Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1877-10-11
Corresponding of the Observer
AsAEvILLE, Sept. 10, 1877

Correspondence of the Observer.1
AsAEvILLE, Sept. 10, 1877.
MEssRs. EDITORS "A report of
the Special Agent of the Depart
mont of Justice, to the Attorney
General, dated Greensboro, April
?, 1877, refreshes the public mind
on matter of very considerable
interest to every citizen of North
Carolina.
THE KILLING OF THE sNiDERS.
1t involves the case Of the killing
of the Sniders, father and son, CD
the line of Watauga and Ashe, by
Deputy Marshals hay and Patter-
son, in March last. 1t is the same
in which Judge Schenck refused to
send the case up to Judge Dick,
but determined to try the alleged
murderers in the State Courts
Judge Dick, it viii be remembered,
brought Ray and Patterson before
him, at Greensboro, on a writ of
habeas- corpus, and the State ap-
peared before him through Judge
Fowle and other eminent counsel
arguing to the question of juris-
diction. Judge Dick held for the
jurisdiction OF his Court, ,and bailed
the accused 10 sums of five thou
sand dollars each. The particulars
OF the affair appeared ln:the State
papers at the time of the killing.
THE REVENUE ON PAPER.
Special Agent Hester developes
the Revenue service as It performs
on paper, and the notorious WaG-
ner, whose name appears, and
who gave the published informa
ton at Washington, but repeats his
disclosure of the first class villain
he has shown himself to be in
North Carolina. This wretch,
pampered by government patron
age, and iIsolent III his fancied
official security, it appears, wanted
the use of more troops to assist in
his nefarious business of handcuff
ing innocent men and women, and
reported to Washington that the
Deputy Marshal's posse had been
fired on, two killed,an the Depn'y
leading the expedition wounded,
whereas the Deputy, calling on
Washington for help in the clutches
of the law, stated the case to be
the reverse. The Special Agent
makes several strong points in the
matter. and leaves little room for
necessary comment.
THE WAY THE COURTS ARE KEPT RUN
MING.
The report goes on to show how
the Judicial mill of Father in. law
Dick is kept running, aud whence
comes the maximum of compensa
ton CSC, ,O0O allowed "my Son-in-
law Robert Think of ten con-
victions to thousand arrests, ard
compute the Marshars profits if
you can. 1, matters nothing that
the complaints against arrested
parties "are frivolous or entirely
without foundation. the cases are
divided and multiplied to swell the
fees of the Marshal and District
Attorney. And then there is the
margin to divide all around ON the
shave or witness tickets. This
report presents a very fue picture
of the ins and outs of Federal
affairs in this District.
The report is as follows
REPORT OF THE SPECIAL AGENT.
GREENSBORO, n. c., April 2, 1877.
SIR blooming the information
herein contained to be os sufficient
Importance for your consideration,
have the honor to submit 1t IN the
following report.
THE REVENUE SERVICE ON PAPER.
Allow me in the first place to
invite your attention TO an article
which appeared few days ago in
the National Republican and also
in the Ecening Star, viz
GRADING AN ILLICIT DIsIILLERY-
Revenue Agent Wagner writes
to the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue from Greensboro, N. G,
March 2Sth, that Deputy Collector
Patterson, of the Sixth District OF
North Carolina, and Deputy Mar
shall Ray, with six men, raiding on
iilict distillers in Watauga county,
were fred on and two men of The
posse killed and Patterson wound
ed In the haud. There were no
troops with the party, though they