Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-07-08
JUDGE sPILMAN's REPLY.

At the meeting of the Fauquiel
County Court on Wednesday after sen
fencing two prisoners, Judge E. NJ
Spilman called Commonwealth Attor
ney ]. P. Jefries to the bar and read
the following paper:
GAS 1 was about leaving the bench
on Saturday last on account ofsickness
you presented to the court through
your attorney, Mr.. r. R. Campbell, 8
paper alleging that it contained charges
against the court and asking that il
might be heard. l was physically un
able to give it proper consideration
then which l propose to do now.
81 have had time to maturely consider
it, and am confident that it is without
parallel in the annals of judicial pro
ceedings. 1t is remarkable in many
respects. You are the law officer Of
the court and supposed to be interested
in maintaining the judicial character
and reputation of the judge who pre-
sides over it. You are also presumed
to know the proper tribunal before
which only charges against the judi
ciary must be brought. And yet, as
you allege, upon mere rumor of which
you know nothing, you ask the
court to do what you know
il would not do, and could
not do, without giving color tc
the rumors on which you had chosen
to act. In the prosecution of the
meanest criminal you accord to him
the benefit of the rule that rumors
must be disregarded; and yet in your
eagerness to assail the judicial charac
ter of the judge you publish your
charges to the world with the preface
that they are based on rumors. The
animus of your action is thus clearly
shown. I have referred to these
matters to show how utterly reckless
and unjustifable you have been in
your conduct.
"Your petition is scandalous in char
acter, insulting to the court and false
in every particular.
1.-THE occasion demands that the
heaviest fine the law allows me to i'm
pose should be put upon you, accord
ingly I enter fine against you of fifty
dollars for contempt OF court.
In making this order, the court
feels that it should say one word in
explanation. The charges which
have been preferred affect the char
acter of the Office hold, the pure
administration of justice and the or
der and decency of the community.
1t is for these that I have spoken, for
these have acted. You, Mr. Jehries,
are public officer charged like me
with the protection of public morals
and the purity of official conduct. The
charges which you have preferred i'm
pose duty on you, if you believe them
to be true, which you cannot escape.
You cannot afford to let them lie where
you have placed them. They demand
thorough investigation. There is tri-
bunal constituted for their trial. You
are bound to appeal to that tribunal,
and l as an official court the fullest in
quiry."
After hearing this paper Mr.. Jefries
retired with his counsel, NJ. r. r.
Campbell, and soon after returned.
Mr.. Campbell started to make a state
ment when the Judge interrupting
said: II decline to hear anything on
that subject except statement from
Mr.. Jefferies that the charges in his
paper are untrue and that he desires to
apologize for them." Mr.. Jefries said
he would apologize for the paper read
for him by Mr.. Campbell and did not
know that the charges were true as
they were rumors repeated to him.
This the Judge declined to accept and
there the matter rests Warrenton
Virginian.
The trouble grew out of q suit in
volving the ownership of colt, in
which Mr.. Jefries, as plaintiff, got q
verdict, which was set aside, where
upon he filed motion in which he re.
Hected seriously upon Judge Spillman.