The true Democrat., 1856-02-19
Robert W. Johnson's Difficulty at
 Pine Bluff with Joseph Stillweu.

Robert w. JonnSon'S Dimculty at
 Pine Bluff with Joseph Stillwell.
 In regard to this personal affair we have
 heard of reports disreputabe, not only to Rob't
 w. Johnson, but also to Gov. John s. Roane. in almost every section of the State. Slandsr seems to have been unusually busy and to have left nothing undone that could affect injurious l ly the character of the above named two gen. tlemen As specimen of her work, we give below an extract from letter written to the editor of this paper by a gentleman . the northern part of the State:
 "I learned here, this evening, that reports very prejudicial to R. w. Johnson are in cir culation on this judicial circuit. These rumors relate to the Stillwell affair, and, as I under stand, come from Gov. Drew and from StsllaoeV himself. They miseraby distort the facts as 1 understand them.
 "The tenor of these reports, as nearly as 1 can recollect them, is about as follows:-That Johnson first got Gov. Rosne to procure the sherif's room and place the key inside the door. Johnson approached Stillwell-put his arm around him-promenaded to and fro, con- 1 versing amicably-and thus induced Stillwell to believe that he had no hostile intentions- The impression is sought to be made that John- son put his arm around Stllwel to ascertain if the latter was armed designing to drop the
 matter if he felt weapons Feeling none, he
 inveigled Stillwell into the sheriff's room locked the door, drew bowie knife, and made
 hostile demonstration, coupled with insulting language. Stillwell immediately seized him
 by the throat-thrust him against the wall and
 was about to chastise him, when Johnson's
 friends (who were waiting outside) concluding that Johnson was in the vocatlve, burst open the door and separated the parties. Stilwell then proceeded to arm himself and pursue Johnson who rode out of town immediately
 with Roane. As Roane returned, Stilkvell met him and called him to account for his con- nexion with the affair Roane dsclamed promptly all knowledge of any hostile design of Johnson's, at the time the room was procur- ed.
 "This is, as we'll as can recollect a correct statement ofwhat heard here. Twas also told
 that the policy was to whisper it about secretly and to instance the silence of the True Democrat as adnsltsng tGt Johnson acted badly. state all this to you, that you may do what you think expedent. I know nothing of the re- port except what was told. Whenever and wherever 1 hear it, 1 shall stigmatize it as d--d lie, by whomSoever told"
 Such is one of the rumors, as we get it from
 friend. If the devil-the father of lies and
 the instigator of all that is mischevious-were turned loose in this world, he could not invent
 string of more infamous fasehoods. In the tnstancing " the silence of the True Democrat
 as admitting that Johnson acted badly" we, ourself, have been misconstrued. We were leila boo br;v
 up before the public, through the columns of our paper, the private matters of any one--es- pecaly those of brother. We were silent
 because we thought even Mir. Stlwell would
 do him justice because we never dreamed
 that such islanders could find currency among an intelligent people with whom R. w. Johnson
 has been raised from boy hood. But, to correct NJ all errors we shall be silent no longer.
 That Johnson got Gov. Roane to procure
 the sherff's room and place the key inside" is falsehood. That Johnson put his arm around Stillwell and promenaded to and fro, is false
 hood. That Stillwell, after they got into the room, seized Johnson by the throat and thrust him against the wall and was about to chas- tise him, is falsehood. Every statement made in the above report, as given to Us, is fasehood
 even that which says Stillwell called upon Roane for an explanation.
 The following extracts from letter written to the editor of this paper the day after the oc- currence of the difficulty, by Robt. w. John son, give the tue version of the whole affair We would give the whole letter but it is too long, and 1t was not written for pub!icalion.- 1 The misrepresentations in circulation are our apology for publishing even extracts from it.-I ! Here are the extracts: ! Before you left yesterday I had heard of Jos. Stillwell having abused you and me in his | speech the nj ght before In the course of the | day, heard he had been personal on both of Us, whether correct or not is disputed. So 1 { determined to call upon him, to find out, and also to let him know that he had been going [ on, at my expense, ,iong enough, and would have to stop it-and that if fighting was his desire, 1 would accommodate him at any moment and | in any manneror place. met Gov Roane and 1 told him my intention to call on Stillwell, not for fight, but that if fight should grow out of it, 1 wanted him present as my friend to see | fair play He assented, and we went over to 1 the court house. 1 met Stillwel in the court and told him l wanted a few words with him. he said very well. Irequestea him to get some ytrieml to % wih him to De present But he paid no attention to that. So we went on down stairs into the sherff's room. Roane was near but did not ask him in, as Stillwell had no friend along, thinking that if any difficulty should occur 1t would not look we'll So | closed the door after us and locked it. I then ' tO+ ol1 .l Il. you and me the night before as I had heard, and had long been in the habit of it; that did not intend to suffer it silently any longer and
 if fight was his desire he should have it, etc. He became much alarmed and wanted to go out-l told him no, he could not. He was then so excited that he said something which related to my having arms. l told him yes l had arms, and asked him if he had not arms also He refused to acknowledge that he had, and left me under the i'm pression that he had none; upon which told him would put m, arms Ca knife and pistol) down. But before naming arms he said he had been sick and was very weak l replied that that was precisely my condition, and was very feeble But to resume about the arms; l then left him, went to the far corner of the room and put away my knife and pistol; and on turning around, found he had got to the door, was unlocking 1t, and about to escape He got it unlocked as sprang to the door, threw my weight against it and seized him, when he commenced following out "come here somebody!" The holowing was heard and the door was bursted open He had caught me somewhere about the neck and 1 caught him around the waist and run him back to the far side of the room, with the crowd trying to separate us and there threw him: but falling up against the wall, he did not fall to the floor, and just then we were forced apart felt my arms held behind me and could not get loose; just then Roane jerked Mr. Boyd loose from me, he it was who was holding me.
 Here follows an account of the difficulty that ensued between Robt. Johnson and MT. Boyd. Mr. Boyd is Know Nothing and was friend of Mr. StillWel. This shows that so far from