The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-14
THE JUDICIARY DEGRADED.
rJF rtrrtR az yHE NEW DisrRfcT
~ nan IpR IOII~T

49,, ,,,.,n,,-!r.ernI.t tue poaiwnstrr t!ep-
.r,t nnd ~rcrctnrie, Fish md Bristow.
n.rir nupontmcut Of Billings will have
.c,v one re,ult--th perpctuation 81 most |
,e,na,l,us judicial farce. II u the most infa
,o,rsn.puintmtu ut that Grant has yet issued. mud |
NJ dc.ign is to further degrade a state already |
h,tkrnpt,d h., Federal Rings" THIS was said |
,,.ter,oy bv o New York merchant who once |
hed very profitable trrdc with New orleans. |
". interest In Loulsiana after tue war |
- dcep enough to induce him TO fos-
,er bot.fui eicus OF the return Of CON
rer,., ur,.pc'lt, 10 the state hy stocking |
en-. .,.re. of old customers with goods on long
ce,ii. DAa.tof- by cIevasscs, cotton worns,
.ndt,e1 ckof ~. wsll-rceule,cd laborlnG class,
rendered the planters to whom New Orlcsus
merchants sold unable to pay Ibis again
b,rhuInfcd the mrr, hsnts, and when the New
Ycrk merchant found that the asset, of his
actinr-.iu'ucd over tothe bankrupt court in per-
H.. good fiith aud In sufficient amount to have
re- we'd q fair dividend. under the u lanipulatlon
nf ~ unfe5liul oi the court we're either Who'll
di.ipaf.i ~ $50 ucafy assorted by d" fees " that
~ ni,idcuds we're scntcclv worth collecilng. he
,uHcrcd l,. New O.l, ans tipdo to lar-e.
rnc rut,d states Court Ring IN Crc acent City
wns con. posed ot judge prreu It's 1gurehcad:
o. me- stone. WHO furnished tho brains Tor the
kh on:crrr.c; of E L. Norton, who Ia his posl-
unu of ", ilicia and general Assignee lu bank
fuptc,," did the dirty work for the Ring, and Of
& G.. lhlnngs, who Ia credit, with having sup
Uhed the suggestive ability after the
death of Stone. Durel Is the only
member Of the combination whose resi-
denco In the South autcdated reconstruction.
Ne irled his hand at reconstruction. and was
Chairman ~ the Banks Convention. Its failure
10 historic. but Durcll had gained sufficient no.
toriety to be appointed by President Lincoln to
The United States District Judeeship.
Even hts ftlerds regarded hl- eleya-
hon to the bench with misglyines,
and It was soon found that lie was ut
terly unworthy Of trust. The irpn-clsd oath WAS
admini,tcred to every attorney who WAS ad-
nitted to practice ut the Federal Court bar
THIS threw all the business u the court into tho
bands OF a ittle clique of prote s9ed lawyers
iu their carpet biss. Among them. one stone.
who for some profession offence had been
dieharrod ia Massachusetts,, and aftcrwurd
had achieved imprisonment for crime,
was tie snrewdest, most eng gag, and
most Unscfui ulous. stone worked for booty,
bud wu, -hrewd enough 10 Hitter and practise
upon the aeallnesses Of Dur,t until he made
Dim a subsefvient. although 80, &c do him the
grloe TO believe. an ignorant tool Durelrs
vanitieS we're brandy and women. Hts estimate
OF tuc Judicial function war original, and some
upon him the autipA;hy OF law loving citizens
Stone soon contrived to e1hihi, to Ms carpet
cSlus brethren q the bar that he knew the
art ~ managing the Judge, and they were not
slow e. avail themselves Of his address. In all
suits III his courts relating TO cotton, sugar, to-
barco treasury seizures, Sc.. the succeestul
means II procedure was 10 plS the Judge with
brandy nutil he was in concessNc frame of
mind. rhen visit to MoieRu's or Nictor's
restaurant, and rretty woman as an advocate,
we're 7uillclsntto obtain the Judge sign manual
which was necessary TO the validity OF all pro
oesse4 TO amy order no matter no" ill-g1l or
oppressive.
