The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-20
MANN ON THE EPHEMERA.

7. December, 1865, William B. Mann being
then District Attorney, James Haggerty was
convicted of burglary and sentenced therefor
TO ten years imprisonment In the Eastern
Penitentiary. In few months however,
This desperate, whose just convlction ana
well-merited sentence were secured by MIR.
Mann. was let loose upon the community.
The Court of Quarter Sessions is now en-
gagged in determining the question as to
whether Haggerty must be returned to his
old quarters at Cherry Hill because he failed
to comply with the conditions inserted in his
pardon; and, astonishing as it may appear,
MIR. Mann is his Jealous advocate, and has
had great deal to say about the manner in
which the dearest rights and most precious
privileges of the people are about to suffer In
the person of James Haggerty.
Mr.. Mann furthermore embraces the op-
portunity to express again an unfavorable
opinion of the newspapers of this city. He
concentrates all his venom into one word, and
hurls il at them; and, not content with styling
them "ephemeral," declares, with evident
satisfaction, that they twill pass away" Now
the cause of this terrific onslaught upon the
has been endeavoring to make Haggerty
notorious. If the press would simply let
Haegerty alone, he would not achieve no
torety, as q matter of course; but could
knock down and drag out policemen, and
perform other deeds of high emprise, with
out being brought unpleasantly before the
public. 1t will be seen, at a glance, that
the "ephemeral newspapers" are calculated
directly to interfere with the operations of
such worthy gentlemen as Haggerty, and Shat
they will further tend to counteract, to con-
derable extent, all the tricks and bubbles by
which the pettifoggers of the Quarter Ses-
sions attempt to secure the worthy Haggerty
immunity for his defiance of the laws of the
land Therefore it is very natural that Mr.
Mann should indulge in the fond dream that
they will ultimately pass away, to the infinite
relief of Haggerty and himself
But there is another ground on which Mr..
Mann can reasonably base his desire to wit
ness the final passing away of the ''epheme-
ral' press. About year ago some of the
s'ephemeral newspapers" of this city pursued
course which tended materially to render
MIR. Mann himself notorious, and the direc
result of the notoriety which he achieved
through this ''ephemeral" agency was his in
voluntary withdrawal from the contest for th
District Attorneyship- Office which, by tn
indulgence of the ''ephemeral newspapers,
he had held so long that he had come quit
naturally to regard the fee simple of it a.
lodged in himself. Mr. Mann has, doubtless
many sanity qualities, but he is not over
burdened with forbearance, and we do not
expect him to forget and forgive the griev
ances heaped upon him last year by the
E'ephemerar' press. He would be only toe
happy to forget and forgive them after theil
perpetrators have passed away, and the desire
to do so probably influenced an expression
of the prophecy which sprung from the desir,
of his heart.
Yet it cannot be denied that the passing
away of the ''ephemeral newspapers" woult
operate very disastrously upon the fame anC
fortunes of such as Mr.. Mann. The petit
foggers who haunt the Court of Quarter Ses
sions dependupont these 'ephemeral" agencie
for daily advertisement which, unlike tn
other patrons of the "ephemeral newspapers,
they have hitherto secured without cost. |
the names of the pettifoggers whose busines
it is to assist such desperadoes as James Hae
gerty in extricating themselves from tn
clutches of the law were studiously omitte
from the court reports, their opportunities 70
perverting the course of justice would b
materially diminished. However, we have n
disposition just at present to inaugurate sue
reform. District-Attorney Sheppard, an
his assistants Messrs Hagert and DecherI
have proven themselves abundantly qualife
for encountering and discomfting whol
regiment of Manns, and as long as they, c
men of equal ability and integrity, hol
Office, the 'ephemeral newspapers" can affol
to give occasional gratuitous advertisement
to the half-fedged lawyers who congrega
about the Quarter Sessions Courtroom.
A PROTESTANT EOUMENIOA
COUNCIL.
In MFpIF D'AuBIaNE, in q letter to an En-