Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-08-03
WORSE, AND MORE OF 1T.
District attorney Mitchell Lied
to the Grand Jury in the
l1iishie Case.

On the afternoon of Friday, July
13, the grand jury found true bill
against j. f. Ailshie, and instruct
ed the district attorney to prepare
the Indictment. This fact was gem
orally known the same evening to
all who had business at the court
house. Very naturally, the news
created quite stir.
On Saturday morning there was
a general rally of the ringleaders
in the corridors and Offices Of the
court house, and it was evident to
all that there was something in
the wind. What it was will appear
later.
Before the grand jury convened
on Saturday morning, and when l
and everybody else supposed that
the Indictment would be presented
as soon as court opened, / sought
the district attorney and told him
that if he had no objection / would
like to look over the Indictment
with the view of detecting possible
errors in the same l said that he
was in delicate positiOn-that he
and Ailshie were both appointees
and political proteges of Gov. Nc
Connell, who was also one of my
own friends-and that if there was
a flaw in the indictment and ALL
SHE got clear, he (MitchelD would
be suspected of drawing it for that
purpose and that if he showed me
the Indictment and l approved it,
and if Ailshie then got clear, l
would relieve him (MitchelD of
responsibility and suspicion by
publishing my avowal that the in
dictment had my approval.
Mr.. Mitchell in reply told me
that he had sat up all night work.
ing on that indictment, and not
being satisfied that it would stick,
he had called on legal gentleman,
a mutual friend, whose name he
gave, to draw the indictment for
him. upon inquiry the mutual
friend admitted that he had drawn
the Ailshie Indictment at the re-
quest of Mr.. Mitchell, and guaran-
teed it to "stick.')
At this same interview Mr..
Mitchell advised me that if the
grand jury failed to indict Ailshie,
l must Immediately swear out
complaint against Ailshie and
have preliminary examination
before the nearest or any magis-
trate; and he would then be able
to bring it before the grand jury in
better shape. l was enough of a
lawyer to know that this advice
was absurd, because the grand
jury was already investigating it.
Mr.. Mitchell further voluntarily
advised me that the case against
Ailshie was clear enough, and that
the attempt to influence a county
official in that manner was also "A
crime against the county and he
(MitchelD said he was going to
prosecute Ailshie on that charge,
whether the grand jury indicted
him for violating Section 1882 Of
the Revised Statutes or not.
/ Mr.. Mitchell further advised me
l to make the whole matter public
through the FREE Press, if the
jury failed to indict. On this
point l propose to follow his advice
implicitly.
Mr.. Mitchell clearly intended
by all this advice to bunko me in
to the belief that he intended doing
his duty. But he overshot his
mark. His language that IF the
jury failed to find the bill against
, Ailshie, etc." came to me as an in
spiration that more crooked work
was to be done. How could there
be any doubt about the action of
: the grand jury when they had
found the Indictment the previous
day? and when the district attor-
S ney had himself told me that the
1 indictment was ready, and had,
given me the name of the gen.
. tleman who had drawn it for him ? Z
> 1t is now necessary to go behind
the scenes and state from inform.
}. alton which can be readily verified
:. what occurred in the grand jury
room on that Saturday morning
Immediately at the close of tn,
= interview between Mr.. Mitchell
!. and myself as stated above. Wher
y the jury convened the district at
torney addressed them substan
IS TALLY as follows: His time was S,
t, fully occupied that he could no
r possibly have the Ailshie indict
:, ment ready until Monday. 1t wa
long document. He had worke'
q all night on it and had only mad
a skeleton draft. Here he produce,
> paper. He did not have any fur
- ther businesss for the jury, and h
did not want to keep them ava
from their hay fields, ETC., and ad
vised them that they could recon
slider the Ailshie matter, but
,&s was satisfied there was not enoug
o, evidence to convict, and quote
IS from the Judges charge to the jur