The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1912-10-30
GENERAL AYERS JAIL
RECORD.

iOih q WI itSpOAutuU III
Southwest Virginia we have an
enquiry as to the facts of the
imprisonment of Gen. Rufus A.
Ayers, Democratic nominee
for the congress in the Ninth
district.
Once in Charleston, S. c., a
local wag fell in with stran.
ger ut bail of the st. Cecilia So
ciety, the most exclusive social
organization on earth. The
local man began a discourse of
the sad decadence of Charles
ton society. Pointing out "a
young gentleman on the floor,
he said; "That man is ming
ling with the best people, al
though his great grandfather
was hanged right here in Char
lesion" But the shocked visi-
tor discovered later that the
citizen who had been hanged
was of the very cream of South
Carolina and was executed by
the British because of his fidel
ity to the cause of his country
men in the revolutionary war.
Therefore, his descendants car
ried no stigma because of his
fate.
Gen. Ayers case is something
like that. The general has
Jail record, but it earned for
him the formal thanks of the
general assembly of Virginia
and he is not ashamed.
Briefly, the facts are that
certain English holders of past
due interest coupons, cut from
Virginia State bonds, were try
ing to force the State to accept
the coupons in payment for
taxes. The statement to the
court showed that one Hooper
and others in London h a d
bought for $4,000 coupons of
the face value of 500, 900 which
they undertook to sell at large
profit to Virginia tax payers.
obviously, if the coupons had
been held good for taxes the
State would have collected no
money and would have been
starved to death and reduced
90 bankruptcy. About 81, 600
GOO of her overdue coupons
were outstanding. In 1887 the
general assembly adopted
coupon killer" act, requiring
persons who rendered coupons
for taxes to give certain evil
dence of the validity of the
coupons, which it was impossi
bic To give, and instructing the
States law officers to proceed
10y summary process to collect
taxes from persons who pre-
sented coupons and failed to
tender the legal proof that they
we're valid. Under this order,
Gen. Ayers, then attorney gen
eral, proceeded to sue the Balti
more and Ohio rail road for
taxes due aud unpaid. The
United States Circuit Court,
Judge Hugh l.. Bond, issued
an injunction forbiding him
from prosecuting the suit. He
disregarded t n Injunction.
Phereupon he was summoned
TO show cause why he should
not be punished for contempt
of court. He replied disclaim-
ing purpose to be disrespectful
to The court but saying he re-
fused to obey its injunction be-
cause he believed it had no iur-
isdlction and because he was
acting az required by act of the
general assembly of the sover-
elgn Commonwealth of Virgin
ia. He was fined $500, refused
to pay it and was committed TO
The custody of n United States
marshal. Ii is not recorded
whether II e actually "played
checkers with his nose on the
big casino"-which is the tech
meal description used by the
criminal classes for an unfor-
lunate gentleman look ing
through the lattice work of a
Jail window--but he was de-
prived of his liberty and made
a prisoner.
lie applied to the supreme
court of the United State on
habeas corpus proceedings. He
was committed in October, 1887