The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-27

indictments for forgery against Smith. He
i Ts' is sri the RECORD record o oY NSi SSlwlpf k;oid Ts9 POLITICAL dGaGSii
ally In Sing Sing:
OFFICE OF IHE AGENT AND WARDEN OF
SING SING sISS sIse. Nov. "a. 1877
II hereby certify that the records Of Sing
Sing, State Prison. show. the following concern.
ing John 7. @. Smith, who served q term in said
John z. @. Smith, sentenced In the Court of
Hon: i. =; cgwlng, Judge, on the, 2Ssd day Of
June. 1880. Received in said prison on the
Chine 2Sfh day SsSrd If } of Ssrq 1sso in h Ter second 5lyS s sSrrs.
diiseharge% ~ Communication the Oath day Of
'"Tho above John p. G.. Smith refused to tell
the name he went BY IN Europe.
Joliet Penitentiar sH's State at I Of illinois .ef" III '"'
80. v.,s;AoE, Agent and Warden.
"pescript!en Of John I; q. smith..Heceiyed
tho third degree. Judge. Cowing. Born in
p plEaiisaSi lIs sEEs; syi GSS rOWS; hs;ir iaTii FSt brown Gown
inches; weight. io7 pounds. Habits, mod;
writes; Single; Resided in Port JoFyis; or:
eyes. Eyebrows not very thick; has a small
scar g little above and running down into cen,
eyebrow. Has small scar in left crown OF head,
aud two smaller ones ton u line with one In
crown Of head, lower down on back q head.
Has, largo curved scar from near left crown OF
h heaSIy ru aSaRss Up lstt to t ssnI5s Of h HSs and pro S5Gneas
bump back OF each ear; small mole on right
side Of face and o small one also nearly. oppo.
Has scar on back OF foreGnger Of left hand, be.
tween second and third joints. Has fair-Bized
R %oSnd round on sa 1sii Of fee left h sSou iiSr fran Has i s%s
shoulder. Has small scar on back Of left arm
about two inches below tho shoulder. Has
two small scars near centre Of back and to the
left OF backbone, about one md one.half inches
right leg. Has small scar on outside OF left
Smith, whitelaw Reds political agent, a
short time before he was to be released from
Cowing:
Hon. RUFUS B. co,vinp. Justice. Court OF General See
DEAR SIR: In May. 1880. the Grand Jury
returned three indictments against mo charg:
was tried, and upon conviction by a jury sen.
fenced by You TO u term OF five years In State
p presoasa In IN. P pnndnEo; sentence ~ {, r gRo1 tbG me rsm g9S
that the District Attorney had agreed that no
prosecution should take place on tho two in.
wonld be taken into Consideration In deter.
mining tho length Of sentence, and that my
p!e M"lsi VIII expire Mdrs" on IN jan ae! 81. 1884 Hss The ro.
port has lately reached me that the two in.
dictments yet pending are used rs an instru-
ment of threats against me BY my'enemies, and
that they arc considered by the private accuser
as II convenient weapon 70 wreak vengeance
the private accuser and the persons represent.
ing him that oil my discharge from prison /
would be subjected to further trouble and ex-
pcnses by reason of those indictments. My
resources are entirely exhausted, and / am I'M
able to employ counsel in New York. Under
IL I avail myself of tho provision of law which
%confers upon the accused the right to conduct
his own nn,, defG nSr;, ! beg ii ,Ta Wo to present. 81 ito to
prison. a motion to have the two indictments
yet pending against me qIashed; verbal
prisonment. but 1 have prepared a short brief
which ! beg respectfully to submit to you.
R Iion t not he b bns Rssn At Eigsn by w nis Of { t ass Ro"
kind allowance for the unfortunate situation
you will BIO kind enough to apprise mo in due
time of your decision, l beg to subscribe my
SELF very respectfully your aIo o6sdi P' g. ss sN1IM.
'sing Sing Prison, N. Y, Sept. "a. 1883"
Smiths lawyer, Arthur c. Butts of Month
S eIllS; P 5iitI|os at :; y; MG * S%as and Ib P9 i%o b. B:
manning indictments hanging over Smith.
This aroused Alfred Gilman and his LAWYER,
lowing l'' sPon r. JEWS fF; H'nSsy =. Y. Jan. 10. 1884.
DEAR SIR: I am the complainant in the two
INDICTMENTS now pending against John r. y.
s wiii expire %eos on p the Eth tern 81 this 81 im montS. Ths
offence Of which he was guilty was 50 aggravated
and involved so many forgeries that am not
tody on the expiration of his term of imprison'
ment, and l request that he may DO retained in
ments against him. I believe him to be a bad
man and II released I have no doubt he will
seek to rob some ono else. The ends of justice
and imprisonment. In addition to the charges
against him, on these indictments. it is be-
serious than them. That fact, it seems to me
should be taken. into consideration In deter
mining as to his future trial. Please advise ms
what your intentions are with reference to this
matter. Yours, &C., ALFRED GILMAN"
'PoRT JERvIs. n. Y. Jan. 10. 1884,
"DEAR SIR: / have been requested by A
{. Butts Of Monticello. y. Y, who seems. tc
represent John +. G. Smith, at present serving
you as the representative Of the bank in tn,
prosecution concerning tho other indictments
against him. | have said to MIR Butts that the
bank has no particular interest in these matters
and IL will be guided by tho wishes of Mr.. Gil
man. who was the complainant IN those cases
| understand he desires that Smith should
DO held and tried on another OF the indict'
mcnts. l have no doubt that the ends OF jus
tice VIII be promoted rome s. I by y d snGh a |. d disposition 81 dt1sId o.
and were he released from these indictments
he would. In another place, continue his ole
what your course should be. but give you my
Judgment as to 1t, leaving you to determine
with all the facts before yS otrw 1sg 4, d truly.
However, a compromise was arranged, by
which Smith got out of Sing Sing and was moi
prosecuted on the other two indictments; Mt
was quiescent until 1891, when Whitelaw Reid
agents toisted him upon the Republican State
Committee TO help boom Mr.. Reid for the Vice
Presidency. AS Mr.. Hackett said in an au
thoritative statement in THE SUN on Nov. (:
last:
"When Mr.. Smith was introduced to the com
mittee his record was not known, and he wal
vouched for by reputable men, one Of whom
character, as shown by his record, became
known TO tho Republican State Committee. thu
committee had no further dealings with him
Whitelaw Reid, editor Of The New York Iri
bune, and his righthand man. John E, Milho
land, were fully aware of the reasons for drop
ping Smith from the employ OF the Republican
State Committee, and in Wow Of this fact. Chair
m n Hackett desires all Republicans from Fan
eui Hall to Golden Gate to remember tina.
Whitelaw Reid, editor Of the New York Tri
bUnf, called to his side in tho closing and mo
mentous hours of the. Tracy campaign this con
victed forger whom he knew to be a convicted
forger), and made him his chief ally to attacl
Cen. Tracy and tho Republican party IN Greatel
New York.