National Republican., 1883-01-03
DrcKsoN,s DILEMMA.
The Evidence Reviewed by the Attorney
I'm the Case.

The Evidence Reviewed by the Attorneys
I'm the Case.
The closing arguments in the Dickson case
were begun in the police court yesterday. Mr..
Wells summed up for the government He
said the action was brought under section
5i0l Revised Statutes, and that the defendant
was accused of corruptly ondcavoring to in
fluence his fellow jurors in tho discharge of
their duties. He did not 90 into all of the
evidence presented, but purposod consider
ing only that portion showing the use
made of the paper in tho jury room.
1t did not signify that Dickson refused to
vote on the question of reading tho paper IL
only strengthened aud increased the curiosity
of the jurors TO hear IL rcadS After listening
TO denunciations on three separate occasions
from the court in the strongest Language ever
uttered from the bench on jury bribery,
Dickson was, perhaps, more than over
favorable TO the other side. Tho next
public uttoranCe in court was that Of Mr..
Ingersoll, vslercin he asked the court to allow
the jurors 20 communicate 60 one another the
facts of tho approaches attempted. lt WIS
manifest that IL was their intention 10 put
that unlawful knowledge in the place of owl
dence for guilt or innocencci in other words,
they were to know that the department of
Justice had offered $4,000 TO secure cOnvic-
tion. How could il affect the jury, if not TO
drive them to the side Of DicSson-that is to
acquit.
Mr.. Wells supported his assertion by read
ing from the testimony given by jurors
! McKelly, Cox, TObrncr, and others. Yet IN
the jury room Dickson said he believed every
word of the paper to be true.
The statements of Bowen and Dickson con-
| flicted; let them stand, he would not. go into
| IL, because 10 was unnecessary.
To Kennedy he said he believed II was only
an attempt to trick him--to SEQ how he was
going to vote. lie said neither the attorney
general nor Cameron had any knowledge of
the attempt to bribe him he said that Bowen
was fool.
Bowon's veracity had bccn attacked. Well,
he would not attempt TO defend him. llp was
willing TO have every word of his testimony
eXpunged from the record. Admitting that
ho was II bad man, how was IL that the expert
onccd William Dickson had fallen into his
| tolls.
Mr.. Smith replied for the defense. Ho said
| ironically that he had no doubt the prosecu-
tion were willing, even anxious, TO eNpunge
| Bowen's testimony. This was an cxtraOr-
dinary case; II powerful department. of the
government stood arraycd against ~ private
citizen, and every resource within its power
was being used to crush the accused.
He called attention TO the fact that Dickson
had protested against serving on the iuryeven
going so far as to say that he had formed and
expressed an opinion. But he had been ac-
cepted by Judge Wylic.
! Mr.. Smith then reviewed the testimony re-
| garding the interview on August % between
| Bowen and Dickson. Bowen stated that he
was armed with the power of the department
of justice. There was the plain statement,
and like q prudent conscientious man Mr..
| Dickson had reduced the whole affair to
writing and he went to the presiding judge
for enlightenment he was no lawyer, and
whatever was said to any fellow-juror was
/ I u. 4 NJ ~ M
not attempt to tell of the attempt in the
court room was that the act of u designing
man? He did not stop with his open avOwalSy
but wentto the assistant district attorney MIR.
Moore. v
The most pitiablo sight in the world was
the man McNelly--a man half monkey, half
idiot-with hardly enough intelligence to
tell his story, even with the assistance of the
able special counsel He said he went TO
Wells's Office and found there statement al
ready fixed up, which he signed. He didn't
know how it come to be prepared. lie was
the star of the east, man with wild fanatic
views about everything in life. Mr.. Smith
referred to the course pursued by Mr.. Wells in
the collection of his evidence in the most
ironical terms, and asserted that McNelly was
really at the bottom of the case.
Mr. Smith next took up the relations eX-
listing between Cameron, Hoover and Bowen.
They were ardent friends, and Drivers place
WAS lntlT camping BGOullu I-Htu OlC lluu Ms
little scheme Hoover wanted to be confirmed
as judge, Bowen wanted his appointment in
the department of Justice and Cameron was
probably after promotion of some kind.
What was the object of their association
Was il not revealed in Bowen's work Hoover
gave the only competent testimony,
and he admitted that he might have
been mistaken. Well, Rice had sworn
that Hoover was mistaken. What was tho
object of that combination Cameron, Hoover,
Bowen? 1t was to get Dickson upstairs, get
him full of wine, and then threaten him
that if he did not vote guilty they would dis
grace him. Thanks to Dickson's good sense,
he did not go TO Drivers on the twenty. fourth
in answer to the card. On the tweuty-tifth
his suspicious were aroused, and he reported
tho whole matter to the judge. During that
ten days trip Cameron said he made a report
to the department. Hoover and Bowen swOre
that he did not. Was it not significant that
the important mission TO which Bowen had
been assigned had never been filled since his
removal.
A witness hGd been brought here from
Texas by the government and never used,
except to stavc of this trial. Why this was
done no one knew, hut it was his opinion that
this was not an honest prosecution of Dickson
but an attempt by this man to improperly in
iluence the other jury. He had no interest
in that case, but it had that appearance, and
this trial, which began in one year, had run
along into another. At this point Mr.. Smith
said that he was feeling unwell, and the court
Il Il .,..Ns lp.v