The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-05-12
The Removal Farce Still on the Boards
Mr.. PershIng,s ReiOInder.
From the Johnstown Democrat.l

before the public in the columns OF the last
Democrat, having heralded his approach by
a card in the Tribune OF the previous week,
promising some new developments.
Mr.. Mclaughlin expresses himself as
"pleased" that l was found by his "side",
! in the Democrat of the 10th ult. tie Is sun
cere in this, no doubt, and therefore the
somewhat violent language he employed. I.
when he first discovered my reply by the
side of his confession of guilt, must have
been used in mere jest. Not only is Mr..
Mel. pleased with my company, but my
! letters are especially the subject of his at
| tentiou, as he pot only reads those Intended
for him, but carefully opens and retains any
addressed to other parties of which he obtains
! possession.
| Mr.. Mel. draws upon his fancy when be
supposes l am indignant with the respect
able citizens who signed the calP' for the
publication of my letter. 1t may interest
| him, and those who use him, to learn that
my "dread Of exposure" was so great that
especially requested some gentlemen to sign
! the call, and authorized them to request
others to do the same thing, SO that my let
ter might be given publicity.
J Mr.. Mclaughlin still labors to make it
appear that Mr.. ScbDatterly was not in
Harrisburg, and that he (McL } was there
fore excusable in opening the letter address
| ed to Mr.. 8. If Mr.. S. had been a thousand
miles away, McLaughlin's dishonorable con-
duct would not be mitigated in the least
Fimsy and contemplate this defense is,
| it will not avail him. Since writing my
| former communication, have seen John
Porter. ESQ, who is positive that Mr..
Schuatteriy was in Harrisburg on the Mons
day that Mr.. Mclaughlin reached there.
| Mr.. Porter stated to me that Mr.. S. proposed
| TO postpone some business requiring his
attention at home and remain till the next
day and assist in defeating the bill for the
removal of the county seat. if Mr.. Porter
desired him to do so. Mr.. Porter informed
Mr.. S. that the bill would be defeated with
out his vote, and Mr.. Schnattery left
Harrisburg on Monday evening. several
hours after Mel. was in the city. Mr..
Bottoms telegraphic dispatch does not relieve
Mel. in the least. If Mr.. Porter is correct,
as no dou6t be is, McL.'s story about the
absence of Schnatterly is untrue aud l here
repeat, in reply to his call for proof, that
have strong reasons for believing that my
letter to Mr.. S. was opened by this pink of
| honesty before his arrival in Har. isburg, and
that he purposely avoided finding the party
to whom it was addressed and who alone
had the right to open it.
did not give Mr.. Mel. sentence by seD>
tence the contents of the Schnatterly letter
when | handed it TO him, but, as said in
my first reply to his attack, l explained it
to him. Mel. himself gives a sentence from
] the letter, as communicated to him at the
| time by me. Why should l give the sub
stance of that and not the balance2 Why
not tell the schoLe truth, Mr.. Mclaughlin
Mr.. Mclaughlin must aspire to the char
acter of a profound moral philosopher. He
.'supposes" that if ''neither Brown Gor
| Schnatterly were there, and he had returned
the letters unopened to me, he would not
only be censured in the strongest terms"
| but be left open to the strongest suspi-
cions" that he was betrayiDg somebody !;
and therefore, as the only way in which he
could escape the ''strongest censure" and be
relieved from the strongest suspicious"-
as the best means of proving to the world
that he was pure aud honorable, and could
be trusted-he allowed his Itching fingers"
to tear open another mans letter, and still
retains it from the rightful owner Under
| the circumstances the letter was mine," says
Mclaughlin and, by purity Of reasoning,
| if the letter had contained uything of value,
that would be "mine" too, as the right to
keep the one thing is just as defensiblc as
the right to keep the other.
OF such pueriitics is the defense of a base
act made up. The vilest treachery might
in this way be excused.
Mr.. Mel. expresses great regret that he
did not withhold Mr.. Browns letter from
him. Had he done this, it would not have
much intensified the scorn which everywhere
meets him. Are you sure, cery sure, Mr.
Mel, that Mr.. Browns letter was not
opened before handing it to him? This is
not mere idle interrOgatory nave some
ground for propounding the question.
The attempt to throw doubt on the state
mert written to me by Mr. Brown, (Which
l have shown to a number of persons,) by
| Mr.. Mel. introducing what ''mem ber'
told him, is rather shallow. / suspect the
member" is myth. As l have always
found Mr.. Brown 20 be a gentleman-a man
incapable of interfering with any mans
| private correspondence-I must be excused
if on any question of veracity between him
and Mr.. Mclaughlin. believe Mr. Brown
As corrobOrative of the suspicion that Mr.
Browns letter was tampered with. Mr.. Mel
processes to know its contents. He says sit
was the letter to Mr.. Brown that we claim
was instrumental n defeating it" {the bill
How do you know what the contents of the
letter to Mr.. Brown were? Can't you in
troduce another member to relieve you? If
you have copy of Mr.. Browns letter,
challenge its publication.
Says Mr.. Mel, Certainly we all knew.
and so did Mr.. Pershing, as he acknowl-
edges, know that Messrs. Brown and
Schratteriy were opposed to the bill."-
Then how did either the letter to Mr.. S.,
which was opened and never delivered, or
the letter to Mr.. Brown, which was gracious
ly handed to him, defeat the bill ? The trou-
Bile is, the bill was dead before l went to
Harrisburg. and the doctors having it in
charge failed to infuse new life into it.
feel very much grstifed on one point
Mr.. Mel. declares his speeches about the
"minions" and fraudulent naturalizations''
were not secret or confidential. and that /
violate no confidence in giving extracts from
| them. / assure Mr.. Mel that had his elo-
quent lips, on the occasions referred to, been
''sealed" even with mucilage, no considera-
tinn cnnld have indLced me To No . 10 L;r -.