American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-05-23
An Extraordinary Case.

The case of official burglary at Wash
in gton is perhaps one of the most extraor-
binary and disgraceful events that ever
occurred in this country The United
States District Attorney is named Har-
rington, and he has been acting as coun-
sci for some of the officials implicated in
the examination into the affairs OF the
District Government. Conspicuous among
those who memorialized Congress TO
order this Investigate N was Mr.. Columbus
Alexander, respectable citizen of Wash
ington. Mr. Alexander had represented
that the original papers in a certain case
would throw much light on the transac-
tons, but these papers have never been
produced. Last week a citizen named
Ives, going home after Midnight and
passing the office of the District Attorney,
was startled by the sudden appearance of
that official in partial disguise. Present
ing pistol at the head of the official,
the latter disclosed himself and begged
Mr.. Ives not to shoot Immediately the
Superintendent of Police and brother
of Gov. Shepherd appeared on the
scene, and the result was that Ives
was ordered to "mOve on" toward his
home. Instead of doing this, however,
he went around the block, returning to a
point where, unobserved, he could watch
these official actors in the strange scene.
In course of time an explosion was heard
in the office of the District Attorney, and
a man with tin box came out; this man
was afterward discovered to be PROBES
sional burglar, who had blown open the
safe in the office With this box he pro-
ceeded to Mr. Alexander's residence, but
mistook the door, and, after waiting a
long time in an endeavor to arouse Alex
ander he left. From the office where the
burglary was committed the burglar was
followed by Harrington, the Superintend-
ent of Police and Shepherd. Thisis Ives
story Now the explanation of all this is
that the whole thing was plot. Har-
had hired the professional burglar
to blow open the safe, take the
box and deliver it to Alexander; they
were then to pounce upon Alexander, find
the box in his possession, prove that the
box had been locked up over night in the
safe, and thus environ him with circum-
stantial evidence of having committed
the burglary in order to find the missing
papers. The last part of the plot failed
to work successfully, and, moreover, Ives
WAS a witness to the presence of Harring-
ton and the Police Superintendent at the
time of the burglary. An attempt was
made next day to bully Ives into an adj
mission that he was drunk the night be-
fore and did not know what he was doing
but Ives refused to admit anything of the
kind. Instead of putting Alexander in
the tolls of burglary the parties were
themselves caught in what looked very
much like conspiracy. So Richards,
the Police Superintendent, carefully con-
sidering his position, has, it is said, made
a clean breast of the whole matter.
The House of Representatives, by a
unanimous vote, instructed the committee
to investigate the affair; and, if the facts
! turn out as stated, it is without parallel
in the records of official rascality. Here
was the District Attorney, representing
the United States, engaged with a pro
fessional thief in the burglarious robbery
of his own office, that he might falsely
accuse and convict a respectable citizen
of felony. If, upon investigation, this
crime be established, these officials otgh
to be not only promptly dismissed from
office, but should be put within prison
walls for terms equaling their natura
lives. The whole affair is of so desperate
a character that it is difficult to believ'
the version which has been given it. Blu
it ought to be sifted to the bottom, and i
it is proved to be what it has been repre-
scented, the guilty parties should SUITE
the full penalty of the law.-Chicdg
| Tribune.