The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-02-09
OLDWELLS.

| Not even The sudden visible, bodily mani
icstatlon of "Old Cloty" himself in Washing
ton could have created a greater commotin in
executive circles than the rumored appearance
in that city week ago of Old Wells, the Doss
Louisiana returning board thief The panCky
feeling was all the more intense from the &C
complaining announcement that he was in
close consultation with VIM. f. Chandler
that he had come demanding protection against
the New Orleans prosecution and that ifpro-
lection was not given he must either lave
money enough to enable him to find a Saicand
comfortable asylum in some foreign couttry,
or he would make things generally red ho for
Hayes, Sherman, and the whole white house
fraternity by a series Of hairraising disdos.
urcS.
The whole seems however, TO have been Il
false alarm. Wells at no time was within 800
miles Of Washington. After his midnight cs-
cape from the New Orleans custom house wo
weeks ago he fled to Rgolets station on the
railroad from New Orleans to Mobile, and
there remained in concealmcnt until last Mon
day, when Sheriff Houston, learning his where
abouts, went and quietly arrested him, andmk-
ing him to New Orleans, had him on Monday
appear in Court and plead to the indictment
under which Anderson is now being and
Wells, Cassanavc and Kcnncr are next to be
tried and sent to the pentcntiary.
1t - tr,,o, hnwau~r tia. Unr DrlmoruSf from,
New Orleans appeared IN Washington on Sat.
urday on behalf Of the prosecuted returning
boarders and presented formal application
to Justice Bradley, of the Supreme Court, for
an order to transfer the suits against the mem.
bers of the returning board from the state to
the federal courts Bradley, however refused
to interfere and said the prosecution in the
state courts must 90 on. But it is said an ap-
peal will be taken from Bradlcy's ruling to
the Supreme Court in bench.
Hayes thinks it is very unjust to prosecute
the returning board thieves, and says it is a
clear violation of the understanding with
the squclchng Of Packard the old returning
board fraud should be allowed to sleep. Now,
however, if Wells, Anderson, &c, are punished,
what security is there against the Indictment
of Sherman, Buttcrtield and the other " emf
ncnt republican statesmen" who visited New
Orleans in the fall of 1876 TO stliien the back
bones of the returning hoard-as indeed it is
already threatened indictments are to be
brought on the conviction of the present de-
PENDANTS? just So-what security indccdy The
question becomes all the more pertinent in
view of the fact that the veteran Ohio poitic
ian, Mr. Shclcnbcrger, who acted AS attorney
for Wells when he was hauled over the Goals by
Dudley Fields committee last spring, admits
that, from Wells disclosures to him as his
counsel, there is reason 10 believe that he
yielded too much To the pressure of the visit
ing statesmen III ovcr.Stepping the law" To
talsify the Louisiana returns Which seems
to be precisely what said visiting statesmen
are threatened with indictment for-bcing
tantamount to II confession that the visiting
statesmen" actually did engage in the con
spiracy that has been charged against them,
whereby old Wells and his confederate rascas
We're persuaded to "ovcrstcp the law" and fall
Sify the returns