New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-16
THE GAG LAW.
TnAT FIRST VICTIM OF IT'S OPERATION
STATES HIS CASE.

| RANT IN LIBEL sUrT-HOw AND WHY The
| OBNOXIOUS 7 wv GOT THROUGH CONGRESS.
| y,or The Chicago Trtsune
| ST. LOUIS. Mo-, March II. = In accord
snce with INSTRUCTIONS ur correspondent at st. LOUIS
.onght out the o, b ~ ns d nov iam1m,
particulars OF the case for pNcauon; The Defendant.
as ia now pretty well known n writer on the edi-
toal stan OF The Republican, On this city, his duties
peing divided between writing EDITORIALS IN me ONCE
and special correspondence from sinn to which he 10
frequently sent Whenever occasion requires work OF
sihd Your correspondent found hL1at q desk IN tho
th iDors and not seeming very nucn disturbed 81
cue prosper before him Of having 20 encounter the rate
hiler ana the vengeful Williams up their own
| Ne'sh' the District o. Columbia Criminal Court.
|. A STATEMENT or THE CASE
Correspondeut-Tril me. Mr.. Buell., n yOu viii, all
ABOUT your at least facts connected with IL
| 40 you you'd not Jec5 10 nave published
pr: bhel-lbere l. no fact connected win the case
winch care to keep TO myself any longer. Hitherto
not maze mucn fuss about II, because always re-
but my self aud Mr Chandler But persistent prosec-
non coupled wien fact the prosecution involves
49, Oh Tue Poland Gag law. las nnaily made the case
ceeDri'ed, ana u seems - % advertising NE INFO ex-
"nsye notoriey. viii tell all abOu. it from beginning
year last Winter. while acting rs regular CORE
! spondrut # The Republican, employed. through
the mediation of NJ Harry H. smith Clerk OF the House
zee on war Cltinis 10 send occasional specials
rttes OF hstruc lou from the managing editor OF The
&c IFSs tha was expected 10 Keep an eve on SeaatOr
Chandler, whose fallings were numerous and
whose pnblc usefulness The Free Press evidently
Oonsluefed at an end some time IN February 1
affairs that old zlck had begun to reconstruct
.ne Federal patronage In that state with n 10
s,rehg hening his own chance for reelection the
senate naturally kept watch Of these Proceedings,
Ihu IN DONG came frequently IN contact with Mchi
GU men, aud heard great deal said abont Chandler,
unt very Httle OF winch could be termed nIttery.
AmonS other things, got the track or transaction
|neIeY eeitAin deiduiting Collector OF In-
t1fha Revenue had been whitewasIod and re.
tdlned In office through mysterious influence.
|iii was suspected To be that OF Chandler, out
Iiug 10 educr the matter 10 documentary certainly
et go, saying nothing about It. Some little time III
M, US ~ happened ~ D0whlnRs restaurant ana there
nc' tne Hon. john +. Drggs. eX-nemDer OF Congress
rom the Saginaw District OF Mcmgan. We began
YersiiiOn On fhe subject Of Od elk. During this
ver'lng Nh briggs related Two anecdotes OF the pecu
IA, habits % 'ne old war-horse. l 90 not now reca.
"a % whether or not Mr.. DTlggs saCcd 10 me mat
&c idd simply hear1 these stories, tut know my i'm
preston e., was at the time that he knew the facts go
rom Ms Helen Barnard, from Dom Patt and from
o9e or two hers that tue reports had received from
mr.. D1Qgs were currently Gtrded as facts and was
C V'u tnat they mad gotten out through Mr. T. NJ Bees
~ ,nen 10 group OF people at the National Hotel
TWO ANECDOTES.
Correspondent-YOu speak OF two anecdotes; only
one " mcutl ned IN the published Indictment.
MI Buell. will briefly state he nature OF the two
anecdotes. TIE fest 10 the eff ct that Chandler
Viii nebllted AMI Ia the senate manner during ses-
o7'Hn >hlpbu.lder who hai some private bl before
we SENATE aud VINO was then on the floor OF that body
thro the courtesy OF senator Anthony OF Rhode
sihi Ine otner was the one named IA the indictment
'ls natule Of @hlco, - familiar To- me pnbc.
N tAr Information upon which the indictment was
hi1 motive The charge winch is not named in thG in
dlctHent was easily susceptible OF proof Mr. Mckay
sncd ready 70 testify 10 tIe facts stated and he
beyond Chandler's power To SILENCE 10 any way Be
sides 90 could have been proved by others.
