Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-15
STATE OF INDIANA. !
COUNTY OF MARION

ONkNA
WV Wick. being duly sworn according to law,
upon his oath saith that the above letter, purport-
ing TO have been written by him. is II forgery; that
aft mt never wrote DR. Shields anv letter upon any
subject whatever; that affiant does not know
Messrs. Myers, Fuel, Bnley. Tweedy. Hill and
KYLE. named in said letter-has never heard of or
from them. and afiant pronounces said letter as
n forgery. and its authors forgers.
i never wrote any letter on said subjects to any
human being. w. w. WICK.
Subscribed ard sworn to before me,
81 S this June 10Th, 1868;
Notary Public.
STATE or INDIANA,
County OF JENNrSGs
John T. Shields being duly sworn upon his
oath, saws that ne neveri i'm his life, received any
letter from W. w. Wick; that he never heard of
the letter dated indianapolis, February 10Th,
1858" addressed to DIR. Shields (afiant) and
signed W w. Wick, until June Sd, 1863. when
he heard that such a letter was set up in type in
the Vernon Banner afiant further says that
no such letter was ever received by him; afiant
further says that he knows of no such plan. ON
the part of Democrats, as indicated in that letter.
JONI T. SHIELDS
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this. June
9Th. 1868. B McCLELLAND.
Judge 7th @. p. District.
To give an air of plausibility TO the authentic
ity Of the letter. the editor saws. cit will I've OBJ
served that the foregoing letter bears date Febru-
ruary 10Th. 1853. at which time the Legislature
Of our State was in session. and a desperate effort
was being made By the traitors in that body to
pass the obnoxious military bill. SC"
Without stopping TO defend or approve the
military bill. | will say. THE MILITARY BILL WAS
NOT PENDING BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE on THR
l0TH DAY or FEBRUARY, 1863, being Introduced
on the l7fh Of that date.
Tn" PLpTrERs" should have studied the Jour
nails a litter better. The article abounds in state
ments like the above.
False in one thing-false in all things-is an
old maxim. l have demonstrated that the letter
is n forgery.
am sorry to know that in the State of Indiana
there exists even one man. who. for any purpose.
could be so base as to lend himselfto a forgery
for the purpose OF stirring up the baser passions.
Desperate ineeed. must be the condition Of those
men who can quietly sit down. with a determine
ton to ruin and blast the reputation OF neighbors
who never did them harm. trusting to the manner
in which their injury was to be done, to shield
themselves from infamy.
] am a member of no secret political organize
ton never have been-never have sympathized
with them
Nv position on the war, publicly taken in a
speech to u Democratic meeting, that l AN op
posed to secession-opposed to a recognition of
the Southern Confederacy or a division of the
Governments. i beiive that the Constitution
makes it the duty to suppress rebellion. and /
shall snstain every effort which has TOR its object
The suppression of rebellion and restoration of the
Union. Regarding COMPENSATED emancipation
and the proclamation as in no sense calculated to
suppress the rebellion; but. on the other hand, as
calculated to render reconciliation more imfFob-
able, as it affected not only the present but the
future condition of the Government. | Thought
il proper to discuss and condemn them. | have
no sympathy with jeff. Davis * Co, and have
repeatedly denounced them. Personally. / was
opposed to the military bill which was before
the last Legislature. upon the gound of expedi-
encv.
With all these things well known to this commu
nifty, 1.-THE editor having been present at a public
speech and heard me denounce secret societies.
advise obedience TO all laws-the conscription
law included-oppose the military bill. and de-
clare that if | had been n member OF the last
Legislature l would have voted against il. l
cannot come to any other conclusion than that
this attack was for political" effect, or to crafty
"personal malice"
have taken the ~initiatory steps for a libel suit
against the editor Of the Banner.
JAMES H. VAwTER.