Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-06-19
FEDERAL INTBRFGRENCE IN VIRGINIA.

ARREST OF THE PETERSBURG CONSERVA-
TIVE JUDGES.-THEY ARE BAILED FOR IN
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF CARPET BAG CON
GRESSMEN TO GET THE STATE IN TROUBLE.
"A COMPLIANT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PRESIDENT GRANT NOT IN THE RING.
&C. &C., sc.
A good deal of excitement was created
in Petersburg by the arrest Thursday of
nine of the Conservative judges Of cleo
ton, by the U. S. Deputy Marshals, on the
charge of violating the U. S. enforcement
act. On Friday they were carried to
Richmond for examination before U. S.
Commissioner Peasants. A letter says:
The accused were represented by the
following able counsel: "Judge Robert
Ould, Judge J. A. Meredith, John Lyon,
Walker Il. Hundley, George D. Wise, A,
NJ. Kelley, R. G. Pegram, J. W. Neeson,
Charles s. Stringfellow, and D. A. Hinton.
The warrants for the arrest of the judges
alleged that they ''by unlawful means did
prevent and hinder from voting certain
named citizens of the United States, and
otherwise qualified to vote. The first case
called was that of Joseph 0. R., Clevy,
| Judge of election in the fourth ward. The
witnesses were principally colored men,
/ ii
| testimony showed they had been under the
tutelage of interested parties before they
| took the witness stand. Their main teSti-
mony was very shallow. On cross-examin-
alton they very materially weakened the
| case, and every one present anticipated the
acquittal of the accused, but the Commits
sioner held them to bail in 81, 800 to an
swer an indictment. The Commissioner
in giving his decision held that the law of
Congress only requires that voters should
be twenty-one years of age, and that the
refusal to allow them to vote upon their
affidavit was an illegal preventing and
hindering.
A Washington dispatch Of the 18th in
slant says:
Representatives Platt and Stowell called
! on the President to-day and requested him
to send troops to Petersburg for the pro-
| lection Of certain officers whose lives they
alleged were i'll danger. On hearing OF
this the remainder of the Virginia delega-
ton, with the exception of MI. Thomas,
united in a request to the President that
he would not order troops to Petersburg,
as they believed that under the Marshal
and District Attorney the laws of the
country would be enforced, and if any one
has committed an offence he will be pun
ished; that ordering soldiers there at this
| time would injure the State and do no
earthly good to any one. The President
declined to interfere in the matter.
The following is the telegram which was
sent to President Grant by the Department
telegraph from the Capitol asking that no
troops be sent to Petersburg
| "HoUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WASHINGTON, D. c., June -, 1874.
10 has Ercezlency q. S. Grant, President
Dear Sir,-We, the undersigned, repre-
sentatives in Congress from Virginia, re-
spectfully ask that you will not order sol
diers to Petersburg. We believe that un-
der the able men now acting as marshal
and district attorney the laws of our coun
try will be enforced, and if any one has
committed an outrage he will be punished.
Ordering United States soldiers there at
this time will, in our opinion, injure our
State, and do no earthly good.
With sentiments of high regard, we