Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-07
DOMESTIC NEWS.
Remarkable Ca5taee scene-Tbe Pres
Gent and AAOrney.GeneraI.

Remarkable Cabtaes scene-Tbe Presi-
Gent and AaOrney.GeneraI.
WASHINGTON, November 5th.-The Star
publishes the following: A very i'm
portans meeting of Che Cabinet was
held in President Arthur's parlor directly
after his return from Yorktown. Il
was of unusual length, and the secrecy
maintained By members and the onlinous
looks which followed sli questions relating to
the subjects discussed. occaSioned a good
deal of comment at tho time, particularly
among the correspondents of newspapers.
The STIR is enabled to present toleraoly &C.
curate history of the meeting. Every mem
Der OF the Cabinet WIS present. The Presl,
dent, as soon as all were seated, stated he had
called the members together to consider the
question Of the prosecution OF GuIteau tnae
from facts which had come to MS knowledge,
he believed the Government had been
entirely unprepared for the case. he
added, with good deal of emphasis, and
accompanying his words with his cienchsd
fist, that came down with some force on the
table, he would consider it prominently dis
graceful to the Government if In the Guiteau
case as in the star route cases, the Govern
ment should confessitself unprepared to go on,
and become compelled to ask continuance.
Attorney General MacVeagh was present and
gave no Sign. TIE President noticing Mac
Veagf's silence, put the question to him di-
rectly as to the preparation OF the Govern
meat TO proceed in the Guiteau case. The
Attorney. General replied that he did not Cen
slider it any part of his business to give asten-
tention to criminal prosecutions. The Presi.
dent replied that this was great State trial,
and the whole country looked TO MacVeagh
to zee that it was conducted properly and
efficiently. MaCVeagh said there was no law
or custom for the Attorney General to appear
In criminal trials BE had been told SO by
Judge Jeremiah Black.
The President then quickly and somewhat
angEily asked MacVesgh how it had been in
the Aaron Burr trial 'Ob, but that was
trial for treason" MsoYesgh replied. eyes,
said the President, land this is trial for
numbering the Chief Magistrate of the ma
tioa, and 70 my mind it is the positive duty
of the Attorney-Gsneral to take charge of
the case" AIacYeagh then reiterated that
the law never contemplated that es any part
of his duty. The President replied the sta
tutes of the Uaited States authorized the
Attocney-Gsneral 10 appear for the Govern
ment at any time in auy Federal Court in
any case in which he might deen it his duty
to do so, and referred MacVeagh to the par
ticular section cf the law. By this time there
was good deal OF excitement around the
Cabinet table. The lawyers of thu Cabinet
being appealed to, they agreed with the Pres
ident.
As MacVeagh maintained his position that
l. was below the dignity of au Attorney
General to appear in criminal case, the
President then asked him IL he had done any
thing TO obtain counsel to assist the District
Attorney. Having replied he had not, he
requested that Judge John Il. Porter, of
New York, and Walter Davidge, of WASH
ingson, be employed assadditional counsel in
the prosecution of Guite2u. MacVeagh then
said that ii the President desire1 it TO be done,
he would employ the gentlemen named. 1t
is said that at the close of this somewhat re-
marzabie Cabinet scsns, the President re-
marked that the Attorney Gensrais knowl-
edge of law would be greatly improved by
reading the statutes of the United States,
which define the duties Of his offics.
The Case Of S:uitcau.
WASHINGTON, November 5ah-When a
reporter dropped iuto Mr. Scoville's room
this morning. he WAS going through an i'm
mease package Of papers. He was he said,
ssading out subpoB9s, and had been up ever
since three O'Clock this morning. He had not
seen Guiteau sor four days, but had received
note from him, asking bin to come TO the
j1,i DoH'tHou think Guiteau wrote the
letters to the President and Mr. Bennett ask
lug for contributions for his defense ss SOFT
Of joke !" inquired the reporter. I" He never
peFpstreted joke in his life and it is too
iaSa for him to begin K, said Mr.. Scoville.
lie was ss much IN earnest when he wrote
thesa letters IS when he took this (piclzing up
samphlet cont aiming Guiteaus speech,
Garfield and Haacocls) and writing Consul
TO Paris across il, sent il to the President.
