Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-14

LITTER 10 GrrrHku-"CRsSN TO CAaSK.-
H VIII oe remembered that on the evr.iing %
september 18th last, Sergeant John A. Mason, OF
.A'e ~ =. .. ertiirry, as he WIS about going on
'uts VITA detachment Of his battery AT the jaii,
went to the corner az the bull iny and nred a
tall through the glass and into the coll q, the
assassin Guiteau- Mason was. OF course. nut into
the guard house at the airs ensl where he remains
10 10 this time awaiting his trisl by coart-martial
Il Is now stated that he win not be tried untfl
after the trial Of Guteau
A few days ago Mr. st~nvi,le of copnse, for Ont
telu, received In his mstl letter o. his client in
ms care. Casting hasiy glance over u. ana noe
recogIii ing the name, Mason having reversed the
letters In his namel. he noted It's contents and
marked II "Crankr TO "Crank.n This lettei il
dated October q, and reads: "well, pani, Il has
been some trne since sent you a Note Now 4
will have To say that am In a. had nx rs YOUR
SELF And IN a free country like THIS two insane or
Grassy persons ought 10 be allowed TO exchange q
few words Ana as you and 1 are the Only tlro
that are cTdse at the present time, that Is.
In the minds OF some, not all VIII brake the Ice
by writing n you Ia tell you something that might
be az interest 20 you. am % be tried In lew
days, and you are the one that knows mere OF the
case than any one know OF Yet they VIII nat
let yos come x called although You ought 20 10
present You must not be frightehed: no one VIII
hurt you, since Mason the soldier, has been locked
tamber ii. ISL, fyou had been on duty 1t the
window you would have got that shot I must
tell you that fools think that | shot and hit
You and passed through your body, and that
the Lord saved you 10 he mobbed by the good law
or the land. This is q world OF good and bad luck.
1T would have been better for Mason's shot Ia have
Killed YOU than 10 wait so long. see that your
trial Is TO come of or 10 commence on November
18th. That is giving you chance TO grow, and
You VIII get q new suit OF clothes from Boston:
then you VIII loo& better than you do now.
You ought not e. have called on those soldiers to
keep mob away. There is no mob In Washing
ton thai would hurt You. yet there are some that
would like 70 see you killed and they have not tie
grit TO try. The rsason Is y0q are one that is .
Your removing" the President has made sons
extra work 20 many. and some have made money
by IL. Well, must tell you that your shot last
july has made many pray that never prayed be-
fore. Yet yorr COED Old prayer that you offered
up TO your Lord did you good, hope
must tell you that You VIII ger fair trial vet,
the sympathy is with the people and the people is
the law. Your crime is one that has never been in
law Your plea is that the Lord told you 60 shoot;
that Is bad In You 10 say that, you are Christian,
and ought not II say that. Don't blame God for
all the bad This is land OF chance. They VIII
lave 10 get something new up IN your case. I
think that you viii b. treated like tie witches OF
Old You are crazy, Will TIL you; fuer VIII put
you on the Potomac river flats and Il, vC'l III you
get loose TO come to SHORE yOL VIII be
mobbed. II not you viii be LEFT 10 die
IT. high ,y pressure OF the tide, and at the
trio light that will strike you at the rate or 20
times per second You will wish that you was in
your cell thinking OF yorr bright ana happy homo
so lir away. You viii b ,ye the sympathy OF all
good Christians, at least YOU ought Well have
been writing ana told You all that Grassy man
cam Yet person does not Ike 10 Toe called Grassy.
IL Is as grating on the mind as 'assassin." The
word "reInoved" is mild yet II Is All the same in
your case, Now must say that / win do all can
TO have YOU at my rial You must look bold aud trust
In your Lord. You have good brother-tn-law; he
VIII do all he can for You. You must write 10 me;
you know me. wCud like TO do you all the good
can Yet am like yourse9f-poOr and An prison;
no one allowed 10 see he. All I have is the pa
pers; yet have TO buy them ! think OF you gr'ate
deal; can't help it You nay think this strong
letter, vet it is from one that wvald like 10 EN-.
brace thee. Good-by; write soon;
washington City, DC.
MAsoN's IMPROVEMENTS pRFEScE WILL BIZ IN
SANITY.
Mason, who has heretofore been known as a "raw
BONE healthy Inan, commences 70 show the effects
OF his confinement in the guardhouse, and has
lost some flesh. He does not complain-the quar-.
ters being much more comfortable than they were
at first He has room 70 himself, which is moro
than others can say, for since he mas been
In rison the opposite apartment has frequently
nad as many as I'VE or SIX occupants ln IL he
spends his time mostly reading, and writing at
times 10 his friends and relatives In his con-
versations he often speaks or Guiteau having
inspiration was TO dispose OF the assassin and IL
is remark ed that at times ne iniulrcs In eKtrava-
CANT expressions and eccentricities. AS has been
stated the defence will be something like that
which Is TO be made IA the case OF Guiteau-in-
sanity at the time OF the commission OF the act
anu on the subject OF reInort8g the assassin.
MILITARY RECORD OF MASON
Serge 1t Mason was born in Orange county, Va,
lily removed TO Ohio when he was but years
OF age. When but l6 years old he enlisted in 1862
In Col Leggetts regiment, 18th Ohio volunteers
Din the same company with his father,
and being woupded-his left shoulder
joint deStroyed-May 10Th, 1868, he
was transferred TO the Veteran Reserve Corps and
served therein till 1865, stationed principally at
Indianapolis His friends claim that since he
received the wound his disposition has changed,
and on his visits to his family In 1865 and 1874 It
was noticed that ne had grown very irritable and
passionate
MASoN'S CoMRADES-THE CoURT-MARTIAL.
The comrades OF Mason, as well as the officers Of
his battery major McGilvray's), speak well Of
Sergeant Mason, and regard him as a good
soldier and good man. The guarding OF the jail
has never been considerd as pleasant duty by the
soldiers, and had Sergeant Mason killed Guiteau,
the men generally would not hay regretted H. for
they would have then been relieved OF this duty.
Shortly after the occurrence ", ms friends Sc
cured the services OF Mr.. j. q. Bigelow, a meInGer
OF the bar OF the District and he ut once entered
upon the work OF pr ring the defence. In the
latter part OF September, the case having been re-
ported TO Gen Hancock, and the counsel having
suggested that on the court martial 10 try the
officers not attached 20 this post be detailed,
detail was made aid the time set for conYenng
the court In view, however, Of the preparations
for the Yorktown centennial being then IN pro-
gress the order setting the time for the trial was
suopen ded and no action has since been taken.