New-York tribune., 1871-11-21
TIE TIMES IN THE JURY ROOM.

TIE TIMES IN THE JURY ROOM
The Times said yesterday editorially that
TIE TRIBUNE professcd to have "cccived
"the evidence taken before the Grand Jury
Gin the case rs. Mayor Hall from Mr.. Charles
"II Haswell, Chairman of the jury and
quotes letter from Mr.. Iiaswcll as proof that
we have "mado false statement and acted
"n thoroughly dishonOrable manner The
assertion of The Times is totally untrue. We
never said or implied that we had received
the evidence from Mr.. IIaswell, and nothing
in that gentlemans letter cOHtradicts any OF
our stat temcnts. Neither is there any fOunda-
ton for the story of The Times that we OBJ
toined the evidence from Mayor Hall, or its
insinuation that we printed it by Halls pro-
curcmcnt Mayor Hall was applied to for the
report as soon us we knew it was printing;
but be refused to furnish it, and even said
that he bad not himself read it, Mr.. IIaswell's
note to The Times is as follows:
YORK, Nov. l8 1871
To N. E,,iior Of He Ncir- York Times:
The portion Of testimony taken by the late Grand
Jury in the case rs Mayor Hail. which is published In
Tue NEW YORK TRIBUNE Of this n. was not only not
obtained me, but its publication Is In opposition 10
my written protest addressed to the editors OF that pa
per and delivered by me in person. Respectfully.
CHARLES II. HAswELL.
The facts are these Mr.. Haswcl, learning
on Friday that THE TRIBUNE had copy OF
the eyid, nee, requested ns not to publish It,
The request was refused, because the copy
was not obtained from Mr.. IIaswcll, and he
had no right to control it. We received his
protest, and disregarded it, as we should have
disrcgardcd the protest of any other casual
impertincnt. The report was published as
news. and VIC are not in the habit Of sup
pressing news at anybody's request. 1t is only
necessary to add that the testimony was
printed by the Jurymen for their own vindi-
cation. They had been violently blamed
especially by The Tsmes-for not finding true
bill against Hall; and they wished to show
that no evidence wananting an Indictment
had been brought before them.
The failure of the proprietor of The Times to
make good in the Jury-rOOm the charges
which he had so long and so emphatically
repeated in his paper is the most remarkable
feature of this inquiry. We hardly know how
to explain it, Mr.. Jones has asserted over
and over again that he knOrs Mayor Hall to
be thief, that he can prove him to be
public punderer; and be has CALLED upon the
Grand Jury to indict him. Well, the Grand
Jury proceeds to do so, and asks MIR. Jones
for his proofs. Mr.. Jones holds back. Either
he has no proofs, and has been abusing the
Mayor at random, in which case he is SLAM
dercr and common scOld; or, having proofs,
Tie is afraid TO produce them, In which
case he is n coward and bad citizen.
Whatever the explanation may be, the
Jury, after patient inquiry, failed to extract
from Halls lOudest accuscr particle of
evidence, or one hint Of q source from which
evidence might be obtained. Mr.. Jones bad |
but one answer to all their questions: Read |
Tho Nrr- York Times. But even the strongest |
editorial article in The New- York Times is not |
evidence for a court of justice. 1t would be
mOnsrOus if citizens could be arrested and
placed on trial on charges preferred only in the
anonymous columns of newspaper; and surely
Mr.. Jones must have known that while he
refused to give his authority for the
charges, or his reasons for making them,
the Grand Jury could not go on. 1t is
idle to say that professional etiquette sealed
his mouth. Every Journalist understands that
the man who most dishonors the profession is
ho who makes grave charges against anOther's
personal character, and cannot or will not
true that tho accounts of the Controllers |
office show that Hall has been grossly negli-
gent of his duty, and justify us in suspccting
that ho has also been dishonest But The
Times has asserted in the most positive man
ncr that he is thief and a swindler, and has |
urged the courts to punish him; and now The
Times through its chief proprietor refuses to sup
port these assertions and even refuses to be of
any assistance to the officers of justice in looking
for proofs elsewhere. To those who have
hoped with us that the result of the present
popular reaction against corrupt Rings would
be not merely the establishment of a purcr
government but the punishment of the guilty,
the examination of Mr.. Jones has been full
of disappointment and modification while to
the cause of Reform in which we are both en-
listed it cannot fail to be o serious and per-
manent injury.
"The Life of Jesus The Christ, by Henry