The Nevada journal., 1858-12-17
The County Treasnrer's
Card to the Public.
To the C;t;1cns of Nepada COUNTY !:

10 the Cittzens OF NeUddd county,
The Grand Jury at its recent session have thought
proper in their report to represent to their fellow
citizens of Nevada County" that my conduct as
County Treasurer has been corrupt and criminal
Had that tribunal confined itself to discharge
of its lawful duty by delivering to the proper Court
an indictment or presentment charging me with
public offense ofenses, 1 would have respected
its members worthy citizens and fellow men, and
in silence assumed at once the grave task of meet
ing charges made in accordance with rules of law
| and gentlemanly propriety. But the Grand jury
through the super-oficious zeal and industrious
malice of few ofits members have not only tram
scended the requirements Of official duty, but the
plainest rules of justice and moral propriety in re-
porting to the public GAS FACTS" their own mere
conclusions, ignorantly jumped at upon partial
and prejudiced Investigation. Did not the Grand
Jury know this report would be published? Did
not the hypocritical maligner who drafted it design
| its publication when he addresses in the same "his
fellow citizens of Nevada County?' Notwithstand-
ing it was intended to be given to the public before
1 could be tried upon a single charge they have
preferred, that report prefaccs the series of false
hoods, stupidities and corrupt miss statements
it contains against me- with the remark 1--WE respect
| fully report AS FACTS which various witnesses HAVE
! sUBsrANTIATEp under OATH" intend to establish
| the falsty of this report in this respect upon my
trial. but suppose they have reported the facts and
| evidence? When, what occasion, what
charge by any former Or by this Grand Jury made,
| did such tribunal descend to the unfair and des-
pcabe measure of reporting to the public the cir
l i. l~.fa-
trial can be had !? They say in their report they
| found two indictments against Others besides the
presentment against myself These indictments are
for murder and manslaughter, but serious those
CRIMES are, not line, nor paragraph, nor mo-
ments labor was bestowed in showing "to their fel
low citizens of Nevada county" the facts and cir
cumstances ofthose cases. They filed their present
ment against me in due form for a hIsD EMEASoR.
Why in addition have they resorted to the unpre-
cedented course of officially and beforehand beying
my case, if it is not to make me unable to find, if
possible, none of my feow-men unprejudiced when
they called upon, they must be, to try and
decide its issues? 1 submit to every good man, if
the report is not Designed to prejudice my rights as
an accused party-to cause the public to condemn
me before a hearing-to deny to me that impartial
ty guaranteed to the lowest feon, and to encourage
unfeeling and villanous attacks from snarng and
ay-hawking newspaper presses tolerated in this
State to its lasting disgrace Its authorship well
known 10 myself and others to belong to un-
principled and shameless trickster, whose appetite
for Spleen meanness and revenge is Unsuitable as
that of a hyena for carton and filth l am reluc-
tant to believe that many of the members of that
l.. Al,
report so full of fasehoods Stiffness and
They were inveged into signing it by the hypocri-
sy and false representations of one who procured
for himself that position to assail and injure me,
backed he was bypettifogging industry never be-
fore witnessed such an occasion. To show ths
public how ridciously false and absurd is this re-
port towards myself will quote from it the follow
ing, viz
18Th. The Treasurer has issued licenses to and
collected monies from parties in Grass Valley and
issued AGAIN THE SAME license to and collected mon
ey THE same license from parties in Nevada
Il not this selfevident and silly falsehood p
How as Treasurer regained possession of licenses
I had once issued in Grass Valley so that THE SAME
could have been issued to other parties in Nevada is
question that considcrate Grand Jury seemed new
er to have thought of.
The single circumstance that license pro
duced before them on which the name of Charles R
Edwards had been by one of my Deputies through
mistake entered then erased, which Edwards never
paid dollar for and which was afterwards and fo
the first time ISSUED to T. ElIard Beans & Co.. con
stituted the sole foundation of this senseless
false assertion.
Edwards business did not justify him in taking
such license, while Beans 4 Co.'S did. This licens,
was filed, up as far as the name, for Edwards, bu
never issued to him, nor to any one but Beans
. Co., whose names inserted in the same wher
issued or delivered to them. This will be under
stood when make known, that these licenses arr
PRINTED and of different classes, 9th, 10th, &c
This simple occurrence is the mares nest which
cited the suspicion and alarm of this most astut,
and faithful body. And doubtless like slight mis-
takes and omissions induced the other charges con
tanned in the report of this Grand Jury-a secre
and one-sided inquisition-a relic of barbarism
which in these modern days is too often made thu
I means of concealment for personal malice era
ven revenge, and lever to oppress, malign and in
jure.
I cannot now with justice to myself enter upor
my defence by explaining my whole course al
County Treasurer. l have near relatives who sur
n vve. Their unsullied regulations are as dear tc
2 me as my own. Both in this matter are at stake
e believe live still among men-among civilized
men-that Courts of Justice are designed to acqu
the innocent as well as to convict and punish the
{ guilty. Before these tribunals now promise to
tablish the truth and justice of my statements.
will simply ask my fellow citizens to await the re-
( suit of a fair judicial investigation.
Il T. W. SIGOURNEY.
Nevada, December 18th, 1858.