Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-02-20
FROM CHARLESTON.
The Investigating Commit
teen. B. Cabeil. Banker.
i'm Jail.

IN - All.
CHARLESTON, Feb. IL, 1875.
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE INDEPENDENT.
For three days past this COM
munity and the assembled wis
dom of the Statev has been in a
state of feverish excitement and
eommotion hard to imagine and
impossible to describe, and the
regular proceedings of the Legis-
laturc have been disturbed by
strange occurrences never before
known to legislative efforts in this
State.
At the beginning of the session
a committee was created 10 ex
anime into the conduct of the
financial affairs of the State from
its organization TO the present
time, but so little had been
thought Of the progress of he In
vestigation and its probable re-
suits, that no interest attached 10
its proceedings to tie public at
large. The Senatorial and capital
removal questions were the alb
sorbing topics and obscured all
other matters until day before yes
terday, when at the beginning OF
the afternoon session of the House
of Delegates Mr.. j. III. Good, OF
Wheeling, Chairman of the lnves-
tigating Committees sent resolu-
ton to the Clerks desk asking that
NIB Cabell, President of the Mer-
| chants Bank OF Charleston be ara
rested and brought before the ba-
Of the House to answer for q con-
tempt Gifts authority in refusing to
answer the questions pr0pounded
| by the Committee of Investigation.
| The resolution was unanimously
adopted, and at o'clock the Ser
geant-at-arms appeared at the bar
of the House with the reeusant wit
ness and his counsel, Messrs. Hoge-
man q Quairrier. Mr.. Cabell is
an old Ian, probably sixty years
of age. He took seat directly in
front Of the Speakers desk, and
that officer read to him the follow
ing question, in substance
What, if any, bonus or interest
do you pay E. A. Bennett, State
Auditor, or John S. Burdett, State
Treasurer, for the use of the State
finances deposited in your bank"
By advice of his counsel, Mr.. Ct-
bell sent the following answer TO
the Clerks desk to be read:
II refuse to answer the ques-
ton because it will criminate my
self so to do. / mean no disre-
spect to either the House or Com
mittee by this refusal" After a
heated discussion the House adj
journed, leaving the witness in
the custody of the Sargeant-at-
Arms for the night. Yesterday
morning he was brought before
the bar of the House, and upon
refusing to answer the questions,
was, amid much excitement, sent
to the common Jail. His counsel
applied to the Court of Appeals
yesterday for a writ of habeds cor
pus to release him, but it was re-
fused on account of a defect In the
papers, and Mr. Cabell spent last
night in Jail.
This morning another attempt
was made to bring him out upon
writ of ho6eds corpus. The ques-
ton was argued before the Court
of Appeals, and they held it under
advisement with the witness still
in jail
The proceedings of the Legisla-
ture were very stormy to-day, the
capital bill being up tor amend
ment. The substitute and all
amendments were lost by a vote
of thirty-six TO twenty-nine, and
the bill went to its third reading
to-day and will probably become
| a law tomorrow.
The Senatorial caucus broke up
tonight in row, after stormy
session of four hours without
ballot being taken. All were
afraid Walker would be nom
mated and fought desperately
to stave off a vote. They viii
meet again Monday night.
L do not believe it possible
to beat Walker with. any man
in the field. There is intense ex-
element prevailing. b.