The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-12-18

The following letter from Jacob Barker, formerly
ofthis city, will interest many readers. Every one
will recolect Jacob, and say, " remember him
well, Horatio" -
NEW ORLEANS, 3Oth Nov. 1912.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESP
In your valuable paper of the 10th inst. in MOTTO
ing the proceedings going on against Col. Webb,
you have. without intending it, done me great in
justice. You, who, as editor of the National Ad-
vocate, did more than any other man-yes, more
than all other men IN the nation, during the consp
racy trials OF 1926 and 1927 to disabuse the public
mind OF the delusion under which they were view
ing the subject, cannot have intended the least in
jury to the individual whose battle you nobly and
boldly fought with the most untiring industry and
zeal, and with profound skill and talent.
The National Advocate was the only paper in the
city. which gave a full and accurate report of the
trials.
In penning that article you seem to have over
looked the final result, in which the whole proceed
lngs were arrested in their progress and dismissed
by the highest tribunals of the State unauthorized
by law. Such being the facts, think, that in de-
scrlblng those iniqutous proceedings you should
have used other terms, so far as | was concerned,
however applicable to others, against whom the
suits were carried to final judgment.
1t is, nevertheless, true, that was most severely
punished, in having my fortunes and my business
ruined by the unholy league, and to be obliged TO
defend myself against combination Of ilfiuent ial
men, whose appettes for inordinate gains, in the
purchase OF the Bonds of the Life and Fire Insur-
ance and other companies, at 3 or 4 per cent per
month, had been disappointed by the failure of
those companies, IN not one ef which was | con-
cerned.
Such, however, is not the sense in which your
readers consrue the word "punished" used in the
article referred to. The use of that word conveys
the idea that the battle resulted against me, when
you know how met, combated, and finally van
quished those egions, composed as they were of
brlbed, disappointed, and malignant spirits usurers
LAWYERS. clerpVmen mad hos
contaminated by the love OF gain. OF the latter
class four publicly ntermeddled with the trials from
the pulpit urging on the ministers of Justice to deeds
OF darkness and inlquty.
II you will publish list of the names of those
who subscribed tor the silver pitcher presented
to Hugh Maxwell on the occasion, the public will
see how many OF them are numbered among the
stock obbers OF the present. day, whose acts you
Justly describe as Unprecedented.
think that whenever this subject is referred to,
great stress should be laid on the facts of my hav-
ing, after the trials were all over, discovered who
the real conspirators were; of my having got pos
where their names were all Inscribed with calcu-
ton Of the division Of the spos, showing how much
each consplrator had of the eighty-four thousand
dollars of which the Tradesmen's Bank was de-.
trauded by these men, and in the handwriting of one
who then high fficer ofthe city who acted as
secretary of the meeting.
So far from my being concerned in, or knowing
10 these proceedings, II turned out that not at
the time In the State of New York. being absent at
Nantucket nor was there among the number any
Of my associates. And ii should be further observed
that on making this discovery, called a pubic
meeting at the New York Exchange, which was nu-
merously attended, TO whom exhibited the proofs,
and not man left doubling the facts undertook
TO establish yet proceedings were taken 10 orng
the offenders TO Justice, but soon as was found
Out that had no hand in the matter II was passed
over as fair business TRANSACTION,
Your assured friend,
JACOB BARKER.