The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-04-24
TIE POLLUTION OF JUSTICE.


AS an evidence Of the manner in which
the political trials now progressing in
Charleston are conducted and gotten up,
we quote below Il little episode in the
testimony Of Fred H. Nix, colorcL, OF
Harnwcll, one of the witnesses upon
whose affidavit citizens Of Barnwc,l have
been arrested and placed on trial upon
the charge of interfering with elections
Mr.. Kobt. Aldrich, the counsel for the
defence, asked the witness if he had not
sworn he had seen D1cc0l;, CAN'T aim Il
pistol at S.mals to shoot him The wit.
hess replied that he could not remember
all that he had sworn TO- He had made
general affidavit, but could not say
what he had sworn to. The counsel
then read the affidavit made by Nix be-
fore the United States Commissioner. in
which he had sworn that he had seen
CAN'T level 4 pistol at Gen. Smalls, and
would have shot him if a Republican
had not Knocked his hand down and
caused the load To be discharged into the
ground. The witness then made the
very extraordinary statement in cxpana-
ton Of this affidavit that he had furnish
ed the Commissioner with the names of
The persons To he arrested, and hud signc,i
tic 1GidarH IN biunk Ia be- EiIei mt LY he
Commissioner.
The District Attorney here interposcd
with the announcement that there was
nothing strange in this, as the affidavit
had been made out in precisely the same
way ,!s thousands of others.
MT. Aldrich have no doubt that il
WIS the practice of the Commissioners TO
manufacture their aiiidavts in this way.
The witness, he said, had admitted that
he had signed IN affidavit in blank and
was prepared to swear to anything that
the Commissioner chose to put down.
The witness went on to say that he had
not even heard the affidavit read over by
the commissioner after it had heen
drawn out. lie had seen CAN'T, White,
Bennett, Williams and Walker there, the
other defendants he did not know
whether they were there nr not. lie had
! sworn i'll his affidavit that all the detcn-
dants were present. When he had said
that he would not have dared to call II
| meeting he meant ass-mccting. lie
had called private meetings subsequent
to the meeting on the lth of October.
The Republican ticket WAS made up of
Democrats with Smalls, (Rcp.l for Con
gress. The Republicans did this as n
blind, however. as they did not intend to
vote for the Democrats. A meeting OF
the executive committee of the Repuhli-
can party WAS held subsequent to the
convention and q full Republican ticket
was put in the field.
The witness was asked if he had been
assaulted subsequent to the meeting on
the 1lth of October, and began TO tell
how Mr.. Luther Williams had come
down to his house OH the night after the
meeting, and had n pistol in his hand
and WAS going to shoot and kill and mur-
der, &c, &c, but the Court cut the mar.
rativc short by asking the witness few
pointed questions, in which he admitted
that Williams had not shot him, not shot
ut him, not fired his pistol ut all and had
not even threatened to shoot him.
by the Court: Well, what did he 10
Witness: lie came there for water
Laughter.
The facts elected in this case carry
! their own comment. When affidavit.
arc signed in blank and filled out to sui
the wishes of those who are engineering
the cases, no language is necessary te
portray the iniquity Of the Proceeding
When witnesses are reckless enough tC
swea. in blank, and officers aro unprin
cipled enough to fill out atfidnvits thu:
made and to arrest citizens upon them, il
is high time to have n change. Justice
under such management is but q name
for the blacklist of vllanies. The peop!,
of the United States can well see that {
conviction of men tried by packed jury
OH the testimony of witnesses who, ir
their anxiety to procure conviction are
willing to swear to anything, even max
ing out their ailidavits in blank thai
whatever Is necessary may be put in, i.
no true test OF guilt or innocence. The
great shame, however, is that the Rcpub
lican party should keep men in position.
| connected with the administration of ius
ticc who arc unprncipled enough to dc
such things. If this of itself does no
condemn the Republican party, then il
may as we'll be admitted that justic,
sleeps in America, and that the death O
| liberty its,lf IS near at hand