Smyrna times., 1875-07-21
Judge Fisher.
July 10Th, lS7;

=, 1t was currently reported last week that
George p. Fisher, ESQ. OF Delaware. had
been removed from the office Of District
Attorney i'll Washington for cause. one OF
tiie causes alleged being the withLoI.iinr oi
eases from the grand jury for a consiicra-
ton.
The Washington T}tjt,c of Friday last
/ published this:
! 1T will he remembered that shortly
/ ;,!tGr Nh. P!ercpont assumed the duties of
/ his Office. he turned his attention f. t,e
/ Cnit"d States District Attorneys offices
/ throughout the country. and one Of rho
/ l!Fst that seemed to demand an invcstiga-
ton was the office in this District. il.
I >oon asccltained that there were loud com.
! plants from the department and bureau
oIhcers that ON account OF inefficiepcy or
from some other causes, they could not
nave Offenders convicted and punished. no
matter how strong the evidence was ao0inst
Them. These facts had all been previously
brought to the attention of Attorney Gan.
cral Williams, who made an effort to mako
the removal, but Judge Fisher was foo
| strongly lntrenchcd in influence. and vas
able to tilwart all efforts in that direction
Inc latest case in which weakness was
shown was III that of the prosecution of the
alleged fraudulent mail contractors, and il
IS very generally believed that, with an
earnest prosecution, these frauds would
nave been completely unearthed and the
ROBBERY OF the Government throuoh the
post office contracts for carving the mails
would have been prevented in a measure
at least. There are other cases in which II
Is charged there has been manifest roIuc.
tance to prosecute, and notably. in the case
OF the lettcT-carrierS, who were CHARGED
with pUrloining or Withholding letters
entrusted to them to be mailed"
said: ''''
" District Attorney Fisher returned to
Washington yesterday from a hasty visit 10
Long Branch, whittier he went to cndeayor
to persuade the President to retain him in
office. lie was unsuccessful, and he might
have been spared the trouble and eXpcnse
Of his visit had he known. what is = fact
that the President had previously urged
that there should be no delay in ctfectinp
his removal, as it was intimated in yester.
days Tfi6,ac.
In an interview with Attorney General
Plerrcpont yesterday Judge Fisher asked |
that time be granted him to bring indOrse- |
ments from the bar of the District to show |
that his office had always been vigorously |
conducted. The Attorney General was not |
willing however to entertain the pronosi. |
tlon, as most Of the complaints Of inefi. |
cheney were local and were signed by many |
OF the most eminent member of the bar
here. 1t WIS only yesterday that two oddi.
tlonal affidavits were filed complainino Of |
the general mismanagemento of prosecutions
in the District.
- Fisher was, however, determined on
making desperate effort to retain his
place, and to that end he put petitions in
circulation yesterday, but they did not
obtain any signatures. The truth is that
the bar is very well pleased with the pro.
posed change. In conversation on the
subject several lawyers stated that thew
had nothing personally to urge against
Judge Fisher. As q man and a gentleman
they rather liked him, but they could take
no step that would influence his retention
in office. One lawyer said that Fisher
made pretty good judge and should have
stuck to his position, but as a District
Attorney he was a failure, and his office
had been most loosely conducted. Another
expressed surprise that the office had not
been oYerhauled long ago. Yet others
complained of many Of the associations in
the office, and especially of the Judges son.
who was utterly incompetent to Discharge
he duties of Assistant District Attorney.
In fact, many Of the local complaints were
lue to the conduct of this young man, who
should never have been placed in the
position of assistant.
g In addition to the reasons given in the
Tribune yertcrday why the heads of depart.
nents insisted upon a change, it may be
added that Postmaster General Jewell was
1ne who most streniously insisted upon it
because he firmly believed that there was
|
of Kinds. In this case the department
intimated its desire for appoint
nent OF counsel to assist in the prosecution,
but Fisher insisted that he understood the .
Ease and could manage it himself. The
'esult was that Kinds was acquitted and
hat fact strengthened suspicious that had ,
)een previously entertained"