Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-04-08
From the Emancipator.-
The Garland Forgery


We have had the documentsgin our
hands several weeks, but without feel
ing fully at liberty TO use them as our
own inclinations dictated. Being freed
from doubt on this score, we hasten to
lay them before the public. They show
beyond all question who were the gull,
ty agents in the forgery OF the celebrat-
ed Garland letter, the forged letter from,
j.. G.. Birney to James b. Garland. by5
which The Wing leaders IL Michigan,
Indiana Ohio, New ofs sfnne aud
other States, sought to Blast the char
acter of one of the most upright men
living, because they thought he stood
in the way OF their elevating their idol.
lzed slave holder and dueIist to the
highest office in the nation. :,
As the circumstances may not all be
fresh in the minds of all our readers, we
will premise that shortly before the
presidential election in 1914, the lead>
ing whig papers throughout the North
were simultaneously furnished with
copies Of slip purporting TO be an ex-
ira Of the Genesee Democrat, a Wing
paper in the State of Michigan, and to
contain a letter from Mr.. Birney, the
Liberty candidate Tor the presidency,
to ]. B, Garland, declaring his, Birney's
adhesion to the Democratic party
with an affidavit by Mr.. Garland be-
fore magistrate of the genuineness
of the letter-all forged. So important
was this deemed to be, that the State
Committee in Indiana hastily issued a
special address containing it, the Ohio
State Journal issued it in an extra, Judi
ciously timed, so as to reach every part
Of the State about three days before
the election, the Portland Journal did
the same; Mr.. GiddIngs in the West
ern Reserve, Mr.. Webster in Massa-
chusetts and other orators, pledged
themselves for its genulneness, &c. &c.
A few whiy papers seem to have been
mysteriously cautioned not to commit
themselves to II, but the party made
full use oft, to the utmost, to draw
! off Liberty voters from their fidelity
and induce them to vote for Clay.
Mr.. Birney was on his way home te
Saginaw, in the remote part of Michi.
gan, returning from journey to New
England for two of his children. Being
unexpectedly detained for three OF
four days at Buffalo by a violent snow
storm, he met the forged letter at Cleve-
land, on the day of the Ohio election,
which otherwise he would not have
seen till all the elections were over,
and was thus enabled to expose it in
season for the elections in New Eng
land. But a very long time 1t seemed
as though the guilty authors Of the for
gerry, had covered their crime from hu-
man detection. At length, however,
the eye Of justice has pierced the dark
ness and the immediate agents been
discovered, and their guilt fully proved,
by the following affidavits, to which we
now call our readers attention:
The following statements are made
at the request Of Charles H. Steward
of Detroit, in behalf of James G.. Bir.
ney.
STATEMENT OE MR.. SHERWOOD
OF PONTIAC.
In October, 1874, l was editor and
publisher of the 'Genesee County Dem.
ocrat,' which advocated the election o
Henry Clay. During said month ;
gentleman Of the whig party, residing
in Pontiac, informed me that a meas
ure was on foot which would secure the
election Of Henry Clay; that I would
probably be applied to on the subject
and if so, was neither to affirm mol
deny the matter enquired about. He
did not acquaint me with any Of the par.
ticulars, nor had any suspicious oil
what they were. Soon afterwards
within few duys, letter was receiv-
ed by the Whjg Genesee Committee
from Jacob NJ. Howard Of Detroit
Chairman of the Wing Central Com
mittee stating that a certain Documen,
purporting TO be The Genesee County
Democrat Extra was in circulation;
containing an alleged letter from Jane.
G.. Birney, to J. B. Garland, an affida
Wit from the latter with other docu-
ments, and Mr.. Howard enquired ifthe
said document was genuine. The COM
mittee showed me the letter. | imme
diately knew that the document wa
the very measure about whose forth
coming had been warned as alread,
stated. The Committee informed Mi
Howard by the next post, that it was
gross forgery, and at their request
added my affidavit substantially tn
same as subsequently made. This ls,
ter was received at least ten days be
fore the November election. | first say
the document iu the Detroit Free Pres
Of the lst Of November 1916, publishe
as forgery. On the 18th, being elet