The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-16
JOHN ORSBORN'S COURT.

In the recent report of Simeon
Belden, who was elected Attorney
General on the same ticket with
the immaculate Wickliffe, and
whose plundering of the treasury
is no less conspicuous because done
under the pretext Of law, in extor
ting exorbitaHt fees for his inval-
liable legal services, we find the
following delectable moroccan:
am sorry to be compelled to call
your attention to the report of n. A.
Robinson. Esq, District Attorney OF
the Ninth Judicial District, in reference
to the outrageous manner in which the
District Court was broken up at the
November term in 1869, in the parisl,
of Rapides. 1t is remarkable, for two
reasons; first, for the pre- eminent posi-
ton the parish of Rapidcs has ever
maintained for wealth, responsibility
and intelligence; and second, because
of the oblising and pacific character of
Judge Osborn, of that District. We
are donbly impressed with the enormi-
| of this affair, when we learn that it
was headed by an old member of the
bar, and one who, at this time, is seek
ing to be seated in the Congress of the
United States from that District.
feel satisfied that the people of Ra-
pides are in no manner responsible for
these acts, and condemn them as much
as we do.
The security of every human being
in this broad land depends upon the
judicial department of government.
1t is your duty to enact such laws as
will secure its integrity and respect,
and prevent a repetition offs such shame
full scenes and outrages as the one allu-
dcd to. The matter was promptly re-
ported to the Governor, who is in pos
session of AL the facts.
The report of the District Attor-
ney Of the Ninth Judicial District,
on which this elegant accusation is
based, is asfollows:
1.-THE District Court, in and for the
parish of Rapides, was begun on the
first Monday If November, 1869. On
| the first day of said term, the Court
proceeded to rmpannel the jury. The
CeRire was challenged by the members
of the bar, and moved the Court to set
the same aside, which motion the
Court overruled, and proceeded to en-
PANEL the jury.
Michael Ryan protested against the
empanneling in the most forcible man
ner, calling on the members of the bar
to sustain him in his opposition to the
Court, which they did creating great
confusion.
"The Judge found it useless to at
tempt to proceed, as no respect was
made to his orders and rulings. He
consequently left the Bench and thought
it more advisable and prudent not to
attempt to proceed with his court"
This account Of the case is sub
stantially correct and does not diff
fer materially from every other
that has been published in refer
ence to the affair. 1t is undenia-
bly, true that after the jury was en-
pannelled, in spite of the challenge
of the centre on the part of the bar,
the lawyers left the Court room;
that there was some little confusion
OH the occasion; and that Orsborn
did not hold Court on any other
day of the term, but whether it was
from excess, of prudence is exceed
ingly problematical. Out of the
whole matter the Radicals have
attempted to make political capital
against the people of Rapides. and
Orsborn himself (that "obliging
and pacific" judge) has left the
parish, under pretence of fear of
violence at the hands of the people,
and has procured the passage of a
bill postponing the term Of the
District Court until next De-
cember. We think it would not be
difficult to prove that all the trou-
BILE arising out Of this affair is due
solely to the knavery and imbecili-
ty of John Orsborn himself.
In the first place it is not true
that the lawyers objected to the
jury because it consisted of ma
jority Of negroes. The objection
rested solely on the illegality of the
Uenire and the domineering and
tyrannical spirit which Orsborn
manifested in sustaining it. A
large number of the names on the
renirc were proved to be those OF
citizens of the newly created parish
of Grant, and therefore incapacit
ated to sit on the lives, liberty and
of the people of Rapides.
A jury drawn with much more le-
gality than this one, had, for this
reason, been promptly set aside by
Orsborn at the preceding term of
the Court, and only few weeks
before the jury was set aside in
Grant parish on the same grounds.
Any one would have supposed that
the ordinary pride of consistency