The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-13

call his masterpiece a sorry production. my
self am well accustomed 70 that sort OF justice
aud lnsOlenCe from sCrlbblers, who could not
write my smallest chapter to save their csrcasses
from the eallows, and their souls from prema-
ture damnatiOn. But the spite and vanity Of
our interiors in the great profound, ana dun
cult art of writing is gen lerally satisfied by call
ing US ounces, ana bunglers, and coxcombs, and
that sort of thing.
In all my experience never knew the press
guilty of such crime as the editor of the
ROUnd Table has committed. Ii is deliberate
attempt to assassinate the moral character of
an author and gentleman, and 20 stab the
ladies of his own family to the heart, under
pretense OF protecting the women OF nation
from the demoralizing influence of his pen.
You will See at once that | could not hold
any communication with the Hound Idble or its
editor, and l must, therefore, trust TO Ameri-
can business and generosity, and ask leave TO
reply in respectable columns.
In answer to statements !, 2, 4, and g. pledge
the honor OF gentleman that they are deltbe-
rate and intentional falsehoods, and under
take to prove this before twelve honest Ameri-
can citizens sworn to do justice between man
and man.
As to No. 3. | really scarce know what my
slanderer means. Griffith Gaunt," under de-
lusion, con mits bigamy; and of course bigamy
may by slight perverslon of terms be called
adultery. But no truthful person, attacking
character, would apply both terms to u single
act. Is bigamy more than polygamy? And Is
polvgamy called that, and adultery too, in every
district of the United States?
As to 1.-THE nameless social crimes" what does
| the beast mean? Did he find these in his own
foul imagination, or did he find them IN my
| text? Tit was in the latter, of course he can
point to the page. He shall nave an oppor-
| tunity.
Statement is lie by way of equivocation.
| The truth is, that before Griffith Gaunt" was
| written, an agent of mine proposed 10 me to
sound some newspaper proprietors who had
| hitherto stolen my works, as to whether they
would like to buy story OF me, instead of
| stealing 1t. ] consente to this preliminary
| question being put, and don't know what they
| replied to my agent Probably the idea OF buy
| ing, where they had formed q habit of stealing,
was dstastetu to them. But this you may rely
| on, that never submit a line OF manuscript to
| the judgment OF any trader whatever, either in
| England or in America, and never will Nothing
| is ever discussed between trader and me
| except the bulk and the price. The price is
! sometimes high one; but always u falr one,
| founded on my sales. Ii he has not the courage
| to pay Tor it, all the worse TOR him. II he has,
| the bargain IS signed, and then, and not till
| then, he sees the copy
never intrusted line of Griffith Gauntr to
| an agent. never sent line of it across the
| Atlantic to any human being except to the firm
| of ncknor d Fields; and even 10 that respect
| able firm, one of the partners in which is my
! valued friend, did not send q line of it until
| they had purchased of me the right to publish
| 1t IN the United States. And this purchase was
| made on the basis of an old standing agreement.
| Compare these facts with the impression a
| miserable prevarlcatOr has sought to create, to
| VIII, lndL the proprietor OF some low journal was
allowed to read the manuscript or Unpublished
| sheets of Griffith Gauntn and declined it on
| the score of morality.
Statement Z, which accuses me of literary
| felony, is deliberate Intentional falsehood.
| The ATgOSy is sold in New York in great num-
| bers, price siXpence. The editor OF the Round
| Table is aware Of this, and has seen Griffith
| Gaunt' in it, with my name attached; yet he
was so bent on slanderlng me, by hook or by
| crook, that he printed the letters &c. s. Hn
| without contradiction, and so turned the con-
| lecture of a mere fool into libel and lie.
| l shall only add that | mean to collar the
editor OF the Round 7d6Ie, and DRAG him and his
| slanders before jury of his countrymen. He
| thinks there is no law, justice, or humanity for
| an Englshman in the great United States. We
| shall see.
Pending The legal inquiry earnestly request
| my friends in the United States to let me know
who this editor of the Round Table is, and all
about him, so that we may meet on ialr terms
before the jury.
All editors of American journals who have
| any justice, fair play, or common humanity TO
| spare to an injured stranger, will print this
| letter, in which one man defends himself against
| many; and will be good enough to accept my
thanks for the same in this writing.
| CHARLES READE,
| No. Albert-terrace, Hyde Park, London.
P. ST. demand as my right the undivided
honor of all the insults that have been mis-.
directed against Messrs. Tcknor Fields OF
| Boston, These gentlemen have had no alterna-
! tive; they could not bow to SANDER, and dis
J continue Griffith Gaunt" in the Atlantic
| MOnthly, without breaking faith with me, and
| driving their subscribers to the ArqOSy The
| whole credit and discredt of Griffith Gaun,"
my masterpiece, belongs to me, its sole author
ard original vendor.