Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-02-03
Guarded by File
of u. n. Soldiers.
Col. Beaumont Declares he
has Committed NO
Contempt.
Col. McRae Enters solemn
Protest against Military
and Leaves the
Court.

GER and that against Col. Beaumont,
Chief Of Police, attracted large crowd to
the court room. But the hundreds who
desired to hear the decision and supposed
court rooms free to the public, were
brought to a halt at the doors by guard
Of soldiers of the 25th United States in
fantry, who, armed and equipped for
duty, paced their beats, denying iugress.
Among those thus excluded were even
the Sheriff and his deputies, and the at
torneys, who are officers of the court.
Finally. however, permission was given
forth Sheriff and attorneys to enter, and
from time to time others were allowed,
until the court room was comfortably
filled.
The soldiery constituted twenty-five
or thirty in all, in charge of an officer.
All had muskets and bayonets, guarding
each door, and placed at different points
in the courtroom, one or two on either
side Of the JUICES bench. Besides, a
large force of the Metropolitan police
were to be seen, sent by Colonel Beau
mont, who was also present, for service
should any excitement, wbich could
scarcely be anticipated, occur. There
we're twenty or thirty Of the latter.
Probably q hundred negroes were about
the premises, mainly in front, some of
them ranged at will" in the street, as
though directed there. By whose agency
we did not ascertain.
So far as the military were concerned,
we understand that Judge Hunter, last
night or this morning, sent a request to
Major Davies, in command, for guard,
reciting that he felt apprehensive Of
trouble. 1t seems that he did not care to
entrust the matter of preserving the
peace to either the Sheriff or Superin-
tendent of Police.
In the case of Col. Beaumont, Super
intendent of the Metropolitan Police,
who was cited to show cause why on
attachment should not issue against him
for contempt, for the appearance of the
first offensive article in the Avatanche,
that gentleman made che following
answer, which was duly sworn to and
attested
S. B. Beaumont, in an swer to the rule
heretofore entered against him to show
cause why an attachment should not
issue against him for contempt of court,
in uttering, writing and publishing a
certain newspaper article therein re-
ferred to, says that he did not utter,
write or publish the said article
That he is not connected with the Mem
phis Daily Avalanche. either as proprie-
tor, editor or correspondent; that he has
never been consulted in regard to the
editorial management of said paper, and
has no control whatever over the same |;
That he did not write the article in
question, and never saw it or knew such
an article had been written until he read
it in said newspaper;
That he had been questioned by q num-
Der of persons in regard to the arrest OF
a colored man, George Washington,
which said questions were answered by
him in accordance with the information
received by him as Superintendent of
Police, which was in substance as follows !:
That said Geo. Washington has been
arrested by an officer of the force, on a
charge of perjury, in falsely justifying
as bondsman in the Criminal Court of
Memphis, when he was in fact utterly
worthless and had several times been ar
rested as vagabond.
The writer of the article in question
may have derived his information con-
corning the facts above referred to from
this respondent, but this respondent had
no connection whatever with the COM
ments made thereon or the differences
and deductions therefrom; and further
than as above stated, respondent had no
connection whatever with said article.
And respondent says that in the COM
munications heretofore referred to in
regard to the arrest of said George
Washington no contempt was committed
toward the Criminal Court of Memphis,
and that this respondent has been guilty
of no contempt Of court in connection
Herewith.
S. b. BEAUMONT.
The above was duly sworn to by COL
Beaumont.
The Avalanche case was then taken
up, and at 1856 Judge Hunter com
menced reading his decision, which had
been printed in pamphlet form, and COM
prised forty-nine pages.
After he had read nearly an hour,
citing large number of contempt cases
in this country, Europe, Isle of Man and
other places, Colonel d. K. McRea, a
practicing attorney in the court, inter-
rupted BY rising to question of privi-
lege. Permission being given to proceed,
be narrated that he was a practicing
attorney in the court, therefore an officer
ofthe court; that on endeavoring toeuter
the court room this morning he found
both front and rear doors closely guarded
By armed United States soldiers, and was