The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-07-25
TO THE PUBLIC.


false and garbled statement having been
given by some of the presses and letter-writers
from this city, as well as by w. MONTGOMERY,
relative TO the difficulty between himself and
myself, and that matter having undergone in
vestigation in court of law, hereby lay before
the public facts, as proven on the trial, that every
one who feels any interest in the affair may
Judge impartally and correctly.
As 10 the correspondence between us, which
led to the difficulty, the whole of it was pub
ished in the Globe Of May 30th, and to it in
vite the attention Of every one who wishes to
know who was TO blame in the first instance.
II was for the abusive language used in his
letter which appeared in the Globe of May GOTH
that personally chastised him on the next day.
My object now is to show to the world that in
giving an account of the affair he published a
statement, which events have since pr0ren to
be false. On the 30h Of May, immediately af-
ter the difficulty, he had prepared for the Globe,
and had published in the paper of that evening
the following statement:
WASHINGTON, d c., May 30, 1910
Messrs. BLAIR AND RIyEs IL must ask that YOU
will publish the whole of the letters of X Rayner and
myself in your paper this evening with Of
what occurred in the Capitol this day. When the
House took recess hut while stillin session. left
my seat passed through the hall to the post Office de-
posted some papers 10 be sent to my lodgings and
was going through the pas age to join my company in
the Rotunda. man who was standing, meeting
me, in the passage, seized me BY my right arm and
the same moment struck me blow with large cane,
without my knowing who inflicted il. turned round
and discovered that il was my colleague X Rayner,
with large cane which afterwards turned out to be
sword cane. struck him with small cane had
in my hand, not as large my finger, which broke
into several pieces the first blow struck fight
sued between tor time, until separat-
ed he with his sword cane, and with small piece
of my cane. have doubt my colleague had placed
tpr he nlrn nfa ttnck nurn had
no sword cane arms Of any kind not supposing that
my colleague would be guilty Of the cowary attempt
at assassination in which, fear from his conduct,
was mistaken. Had anticipated this attack, might
have been prepared His conduct has been that Of
mean, cowardly scoundrcl first, in attacking me
through the columns Of the Globe, and when his con-
duct there exposed his only resort was not that
Of an honorable man, but that of assassin way
laying and without the slightest notice with wca-
pom prepared for the purpose, seeking taNe his
venge, cut throat like. From his cowardice, some
other cause he was unable to hurt He lost his
sword from his cane in the fight, which he loudly
called for several times after were separated and
broke my cane into many pieces his head He
has acted the part of base coward and unprinc-
pied scoundrel. proved the facts upon him. See
the letters below) He has therefore failed as vet to
nure me, while he has, by his conduct, disgraced
himself hy waylaying and attacking with deadly
weapon and have inflicted chastisemcnt upon him
by breaking my cane over his head He is therefore,
welcome to all he has gotten far, and to all he
in any way gain hereafter Yours
w MONTGOMERY.
published the following statement in the In
tegencer of June 2-the Editor of the Globe
having refused TO publish it in his paper
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES., June |, 1910.
To nc Editor Of he Globe:
| wish to make, simply, the following statement
through the columns Of your paper. The letter, over
the signature of w. Montgomery in the Globe of
May 80, pretending to give account of the difficult
ty between him and myself is false, in the main both
as to facts and insinuations The following is a true
statement of the case met him purely by accident
in the door, on my way to the post office. walked
up TO him directly IN 'front.' and deliberately slapped
his jars. Whereupon, he struck the should
with a cane which he held in his hand, and which
broke short of at the first blow ! then turned my
cane-which was sword cane of ordinary size
holding il by the lower end and gave him blow over
the head striking him with the handle sword end
In striking this blow the sword flew out distance
then repeated my blows three four times with the
lower barrel end of the cane, until separa
ted-he rctrcating back all the time. He struck me
but once and that was when he broke his cane. /
did not draw the sword from my cane, or attempt to
draw it. had him entirely within my power, but
did not wish to infict any material injury him. and
should have desised after Shaping his jaws had he
not struck me with his cane | have nothing further
to say Yours, respectfully,
K RAYNER.
Such were the contradictory statements of
w. Montgomery and myself in relation to the
aflair-and happily for the truth, events have
since occurred to test and prove which was cor
rect his version or mine. II has statement be
true, then ought TO be disgraced man; if my
statement be true, then he must forever stand
dsgraced in the estimation of all honorable men,
for having published what he knew to be a de-
lberate falsehood, for the purpose Of attempting
TO conceal his disgrace. Since the rencontre,
the grand jury of the Circuit Court for this Dis
rict presented me for an g assault and battery"
on the person of w. Montgomery. AT whose
instance this was done, have not yet been able
TO a certain en- the 10th June, the trial came
on, before Judge Dunlop-Francis s. Key, pro
secutor-both of them officers appointed by the
President, and both of them strong partizans of
this Administration. submitted the case, upon
the evidence contained in the following state
ment taken down during the trial, by my attor
new Mr. Richard S. Coke.
Circuit Court Of The District Of Columbia,
for The Comfy Of Washington, lime Is,
1870
UNITED STATES rs. KENNETH RAYNER
INDICTMENT ASSAULT AND BATTERY.
The defendant appeared, in obediance to the pro-
cess Of the Court, and submitted TO its judgment
The District Attorney then produced, on behalf of
the prosecution, Philip Haas, who being duly sworn,
saws. He was present at the ARRAY which occurred
between Mr. Rayncr, the ,rayerser, and Mr. Mont |