Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-12-01

last week, and the Gazette did not deny
it, that the Clerk had no warrant in law
to take those poll books out OF the
Clerks Office until they were opened
and an abstract made out; and, in the
second place, he perpetrated fraud,
an indirect theft, when he took tao days
to open the returns, when the whole
thing could have been done in less than
hdp Of one day, and in doing 80 he
robbed the honest taxpayers Of Bel
mont County for the benefit of his po-
litical friends.
"The Republicans, male and female,
'ciM PooRMAN at their head" Now,
every man in that Court House that
night knows that we did not go there
until long after the house was filled,
and the opening of the poll books near
ly finished.
"PooRMAN announced that they were
going to take the Court House" This
is a contemplate falsehood, uttered for
the purpose of misleading the ignorant,
and without particle of foundation.
We made no such announcement, but,
on the contrary, we said they had the
power to keep us out; but we wanted
to know who was responsible for it,
and at once went to look for the Sher-
i'll, who, we knew, had control of the
matter. Failing to find him, we re-
turned to the Court House, and were
informed by one of the officials that
Judge OKBY had ordered that no meet
ings be held there.
"PooRMAN mounted the Judges
stand, back of the Clerk, and began to
make some false statements. The
Clerk was not opening the poll books
at the time we mounted the Judges
stand, but was sitting in the posture of
a blackguard, with his feet thrown up
on the desk in front of him; and if we
made false statements. why do mt you
let your readers know what we said
We said that Judge OKEy, when, with
Judge CowEN, we called upon him, in
the presence Of Sheriff UMsTEAD, said,
"He had not been consulted; he had
made no order on the subject, and had
no control Of the Court House, except
when sitting on the bench; and the
truth of this we are ready to prove if
you dare deny it: and we call on you
to say whether this is true or not
Here jim CHARLEswoRTH jumped up
on the chair, with tears in his eyes,
having been caught in a wilful lie, in
asserting that Judge OKEY was re-
sponsible for the blackguard trick of
closing the Court House against apub-
lie meeting-the first time in the his
tory of our county-and trembling like
q leaf, he said: "H is lie" leaving
the matter in doubt whether he meant
that what Judge OKEY had said was a
lie, or whether we had lied in attribu-
ting to Judge OKEr what we had said
and because we did not give the little
puppy, by slapping his mouth, an op-
portunity to commence an action for
assault and battery against us, before
Copperhead Court and Packed Jury,
and make blackguard Of ourself in
the presence of hundred ladies, this
apostle Of peace, says we are coward.
We are too poor man, even if we
were so disposed, to strike jim
CHARLEswoRTH, whilst the formation
Of the Court is In the hands of the
present dynasty, except In self-defense,
or to resent an attack; but We have no
disposition to strike such specimen Of
humanity, We would as soon think Of
striking woman tottering with old
age upon the brink of the grave; and
II HEAroN thinks this is any evidence
or cowardice, let him test our courage
the next time he meets us ON the street
by offering us an insult.
"CnARLEswoRrH making at him,
PooRMAN retreated from the Court
House, through the same channel he
had entered-the back door. -
CHARLEswoRTH never moved from the
chair on which he was standing. We
moved toward him, and, in low tone,
so that the ladies present should not
hear it, but which he heard distinctly,
called him what no man living, with a
single particle of courage, would take,
as he took IL, and then, after talking with
the Sheriff, We announced that the
meeting would adjourn to the front of
the Lewis House--and instead of 90.
ing out the back door, we demanded
that the front door be opened, and it
was opened, and the more respectable
part Of the audience withdrew and left
the Court House in possession of the