Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-06-10
ARKANSAS.
A Representative in Congress Shows
Up a Fearful Record Of Gov
ernment Officials.
Charges OF Bribery and 6aladmlnlstra-
tion by Judge story ia the
Western District.
Wm. A. BrittOB, Logan II. Roots, aad
a Distriet-AttOrney Ventilated
Etc Etc, Etc.

WASHINGTON, June 9.-In the house
to-day, Mr.. Speer, a member OF The
committee on contingent expenses IN
the department q justice, addressed the
mouse on the subject of the enormous
expenditures in The western Judicial dis
trict Of Arkansas. He spoke OF the
Judge Of that district as q person by the
name of Story, who had remained in
that position to mock the administra-
ton ol Justice. He recOunted the his
tory Of the western district Of Arkansas
which had started, be said, with
corrupt Judge, AnuUdig, who was IN the
habit Of admitting TO bail persons ule1
and convicted Of capital crimes, and let
ling them go free forever afterwSrd.
Annudig, who was also shown TO
have bought certificates issued
for the pay OF jurors ana
witnesses at a discount OF t0rtyi OF hlly,
or sixty cents on the dollar; a judge
who was charged with having received
a bribe OF twenty-five hundred dollars
for admitting a HO'lc prOseqtsi to be en-
tered in a certain case; a judge whose
records were marred, and interlined, aud
erased, and confused; judge whe had
approved one OF the maTshal's vouchers
for twenty thousand dollars in blank;
iudge who had sllowed the government
10 be plundered Of hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. Ii was, however, but
Justice to that Judge 10 say that, IN re-
sponse 10 the committees invitation, he
had appeared before them, and made
statement; but that statement was lame
and unsatisfactory. 1t was not the
statement Of a man conscious
OF his official personal integrity;
not the statement OF q man
who felt keenly the injustice done TO
him by the statement that he was a
cringing, shrinking, cowardly, corrupt
man. The next step IN the frauds was
made by an Infamous and corrupt mar
shal named William A. BrittOn, and
means We're adopted for the purpose OF
getting up fictitious lists Of deputy mar
shals, and making out bills in such
names: also buying up vouchers for
Jurors, witnesses and deputies al twenty,
thirty, and forty cents on the dollar,
and in some instances carloads of them
could be got at twenty-five cents on the
dollar, which vouchers were afterward
paid in full at the treasury department.
He stated that suspicion having been
aroused 10 Washington, aninvesugauoD
by the grand jnry was ordered, and II
was so arranged by BrittOn and the dis
trict attorney, also a party to Il e
frauds, that a favorable report
should be made, and 50 the bills
were paid, and Britton, who had been
removed, was reinstated by the Presi-
dent in the absence of the attorney gen.
eral, but the attorney general had after
ward gone before the senate and had
the appointment Of Britt0n rejected; in
disposfug of BrlttOn worse man was
appointed, in the person Of Logan II.
Roots, who Immediately organized 3
national tank Ut Fort Smith, and be
came the owner Of three-ffths of the
stock, and continued to peddle out by
the eart-lOad thecerifcates for payment
Ofwituesses, jurors and deputy marshais.
Roots then sent these vouchers for pay
ment to his own bank - the tune OF
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars, and
they were paid at an enormous discount.
Speer also referred to the fact that ON
one occasion when vouchers Of Britton
10 the amount Of forty or fifty thousand
dollars were pending before one OF the
audit of sers in the department of JUS
tice, Bitt0n picked out son Of
that official, aud gave him clerk
ship in Arkansas, with q salary OF S25OO
a wear, and after that vouchers were al
lowed. The figures which Speer pre-
seuted in the course OF his speech
showed that the expenses ofthat district
for 1871, 1872 were S743, ,02S, OF which
sum Sl4 79l was paid TO grand jurors
and STA III to witnesses, leaving S5o2,
IOl for marshals, deputies and clerks
Taking the year 1872 when the expen-
ses of that district, with apopulation les:
than 800, 900, were S32l ,655, be said tha
they exceeded like expenses for the
same year Of all the New England
states. New jersey, Pennsylvania ans
Ohio. with a apopulation Of ten million
five hundred thousand.