The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-03-31
STATEMENT OF THE RADICAL CITY An.
THoRITIEs, SIGNED By HOWARD
RETICKER.


We find the following in the Rim Union,
Of this morning:
Rock ISLAND ILL.,, March 80, '6S.
The report recently published in the newspa-
pers of the city, based on Statements made by
me, to the effect that on the 25th of March, in
Norris's book store, received a sum of money
from q man named in the repo rts, and that on the
same night was attacked in Court House square
and robbed of said money, are incorrect through.
out.
At the time when I made the statements refer
red to, was laboring under delusion of mind,
unconscious of what was doing. / can give no
reason why should have coneoeted and crcu-
lated the report of my assault and robbery, and
have, at this time, but an indistinct recollection
of the whole matter.
HOWARD C. RETIcKER.
The Rim Union, follows the above with a
long winded effort to make people believe it
had lied about outrsges, robberies, &c. &C.,
and says:
"Mr Retieker and Marshal Mclaughlin called
on the late city printer yesterday, and requested
him TO publish statement similar to the above"
No they did not. They came to our Office
together, and Rsticker never spoke one
word. Charley Mclaughlin asked if we
would write an article for Reticker to sign.
We declined to do so. He then asked if we
would publish an article signed by him. We
replied that when such statement was pre-
pared and presented to us we would consid-
er it. We stated that Reticker's brother,
and his mother, had requested that the news
papers let the matter drop, and il Difference
to their feelings, both of whom we held in
81 nl,,oI % 40 h.xf
if q communication was prepared and pre-
scented for publication we would consider it,
when presented. They left-Reticker never
having made any request or spoken one word,
and neither having presented any statement
of the matter whatever-either written or
verbal.
We suppose the article with Reticker's
name to it was signed by him-but it is not
his, and the means used to make him consent
to its publication are not now publicly known.
1t will strike people as very singular that,
the day following the alleged occurrence
Reticker vomited blood from internal injur-
les he said he then received and that, from
Wednesday night to Sunday night, he con-
tinued to repeat the story to hundreds ofpeo-
pie who conversed with him, he all the time
acting as clerk in the book store. Was he
''laboring under delusion of mind, uneon-
scious of what he was doing" all this time :?
Did the radical city authorities cure him of
this "delusion of mind" by making up his
alleged loss, or any portion of it, if he would
consent to publish himself crazy man, a
fool or rascal, and thus help them regain
their lost credit? Or did they frighten him
into aconsent to its publication Was he
"laboring under delusion of mind" when
he first told the robbery story, or when he
consented to publish himself an impostor?
After the alleged robbery the radicals
thought him worthy to be brought forward
in their convention as a candidate for town
clerk. The young man had always been re-
garded as very modest, honest, ell-behaved
and worthy OF all confidence. He was "loy-
al, and had been soldier But now, to
save the credit of their city authorities, and
to prove that their official paper had been
guilty OF needlessly alarming the people, they
sacrlhce the loyal young soldier and make
him admit himself an impostor and cheat.
1t is rather pretty family quarrel and one
in which we are not particularly interested.