The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-04-07
\. b. Hendershott saws that certain char

IL. Is. Hendershott says that certain char
ges have been preferred against him, in a
communication Of your paper, subscribed
Self Defense, which are false and which their
author knew would be proven false.
In determining this question, will not
travel beyond Fl. B. Hendershott's reply to
Self Defense That communication, ofitself,
contains sufficient to settle all matters in
controversy. PERHAPS it would not be i'm
proper for me to address His Honor, person
ally. I will presume this much, since he is
no longer dignified Judge, but, in simple
language, II. B. Hendershott. You stand
; "selfconvicted'' of all that you have been
charged with. "'""
Surprising should say in reply to your
recent bilious effusion, "Mr Hendershott,"
I didn't refer to youth Self Defense; didn't
intend to charge any one with perpetrating
the speech of Dignitas. simply had the
impression that some one in the temperance
meeting made remarks, similar to those at
tributed to Dignitas, but imputed them to
no particular .person"-where would you
stand? Precisely where the guilty boy
stood, who, under a charge Of his master,
that the offender, whoever he was, had
crock on his nose, at once put his hanl to
his face to conceal or remove the fatal mark.
If you didn't make the speech attributed to
Dignitas, why all this buster? Your name
was nowhere called. You hal crock on your
nose, hadn't gnu
But again, in your reply to Self Defense,
you say that "a respect for the continued
good opinion of a community in which you
have resided for fifteen years, requires at
your hands an allusion to a communication
over the signature Of Self Defense" not
withstanding, you add, the heart of the
aforesaid author is too mean TO find an
abode in any other than "the most depraved
and pitiable." Has it, then, come to this,
that the character of one, noted for. honesty
and fair dealing, for fifteen consecutive years,
must be defended from the attack of "the
most depraved and pitiable;" especially
where such attack consists i'll misrepresen-
ting and misquoting speech, made in pub
lie? If niisrepresented you the public
knew it long before reading your reply to
Self Defense, and this being so, the spur
pos, Of my DESIRE Gf know what that
term means) was defeated, and was bran
ded by the public, liar. My dear sir,
few more such blunders as that would des-
troy your reputation I don't care of how
long standing it might be. '' ..
To your labored article you have attached
a Statement .'of high minded, honorable
men," but what does it amount to? The
statement is well enough of itself. The
men whose names are subscribed to it re-
spect, but what does it prove? You deny
even saying, that you would feel proud to
volunteer in prosecuting liquor sellers,"-
Does this statement support your denial p
I apprehend not. All that it proves, if it
proves anything, is, that you protested your
self "rea7y and ,cilling to prosecute liquor
sellers and if that does not express coluntar-
mess, know not what does. But, for ar
gument sake. will grant that you said you
were ''ready and willing to prosecute
liquor sellers, for q .tair compensntiom."-
Does this change the complexion of the case?
1t simply proves this, sir: that you were
ready and willing to institute prosecutions
against the renders of Intoxicating Liquors,
not from any philanthropic motives, or be-
cause the interests of our City demanded it,
but because, by so doing, you could add to
D your own stores and this is the horn of the
> dilemma | suppose you would take.
My dear sir, don't claim to be the ''Pre-
cious Repository of some truths relative to
4 the history of your public life. They are too
notorious to find resting place in the heart
l Of one man. Have you forgotten the letter
= you wrote to Washington, soon after the APP
1 pointment of our present Post Masters-
What inducement had you to perpetrate this
u shameful act? And, before your letter was
returned, why did you deny ever having
written it? Why was it that you bore such
malice to one of our most respectable citizens:
This is a circumstance that is not 'hid I'M
: der bushel" There are other acts of a
similar nature, which l will not take the
trouble to mention.
- With what grace, then, do you charge me
with being falsiier? ...........r......
r. May an honest community never rank my
: character for veracity on par with yours.
You charge me with being envious. !
u win pardon you for thus complimentine
yourself 1t may be proper fory you to make
your merits known, even though, by so do
ing, you shock sensitive public. Since you
have ceased to be the complimented pet Of
your fellow citizens, it may be proper for
: you to compliment yourself.
But Pray, do not deceive yourself! envy
; you neither your abilities nor your social
: standing, and know not what you have to
u excite envy in any one except it be your apt.
ness to figure injudicial conventions.
u You think it would be well for me to give
my own history, before revealing the history
: of nfharc IN thic ccnro 7 have pofhinp IN