The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-07-02
S. C. WEDNESDAY. JULY 2. 1913
PLAYING POLITICS
REPUBLICAN, hold OVERS GRAND
STAND PLAY
ne GIVES UP HIS OFFICE

he GIVES UP HIS Office
A Hold Over Republican District At
torney Makes Serious Charges
Against Acknowledgement McRey.
nolds, Which is Completely An
swered by the Officials Concerned.
United States District Attorney
John L. McNab, Of California, hold
! over Republican, announced at San
Francisco on Saturday, with great
flourish Of trumpets, that he had re-
signed. In long telegram to Pres
ident Wilson, which he made public
at the same time, McNab said he felt
it necessary to resign because orders
from the Arttonye-General tying his
hands in the prosecution OF the
gs-Caminetti white slave cases
and the indictments against officials
of the Western Fuel Company.
Maury Diggs, former State archi-
tect, and Drew Caminetti, son Of
former State Senator A. Caminetti,
who recently was appointed commits
sioner of immigration by President
Wilson, eloped to Reno, New, last
winter with two high school girls Of
Sacramento, leaving their wives and
babies behind them. They were
brought back to California and in
dictments were found against them
under the Mann White Slave Act.
McNab says: -"I am ordered by
the Attorney-General, over my pro-
test to postpone until autumn the
trials of Maury Diggs and Drew Cam
inetti, indicted for hideous crime,
which has ruined two girls and
shocked the moral sense Of the peo-
pie Of California;; and this after I
have advised the department of JUS
tice that attempts had been made to
corrupt the government witnesses
and friends Of the defendants are
publicly boasting that the wealth and
political prominence OF the defend
ants relatives will procure my hand
to be stayed through influence at
Washington"
Tho Eacts In the Case.
Secretary Wilson, Of the depart
ment of labor, said:
"The attorney,general postponed
trial in the gs-Caminetti case sole
ly upon my request. I am therefore
responsible for the postponement.
Mr.. Caminetti has but recently as
sumed the duties Of commissioner
general of immigration. He has not
yet fully familiarized himself with
the duties Of the Office. He asked me
! for leave of absence in order that he
might return to California to be
present at the. trial Of his son. in
sisted that he remain here until he
was sufficiently acquainted with the
duties Of the position Of commission
er general to be able to properly in
spect the immigration stations at
Pacific ports when he returned to
California. I therefore suggested
that would ask the attorney
general to postpone the trial OF
the case until the next term Of court.
It is nothing unusual for the district
attorney of that or any other dis
trict, or the attorney-general, to
grant a postponement OF trial in
such cases when an immediate trial
would seriously Inconvenience either
party. The suggestion and the re-
quest came from me purely In the In
terest of the public service"
Satisfactory Explanation.
Assistant Attorney General Harr
Monday night assumed full RESPONSE
bility for the order to Attorney Nc
Nab to postpone the trial Of Robert
Bruce, and Sidney v. Smith, direc-
tors of the Western Fuel Company,
on charges Of customs coal frauds.
This postponement mentioned in MT.
McNabs telegram Of resignation to
the President was ordered, declared
Mr.. Harr, to prevent possible mis-
carriage Of justice.
"The trial Of the entire Western
Fuel case was not ordered postpon-
ed," said Mr.. Harr, "but only the
trials Of Bruce and Smith, who were
indicted with three other directors
of the company. Bruce and Smith
were only directors, while the other
| three defendants were officials as
we'll as directors. I carefully studied
the evidence in the case submitted
by United States Attorney McNao
and reached the conclusion tnat
Bruce and Smith, who seemed men OF
high character, probably were inno-
cent, as apparently they were unfa-
miliar with the operations OF the
company. In order to prevent a mis-
carriage Of justice, I recommended
and Attorney General McReynolds
acouiasced, that it would be better
to try first the three directors who
we're officials, because this trial un-
doubtediy would develop the extent
of the connection Of Bruce and Smith
with the alleged frauds.
"It seemed unwise to run the FISK
of convicting two innocent men along
with three men who might be guilty
when the ends Of justice would be
fully satisfied by later trials II the
government received evidence which
it did not then possess Of the guilt
of Bruce and Smith"
Champion Shot Dead.
| Frank Fromm chamDiOn revolver