The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-07-24
rho Gordon kidnapping Case.

huu VllldluUuS LuOChCIy VI JuSlCo huOHl
to history brought to close Tor the pres
ent. The result, as anticipated, Is tn
committal of all the prisoners, Fletcher
Merriam, Bentley, Bay and Keognan
While no surprise Ia manifested, thr
indignation excited among the friend
Of the prisoners and those Of the citizen
here who desired TO see simple justice
done is very great. The court, as pei
adjournment, convened at 10 O'Clock
to-day 10 hear the decision Of Judge Be
Journey. In order that the dignity o
British ermine might be fully sustained
the Judge and Attorney General delayed
the proceedings fully an hour before ap
pearlng. Upon their arrival the sheriff
with all due pomp and dignity commanded
silence In court. Tho common herd
dofed their hats and the mockery COM
menced. Mckenzie, the lawyer engaged
by the defence because they could secure
no one else, being refused the services o
Mr.. Wilson, rose In his seat, addressed
His Honor, and in an excited manner de-
clared himself living monument OF In
jured innocence. The foul monster
SANDER had crept into the bosom OF hiI
spotless reputation. He wished TO proclaim
10 an expectant world that tho cause o.
his griet lay IN q copy ol the minneapolis
1ribuue, stating that he demanded from
the prisoners an additional fec Of $4,000
before continuing the case. He denied
the charge in toto, and called upon tht
prisoners TO cleanse him OF these charges
OF extortion and black mail. The arrange
ment, he said, by which ho had been 70
tanned rs counsel, had been made will
Consul Taylor, and he acted honestly
Judge Belourncy then proceeded tc
read the conclusions which he had arriY-
ed after reviewing the evidence. Al
length he committed oil the prisoners lol
trial at tho next term OF court OF Queens
Bench in October. BY this decision
Judge Belourney places himself in an un'
enyiable position, he has persistenlly
caught up blunders Of Mckenzie made
through ignorance or other causes, and
called the attention Of counsel for prose-
cution to them, q course ut least unusual
From these movements by the Judge set
ting on bench to hear and decide, and not
10 prompt. The prisoners have suffered
much. In fact the whole affair proves to
have been determination on the part oil
the authorities to both blackmail and i'm
prison the Americans; and never during
The whole of the proceedings has this dc.
termination been more fully developed
than in the summing Of Belourney. The
prisoners asked that the following day be
set as the time when the application TO be
admitted, to bail might be made. The
Attorney General arose In reply
and ali the dirty meanness OF the
man developed iIselI at once. Puf.
lng himself to the proportion ol
the frog who emulated' the OK; he
said that while he felt that he had beer
most shamefully abused by the friends ol
the prisoners, who would show them how
msCnanimous he would be; this was
court Of Justice. Heaven save the mark
And as an officer of that court, he would
forget all indignities which might be
hesped upon him, and do all In
his power for tho prisoners that
the counsel had asked special hear
ing in their case, which was with
Out precedent, but in spite Of this way
OF ignoring which he had suffered
he magnanimouslY granted the petition:
and then this embodiment oi combined
bombast and malicious meanness calmly
sat down. During the session Judge
Belourney stated that Consul Taylor had
made satisfactory explanations, and that
he was convinced no contempt OF court
was intended by the recent publication oE
bis card.
Clark again displayed his dirt by at
10 force public explanation
upon Taylor, which ignomlniously failed
The court then adjourned until eleven
o'clock. ..
And now iew words in regard 10 the
reply Of Gov. Morris to Gov. Austin. Gov
Morris therein explicitly states, on the
authority Of Judge Belourney, that the
friends Of the prisoners constantly had
free access 10 them. This was untrue, al.
though probably not wilfully so. Judge
Belo1rney did not grant Bracket, as
claimed, permission to visit the prisoners
but the order was invariably overruled by
Manitoba Modoc, Attorney General Clark
and jlp to last Saturday, with tho excep-
ton Gi one or two special cases, Bracketl
had not been allowed TO see the prisoners
Now, however, in the presence Of an OIL
Ger. Mr.. Bracket has tree access 10 them
To effect this end, he called on Clark, and
made a demand that he be allowed Il
pass in and out Of the prisoners room al
will, and enforced thus request in man
ner that only such men as Bracket
could. he told the Attorney Genera
that since his arrival here In behalf o.
the prisoners he had been the recipient o.
the yilest abuse at his hands. He pro
ceeded to compliment him in a mannel
which must have ground terribly OF
Clark's dignity, and demanded that bis
dirty work be stopped as far 40 the prls-
onefs and their friends were concerned
This was supplemented with q promise
that unless Justice was meted out at onct
the application would come in another
form. Clark caved and Bracket walk
In and out at will.
Tho prisoners are as well as could bt
expected. Fletcher, Merriam, Bentley
Hay aud Keogan all seem determined u
put the best side Of the matter out
and now that q conclusion has beer
reached, although adverse, seem relieved
and more than ever determined to stand
SQUARE upon the merits Of the case
no matter what comes. They chow thC
wear that confinement aud hardship!
have made upon them, but their grit Il
untouched. / talked with FletcheI
and Merriam, and was surprised at thI
manner In which they stand up unde'
their infiIction. Their principal anxiety
seemed TO be for their families, ant
Fletcher said to me, u do not care any
thing about my business affairs, but
YOU know anything about my family, TEL
l." told him that his wife stood n
trial nobly, and his eyes tairl.
snapped with pleasure. To thos
who have been wont to consider this a,
fair as a Joke, let me tell you It's o seriou
affair for the poor fellows In prison herr
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