Fever relieved New Orleans OF the blghtine
presence of Nr. stone. HE successur was found
u the firm OF sullivan, Blllings Hughes, car
pet hag attorneys, To whom tho native lawyers
sp, lieu the borrowed nickname. "Qulrk, Gam
mon Snap." Tae senior, Mr.. sullivan vas a
bale, healthy. blun lawyer, whose princl-
pal professional qualification was his good
mon was Mr. T. C. lhlnngs, whose piaus-
thle speeches did moro - win the assent
Of hts hearers than Ills Learning while his abill-
ties IN treaGiug the dubious WAYS L. prn fessi ~
al success wefe undcubted. Stone died soon al
ter the existing bankrupt law went into opera.
iust how that Law could he made An agency for
bDinr the pockets Of unscrupuious men; very
many mrrchanti we're in-oi'eht, aud took
cdyfutsge II tiic =;-tii.- TO rr,i-vr ,,,-..-
selves II the ie. iiants Of debt Ia furth-
ennc' of their desire t. recommcnce
business with clean slates. About 2UD vOlun-
tary petitions In bankruptcy were hlod. and IA
niutt' Per cent. u tnem the assets were hon
e-iB sChedulod. Ihis was an immense over
placed IN j de Durclls hands, and under
ht'nc'- tuition he mastered the situation II
pro e'tle-, hud the place wds illcd hy h. L.. Nor
ton. whom purcll a pointed general and official
stsI9u"c. tic also n.ade a court RAJ" that a.,O-
clttcd Notton ~ CO assignee In every ease, re-
gordlc of the election Of an assignee by cred
ssumal cd at saOtu0OD Stone died b.fu rs he
bad "A chance al this bonanza. His IlAce a.
general lerd adviser Of the assignee was Oiled
by l.. &. Billings.
Norton soon becsme mllonsire. His sum
niers wcro spent ht Northern watering places.
On tie .pi roach ~ the SICK Sc son Mrs Nor
ton, Judge DuTrell, and Nf. Norton sought
heaith at Long branch or at Slrato9n. Wncn
bu,iner, demanded the presence of Norton IN
New Orletn, he left his wife under care Of
Judge Duirell without question or hesitation.
IL did not matter much that the lead-
ers ~ even :he carpetbsg society failed
t. call upon Mrs. Notion on her return to Now
OleHns. she stlll played Hsbe 10 n. judicial
Jost and Ia fciurn obtained bis si-nature to
ordcr+ and roCcsses, some OF which arc tho
most iatu,us In JIdiclal history.
hliigs was now hrmly seated as NortOn's
chief legal adviser, ana with that power came
pciiUcu lNiiNcncc. lie. II Is said, rennCd for
Dufell the famous mid"leht injunction that
isilna. HIS patts influence was and Is second
only 10 thht Of Ct-ey and senator West.
Meanwhile tn 80 who are looking for diyidenGs
from tho ussots of bankrupt debtors look In
vain. lnko an instance In point. Gen. Hcb
before tue war. lie owned a dozen plantation.
W. "r nc1T C"nc0fdiA Parish, one Of the richest
plantn- qi-lict. & the Pelic II STATE. and they
were worked hY l.i,2 negroes, most ~ them hbl p
estimated AZ sGOviO0 before the war.
sInl alter secession. nd until the close Of the
wa ho -afytl Ia 80 eNAll j ckEou'- command,
begiuning o. major and surrrudeflng as IA
big uter. lie could shNW five wounds for every
commi sion. ana hts contributions Of money %
tho IuhfeCer4ry were very llbcril Amer the
sufrcn rr lac fuuuu Aitn-cif with thOusand- ~
acre, ui land on hi4 hands aud no cauthl 10
lnakr H. productive lie mOrtgAgcd his land
heavily procured enough capital to begin
with. aud Embarked in the colossal entrTlrla -
OF WuIntn- nearly Hltul acres of land, Ibe
Moods iuc and inunun'rd hf. H. Ids; what WAS
LETT Uf his co. ton rrop. the cotton worm de-
stroyet. Bal ,nciLR hi- hooks lac foun.l himself
ehOpclcss ihhkrupi, ana took measures 10 pasa
through the BANKRUPT Coutis. lis Petition y IA
hied while Mr.. Norton. Durell, ana 3ir. Norton
were In the North Before they returned 10
New Orleans lerk's creditors had net and
bT uuuniinuus consent had appointed Rn VS.
bience, INTO Oee hands they placed n,sets
esttmate1 to be worth xA0WD nc the lowest
figure. Two months afteTward Duroll ret urnod,
and when the proceedings In bdnkruptcy In
YCfk's O. SO were presented 10 him FOR cohlitma-
ton h, drew his pen through the name Of the
assignee unanitrouslY cleh, cd by the creditors
AMI appointed his favOritc, Norton, sole hs-
6iguee. tcn. IeTks creditors are sim waiting
Tor th' ir dividend out - hi4 $aD,UO assets.
Cfeiitnrs assent to the disahGrge Of delin-
duont b4nkTuuts Wds not required II the bank
Tuut Ind a leN hundreds o. spend on the
assignee, ana IL II I'D that The eXa tors had
Wouuerful akil In liking the :" Zee at Just about
Lhu uRtne the banhruut was able 10 paw
Anpinrr CH-" winch more par icularlY pnocio !
KnN NuI, mrr sDlut. Ia tl Il of (sIrtLtT, " me-