Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-09-30
uxsoRupuLous MALICE.

cases, was pubilsned IN the GaZette.-
This article was so basely false and mean
in its. Misrepresentation of the cases
and the.Court that it was publicly con-
demned by every respectable Democrat
who kne anything about the matter,
and called forth letter Of denial from
the attorney of Moses Kline and the
Democratic Prosecuting Attorney. The
scoundrelism that naliciously published
the lie, refused to print the letter of de-
nial, and meanly suppressed the fact
that the denial had been endorsed and
approved by Mr.. Shannon, the Demo
cratic Prosecuting Attorney.
In the article to which we refer the
Gazette says:
Probate Court was in session last week. The
principal business before 1t was the trial of Mo-
lon Of liquor to two physicians Of St. Clairsville
--prosecuted by the Mayor, who Is also a physi-
clan. Five different cases we believe, have
Jury frials-all about this gallon OF liquor, on
every one Of which he has been acquitted, with
the jury tailed to agree--there being ten for ac-
quittal; and the people of Belmont County have
10 foot the bills. Perhaps a thousand dollars
enable Dr. West to crafty little malicious
spleen towards Moses Kline.
All Of these cases that went to the
Probate Court were sent there by An
drew Alexander, Esq, a Democratic
Justice of the Peace for this Township.
Ifthere was nothing in these cases, why
did he not dismiss them, instead OF send
ing them to the Probate Court? If these
cases are prosecuted "to enable DIR. West
to crafty little malicious spleen to-
wards Moses Khne,n why were they
sent to the Probate Court, after careful
hearing by Justice Alexander?
/. Moses Kline has.been engaged in the
exalted business of peddling whisky by
the jugfuIf and soliciting subscribers for
the whisky ring "organ." He was ar
rested for selling whisky to persons in
the habit of getting drunk. and was ac-
Quilted on several of the charges by
swearing to what he knew 10 be untrue,
and on Others of them, not because he
was not proven guilty Of selling the
whisky, for this was clearly established,
but because the prosecution failed to
prove, as the law seems to require, that
he ksaeW'the parties to whom he sold
were in the habit of getting drunk
That he did ksaoso it there is no shadow
of doubt, but how can such thing be
proven?
On the question of costs the Gazett
knew it was lying when it asserted that
"the people of Belmont County have to
foot the bill" fer DR.. West was security
for the costs, and will have to pay them
in all the cases of acquittal This con-
temptible lying for the purpose of crea-
ting a prejudice against a man who has
been laboring as DR.. West has to break
up the illegal traffic in whisky, is
about what we might expect from the
dpowed advocate of 'free whisky" and
we should not, perhaps, have called the
attention of the people to this very mean
and untruthful article but for another
item contained in it. This attack upon
Or. West is the result, in part, of his
ceasing to advertisesin the Gazette, and
because the Doctor was popular enough
to be elected Mayor of the Democratic
town of St. Clairsville, when the editor
of the Gazette was overwhelmingly
beaten by an extreme radical, for
School Director, in district that was
equally Democratic; and. he resorts to
this method of destroying the prestige
of DR.. West with his Democratic sup
porters. The silly soul does not seem to
understand that in an intelligent COM
munity such palpable ISLANDERS only
strengthen the party against whom they
are uttered, and weaken those who use
them.
The following extract from the same
ARTICLES the one to which we desire to
call special attention at this time:
Upon the last jury coming into Court-having
failed to agree-Judge Cowen, Jr., moved the
Court to dismiss the case, as there was nothing
in it. and It was only piling costs on the people
son-in-law of the Mayor, would not do il, as ii
might offend dad" and thus the people of
more hundred dollars in the prosecution of a
case that no honorable man would have any
thing to do with.
That the editor of the Gazette knew
this was falsehood when he published
it, no man who credits him with hav-
ing enough sense to know when he is
hungry, will for a moment question:
He is regularly admitted Attorney at
Law, and knows that the Probate Court
has no potcer to dismiss a criminal case,
and that no lawyer ever ''moved the
Court to dismiss criminal case, much
less such lawyer as Judge Cowen, Jr.
The Prosecuting Attorney is the only
person who has the power to have these
cases dismissed, and If there is "nofhing
in them," and if Thousand dollars
have been sunk to the people of this
county, .in the prosecution of case
that no honorable man would have any
thing to do with" then he ought to de-
nounce the Democratic Justice of the
Peace for sending them to Court, and
the Democratic Prosecuting Attorney
fer keeping them there, and not attempt
by falsehood and fraud, to lay the blame
upon those who are not responsible
The object is to destroy the reputation
of Judge Carroll, by charging him with
being influenced by consideration of re.
lationship or friendship in the admins.
tration of the duties of his Office, and by
such means he hopes to obtain the de.
feat of one of the most impartial and
sbest qualified Judges the county has
Fever had, and that, too, with no higher
object in view than to get a Democrat in
to the position, that the Gazette may gel
few dollars more out of the county
Treasury through the patronage of the
Office.
Will the Democratic party sustain
NIv;II 10 ~