Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-05-30
q OR UPTIoN.
STUBBORN WITNESS ARRESTED.


STUBBORN WITNESS ARRESTED.
WASHINGTON, May 25.--The House was
visited with sensation to-day, parallel of
which has not been witnessed since the
memorable first days of impeachment.
About two o'clock Mr.. Butler appeared on
the floor, fresh from the meeting room of
the impeachment Managers, and immediate.
ly asked leave to make privilege report.
Members and newspaper correspondents had
anticipated what was coming, and when
MIR. Butler obtained the floor every one of
their number who was around the building
soon appeared. No objection was made
and the report was handed to the Clerk to
read. 1t began with resolution setting
forth that as man named Wooley, whom
the Managers had summoned as witness,
had refused to appear, the House arrest
him for contempt, and compel him to ap-
pear. In support of this resolution came
preliminary report of the Board of Mana
gers, containing nearly all the evidence
they have 80 far taken in their investigation
of the alleged corrupt influence brought to
bear on Senators to effect the result of the
impeachment. The closest attention was
paid to the reading of the report, and the
astounding developments contained therein
produced a decided sensation among all
present. The Democrats appeared as much
astonished as the Republicans. The Presi-
dent has evidently expected that Mr.. But
Ter would make report, and according
ly had sent two Of his private secretaries to
be present to hear, to see, and report the
effect. They, with Mr.. Merrick, of Surratts
counsel, and Senator Patterson, the Presi-
dents son -in-law, were on the floor, sitting
together on one of the sofas, listening, at
tentively Senator Trumbull came in dur
ing the reading, and wandered around on
the Republican side, no one paying any
attention to him. He talked awhile with
his colleague, Bromwell, and then went to
the Democratic side and had chat with
Randall and Ross, closing up with an inter-
view with John Baker, member from the
Alton District, III. A significant coinci-
dence happened about an hour afterward
when Baker obtained the floor and made q
savage attack on Butler and the Board of
Managers, because there was no Democrat
associated with them, and denounced their
report as partisan affair. There is q great
deal being said about the course Mr.. Baker
has been pursuing lately, and the friends of
the party here express the hope that the
Republicans of the Twelfth district Of Illi-
nois will examine well his record before
they enter into the next campaign. Sena-
tor Ross came into the House during the
reading, and remained until adjournment
He took seat on the Democratic side,
with Mr.. Sitgreaves, OF New Jersey. After
the reading had been finished, Butler de-
manded the previous question on his resolu-
tion but gave way to Mr.. Brooks, who con.
sumed ten minutes in denouncing the Mana
gers for having found out so much Mr.
Eldridge ma6e'a short, whining speech, en-
tering complaint for the reason that there
was no representative of his party on the
Board of Managers. Mr.. Butler replied by
asking Mr.. Eldridge whether he was of the
party favoring fraud, or of the party oppos-
ed to frauds, and taking it for granted that
he was of the latter, be was already repre-
sented. Mr.. John Baker then came to the
aid of Mr.. Eldridge, and denounced the in
vestigation as partisan affair, for the rea-
son that there was no representative of the
Democracy on the Board of Managers
Butler replied by asking Mr.. Baker if he
were appointed by the House to make an
investigation. He did not think he could
give impartial justice; and if so, did he
think or charge that any member of the
House would do otherwise Mr. Butler,
completely demolished Mr. Baker, much to
his amusement. The resolution was then
passed, and soon afterwards the House ad-
journed. Members gathered around Mr.
Butler, and congratulated him on his sue
cess, and discussed the merits of the extra
ordinary occurrences. The report of the
Managers to-day is the subject of conversa-
tion everywhere tonight. The suspicious
relative to undue influence on the Senate
have been strengthened, and it is now seen
that the newspaper dispathes on that sub.
ject had some foundation in fact, and were
not the invention of an imaginative cores
pondent. The general feeling is that of
disgust and Indignation at the conspirators
in this plot to defeat the ends of justice.
The developments so far but sharpen the ap-
petite of the public for more information on
the subject, and there appears to be no
way OF putting an end to the expose except
by a full and complete investigation. The
Managers are determined to unearth every
thing, if possible but the labor is not an
easy one, so carefully have the conspirators
covered up their tracks. Subpenas have
been served on large number of other
members of the Western Whisky Ring, and
some of them are expected in town to- NOR
row. 1t is generally believed tonight, in
well informed circles, that the vote will not
be taken tomorrow on any of the remain
ing articles. The Senate held an informal
meeting on the subject this evening, and
another will be held early tomorrow morn
ing, to consider the best course to be pur-
sued under the circumstances. The John
son men and Democrats are rather chop
fallen at the developments of the Managers,
and with a strange kind of logic say that it
ought not to influence the action of the SEN
ate tomorrow, but that the vote should be
taken on the balance of the articles.