The national Republican., 1867-08-05
THE COURTS.
Friday.

Il Justice Cart0,-The court held q short sessio
;. yesterday.
l.. W. @. Steadman, remanded on Thursday, wa
Q brought into court on writ Of habeas corpus
y and was accompanied by his counsel, L. q. Hins
a esq. Assistant District Attorney Wilson ap
( poared for the United States; and the following
0 testimony was given:
! Porter Frum. Witness is discharged soldier
D and Is watchman at Lincoln depot. Knows @
W. steadmanj has known him since last Febru
ary. He got money from witneSs; he told wit
ness If he would give him $50 be would get him
= place at tho Patent Office. Witness said be
would pay $50 at once, balance whom hc got the
situation. He told witness he would get him a
watchman's berth. SteAdman, he continued,
came to me In June, and told me he had place
for me in the Agricultural Bureau, q Waterman q
plaeoi time to commence on the 18th Of June;
that my name was on the roll. then paid him
$lO more. Ho said could get pay on the lst Of
August. steadman told me ho would let me
know when be wanted me to 20 to work. Wit.
ness had also loaned Steadman $ll. Tho last
time witness mot him he again assured him that
he had the place. said Mr.. Newton was a friend
Of his. When he got the last $40, snid he had
TO pay $40 to some person to get tho office; paid
the fret time at the Kirkwood House, the sec.
ond time at the Lincoln DEPOT
Cross.examined: Was introduced to Mr.. Stead.
man by Mr., Carson. Steadman agreed to get
the place at the first conversation; don't recol.
lect thaI otchuman tolu MIN now he found out
his name was on the agricultural pay roll. Knows
that steadman said he had aided soldiers gratu.
itously. Witness belonged to the third Virginia,
and served three years in the army.
Oliver NJ. Dane: Been here about four months
without business. Met Steadman first at tho
door Of the seed room Of the agricultural depart
ment; was introduced to him by Major Lord
steadman had promised, II witness would give
/ forty dollars and o gold watch he would get him
, | place in the Interior Department by the 18th
r Of June or return him the watch and money
Steadman gave as reason for wanting the
! money that he had to pay the chief clerk fifty
dollars to mako tho appointment; he had to
enclose tho money in tho application, which wit
ness thought reasonable Steadman had told
him that he was brother Of General Steadman
and for that reason had great influence with the
conservative heads Of departments; that the rad.
ical members of Congress could do nothing.
Crossexamined Maj. Lord and witness were
officers in tho same regiment. He told witness
5 that steadman either had got him IN office or
kept him in 1t. No one was present whom Stead.
man told witness that his name was on the roll
s nor when he told him ho would have to pay the
Chief Clerk $50. The first conversation occurred
: at THE TOntne.n
Abraham Carson. Has known Steadman from
February. Saw the money paid by Frum. lie
; thought that Col. Steadman could get the par.
ties Offices. lie said he had commanded Now
York regiment, and with his brother, Gen. John
steadman, he could exercise great influence in
the Departments more than many members Of
Congress
Cross.examined No one was present when he
told witness ho was the brother of Gen. John
Stoadman. Steadman always claimed that he
had number Of relatives officers in the Northern
I army and some officers Of the Southern army.
r Charles Williams. Witness Is watchman at
Lincoln depot Mr.. Frum introduced witness
n to Steadman, and he paid Steadman S25 on his
promise to get daughter of witness situation IL
? the Patent Office. He afterwards got $40 add
tional, saying he had got her situation as mes
: scnger in the Patent Office
= G. W. Hinson, (for the defence.) Has knowr
~ Steadman for eighteen months; got acquainted
a with him at the Wisewell Barracks; he promised
h to get witness n situation under Government, and
did so. Witness knows that Steadman has N7
sistedother soldiers without pay, to get Offices
Did not charge witness anything.
Crossexamined Steadman's profession is thai
Il Of medicine; knows Of no occupation he has pur
u sued for the last eighteen months but has un
derstood he had claims of his own to prosecute ii
- the Departments.
J. 1t was admitted by the defence that the name
Is, Of the parties who had paid steadman were no
e. on the pay-rolls.
"a Mr. hinc insisted that however culpable ma
q have been the acts Of the prisoner, thoy const
in tutod no offence known to the criminal law. II
was undoubtedly morally bound to return to th
parties tho monycs paid over to him, and b
would repay every cent. If he had been guilt!
l. of improper conduct in relation to Governmen
or officers, the witnesses who had paid him wer
ID sharers in tho guilt The fact that he had prom
III sed to get office for parties, and had failed
do so, constituted no legal case of obtaining
money under false pretences. Tho amount
Il charged to have been paid after he stated tina
!, he had secured the appointments could not CONT
"a up In this case for the prisoner was committed
to jail for obtaining $50 and the proof was o
but $40.
Mr.. Wilson said that It seemed strange that
" man, apparently respectable, should be proyel
n y, to have engaged in obtaining money upon falls
az pretences from wounded soldiers, as the prisOne
ar had done. 1t matters not If all the first pay
5. monts be thrown out 1t was proven that the las
y payments Of two Of the witnesses were mad
upon tho assurance that, ut that time, thei
= names were already upon the pay-rols Of thu
Government, and they entitled to receive a sal
A ary. The fact that the amount named in the
=. warrant differed from that shown in evidence
" was immatcriali the fact traversed was the false
l. pretenco, and that fact was proven.
The Court held that both counsel were right
= as to the law of the case However much II
was to the discredit of public morality or al
Al offence against the purity of governmental ad
F minstratiOn to procure, or promise to procure
It. offices for money, thcro was no law by whcl
such offences could bo reached But the pris
= oner had gone beyond that. He had told on
: or more Of the witnesses that his work had bcel
l. effective, and that they had been appointed t.
Office at his instance; and upon the faith Of thi
- false pretenco of work done had demanded ant
Il received the money of one, ut least Of the wit
IN nesses. 1t might have been that he was at frs
I'd led into this by honest efforts to do good to th
re soldiers but II appeared worry plainly that h
: had violated the law, was properly committed
L and must bo held to answer,
or Mr. Hine said that the Justice had fixed th
ID bail at $500, and he now offered Mr.. G. W. Hin
'' son as bail for his appearance
The Court, upon inquiry of Nr. Hinson, Learned
= that he owned lot on Seventeenth street worth
Il $500, and thereupon ordered that his bail fo
& SteadmRn be accepted.
The bail.bOnd was entered accordingly, ant
N Steadman released from custody.
The court then adjourned until this morning
\ EQUITY CouRT-Chief Justice CaHter.-
= The court met at 10 o'clock yesterday, AM
transacted the following business:
D, 1859. Wm. H. Philips ct al. VS.. Ulysses War,
= ct al. Decree entered in this case withOu
nj opposition, that unless cause to the contrary b
shown, on or before the first Tuesday in Sep
: : tomber next, the rule in this case bo ratified
and that tho cause be referred to Eugene Carus
esq special auditor, to state the amount du
any parties to the suit, other than the purcha
sers of the estate mentioned.