The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-12-10
THE SAFE BURGLARY.


IRON inc boston AuSerttsef.l
The safe burglary case now on trial in
has been SO long the subject
IF dispatches from the capital that very
likely most readers have got tired OF it,
and given up the attempt to keep track
Of its devious and mysterious courses.
But 1t is coming to an end. The counsel
are to make their arguments this week,
after which we shall have the verdict of
the jury, when possibly the whole sub
ject will soon be forgotten. For If the
verdict is one of acquittal, few have in
terest enough in the matter to prolong
the trial by newspaper, and il the YER
dict convicts the accused, they will be
and everybody will take it for
granted that they deserved their fate.
In anticipation of the conclusion of the
case it is perhaps worth while to review
it's origin and the circumstances which
make 1t important.
During the last session of Congress an
of the conduct of affairs by
the Territorial Government of the Dis
trict of Columbia was entered upon, and
prosecuted with energy. The motive of
this investigation was memorial to Con-
gress asking for it, which was signed by
Columbus Alexander, w. w. COrcOran,
and other respectable tax-paying citizens,
who alleged that they had reason to be-
lieve the officers of the Territorial Gov
eminent guilty of corrupt exercise of
their authority. The suspicion of such
in Office was VIGOROUSLY
common in Washington, and elsewhere
wherever enough was known to base a
judgment upon. When the matter was
brought before Congress by the memorial
lists, an investigation was ordered. There
was some reluctance on the part of sew
eral Senators, it will be remembered, to
serve on the Investigating Committee,
but after awhile committee was con-
stituted which set about its business, and
with little difficulty found out that the
condition of things was bad enough. The
result of their report was the overthrow
of the District Government, the appoint
ment of a commission to draft new
scheme of government for the District,
and the establishment of a provisional
government to have charge of the public
interests dd interim.
The assistant DistrictAttorney under
the Territorial Government was lawyer
named Harrington, and he appeared at
the sittings of the Investigation Com
mittee MS counsel for Governor A. II.
Sheppard and the other members of the
Board of Public Works and officers of
the Territorial Government, who soon
came to be designated popularity as the
Washington ring. Harrington was super
serviceable to his clients in the way of
preventing the Investigating Committee
from finding out the facts they were
searching for. Some information the
committee and memorialists particularly
desired to obtain was supposed TO be
spread upon the books of John o. Evans
& Co., firm having dealings with the
ring. There was turned. over to the
committee a set of books purpOrting to
be those of the firm, but the suspicion
was strong that the set was not the genu-
inc, original one. This suspicion, to-
gether with many other circumstances
in connection with the investigation,
made the case look blue for the ring. 1t
became clear that nothing would re-
establish their prestige but the breaking
down in some way of the character OF
the men active in pushing the investiga-
ton.
One night last spring the safe in the
Office of Harrington, the Assistant Dis
trict-Attorney, was mysteriously robbed
of bundle of papers. The robber was
taken into custody when leaving the
doorsteps of Columbus Alexander, one
of the memorialists, whittier he had been
tracked by the officers of the Secret Ser
vice, who, by remarkable good fortune,
were standing by to see the burglary
committed. Immediately the report was
diligently spread that Alexander had put
up the job In his excessive zeal to pro-
cure evidence against the ring, and he
was, we believe, arrested for completely
in the robbery. The matter was at once
taken cognizance of by the Investigating
Committee, who made thorough inves-
tigation of the whole case, with the re-
suit that Alexander was cleared of sus.
picion, and evidence obtained which
indicated that the job was put up by
Harrington himself, with the guilty COM
plicity of A. B. Williams, an Assistant
Prosecuting-Attorney of the Washing
ton Police Court; Colonel III. G. White
ley, Chief of the Secret Service Of the
Treasury Department; and I. G. Nettle-
ship, Colonel Whiteley's first assistant,
who employed some notorious burglars
to break open the safe, abstract certain
documents, and deliver them to Alex.
ander, who was to have been arrested at
the instant of receiving the stolen prop
erty, and so involved in a felony, by
which means the investigation of Har
rington's clients would be broken down
1t happened, however, that Alexander
did not answer the summons of his door
bell, and the plan failed to that extent
The evidence before the Congressional
Committee was of such serious character
that the Treasury Department took cog
nizance of it SO far that it affected the
officers of its Secret Service Depart
ment, and that branch of it was thorough
ly investigated by law officer, whose
information being submitted to the Sec
rotary of the Treasury, that officer dis
missed from the employ of the Govern
ment Whitclcy, Nettleship, and the rest
and, indeed, reOrganizcd the Secret Ser
vice Division altogether. In the course
of time the Grand Jury had the case
submitted to them, and Harrington, Viii
liams, Whitley, and Nettlesbip were
indicted for conspiracy to commit bur
glary. Their trial on this Indictment il
the case now drawing to an end. The
chief evidence for the prosecution il
supplied by one of the burglars named
Hayes, who turned States evidence, and
told a startling story of the negotiations
conducted by Whiteley and Nettleship
by which his professional services were
secured for price and guarantee that
he would not have to remain in Jail long
During the past week some of the de
PENDANTS in the case have procured the
arrest of Hayes on charge of perjury
but this is in some quarters held to bt
only trick to discredit his story will
the jury. There are many episodes con
nected with the case which have Q
special interest, such as the spiritinl
away of important witnesses, and the
release on nominal bail by application Of
one of the alleged conspirators of an
alleged confederate. The District-At
tOrnev Harrington being on trial, the