Litchfield enquirer., 1871-02-02
The New Preston piaacu1ty.


 sent'to the ENoUIRER for publication,' by which paper ''it was declined" The arti- ole first came to us anonymously. After- wards the writer sent us his name (which. by the way. we should not consider proper ly designated as that of prominent Re- publican in New Prestoni'). Last week, MT. Hitchcock called on us lon his way to Hartford) and requested the publication of letter of similar import he had him. self written. We declined to publish the former letter, as we'll as that written by MT. H. (unless modified and published as a card with his full signature attached), for the following reasons: The newspaper controversy over this matter had origina- ted with the Ssatiael, and not with us. so that what we had previously published had only been by way of reply. His friends had had their say in one paper, and Mir. Smiths in the other. and. as far as news paper reports went, matters were even. We further remarked that it was evidently desirable that the prosecutions should be dropped, that further newspaper demon strations on his part or that of his friends, would only call out replies, and that as re- garded the Moore arrest, we had already received a communication giving details which We. in that case. should feel obliged to publish, although desirous that the con. troversy should be closed. Mir. Fl. denied that he was in any way responsible for the original publication in the Sentinel; he asked for and received his friends letter, and talked of preparing the card suggest ed. There was, however, scarcely time for him to do so before leaving in the stage and no such card has been received.
 As regards the charge in the last Sentine of, laming boy by kicking him on the knee, Mir. Smith denies ever having kicked him at all. He merely drove that boy with others from the church where they were making some disturbance, and he states fur. thermore that the young mans sickness, occurred so long afterwards, that it could not to have been occasioned by any such injury; even had it been inflicted.
 The second charge has this foundation, that, during the political heats following the erection of a peace flag in New Pres. ton during the war. an affray occurred be. tween MT. B. and Mir. Smith, com. menced by the former, we are told. Al the close of that affair. MT. B melted thereto by MT. Hitchcock, among others, followed after MT. s. with horsewhip, and struck at him; the latter caught his hand, and no further violence followed.
 Of the Moore affair we publish the fol. lowing communication, above referred to, corrected in few particulars of slight i'm portance:-
 "I must give you little history of the Moore arrest Moore went to. Gillett's stone shop to buy marble base. Gillett's price was $5. Moore offered $4, which he refused; then M. asked him if he would 
 piled that he would see, and left the shop. A few days after. he concluded to take the stone, went to the shop and found Gillett gone, took the stone and paid G's father $45O. fa
 ''Moore had carried away the stone when Gillett came to Moore's mill and demanded 50c. balance, claiming that he had changed his mind, and must have his original price. Gillett started for home, when he met Hitchcock, and after some conversation, they both went to Justice Beardsley's and procured writ. Moore had already start ed away. and G. in company with consta- ble Glover overlook him near George Cogswell's house, caught the horses by the bridle and stopped them, only one of which belonged to him, the other to the man who was in the wagon with him, and who was also driving. Moore drew up his whip and gave them two or three blows las he ought to have done). A day or two af- ter, Hitchcock, Glover and Gillet went to Litch6eld and got writs to arrest Moore. Last Sabbath evening, Sheriff Baldwin came down to serve the writs, (by the way, you must know that Moore is son-in- laW to Rufus Smith, to understand Hitchcock's 8 interest in the matter). About 9 o'clock, Baldwin, Hitchcock, Glover, and half a dozen others went to Moore's house M. 8 wife had just been confined sOih t,cins not tsOentyJ four hours old) and pounded on the door opening directly into her room. and demanded admittance. The nurse told them, there was sick woman there and they could not come in. They replied that they would smash the door down, but did not do it then. They kept a fire at the house across the road, and kept some of the company watching through the night with pistol and orders to shoot M. if he attempted to escape, which, of course, he had no thought of doing, but did not care to be dragged away from his sick wife's bed, to gratify the malice of George Hitch cock. His wife did not sleep one moment through the night, on account of the noise and disturbance, and the Doctor says it is a wonder that it did not kill her.