Trials

Isaac W. Heysinger sends Theodore Roosevelt an excerpt from The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. XXXVI: Popular Tribunals, Vol. I describing a case of judicial recall that occurred in Oregon in 1852. The excerpt includes direct quotes from the book as well as portions summarized by Heysinger. The case involved the fight of two miners, Spenger and Sims, over the rights to a mining claim following an accident that left Sprenger crippled. After Justice Rogers ruled in favor of Sims, a popular tribunal was convened, reopening the case and charging Rogers with malfeasance. The people decided that Sprenger’s rights would be reinstated, and Rogers would have to resign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-01-06

The article criticizes President Roosevelt’s conduct regarding the trial of several post office employees accused of corruption and misconduct. Roosevelt condemned them in a special message to Congress before they had been tried, which may have influenced the jury towards a guilty verdict.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-03-02

Eugene V. Debs condemns President Roosevelt for his actions in regards to the arrest of Charles H. Moyer, Big Bill Haywood, and George A. Pettibone. Debs claims that Roosevelt is a tool of the “Mine and Smelter Trust” and denounces him as a coward.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05

Theodore Roosevelt is returning the check to Arthur J. Shaw. Horace S. Wilkinson is preparing to have the testimony printed. Roosevelt would like it if Shaw and his friends contributed to that purpose.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-06-01

Print shows a scene in a courtroom with a Chinese man labeled “Chinese Question” sitting in a chair in front of three men identified as “France,” “Germany” (William II), and “Russia.” “Judge” John Bull is standing at the judge’s bench and is introducing Uncle Sam labeled “Protector of the Philippines” as an “Associate Judge.”

Caption: Judge John Bull–Gentlemen, let me present the new Associate Judge. The trial of this Chinese case will now proceed.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Police Commissioner Roosevelt reports to his sister Anna Roosevelt Cowles that the trial of his colleague Andrew D. Parker is over but there is no verdict yet. Roosevelt had to testify for six hours and had the chance to express exactly how he feels about Parker.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1896-07-12

In a courtroom, a prisoner and a police officer stand before a judge. The prisoner is explaining to the judge why he assaulted another person. Caption: Judge — You admit you sand-bagged the man. Have you any excuse? / Prisoner — Yes, yer Honor. De sand-bag wuz me own property and J.P. Morgan says a man has de right ter do wot he pleases wit’ his own property.

Comments and Context

In this cover cartoon, ostensibly a simple gag about a tramp, arrested for assault, grasping for a mitigating excuse by quoting J. P. Morgan, Puck cannot resist making a point about the negative aspects of the prominent mogul’s philosophy. “Logical extensions” should be questioned, Ehrhart stated via this cartoon.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Justice, wearing a crown labeled “Law” and carrying a sword and scales, rides on the back of a snail, climbing a steep hill strewn with bolders labeled “Certificate of reasonable doubt, Appeals, Change of venue, Injunction, [and] Stays” toward the “Hall of Justice” at the top of the hill.

Comments and Context

Puck Magazine and other reformist but conservative Democratic journals, in the run-up to the 1904 presidential campaign, continued to oppose William Jennings Bryan, but cast about for a national Democrat with gravitas and appeal in the mold of former president Grover Cleveland.

The magazine and its cartoonist has been subtly turning the spotlight on an otherwise unknown and modest jurist from New York State, Judge Alton Brooks Parker. Indeed he became the Democrats’         standard-bearer in 1904 (only to suffer major defeat the hands of the incumbent Theodore Roosevelt).

Theodore Roosevelt had not dared to hope William Austin Wadsworth would accept but had to try. Had he known the conditions, he would not have tried.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-07-23

On behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, his secretary tells Charles Stelzle that Roosevelt just found out Stelzle plans to give an address on the McNamara case on the day Roosevelt is to attend the Labor Temple. Roosevelt has said all he wishes to say on the subject and will not attend if Stelzle cannot change the topic of his address.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-16

Theodore Roosevelt thanks Representative Cooper for the editorial and asks him to give his regards to Judge John Q. Van Swearingen. He thoroughly supports Van Swearingen’s work regarding the speedy trial and sentence of Thomas Wade and men like him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-07

Theodore Roosevelt does not know about the trial James D. Corrothers refers to. Regarding lynching, he has an article in the current issue of The Outlook.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-11-23

On behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, his secretary asks John F. Clark if the newspaper reports on Frank Brach’s trial are accurate, especially regarding the $1,000 bail.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-10-25

Theodore Roosevelt writes J. T. Newcomb about the libel suit trial in Syracuse. Roosevelt would like Newcomb to be a witness in the trial. They would like to show that William Barnes was taking a personal interest in what was going on in Albany.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-01-30

President Roosevelt encloses a letter from Charles A. Moore to George W. Goethals of the Isthmian Canal Commission, and asks if Fred L. Hartigan can be given another trial.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-19

President Roosevelt sends Representative Jenkins an excerpt of a letter from Secretary of War William H. Taft, and asks if action could be taken along the lines that Taft outlines. In the excerpted portion from Taft, Taft suggests that for the Court of last resort on the Panamanian Isthmus, cases can be appealed directly to the Supreme Court of the United States, rather than first passing through the Court of Appeals. Taft also suggests limitations for the types of cases able to be appealed this way.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-27

President Roosevelt sends Senator Clark an excerpt of a letter from Secretary of War William H. Taft, and asks if action could be taken along the lines that Taft outlines. In the excerpted portion from Taft, he suggests that for the Court of last resort on the Panamanian Isthmus, cases can be appealed directly to the Supreme Court of the United States, rather than first passing through the Court of Appeals. Taft also suggests limitations for the types of cases able to be appealed this way.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-27

President Roosevelt sends Judge Hunt papers he had received from two senators. Roosevelt told the senators that he would follow Hunt’s recommendations, that Hunt was acquainted with all the facts, and that he had handled the case well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-21

President Roosevelt responds to a letter from William Henry Jackson, sent on behalf of the Cook County Moyer-Haywood-Pettibone Conference. Jackson had taken exception to an earlier letter in which Roosevelt had referred to several people, including Charles H. Moyer and Big Bill Haywood, as “undesirable citizens.” Roosevelt stands by his description of Moyer, Haywood, and Eugene V. Debs as undesirable citizens, although he assures Jackson that his statement was not an attempt to influence the outcome of the trial of Moyer and Haywood for the murder of former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-22

President Roosevelt informs Judge Cohen he cannot reopen cases that have been decided by the courts several times already, like that which Cohen mentioned in his last letter. Roosevelt has determined that James A. Jewell is a poor public servant.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-01