National Republican., 1883-12-01
TIE KuKLuX rRIALs.
Desperate Efforts Making 10 Defeat jus
tice In south Carolinn-The Difficulties
Encountered by the Prosecution.

tice I'm south Carolina--The Difficulties
Encountered by the Prosecution.
sBscidi Letter
COLUMBIA, S. c., Nov. 2s.--The United
States circuit court convened here this morn
ing, Circuit Judge, Hugh l.. Bond presiding.
large number of people are in attendance.
United States Attorney Emory Speer, of
Georgia. took the oath, and was sworn in as
special counsel in the election cases.
The first case called was the United States
VS.. John A. Mitchell, of Charleston. Mitchell
is charged with hndoring and obstructing
qualified voters from registration. Facts
which the government will seek to prove
show that Mitchell, who is policeman of
the city of Charleston, assaulted certain
voters who were in tho line being registered
jerking them, and pulling them out of the
line, so that they would lose their places,
swearing that they should not register. For
this the United States deputy marshal who
was present. attempted to arrest Mitchell,
but he drew his policemans revolver, and
kept him of.
kEThe government was ready to proceed, but
the defendants counsel urged the court to
pass the case until Friday, on account of tho
illness of Judge McGraw, leading counsel for
the defendant. This was agreed TO by United
States Attorney Melton, who insisted that
government notice of any preliminary OBJ
joctions they intend to make 1t was then
developed that the defendants counsel pro-
posed to attack the whole system of chal-
lenging jurors in the United States courts,
because of an act of the South Carolina
legislature, passed ut the last session, which
changes that system, thus giving to the legis-
laturo of South Carolina absolute control of
the manner of selecting jurors in the United
States court. This would leave the jury
largely domocratic and would result in the
acquttal of every defendant, or q mistrial.
1t is claimed by the prosecution that tho
act of the South Carolina legislature was made
purposely to fit these election trials, and they
insist that it is in the discretion of tho United
States judge to refuse to conform to practices in
tho federal court to the state court if he sees
proper to do so. 1t is safe to say that If couA-
sci for defendant succeed in their motion
there will not be single conviction obtained
by the government and it will be unnecessary
for the state of South Carolina to spend the
$4,000 which will be appropriated for the
purposes of the defense. The governor of
South Carolina, in his message to the legisla-
ture, strongly urges an appropriation to pay
for the defense of the state officers OF election,
which means the managers by whose action
such frauds upon the elective franchise were
perpetrated A number of the jury are green
hackers and independents who have suffered
by the practices for which the prisoners are
on trial. and these men are now .fercely as
sailed by the newspapers of the state, and
their impartiality impugned. The trials will
certainly proceed Friday morning.
Judge McGrath was the United States judge
who, when South Carolina seeded, pulled
off his judicial gown in court and trampled IL
under his feet.