Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-06-05
THE CALLICOT CASE.

ago in the | s. District Court of that Distric
has been followed by the conviction of MI
Callicot, the Collector of Internal revenue
in the same city, on a charge of conspirac
to defraud the Government. The event
one of national importance, and of specia
interest from divers considerations.
Mr.. Callicot, as some of our readers may re
member, came into public notice in 1862 o
90, when he, then a democratic member o
the New York Assembly, threw a vote which
resolved the deadlock on the election of L
S. Senator in the Assembly, and secured the
election Of a republican Senator, Hon f. n
Morgan. The rage Of the New York demo-
Gratis at Callicot's treachery, and some sIo-
picious circumstances attending the tnpsfer
of check for $1,000 into his hands,
which gave rise to a universal belief that his
vote was bought with money, will be recol-
lected. Callicot, then, like other camp fol-
lowers Of the party, eager only for plunder,
attached himself to the republican party In
time he secured one Of the cotton agencies of
the l. 5. Treasury (made very profitable by
some of the holders) at the South, and still
later secured the appointment of Collector of
Internal Revenue, in the important Third
Collection district OF New York He was in
dictel together with Deylin and half dozen
others Of the Whiskey ring, for defrauding the
government neylin was tried first, before
Judge G. l., Benedict, of tho L 5. District
Court for the eastern district of New York.
and in spite Of tremendous efforts to secure an
acquittal, was convicted and is now breaking
stone in Sns Sing prison. Callicot's turn
came next. Owing to the Importance OF the
case. it was tried before Judge Nelson, of the
L. :. Supreme Court, presiding, Judge Bene-
dict sitting with him. The evidence bore
hard upon tneaccusei from the start. On the
first day Of the trial. four Of his associate con-
spirators turned States evidence On the
second, his bondsmen came into court, and
surrendered him to the caFtely Of the Mar
sha', fearing that he would abscond 1t was
proved that fraudulent bonds, bearing forged |
or utterly worthless signatures, eighteen or
nineteen Of which were produced in court. /
amounting to some half million of dollars.
had lran accepted by Callicot, to secure the
Government, .or tha t.ye- cn vhi-ley stored .
in, Or to be transported from, tho Govern /
mcnt bonded ware houses It was proved |
thnt on one Of these bonds lot Of wliskcv /
was removed from the warehouse and sold. on /
which the government lost $4,000 Of taxes,
the eonspirators making the same sum by the I
transaction. One Of the managers II this .
nice ,op was oDe 2i,lIullen, who hai been /
Callicot's chief hacker for the appointments /
Collector, and who said as one Of the witness
es testified, that the appointment cost $l5. /
600, which they were bound To get back some
way. There We're various attending rascal /
tiles proved in connection l4ith th- business, /
such as the fraudulent alteration Of dates of 4
permits and official certificates the re-
moyal of an honcrt storekeeper in charge Of a
warehouse, and the aIpointmentof one whom
McMullen recommended as a man who F..
would keep MS mouth shut, 6c. The pris
oner had very able counsel. who did their best
to make out that their client was a victim of /
the frauds and forgerics which were not de-
nied-instead Of a party to them. Butitwas
in vain. Judge Nelson's charge bore hard
on the accused, and the jury brought in a
verdict of guilty
The case has attracted very wide ntten-
ton, the more 50 from the fact that some
what uncommon measure was rcs0rted to for
the screening Of the guilty PARTIES. This
was no less than an attempt to secure from
ongress, de abolition Of tbe Court, in which
alone they could be tried.on the pending in
dictments measure which, strange to say
had the support Of the n. Y. Tribune The
motive for this, it is fair to say, was proba-
bly, not 50 much sympathy with the whiskey
ring. or share OF the money they spent So
freely to secure their escape from the law, as
an old grudgc Of Mr. Greeley, arising from
the fact that he had tried in vain 10 secure
from President Lincoln the appointment as
Judge of the Court, Of one Robinson, now
democratic member Of Congress, and who
has tried to make himself conspicuous dur
ing the impeachment trial, by repeated mo-
tions that the House withdraw the managers
and abandon the prosecution Of the case
against the President. Mr. Greeley did not
get his lrishman in, a. Judge, nor has he Sc
cured the abolition of the Court, which re-
mains to show that Whiskey rings ran be
broken up. whiskey swindlers punished, and
corrupt officials convicted under the revenue
laws,-a fact which thus established it is to
be hoped will tell for the benefit Of the rev
enue and of the pockets of all honest tax
payers.
We have noticed these facts. not
only for their intrinsic importance, but be-
this cause Judge Benedict has many friends in
city. Wesubjoin acouple OF comments on the
result, from papers of opposing politics. The
WorH is of course more glad to get hit at
Greeley than over the triumph of justice
but its hit is a square one, nevertheless. The
Brooklyn Union, from which the other ex-
tract is taken, is a very high-toncd- able
and sterling republican Journal.
The Washington correspondent OF the Bos
ton Journal says it is the general opinion
that, although there has undoubtedly beer
corruption, and that the office holders and tn
whiskey ring have expended large sums to Sc
cure the acquittal of the President, it vii
r not be possible to prove it.
e LAKE CHANPIAIN. - Commencing Monda
June LIST the Steamer Montreal will I'll
q the Day Line south, leaving Burlington %
&C and arriving at Whitehall p. NJ. conncc
:. ing with trains south and west. Returnin
arrive at Burlington next morning at 3.o'