqueduct; it is $50 feet in length.