New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-09-17
TESTIMONY OF HORACE GREELEY, SWORN FOR
DEFENSE.

| o. You are Che defendant in action A. Yes, Sir
! q. What were your personal relations with M
Iittejohn on the 10Th day of September last, and
| prior TO that time
| Objected to. Objection overruled.
A. believe they were god; always good 80 far as
/ can recollect. We have been acquainted about ~
years, and have no knowledge OF any personal am
Guilty. or POLITICAL between during that time, except
| in regard TO these measures OF that Legislature
| Q. Had you any personal unkindness toward him,
growing out of that matter A. had not Sir
q. Or at the time Of this publication OF the 2oth OF
| September A. No. Sir
| Q. Had you at any time any malice toward Mr.. Lit
tleOhn of any kind, nature, description, or Tor
| any ca1se whatsoever A. / am not aware OF any.
O. On the 18th day of September, at the time OF the
publication of the article 10 question, want TO know
| II you believed the statement TO be true
Objected to as incompetent. Objection oyerruied'
Exception for plaintiff.
| A. Yes, Sir, did.
| Crossexamination by Mr., Sedgwick
Q. You say you had no malice unkiudness except
| what grew out Of these bills A. am not aware OF
any mean previous to this time.
.. Now Sir, did you not attack him in your paper
upon grounds entirely personal previous to that time
| A. / am not aware that so attacked him.
o. Did you before Immediately after this publ
cation without any subsequent ground attack him for
private transactions not connected with these political
acts A. think not Sir. In the article partly read
| by Mr. Marsh, The Times stated in q letter from
| 0swego, that Mr. Littlejohn had been making very
severe attack upon me- had !. handled me without
|
lished in Oswego Well, Sir, had understood that
requisit once issued by the Governor OF Illinois
for Mr. Lttlejohn and said If tie Governor Of this
State had answered the requisitiOn made by the Gov
ernor of Illinois, bis character would have been esab-
| ltbed In Chicago US well az in 0swego. But was
mistaken there was noIequisition for him:
Q. Had yen any information, except In general
| terms of what he had said in regard 10 you A. l
had the information read last night that was handled
without gloves" called a calumniator, &c.
Q. Had you attacked Mr.. Ltlejohn before the 18th
| Of September by namel A. think never separate
ly from others; was repeatedly asked, are you IN
favor Of rejoicing those Republicans who voted for
| those corrupt measures and said, never.
@. The question I put was, whether you had at
tackled Mr. Lttleohn by name in your PAPER repeated
ly before :he Goth Of September, charging MN win
corrupt legislation in connection with those measures
or any Others A. In the article read he was named.
Q. L mean prior TO September and during the VIM
ter of 1851 A. l have recollection Of ii might
have said 90.
o. Don't You remember whether you had named
him A. do not.
Q. Do YOU refer to private communications when
you say you had 30 often stated your opinions A.
referred TO pub ca,ions.
o. Then YOU had published your opinions before
A. This article does not refer to him alone.
| Q. mean whether you included him among other
| pcrsopsi A. 1 cid, Sir.
O. Had you been inquired OF with regard to the
propriety OF Mr.. Littlejohn's nomination. A. No,
Sir bat with regard 10 the proprieiy Of Republicans
voting TO reflect members who had supported those
measures.
o. Had Won been inquired Of specifically as to the
propriety Of Lttlejobn's nomination. A. Littlejohn
and Myers, think the inquiry was in that case:
q. This was private inquiry was MIR. LitleJohn
named In it A. i am quite sure he WAS
O. Who was il written byi A. l don't remember.
0. Was il a nameless mani A. Well, Sir, your ques
ons force me to say that it happens that did not
write the article on which this suit is founded,
but do not wish 10 oyade any responsibility Tor IT,
O. Do you know whether the writer OF that article
had any malice A. think he did not even know
Mr.. Lulejohn. n
@. Who was this correspondent a. don't
know.
did not; but know that simsr inquiries were made
o. Have you ever withdrawn the charge contained
In that article In Tespect % the Governor Of Illinois on
finding thai 1t was untrue A. ! onereI 70 wlndfaw
it before my suit was commencedi offered to state
the exact TACT.
O. Offered to state what factl A. don't wish to
call other peoples names here
O. Did YOU offer 20 rrract il without qualification
ar 10 Mr.. Littlejohn a. Certainly, as regards Mr.
IitlejohD.
Q. Without qualification A. had to state to
Q. The substance of il H. You offered to rtrsct as
10 him by stating the facts as 10 another A. There
was another person whose name i did not wish to
mention.
Q. Then TO make an unqualified retmcion you
never dad offer A. SO far as concerned Mr. L.. did
offer to retract, and TO say under misappre
henion when made the statement.
q. Why not retract Il when you found Il was
wrongi You had control of the columns Of your pa
Der, handu't You Why not state that you were mis
taken II you had no malice A. / should very glad
ly have stated 40. You will the why did
not, in a letter which wrote to Mr. Marsh.
q. Why could you not, when you found out IL was
not rrie take IL back and say 1t was not true A.
had not made false accusation had been mistaken
| in regard TO the man
o. Toe question is why, having found out the accu
satiou against Mr. Littleohn was unfounded you did
you had con,roli A. Well, Sir, because could not
state all the circumstances without inuring another
person whom l wi,hed very much not TO injure
q. Could You not state that your information with
| regard to Mr.. Iittloohn was uDfounded and stop
thorei A. IL was not exactly unfounded 1t was mis-
| taken.
Q. Mistaken by you or the person who informed you
A. certainly thought / was right when L made the
| statement.
O. Was you ever told that Mr.. Ltleiohn was sent
| for by the Governor Of Illinois A. now think,
Sir that when the information was given Mr. Little
| John was not mentioned; but / certainly thought
was correct as to the complaint heard Of our Gov
ernor for not answering Illinois requisition.
Q. You then did publish that article making that
accusation, that Mr. Littleohn had been indicted in
Illinois without having been informed by any per.
son A. don't think the accusation was so broad
you state il.
Q. When you found and was informed that the per-
son communicating the information bad not mentioned
Mr. Iittleohn why didn't you say that In your paper,
and thus end the matteri A. Because felt that il
was my right to state ali the circumstances which led
me into that mistake, not 70 expose myself un-
Justly to the charge Of having fabricated the charge;
add thought Mr. Ltejohn would not desire to have
me- state them
Q. That was the reason yon did not tako il back
A. was then threatened with libel suit; STILL |
offered then 10 make the statement.
Mr.. MANsU-D, Have Won rot the letter which