River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-03-30
SERGEANT MASON

SERGEANT MASON.
The hasty manner in which Sergeant
Mason, the would-be slayer of Guiteau,
WAS hurried off to prison has excited
great Indignation among all classes, and
the petitions which are beginning to
pour in upon the President from all
parts of the country are being dupli-
Gated in the business houses and de-
partments.
1t is stated at the War Department
that the case of Sergeant Mason having
passed into the hands of. the civil
authorities, calls for no further action
on their part. The only relief to be
had now is through the President.
General Ayres, Commander at Wash
ington Barracks, said to reporter to-
day that the departure of Sergeant
Mason for Albany Penitentiary We'd
nesday had nothing whatever to do
with the threatened habeas corpus pro-
ceeding. The order for the removal of
the prisoner was expected Tuesday,
and, in anticipation of it, all arrange
ments were made so far as possible
for his immediate removal. The or
der came at 9 o'clock Wednes-
day morning. and arrangements
were at once made in every de-
tail for his departure at l o'clock, as it
was advisable to have Mason arrive in
Albany during the daytime. His
guard was detailed, rations provided,
and transportation procured. "All
of this" said General Ayres, "was or
dered and completed before Bigelow
came here, and before | had any init
nation of any purpose to seek a writ
of habeas corpus. / did not think
then was justified in stopping the
execution of the order. A few days
after Mason's arrest letter was re-
ceived here directing the commanding
officer to consult with the district at
torney as to the purposes of the civil
authorities in the case of Sergeant
Mason. / called on the district attor-
ney and asked him if the civil author
tiles had any purpose to make a
Irequisition for Mason, and told him if
such requisition was made i would
turn him over Immediately The dis
trict attorney said there was no pur-
pose at that time to ask for Mason;
that nothing certainly would be done
until the meeting of the grand jury,
Oct. 4 following, and what action, if
any, would be then taken he was not
prepared to say. From the time of
Mason's arrest till the assembling of
the court-martial for his trial. he could
have been had at any time by the civil
authorities for the asking.
UTAH APPOINTMENTS.
To an intimate friend of President Ar
thur, the latter said in answer to COM
plant of tardy executive appointments
in Utah that he intended to send tc that
territory "picked men," there should
abe no just grounds for complaint that
there is tardy executive action in pros
ecution of the laws in that polygamous
territory hereafter" This intimate
friend says: arthur means business
now; he intends to make appointments
hereafter more upon his own personal
Judgment than in response to the i'm
portunities of political managers
My informant further says that the
pesky chaps calling themselves south.
ern republicans who appear from time
at the white house claiming to be mem
bers of state organizations are among
the most persistent Office seeking cor
morants that infest the premises. They
all have title. There's Colonel Jack
this, Major General that, Judge the
other, and so on to the end of the list
every one of whom las they tell the
story has fought, bled and pretty near.
lily died to establish and maintain the
Republican party in the south, and every
mothers son of them wants a good big
office as reward. The president has
. discovered that they are generally
worthless, threadbare, curbstone Cos
sips and saloon loungers, who have beer
hanging around Washington for years
building up subsistence bills in cheaI
boarding houses and have not been IL
Georgia, Alabama, or any other south
ern state since the war.
AUDITING FUNERAL EXPENSES.
| When the House Special COMMITTEES
to audit the expenses of the sickness
and funeral of the late President Gar
field came to the question of allowing
bills contracted by Sergeant-at-Armi
Thompson, which included supplies o
wines, liquors, cigars, ETC., for the con
gressional funeral train. which wen
from Washington to Cleveland, drapeC
in mourning, the matter was turned
over to Rep. Page, of California, TO
examination. The items were al
grouped together in one voucher, anc
Mr.. Page reported to the full com
mittee favorably, and it was allowed
In so reporting, however, Mr.. Page die
not explain to the committee the many
bills which made up the amount of the
voucher allowed, and for day or two
g. rumor has been current that he die
not intend to allow the full committee
to have these itemized bills for feal
they would become public and create
a great scandal. Your correspondent
met Mr. Page and told him of the re-
port, and he said promptly that the
committee would not get sight Of
these bills again as they had been
burnt up and could not be resurrcc ted
THE sOTELDo CASE,
In the case of Soteldo, indicted foi
the murder of his brother and for as.
sault and battery with intent to kill
Clarence M. Barton, Col. Christy, coun-
sci for defense, argued in court to-day
the indictment should be quashed on
the ground that it was found in viola
ton of the law of Maryland of 1922,
which he claims is still in force in the
District of Columbia. This law pro-
vides the Indictment shall be sent to the
grand jury by express order of the
court; that prisoner shall be bound
over to such court, and that the grand
Jury shall find an indictment of their
own knowledge. The point raised is
regarded an important one. Judge
Wylie's decision will be awaited with
interest. 1t is claimed if the motion to
quash the indictment is granted for the
reasons set forth, not only will another
| indictment become necessary in this
case, but in oil murder cases awaiting
trial here, as well as in all star-route
and straw-sond cases.
1t is thought Judge Wylie will decide
to grant the motion to qnash. In his
address to the grand jury at the begin
ming of the term he cautioned them
upon this very point, and to day he said
he had grave doubts as to the legal
right of the grand jury, of their own
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