The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-12-08

practice at your bar, we mean your court?
Who vouched foT his moral character? But
having been admitted, being resident OF
your county, did you not know of his habits
of debauchery? You speak of special re-
gard for "the purity of the judiciary"
You manifest truly a deep concern for
spotless ermine IS your act in appointing
Prather to represent you. Were there no
other attorneys in your court at Nashville
or Columbus that could so well aid you in
preserving "the purity of the ju-
dicisry2" To say so would be a slsnder
upon the bar at Columbus. that unani-
mOusly agreed to defer their pending cases,
save few, until you should be present,
rather than prosecute them under your
sppointee. 1t is strange If Prather gave
satisfaction in Brown. He gave no satisfsc-
| tion in Columbus as the action of the attor-
neys there sttests. You profess great aver
sion to a prejudiced Judge sitting upon the
bench. Did any pangs of conscience trouble
you when you made your charge to the
grand jury that indicted Jones for murder?
Was there no indirect, yet positive sdmoni-
tion that no bill Tor murder in the first
degree should be returned? Did not the
people understand what you meant? and
was it not the clearly expressed public opin-
ion of that charge that forced you to call
another Judge TO try the CASE? Your actions
have invited these inquiries. No attack
was made upon you or your action In the
columns of the Sentinel. On the contrary,
in the article which you characterize ss
''malignant." your declining to preside was
oot fort hov rr1ah al I'd
while afflicted, TO the defense of Prsther. As
use no filter word, you bounded
Prather on to arraign the Sentinel for con-
tempt. In your letter you would
make the public believe that you
did not instigate this dsstardly persecu-
tion. While at the same time your
tool on the bench that You had been con-
strsine1 byyour intense regard for "the
purity OF the judiciary" to appoint in your
place, publicly stated that it was your de-
sire that this thing should be done, and that
no personal feelings constrained his action.
In proof of your duplicity in this matter,
you wrote personal appeal to an attorney
of this city to prosecute the contempt case.
One hundred dollars in cash were paid out
OF the funds of Bartholomew county for
his services and fifty more to the prosecuting
attorney. You would not institute the suit
yourself. That might cost you something.
1t ought to cost you every dollar that has
been paid out by the county. But you do
il indirectly and make the county pay for
it. 1t is no wonder that you say that you
will bring no suit against the Sentinel. 1t
is understood that once before you felt
vaa ok fhaE
invited to seek redress through the courts,
with the promise of the payment of all
COS S by the company, which You declined.
Again in your letter you misrepresent
fact, that the Jones case was pending in the
Bartholomew Circuit Court when the
offending article was published. In this
you differ from your representative on the
bench only in that he swore to the lie while
You only indirectly assert it. You know, if
you know anything of law, that the sentinel
was not guilty of even constructive con-
tempt. You know that Prsther had no
jurisdiction over the defendants. You
would make the public believe you were
sOrrowing in affllction, yet, while jsdge of
the law, you were urging its violation and
advising the unlawful seizure OF the persons
of citizens, and the commission of that
crime against liberty that every American
freeman will resent. Your explanation of
your action is weak and contemplate, and
it becomes you Ill to speak of others being
corrupt. You have rushed forward to JUS
tify yourself for placing in high and re-
sponsible position a eorrupS man. A word
of apology would have satisfied tie
public, but, justifyipg, you merit the same
contempt that is due 70 the illegal, malig-
nant and infamous act OF your representa-
tive. Henceforth the Sentinel disregards
the person of PTather, and attaches the
odium of his acts to yon. In him you have
violated the decencies and prophecies of
the public with plea of family and personal
affiiction, you privately urge on, with furi-
Gus wrath, your miserable tool. 1t is now
really doubtful whether either of you can
bring yourself up to the level OF the Sen
tineTs further contempt.
THE SEN1INEL'S CONTEMPT CASE.
A PORTION OF THE DEFENDANTs PURGED AND
DIsMIrrrr5. THE CASE OF THE REMAINDER
CONTINUED.
Agreeaby to the summons, Messrs. John |
C. Shoemaker, James b. Ryan and Luciene |
G.. Matthews filed into the elegant court
room of Bartholomew county, at Columbus,
yesterday forenoon to answer to the charge
of contempt of court. They were
attended by their counsel, Mr..
Ferd. Winters and Judge Jordan.
The bench was still occupied by the tempo |
rary Judge, Allen w. Prather. The pro-
ceedings were opened by States Attorney |
Browning, who moved to dismiss the case |
already entered aud to submit new affida- |
Wit and information, which only differed !
from the former by some verbal changes |
S. Webb and Robert L. Matthews, as co-de- |