The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-11-20
CRITIGISE U. S. ATTORNEY
CORRESPONDING IN THE DIE,
TRICH-FISH CASE.
Attorney General Knox Says Mr..
Summers Action in Withholding
an Investigation Was Cnwarrant
ed and Improper-Reply of Sum.
merS.

Omaha. Neb., November 1S.-The CEN
ter Of interest in the Indictment cases
Of United States Senator Charles II.
Dietrich and Postmaster Jacob Fisher
Of Hasting, Neb., alternated today re-
tween Omaha and Washington. De-
velopments at both points were equally
interesting and correspondence made
public by the department of justice IN
Washington and by the district attor-
ney. w. S. summers in Omaha threw
considerable new light on the whoe
affair.
District Attorney Summers express
ed the belief that the matter had been
considerably cleared UP. so far as his
office was concerned. and relieved nlm
of charges made that he was prompt
ed by malice IN bringing the matter
to the attention Of the grand jury.
Post office matters will be again
taken up by the grand jury tomorrow.
The post Offices at Alma. Oxford, Or
leans and Arapaho are to be investi-
gated.
Mr.. Summers gave out his reply to the
attorney generals letter. In 1t Sum-
merS says he did what he did, belleV-
| ing that Mr.. Knox would prefer to have
| the pOstOfflce department conduct the
investigation. The bill of lndictm ant
against Postmaster Fisher charges
| that Fisher paid Dietrich $500 for pro-
curing him the office Of postmaster;
| that Dietrich agreed to buy certain
postoffice fixtures for $500. which sum
| Fisher reimbursed; that Fisher agreed
| to pay Dietrich $500 for procuring his
| office that Fisher agreed to give prop
erty to the value of $500 to Dietrich.
|
| spondence that passed between United
| States Attorney Summers at Omah'
| and Attorney General Knox in JUNE
| last in the matter of the charges
| against Postmaster Fisher of Hastings
| and United States Senator D1errlcn OF
| Nebraska and the investigation Of the
same by the grand jury, was made
public today. The letter of Mr.. sum
mers to the attorney general transmit:
the testimony involving Dietrich ant
| Fisher and says:
| 'The grand jurors insisted upo1
making a thorough and searching in
| vestigation. This investigation wa
discontinued at my request. because o
the fact that the conduct of a Unit
States Senator was involved IN Tn
question they desired to investigat te
At the same time. I stated to the gran
. | Jury that the investigation will b
| made by another grand Jury, if it b
| disclosed subsequently that the ends
, Justice demand it,
To this the attorney general replied
| saying Summers should not have re
| quested a discontInuance of the tnVes
tigation because of the fact that III
; conduct of a United States Senate
was involved in the question the gran
jury desired to investigate.
, From the copy of the proceeding
: : before the grand jury, it appears tha
: | at the time the testimony closed,
: most extraordinary and incr1minatin
| story had been told by the Witnes
! Hahn in which Senator Dietrich W.
" crminally involved. Fairness to t.
) person thus incriminated. as Well
other considera tions of duty, shou
| have caused you to refrain from intel
' | ferring with the desire of the jury
probe the matter to the bottom. Upo
/ the whole your action in the matte
the end accomplished and the meal
S employed were astonishing, unwarran
e ed and highly improper"