The New York herald., 1869-10-20
A NEWSPAPER DUEL.
Tho boyd and M0sby Fight.
WARRENToN, VA, Oct. TO- 1861

WARRgNToN. vA Oct. 10. 1859.
To THE EDITOR or rnE HEaALp:-
have just read an article IN your paper OF yestcf
day, which contains certain statements made by
Colonel Mosby 10 your correspondent that arc
utterly false. The origin OF the trouble with Mostly
was in the fact that did not belong to the set h0
was mixed up with, and should be sorry II | did.
But Mosby says that the bar or Fauqucr county
objected TO my acting rs sheriff on the ground that
my bond was good for nothIug. This is noe So Th8
action taken by the bar was to memoralize General
Candy to increase the amount OF my bond on tina
ground that as there would probably pass through
my hands some $3.50, 900 bond OF $50 900 would not
be sufclent General Candy thcreupon directed
Colonel Lee investigate the necessity OF ncreas.
Ing the bond but the report showed that not over
ith of the amount would DE handled by the sheriff,
ana that in would the latter have over one.
ff'h OF that in his hands ~ any one time. and
quenty IL was unnecessary 10 Increase tue bond.
deny Mosby's statement that agreed to give MT.
Cannon any or the patronage OF my ONCE in consld-
Grafton OF his acting as a bondsman. Cannon did
ask my assistance 10 gel the appointment Of POST
master lor friend oi aus; bnl TINS declined To
give. Cannon went on my Dond but, being weak
man and easily iniluencad, II was not long before
Mosoy ana MS party succeeded IN buily1n him into
witnurawing Mospl's assertion tnat Judge Hill or
the Ninth judicial Circuit, decided my D0nd TO be
worthless Is false. Upon the withdrawal OF Mr.
Cannon bontlsman Judge iiill required me TO le
q new BOND, but concluded to settle up my affairs
ana quit. and therefore did not comply; 80 the
ONCE was declared vacant. at this juncturc Mosby
renewed Ills annoy ance, interiered WIN my depulcs
and myself III closing up the business, lay IN wait
prevent people coming to my ONCE, and in every
way embarrassed MS. then determined. n possible,
to remain, ana 1T once wrote 10 General Candy ask-
ing my reinstatement. In due time received the
IoiiowIng order:-
HEADQUARTERS FIRST MILITARY DIsrnIoT,l
srArs on yiEsIsiA, Rlonxosp, Va, oct. .. 1903.
SPECIAL oaDERs.-No. 2l8
tExsraeIl
th.
slon OF the Eighteenth DIVISION OF Virginia, William II.
oy S @ h o as q ray coan % n y the Judge
requisite bonds hereby rensated Sheriff Of
thereon IN the AMOUNT named in his former bond
BY command of Brevct Major General CANDY.
LOUIS vCAzIAHc. Aidde-camp. Acting Assistant Adju
Mr.; ". 4. Boyd. through Military Commissioner Elgh.
teenth division OF Virgina.
Immediately complied with this order, gave tho
required bonas aad resumed my duties as sheriff.
Ino ABOVE order SHOWS the faisty OF Mosby's asser
ton that General Candy appointed me without my
giving any bonds. Ihe siuis aud insinuatIons made
against Generat Canby by MosDy VIII be properly
appreciated by the people OF thts county VINO arc
familiar with the records OF both. che praise OF
TINS class would be more injurious tnan their blame
Their ISLANDERS arc the best evidence that an official
IS dong ms duty. Ihey nate tne government and
its iatnul representatives., anu are u5ug all their
efforts to break them down.
MosDy denies being engaged In prosecuting mo-
The tact IS nad hardly enle ed the town before he
commenced attempting TO annoy, impede and ChWart
me- ana TINS he has conlinued TO DO In many diner
ent ways until the present tlme. Had he attacked
me personally, III an cpen manly way should
nave known how to meet ann, but he has resorted
10 everything tnat Is petty ana mean, even 10 the
setting at enmlsy or children.
AosDys soe object mas been to have me removed
from the Office OF sheriff ana To gel one OF his own
stripe in my Place. fnis attenpt to gel to light
duel, mad 1t succeeded, wound nave accomplished
al ne desired. lad ! accepted ms chaiienge |
should have been arrested at once, and, under the
code o Virginia removed from my Office, sentenced
10 a years imprisonment and probably nned Si0oo
besides Mosby knew this, and therefore never
pected 70 light The duel. But, apart from THIS,
MosDy character has been such as IN my opinion,
units MIN to associate with respectable men, and
according 10 hrs code could hot lower myself To
meet hilD. lie was notorious during The war a5 q
inaratGer and ulunderer tne scourge of tue nel,,-
TESS ana deienCcess II ver daring to meet his enemy
III oIesi fair light. Wnetner ne was nlghway rob-
Der or not leave you to Judge from his past acts
tvidc has baltimore aua ONO Railroad raidl; his
present denial ~ OF no weight.
have necessarily, Mr.. Editor, been brought INTO
contact with TINS class Of men a good deal since my
osIcili career here ncgan and know them pretty
wei. deny thaG tney desire Northern men nese.
"they have no use ior theln,' They would unGoubt-
cay be glad to sell them lands ana quArries. a.
MosbY says, bu. Mosby aud tue rest would do all
they could to prevent their beng worked by them.
They nave mol YET learned wisdom from tneir pun
islInent or losses, and fear never will. They arc
full OF the same absurd notion ABOUT chivalry ana
the like as before the war; ana II requires the SUPER
vision and strong arm OF The government to restrain
them from tneir former practices Of numbering on
sgIt, lynchins anu dueng. do not refer to the
more sensible class OF tnis county TO the incror
element OF which this Colonel Mostly Is . represen-
tative
In regard to my own courage MosDy ana his clique
are incompetent to Judge II ID matter that safe
in the hands oi my friends. But this much may
say, that did nOs sneak through the country, plum
dering and maraudlng among the innocent and non
combatanta. Ny character as soldier Is well known
ana understood through the Shenandoah valley,
fauruer and the adjoining counties. Mosby him-
self sw0re III open c0ur1 he knew nothing against
me, but has frequently heard me well spoken Of by
the people OF that section. even though l was In
arms against them.
The assertion OF Mosby that he never would have
suffered the publication OF the letters but that
boosted about town that he had backed down, liz a
base lie. and Mosby knows 1t. I defy any man to
say i did so ! considered him too cOntemptibly
small Try to talk about anu treated tue subject with
disgust had nothing 20 gam IN associatng my
name with such scum. 1 AIN, sir. with mucn re-
speCt your obedient servant.
WILLIAM II. BOYD.
Sheriff Fauanlcr county, Va, late colonel Twenty
nrst PENNSYLVANIA cavalry