Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-28
POLITICS.
Arrest of the Supposed Author of
the Forged Garfield Letter.
CONFIDENCE OF GENERAL GRANT.
The Reasons of Charles Francis
Adams for Supporting Garfield.
CAMPAIGN PROSPECTS SUMMED UP
oficial Return Of the October Election in
Ohio.

ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE REcoRp.uNIey.l
New YoRK, October 9th. = Kennard
Phelps, an editorial writer on The Truth, was
| arrested to-day in Brooklyn on charge of
| forgery, in connection with the so-called
Garfield Chinese letter. He will be arraigned
in the Supreme Court this afternoon. His
counsel has already applied for his discharge
| on writ of habeas corpus.
BROOKLYN. October 27th.-The arrest of
| Kennard Phelps was made on charge OF
| counterfeiting Postofice dies upon warrant
granted in the Federal Court.
New YORK, October 27th.-Phelps was ar.
rested in the lobby of the Park Theater,
| Brooklyn, while in conversation with ex-
Sheriff Dogget, Republican leader in
| Brooklyn, and other gentlemen. The ar
rest was made upon warrant issued by
Judge Noah Davis. presiding Justice of the
| Supreme Court. 1t charges Phelps with ma
| liciousiy composing and publishing the alleged
| forged letter. Phelps and the officer, ac-
companied by VIM. Veeder, lawyer, came
| over to the police headquarters in this city.
After brief detention Phelps was taken to
| the Supreme Court, and Judge Davis being
| temporarily absent, he was detained in the
District Attorneys Office. He will be ar
raigned before Judge Davis later in the day.
| A long consultation took place in the Dis
trict Attorneys Office between Assistant Dis
| trict Attorney Bell, United States Commits
sioner John /. Davenport and Geo. Bliss,
who, it is thought, will represent the prose
cution, and General Roger A. Pryor, ex Sur
rogate Veeder and Howe & Hummel, are
retained by the defense. The nature of the
consultation is not known.
| A few minutes before 3 Phelps was taken
| to the general term of the Supreme Court,
where the arrival of Judge Davis is now
| awaited. Ex-Minister Stoughton, Elihu
Root and Henry E. Knox also appear for the
prosecution. John l. Davenport was also in
Court to watch the proceedings.
THE ALLEGED FoRGER IN COURT.
New YORK, October 27th-3:l5 P. NJ
Judge Davis opened Court at o'clock. and
Mr.. Bell stated that he desired to make re-
turn to the warrant issued for the arrest of
one Kennard Phelps, who was charged with
having published criminal libel ON James
A. Garfield. Mr.. Bell was proceeding to
read the affidavits on which the warrant was
obtained, but Mr.. Pryor objected, and the
| Judge decided to allow them to be read.
The first was made by Colonel George Bliss,
| and Mr.. Bell had hardly commenced when
| he was again interrupted by Mr.. Pryor, who
stated that his client waved examination, and
| desired to have the matter presented speedily
to the Grand Jury, 80 that an early trial
could be had. He was ready to try the case
| tomorrow, and under these circumstances it
was not proper to read the affidavits.
| The charge of criminal libel, Mr.. Slough
ton explained, was in order to guard against
any plausible difficulty in sustaining simple
charge of forgery.
| A motion was then made to have the war
rant dismissed, on the ground that the affida-
Wits were not strong enough to support it.
The motion was denied by Judge Davis, who
held that the publication of an article, after
its authenticity was denied which tended to
bring odium on the supposed author, was a
| criminal libel.
The examination was adjourned until II
o'clock to morrow morning, Phelps furnish.
| ing 50, 900 bail to appear
| Gen. Pryor, counsel fer Phelps, demanded
a speedy trial.
As the crowd was leaving the Courtroom
three cheers for Hancock were called for and
given. The person who started the cry could
not be caught. though Judge Davis ordered
| his arrest.
! Phelps appeared very nonchalant when ar
rested, and when friend asked him what
was the matter, he replied 81 believe am
arrested for forging THE Beautiful Snow u
The evidence against Phelps consists in
part of expert testimony as to the forged let.
| ter, but it is understood that papers contain
| ing writing Of the same character as that of
the forged letter have been secured.
New YORK, October 27th.-The affidavit
CT George Bliss sets forth that publication
had been made in paper called The Truth
of an alleged letter of General Garfield to
Morey, also of an editorial headed "Lying
and Sticking to 1t, in which Garfield was
repeatedly called liar. Bliss swears that
he is acquainted with Garfeld's writing, and
that he believes the Morey letter was written
and forged by Kennard Phelps. Bell then
said, 81 hold in my hand the original manu-
script of the editorial referred to, headed
| Lying and Sticking to It." The affidavit
of Bliss went on to say that he believed that
| the publisher and manager of The
| Truth arranged with the Demo-
cratic National Committee to circulate
large number of copies of the forged letter.
Mr.. Bell then said he had the afidavits of
I gentlemen who were acknowledged to be ex-
perts in handwriting. He read the afidavits
of B. E. Payne and A. F. Southwark, setting
| forth that the Morey letter was not, in their
| belief, written by Garfield, and that that let
ter was written by Phelps, who wrote the
editorial article referred to. They had also.
| in forming their opinion, seen his handwrit-
| ing on bills and other papers.
New YORK, October 27th.-It is now stated
that Phelps was arrested for malicious libel
not for publishing the alleged forged letter.
STILL FURTHER cLINoHERs.
The Tri6une's Boston special says the
| Lynn Item gives the following as discredit-
ing the already four-times-exploded Chi.
nese letter The letter was never received
| at the Lynn Office, for the envelopes at that
| place are stamped there, and this envelope
was not stamped on the back, as it must
| have been had it been delivered. Further.
| more, it is the custom at the Lynn Postoffice
to stamp all letters that go into the general
| delivery, with the information that if the full
address is furnished to the Postmaster all
| mail to that address will be delivered by car
| riers free of charge. The carriers say they
| never delivered any letters addressed HI. L.
| Morey, and that there is no street and mum.
! Der in the fac simile shown. The letter, if
| received at all, went into the general deliv.
ery."
FURTHER OPINIONS REGARDING THE FORGERY.
CHICAGO, October 27th.-The Republican
State Committee publish circular which
they will spread thoroughly among the men
| of the State, denouncing The Truths forged
| letter as weakly, wicked device of the Dem
ocratic National Committee, and calling on
all Republicans to redouble their efforts to
make the assured victory so crushing that
| such dlsreputable means of blackening char
acter will hereafter be given over. They in.
| corporate in the circular and call attention to
| it as showing that even the Demo.
cratic press are disguised with such
methods, the New York Sun edito.
rial on the subject, which was telegraphed
yesterday, and also quote the following from
| the Chicago Times: 'sThs alleged Garfield
letter and the alleged Weaver letter are both
proven to be absolute forgeries by evidence
which would convict the forger before any
| jury in christendom. Both were forgeries
committed by graceiess seoundrels whom no
respectable business men would suffer to enter
| the door of his counting house or trust with
his check-book out of his sight The party
managers on whose behalf these forgeries
were committed, and through whom the forgers
expectto be rewarded. perfectly well know that
that they are forgeries for the proof of it is of
such conclusive character as to exclude from
every rational mind all possible ground of
doubt. Yet, Notwithstanding the conclusive
proof that the document is a forgery, dis
patches tell us that the party managers on
whose account the crime was committed are
| sending out thousands of copies of that
| forgery as an argument TO wasers against a
man who never wrote, nor expressed, nor en-
tertained the stupid and brutal sentiment ;
to which it gives words"
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