National Republican., 1882-09-13
William Diclsson,s Charge.

William DiclSson's Charge.
The foreman of the star route jury, Mr..
William Dickson, distinctly charges that
an agent of the Department of Justice
either attempted to bribe him, or at
tempted to make him believe that he
could have $4,000 if he would take it for
voting in the jury-room to convict Brady
end S. w. Dorsey. The name of this agent
is Bowen. He is said by Mr.. Dickson
to have shown letter of appointment
from the AttorneyGeneral as a special
agent at salary of 81 day and ex-
penses. Dickson says he read the letter
to him to show him his relations to the
Attorney General, and that he said, 81
wanted to go West and take holiday,
and SO the place was made for me-"
Dickson further says that Bowen eXhib-
tied a letter from the recently appointed
marshal of Arizona, asking for Bowen's,
appointment as an agent to investigate
certain matters. Bowen is represented
as having gone to the extent of offering
to deposit the bribe-money secretly, and
to Dickson's satisfaction, for delivery
after the bribe service should be per-
formed; and also as having proposed to
arrange meeting between Dickson and
the Attorney-General at Wormley's
Hotel.
Dickson says he does not believe the
Attorney General was party to this in
famous transaction, but thinks Bowen's
movement was made to ascertain if any
of the jury could be bought. Mr.. Kerr 81
counsel for the prosecution, Says that
Bowen will be brought on froYt Arizona
to answer the charge of Mr.. Dickson. Mr..
Dickson claims to have reorroborative
testimony of the truth of his statement.
IF we .weSe.t9o' copy after the manner
of sensational journalism, and to ac-
cept the rules of evidence its conductors
have always treated as sufficient, we
should at once declare that, as Bowen is
an authorized special agent of the De-
partment of Justice, therefore he must
have been acting under the Attor-
ney-General's instructions in Offer
ing a bribe to juror. The news
papers which try and convict accused
persons in advance of the evidence for the
defense, and which denounce as apollo
gists for crime all who recommend judi
cial trial before conviction, will now be
entirely consistent if they "jump on"
to the Attorney General and demand his
removal or impeachment. The foreman
of the jury, in q case in which the Attor.
ney-General himself personally appeared,
and to his professional connection with
which he was probably indebted for his
call to the Cabinet, is invited to meet
that high officer at Wormley's Hotel to
receive assurances Of the sincerity of an
offer of bribe of $4,000 to vote with
the prosecution. The man who invites
him seeks to convince him of his
authority by exhibiting a letter of
appointment as special agent signed
by the Attorney-General. The fore
man evades him and consults the
Judge, who tells him not to engage in any
further talk with this agent, not even for
the purpose of discovering who is behind
him. And there the matter dropped.
And here the sensation-mongers would
naturally take it up, and picture At
torney-General Brewster awaiting visit
at Wormleys from his trusty agent and
"the man with the most intelligence"
selected as the governments agent to do
criminals work. How dramatic And
it would have to be left "to be continued" !"
for the foreman acted uprightly and con-
fded in Judge Wylie.
But The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, which
is slow and old-fashioned, and which has
hitherto refused to howl against accused
but unconvicted people, will now refuse
to believe Special Agent Bowen's alleged
tale against his chief. 1t will refuse to
denounce Mr.. Bowen until he is heard.
This may subject us TO the charge of be-
ing calleus and Indifferent in regard to
official corruption. But it is only the ex-
ercise Of our sense of justice. When
Bowen comes we shall see whether he
will deny Dickson's charge, or admit the
reported conversation. If the charge is
admitted or sustained, then it will
be for him to accuse the Attorney-Gen-
cral of having directed him tocommit an
awful crime, or else to confess that he
used that officials name without author.
ity for purposes Of his own. If alone, or
under the advice or suggestion or with
the knowledge or assent Of anybody co :
nected with the Department Of Justice,
he tampered with juror, either TO bribe
him or to see ifhe was approachable, then
lie vile man and the Attorney-General
cannot harbor him or any who may have
abetted him. "Court vermin was the
term applied by Theodore Parker to
t.o3e vile creatures who sneak around