Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-26
ThE MIssINe sRENcEa.
WHAT Is THOUGHT OF HIS ACTION AT WASH


WHAT Is THOUGHT OF HIS ACTION AT WASH
INGToE.
WASHINGTON, September %. - Attention
has been repeatedly called to the fact
that Mr.. Spencer, summoned as a wit
ness by The government in the Starroute
cases, had left Washington without the per-
mission of the prosecution. An officer of
the Department of Justice reported that be
could mol serve the writ OF attachment 10
sued by Judge Wylie on Mr.. Spencer, be-
cause he could rot fnd him.-Mr. Ker. one
OF the government counsel, has said that Mr..
Spencer, after receiving subpoena and re-
manning here for several weeks, packed his
satchel and left Washington, thinking he
was doing the administration a service by
Withholding important evidence against a
former senatorial colleague, Ex-senator
Dorsey.
The Secretary Of the Interior authorizes
the statement that if Spencer is guilty OF
contempt of court if he left Washington to
avoid giving evidence for The government,
the prosecuting officers in the Slar-route
case have failed 10 call his attention to it.
at is manifest" says Secretary Teller, Shat
the President could not act until complaint
was made to him through the Secret airy of
the Iuterior,.or through the Attorney Gen
has been no complaint filed against Mr..
Spencer, and until there is this department
has nothing OF which 10 accuse him."
The head of another department says the
President would not act until Mr.. Spencer
ia formally accused, and not then until he
could be heard in defense. Suppose he went
away not intending to remain, and has been
taken sick. Judge Wylie hiuself would no:
condemn him without hearing. and while
his excuse might be entirely satisfactory 10
the President, still it might not be 10 the
Court.
1t will be seen that Mr.. Ker gives as the
reason for Mr.. Spencer's departure that he
thought he was doing the administration a
service by Withholding important evidence
against Ex. Senator Dorsey. The fact is, he
had been a very important factor in getting
up evidence and giving information on which
the government based its prosecution, and
thought for this service, voluntarily aud
cheerfully rendered, and without pay, he
should have been exempt from summons as a
witness. He said, Just before his departure
from Washington, that he did not believe
the government was in earnest, and gave as
the reason for not caring to waste further
time from hls business, that the prosecution,
instead of proceeding with a case where the
evidence WAS indisputable and overwhelm-
ing against Brady and others, had taken up
a case which at that time the public was in
daily expectation would be fred out of court.
Moreover, he eald the government, instead
Of prosecuting the plainest of cases, had left
the question of recovering the large sum of
money illegally paid the contractors to arbi-
tratiou, the arbitrators being Mr.. George
Bliss, Second Assistant -Postmaster-G General
Elmer and Mr.. Robert g. Ingersoll, and the
amount was said to be four times as grea at as
that lost in the nineteen routes involved in
the case just closed.
In addition to the reasons given by Mr.
Spencer to friend for not wishing foreman
here, it is said he was told he need not re-
main, and if the statement he should make
in his own defense, if compelled to return,
would not be believed, neither would the
evidence he might give for the prosecution
in the Star-route case be believed. His de-
par,ure is regarded as one of the myrteri.
of the case. The points made by Sp-ncer's
friends are very strong ones, and are of such
a character that it might trouble some of the
government counsel 10 answer them. 1t has
always been a mystery why the men who
m ade the most money were allowed TO escape
by confession or compromise. 1t has been
said that the statute of Limitations had run
upon them, but that does not appear to be
the fsct. The government coudsel, 1t Is
known, have had serious differences upon