The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-04-03
.fComnltlnicated.1
A ss.ur.boat i'm a HEooselety.
LAKE CHARLES, La, March %, 1880.

II LAKE CHARLES, LA, hldrch AZ, looo.
Editor Of the N. o. Times:
"There is some fiutter here in steam
boat circles, caused by the seizure AM
detention of the steamer Ramos on til
18th inst. She is libeled by the Unitet
States for running without Licensed
. officers, and held under a warrant is
sued by the United States Distric
4 Court at New Orleans. According t.
accounts, it would seem to be an ag
gravated case of wilful violation flaw
for while there wcre several duly u
csnsed officers about here engagea Il
other pursuits, who might hare been Oh
tanned, and at least one who applied re
peateatg for a position on thas boat,
man without any license has been EN-
i ployed as pilot, IL IS said, since the mid
die Of last January.
/ AS every departure from port il
deemed an offence, in case of this kind
and subjects the offender to penalt,
of 500 each time, md as the nunabei
of offences are said to be betWeen thirty
and forty susceptible Of easy proof, aoah
more that mag be adled by recalling
dates, ETC., it would seem that the IRA
mos" is in a serious dilemma. Wher
it is considered that the 'Ramos" wa!
making regular trips between this place
and Calcasien Pass, where deputy
collector of customs is stationed, and
whose business it was to be cognizant
of the facts, it might be pertinent to
ask what he is there for, and what eX-
cuse he can offer for allowing this boat
to aggregate such penalties!
A petition was being circulated fol-
signatures few days ago addressed to
Hon. John Sherman, Secretary of the
Treasury, praying for the release of
the "Ramos." 1t was signed by j. w.
Bryan, William Meyer, w. Ii. Haskell,
and others, who probably did so out Of
personal friendship toward the owners,
and withomt considering the injustice
done to duly licensed officers who hare
been out Of employment on account Of
this violation Of the letter and spirit Of
the lam."
The above letter is said to have been
written by D. Ii. Reese, correspondent
of the New Orleans Times, and also
Deputy u. S. Marshal here. And /
say in reply that his statements that
"there were several licensed officers
about here engaged in other pursuits,
who applied repeatedly for position
on this boat, a man without any license
has been employed as pilot, it is said,
since the middle of last January" is a
malicious falsehood, intended to iniure
the owner of the Ramos. / called on
Mr.. Reese twice to ascertain if he was
the author Of the above article pub
lished in the Times, and he not deny
ing it, it was reasonableto suppose that
he was the author. then and there
stated that, if so, he had caused to be
published malicious falsehoods, which,
| suppose, prompted the special tele-
gram from this place, published in the
Daily Times of the S0th ult., wherein
he states ''that Joseph Woodfoe, mas
ter Of the seized steamer Ramos, ad-
dressed threatening language to the
U. S. Dep Marshal to-day, on account
of some severe structures regarding the
Ramos" ETC., which telegram is hereby
pronounced as another malicious false
hood.
When I called on Mr.. ID. III. Reese
it was not in his capacity of Dep. U.
S. Marshal, but as special correspond
ent of the New Orleans Times, and my
harsh language was not intended to re-
buke any of his acts as a U. S. Marshal,
but as a manufacturer of falsehoods
for publication in the press.
The impropriety of Mr.. Reese, who
made the seizure as Dep. US. Marshal,
in writing erroneous and false .commn-
,nications for the press Of the city where
the suit will be tried, is calculated and
intended, not only to prejudice the de-
PENDANTS to the suit, but to advance
his interests as an aspiraut for some
other official position.
When Mr.. Reese learns to attend to
his own business as an officer it will
then be time enough for him to com
plain of other officers.
JOSEPH WoopRoE.