Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-24
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
President Spent Little Time
in His Office.
TENNESSEE TROUBLE
CHARGES MAY BE BROUGHT
AGAINST MARSHAL AUSTIN.
Some Christmas Pardons, One Of Them
Washington Boy-Some Of
Today's Callers.

If the President had remained in his Of
flee today he would have had a number Of
visitors, but he is beginning to carry out
his promises and get out into the open air
for some of the enjoyments of the Christ
mas season. After seeing a few callers this
morning he left his office and went to the
residence portion Of the White House.
There he Joined Mrs. Roosevelt and. accom-
panied by Gen. Leonard Wood, they set out
for the suburbs in carriage. In the SUBJ
urbs their horses were found waiting, and
they took a long horseback ride, returning
to the White House for a late luncheon.
While the President was away a number Of
congressman called. From now until after
January 1 the President will spend only a
short time each day in his Office, and will
have no regular office hours.
Representative Hull of Iowa was one Of
the callers to see the President this morn
ing. He was accompanied by j. Frank
Blagburn, one of the prominent young col
ored men of Des Moines, Iowa. Mr.. Hull
asked the President to give a position in
the government service-preferably a con-
sulate-to BlagburH.
Some Trouble in Tennessee.
Representative Brownlow of Tennessee
was likewise a caller who saw the Presi-
dent. He remained few minutes. Down
the Knoxville district-there is a bad mud
die of affairs, and charges are being made
against Richard w. Austin. the United
States marshal of the eastern district. Ex-
Representative John c. Houk and Jesse l..
Rogers, who are in the city, have been rep
resented as being here to file charges
against Marshal Austin, but they state
that they did not come to Washington for
that purpose and intend to look after pri-
vate business, while here. Mr.. Houk inti-
mates, however, that there is ground for
charges against Mr.. Austin if any one sees
fit to press them with the Department Of
Justice. He will not do So he says.
The Presidents Gifts.
BY direction of the President, Henry
Pinckney, the White House steward, dis
tributed fine turkeys today to messengers
and attaches connected with the family
work in the White House. Every married
man received a turkey.
The President had not received a Christ
mas turkey for his own table up to noon,
but 1t is customary for number of turkeys
to be sent to Washington for the Presi-
dents Christmas dinner, and this Christmas
will probably not prove an exception. To-
morrow will be celebrated in home-like
fashion by the President and his family.
There will be q distribution of presents to
the children and others. AT dinner will be
the family and a number Of guests. The
President will probably take long horse
back ride during the day. The executive
interior of the White House was decorated
today with green mementos of the season.
Some Christmas Pardons.
The President has denied thirteen appli-
cations for pardon. has granted restoration
to citizenship in four cases and has granted
pardons and communications of sentences as
follows:
George Althans and John ODonnell were
convicted at Cleveland, Ohio, Of damaging
rural free delivery mail boxes, and were
sentenced to three months in Jail. of which
they have served two months. They are
pardoned the recommendation of the
district attorney and judge, who report
that the offense was more in the nature OF
mischief than of real crime, and that they
have been sufficiently punished.
Britt Hardwick was convicted in the
southern district of the Indian territory Of
larceny of a horse, and sentenced to impris-
onment for five years The district attor-
ney and judge report that subsequent devel-
opments show that this ignorant Indian boy
was made the tool of two other criminals
who are now serving terms for the offense
On the recommendation of the attorney and
Judge he has been pardoned.
John H. McWhirter was convicted In the
eastern district Of Arkansas of counter
feiting, and has served all but six months
of five years sentence. The district at
torney and judge report that he was de-
tanned in jail six months after sentence on
account of an epidemic of smallpox, and
for this reason his sentence has been conn
muted to expire January 1, 1903.
Cowan Large was convicted In the west
ern district of Virginia of retailing liquor
and sentenced to imprisonment for three
months of which he has served two. On
the recommendation of the district attor-
ney and judge his sentence has been COM
muted to two months, for the reason that
he has become seriously ill, and further
Imprisonment will probably result In his
death.
CLAW Tucker pleaded guilty in the eastern
Of IN n
sentenced to Imprisonment for four years.
His sentence has been commuted TO the eX-
tent of six months, to give him credit for
six months during which he was detained
in Jail on account of an epidemic of small
poX.
Jesse Snider was convicted in the western
district of Arkansas of robbery and SEN
fenced to Imprisonment for twenty years
in the Detroit house of correction. The
President has commuted his sentence to
Imprisonment for ten years, on the recon-
mendation of the district attorney and
Judge for the reason that the prisoner was
a mere boy at the time of the. ofense and
was led into it by gang Of older criminals.
Full Pardon to District Boy.
Thomas Creek was convicted in the Dis
trict of Columbia of carnal knowledge of a
female under sixteen years of age. and on
March 49, 1900, was sentenced to impris-
onment for ten years in the West Virginia
penitentiary. Newly discovered evidence
has raised such serious doubt or the guilt
of this prisoner that the district attorney
recommends a pardon. The Attorney Gem
eraI. after a careful examination of all the
testimony in the case, is OF the opinion that
this boy was probably innocent, and recon-
mended full pardon. which the President
has granted.
Charges Against an Ambassador.
Senator Penrose of Pennsylvania has for
warded to President Roosevelt some evi-
dence bearing upon the charges made last
winter against Ambassador Clayton, the
representative of the United States in Mex
leo. The new evidence is in the form of
affidavits that Ambassador Clayton is the
owner of certain specified shares in the
German Mining Company, Philadelphia
corporation doing a mining business in
Mexico. The charges were received at the
executive offices, but is the case with
all such matters, they were transmitted at
once to the State Department Whether
the additional evidence submitted by Sem
xyiI1 in, ha