The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-20

den from the headquarters depart
ment Of North Carolina, army Of the
Ohio" informed him OF the seizure Of
gambling instruments made at New
Bern, July END. and said: Although
the government Of New Bern has been
turned over to the municipal authori-
ties, this fact does not deprive the mill
itary authorities OF their right of in
terfering In such government where
such interference seems to them to b.
necessary. The seizure was made ur-
suant to instructions from the general
commanding"
Three citizens of Person were arrest
&c and sent to Raleigh for trial by a
military court for assaulting a negro
named Currie. Holden begged General
Ruger to let the civil authorities OF
Person try him. The general refused,
and in the course of his letter said:
a h time Of the arrest there were
no civil courts. I do not believe that
the military authorities would be bound
to obey writs of habeas corpus issued
by the state courts"
August 4th this letter was written
General Ruger by Lewis Hanes, pri-
vate secretary: THE great seal Of this
state is missing from his office. and
from information which / have receiv-
ed from A. ". McPheeters. Esq, late
secretary Of the late rebel governor,
Vance, and also from Jonathan North,
Esq, treasurer of the state, / have
reason to believe that the great seal,
together with the letter books of the
rebe1 governor, Vance, was captured
by the United States troops at Green's
boro. Mr.. McPheeters states that the
great seal and the rebel governors let
ter books We're packed in the same box,
and that this box was captured, and
Mr.. Worth says that Major General
Cox told him that he had captured and
had in his possession the letter books.
My object in writing you is to inquire
whether there is any chance of reviving
the seal, as it is difficult for the execu-
tive office to get along without it."
August s Holden protested against
Ruger's decision as to the Person
county prisoners. He said: II deem it
my duty to lay before the president our
disagreement and a cop of this letter."
August 10th S. Med. Tate, president
Of the Western North Carolina rail-
road: Nathaniel Dryden, of the North
Carolina railroad: job D. Whitford, of
the Atlantic and North Carolina rail-
road; R.. r. Bridgers. of the Whining
ton and Weldon railroad, and r. w.
Lassiter, of the Raleigh and CASTOR
railroad, gave notice of their readiness
to carry the mails. The rates were:
Wilmington and Weldon. 500: the
North Carolina, Atlantic n North
Carolina, and Raleigh and CASTOR, $50:
the Western North Carolina, $50 per
mile per year. Colonel Tate said his
was less than the rate before the war.
August 18th a letter was sent General
Kruger from I. c. Williams, a citizen Of
Sampson, regarding affairs there. Hol-
den, in transmitting it, said: 1.-THE local
police of Sampson, and many other
counties, appear to me to be more or
less under the control of original Sc
cessionists who were ultra prO-slavery
in their views and who are not dispos-
ed, as the union men are, to do justice
to the freedmen. I ask that rigid in
quiry be made and that the local police
be placed under the control of union
men. The latter not only submit un-
conditionally and cheerfully to the ma
tional authority, but trouble will be less
likely to arise between the two races If
they are in command" Z
II. l.. IOWSIS was SStL " "dSHlIS-
ton to look after the matter Of getting
pardons for North Carolinians from
President Johnson. His first letter to
Holden is dated August 9Th, n says:
Your several letters and packages by
Messrs. Jones, Dryden, Sampson, Bry-
an and Wood have been received. The
president has not yet sent any more
pardons for our state save those Of
Caldwell, Moore, Worth, Mason and
Dryden. William Johnson, of Char
lotte, arrived Friday, very anxious for
his pardon. I told him I could do moth
ing with your recommendation. He
said he would write you that night.
Saturday morning, while in the East
room Of the White house, with Miss
Johnson, her father came in with
Messrs. Hawkins and MOrdecai, all
three of whom asked for an introduce
ton to the president. AS you had not
recommended either of them, I deter
mined not to seek a private audience
told them to remain while I went up
stairs to learn the prospects. On COM
ing down I found Hawkins and Morde-
cal in conversation with a stranger. I
told them a private interview could net
be had, but that at 2 o'clock the doors
would be opened, when I would intro
duce them. I left them with Miss
Johnson, returned at 2, found her
father, but not Hawkins or Mordecai.
The afternoon papers announced that
the two latter a been ~pardOned. Yes
terday I spoke to the president on the
subject. He said they represented
that they had not been engaged in the
rebellion, hat they had been recon-
mended by you, but somehow their
papers had been lost or mislaid in the
attorney generals Office. I told him
that their statements were wholly un-
true. When Mr.. Wood arrived at my
room this morning I was at the state
department with Mr.. Dryden. Wood
came there and told me he had met a
man in the attorney generals office who
had offered to get his pardon through
| for $50. When We went into that Of
flee Wood pointed out the man, who
| recognized at once as the stranger who
was with Mordecai and Hawkins Sat
urday evening. I learned that he was
| a lawyer named Spud, a cousin of the
attorney general. Then the whole mat
| ter of the pardons of Hawkins and