The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1878-03-07
The Mississippi Log Gases.
Correspondent N. o. Picayune. ]
, the Editor 81 the Picayune

bCiDulO buoipOoo 10 vi cuthSiOLo 'hi-
portance to require that the public
should be kept informed as far as
may be in reference thereto. The
sweeping and indiscriminate seiz,
ures made by the special agent Of
the Government in this part of the
country, and especially on the
Mississippi coast, considered to-
gether with the fact of the well
known integrity and high standing
of large number OF the citizens
who have been broken up ia their
business, and subjected to heavy
losses by the action of the Govern
lnent age nts, makes it not unnatu-
RAJ here, where the circumstances
are well known, that there should
be grave doubts entertained about
the bona hdes Of the moves. This
impression has not been diminish-
| ed by the results In the cases pend
ing In the District Court now sit
ting at Jackson.
| These eases are reported to be
repleyin suits broughtsome months
ago under the statute laws of the
State OF Mississippi upon the affi-
dayits OF one Mr.. Roger Sherman
BARLEY, said to be nephew of the
Secretary of the Treasury. Mr..
! BARLEY, it seems, made these affi-
davits as of personal knowledge,
to the effect that the property
seized belonged to the United
\ States,
The statnte under which the
cases were brought requires that
trials shall be had at tile return
term Of the writ, unless good cause
for continuance can be shown. 1t
is well known that the defendants
have protested all the time and
from the first, that these seizures
were unmitigated outrages upon
their rights, and have been all the
time pressing the Governor for a
speedy adjustment. The Secretary
of the Interior has been vigorously
applied to, and Congress petitiou-.
cd hy the people and memoliaiized
by the Mississippi Legislature for
speedy adjustment, il view Of the
suffering OF the people and the
magnitude OF the interest involved,
| the defendants AL the time only
asking for an opporlnnity 70 show
this matter up. Now, under these
circumstances, the count y is hardr
Iy prepared for that which has Just
transpired at Jackson. A day is
set for trial, the parties are pres
ent, the defendants ready and in-l
sisting on a trial, and the United
States, in the persons Of the Dis
trict Attorney and Special Agent
M. A. Carter, asking for contin-
uance, and when called on to show,
as reqnired by the very statute i'm
yoked by them, .'good Cause are
unable to point to the absence OF
single witness, or to show that
one has been summoned 10 attend,
or any other effort to be ready fors
trial. OF conise, Jndge Hill conla
do nothing but to decide according
to law, and, therefore, properly re-
fused continuance, which result
ed in the Government taking q
non, suit In every case in the Dis
trict Court, The question will very
naturally b. asked, where was Mr.,
Roger sherman Barley, who was
able to swear in November, as Of
personal knowledge, that this very
property belonged TO the United
Staies Government, and was taken
from the pnblic lands? From the
,repolts made 70 Congress by Mr..
Schulz, il would appear that these
suits could not have been COM
menced, except on very decided
evidence that there was q proper
foundation for them. This foun-
dation could not, in the nature of
The case, be anything but the eyi-
depce of Witnesses who knew the
facts. Presumably, the Goyern-
ment must be in possession OF this
evidence, at least in the shape of
paper reports to The proper de-
partment at Washington. The
attendants hare Gil the time pro-
tested that 10 such real eyidence
existed. ard the failure ii these