The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-05-20

iame, or ratner notsriety. botn gentlemen nave
considered themselves rather than been considered
BY others, fine, gay, boldfAoed |" Lotharios; and
it injured woman's reputation for sense more than
chastity, TO have either Of them for fanholders.
Courier and Enqswer Of Thursday last, charges
MIR. Willis with the crime Of seduction, and that,
too, under circumstances that tend ii anything can,
to greatly aggravate the enormity Of the offence.
The gentleman whose death is said to have been
caused by the ruin of his darling and accomplished
child, was we'll known in this community q man
OF unblemished reputation, and whose precepts and
practice would have alike tended to rear his child in
the paths Of purity and religion. We trust that
Mr.. Willis win be able to prove his innocence in
this matters otherwise he will stand forth one Of the
vilest and most hearess oertines that any age has
seen. Ii the charge Is disproved. no language can
be strong enough to express the detestation Of every
honest az aipst the false accQser One thing is
strange-that Col Webb should have quietly sub
mitted SO long to what he terms the malicious accu-
satons Of Mr.. Willis, until the recent Forrest affair
has shown that Mr.. W., like good, peace abiding
citizen, preferred to appeal to the Revised Statutes
for redress rather than to those mahogany stock"
articles that yomit villanous saltpetre forth,
WEBB VS.. WILLIS.
from the Sunday Courierl
We have once or twice alluded to the "respon-
sbe editor Of the Courier and Enquire, when
having occasion to alluda TO that person, the Pa
ROLES or Bobadil of the press But his recent attack
on n L. Willis has caused US to determine never
! 10 Do anything OF the sort again. Colonel Webb,
rs the eulsor stiG LUZ XXI UtM EHJHyV Is Seuer-
ally. has right to be called by such names aud
| We beg pardon Of Shakespeare and Ben Jonson for
sucn mSapplication OF the names Of those model
poltroons. Our contemporary of the week day
say, is mctimes COMPOUNDED by the English press,
is neither PAROLES nor Bobadil These poetical
Iotroons being the creations of men Of genius have
some flavor OF their origin about them; there is
in spite of their poltroonery which do not believe
that the editor OF the Courier and Enquirer has any
claims to- His gross. unfair. malignant and absurdly
written attack on Mr.. Willis, is the most he irt-
iess piece Of scoundrehsm that we have ever seen
III print The nonsensical stuff about Mr. Willis
not being received into respectable society," because
he had visited Lady Bessington and all that, would
probably never have runpled the composure ofthat
gentleman, nor caused any remarks from anybody.
but the rejected Charge, who since his return from
Austria, seems to be ne savage as Haynau, without
having any Of his valor for the sake Of doing Mr..
Willis an injury, goes out Of his way to blast the
reputation Of a lady and give a fatal stab to the
happiness Of her husband. children, brother aud
widowed mother. And he does all this while pre-
tending 10 be friend Of her father. The amount
of the matter is-he accuses MIR. Willis Of corrupt
ing the daughter and thereby causing the death Of
her father The persons involved in this most
wicked and scandalous attack on the living and
dead are well known, and the least inquiry must
lead 10 the develcpement of their names, and the
publication to the world Of youthful ndiscretion
which should have been forgotten. The editor Of
the Ersaiag Post, who was quite as close friend
says:-
contained objectionable and libel upon the
reputation Of lady and because the mputations had
not been we lave doubt they utterly false
We should b. none the lees ndisposed to counte
quarrel which began with an abuse OF parental conf
denec and threatened to end in the ruin Of daughters
peace.
None but a malignant brute, who was destitute
OF all charitable sympathes could have been guilty
of conduct like this. The lady alluded 10 50
brutally by the editor of the Courier and Eagruu,
was the daughter Of an artist who had taken great
pains with her education, and proud Of her
beauty aud talents she wrote some little sketches
that were published in the Mirror, and praised by
that paper while Mr.. Willis was its editor. Her
father going to England for the benefit Of his health,
which had been bad for long time, took his
daughter with him While in England she confess
ed 10 him that she had been candestinely married
before leaving home, upon which he sent her back
to her husband, with whom she has lived from that
day to this, and Mr.. Willis states, is respect
able mother of family. On the return Of the
father to this country, his complaint-a confirmed
case Of asthma-.crminatedi in his death; and now
for the first time, Col Webb accuses Mr. Willis Of
being the murderer Of his deceased friend. The ar
ticle OF Col. Webb containing the wicked attack on
Mr.. Willis is full Of grossly absurd contradictions
lie first says that he had refused to be introduced to
MIR. Willis on account Of that gentlemau's immo-
ralties, and would not speak to him; and after
WARDS states that the last time he saw him, he, Col
Webb, introduced him to same ladies at n hotel in
Saratoga. Mr.. Willis has published card denying
explicitly the foul charges Of Col. Webb; but be
might have saved himself the trouble for do not
imagine that there Il person in the city-not
Col. Wcbo himselI-who believes word ct his state
meDt.
A. We have not published Col Webbt statement
we shall not publish the denial Of MIR. Willis; but
a. these matters will be likely 60 make some talk
about town, we have thought il proper 10 say VIVA,
We think and what We happen TO know in reference
10 them. Besides, We think il is the duty OF the
press, whenever its members attacked, to TO
the Of the who is the aggrieScd aud inno-
u. ca "A, We
others to act towards US. We have said enough ia
ference to the innocent pa rites who will be the great
est sufferers by the brutality d the Csi0,a md Ea
giuor without mentioning names, to Indicate who
they are, and enable the friends Of Nr. Willis to
confidently believe in his perfectly temperate AMI
respectful denial ofthe gross charge made against
him.
What adds greatly 10 the scandal Of Col. Webb.
attack upon Mr. Willis, are The very notorious air
cumstanccs ofthe yir;nous Colonel's owa marriage,
but little more than year ago. Everybody
knows that Col. Wcbb-an old man with gray hsir
and a family OF grown up cons and daughters--ca.
tced from her fathers house young lady, whom
he elandestinely married ogai1si the wishes OF her
pareuis and never diygged the fact until the NOR
ming before he sailed FOR Europe. For man VINO
could be guilty of such set ~ this talk about
hi Indignation against Mr.. Willis for hayin. been
guilty u The offence he charges him with, j. really
about the most stuFs ndoas piece Of impotence we
have ever known Let the Colonel seek what path
o. distinction be may. We inasiae that ne vii.
achieve y greater success ~ almost anything he
could possibly have the assurance 10 ny nj hand
81. than Bs lecturer morals. especially on the
morality Of enieing young gi.s from their daty 70
their parents
A 1EREiEiE TODp.
Prom the sunday Mercury
L he CoWia AMI Eagsifrr has long been noto-
rious for the facility snl ability vita weh Il rasbr
into row. and 70 long as IL has srDw. IL + 81 very
little consequence to II whether the subiect -
actor n senator. some fourteen year, ago IL
"rcIon-ible editor csl-l upon all tho blilics Of
New OK 20 unite with hiu ~ driving WOOD. tbs
vocalis' frtm thc country. "a he ground IA, L.
had slighlcd native artist, woman ~ doabttl
reputation AID q fseign bigth, - w. believe tho
TosT0n1.blc editor IL lhc Ce,ptr al EaY',f5 veil