Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-04-27

Prospect street, near Ridge avenue, Phila-
delphia, on Saturday. A gun-shot was
heard by persons in the house, and upon
breaking open the door of Casper's room,
the bed on which the deceased was lying
was found in flames. It was discovered
that the fire was caused by the discharge
Of double -barreled gun lying on the bed
pointed at the mans heart, and SO rugged
with cord as to fire its contents into his
body.
THOSE "FARCICAL PROCEEDINGS"
The Point in the Case.
New Era, April 96.
Our criticism on the Raymond Dennis
case on Saturday did not reflect, nor was
it intended to reflect, upon anything the
presiding judge did or left undone in the
proceedings before him on Friday or Sat-
urday. 1t was no fault of his that the case
was not tried when attached on Saturday
morning. In fact, he went so far as to in
sist upon it's being tried if it could be dis
posed of in one day, that being the last
day Of the term. =
And it is but simple justice to say that
| we have reason to believe that District
Attorney Eshleman was not responsible
| for the "farcical proceedings" On Satur-
| day, which sent the Dennis case over to the
adjourned court in May after a jury had
been empaneled. There were reasons for
the commonwealth not going on with the
trial, which did not appear on the surface,
| and were not developed to counsel until
after the last juror had been called. These
reasons were, however, SO conclusive in
the judgment of counsel for the common
wealth, that they Joined in asking for the
| continuance of the case, it being apparent
| that if they went to trial under the circum-
stances, then for the first time apparent,
it would be impossible to do justice to the
interests of the commonwealth in the lin,-
tied time of the session which remained. .
Criticism upon the administration of
justice is one of tho most unpleasant
duties which can be imposed upon the
| press, and is justitiable only when there is
| reason to believe that the course of justice
is being obstructed. There is no depart
ment of government which should be SO
deeply intrenched in the respect and conf
dence of the people as the judiciary, and the
journalist who acts under proper sense
of his responsibility will not wantonly sap
the foundations of that confidence. But,
on the other hand, where officers of the
| court are permitted to prostitute the ma
chinery of justice for political purposes,
with impunity, as was done in the Snyder
case or where notorious ballot t-box
stuffer and return tinker like Harvey Ray
mond is permitted to call an attorney
blank liar in the presence of the court and
go unrebuked, while the attorney for no
greater offence is fined for contempt ; or
where men boldly attempt to obstruct
justice by dissuading witnesses, and boast
that they have had the judge and grand
jury fixed" as they did in the pending
case, according to the sworn statements of
respectable witnesses in such cases it is
the duty of the press to criticise as freely
and as fearlessly as in ordinary cases trans
piring beyond the jurisdiction of the
court. If the court thereby loses in the
confidence of the people it has its own
officers and not the preess to blame.
The Truth Of 1t.
Examiner, April 26.
The Gods truth about the cases of
Raymond and Dennis is that E. X. Martin
was private counsel to assist the district
attorney in the prosecution, and it was at
the instance Of Martin that the case of Ray
mond was dumped" and the case of Den
mis- called first, because it was believed to
be the strongest to convict under, in Mar
tins opinion. On Saturday, when Dennis
appeared for trial, in spite Of the
statement of "speciaf' counsel for
the commonwealth, that Dennis had
boasted publicly on the street that
his case would not be called this
week, he was on hand and ready for trial.
A jury was called and the defense ready to
go on, when the especial" counsel assured
the district attorney that the case could
not be tried in one day, and asked for the
withdrawal of juror, and the case went
over o to the May term. . i
If there is one outrage more revolving and
disgraceful than another, it is charging
"the court - with the "scandal of our
mode in administering JUSTICE "when it
consented to and encouraged the settle
ment of the New Era libel suits"
Whether it refers to Judge Patterson
who presided at the trial, or
Judge Livingston, who was witness,
and in no sense "court," but |
consulted and advised with as a per-
sonal friend by the defendants, it is equal
ly outrageous and disgraceful. Can it be
that because John B. Livingston, as a
citizen, as a witness, as a disinterested
spectator sitting in the bar of the court
room, when the defense saw they had done
a grievous wrong to two young men, and
were willing to right that wrong in an
honorable way, when solicited for his opin-
ion, advised that if Messrs Brown and Esh-
leman were satisfied to accept what was
agreed on he advised it as a happy settle
ment of the whole matter in dispute, is
now, at this late day, to be stigmatized as
a party to a scandalous mode of admins
tering justice Can it be that because
Judge Patterson. as the "court," allowed
the defendants to file that settlement as
follows:
1--WE publish the alleged libel on information
vestigation of the case in court has satisfied us
that we were misinfOr and thus did injus-
tice to Messrs. Brown and Eshleman. We are
therefore willing so to state and thus do JUS
tice to these gentlemen"
and then walk out of court, with the con-
sent of the prosecution, that he too is to be
stigmatized as party to a "scandalOus
mode of administering justice"
Speaker Randall on General Jackson.
From his Letter to the Nashville Centennial
Committee.
To no one of the many great and pure
men whose fame fills the pages of Ameri-
can history could commemorative honors
be more suitably awarded than to the
of Andrew Jackson. As warrior
his fame suffers nothing by comparison
with the greatest of modern and ancient
,heftains. AS statesman he has taken
his rank with the ablest and purest of any
sge and country. He was true to every
=