The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-27

morning, with Judges Bond and Bryan presid
Ing. OF course your readers understand tina
this whole proceeding is horrible farce, il
which Major Johnson, the United States mar
shal for this State, and Mr.. wcrthington, ap
pear on the one side, and the father OF the
one, the Hon. Reverdy Johnson, and the law
partners of the other, the Messrs. Hoge 3
Runkle, appear on the other side, with the dis
trct attorney and judges thrown in as lay fig
ures. It is sort of merry -go-round-a roune
| robin-a farce-but still horrible farce, mas
much as, while the only objects OF The prose
culion are to make money for the lawyers and
political capital for Mr. Grant. lis practical eff
feet Is to entail untold suffering upon hun
dreds of individuals prosecuted fur opinions
sake, and to afford a dangerous precedent
subversion of civil rights BY military force In
time of peace, and without the warrant OF Con
stitutional or even Congressional authority.
However, the scenes are set, the curtain Is
about to be run up, and the cast is as follows
His Honor Judge Bond arrived in town this
afternoon on the same train that brought the
Hon. Reverdy Johnson, senior counsel for the
defence. Marshal Johnson arrived this even
ing from Union, and Judge Bryan, District
Attorney Corbin, Mr.. Horlbeck and the re-
mainder of the party from Charleston are ex-
pected by tomorrow mornings train. The
time of arrival OF ex-Attorney-General STAN
berry, who is to be associated with Senator
Johnson in conducting the defence, Is more
IN ha 10
portant trial in Kentucky, but he will probably
arrive by Monday or Tuesday morning at the
latest. It is stated that Messrs. Field &
Barrett, of New York city, have also beea
engaged, and will assist in the defence. l
have not been able to verify this information.
but If it be true no better selections could
have been made from the New York bar. Hon.
David Dudley Field, a Republican in politics, Is
an eminently able counsel, and the shrewdest
disputant and keenest parliamentaran In
the City of New York; one who will not fear
to measure swords against any such attorneys
as the government can produce for this occa-
sion. and with whom there ls no such word as
fail. Which OF the Messrs Barrett is the gen.
tleman said also to be engaged do not know,
but 1t must be either William G. Barrett, Esq,
now famous as the successful leader of the
Reform Democracy against the Tammany
Ring, or Hon. George C. Barrett, Of the firm
OF Barrett, Brinsmade & Redfeld, who has
Just been elected to Supreme Court judge
ship against "Tom" Ledwlth, Sham-reform
and TammaAy candidate. Whichever of the
two the gentleman may be he will credltably
complete the array Of talent which, thanks to
the prompt and liberal action of Generals
Hampton and Butler, has been secured for the
purposes of this defence, and will carefully
and zeaously guard the interests of the ac-
cused.
Fifty jurors have been selected from the in
ternal revenue lists for the purposes of the
t,a', nineteen TO serve on the grand jury and
thlrty-one on the petit luries. The first day of
the term will doubtless be occupied with the
organization of the court and the forming o.
the jurles. Next the cases will be brought be-
fore the grand jury and a few indictments
framed. Then the persons Indicted will be
brought down from the jails In the upper coun-
ties in squads for trial, and those against
whom no bills Of indictment have been found
Il. e., the self-confessing Union Leaguers) will
be discharged. 1t is understood that enc OF
the first cases to be tried will be that of Mr..
Avery. the "Grsnd Cyclops," whatever that
may be, of York County.
Another jail has been provided in Columbia
for the reception Of the Ku-Klux prisoners, a
dwelling house on Sumter street, near Upper
Boundary, having been converted for that
purpose. The Rlchland County Jail has long
been shown to be wholly insufficient for the
number OF prisoners crowded into il, to say
nothing OF those who have yet to be brought
down from the upper counties, and Marshal
prisoners weuld have to be camped out on va
cant lots. he, therefore, applied on grounds
OF humanity to the authorities of the college
for the use of the College chapel, and his re-
quest was promptly granted, but an unexpect'
ed obstacle was thrown in the way by the
State officials. 1t appears that quantity OF
arms and ammunition belonging to the State
had been stored in the college chapel, which ma
terial would have to be removed to make room
for the prisoners. But Acting Adjutaut General
Anderson refused to allow their removal, un'
less Marshal Johnson would become personally
responsible for any loss or damage that might
happen. This responsibility Marshal johnson
did not feel called upon to assume, and hence
the chapel could not be procured.
The prisoners now in jail here are mainly
from Union and Spartanburg Counties. Those
from the former county are gentlemen and
gentlemen's sons, who feel keenly the un'
warrantable indignlty that has been placed
upon them, and conduct themselves with dig
nifty under their cruel treatment; but the
Spartanburg men are queer lot. They are
mostly Of the confessing sort, and they are in
dignant and dis gusted, because, having been
promised that if they would confess they
would receive twenty dollars down, and three
dollars per per diem as long as they were
kept in prison, they have not yet received one
cent of pay. During the first part of thelI
confinement they were jubilant in the pros
pect of receiving what seemed to them ex
travagant wages; but lately they have begun
to see that they were wretchedly deceived
and some of them even threaten to expose the
whole conspiracy if they are put upon the
witness stand.
The resignation of Captain John C. Mlnott,
now chief of police of Charleston, of his posi-