The Forgery That Saved a Corrupt Judge
In May 1877, Washington Territory’s Chief Justice J.B. Lewis was nearly ousted by a fake resignation letter—only for the President to reverse course after Lewis himself exposed the fraud.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
WASHINGTON, May 23.
Several days ago a letter was received by the President purporting to be from J. B. Lewis, Chief Justice of Washington Territory, resigning that position, and concluding with a remark on retiring to private life. He was in full accord with the reconciliation policy of the President.
Not suspecting the genuineness of the letter, the President yesterday appointed Associate Justice Greene to fill the vacancy supposed to be occasioned by the judge's resignation. This listing of information then from Judge Lewis and others by telegraph proved to the latter and Senator Mitchell represented these facts to the President, who thereupon revoked his action of yesterday in continuing Judge Lewis in office.
A similar fraud was practiced some years ago when Lewis was Chief Justice of Idaho. A forged letter resigning his position was received by the President, an order was posted at once, and he had no chance at that time to be detected of fraud, and therefore he had no chance at that time.
This 1877 incident highlights the precarious nature of judicial appointments in frontier territories, where political maneuvering and even forgery could alter the course of local governance. It mirrors modern concerns about the integrity of legal processes and the vulnerability of public institutions to deception by powerful actors.
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