The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-01-11
Gkt Nortk yo1a Timss.

In the Winona Democrat, of December
s1st, Is the following article. 1t settles the
question of veracity between R. s. Sproule
and the editor of the North Iowa Times
pretty effectually. 1t may be added here
that Geo. S. Pierce, Esq, Clerk of the Key
City, informs us by letter that he twas in
troduced at st. Paul, to an Indiana lawyer
named SPRouLE, that it was said ''he was
getting up petitions for Cook" that he
(Sproule) inquired the names Of the editors
of the newspapers on the river, and that he
came down on the Key City on the trip of
the 10th and 18th of November Mr.. P.
docs not remember receiving letter from
S., to be delivered to the editor of this pa.
per; the delivery may have been made by
the second Clerk, we do not now recollect.
Our readers will pardon us for boring
them with the Sproule matter again, but it
is desirable to fasten the falsehood where it
belongs, and this article will probably end
the whole affair. Lying was never one Of
the weaknesses of our family; we have sins
to enough to answer for without that We
regret that our reputation will not justify
the compliments which CnAs. w. Corrox,
Esq, the whole-souled author of the fol-
lowing article, pays us:
r. S. SPRoULE.-In card published
in the indianapolis Sentinel, r. s. Sproule
denies having written letter to A. p.
Richardson, of the McGregor Times, asking
the publication Of an article favorable to a
commutation of the punishment of John
E. Cook. Now we know that Mr. Sproule
lies in this denial. He wrote us letter, in
which he stated he would write q similar
letter to Col. Richardson. r. published
letter from SprOule, which, in its tenor, il
not in its words, was similar to the one
written to us. The letter to us was written
by Mr.. Sproule; for we have compared il
with manuscript article now in our pos
session, written by that gentleman on John
Petit, formerly of Indiana, now U. S. Jus
tice in Kansas, and the handwriting is the
same. The article referred to we know to
be genuine, for it was written in our pres
ence, in the Vice Presidents room, at the
Capitol in Washington, in 1855 We have
not the slightest doubt in the world that
Sproule wrote the letter published by Col
Richardson. We know Col. r. personally
and we know that more high minded, hon.
orable gentleman does not live He has not
been imposed upon-nor has Mr.. Sproules
name been forged to any letter. Sproule
wrote the letters, and the officers of the
steamer Key City--mail agent Included
know it, and will prove it, We are informed
We publish this article in vindication OF
Col. Richardson, and we would respectfully
ask its Republication in the North Io,oa
Times, the Indianapolis Sentinel and the
Louisville (Ky.) Democrat. - ....-....-.
! We have not one word to say against Mr.
Sproule's article, published in this paper at
his request We endorse the article, and
when necessary, will defend it. But it is, to
say the least of it, contemplate in Mr..
Sproule to attempt to get out of an imagina-
ry scrape by charging falsehood and forgery
upon some one-especially as honorable q
gentleman as every one who knows him
knows Col. Richardson to be. ......
Since the above was written we have re.
ceived Col: Richardson's paper, in which the
Colonel takes the hide off Of Sproule, as ht
should do.
And now we will say to the editor of tho
Times, that Gov. Willard was not implicated
in the letter accompanying Sproule's articl,
for this paper. Nor were we "seduced' by
its publication, nor 'suborned" in any senst
, Of this word. Its publication was an act ol
our own electiOn-unblaSed and unintiuenc
ed by any suggestion of Mr.. Sproule. Nol
do we care whether Gov. Willard, or any
one else approvedit. 1t is sufficient that i
met our own approval. The only regret
we have in the matter is, that Mr.. Sproule
instead of man of nerve and veracity, wa!
its author. We are deceived in his grit.
If Mr.. Sproule persists in his denial o
the authorship of the letters referred t
above, we can furnish his letters and the ar
ticle on John Petit, to Joseph ]. Bingham
Esq, Editor of the State Sentinel, for com
? parison. Perhaps Bingham might desire, a
q reminiscence, to publish the Petit article
1t would prove highly interesting if ''lait
on the desks" of the members of the It'll
Of January State neutrality-suspicious.,
to the friends of Petit and Wright.