Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-26
ILLEGAL ARRESTS.
Deputy United States MarShals Have
CverStepped Their Authority.
Number Of Ins'arc,s Who're the Law Has
Been 1ramplrd Upon fer the sake OF
Eees-Reform Needed.
SJecisl to the Gazette.

sTecisl to the Gazette.
DALLAS, Ten, Nov. 25.-Ever since
congress established the Northern district
Of Texas as a Federal district, with the
necessary officers, it has been harrassed
with Illegal arrests by deputy United
States marshals of the Indian country.
The power of arrest with United States
marshal is confined to the boundary
lines of his district, with but one eXcep-
ton. and that exception was made
through the work OF Gen. Cabell, while
marshal of the district. This was
special act of congress passed in 1888,
and not only authorizes, but requires
any United States marsna if he has
process from his court. to enter the In
dian country and execute the same as he
would do in his own district.
As u great many criminals when pur-
sued by the deputies OF, the Fort Smitt
court took refuge Oh the SOU hern side q
the Red river IN the state of Texas, tn
officers of that court woui cross owe
and make the arrest. As this was a rar,
occurrence it was not much noticed, bu
since the establishment of the Pari,
against the deputy DarshaIs of that
court on the ground of the alleged Illegal
arrests made by them.
In order TO protect citizens of his dis
t.lct the Hon. A. p. Mccormick, Judge
of the northern district, made q ruling
that he would not grant a warrant of re-
moval except upon the presentation of
the indictment found by the grand jury
of the district where the alleged offence
was committed, by the United States at
torney.
Any other method of removal wou.r.
be q contempt of court, and the marshal
of the northern district would not dare
to convey a citizen of the state of Texas
beyond this district except he had as his
authority the warrant of the jndge.
In spite of the protests of the marshal
of the Northern district. the Paris depu-
ties had Il rule and a philosophy of their
own, and their Illegal arrests have been
SO fragrant as to call forth an inquiry by
Marshal Knight, and he is determined to
stop these arbitrary arrests.
1t Is a fact OF official record that one
George Tate, resident of NOcona, in
the Northern district, was arrested at
his home on warrant from the Eastern
district, shackled and marched through
the streets of his own town, away from
his friends, TO a point where he was
among strangers and could not give
bond; aud after all this, 1t was found
that he was not the George Tate wanted
and was released.
Another case is where q man of Cooke
county was arrested by deputies from the
Paris court, and entirely out of their
juris fiction, taken to a point in the In
lao
and his arrest made returnable from that
place. This arrest was made on charge
of horse theft, after the prisoner had
been arrested, tried and acquitted of the
same offrnse in the court of the district
in which he liy,d.
There is one case in particular where a
poor labofing man by the name of Nor
ris was arrested while digging well
near Henrietta AMI returned from Ard
more, l. T., who was taken without
process and carried all shuck eled out OF
the district, taken to Paris and thrown
in prison, where it has been ascer aimed
lie died.
In these and all similar cases the mar
shals not only violate the law ly making
illegal arrests, but In order to obtain the
fees thev have 10 make out fraudulrnt
accounts and make oath that they arrest
these parties at different place and
within the bounds of their own district.
Marshal Dickerson found most OF these
men Oh the force when he took charge,
AMI he saws that he will remove ANY
deputy guilty Of this wiliful violation of
law.
The whole matter is simply this: A
United States deputy marshal has no
jurisdiction whatever after he passes over
the boundary lines of his district, except
in the Indian country, AMI every arrest
made by him outside of the district, ore
ating him an officer, is a criminal offense
and an offense for which he can be pros
ecuted and convicted. It is often the
case that q sheriff or his deputies arrest
criminal charged With Federal offeuse.
and their custom has universally been to