History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
History
History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, by the House of Representatives, and his trial by the Senate for high crimes and misdemeanors in office, 1868
Ross, Edmund G. (Edmund Gibson)
Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875 -- Impeachment
So the testimony was received, and the witness proceeded to detail the
steps he had taken by direction of the President to procure a judicial
determination of General Thomas' right to the office of Secretary of War
and to put him in possession, till the following question was asked.
No. 19.
What did you do toward getting out a writ of habeas corpus under the
employment of the President.
Prosecution objected, and the yeas and nays were ordered:
Yeas--Anthony, Bayard, Buckalew, Davis, Dixon, Doolittle, Fessenden,
Fowler, Frelinghuysen, Grimes, Hendricks, Johnson, McCreery, Morrill
of Maine, Morgan, Norton, Patterson of New Hampshire, Patterson of
Tennessee, Ross, Saulsbury, Sherman, Sprague, Sumner, Trumbull, Van
Winkle, Vickers, Willey--27--15 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
Nays--Cameron, Cattell, Chandler, Conkling, Conness, Cragin, Drake,
Edmunds, Ferry, Harlan, Howard, Howe, Morgan, Morrill of Vermont,
Nye, Pomeroy, Ramsay, Stewart, Thayer, Tipton, Williams, Wilson,
Yates--23--all Republicans.
The Senate having decided the evidence to be admissible,
Mr. Cox proceeded:
When the Chief Justice announced that he would proceed as an examining
Judge to investigate the case of General Thomas, and not as holding
Court, our first application to him was to adjourn the investigation
into the Criminal Court then in session, in order to have the action of
that Court. After some little discussion this request was refused. Our
next effort was to have General Thomas committed to prison, in order
that we might apply to that Court for a habeas corpus, and upon his
being remanded by that Court; if that should be done, we might follow up
the application by one to the Supreme Court of the United States. * *
* The Chief Justice having indicated an intention to postpone the
examination, we directed General Thomas to decline giving any bail for
further appearance, and to surrender himself into custody, and announce
to the Judge that he was in custody, and then present to the Criminal
Court an application for a writ of habeas corpus. The Counsel on the
other side objected that General Thomas could not put himself into
custody, and they did not desire that he should be detained in custody.
The Chief Judge also declared that he would not restrain General Thomas
of his liberty, and would not hold him or allow him to be held
in custody. Supposing that he must be either committed or finally
discharged, we then claimed that he be discharged, not supposing that
the Counsel on the other side would consent to it, and supposing that
would bring about his commitment, and that we should then have an
opportunity of getting a habeas corpus. They made no objection, however,
to his final discharge, and accordingly the Chief Justice did discharge
him.
No. 20.
The witness, Mr. Cox, was asked by counsel for defense:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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