The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-15
Tho PenitenIiary COntrOversy-Card
from Superintendent McFadden'
MoUNDsv1LIH, April ID, 1869.

from superintendent WcF
MoUNDsvILLE, April 13, 1869.
To the Editors OF the Intelllgencer:
On or about the Goth of March there
appeared in your paper, over the sig
| nature "Union Soldier" q very loW1
scurrilous production, not from the
hand of him who signed 1t, but from
some one of his discharged confederates.
| On seeing that piece of 6LotC gun, where:
in the combined efforts of a few "night
providers" make an attempt to de1ame
and briog disgrace upon our honorable
Senator, James Burley, and the hon:
George Edwards, our Representative.
AS to what all such can say ABOUT your
humble servant, I am used to that sort
of cannonadine from guns of such
small calibre as TUnion Soldier" What
a disgrace to those who so nobly wore
the beautiful "blue," that one should
claim that title and still fight under q
fictitious name. It Ia neither brave nor
generous. Our soldiers had the reputa.
ton of being both brave and maguan1,-
nous. Not so with the uo-sty led "Unlon
Soldier" And even q Title unkind OF
the 1NTELLIG ENoER to publish such
stuff about myself whilst ! am yet be-
fore committee of, I hope honorable
men, to further investigate certain
charges preferred against me by union
| Soldier" and others, / propose to con-
vince you and the readers Of your paper
that this SO called r"Union Soldier"
is not a man Of truth, either upon the
| tOit7aeS6 stand or. any where else. 1
quote from page of printed, evidence
Of the Investigation on Penitentiary az
fairs. "Question. We're you not one OF
the parties who assisted in getting up
these charges" .HAns. was" 20.
Have you and McFadden been on bad
terms" A. ave have not been on
very good TERMS" @. "Have you not
helped to get up N Titness1esn a; ~
had been caught asleep in the box"
A: "Noi he did not" Mr.. Editor any
amount OF just such evidence came
from this "Union Soldier" and still he
starts off on the 9Th line of his SnlGsher.
1.-THE examination OF witnesses lasted
for three days. I tOGs present during tn e
whole time, q calm, 1t1lprejttdiced look
on, and must sayI never heard q more
numerous or convincing array Of evidence
OF guilt than was produced on that 0c.
caSi0n." Now. if this "Union Soldier"
will get some OF his helpers In the
charges, to read over his own evidence
able to spell p.o:p,) he will see at once
that his whole story is tissue Of lies.
The rulings OF the committee on In
vestigation, was, that no one be-
ing q witness in the case, could
be present, whilst any other witness
was being examined on the charges.
How could 1t be possible for man to
be unprejudiced and impartial, after
helping to prepare the charges, and
hunting up witnesses that would swear,
| like himself-to vent their spite for haV-
ing been discharged from the Pen1ten-
tiary for neglect of duty, &c? at the
time I saw the publication referred TO,
1 proposed to bet Mr.. Hall twenty dol
lars to five that the author OF said arti-
Gle had not his tax receipt for his head
or poll tax for the year 1865, which
have since found to be true. And the
majority of those who assisted in the
preparation of the charges are In the
great desire Tor the welfare of the State.
''Lay on McDuf"-first try to get a
man down and then try to keep him
down by anything but the tr1tth. All 1
have to say in defence of Senator Bur-
ley. He is well known. Such charges
as those made by this Napoleon" OF
soldier, will fall to the ground as
harmless as the down from sparrow's
neck. We quote from the last para
graph of his communication: when
the bill found its way to the Senate
Chamber the Senator put 1t in his
pocket and kept it there three or four =
days, giving out that It was lost"
This, with all others, is false from be-
ginning to end. The facts of the
case is just this, and I defy
| contradiction. The bill was never LOST,
nor reported lost, but WAS acted upon
as soon as the committee could be got to-
gether. Most of the members of that COM
mittee being also on other committees,
and could not be got together to consid-
er this case, and all who did meet,
agreed to amend House Bill No. 45,
which was thought to be too imperfect to
report. Has this man forgotten one OF
the Divine Commandments, "thou shalt
not bear false witnes against thy neigh
bor;" and particularly one that has been
a friend in need. Representative Ed
wards is also handled by this new
fledgod correspondent. How he pitches
into him with the help of a would-he
TGeo. D. Prentiss," or "Horace Gree
lev" Mr.. Edwards, like Mr.. Burley, is
we'll known, being representative
man, working for the good of the whole
people, and not for any clique or par
report of the investigating committee,
was fair proposition, that no honest
man could object to. His reason for SO
doing, was to let the tar payers OF the
State see by the printed evidence, the
character of the prosecuting witnesses.
How nobly they stuck to their "hrst
| love;" i. e. the removal OF the pres
Of the West Virginia Penitentiary.
Does this man forget that he has been
the recipient Of faYors at the hands OF
Mr.. Edwards, in the way Of favors,
that no man with human heart should
be unnindfuf of, i. 9. a home for sick
wife and family. The indignation at
MoundsVille Is not SO great as might be
supposed. I hope I shall not be com.
PEELED to say more. What have said
are truths which any good citizen OF
our town can substantiate.
H|H F- VOrlra ro4nartfnllv.