The Arkansas banner., 1844-09-04
THAT ISLANDER AGAIN.


 lie ucH siuclt 10, is as good de t,7tt.n If we may judge from the shameless pertinaciiy with which the Gazette adheres oits wilfulfy false and maIiciously senderous, charge against Governor YELL, in relation to the pardon of Trowbridee, that print has determined to regulate its conduct by the same rule.
 After we had written our article, on this subject, last week, We had some misgiYings that We had been rather too harsh in denunciation of the unprin cped course of the Gazette; deeming it possible that the editor mgH have been ignorant of the real state of facts in the case and thus, though very sarable mol quite so dardy criminal as our remarks would indicate him to be. Bat his last paper re- heyes of those misgyings, and fully sustains and iustifes even harsher denuncadons than We then made. Before, he might have plead ignorance which, with the more charitable, might have shieId- ed him from unmitigated censure now, he stands self convicted of having intentionally borne efalse witness against hls neghbor'-of having wiilHlly and maeiousIy uttered, and reported, sa lder against the character of gentleman directly in the face of facts whichproved tito be a slander. These arc no mere empty assertions; and to prove their truth, we will recapituIate the facts as follows | their gang of robbers and conterfeiters were arrest cd in this city, in the fall of l842, the Attorney General was absent and Mn. TRAPNALL, who had been robbed of some $l5,000. and had been very active in making the arrests was employed as one Of the prosecutors. This duty he performed with great industry and success strongly stimulated to do so no doubt, alike by his regard for the public interest and his very natural desire of recovering his own heavy losses. Thus, Mir. Frapnall became, as it were, the leader in the prosecutions his zeal was known to be great; his judgement both as lawyer, and as>a man, was believed to be good; and, consequently, as he was more fully in possess sion of all the facts than any else, his manage ment was almost necessarily, and very properly, coll fided in, and acted upon. After long and patient investigation, Mir. Trapnall, togetherwth those who assstei him, became satisfied that all the evidence which they had found tpossbe to procure, although it would convict those whom they already had in custody yet was not sufficient to ferret out the whole gang, of whom were still at large, to recover the $l5, ,0o0, which Mir. Trapnan had lost nor to get possession of the large quantity of counterfeit money, and countereitng instruments, known to be in possession of the robbers. It was necessary
 
 ing up and dispersion, of this band Of robbers. It was ascertained that TroRbridge and Wilson alone, could give this testimony. But they refused to turn states evidence to make any disclosures, except upon condition thatth respective terms of impris oanent in the Penetentiary, should be limited to dee years. If thiswere promised them, theyagreed to make althe necessary disclosures-give up bIr. frapnall's money-give up the counterfeit money and counterieiting instTumens-and go into court and confess judgment Under these circumstances, Mir. Trapnall applied to Governor YELL, for per mission to make the arrangement with Trowbridge and Wilson. The Governor hesitated, even then, to comply but,after mature consideration, he becamesatisfed that it was the best arrangement which Could be made, and that the interest of the State required him to make it. Il was then he agreed, that if the court should sentence these cfm
 nals to longer term of imprisonment, he would remit it to ce gears. Thus, it will be seen that he acted altogether with an eye to the public good.- What has been the result? Mir. Trapnall recover ed his l5,o0o-more than $lOO000 of counterfeit money, and large quantity of counteri6ting in- struments were discovered and destroyed-and ssthe most formidable band of robbers which ever nfcst- ed a civilized country" was broken upand punish ed or driven off.
 That the foregoing is true statement of the trans actions, they took place, is proven by the testi- mony of Mr. Trapna and Mr Johnson and is within the knowledge of this whole community We defy the Editor of the Gazette or any one else, to controvert it.
 Aud now, in view of these taets-we ask every caaaid--every honest man, was Governor YELL to blame for what he did?
 Mir Trapnali, in his letter to the Editor of the Gazette which we published last week, says. Il E have no motive or disposition to do Gov YELL more Maa justice; but cheerfuy admit that to the pur- suit and prosecution of these men, he gave eoastafI atteatioa and all Ae aid a hts posoey and assented to the unusual arrangements which were made. whenit was apparent that they were justified by the necessity of i4e case" And futhcr-"ir they Cine arrangements) had not been made, loe never could hare succeeded in finding ont all the agents, or in running some of them out ofthe country, or n bring ing others to punishment"
 The Editor of the Gazette will not, and dare not controvert the truth and ustness of these statements of AIE. Trapnall, his personal and political friend whom he is so warmly supporting for the Ieeisla. tare. And yet with full knowledge of all these facts, and with this letter of MT Trapnals before his face, he deliberately repeats his charge that Gov YELL. acted from improper motives in remittiag a portion of Trowbrdge's imprisonment; and attempts to make the impression that there was collision between Gov. Yell and the criminals. That such charge is false and slanderous, must be the coneIu sion of every candid mind. That it has been will fully and maliciousy made, is evident from every circumstance attending it. We are warranted, then. in repeating our remark of last week, that no man possessed of honor himself or properly appreeating 1t in others, could have made such a charge We are disposed to be charitable enough to believe that even an honorable man might be so led away in his ! desperate anxiety for political capital as to per petrate an injustice upon political yelsary, in the absence of facts; but when facts we presented, and pressed upon him, which proyed beyond doubt, that he had been unjust, he could not hesitate lonake the amende honorable by retracting all he had said, and expressing his regret for his error The aZetta has