“DEAR SIR:  The arrest of Hon. Stephen J. Field, a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, on the unsupported oath of a woman who, on the very day the oath was taken, and often before, threatened his life, will be a burning disgrace to the State unless disavowed.  I therefore urge upon you the propriety of at once instructing the district attorney of San Joaquin county to dismiss the unwarranted proceedings against him.

“The question of the jurisdiction of the state courts in the case of the deputy United States marshal, Neagle, is one for argument.  The unprecedented indignity on Justice Field does not admit of argument.

    “Yours truly,
    “R.W.  WATERMAN,
    “Governor.”

This letter of Governor Waterman rang out like an alarm bell, warning the chief law officer of the State that a subordinate of his was prostituting its judicial machinery to enable a base woman to put a gross indignity upon a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, whom she had just publicly threatened to kill, and also to aid her in accomplishing that purpose.  The wretched proceeding had already brought upon its authors indignant denunciation and merciless ridicule from every part of the Union.  The attorney-general responded to the call thus made upon him by instructing the district attorney to dismiss the charge against Justice Field, because no evidence existed to sustain it.

The rash young district attorney lost no time in extricating himself from the position in which the arrest of Justice Field had placed him.  On the 26th of August, upon his motion, and the filing of the attorney-general’s letter, the charge against Justice Field was dismissed by the justice of the peace who had issued the warrant against him.

The dismissal of this charge released him from the sheriff’s claim to his custody, and the habeas corpus proceedings in his behalf fell to the ground.  On the 27th, the day appointed for the further hearing, the sheriff announced that in compliance with the order of the magistrate he released Justice Field from custody, whereupon the case of habeas corpus was dismissed.

In making the order, Circuit Judge Sawyer severely animadverted on what he deemed the shameless proceeding at Stockton.  He said: 

“We are glad that the prosecution of Mr. Justice Field has been dismissed, founded, as it was, upon the sole, reckless, and as to him manifestly false affidavit of one whose relation to the matters leading to the tragedy, and whose animosity towards the courts and judges who have found it their duty to decide against her, and especially towards Mr. Justice Field, is a part of the judicial and notorious public history of the country.

“It was, under the circumstances, and upon the sole affidavit produced, especially after the coroner’s inquest, so far as Mr. Justice Field is concerned, a shameless proceeding,