COrrespondcni-Wls tue charge which Chandler IL
hOred az damaging Is the Ole On which the indictment
Mr Bue-ruhnit4ly more damaging 1t imputed to
him both drunkenness and the grossest violation not
only OF tie conrtesics. but Of the decences OF the
opproDIi0us language Mr. Mckay. VINO the guest
OF ano her senator while the named in the ndic
language o Nj Mckay was so Of nsye that that
teman would have struck him then and there had he
not been strained By intervening friends.
COrrespondcnt-Iou spoke or silencing Witnesses.
Mr Buei-Yes; said be could not silence Mr McKay;
but learned tina; he could silence Rees. the
crrA tue Finance Committee Of The Senate IL seems
from what aiierwlrd learned, that the telegram pub
ll-hc, IN the Free Press erroneous senator
sherman, VINO Indicated as having aiken Chandler
c"Ileasne F rry aud he taken OUT" but
simply induced u 10 OUT Bnt mat Is lHInderlii. and
not al the main issue Re"s, however declared
writing senator Chandler never came into the
or the finance Committee intoxicated. Bat,
uness at least five people he he said In conversation
Chandler ala come into the room OF the Finance
Committee intoxicated. that he lay down aud dOzed
awhile. AID then got up ana ordered MIN Qees 10 20
down 10 the restauraut and Oring up some bottled ae
II the ever comes to trial We shall prooa-
bly, enjoy the Issue Of Res versus the truthful
ness OF Epcs on the witness-st4nd-prOvided the
ronrt. ~ me Ds trict " Columbia Will kud enough
To admit evidence T. the defense.
Corre-pOndrn. -Ddnt CIand.er orins civil suit Tor
dana yea against The Free fressP
Mr. Buell-Yes; before he proceeded against me Grim
inaily. -. -. . ...-.,
COfreRpOndPnt-Nhy didnt he push tuit SUIT '
Mr.. Bn--Weil. as attorneys IN DrtrOlt made "a blun
der in their petition. They Included both charges as
one libel aud when Chandler found our that one OF the
charges could be pro7ei as hA,c stated ne sa" ~
WOu be useless TO pusn The thing ana so deslsed Al
least this inference, and It Is sustained by some
information 1 have from Detroit lie ND not open on
uutii a month or more alter ne had Drought suit
CnrTr.pondent-Y0uw were first expelled from the SEN
ate repurtcrs' gallery neIievef
,b Rx Rrro1 Sunderland, d. D. Chaplain OF the SEN
ale. died Information against mo before the throne of
Correspondent-Uow
Mr. BueIl-Why. he prayed to God TO palsy the hand
and the tongue OF the vie inderer anu after
ward told Runs Tell OF The NEW YORK TRIBUNE chat
he meant tuat fellow Buell." and dL not intend 10 in
o1 Rnt tha court before winch the Rev snnder
land fled his Information has not as yetlssued any war
Correspondent-Probably that court gag law in
it, code Of jurspruden'e:
Mr. BueI-PrObably not
Correspondent-rhi. indictment was found early last
summeI-ne9ry year ssoo% Was, II Sot1 =, Toll,
Correspondent-Why were you not apprehended
Mr. Bue1-The elections we're coming on and the
woud-be managers Of TIE Republican party feared the
political effect or prosecution under the gag law,
lear when the subsequent fate OF Poland, Carpenter
and Ben Butler proved to be well founded But after
Chlnder defeated he had nothing more TO lose by
the polite effect OF the law or anything else and
so the Order for arrest came here within week
after he returned TO Washington from the scene OF his
discontinue at Lansing. have private letter from
Washington stating that the revival OF proceedings
against the result of confidential conference
net eeu Chandler, Williams ana the President. but
nresme he parties this confidential conference were
only Chandler and Williams dont OeIleve she Fresi
I.ni 49, any interest III such trlhing matters.
Correspondfn.-YOu speak OF W!liams. presume
Won refer 10 the Attorney "nas las 10 W 20
: with the matter - - .b - ,,, nj,
Mr. Buell-A good deal. As much as anybody. His
afrctlon for me Of tna sort which prompts desire
nm bs n,rt 10 extend TO the Inequalities OF the Al
| NAM penitentiary for an indefinite period.
In tnis prosecution here he mas manifested the utmost
ma, snifv telegraphng the local officials to expedite
Hctnn ana all mat OF thing, and actually refusing
! To allow a postDonement for TWO weeks though such
Il tod hV
rro,,r Williams also forwarded TO his officials bench
worrant rom the Supreme Court OF the United states,
layy al IN 10