The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-03-29
5S,s33 J737E - r-f - - %,
CONF Nc, TO LIG HIT.
A RICHMOND MEMBER OF TRE
EEGH sa,ATURR8 CHARGED WITH
ATTEMPTING TO PACK THE
r. CHAIIOON FURY. i
HE IS ARRESTED AT THE CAPE
yTOL AND ADMITTED TO BAIL.

| ALL AMI A1u11 l ~&sGLD ~ DILL
| g4au ~ - - 81 z.%a
A MEMBER OF THE BAR IN TIE
H. / SAME BOAT
sTATEMENTs OF THE OFFICERS
"APPROACHED.'
r. Talk Of improper attempts to influence
| the officers Of the Hastings Court and the
Jurors in the case of the Commonwealth vs.
George Chahoon has been rife upon our
streets for fortnight past, and. for week
or more certain representatives Of the press
! have been in possession Of the facts upon
which these rumors were founded, but have
withheld them from the public upon the
representation Of the officers of the court
| that publication of them would be inju-
dcious until the jury in the Chahoon case
were discharged. That trial having ended,
| it is proper that what is known in reference
| to the matter should be no longer withheld,
more especially as it is now q subject of in
vestigation by the courts. The facts are
briefly these: .......,..
| DURING THE CHAH0oN TRIAL,
| Stephen Mason, Well-knoWn grocer and
liquor merchant, eX-Councilman, and at
present member OF the House" of Delegates
! from Richmond, appeared on the stand as
witness for the defence. He was called
and testified with view to impeachiDg the
testimony Of Samuel M. Page, who, as
everybody knows, was the principal wit.
ness for the Commonwealth. He had
but little to say, but that little was to
the effect that he had no confidence in Page,
and would not believe him on oath, for the
reason that he had not done the fair thing
in his dealing with. him, having neglected
and refused to pay bis grocery bill. Mr.,
| Mason was, as usual, rigidly cross-eXamined
by the attorney for the Commonwealth, and
the question which caused all the trouble
:. was whether he had ever approached an Of
fcer of the court with q view to
INFLUENCING THE SELECTION OF JURORS?
the witness promptly replied that he had
not. He was then asked if he had ever ap-
preached MIR. Lee, the City Sergeant, with
a request that he summon certain set of
men for the trial OF Geo. Chahoon. The
witness replied rs promptly as before that
he had not. He was then told to stand
aside. .#
/ REBUTT1NG TESTIMONY. s.....
Mr.. N. NJ. Lee, City Sergeant, was after
wards put upon the stand on behalf of the
Commonwealth. He was asked whether
be had ever been approached by any party
with reference to the selection of jul
rors, in the Chahoon case. At first the
Sergeant asked to be excused from an
swering. The counsel on both sides
assented, but the court here inter-
vened, and insisted that the question be an
sWered. Mir. Lee then stated that q short
time after the Court Of Appeals granted
Chahoon new trial, and before it began,
he was one day approached by Mr. Mason,
| t,,,3 ,hnf IN Ia fo
in an open envelope, telling him at the same
time to look at it at his leisure. He put it
in his pocket, and one day looked at it, and
found that it was merely
A LIST OF NAMES.
The superscription on the envelope was
in Mr.. Mason's handwriting; the names
were not There was nothing TO show what
! the names were for, but Il few days after
wards, meeting Mr.. Mason again, he (Ma-
sony asked witness if he had " looked at
that paper" Mr.. Lee replied that he had,
but did not understand; it. Mr.. Mason then
said they were the names of some good
men, and he wanted them summoned on
the Chahoon jury. Witness was astounded,
and told Mason he certainly could not be
himself, or he would not make such a cor
rupt proposition; he must never do such
a thing again. The latter replied that he
DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ANY HARM,
or somethingt to that effect, and said he only
wanted to serve friend. Subsequently
! they met again, the subject was mentioned,
and Mr., Mason was still more Indignantly
rcbuked. Mr.. Lee also stated that there
were thirty names on the paper handed him
| by Mr.. Mason, There were only two of
! these thirty persons summoned, and they
were summoned by Mr.. HoltZinger, dep
uty, without the knowledge of his princi-
pal. These two were Gallagher, n brother
in-law OF Mr.. Mason's, and Jos. Augustine.
! Gallagher drew blank, aud Augustine said
he hau made up his mind, and was told to
stand aside. ....... g.. ......
! ANOTHER SUSPICIOUS AFFAIR. ..,...
Mr.. Lee also stated that after the venire
and first tales had been exhausted, as he
/ was about leaving the courtroom one day
with another tales note was slipped into
his hand from Colonel Spalding, a member
of the bar. Opening it, he found it was q
request that w. A. Hoppe De summoned.
Hopes was one of the names on Mason's
list. Witness threw the note on the floor,
stamped it with his foot, and turning to
Spalding, said, YOU'RE a id old fool"
Spalding replied that he didn't mean any
wrong, but had heard Hoppe say he hadn't
made up his mind, and he thought he
would be doing the Sergeant a favor to
4, bring the name to his attention. Witness
replied that a member Of the bar ought to
| have better sense. .-..
1--WE have given Mr.. Lees testimony from
memoryl
ANOTHER OFFICER OF TIE COURT AP-
| PREACHED.
| On the day following that on which the
Civ Sergeant testified as above the Com
monWealth's attorney Captain Wise) stated
in omen court that Mir. Mason had on GER
tain occasion, in his office, mentioned the
t:huhoon case, and urged him to . let up on
him as much as he could" as ChahoOn had
done him (Mason) great favor in clearing
him of the consequences Of some difficulty
in connection with the United states
revenue laws when Chahoon was United
States Commissioner. He also threw out
fha idea that If Captain Wise would let up
on Chahoon he would do well with the
| irish vote. Captain Wise told him very
. empbatically that If he couldn't be, re-
| elected for the honest discharge OF his duty
he didn't care to be reelected at all. The
subject was never mentioned again between
them. ..:s +. .l-s----..---.s ~ ..s p *
| THE COURT TAKES NOTICE. :,
| Yesterday morning Immediately AFTER Inc
discharge Of the jury in The case OF Ghahoon
bench warrants were issued by Judge Gul-
gon aud placed in the hands OF DeputY
Serceants Dudley and Holtzinger Tor
THE ARREST OF MR.. MASON AND COLONEL
| sPAULDING.
The warrant issued for the arrest OF MIR,
Mason is in the following words:
STATE e OF r X!seIS1dA' to wit;
L 49,