The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-19
BUTLER WANTS MARTYRS
So he Will Join in the Registrar Ar
resting Business.
GREAT OUTRAGE IN JACKSON COUNTY
Registrar Of Swain County Arrested, Tried
Without Counsel or Witness, and Bound
Over to The Federal Court for Refusii G
to Obey Republican Officers.

" WY uSPuUiICdH ViiiC6ISs
Mai. John w. Graham, attorney for
the Republican State Committee, is
here in consultation with Butler. He
spent Tuesday night at Greensboro,
where he was seen by Hslton, who
sent him on here to give legal advice
to the Populist end of the campaign.
a man who is very much on the
inside of things thus explained Maj.
Graham's presence here, last night:
"Holton and the Republicans are
tired of the registrar-arresting bust
ness. They have enough to hold them
for awhile, and now Butler wants to
try it. He tells me he thinks it will
have exactly the iopposite effect in his
party from that it is having in the Re
publican party.
He proposes to embark in the
martyr-making business. He finds his
people either lukewarm or deserving
to the Democrats. He's anxious to get
them stirred up-mad with the Dem
ocrats, else he'll not be able to deliver
them for Adams on election day.
ITO do this, he has conceived the
plan of arresting some registrars on
testimony given by white Populists.
Then let the white Populists be ar
rested, and go to jail if need be.
''This," continued by Republican
friend, Butler imagines, will make
the Populists all over the State mad,
so that he can raise as a rallying cry,
Anything to beat the Democrats
''He asked Holton to send Maj. Ora
ham down here that he might be con-
suited in regard to making these ar
rests
AS a result of the effort to intimi
date Democratic registrars by the aid
of Federal authority, Registrar Ran
som Hyatt. of Qualla township, Jack
son county, was accorded most unjust,
unreasonable and arbitrary treatment
yesterday. Mr.. Hyatt was arrested
Sunday night on a charge of refusing
to register three Indians. He was car
Hied to Webster for trial yesterday be-
fore j. T. Wike, United States Commits
sioner, and j. j. Hooker, the man
whom Mr.. Pearson always calls on
when there isl any work of question
able character to be performed, was
the prosecuting attorney. When the
case was called at o'clock, c. {.
Cowan, ESQ.,, asked leave to make
statement to the court in behalf OF the
prisoner. He said that the only law
yers at that time were Mr.. Robert
son and himself, neither of whom
could defend the prisoner that day, a
they had to leave Immediately for
Asheville, where they were engaged
in the hearing before Judge Burwell;
that the prisoner had tried to get
counsel from Bryson City, but that
he had failed and Mr.. Cowan thought
it was only justice to grant the pris-
oner time to get counsel from AShe-
Vile.
However. at a nod from Hooker,
the commissioner said: "The trial
will proceed Then in a forcible
manner Mr.. Cowan stated that as the
registrar had been arrested only the
night before, he had not had time to
procure his witnesses, or have them
subpoenaed, and he asked the cour5
to hear an affidavit from him to that
effect HE doesn't need counsel, he
doesn't need witnesses; the
court will proceed the court said.
Then Mr.. Cowan said: The court will
refuse to hear any affidayits from
me?" to which the commissioner re
piled: ''Yes, the trial will proceed"
Mr. Cowan then asked leave to read
an affidavit for removal on the ground
that he could not get justice before
the commissioner, and that the law
required that the prisoner should be
brodght before the nearest commits
sioner, and that there were four com
missioners in this case nearer than
Wike. The commissioner refused even
to hear these affidavits, and while he
was talking the court was swearing
the witnesses and the trial was pro-
ceeding. The defendant, seeing he
could not get justice, waived eXamina-
ton and gave $4,000 bond.
The parties who swore out this war
rant have since been arrested in the
State court. Messrs. Davidson and
Jones, of Asheville, and Mr. Garland
Ferguson have been employed by
Chairman Simmons to defend the reg
istrar, and to prosecute in the State
courts.
Chairman Simmons. referring to the
trial of Registrar Wall. in Winston,
whose case was continued until Tues
day Of this week. stated that the plan
agreed upon by counsel when he was
in Winston had been carried out. The
two negroes who swore out the war
rant against Mr.. Wall have been ar
rested, and each put under $500 bond.
Referring to the arrest of the reg
isfrar in Swain county for refusing to
register Indians, he stated. that this
was. if possible, a greater outrage than
the Winston cases. The commissioner
in that case refused to give the reg
istrar time to get counsel or to sum
mon witnesses, but summarily bound
him over to court. The Indians who
swore out the warrant stated in their
affidavit that they had been denied
registration on account of race and