Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1873-07-24
THE OFFICIAL CORRUPTION IN
UTAH.

THE OfFlClAL CCRHIPTioN IN
UTAH.
The Salt Lake Herald OF the goth pub
fishes the long promised expose of Geo.
C. Bates, ex-United States District At
torney of Utah, concerning the alleged
official corruption in that Territory. Mr.
Bates refers to the Court before which
he was to appear as the attorney for the
Government, in terms by no means COM
plimentary: - found the Court com
posed of three Judges, against one Of
whom the Chicago Times has recently
furnished the charge and evidence of
bigamy; another, of whom is proven by
the records OF our Court here, to have
bought his Office for note yet unpaid,
and whose judicial career was grave
scandal on temperance, justice and NOR
atty and lastly, the Chief Justice"
These are certainly grave charges to
make, and will probably lead to an inves-
tigation by Congress. He next refers to
the indictments found upon the tesi-
mony of the notorious Bill Hickman
against Brigham Young and other prom
inent Mormons for murder committed as
far back as 1856, lowa and lascivious
cohabitation by polygamists with their
plural wives, adultery with his wife by q
man who was married according to his
religious ideas and customs, and which
proceeding, he asserts, was Illegal for
three reasons: " First-The District At
torney who presented these indictments
had never been legally appointed or duly
confirmed. Second-The Grand Jury
that made the inquest was drawn in
utter violation of the law. And third
The substantial witness to send Brig
ham Young, Mayor Wells, Orson Hyde,
Joseph A. Young and others to the gal
lows, was Bill Hickman, who confessed
TO me large number OF other murders"
Pursuing this branch Of the subject. Mr..
Bates continues:
Had | gone on with them and tried
these leading Mormons on invalid
indictments for murder before packed
jury, as was proposed and put Bill
Hickman on the stand with his pal
TO furnish evidence against these leading
MOrmons for murder committed thirteen
years before, and drove them, as |
might have done. to the gallows, the
men who plotted these Judicial murders
would have upheld and sustained me.
He further AYERS that mast grave
" charges of official corruption against
two United Statrs officials Of Utah were
preferred to the Attorney General by
telegraph in 1871. The charges were Of
sitting in judgment in mining cases
whore they were them elves interested,
and that an order WAS issued to invest-
gate the charges made, and II found true
10 remove them both: but b fore the
order WAS executed the Rev DR.. Newman
interviewed ut Long Branch and the mat
ter was dropped The Geographic
charges.were from United Stats Sena-
tor, and were on die a Year ago in the
Department Of Justic", and are there
Iow unless abstracted.' He distinctly
alleges that Large peculations OF the
mails and Postoftice have occurred here
since / came, III one instance a package
of 5000 being lost; that time after
time money orders have been stolen. and
yet no one has ever been prosecuted for
these otfenses. In one or more instances
clerks detected in robbng the mail have
been permitted TO so, and crimes if not
actually condoned, have been overlooked.
do not charge the Special Mail Agent
with any deviation of duty, but the rec
ords OF the District Attorneys Office
and the names OF many witnesses will
prove that very larga number of losses
have occurred here, but no single prose
cution has ever been made" Charges
of corruption in the entry of timber and
coal lands are made, besides others of a
grave nature, showing the faithess con-
NASe Vi out5So anu plLtA OLlICluIS III
Utah. To the question Why were
these charges not investigated by Grand
Jury ?" Mr.. Bates answers; BecaTse
the Clerk of the Court here would not
issue a venire demanded by me, and
the Court would not order it to be
done. All this 1 reported to the At
torney General last fall The names
Of the witnesses to prove the facts here
charged, and of the officers against whom
the accusations are laid, will be fur
nished to the United States District At.
torney whenever he will summon q
Grand Jury to inquire into offenses
against the laws of the United States, Oh
to Committee appointed by Congress
to investigate into the matter involved.