Connecticut western news., 1876-04-28
A COURT OF IMPEACHMENT.
The Opening of the Case in the United | States Senate Against Secretary Bell
 


 States Senate Against Secretary Bell
 knap.
 The arraignment of ex-Secretary of War Belknap before the United States Senate created much interest. The gal leries and the body of the Senate cham Der were crowded with spectators. All of the members of the House were present.
 The Chair directed the secretary to read the return of the sergeant-at- arms on the writ issued on the fifth inst, com manding the ex-secretary to appear and answer, etc., and the secretary read as follows:
 The following writ of summons ad- dressed to Wm. w. Belknap, and the foregoing precept addressed to me, were duly served upon the said Wm. w. Bel knap by delivery to, and leaving with him true and attested copies of the same, at 2, OPP G street, Washington city, the residence of the said Wm. w. Belknap, on Thursday, the sixth day of April, 1876, at six o'clock and forty minutes in '1G (signed1 ie JOIN R. FRENCH, Sergeant-at-Arms of the United States Senate.
 The chief justice then administered the oath to the sergeant-at-arms as to the truth of the return of the writ made by him. The committee, Messrs. Ed munds and Thurman, escorted the chief justice to the supreme court room. Upon their return the Chair directed the sergeant-at-arms to make proclamation commanding Wm. w. Belknap, the re- spondent, to appear and answer, etc. The sergeanG-at-arms made proclamation as follows: civilian w. Belknap, William W. Belknap, William w. Bell knap, appear and answer the articles of impeachment exhibited against you by the House of Representatives of the United States"
 MT. Carpenter arose and said: "Mr. President, William w. Belknap, @ pri- vate citizen of the United States and of the State of Iowa, in obedience to the summons of the Senate, sitting as a court of impeachment to try the articles presented against him by the House of Representatives of the United States, appears at the bar of the Senate, sitting as court of impeachment, and inter. poses the following plea, which I will ask the secretary to read, and ask that it be fled"
 The secretary then read as follows: In the Senate of the United States, sitting as court of impeachment, the United States of America vs. William | W. Belknap, upon articles of impeach. ment of the House of Representatives of the United States of America of high crimes and misdemeanors, and the said William W. Belknap named in the said articles of impeachment, comes here be- fore the honorable, the Senate of the United States, sitting as a court of i'm. peachment, ln his own proper person, and says that this honorable court ought not to have or take further cognizance of the said articles of impeachment, ex hibited and presented against him by the House of Representatives of the United States, because he says that be fore end at the time when the said House of Representatives ordered and directed that he, the said Belknap, should be i'm peached at the bar of the Senate, and al the time when the said articles of i'm peachment were exhibited and present ed against him, the said Belknap, by the said House of Representatives, he, tho said Belknap, was not, nor hath he since been, nor is he now an officer of the United States, but at the said time was ever since hath been, and now is pri vate citizen of the United States and O the State of Iowa, and this he, the saic Belknap, is ready to verify; wherefor, he prays judgment whether this cour can or will take further cognizance O the said articles of impeachment. | [Signed WM. w. BE1KNAP, [ss. United States of America, Distric
 of Columbia.
 Wm. W. Belknap, being first dul, sworn, on oath says that the foregoinI plea, by him subscribed, is true in sub stance and fact. VIM. w. BE1KNAP. .
 Subscribed and sworn to before me this seventeenth day of April, 1876.
 DAVID DAv1Ds, Associate Justice Supreme Court of tn United States.
 While the whole House appeared a prosecutors before the Senate, the pros ecution is conducted by the manager selected for that purpose. The proceed ings will be followed with interest.