The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-07-04
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS.
Attorney General Brewster
Receives a Scoring.
A Suit for Slander Threatened
Him.
Further Particulars of the
Bierne,Elam Duel.
Elam's Wound Serious But
Not Dangerous.
Return of Several Pauper I'm.
migrants.
Contemplated Abrogation OF
the Fishery Treaty.
MISCELLANEOUS, ETC. ETC.
ATTY Gen. Brewster Threatened
Contemplated Abrogation OF
the Fishery Treaty.
MISCELLANEOUS, ETC. ETC.

MISCELLANEOUS, ETC. ETC.
ATTY Gen. Brewster Threatened
With a Slander Sutt-Corre-
spondence Touching
the Cause
WASHINGTON, June 3O.-Wllliam
A. Cook says he proposes to sue the
Attorney General for slander. Brew
ster made certain charges against
Cook in a recent interview published
in the Philadelphia Press. The fol-
lowing correspondence explains
itself:
WASHINGTON, June 29th.
Benjamin Hurts Brewster, Attor-
neg General:
On the 7th inst. l mailed
YOU letter, of which the following
is copy, viz:
WASHINGTON, June 7th.
BENJAMIN Harris Brewster, attorney
General of the United States
DEAR SIR:-My attention has
been called to an interview with you
published in the Philadelphia Press
of May 14th ultimo. Itappears that,
among other things, you stated to the
correspondent of the Press that the
defendant in the Star route cases not
only used the proceedings of their
robberies to paw counsel, but money
was expended in spiriting away wit
nesses, in buying up the counsel of
the government, and in hiring news
papers to defend their rascality. The
government has paid for all this. It
also appears that the following ques-
ton was asked you, viz: What do
you mean by the assertion that the
defendants bought the counsel for
the government in these cases?" to
which you responded: II mean that
J. M. Brewster, of Carlisle, showed
Mr.. Bliss his books containing q rec
ord of payments made by him on ac-
count Of expenses incurred by him
in defense of these suits. Among
other things Mr.. Bliss told me that
Brewster's books contained entries of
several thousand dellars paid to two
partners-Wm. Cook and A. NJ. Glib
son. Both Mr.. Cook and Mr.. Gibson
were originally retained by ihe gov
ernment in these cases, and dis
missed them because I felt that their
services could be dispensed with"
Allow me to inquire whether you are
correctly represented in these ex
tracts from the Press? You will OBJ
serve that they contain first, strong
and plain implication that as one of
the 'ex-counsel' in the star route
cases 1 was bought by defendants,
aud second the positive assertion
that you dismissed me as one of the
original counsel. I will be pleased
to receive an early reply.
Respectfully,
WIN. Cook.
As you have not seen fit to reply to
this letter / am compelled to con-
clude that your utterances to CORE
spondent Of the Philadelphia Press
were correctly reported. Indeed
this was a reasonable presumption,
but deemed it proper to afford you
fair opportunity for explanation or
correction. l am not accustomed to
notice representations or censure
which the uniformed or malig-
nant may circulate or publish against
me. | have neither time nor lncll-
nation to do SO, but your accidental
position as Acknowledgement of the
United States imparts to your accu-
sations an importance which they
would not I:osst IS if they emanated
from you as d private individual ,and,
therefore, both public and personal
respect require that they should re-
ceive proper denial from me. First,
it is utterly false that defendants In
the Stgr route cases bought me, as
none of them had the audacity to at
tempt it. l believe Mr.. Ccle was for
White employed by Mr.. Rerdell.
but I am credibly Informed that
he gave receipt for his fee which
was turned over to the Government.
1t is to be presumed that yon knew
this fact; moreover, you were not lg-
norant of the truth that MIR. Cole
and were only limited partners IN
the evil cases. This Information
you had twice from my lips. so that
your assertion was not only untrue
but made with full information OF
actual facts. Second, the declaration
that you dismissed me as one OF tne
original attorneys in the Star route
cases ceuld not be surpassed in MS
statements. On March IA, 1857. l
sent you written and unsolicited
designation of my appointment as
special attorney. On the 18th OF that
month you transmitted me reply In
which you said that my letter OF res
ignation was surprise to you,
and that you could not see the ne
ce.sity for it, and that had l
continued in the cases and !abored IN
them my usefulness would have been
appreciated. 1t cannot therefore oe
doubted that when you made the as
sertion that you dismissed me it was
utterly untrue. The intellectual ana
moral depravity which tempted you
to malign and misrepresent me as
you have done I am unaLle to COM
prehend. You probably can: IL
only remains for me to state that l
will publish this reply to your mani
festly malignant falsehood In the
public press, and pursue any otner
plan of vindicat!on may deem 70 pc
proper. An Attorney General OF the
United States cannot a.sall my pro
fessional character with impunity,
especially by one who obtained ms
distinguished position amid the
smoke of an assassin's pistol, ana pos
sibly by means which reflect little or
hns IL ham