The Portland daily press., 1890-02-21
LEfT-HANDEO APOLOGY FOR MURDER
Death of Deputy Marshal Saunders
Discussed In the Senate.
Southern Members Evade the oues-
tlon to Talk About the Courts.
Many Representatives Talk of the
cities and the Fair.

Cities ana the rdtr.
WASHINGTON, February 20.-In the Sen
ate today, the resolution offered by Mr.
Chandler. calling on the Attorney Genera
, for information as to the assassination a
,, Quincy, Fla, of W. B. Saunders, United
States deputy marshal, was taken up, and
: Mr.. Pasco resumed his remarks. He had
the clerk read various documents, newspaper
articles and the proceedings OF public meet
ings, denuneatory of the conduct and char.
acter Of the United States Court and its off.
GERS in the northern district Of Florida.
These representations, he said, might tend
to throw some light on the causes leading up
to the sad affair at Quincy. He knew moth
ing of the matter himself but he did know
that Saunders had already exhibited his un-
fitness for the office he held. If the killing
of Saunders was the result of facts and cir
eumstances disclosed in the papers read, the
Senate ought to have all the causes which
led up to It. The responsibility of Judge
Swayne, Marshal Mizell, and Clerk Walter
SSaaan' Dee0 s Shown t se conDsa as they
with partisan prosecutions. He accordingly
o1ered an amendment directing the Attorney
General to inform the Senate whether any
efforts had been made by the Department Of
Justice to correct the action of the officers of
the court, which had resulted in partisan
Jurles, made up mainly from one political
party, and If so, to report the same to the
Senate; and also directing the Attorney
Seneral to inform the. Senate whether he
had any information of an official letter
written by Marshal Mizell directing that the
names of true and tried Republicans be
furnished for jurors in the United States
court, and what action the Department of
cations of that character.
MT. Hawley said the remarks of the Sena-
tor from Florida, and the amendment offer
ed by him, seemed to him to be premature
apology ape iSr the murder It was evident that
the Judgment of the public mind, crime
which even Democratic paper in Florida
| stgmatlzed as brutal, infamous and cow
ardly murder. The Senator Mr.. Passed.
mad represented Saunders as not having been
always good man. A fair inference from
his remarks would be that there would not
have been much objection to Saunders be-
| ing killed If 1t could only have been done in
a less Objectionable way. What, he asked,
had the bad character of Saunders and of
murder of Saunders? He did;not care what
Saunders had done last year or the year be-
| fore. He did not care how bad politician
ne was. He was shot by towards and
ocounuIeisi ior WuOm not SnaQ0W OF apology
ought TO be made. He wished the Senator
to understand distinctly that his speech was
regarded by the Republican Senators as an
attempt to make sort of left handed apollo
gy Tor the murder and evade an investiga-
tion,
Mr.. Pasco remarked that there was no ne
cessity for the Senator from Connecticut
working himself up to such pitch of excite
ment
Mr.. Hawey-"The Senator worked me
up.''
Mr.. Pasco said he had merely called at
tention to the grossly improper way in
which the duties of the United States Judge
and marshal in Florida were conducted He
made no excuse for anybody and had ex-
pressly declined tn discuss that question.
Mr.. Call did not think there should be any
opposition to the amendment offered by his
colleague. He made no justification Of the
killing Of Saunders. He condemned it but
declared that there were fewer murders in
necticut or New Hampshire or even the ma
tional capital. He alluded to the outrages
committed by federal officers in Florida and
declared such acts led desperate, misguided
selves The first cohsideratS1 5ss Wa5 to puTgs pnf
the judicial offices oficorruption and impuri-
ty. The law could not be executed by the
ministers of crime. nor could national and
and a public honor, be fepressea:a ea:ai04R9ttiag
clared the Senator from New Hampshire
Olduul6Tl T6SpUuslDlo LU6 murders
in Florida. and for the destruction of the
happiness of households there by emissaries
of his
MIR. Chandler said that as the pending res
oution merely called for information on file
in the Department of Justice, the discussion
appointed by the President since the 4th of
March last, a judge of the United States
court for Florida, district attorney, and
marshal. Many indictments had been found
fnrn 0tNdn md aAf envaAa
being made TO arrest and try the offenders.
The Democrats of Florida, as body, in the
section of the state where these election
frauds were committed were en-
gagged in the defence of those criminals
by killing witnesses and deputy marshals.
There was in that section of the state an alb
solute rebellion against, and defiance of the
laws Of the United States. He went on to
relate the case of a colored man named John
Burr. who was subp9naed as witness in
one of such cases, and who, on his return
from jacksonville, where he had not even
testified, was called to his gate and instantly
riddled to death by more than 40 bullets.
Mr. Call asked Mr.. Chandler where he got
Chandler replied that fortunately for him
self he was not present when John Burr
was murdered, but had the Information
from reliable authority. He would not men
tion the name OF his informant, lest he, too.
| might be added to the silent voters OF Flori-
da.
Mr.: Call made reference to Mr. Chand-
ler's having been allowed, in 1876, to leave
| Florida without molestation after illegally
| counting the vote of Archer county for
| Hayes.
Mr.. Chandler replied that he was in Flori-
da on that occasion, and got back safely.
de nad Deen there once since and got back
safely, but he would net have been safe II he
| had been by the side of Burr or Saunders,
He, said Saunders had gone off in buggy
with a man named Mcfarland. alive. and
! came back with man named MITCHELL dead.
Asked by Mr.. Call how he connected Mitch
ell with the murder, he replied that Mitchell
SeIl was seen In the buggy with Mcfarland and
the body with ''D'i' rejoicing. SI When Tden
asked whether Saunders was dead. he said:
"Yes; damned dead"
The discussion was going on when 2
O'clock arflved ana the educational 6ill came
asked his colleague to let this matter be dis
posed OF before the educational bill was
taken up.
Mr.. Blair-"I ask my colleague and the
rest Of the senators, whether It would not
| be better 10 go and establish some
schools" Laughter
Mr.. Chandler thought it better to 60 on
| with the resolution and obtain the infOrma-
tion now on file in the attorney generals Office
as to the dastardiy, murder of an United
MIR. Blair suggested that a school master
was wanted, not only In Florida. but i'm the
Senate, and insisted upon 1t that schools
ought to be established: He finally yielded,
| and the discussion went on.
Mr.. Chandler said it was the duty of the
| government of Florida and the Senators
from Florida to take sufficient interest in the
| assassination of deputy United States mar
| shall and of witness before the United
States Court to secure, II possible. the arrest
and punishment of the criminals But. he
said, the governor of Florida and the Sena-
tors from Florida are hunting down the
district Judge and the United States marshal
and district attorney and one Senator
INT. Call is defaming a dead man
tSaundersl on this floor. It is easily under-
stood why they know nothing about the de.
tails of thebusiness; it Is because thew have
not sought the means of information at hand
aud because they are here going in before
the judiciary committee and irving to nre.
vent the confirmation Of Judge. district at
torney and marshal, whose business ii is To
punish election frauds.
Mr. Pasco-"I hope that language will be
taken down."
Mr. Chandler-"Yes, hope the reporters
have taken it down. It may be taken down
twice if you choose. The first business of
the governor of Florida is to arrest these
criminals before he comes here to try to de-.
feat the nomination Of judicial officers"
Mr.. Call remarked that Mr. Chandler was
| A.. ,,,at;o, die0rdarah ""