The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-07
From the Platte No. Eagle.
!" CAPTAIN SWORDS-A LIE NAILED TO
THE COUNTER

From the Platte NO. Eagle.
I" CAPTAIN SWORDS-A LIE NAILED TO
THE COUNTER.
sThe vile SANDER upon Captain Swords, of the
Army, which originated in the Richmond Wing, and
has been going the rounds of the newspaper press
completely, ay, tiiumphantly refuted by Captain
Swords. We give place with pleasure to the letter
of Captain S., addressed to the editor of the Rich
mond Wing, and leave the course of that editor to
the public. ,.
wherever he is known, and all will bear witness that
he is an honorable, highminded man, whose reputa-
ton officer and gentleman is above reproach.
The worst feature of this business is that the
rants who revel in the traduction of good name
have, in their overweening anxiety to ferret out
something to inlure Mr.. Van Buren,, used as an in
strument the character of of the purest men of
their political party. We hope our editorial
brethren will do Captain Swords full just ce, and let
the Wings have the benefit of all the political capital
they have made out of this gross SANDER. Try
again, MIR. Richmond Wing"
To the Editor of the Richmond Wing:
SIR | have received, through the kindness of a
friend, the Cincinnati Republican of the 10Th of
April, in which find an article headed, F" Waste and
corruption of the Yam Buren, administration" purport-
ing to be copied from your paper; and as am in
this article held up to the notice of the public in
manner that reflects little credit my character as
disbursing off er of the Government, must, in
Justice to the last Administration that branch of the
Army staff of which am member, and myself, re-
quest through you to put the public in possession of
the fac of the case.
you of the two contracts alluded to, you will find
that the lime furnished for S23 73-l0O cents, in
stead of 1913 70 per bushel, and the charcoal for
Is 98-l00 GEMS instead of SIS SO per bushel. For
both of these contracts, proposals were invited
through the public prints published in the neighbor-
hood hyoh hoV hppD we'd for fho lima
the highest Of which at 81 cents per blshel and
the lowest at the rate at which it was taken and
twentyseven bids having been received for the char
COAL the highest of which at fort mine cents per
bushel, and the lowest also at the rate at which it
was taken.
Poinset from which your hunter after abuses assumes
to quote know not whether the error exists therein
but, presuming that it very naturally may-as even
your partisan author seems to imply there are errors,
inasmuch he will not vouch for its correctness-I
should suppose that it would have been incumbent on
valued correspondent to have made himself ac-
quainted with the truth before holding up to public
animadverson any public officer, even one of po-
litical character which every one at all acquainted
with my habits well knows has never been the case
with myself. Though your correspondent asserts
that the day is past when even official re ports can
be implicitly relied on" he may be assured of one
fact-that any possessing the feelings of gentle
man would deem it far beneath his character either
official or unofficial, to bazon forth the name of any
individual, coupled with the epthets of swnder and
defauer without first assuring himself of the truth
of the statements on which he relies to establish his
charge, even though it may furnish little political
capital for the party of which he is the base tool
THOS. SWORDS,
Captain U. S. Army.
FoRr LEAvENwoRTH, May S, 1912
We should like to hear Bolts comments on
the above letter,