Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-03-17
RALEIGH, n. c., March 10, 1871.

Dear Journal As the examination of
witnesses draws to close. the trial is to
become more interesting. The Solicitor.
MIR. Bulla, of the 7th District, in which b are
the counties of Alamance and CasweIl was
examined, but nothing of any importance
whatever was proven. Judge Tourgee was
summoned and was in attendance for g day
or two, but was not examined, for what
cause is not known. W. r. Albright, one
of Holden's Brig Generals, and generally
known as "Red-eye,' was upon the wit
ness stand yesterday for 1.-TWO or three
hours, but his testimony aided the defense
not at all. The witness testified to having
| been an inmate of the Insane Asylum for
! eighteen months since the war. So that
Holden, in his extremity, has not only
summoned to his aid the very scum of
soc,ets, the inmates Of jails and brothels,
bat has even resorted to the Lnnatic
| Ayslnm Surely his case must be deeper-
| ate indeed.
! To give an example Of the class OF
characters upon whom he has relied for MS
defense, it may be Wei 10 mention wit
ness, named Ward, who, after testi;yiUg to
being wEIk ped, &c., upon the eros, exam
inatIoD, stated that the whipping was done
at the instance of his sons. because of his
insults to his own wife and daughters, and
| that they had left him refusing to live
longer with him. Another witness to-day
was one John Long of Alamance, common
ly known as "hog-thief John" who testi-
fed, upon his cross examination, that he
had been arrested on warrant for stealing
bag of -four from a negro, and had COM
promised the case by paying costs. Can
it be possible that such are the characters
by whom Governor OF State expected
to prove his innocence.
Quite a sensation was to day created in
Court by one of the self confessed Ku-
Klux appearing in his ghostlY apparel,
no doubt to the great delight Of Mr. Boy
den, who seems to have horns on the
brains.
The Court to-day refused, by vote of
thirty-three to eleven, to allow the intro
duct1on of evidence as to the existence OF
| these organizations in counties other than
Alamauce and Casweil It is said that at
the Radical caucus held last night, it was
resolved to attempt to introduce such evil
dence, so that the trial might thus be pro
tracted several months. as of course the
| Witnesses would have been summoned by
the hundred from every section of the
State, and in this way defeat the Conven-
ton Bill next August. But they reckoned Il
without their host, and the Court very prop
erly declined spending the Summer here,
though it might be very pleasant to certain
ones. ~ a...
The caucus also, it Is said. adl lourneIl
without deciding upon taeir cours5 to pnr'
sue ON the Convention question, as many
honest Republicans are very 10th to refuse
the people of the State the simple prlvi
lege of voting on the question in SO lega
and constitutional a manner as is pro
posed.
In the Senate, the bill Fto authorize the
issue of new bonds in place of certai L
bonds issued duti2g the war for internal
improvements" was defeated on its SECOND
reading, though ably supported by sena
{, tors Graham, McCiammy, Gilmer anC
i Others The bill to ''transfer that portion
!. of the n. O. r. r., between Raleigh ant
9 GoIdsboro' to the Atlantic and n. G. Il
!, Company" having passed its several road
l ings in the Senate. will, it is thought, pas
the House. Most of the bills on the calen
8 dar now are of private character, and vii
J be rushed through as soon as the Court ad
joarns, SO that the Legislature can adjourn
as seou as possible. During these beantl
full and bright Spring days, our Legislator
0 are thinking Of their affairs at home, thei
crops and farms, and viii return to ther
b at the earliet practicable moment.
,,........r s..e .. Hal.
i Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Bun.
4 The Deca apitatIon OF sumner-ActIOn G
- the Republican CAucus-Excited Debat
Iufluence and Policy of tine Admintl
IS tratiou, Sc.
80 '' WAsH4NGToN, March 8.
It The most important political event c
If the day has been the action of the repcb
lican national caucus in ratifying, by
!. vote of 26 to q. the report of les commit
4 tee for the displacement OF Mr. Sumne
iron the chairmanship of the foreign re
lations committee of the Senate. and th
nomination of Senator Cameron for th
vacancy thus created. The fact that tn
icommittee had agreed to srich 3 chang
E, Twas telegraphed last night, but few be