4 lady who has written TO me says she never
knew more faustiGal or positive man, or q
rnaH more honest Ia religion, than L. w.
Guiteau, aud that his son, Charles Julius,
MS father never made a joke IN his life.
Many people will know Guiteau before the
trial is over" Mr.. Scoyiile has just receiYed
from !. n. Arnold, ex member Of Congress,
Chicago, q letter, saying, while he admired
and respected Garfield while in Congress, he
lsaogss Garfield would hava insisted on Guiteau
having fair aud impartial trial had he lived,
and the whole legal profession hope he will
have it. Arnold himself can't take part in
tha trisl o. account Of business.
BosroN, November h.-A Deputy United
States Marshal, in compliance with or-
ders from Washington to-day, summoned
as witnesses in behsH of Guiteau Rev. l. n.
Tsrbox. Secretary of the American Educa-
tioaal Society Rev. Howard g. Dunham,
Secretary of the American Peace Society |;
Rev. John L. Withrow, pastor of the Park
street Church, and John w. Guiteau, brother
of the prisoner. No details as to the evidence
they are expected TO give can be obtained, but
TIE above named are sid to be summoned st
the suggestion Of the defendant.
The Confederate Bond NJ tier.
WASHINGTON, November 5th.-The Con.
fedsrate bends held by the United States
Government, with about $50, GOO 900 OF Con-
federste notes, which were among the aban-
doned property OF the Rebellion, have iust
been counted, showing that the bonds amount
TO s.. 600 000, duly eigned and in precisely
the shape of the bonds now being sold. 1t is
not intended to seu them, nor could IL he
done without the sauction of Congress
Many millions of the Confederate notes ware
cancelled, bat many also were in use at the
end Of the Rsbslion. Besides this, there is a
large issue of Confederate certificates of
indebtedness, convertible into Confederate
bonds or money. The officers Of this division
OF the Treasury do not believe that there is
any balance IN Englsnd belonging 20 the
Confederate Government. The Mason and
Slideli letters il this Department show that
they were constantly beggirg for money up
to the collapse. The higher Treasury off
eials however, say that there is a balance in
the Bank of England which Secretary Sber-
man, two years sgo. contracted with a banker
to collect for the United States.
A gentlemsn who during the rebellion held
q high diplomatic position in Europe, says
that the story Of deposit in England to pay
the Confederate bonds is absurd. The Con-
federatss kept their early accounts with the
Barings, and even when mrst flush, and at
the tine that they contracted for the cruiser,
were never known to have more than three or
four million dollars available. ALI the 9th r
money was absorbed by their purchases.
They had funds Ia the hands of w. Trenholm
& Co.. in Liverpool, and perhaps in other
cities, but to no great amount. The speculs-
tion in Confederate bonds has no basis to rest
upon, and must soon explode.
Assassination at Omaha.
oaAHA, November 5th-All Omaha was
startled this morning by the announcement
~ the papers that Colonel Watson B. Smith,
Clerk OF the United States Court, had been
found murdered at about O'clock this morn
lug as MS cEfice door in the third story of .hs
United States Conrt-house. Colonel Smith,
rot coming home last night as usual, his
mother became anxious concerning him, AID
called on Dr. Moore. her Eeighbor, to 90 out
and look for him down town. The doctor
telephone3 TO drugsist Kuhn about o'clock
to 90 to Smiths Office and see If he was there.
IS he had been complaining of feeling unwel.
Huhn did so, apd found C5,onel Smith living
dead upon the floor in the hall in pool Of
blood. with bulles-hole ia his head The
alarm was given, and an investigation was