The daily gazette., 1882-11-01
GATH ON HARRINGTON
THE SLATER CASE AND THE
SAFE BURGLARY.
A MODEL REPUBLICAN LEADER
Schemes Neither "SensIble Nor Sane"--A
Pen Picture OF Harrington and His
Giddy Plans.

"Gath," in letter to the Cincinnati En-
qaire, of Monday, says:
Delaware is the scene of a very warm
campaign, but the Republicans are bandi-
capped by such INSCRIPTIONS If brilliant
leadership of Dick Harrington, who, 1t ap-
pears, while in the District Attorneys Office
at Washington City, let murderer go free
who had once beeL convicted and doomed to
the gallows. This is a peculiar case. In
| Washington City. about nine or ten years
ago, young man who was contractor on
the public street killed an inofiensive person
at German festival in the Schuetzen park,
by striking him with knife attached TO q
| brass knuckle, an infamous weapon, which
OF itself establishes premeditatien and
| murderous intent. In some quarrel over q
woman, this man, striking as if with his fist,
| stabbed his victim through and through.
| The blood of the man cried for vengeance,
and jury was ready to give it:
Slater, the murderer, was the son of an
| old slave dealer In Baltimore, who had lived
| in the South and had married his mistress. n
well-bchaved woman, but with an unfor tu-
nate past Getting large contracts on the
public streets and sewers, he made money
and decorated his wife with costly diamonds.
| Alter he had been convicted his wife took
| these diamonds, 1t is said, to Harrington,
who was Assistant District Attorney, and
| proposed to sell them for money II he would
give her husband chance. The indictment
says that Harrington took $4,000 from this
woman, allowed new trial to be ordered,
and then failing to prosecute with efficiency,
or admitting certain points made by col
fusion, he let the man escape, the jury being
mystiied, some say, by the Bench as well
as the Prosecutor.
good deal Of i'll feeling and scandal
still attaches to this case, and POSSIBLY ono.
OF the judges has been maligned by public
opinion. But the behavior of the younp
Distrct-Attorney was SO unscrupulous that
he was indicted, and the Slater family is
willing, it is understood, to show him up.
lie had already got into great trouble over
the celebrated safe burglary case, and had
| stood one trial with the jury disagreeing,
and had spent in the defense considerable
money of his well-to-do father-in-law, who,
declining to spend further, Harrington ran
OIL to Canada, and did not come back till
the matter had blown over. One would
suppose that man of this kind would have
the discretion, if not the modcsty, not to
push himself to the head of a political
party; but on the contrary, the young man
is said to anticipate his election to the United
States Senate
or course, such scandals greatly effect
the excellent chance the Republicans had to
get possession of Delaware, and perhaps
and salisbury. His (Harrington's) whole
life has been asuccess sion of scrapcs without
context or reason. Believing himself to De
man of great genius he is always OVERRIDING
every thing. His mind seems to have a bug
In it that buzzes him on TO do something
smart, but generally capsizes him and his
friends.
The safe-burglary, for instance, was a most
shallow job. Governor Shepherd once told
me that it arose out of Harrngton's for
wardncss and desire to distinguish himself,
A lot OF these miserable detectives, who are
the bane OF modern life, thought they saw
opportunities to make money out of two
embittered factions in the District of Colum-
bia, and, certain set OF books being
wanted by an Investigating Committee,
projects to steal them were made. Harring-
ton had become great favorite of Shep-
herd, and it seems to have occurred to his
giddy mind that lie could have burglary
charged to the instgation of the chief pros
ecutor, an individual of not much public
value, named Alexander. So Harrington
got the Chief OF Police to come and watch
with him while burglar blew open the Dis
trict Attorneys safe. The experienced
police officer, who never had much idea of
Mr.. Harrington, at once felt that the burg
larry was sham. The burglar took certain
books which had been put in the safe, and
went to Alexandcr's house, which was in
the ncighborhood, and rang the bell to get
in. But Alexander was sick or asleep, for
he never opened the door, and the burglar
was arrested as he was leaving it. Tho
Chief OF Police lost no time in expressing his
views that there was a conspiracy, and that
it was on Harrington's part.
The papers took it up, especially the New
York Sun, whose editor Shepherd had
endeavored, on the advice of Harrington, to
bring over to Washington city to have him
tried there. This brilliant idea was proba-
bly, Ilarrington's. 1t put on the defensive
very many respectable men who desired to
see Shepherds work in the District of
Columbia completed, and he gave proper
credit for it. Shepherd, though still called
'the Boss, " is creditably considered by nine
tcnths of the people OF both parties who
visit Washington but Harrngton's schemes
having neither sense nor sanity in them,
continue to be exposed and to plague the
political interests he iastens himself to. lie
is great Stawart, like Guiteau and has a
lofty contempt for Liberal Republicans, be.
licves in Arthurs denomination, thinks Mr..
Conkling is the only living statesmen, etc.
The natural leader of the Republican
party in Delaware is Judge Fisher, man of
good family; but lIarrington's loud bril-
liancy facinates the Judge. The moment
Harrington took charge of the campaign
considerable Republican element in the
hoiVhcru couitJ uToppeu lhe party. Inc
recent publication of the Indictment against
Harrington tor taking the brbe IN the
Slater case puts n dark shadow on the
State campaign. 1t seems that District At
toruey Corkhill quashed it recently, as time
enough had elapsed TO bar the man from
punishment. But how is an officer of the
Government to account to the people for
the crime of murder with q
bribel
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Horses and Mule Dead.
Gnnrnn u. Slavmaker lost q Yaluahle mnln