Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-12-09
The Ring Verdict.

a conviction in the conspiracy case
case at Washington, with a jury con
stituted in such manner, has been con.
ceded from the first, it is gratifying to
find such large disagreement. The
acquittal Of Williams follows naturally
upon the lack of evidence but the
guilt of Harrington and Whitley is
maintained by four of the twelve ju-
rors against what the telegraph re-
ports as ''every plan Of intimidation
that could be devised" The verdict
which an intelligent public has formed
is thus left unchallenged by any tech.
nically legal decision, while the moral
effect of the trial is to confirm the pop.
ular judgement. For the conduct of
the jury while celebrating the com.
munication established between its
members and the defendants, and the
intimidation practised upon the
four dissenters, are thoroughly in har-
mony with the previous proceedings.
These would even seem to point to a
second conspiracy 70 obstruct the
course of justice, extending quite to
the porch of the White House. Mar
shall Sharp, the Presidents kinsman,
showed strange facility in arranging
the panel so that friends and associ-
ates of the District Ring should secure
places on the jury. The weight of
Grants influence was used in favor of
the defendants, the most notorious act
being the invitation of Harrington
from the dock to a seat at the Execu
tive dinner table. The Dlstrict-At
torney was permitted to exceed his
authority and release from prison the
most important witness against him
SELF the ''burglar" Benton, who was
spirited away and has not been seen
since. Nettleship, the assistant and
substitute OF Whitley, in the secret
service, was permitted, if not aided, to
abscond and at every step in the
prosecution money and power and in
fuence were used to defeat q full in
vestigation.
The destruction Of documentary
evidence appears on several occasions.
Harrington himself is suspected of
purloining dispatches, and Colby was
shipped to the antipodes with import
ant papers, bearing on the cases, in
his possession. Under these circum.
stances it is no less remarkable that
Harrington failed of acquittal than that
conspiracy, aided by all the secret
machinery OF the Government, should
fail in the original attempt to impli-
cate Columbus Alexander and the
memorialists. Meantimg the investi-
cation which the "safe burglary" was
intended to check has progressed to
the disclosure of facts yet more dam
aging to the Ring sustained by the
Administration. The Board of Audit,
appointed by Congress, has ascertain
ed that, instead of maintaining the
legal limit of S1O,00O,O0O for the debt
of the District, the Ring under Shep-
herd expended over $3O,0OO,OO0 and
created an indebtness of s25,O00.O00.
This was done upon 4 taxable yalua-
ton of $66,OO0,0O0. Extravaganza,
jobbery, corruption and fraud, both
political and pecuniary, appear in
more startling array than was thought
possible at the time when Harrington
directed his burglar" to Alexander's
house and among the later revela-
tons of the Board of Audit are the
facts that the Ring exempted them
selves from payment of the sewage
tax, and that, when called upon to de.
fend themselves before the Congress-
ional Committee, they used the peo-
pies money to pay counsel Harring-
ton received $4,000 for his services.
1t is difficult to conceive more dis
graceful condition Of the public SER
vice than that which the conspiracy
trial and its collateral Investigations
have disclosed and when the case
shall come up again it is probable
that higher officials than Harrington
and Whitley will be interested in the
verdict Boston Post.
Smithville, Burlington Co., N. j.,
Dec. l 1874.
nj ~