The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-08-21
TIE nHpAnrMENr OF lNIuNTICE.

rIIE DEPARTMENT. or ISJUSTiCE.
In East Tennessee considerable
excitement has been created by the
publication of specific charges
against the District Attorney and
other officers Of the Federal Courts,
for corrupt practices and tho keep
ing of fraudulent records. Tho
charges are definite, and arc back.
cd by the most prominent lawyers
at the knoxville bar. The charges
are that through system Of espion-
age, kept up through II set Of un-
principed and infamous Deputy
Marshals, poor and ignorant men
are dragged before tho courts, whose
whole oilonSo consists in having
hauled u few loads of wood TO II
distillory, or selling n bag Of corn
for IL jug Of whiskey, without know.
ing anything about its Illicit distil.
lation.
These men being indicted with
the principals are carried off and
thrown into Jail, fifty or one hun
ired miles from their homes, where
they are unknown, have no
chance Of procuring bail. There
they are kept, until the time for
trial arrives, when they are tcrrili-
ed and browbcaten into pleading
guilty. with the promise of being
let off lightly. 1t is said that the
docket OF tho last District Court at
Knoxville shows that out of 122
cases, us were TINS frightened into
pleading guilty, and were sentenced
to various amounts of fine and
terms. of imprisonment.
These East Tennessee cases have
Il strong family likeness to many
which have occurred in this State.
In several instances, in Northern
Texas, innocent parties have been
dragged from their homes, in dis
tant counties, upon trumped up
charges of ku-kluxism, and put to-
great trouble and expense, in giving
heavy bonds for their appearance
before the United States Court, at
Tyler. In other cases, spies have
infested our towns for tho purpose
of cntrapping unwary dealers in
liquors and tobacco, and making
out cases against them, which would
answer for the purpose of black
mail. We will mention two in
stances in point, which will illus
tra:c, these operations. A well
known liquor dealer of Mckinney,
Collin county, having added a few
pounds Of sugar to II barrel of his
yhiskoy, was arrested by one of
the creatures of the department Of
Injustice, for illegal rcctitication
and, to escape the heavy costs of
prosecution, was compelled to com
promise his case, by the pay
ment Of some two hundred
dollars. In the Same county there
is an old gentleman, of irreproach-
able character, who keeps country
store. On one occasion ho left his
son. Il marc youth, in charge, and
during his absence, two men appa-
rcntiy travellers, called and bought
some cheese and crackers, and then
asked for cigars. The boy was
about to serve them from Il stamped
box, us the law requires, but one of
the men, pointing to II tumbler con-
tanning a lew cigars, placed there
by the owner, for his own use,
insisted upon buying them; TO which
the boy unsuspectingly assented.
The next day the owner of the store
was arrested for selling unstamped
cigars, and to escape being dragged
before the District Court at Tyler,
compromised by paying one hun
dred ard fifty dollars.
1t is due, however, TO the Inter-
nal Revenue Collector of this dis
,rict, Mr. Mulloy, to say, that so far
rs his department is concerned, he
has shown disposition to deal fair
IS and justly BY our citizens. There
has also been n notable falling off
in the cases of vexatious arrest for
so called ku-kluxism, attributable,
no doubt. TO the. chief instigator,
IIandaulet Williams having retired
from what is ironically called the
Department of Justice. There is
no doubt whatever that while in
Office, this bad man gave direct
encouragement TO every species of
persecution and annoyance, and
there is strong reason TO suspect
that he even shared the pluhder.
Tur Turer. Oce1u ia sill ahusinp