The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1865-09-09
{ TEE pGNKHAM AFFAIR.


Democrat in Oregon contains great deal O
truth. We publish it to showsthe yie~tak
Of the matter by,disinterested parties abroad
It was called out by slanderons article
from the 0regonianEin reference to the mat.
ter, upon hearing the false rumor that Patter-
son had been liberated. S.. S l..s e
Ferd, Patterson killed sPinkham, in. a diff
Guilty provoked by the latter, in which both
parties exchanged shotss The act of self
defense is sonapparent in Patterson's case
that grand jury fails to find a true bill
against him for murder.s Patterson as a
matter of course, is discharged from custody.
There is nothing singular or unusualin this
hctionsof the authorities surely. If kPatter7
son committed no murder, but took life in
his own defense, he ought to have been &C
qnitted.s q sagna afasa aae
BUTT is not the acquittal of Patterson, as
a man, that SO calls out the malice and spleen
Of the Oregonian. It is because he is a
Democrat and Pinkham was an Abolitionist,
thatthat1paper sosraVes In its fury And it
says "this is the manner in which the stDe-
mocracy" administer Justice" 1t so hap
pens that the, Court of Idaho is presided over
by Abolition Judges, John R. Mcbride, late
Representative of Oregon in Congress, being
Chief Justice. Thus, it could not have been
the "Democracy1 who administered justice
in Patterson case. The slanderer further
substantially says; Had Pinkham killed
Patterson, the Democracy of Idaho City
would have taken his life. What reason has
the Oregonian for such a remark When
have the Democracy of that city, or any
other taken life by mob law, or without law
executed person charged with or guilty of
murder We defy the wanton falsifer to
cite one single instance. But how stands
the case on its own party side7 There is
in the upper country, from Umatilla and
Walla Walla to Owyhee and Beaver Head, an
organized mob, known asa Vigilance Com
mittee, who have taken life without law, per-
haps in some cases without reason. It's in
keeping with the teachings, the spirit and
practices of the Oregonian's party, to law
lessly and by MODS take life, and trample
upon and defy the laws. Had Patterson been
really guilty of murder, the Democrats ofI
Idaho City would have approved of his law
full conviction justas readily as they approved
of his acquittal when lawfully declared not
culpable. But it is not in proof that they
did approve the action Of the authorities.
The Oregonian basely falsifes when it says
Democrats wanted fthe assassins of Mr.. Lin
coin released" Itcannot show, to corrobo-
rate its atrocieus calumny, single line or
word uttered by any Democrat, to that effect.
Some Democrats have said, and so we believe
also, that the hanging of Mrs. Suratt~was a
murder, and disgrace to the country. But
they said this because they believed, as we
too, believe, that that poor lady was entirely
innocent ofcomplicity in Mr.. Lincoln's death
as Payne and other of the executed men de-
clared upon the gallows. a1fo sa
The tone and animus of the Oregoniansin
reference to this Patterson affair is but tie
reflex of its Abolition contemporaries in this |
State. Patterson two or three years ago, |
killed Capt. Staples in Portland, under such |
apparent provocation that, even before an
and prosecuted by the strongest array of /
employed counsel in the State, he was ac-
quilted. Yet these papers all continue to |
refer to him as the murderer of Capt. Sta
pies The reason is plain-Staples was an |
Abolitionist Now, Pinkham who was a
large, powerful man. prone to abuse, given
to bullying, gambler like Patterson him.
SELF but an Abolitionist, provokes the latter
TO the act which costs him his life. Being as
game a man as ever walked earth, Patterson
accepted the banter insinuated, and, being
also evidently more collected in manner and |
a better shot, he kills his greatly larger as
Gallant. He is legally discharged from Gus
tody, but still these papers call him stthe as
sassin" of Pinkham. When two men ex-
change shots at each other after due prepa-
ration, we co not think the dictionary mean
ing Of 'assassin" would apply to the one who
should kill the other.
1t is a little remarkable that these papers
alluded to can see no ''assassins" in the men
of their own party who sneak up behind
Democrats, shoot them dead, and this with
out any provocation whatever. Nor can they
find any fault Ia the administration of justice
when the Abolition Courts virtually screen
the assassins from punishment, nor speak of
letting "murderers" loose upon society, when
the Abolition Governor opens the prison
doors to them after conviction and sentence,
We do not remember to have seen anything
of this character in their columns when the
Abolitioni st, Van Tichenal, did assassinate
the Democrat, Mcdaniel, nor after the Court
sentenced him to merely years imprison-
ment in the penitentiary for the act, or when
Governor Gibbs gave him free pardon.
Perhaps they thought it then, as they appar-
emily think it yet, "no crime to kill ~ a Dem
ocrat. rotsE 5e - s. s
We need not defend the Democrats of idaho
from the villainous abuse the Oregonian
spurts at them. 1t seems to be conversant
with what was feculent or filthy in ancient
Rome, and no doubt the editor prepared him
q al. y 4 r.. T.