The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1841-01-14

| The above sentence was approved bv
the competent authority Gen. Dearbsf
who had arrested me, and carried into eff.
! feet
There were other charges and specifi
cations of which Colonel Learned was ac.
Quilted
This is not the first time, this infa.
nous sentence OF a military tribunal pack.
ed to condemn and not try me, has been
published, Tor party purposes, to destroy
political opponent, and with as little
provocation, as the editor of the Gazette
has had. From time to time, it has been
given to the world; in the hope of giving
me wound from which could not re.
cover, and with as little success, or credit,
as trust, this effort will receive, where
the facts OF the case are known.
The editor of the Gazette, has unwit.
tIngly done me a favor by this publication,
Tor which, if had reason 10 respect his
motive, would thank him. l will do Sc
at any rate. lis only secret ISLANDERS. o,
false testimony, that have any reason to
dread. The truth cannot harm me.
am aware too of the secre, insinua,ions
that have for months past been industri:
ously circulated against me, ''to warn
me- as the editor says, s.that l was treas.
urlng up wrath against the day of WRATH
but | did not heed his kind almenition
Surely | did not, for did not fear it.
could not condescend to ''war with bed.
lam''-nor could repel secret SANDER.
Its open publication can now meet
and like St. Paul, before Aggrippa. am
happy that ! can answer for myself, this
day, TO the people of Iowa, touching the
things whereof stand accused.
And did my assailant imagine, that any
thing contained in, or connected with. tina,
most infamous of all pretended militarytri
ais, was calculated to bring blush upon
the cheek of an honest man? Is he week e
nough to suppose that wished it buried in
oblivion, and thath he had the merit of pub.
fishing slanderous secret to the world
that might. by possibility, among stran.
gers to the facts, do me some injury? He
has deceived himself. Know then, sir
that the trial and sentence which you
have published; trial and sentence tina;
has outraged all law, all justice, all truth,
equity, and sense of propriety, reflects
disgrace only upon the minions of. pow.
er. that passed it. A more bitter, unre.
lenting persecution has never been known
in this country, and wherever the FACTS
were known, it never created prejudice
agans, me, nor lost me friend. The
more widely these f,cts are diffnsed and
known, the more perfect will be my jus.
tification, and acqui!tal from all censure.
TO spread those facts abroad. as widely
as my means would then permit, as soon
after the trial, as copy Of the record couIt
be obtained from the War Department fo1
!, publication. published the whole pro
ceedings, TO the number of five ,housant
copies, and distributed them as widely
as possible through every portion OF tht
country. And were it in my power now
I would place copy in the hands O
every FREEMAN in this nation. that they
might see to what length little brief al,
thority, armed with party naa'igni1y
and desire to crush riual, can drlv,
its volaries.
The facts Of this case, then, are simply
these: =
On the 9th Of July, 1919. John Lang
don Jr. Deputy Commissary General 0
supplies of the Army at Portsmouth
I New Hampshire. wrote to me, then sta
: toned at Portland, Maine, requesting m
I TO contract for cartridge boxes, bavone
! scabbarls. and belts. for the supply O
: my Regiment, stating The contract pric
!. at Portsmouth to be t0o dollars Il SCI
]. (See printed record. page 67.) Their
i was some competition among the me
, chanics to obtain this contract, and deem
: ing it my duty to get them made as 10,
2 as they could be fairly afforded. contrac
i ed with the persons named in the charge:
t to make them for one dollar and seventy
i FIVE cents set, proviaed I avouli gin
!, my private o1gliat;on for the paynaen
;. Of the money; which was done, as wi
: appear by the agreement, (page g..
e had not then learned the policy of cor
y tracing for an article for the Government
t, for more than it was worth, to share tn
= excess with the manufacturer. After
portion Of the articles had been delivere
and paid for, received orders to repa
J Ito the frontier. Preparatory to nv lea'
ing, on this tour of duty. l placed II
e correspondence with Mr. Langdon viii
}. all the papers connected with the transa'
h ton in the hands of an agent, to whom
q had entrusted all my private business, vii
= instructions to attend to the settlement
'r and have this contract cancelled. I'll
:, agent had done so, and having the lettt
Of Langdon before him, in which III
dollars set was mentioned, and supp
Sing that was the price. made out It
bills accordingly. and forwarded them
n the Commissary for payment.
% On the 2lst of September. 1919, Isl
a page y while / was mounting my hors
% for my tour of duty to the frontier,
n messenger delivered me package, direc
$. ed to my agent or TO me. from Mr. Ian!
le don, containing the balance Of the none
1T to nav for the cartridge boxes, &c. NJ