Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-10
CHICAGO.
VIII Gen. Sheridan be Indicted ?
Courts Charge to the Grand Jury.

CHICAGO, Nov. 9.-The grand jury fol
the November term of the Criminal Court
was empannelled this morning and received
the charge of Judge Williams. In his charge
the Judge touches upon the killing of Col
Grosvenor, and refers to the letters pub
lshed and purporting to come from Gov.
Palmer. In relation to an Indictment OF
Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan, Mayor Mason and
others, he says they should find no bill
against any party except on the information
of two of their number who have personal
knowledge of the facts.
"Neither the Prosecuting Attorney nor
the Court has the right to instruct as to
whom you should indict. 1t would be dan
gerous to private rights and an invasion of
your preogatives if even this Court should
advise YOU whom you should indict; and if
this Court may not do it, far less may any
person who does not sustain to you official
relations. Should any one not of
your body seek to influence you
by written, printed or verbal COM
munications to any one of you, you
will inform the court of such fact, that the
offender may be dealt with for contempt.
Neither will you permit yourselves to be
affected by any communications, printed or
to be printed in, or editorials written or to
be written for any paper published here or
elsewhere. More particularly ought | warn
you against being influenced by certain let
tiers, published in some if not all of your
city papers, purporting to have been
written by the Executive of this State,
TO the Attorney General and to the District
Attorney of this circuit, advising the indict-
ment of certain persons named therein.
Purporting to be letters of the Governor,
and having been extensively circulated, your
respect for our honored Chief Magistrate
personally and for his official position might
lead you to attach to them great weight I;
but they should not exert any influence upon
you whatever. The prosecuting attorney
Of this court informs me that he knew
nothing of the letter said to be addressed
to him, until he saw it published in the city
papers. If it was written by the Governor
it was only private letter to the District
Attorney, and should have been in his
hands before it was given to the papers. 1t
would be inconsistent with the high reputa-
ton of our Chief Magistrate for integrity
and legal learning, to suppose that he de-
signed those letters to be published, in
order to influence your action as grand
jury. The possibility that such would be
the effect, would be enough to deter him
from giving them to the public. You
ought not to assume that the respected
Chief Magistrate of this State would do an
act highly indecorous and improper in any
individual, and above all, in one whose du-
ties are not judicial"
The following correspondence between
Gov. Palmer, Mayor Mason and Lieut.. Gen.
Sheridan is published this afternoon:
STATE OF ILLINOIS, EXECUTIVE DE-
PARTMENT, SPRINGFIELD, Oct. Is, ISL
Col. r. b. Mason-Dear Sir: Col. II. Dill
GER, Adjutant- General, etc, viii leave here
this evening, with one company of militia
and one thousand muskets. He will also,
after reporting to you, organize, for the pre-
Servation of order in your city. Col. Dill
ger is an old soldier, has served under my
eye on the field, and will preserve order at
all hazards. He has orders to enforce the
law, and he has muskets enough to do it
effectually. Respectfully,
JOHN NJ. PALMER.
ENDORSEMENT
Gen. Sheridan l refer Col. II. Delger to
you for orders. If, in your opinion, the
men are not wanted, please order their re-
turn. r. B. MASON, Mayor.
ICoPY OF TELEGRAMs.]
SPRINGFIELD, Oct. II, 1S71.-Lieut.
Gen. p H. Sheridan, Chicago: Please in
form me of the number Of troops ordered
into Chicago by you on account of the fire
and that are now on duty in the city.
Thanks for your prOmptness.
JOIN NJ. PALMER.
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION
OF MISSOURI, CHICAGO. Oct. IL, ISL
Gov. John NJ. Palmer, Springfeld-Seven
companies of United States troops are here
or coming, and regiment is being organ
lied for twenty days service, from the old
soldiers in the city, which think will be
ample. shall keep your volunteers for a
day or so. Thanks for them.
P. II. SHERIDAN.
The New Government Buildings.
A reporter last night interviewed A. B.
Mullett, supervising architect of the United
States Treasury Department about govern
ment buildings for Chicago. Mr.. Mullett
said in a general way that the Presiden;.
Secretary of the Treasury, Senators Trum,
bull and Logan, and Representative Far
! we'll have agreed in this, that the govern
ment buildings are to be removed from the
present site. The new buildings will be
begun early in the spring if not before, and
will equalin every respect any buildings evel
| erected on this continent. The President
and Secretary and Speaker Blair who were
present at one interview, cordially agree
with the Congressional Representative
/ from this State that the new
| buildings shall be not only ample and com
modious, but also, while avoiding of course
all unnecessary and unbecoming ornamen
tation shall equal in materials, desigr
and style of finish any building il
the country. The government intends
| to occupy whole square witt
the buildings. The pile of government
buildings in that case could stand in thu
centre and be completely isolated in tn
case of a fire. Paying a fair price for tn
land square will perhaps cost million
dollars. The buildings viii foot up tire
millions more. If the owners of the lam
on the square refuse to sell their lots at fai
prices, the Government will proceed unde
law and condemn the land under the sam
law that lands are condemned for railroads
etc.