Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-11-08

grave O:icIice called libel, cytII Though IL
was absurd anil prcprSterors 10 think that
Bond couiI bc lowered in character or
standing 10y being thus designated. If Mr..
Solicitor CantWciI thinks Bonds character
is such that llc eau get 10 lower, we arc
not rude enough to cont radict him. How
ever this may be, ls Wrlt for Il5 neyclthe-
less, Thank Heaven. We sill, live and
breathe free air.
1t was a serious time. III. Solicitor
Cantweii Ex-Cbicf Judicial &c, Ex-5Iilitary
Governor of Nolfolk, ExLicutenant Colo
mel Of Cavalry, Confederate States Army,
EX-L'eutcnant, United States Army Mex
itary Court of Third Corps, Army of North
ern Virginia, l.. l.. l., A. NJ, Author of
Cantwell's Justice &c, moved against us.
His Hon Judge Russell Ex-Lieutenant,
Confederate States Army, Ex-Member of
the Legislature of North Carolina, Ex-wit-
ness before the Congressional Ku-klux or
Southern Outrage Committee, charged
against us; and strange to tell, We are
yet living and doing well, that is, as we'll
as could be expected. The array against
us in tie language of the unfortunate
{" Mr.. DeWitter," the coiOred Orator
who lately i!lumined our benighted
region was s'fearful." For a whole
week, trembling, we lived. Pounding
rocks, pegging shoes, county work houses,
jails, penitentiaries, fine and imprisonment,
or both. haunted our dreams both waking
and sleeping. 1t was fearful
Russell and Cantwell were on the war
path with all the dreadful paraphernala OF
paint. and tomahawk, and scalping knife,
end breech clout. The 1.-the and agile
Russell was bounding toward us like a
Young Indian DER the plain, with gigantic
leaps, fiercclg ClutchinG his dreaded scalp
ing knife, his eyes in fine frenzy rolling.
IN. B. As we do not wish 10 Ise conSit-
cicd libcl0uS, we state that nil his is used
in a politically Pickwickian sense!l Tie
JOURNAL lay right athwart the war path
As wc shaded our eyes and tirnidly
looked ii the iucitl Cantwell and the astltte
Russell. and contemplated all that array
of calf-law calf, we mran-O'. T., Iclit-
icaliY PickWclian) we thought how
much lighter was the tdtc Of the pOoI
wretches over whom the car of Jnssernaut
rolled its relentless wheels, and that if We
were only at Old John RObinsOn's Circus,
living down for tile elephant TO walk over
Us, how happy We would be, 1t was
fearful.
It dill, indeed. seem i dead surc thing
against is hen His Honor told the Jury
they must AXE tho law from him, and the
facts from The Solicitor, or rather from
such witnesses only AS he might think
proper To send before them. 1t was
fearful. Think Of 4 cross between RuSsell's
law AMI Cantw wells facts. 1t was fearful
In the language of New Hampshire s
third Senator, in hi3 address 20 the people
Of the Third North Carolina Congressional
District, Here was Il mixing Of oil and
water" His Honor was as rich and oily
in law as Mr.. Solicitor was thin and watery
in facts. His Honor eNudrs the richest OF
legal loGa from every mental pore. Mr.
Solicitor is TIM and watcIy, even i'll 50 dry
A thing IS facts. lie watered his in
,lictment with new paltieS, but that
would not d.. lie wa!ered his
facts with new witnesses, bilt that would
not do. The oil and the water would not
mix. l-o.r ct pre'erca nhH.
In the language Of the lamCnted Abbott
it was still true that Here was IA part
nership between two antaGonistic forces
Here was the unclean nuptials OF dissonan
elements" 1t was fcaitul. ,''Ail the ecccn
tric fluctuations Of populations, ''not IL
norinG the instructions Of recent cccurren
ces," seemed united against us. In ;
word, Russell aud Cantwcll were going 10
us. They were OH !. wild hunt after ih'
JOURNAL for libel.
But the race is not always 10 tie swift
lIor the battle to the strong alone. Gu
friends, the enemy, we're very willing CTea
lures, but they could not quite reach ti
goal Of their ambition. They we're on
! Ion. chase and their wind was short
/ n. i. Note this, as my Lord Coke woul'
say; it doth not follow that man IL Nc
windy because lie hath a short wind.
And 50 it came TO pass that Messrs
Russell and Cantwell came TO grief. Th
Grand Inquest for the County declared
upon oath, that there was not sufticien
cause to find bill of indictment agains
the JOURNAL for libel! The great agon
is over. A free press, free spec ch and fire
Juries still live i'll North Carolina
The King of France, with twice ten thousan
! men,
Marched up the hill,
! And then - he marched down again