The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-06-27
LATEST FROM WASHINGTON.

new' OFT. North Carolina Cs, 4,t new. 2s7.
LATEST FROM WASHINGTON.
Spccial kilograms to the Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, June 25, 1870.
The Pat Woods Cnse,
In the report of the Pat Woods case for
| assault upon Representative Porter. the
majority of the committee appear to have
adopted the theory Us we'll as the story of
Porter, and hold that he was assaulted be-
cause he was member of Congress. and
| while on his way to the House, as will an
pear by reference to the Associated Press
report.
The minority Of the committee, whose
report will be given to the public in few
day. have adopted the theory of the de-
fence. and hold that the testimony shows
that the assault upon Porter had no refe-
r .ncc 10 his capacity rs representative : that
he was not on his way to Congress; that
| he had leave Of absence, which had not eX-
pircd ut the time of the assault. and that
this leave OF absence, which was given at
the solicitation Of Porter, is to be treated in
law as for the duration Of the leave suspend
| ing the privileges that pertain to member
precisely rs in the case of recess between
two sessions Of Congress.
The opinion among the better class of
Republican members is that the minority
report will be adopted by the House, but
the pressure to sustain the majority report,
though the judcious, and, in fact, the ma
iority Of the Republicans, regret that the
subject for martyrdom is such an unfit and
indeiensible one as Porter. Were the de-
PENDANT better class of man than Pat
Woods, the prosecution would not be en-
tertained for a n onent; but Pat Woods in
himself has no strength and eXcites no SYM
pathy.
The case was recommittcd to the COM
mittee, with leave to bring it up at any
time. 1t is probable that it will be disposed
of during the coming week.
Appointment of N Cadet-Ile Refuses
10 take the Test-Oath.
A boy named Baldwin Alexander, about
seventeen years of age, residing in Pulaski
county, Virginia, having been appointed a
cadet at the Naval Academy by Represen-
tatiye Gibson, of Virginia, underwent
thorough examination, and passed. He
made favorable impression upon the
Board of Examiners and the Secretary of
the Navy, and his appointment was con-
tirmed {; but when asked to take the test-oath
he declined, asserting that although he was
IL
war, and but twelve years of age at its close,
his associates, surroundings, ETC., had
created Il sympathy in his mind and heart
for those around him and to swear that he
had not sympathized with or countenanced
, the "rebellion," would be base perjury,
md he could not do so. He could take all
he remainder of the oath but those two
tarns. His honesty and candor elected
nconiumS from the naval authorities, and
Stllatur johnson took the matter in hand
AL tried to have the youth admitted upon
law on the subject is imperative, and the
Secretary of the Navy today informed Sc
nato johnson that Alexander could not be
admitted to the academy as a cadet unless
he subscribed to the iron-clad oath. Sena-
tor j hnson will ask special congressional
| Legislation in his case, and Representative
Platt .lso stated that he would ask the re-
moval Of AleXanderS disabilities by The
House, and that he be allowed to enter the
academy without taking the iron-clad oath.
Negro Squatters I'm Hampton.
The difficulties in relation to the colored
squatters oil the farms near Hampton and
Fortress Monroe, Va, have not yet been
settled. Ills well known that when Gene
raj Butler was III command 1T Fortress
Monroe 1t placed some forty or fifty CO.
lorcd families on farms on the Peninsula,
some Of whom remain on some of those
farms to Thu day, paying no rent and hay
ing no lease, RI yht, or title thereto.
The owner Of several Of these farms "a Mr..
TAYLOR Appealed to the military authorities
when General Candy had control of Virgil
MIA to restore him his property and compel
the squatters 10 leave. The matter was
tried before 4 military court and decided in
Taylor's favor, hut General Candy failed to
carry out the orders of the court, and did
not compel the SGrlttters to leave. SubSe-
quently Taylor appealed to the civil courts,
and the right to his property was again
vindicated, and the sheriff, with writ and
a posse, appeared On the premises to eject the
squatters and take possession, but they were
resisted by the colorcd men, who had armed
themselves, and who had obtained the aid
OF q number OF the colored men in the
Vicinity. Mr.. Taylor appealed to the mill
tary authorities, and an order was received
ut Fortress Monroe, Issued by General Sher-
man, detailing company Of troops to aid
the sheriff or United States marshal to carry
out the laws and compel the suuatters to
yacate the premises. In the mean time the
colored men assembled, and again resolved
on armed resistance, even to the troops, il
Taylor did not allow them to remain on the
farm until the present crops were gathered,
ana allow tnem One-uau 81 the crops. n
colored man named Crockett, School
teacher among them, was delegated to come
to Washington and present the facts of the
case to Mr.. Platt, the representative of that
district, and ask his good Offices in their be-
half. They claim that they have improved
the property at least forty dollars an acre,
or four times as much as it was worth when
General Butler placed them upon it.
Mr. Plat informed General Butler of
the state of affairs, as represented by Crock
; EFT, and Butler and Plat called upon the
President and Secretary of War in relation
to the matter, but neither Of them had
issued any orders to have troops aid the
sheriff in removing the squatter>. After a
search in the War Department, it was found
that General Sherman, Us stated above, had
issued the order. The Secretary of War
then directed that the order Of General
Sherman be rescinded, and that the troops
return to their posts. The squatters are
still in possession Of the farms, but they are
willing to retire if Taylor will let them have
one-half the crops, which proposition it Is
understood Taylor has under Amusement
In the mean time the matter was brought
to the attention of Governor Walker. who
officially requested the Secretary OF War to
allow the troops to aid the sheriff i'll re-
moving the squatters. This request, how.
ever, has been denied, and thus the matter
| rha Tnhaocn Tax &c.