Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-12
P'ARDS IN CRIME.
sHER1lls,s DEFENSE or 4sDERso;

lAAAVDkJ LIN O1U11HlI.
sHERMiN,s DEFENSE OF ANDERSON
Hayes at last Determines to Stand by Those
who Stole Him into the Presidency-The
First Step In the New Programme Taken
by John Sherman's Unqualified Endorse
meDt of Anderson, the Convicted Forger
The Contempt Cases Bill of Exceptions
in Anderson's Case.
WASHINGTON, Feb. Secretary Sher
man being asked if it was true that he.
Matthews, Garfield, Hale and White had
sent dispatch to Anderson, said it was
true, and as that fact had been made public
he would furnish copy of the dispatch, and
they meant all they say. Mr.. Sherman then
stated that he regarded the arrest, trial and
conviction of Anderson as great outrage.
under color of the forms of law. Anderson
was not indicted. The grand jury had re-
fused to indict him. The proceedings
against him is called an information and is
expressly prohibited in cases of felony by
the constitution of the United States and of
most of the States, butts provided for by the
law of Louisiana. The information was
signed and filed by man who was an
officer of the White League and identified with
all the numerous crimes of that organization.
The judge who tried the case is public de
faulter for over $6OO,OOO.
"A
ing collector of the port of New Orleans and
the arrest was made while he was in dis
charge of his duty at the custom house
which stands, as Sherman thinks, on ground
under the sole jurisdiction of the United
States by cession from Louisiana. He was
hurried to prison, required to give excessive
bail and, failing to do SO, was kept in Gus
tody, denied all postponement, forced to
without the benefit of bail.
The jury was packed to convict. panel
had been carefully selected. almost exclu-
sively of one political party and one race.
Then the examination, as it is called, showed
the deepest and strongest prejudice against
the defendant, and in every tribunal, he.
Sherman, knew nearly every one would have
been rejected on his oath. and yet, though
challenged, they were sworn in. With such
jury am prepared to believe the story
telegraphed this morning that the two col
ored jurors were tricked into agreeing to this
verdict by the empty appeal to the mercy of
the court.
The cause of this excitement against An
derson and his associates is, that in the per-
Torrance of public duty in plain pursu-
ance of the law, and upon ample testimony,
they eliminated from the election returns in
Louisiana the results of violence and intimi-
dation. Though this was not alleged in the
information, yet everybody knew this was
the gravamen of their offense. and without
it no man on this jury would have convicted
Anderson. It is this that excited this popu-
lace, heated with passion. to the highest state
of resentment.
The pretense set up for the prosecution
was that Anderson had participated in the
forgery or alteration of Vernon parish re-
| turns, but there was not one particle of evil
.lence to connect him with this act. The
whole statement had been thoroughly exam
| med here by committees of congress, and all
records and returns had been spread before
them. and even Littlefeld, who made the al
teration, had exculpated Anderson from any
knowledge of it. The truth is, various re-
turns were opened by the returning board
of the examination, we're printed precisely as
in both houses of Congress and the
copy of those returns, was done either as a
put-up job by him, or in the interest of local
candidates having no effect on the general
result; and there does not appear to be sim
gle instance of testimony showing Anderson
has participated in it in the slightest degree.
! There was no motive for such alteration bv
Anderson. The true returns being printed in
so many forms, it was absurd to think he
would alter it, and yet upon this false pre-
text he was convicted.
hope the conviction will not be carried
into execution. If it is, as matter of
course, the deepest feeling of resentment
and hostility will exist in the minds of the
great mass of the people, who believe that
these returning officers did but their simple
duty. Nothing has been done pending the
trial to interfere in any way with the course
of judicial proceedings but if Anderson is
imprisoned under this sentence, it will be a
mockery of public justice, and will bring
into contempt all efforts at peace and con
citation. It is an unlocked for and terrible
check upon the efforts of the President to
quiet the turbulence and violence of Louisi-
I ana politics, and seems to me an act of folly
and madness.
The following is the dispatch referred to-
WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 4, 1873.
1, Gen. Thomas C. Anderson, New Orleans:
The undersigned feel it due you under the
present circumstances to assure you of oul
unhesitating belief that in the matter where
in you stand charged, you are altogether
guiltless of any offense: that yon are falsely
accused and maliciously prosecuted: that tbs
proceedings against you, though in the form
of law, is without the substance of Justice
and that we hereby tender our earnest sym
pathy and express our hope that the sense OF
justice and love of peace of the people Of
Louisiapa will protect you and not permit
the best interests of the whole country to be
disturbed by revival of sectional animosity
In any event we are confident that the
American people will redress any injustice Of
which you may be made the victim.
Signed. JOHN SHERMAN,
STANLEY MATHEWS.
j. A. GARFIELD.
EUGENE HALE.
HARRY WHITE
Haues Foilo.rs Sherman,
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-THE President has
written letter to Attorney General Devon.
on the subject of Gen. Anderson's convic
ton in New Orleans. It is reported tina
while temperate in tone, regret is expressed
that such proceedings should have take1
place, as apart from all other considerations
they tend to disturb that Cancellation which
it was hoped would be satisfactory to all par
ties in Louisiana. There is however. nj