Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-13
Card rrom Mr.. aordOu.

EDIToR LEkDER;-I am thankful for the |
space you have given me in your columns
! now ask little further Indulgence. The
article Of R. F. Paine does me immense
iniuStioe. desire hereby to correct his mis-
statements and set myself right before the
public. Mr.. Paine ought to have been salts
fed with my conviction and hard sentence
and not pursue me into the confinement into
which he has brought me and try to rob me
of my reputation. AS much brevity willbe
attempted as the case will admit.
/. Mr.. P. says "goluntarily entered Sc
curities for my appearance in Court" The
statement Is incorrect and he could not have
forgotten it. came without arrest into his
Office, but positively refused TO give security
and offered to go to jail first, He very re-
luctantly let me off on my own recognisance
said be would not It he had not promised
Mr.. Riddle to do So and If he grew dissatis-
fed before July he would arrest me. Mr..
Williamson was present.
2. He utterly fails TO mention that all his
hard statements about me are from two wit
nesses-indeed nearly all from one of them
that these witnesses we're journeymen slave
catehers-that their very business is in itself
a presumption of their depravity and mean
ness; that they were under powerful tempta-
tions to swear falsely, and that the main state
ments that deny were from one of these
and unsupported by any OtLer present. These
/ two men swore that the company first talked
/ of hanging them, then Of shooting them; yet
| the testimony Of others was that there was
but one rope and two guns in the company;
the rope on horse; one Of the guns in a
fence corner, and that no such demonstration
was seen or heard Of by them. Barber swore
clme up at the Railroad; participated in
the fabulous hanging and shooting process,
and directed the whipping. Young MardeOn
1.-THE only witness from the neighborhood
presently testified that my arrival was when
1t was going on. Barber alone testihes that
tried to conceal my name, and threw the
negro club, and told him to lay on more.
Even Renick sWore no such thing. Barber
testifes to from six to ten guns, others to but
two.
3. Paine, both in his pleading and his ar
ticle, says ! administered an oath to them.
Not witness said So Barber himself said
it was another man. The Cath 1 never ap-
proved, but in it nothing was said about the
Democratic party, but only that he would not
hunt fugitives again.
4. Paine seems to regret that his men did
not get the slave, but forgets that they were
charged with taking Mr.. Hsmmond'S watch.
If true their mission was not entirely unsuc-
cessful. Would it be strange that persons
who would help to steal men would steal
Watches7
5. he forgot to tell that BarbsTs testimo-
ny, apart from his business, his motives to
convict me, bore internal marks offalsehood.
He testified that he knew me by my close re-
semblance to one Of his neighbors, and that
our voices were identical. Both my looks
and voice are said to be rather peculiar and
the probabilities against his statements are
million to one. Thus Paine is not satisfied
with the testimony itself, false as it was, but
when be comes before the public to rob me
of ny reputation, he becomes again the spe-
| cial pleader. How true it Is, that when a
man of high pretensions stoops to a mean
business he usually sinks himself to the level
OF it. Every one who heard the trial knows
that he did prosecute with 'izesl' and bitter
ness; defended slave catching as q lawful
business; eulogized Barber, the deputy, who
lent himself to ii; defended their craft in con-
cealing their names and object and saying
they were railroad men; said it was wise to
do it in the nigh, and thus those rufian slave
catchers completely controlled and used him
as the mouthpiece of their bunker malice.
In short, he cut BeldeRed Bsldea in his pros
ecutiOn OF the Oberlin rescuers, True, he
tried to cover up his doings under the very
gauzy covering that was not prosecuted un-
der the provisions Of the fugitive slave act, but
under statute of 1870. When Mr.. Riddle
made his eloquent and manly denuneiation OF
slavery and slave catching, he said if it were
only an snti-slsvery meeting he could i2i9
what I said to Barber. No witness said
or intimated that told him the "roughs"
would have handled him worse. The
''roughs' with US, as else where, are
with the slave catchers and Paine, him
self. The only difference is that they
never wore an anti slavery mask, but frankly
state their preferences. Even the statement
about Barbers money is perverted. Bar
Der, on the ground after the chastisement
was over, and he was teld he would get no
more, did say be had lost SIG. l then fear
ed it was true, but since his false oath my
belief Is that he did not lose q dime. 1t is
amusing to see how such investments multi
ply. Barber on the ground only asked for
the restoration of Sl6-in Court he made it
about $23; Mr.. Paine has sent it up to $24,
and the Herald has It $50.
Another unmanly perversion: l was not
on trial for the whipping the men received,
but for constructing process But Mr.
Paine had the last speech-said little about
the obstructiOn-but lsbored as he has done
in his article to draw attention entirely to
the so-called abuse OF the men. With this
am satisfied he preiudiced the jury and Sc
cured my conviction. One fact may satisfy
a candid mind: Morrow county is small
gives some 400 or 5OO,Republican majority;
compares favOrsbly in religion and morals
with most counties in the State, and if such
an outrage had occurred near the county
seat is it credible that there would have
been no prosecution there. Yet in so far as
my knowledge extends, such thing was
never dreamed Of Why? Because the
facts were there known, aud because there
was ne R. F. Paine there TO do the slave
catchers dirty work. Since, Barber has en-
tered civil suit just year and day after
the transaction, for personal damages.
Mr.. Paine has done me most cruel iuius.
tice in another point. He tried to impress
the jury with the idea that if l were not
guilty Of all Barber testified, why did not
have witnesses to prove il? Now as a law
yer, be knows how difficult it is to prove !
negative, even against the most positive tes- !
timony. Again he knows that to get nv
witnesses summoned by the Marshal, / would |
be required to make oath of the names of
the witnesses, the points 10 be proved By |
them, and then the judge would decide |
whether It was relevant. He well knows |
Bsrbers false testimony was given too late |
for me to secure any. As could not fore |
see that men would swear falsely, and hav-
ing no desire to hide any truth, had sum |
moned none. am poor, and could not well