The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-15
JUDGE BILLINGS AND ACT no. 8.
The Attempt to Esrtbe or Undluly Hnfau"
ence Tine Late Judge 6aucler.

EDITOR Denocrot-,At the request Of Mr. E.
Sabourin, and In fairness to Judge Billings.
ained in the DEMOCRAT of August 30. concern
ing d pretended attempt to bribe or unduIy in
fluenee the late lamented Judge saucier. are
utterly uufounded.
The facts are briefly these:
On the eleyenth of May. 1874 ;; I; ID. Lef9vre
and Joseph Garcia were committed TO the Par,
ish Prison for five days. In default Of payment
of fine of S25 for violation Of act No. OF the
Legislative session Of 1874. On the same day the
Eus,is and II. @. Castellanos, ana tho latter
through Messrs. Sambola and Dncros, applied
to the Sixth District Court for writs Of hobrdS
co,p~s, alleging that act No was unconsitu
tionn. and the writs were issued returnable ct
| Q o'clock .. m. OF that dny. The. services Of I;
| J. Semmes, Esa., OF Mr.. T. saoourtn AND OF
! Lottery Company.
The cases wnen called for q hearing were. by
consent of parties, continued to or o'clock OF
| the next day, My IL, In order to afford time to
| counsel to examine the nice questions Of law
presented to the court for decision. j..
| On tho twelfth May, these questions we're
| thoroughly argued authorities from many
| States Of the Union and from Great Britain be-
| ing cited, and the cases were submitted to the
court with leave to counsel for RESPONDENT TO
| file a brief on the following morning This
| brief, which bears Mr.. Sabourin's and my sig
nature, was flied accordingly, and is still in the
record.
| Judges and lawyers, as well as doctors, can
Disagree md on the sixteenth MAX H. the court
re ITS ds2 had o
| Mt arge until the determination OF their appli-
cation,
Ths fees of the Lottery Company's counsel
wore promptly paid ON presentation at the
| office Of the company.
| [ nevor knew. understood or heard that Judge
| Billings had any. connection whatever with
| these cases but it is manifest, from the rapid.
| itv with which they were conducted, tried and
and this by the t lint eif t o.
time to attempt or to carry on the negotiations
| alleged by the DEMOCRATS informant.
| hnO'p. most positively, that not o. syllable
| looking directly or Indirect y. to un due influ
ence ia this matter WIS ever breathei to Judge
tai ly have done tho things: First. given us
notice of such an unworthy approach. and this
would haveinaured the. immediate Withdraw
from the case of all Of the com any's counsel
bench, to the nefarious attempt in terms which
would not only have vindicated his personal
and iudiciat dignity and the purity of the bench
but which would also have ,stigmatized witt
richly merited odium those who had been base
enough TO conceive the thought
And here, in justice to Judge Saucier's mem
ory permit me to add that such was his &c
knOWledged purity and Independence rs
magisrate-a purity and Independence main
tanned unimpaired until his premature and de
other sido fear q biased decision OF these cases
but that and In this | am confident | shall b.
borne out, had his decision been the other VIZ,
the opposing counsel and the entire bar and tn
community would have accepted the de11Slon ~
the expression Of his honest convict ms, with
ont even suspicion of improper motives,
/ In conclusion, allow me to state that this sim
pie tribute to the truth Is offered solely with
view of cOunteructing malevOlent m1srepresen
tatirns at whomsoever Ieveled and believe m
to be- with the highest consideration,
i Yours, respectfully,