Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-04-12
NATIONAL CAPITAL.

NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The eighteenth week of the star route
trial has begun.
The decrease of the national debt dur
ing March'was 1884, s26.27.
The issue of standard silver dollars
from the United States minis for the week end
ng March 81 was Sl59,999.
An examination of the cash and Sc
curties In the United States treasury is being
made, and progressing satisfactorily. Such an
| examination has not been made before In ten
years, and is exciting considerable interest
| There are go persons, including female count
| ers, engaged In this work under the supervis-
| ion of the government committee The count
| so far has shown deficit Of five: ents In one
| bag OF silver and an excess Of six cents In the
accounts Of the interest teller. 1t Ii supposed
| this discrepancy will be explaint as the count
| progresses. The cash Is being counted twice,
| the first time by the committee and again by
| representatives Of the treasurer. 1t will re-
qure two or three weeks TO complete the ex-
animation.
An important decision has been rem
| dered by the supreme court OF the United
| States, reversing the judgment OF the supreme
court of Missouri, and remanding the case for
| further proceedings. The decision was In the
murder case Of Chas. T. Krng against the state
| of Missouri, a brief synopsis OF which we ap-
pend: kring, the plaintiff in error, on Janu-
| airy 4, 1875, shot and killed woman named
| Dora Brewster. At the March term OF the 81.
| Louis criminal court In the same year he WIS
| indicted for murder In the first degree, tried
and found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged.
| Upon appeal the judgment Of the criminal
| court was reversed and new trial ordered.
| Two more trials followed In both Of which
| the jury failed TO agree. Upon the fourth
| trial the prisoner made an agreement with
| the states attorney To plead guilty Of murder
in the second degree, upon condition that
| his sentence he Imprisonment for a pc
riod not longer than ten years. Under this
| plea he was sentenced 10 imprisonment or %
| years. He again appealed and the Judgment
| of the lower court Mas reversed by the supreme
| court aud the cause second time reinanded,
| Upon his next trial the prisoner refused 10
withdraw his plea Of murder In the second de-
gree or TO make another plea, whereupon the
| court ordered plea Of not guilty 10 be entered
| for him and he was again tried for murder In
| the first degree, found guilty, aud sentenced to
death. He appealed successfully To the court
of appeals anu TO the supreme court of the
| state. In both OF these tribunals the judgment
| and sentence a the court below were affirmed.
| Sentence was then ordered TO be executed Feb
| ruary "a, 1882, but before that time Judge Mil
| Ter OF the United States supreme court granted
| a writ Of error, and the case was brought 10 the
supreme court for review. Under the consttu-
! ton and laws of Missouri In force at the time
\ the otfense YVES committed and the indictment
found, the prisoner could not he tried for muir
| der In the first degree after he has been con-
victed or pleaded guilty Of murder in the sec
/ Ond degree, but under the constitution OF 1919
| as construed by the supreme court of Missouri.
| one indicted for murder in the first degree
| aud convicted or sentenced on plea Of
guilty Of murder I'm the second degree, may b.
| again tried for murder in the first de-
gree In case OF appeal and reversal.
| Ii was contended In all the courts by the pris-
| oneT's counsel that section OF the state con-
| sttution Of 1915, adopted subsequent To
| the finding OF the indictment, could not be al
piled TO the prisoners case, that 1t changed the
punishment, that IL was an Tex post factO"
| law, and as such repugnant to the constitution
| of the United States. Justice Miller, in long
and carefully written opinion, rendered the de-
cision OF this court which may be briefly sum
| med up as follows: We are OF opinion that
| any law passed after the commission of an Of
| Tense, which In relation TO that offense or its
| consequences after the situation of party to
| his disadvantage Is an sex post facto" law. No
| one can be c-iminally punished in this coun-
| try except according to the law prescribed
| for his government by the sovereign au-
| thority before the imputed offense was com
United and which existed as law at the time.
| The provision of the constitution of Miss ouri
which denies to plaintiff In error the beneh,
which the previous law gave him OF acquittal
OF q charge of murder in the first degree, ON
conviction Of murder In tie second degree, IL
as to his case an sex post facto" law within
the meaning of the constitution Of the United
States and for the error of the supreme court
of Missouri In holding otherwise its judgment
Is reversed and the case remanded to IL with
direction to reverse the judgment Of the Grim
inal court OF 1t. Louis and for such further
proceedings as are not inconsistent with this
opinion. Chief Justice Waite and Justice
Brady, Gray and Matthews dissented. This de-
cision, rendered by bare majority of one
finally relieves the prisoner from the sentence
of death which has been banging over him for
the past seven years.
The secretary of the interior has de-
cided that an application to amend a home
stead entry is matter of right only when neces-
sary to correct a mistake, clerical or otherwise,
which would result In depriving the settler of
allowed In any case as matter of executive
discretion to enable him to take the full guam
tity allowed by law, and TO avoid conflict with
other asserted claims, the new lands sought to
be included must be actually vacant and free
from adverse rights legal or equitable, so that
no injustice to any other person shall result
therefrom
Treasurer Wyman is not entirely sat
is1ed with the appointment Of +. o. Graves az
assistant treasurer Mr.. Wyman Is held re-
sponsible for the acts OF his assistant, and the
treasurer's bond covers them both. Mr.. Wy
man thinks that the appointment should have
been made from among the officers OF the treas
ury proper and that man should lot be
brought from outside the bureau 10 ride over
others now In his department. who arc In the
direct line Of promotion and understand the
work better than Graves does. The secretary
of the treasury and the treasurer are supposed
to have absolute control OF their respective de-
partments, aud, inasmuch az Mr.. Wyman must |
be held responsible for the acts of bis assistant,
he would prefer to have promoted man from |
among his own subordiuates.
The number and value Of stamps,
stamped envelopes and postal cards called for |
by postmasters' acquisitions received at the |
postofhce department In one day recently were |
as follows: Number OF stamps, 2s.OOO 900; en-
velopes 1000, 600; postal cards, 2, 100000 Ag..
gregate value, 100000. These orders exceed /
In the aggregate any before in one day.
Treasurer Wyman ha paid the sal
aries OF members of the house of representa-
tiees for the month ending the 4th inst. Pay.
ment was made upon certificates issued by the
speaker. Among those paid was Representa-
tive Ochiltree, the first comptroller having
withdrawn his prohibition in this case. Pay
ment was, however, refused Ia the case Of Del
egates RAYMOND and Singister, the comptroller
having notified the treasurer that such pay
ment would be charged against his own ac-
sl... A. ~ &c.,. /