The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-01-23

1
"ikely to be brought against anybody"
and he added: IF you have
heard, as l have, charges pub
"licly brought in our prints and elsewhere
against any citizen ofhis having offended
under these statutory laws we have con-
"sidered regulating an election, it is your
duty to take cognizance of the charges
brought against him. investigate the evil
"dence of guilt that stands against him,
"and fearlessly render your indictment
without regard to the political party to
(which he may belong, or the official posi-
"tion he may hold or may have held when
che committed such offense."
Under this charge all that was necessary
for the grand jury to ascertain was that
DUDLEY had written the manual for vote
buyers and sent it to some person in In
| diana, to make the return of an indictment
against him obligatory. An investigation
was at once begun; witnesses were
summoned from various parts of In
diana and from other states; and the
evidence of DUDLEY's guilt, much of
which is familiar to the entire public, was
secured. While the investigation was in
| full tide Judge WooDs suddenly sent the
| jury home for a week, ostensibly to enable
| him to held a session of his court at Fort
Wayne. The session was held, lasting
only an hour and forty minutes by the
watch, but DUDLEY got the benefit of a
weeks delay. When the jury reassem-
bled, the investigation was resumed, and
was continued until the adjournment for
the holiday recess. Just before taking
| the recess the jury requested Judge WOODS
to instruct them as to whether it was
necessary, in order to indict person for
sending letter advising bribery. that the
name OF the person to whom such letter
was sent should be known. The Judge
declined, at the time, to enlighten them
upon that point; but yesterday, under the
pretense of answering the inquiry he gave
the jury Observation-Disclosures in direct
conflict with his original instructions, and
of such nature as to make DUDLEY in
dictment practically impossible. In No
vember he told them very plainly that adj
vising an attempt to commit bribery
was a crime yesterday he told them that
advising an attempt to commit bribery
was not a crime. Without this supple
mental instruction the jury was bound to
indict DUDLEY; and it came just in the
mick of time" to save that precious ras-
cal. 1t will be seen that Judge WOODS
deliberately stultifed himself; that he ate
his own words, and put himself in an atti.
tude which no judge having any regard
for the dignity of his Office, for the tradi-
tons and associations that cluster around
the bench, and for his oath TO justly and
honestly administer the law, would be
willing to occupy for moment.
1t is not necessary to enter into de-
tails as to the influences and motives
that inspired this unprecedented
and most scandalous abuse of judicial
power. They are patent to everybody. The
intimate personal and political relations
which WILLIAM WADE DUDLEY occupies
tn the president-elect of the United States
are generally known. Judge WooDs, it may
not be as generally known, is also on init
mate and confidential relations, personally
and politically, with the president-elect.
DUDLEY's crime placed a stain upon Gen.
| HARRIsON's title to the presidential office.
His indictment would not only deepen
| that stain, but it would probably involve
revelations that would be most embarrass-
ing to that gentleman, and to many other
| conspicuous members of his party. Some
| time since DUDLEY served notice that his
pockets were filed with dynamite, "
which would be exploded if he were prose-
cuted. MATTHEW STANLEY Quay visited
| indianapolis in his interest a few
weeks ago. A. f. BATENAN, his
! business partner, was here day before yes
| terday on a similar GRAND. The strong
est pressure-social, personal and political
was exerted to save DUDLEY. The
newspaper organ of the president-elect
came to his defense. All the agencies
! that could be enlisted in his behalf were
set in motion. As the probability of his
indictment developed into a practical GER
tainty, the pressure was redoubled, and
finally, all other expedients having failed,
Judge WooDs was induced to call the jury
| before him and tell them that he had mis-
stated the law to them, and that they had
no right to indict DUDLEY unless certain
things, not susceptible of proof could be
established. THE SENTINEL is informed
and believes that this action was taken
after consultation with and upon the i'm
| portunities of men as close to BENJAMIN
| HARRISON as his recent law partners.
The occasion is one that calls
for the plainest of plain speaking.
If our bench fails us, an honest and fear
less public press must supply the def
cheney, so far as it is in its power. Weigh
ing our words carefully, and fully pre-
pared to accept all the consequences, we
pronounce the course of Judge WooDs in
this matter monstrous abuse of his Judi
cial opportunities and fragrant, scandal
GUS, dishonorable and utterly UMPIRE
cedented perversion of the machinery OF
/ justice to the purposes of knavery; and we
believe that it should lead to his impeach-
ment instead OF, as it probably will, to his
promotion to the supreme bench of the
United States as soon as it is IN the power
of BENJAMIN HARRISON to reward him in
this manner for dragging his judicial
robes in the filth of Dudleyism.