New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-11
THE STATE HOUSE.

in this city visited the State House yester-
day in body. The members were intro
duced to Speaker Brewster, and remained
spectators of the House proceedings lew
minutes, during which time they occupied
seats on the Speakers platform: Ihey
were also in the Senate short time, ana,
we are informed, paid their respects tothe
Governor.
Immediately after roll call Of the House,
Mr.. Devices rose to question OF privilege.
He said he saw in the Times Of Saturday
morning what purported to be the testi'
mony of one John Burke, renAs Asfed before
the congressional investigating comm ittee
on Friday, February 9. Mr.. Devices said
there was not one word of truth in all that
Burke said before the committee in regard
to him (Mr. Dewees). He said he never
knew that Burke was receiver OF the
United States land Office in this city, and
never called there and engaged in any such
conversation as Burke retailed to the CON-
mittee. The whole statement Mr.. Devices
pronounced false from beginning to end,
as he was able to show by letters and
documents in his possession, which he sub
mitted to the House. and asked
that they be printed in its jour
nal. Mr.. Devices said he did not deny being
arrested in 1866; but he would ask the per-
mission of the House, to make statement OF
the circumstances and facts connected with
that arrest, and his unlawful imprisonment
for two days. He said that at the time
he was arrested he was employed as chief
of the military police, under Captain Morse,
who was then acting as provost marshal
general. Colonel Lemley, lawyer, came
to the Office Of the provost marshal and gave
information that he had two clients under
arrest in the Fourth District, and they were
refused hearing by the recorder. The pro
vost marshal asked him (Mr. Dewees) to in
vestigate the matter. He called. upon the
recorder, and stated what Colonel Lemley
had said in regard to the men under arrest,
and informed him that he had been instruct
ed to investigate the case. On his way back
to his Office, Mr.. Devices said he learned
that all the city police had received
orders to arrest him. He was ar
rested and taken to the Fourth District
lookup. where he was confined for two days
without being permitted to see anybody
not even an attorney. He finally succeeded
in seeing man whom he paid twenty dol
lars to take a note to Henry Train, law
YER This lawyer had him (Mr. Dewees)
brought before Judge Abel on writ of
habeas corpus, and released on giving
bond of one thousand dollars to appear
when summoned to do SO. Up to this time
Mr. Devices said no charge had been pre-
ferred against him, and could not learn
why he had been arrested. He was after
ward informed that two men had been ar
rested with bundle of clothes in their
possession and that these men said he had
advised them to commit robberies. This
charge, said Mr.. Devices, was then preferred
against him, and assigned as the reason for
his arrest. Burke was then acting as chief
of the city police under Mayor Kennedy,
the man who, under the garb of Cnionism,
had the most bitter prejudices against
Northern and Western men that come here
as Union soldiers. 1t was Burke and his
understrappers, said MIR. Devices, who
had him first arrested; and failing IN
that, they trumped up another charge
and had him again arrested. Several
months prior to his first arrest Mr.. Devices
said he had been ordered to place guard
around mans house tor the purpose of
securing his arrest. His enemies then
charged him with going to mans house
with an armed force for the. purpose of
robbing it, and his second arrest was on that
charge. After frequent delays the case was
finally brought before the First District
Court for trial, when the prosecutors of
fered to enter a nOlle prosequi: but the
proposition to get rid OF the case was re-
fused through his attorney, and the case
submitted to jury, who, after trial, rem
dered a verdict of not guilty without leav-
ing their seats.
To show how great the prejudice was at
that time against the United States forces
in this city and those acting under them,
Mr. Devices stated that several lawyers
offered their services to prosecute him, free
of cost, merely for the pleasure of keeping
up the persecution the police under Burke
had instituted against him. 1t was then no
uncommon thing to find men-otticers-
still wearing the national uniform, who had
received an honorable discharge from the
service, thrust into prison as vagrants by a
city police that detested the national uni
form and those who were caught wearing
it. These men would sometimes become
intoxicated, and in this condition fall into
the hands of these janissaries, and
were at once branded as vagrants and