Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-02-03
The United States Grand Jury and the
United states Collector.

The United States Grand Jury and the
United States Collector.
MR. EDIToR:-I desire to notice through
your columns 3 communication which sppear-
ed in last nights Herald and yesterday morn
ings LEADER, over the signature Of ''R. c.
Parsons, Collector"
aside from all personal considerations"
ono one regrets more than do that" Mr..
Parsons, ''highly respectable" gentlemen,
as he is, should have been so "negligent" of
the rules that govern gentlemen and espe-
cialIy public officers, as to have publicly
supposed" that the Grand Jury was nisIsd
in making the late report, "by the very
party whose business it was to give them the
law, aid and counsel" Nor is my regret at
sll diminished by perussI Of the Collectors
article, in which is not to be found the
slightest allusiOn to any matter in which the
jury could have been misled, or that the sup
posed party had anything to do with the in
vestigatiOn.
The Collector entirely over estimates the
power and influence of the District Attorney,
and under estimates the intelligence and sa-
gaeity eff the gentlemen who composed the
late Grand Jury, when he supPoses the re-
port to be the result of the wickedness of the
one, or the weakness of the other; but the
Collector says:
alt is true was absent and un able to at
tend the Court, by reason of an accident
that nearly cost me my life, which was we'll
understood; but submit that with my ad-
dress fully knOwn-Ehere q letter could
reach me in single day if truth
was the object sought in the investigation
which the District Attorney thought ht to
bring before the Jury, that letter ought
70 hare been loriaeH. Nothing therefore, is
left me but to make to the public that ex-
PLANTATION which was denied me By the Jury,
In order mat tney may iulIy understand the
merits of the question"
As am not troubled by defending the
Grand Jury or their report, it will be sufi-
cisnt for me to say, that caused a subpoena to
be issued for witnesses in theinvestigation for
such persons as the Grand Jury ordered and
for none others, one Of which was R. G. Par
sons. Unfortunately the Collector left the
city the day before the others were served,
and unfortunately he returned to the city
the evening Of the day on which the Jury
submitted the report to the Court and were
discharged.
But says the Collector, "with my address
fully known where letter could reach me in
a single day, if truth was the object sought
in the investig cation which the District Attor-
ney thought fsto bring before the Jury, that
letter might haze been loritten.'
1t we're proper might state how this In
vestigatiOn came before the Grand Jury
and how it was conducted. If I should
the Collector would not censure nor would
the public applaud ne for It. was other
wise engaged, and personally paid but little
attention to the investigation but my ad-
dress was fully known and a letter might
have been written" This may be trus-the
community generally may have known the
address of Mr. Parsons from day to day per
haps am gully for not knowing-it may
be stupidity on my part. have known him
personally for fifteen years, and during that
acquaintance there has been no other than
the most friendly feelings; but have not
yet felt 1t any part of my duty to have him
in daily keeping or know whsye be is levant
or coHchGnt.
Again Mr.. Parsons says: submit the
following positive instructions, which lay
upon the table of the Grand Jury during its
entire session, and which had been person
ally shown by me to the District Attorney"
admit the Collector had twice read to me
the circular he refers to, but deny that 1t
was on the table Of the Grand Jury ut all !;
aud further declare that all the power of
the Grand Jury was unsuocessfulIy exerted
to procure from the Collectors Office the in
structions and circular referred to.
has grown out Of the fact that on the UoIfecH9
tors return be found the Grand Jury's Re-
port, and very naturally coEoluded it was
easier to break the force of it by attacking
one who might or might not be in the least
responsible fer it, than by attacking fifteen
such gentlemen as had afixsd their names to
it.
Had my official acts not been the subjec
Of censure and apimadyersion, should not
have troubled you or your readers with what
wosld then have been purely personslmat
ter and were conscious of having dore
Mr.. Parsons injustice, officially or otherwise,
he should have an apology as broad and
sincere as his charges against me are ground
less and ridiculous. R. F. PAINE.