The age-herald., 1899-08-15
UGLY CHARGES WERE FILED
Alleged That Clerk Has Assumed Charge
 Of the Court.
FIGHT AGAINST YOUNGBLOOD
Is At Bottom of This, the Auditor Con- tending That Dimmick Was Large ly Responsible for the Recent
 Charges Made Against Him

Washington. August H.-(Special.)-Th
 department of justice has decided to have 1 the clerks office in Montgomery investi- l gated, owing to the serious charges which
 have been made against Clerk J. w. Dimmick.
 The decision to have this court investi-
 gated has caused great astonishment here,
 especially in the Alabama colony There is
 no doubt that there is good deal of poli- tics in the matter, but for some time there
 have been ugly rumors concerning the
 clerks office. Judge Bruce is very old and
 infirm and 1t has been charged for some
 time that the court was dominated en-
 tirely by the clerk. The specific charges
 on which the investigation will be based
 were filed by J. J. Pelham, a lawyer of Alabama against whom action for disbar-
 ment had been begun.
 l.nn h "o 4... ind the Move
 Under ordinary circumstances such
 charges would have been ignored, but the fact that Colonel Youngblood who is a bit ter political enemy of Clerk Dimmick has pushed the matter, and moreover, that this court has been looked upon as a little ir- regular at times, has turned the scales against Clerk Dimmick. Up to the present time there has been no way to reach such a case, as the clerk is responsible only to the court. But when a new United States circuit district was formed, Clerk Dim- mick acted in that capacity, so Assistant | Attorney-General Boyd says to Judge ba I fore did not order Judge Bruce to investi- gate the clerks office giving as its reason | that Judge Bruce was too feeble to be
 bothered with its detail, but instsad, turned | the matter over to Judge Shelley, who has the authority to make such an investga- | ton.
 Of Serious Nature l Pelham filed charges some two months | ago. These charges are of a very serious l nature They allege that the entire court | is managed by Dimmick; that the latter conducts its business fer his personal gain. and uses oppression upon persons indicted on trumped-up charges for his own finan- cial benefit.
 When seen tonight Assistant Attorney General Boyd, a republican from North Carolina, said:
 "Yes, the department has asked Judge Shelley to investigate the clerks office in the district court att Montgomery. We did | not refer the charges to Judge Bruce, we thought that he being old and feeble | would mot care to undertake the investiga- | ton. The charges were serious, but whether they were founded on fact will have to be brought out"
 It may be of interest to know that Col lately by charges to the effect that he has used his political influence here for fnan- cial consideration, which charges he has denied with great vigor.
 The Old Oates Charge The absurd report that ex-Governor Stern for a commission is merely laughed at. especially as investigation shows that
 Governor Oates did not even endorse in
 writing or ask that Captain Stern be given
 a commission. Colonel Youngblood denies
 that he made such a charge against Gov
 ernor Oates, but the statement is repeated
 from Alabama that he did. Colonel Young
 who spread the reports derogatory of him,
 and Is said to hold Clerk Dimmick re-
 sponsibe for much that has been said
 against him. The whole matter is a pretty
 ugly affair and is so received here.
 How far the investigation will go or how
 many 1t may incrimfnate remains to be
 seen. A. W. B.