Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-03-25
The Case Of Judge Stevens.

6u ~ COUeiuct bu0 Ca5C Vi y uukO o0St 81 -
Stevens, Of the County Court OF Nelson. the
question being resolution offered BY MIR.
Massey, the chairman Of the Investigating
Committee, for bis removal Every seat on
the Aoor was occupied and the galleries were
packed to overaJ wing. ..r et
The first speaker was Mr.. Massey, who, in
The curse of his remarks, reclted the main
facts shown by the testimony, with which tho
public are by this time quite familiar Judge
Stevens, he said, had taken 40 oath to support
the Constitution, and be had violated it by
playing the unawiu game Of "faro-bank' at
a notorious gambling establishment 10 this CITY,
He had been Indicted by the Hastings Court
of Richmond, found guilty, and punished for
this fragrant breach Of the law His conduct
was utterly incompatible with his judlcial char
ac,er, and The House ought not, when 1t had
such conclusive evidence against hlm, to hesl-
tate 10 the performance OF plain official duty.
If it had been shown before his election that
he was violator Of the gambling laws OF the
State would members have voted tor him, and
yet he would have been no more uoht Tor
iudgeship then than he is shown to be DOW.
He did not rejoice because vice existed, but
because vice is being exposed and punished;
rupt men at Washington are overtaking them,
let US begin the work Of publication at home.
Let us viudicate our own laws, aud then With
clean hands we can enter upon the work of
yipipp out corruptlons at the Federal capital.
MIR, Ronald said the Speaker had hOnored
him by placing him upon the investigating
committee but he did not agree with the COM
| mittee in it's conclusions, nor did he now agree
with Mr.. Massey in his vindication OF IT'D ac'
tiou. He was 20 defender of vice, however,
| and Won d that all men were free from vice.
He was no particular friend of Judge Stevens,
| lint appcarcd only as the advocate OF what he
deeued right He was different from the gen.
tleman who had just spoken; for while the lat.
ter protested to live under dispensation Of
grace, he himself was reckoned among the
transgressors. 1t, however, the reverend geo.
tIeman applied the same severe rule to the
members of the & ,ck to which he minlstered
that he would measure out 10 Judge SteVeOs,
very few of them would be able to enter tho
portals OF the resting place OF the blessed Mr..
Massey had alleged that Stevens had played
cards 90 Sunday. when there was not title
of evidence before the committee to sustain the
assertion. What he read on this point was
not from the testimony before the committee,
but from the indictment of the Hastings Court.
| ana ne kUCW IL WHICH, uC lCoo ~ Ao1S NaSAS
was some animated sparring between Messrs
Massey and Ronald 10 regard to this
charge. 10 resuming the line of hisargument,
Mr.. Ronald said l admit that Sevens played
cards with Fovle for money. He has had a
weakness for cards all his life. admit he
won a large amount from him, but there
is no proof to show that Stevens knew the
bonds did not belong to Fowle. 1t Is alleged
that Fowle was drunk at the time, and that
Stevens knew it, Now the fact is. that FoWle
stated to the clmmi!lee, in response to ques
ton, that when under the iohucnce Of liquor
bis manner is not such as to betray it, and
Stevens being stranger to him, it is fair to
conclude he did not know FowIs's condition.
MIR. Ronald alluded to Stevens's high social
position and his irreproachable official cbarac-
| ter as Judge, aud thought the Legislature
ought not to remove him because OF what had
been proven before the committee.
Mr. Allen said the House had no jurisdiction
in the matter The Constitution prescribed a
form of law to be followed 10 such cases, and it
is the duty of the Legislature to follow it. 1t
Stevens was guilty of the offeDoes charged
against him it was clearly the duty OF the Leg
isIature to proceed against him under the i'm
peachmeut clause of the Constitution. Then
be would be tried by the Senate whose mem.
bers would sit as sworn court. Ii tried BY
the House, the House would be not only the
prosecutor, but the court also, and the accused
could not avail himself of the privilege of con-
| fronting the witnesses against him. He read
| from Chief Justice Marshall and Judge Coult-
err to show that their construction OF the two
clauses of the Constitution under which judges
may be tried, was Identical with that contend
ed for by him.
MIR. Gordon thought that the case ought
never 10 have been brought before the House,
and in showing that Judge Stevens had not
violated his oath of Office by playing cards, said
be would spuru and spit upon the charge that
he, as q legislator, was guilty of perjury, be-.
cause, after taking the same oath as member
of the House that was administered to judges,
he had played cards and violated other laws Of
the Commonwealth. If members believed
card playing crime, then they must lmpeaoh
the accused The best and purcst men who
bad adorned the high places in Virginia in the
past had played cards for money, but they had
not thereby impaired their official integrity or
their usefulness. He related an anecdote OF
Mr.. Clay and the British ambassador, when
the great Kentuckiau Oh being asked to name
the stakes said let it be sovereign 10 honor OF
Her Majesty. He also recalled the fact that
CnaEIeS Odmes IUA, nuCu utCu0u W wv
troll the destines of the British empire, lost
$500, 900 10 single night when he hadn't the
money, and his friends had to make it good.
Card playing was in accordance with the trsdi
tons Of Virginia. and these traditions we're
dear to him. Judge Stevens, said MIR. Cor
don, was DO professional gambler; but as soon
as he understood Fowle's circumstances be re
turped him half he had won. If Stevens had
lost nothing would have been heard of this
case.
Mr. Starke said this House is day the
theatre of most extraordinary scene. A judge
"a Virginia JUDGES arraigued before your
lar gu charges of gam bling with member of
this body, in notorious gambling house in
this city, upon repeated occasions, and winning
from him thousands upon thousands of dollars
10 cash and bonds He has been tried and con-
victe (by default, it is true, but after per
soual service Of process,l 10 the Hustngs Court
of Richmond Of these offences Of gambling. In
one OF those Indictments, at least, the offence
is charged to have been committed on the I'd
day of January, 1876, and that day was Sun
day Mr.. Fowle tesli6es that it is his impress