Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-02-26
THE GIBSON INTERVIEW.
How the Congressman Arraisns
George Wesley.
Al

Special TO the ReqtSteT.
WASHINGTON, February 81 telegrsphed
you Saturday last the main points Of re-
cent interview with Congressman Gibson,
of the Fourth District, printed in the
Washington Post of that date. The fol-
lowing is the interview in full:
representative Gibson, of West Vir-
ginia, related to Post reporter last night.
while seated in his cosy library at his resi-
deRce on North Capitol street, some inter
esting facts about the workings of the De-
partment of Justice IN his State. Three
years ago. said be, e. Wesley Atkinson
was sent into West Virginia as Treasury
agent to spy cut violations Of law, and two
years later he was sppoiu ed United S ates
Marshal for my State. He gathered about
him q small band of deputies and went
through the country, especially the Demo
cratic sections Of the State, accusing the
residents of all manner of offences and
crimes against the law, insulting the wo.
men, frightening the children and actually
stealing from them during the absence OF
their male protectors.
"Did he make any report oil his inyesti.
cations"
An InfamOus Report.
He placed on record one of the most IN,
famous reports concerning our people that
was ever filed in the Treasury or the De.
pertinent OF Justice accusing the people
as wEole WITH deIrauding the Govern
L eut By making and selling whisky, sell
rg uLSisnped tobacco and making anu
c.r,urat ~ counterfeit money
Were any Il the persons accused ever
.nSl.'su cr brought to trial?'
..Nrre hundred indictments against the
.eutlr IN the districts represented by Mr..
kerra end myself were tiled upon almost
every conceivable subject, and upon the
most trivial and puerile excuses:
what became of these indictments?
Hon. Nathan Goff, who was Usitsd
States District Attorney at the time, after
investigating them, threw out seven hun
dred and twenty.nine of them. Let me
give YOU an instance Of one OF these trivial
arrests, The Marshal or his deputy would
ride through the district and on meeting
farmer ask him If he had any tobacco. The
farmer would go to his barn, twist up
roll OF tobacco and hand it to the officer,
who would offer to pay for it. This would
be re fused, but, on the officer insisting
tbe farmer would say, If you wish 10 you
can give my little boy here trlte. don't
want apything.' The child would receive
the nickel, and in dey or so the farmer
would be arrested fer selling tobacco with
ont a license. This is only ore out OF
hundreds OF instances
working II for All II was Worth.
who received the fee?'
The officer would collect his fee, and
often the Marshal would say, Duplicate it;
make all you can The people thus in
dicted were brought 20 Charleston at the
same time, and the streets resembled
refugees camp, ANY stranger happening
there would think that the people were
fleeing from the invading army"
What was the proportion OF the crlm'
insl prosecutions in your State during this
time in comparison with other States
throughout the country
"The criminal prosecutions in West Eir-
ginis annually for those two years (1SS2 81
were more than one-tifth of all those IN tue
rsst of the States and Territories in the
Union"
This of course occasioned great expsndi'
tures in the two dlstrictsT
The expenditures" replied Mr.. Gibson,
"Sere greater than the entire criminal e1-
nsnse for the whole State
"Wss the number Of Government OIL
cis,s increased at any time"
"In 1852 there were seventeen Msrsnsis
ard Deputies on the pay roll. In 1883 the
number was thirty-siX. In lsSZ the Psy
roll amounted to $l1 900, aud in 1883 TO
sI6 zoo. This money constituted MarsnaIs
fees" .,.
witness Fees
ain 1852 Witnesses fees amounted to
"a 600 and in 1888 they were sweiied 70
coo 600, and the other expenses were N
like proportion. Our people naturally
consider these proceedings an outrage upon
I.w honesty ana decency, and the only
thing we can do is to hold up the rsscaiiy
r.vs Of these understrsppers 70 the coun-
NV. Il is our only means OF redress
.Hov was it managed that those who
wsrs really indicted for cause were not
0rSTs .'Tsey paid their way or in other words
bonpbt themselves Oh. .,.., 49,
.'Hss thsre been any intimidation or
bribery" h. h..n intimi
,h,onshont the State by Atkinson
JAY S H. 5annIiss Atkinson Is chairman OF
the State Republican E1ecu's1 or. con.
,se There have been some A. not he.
csrning Judge Jackson. ont l uo uS' "a
icye that he Is coguisan1 Oh 'A' ''Su - "