New Orleans Republican., 1873-06-27
A CARD.

Yesterday morning the Picayune, IN an
editorial. assailed me on account of my ar
gument in the Hawkins -Picayuue libel suit.
Ny statements to the jury were qualified as
being malicious and willfully false" As
soon as read the astcle l addressed let
ter TO Colonel r. B. Rhett. Jr.. the editor,
which was handed TO him by q friend.
After reading ii, Colonel Rhett stated that
he. within twenty-four hours, would answer:
and this time was granted. To-day re-
ceived his answer; and now put before the
people of New Orleans the two letters:
New ORLEANS, June 2;. 1872
R. B. Rhett Jr Editor Of the Plcayune:
SIa-In the Picayune of this morning, under the
caption of Hawkins vs.. the Picayune." YOU take
the liberty of commenting upon the incidents of
the trial of the libel suit against the paper So far as
you deal in generalit:es it is not my purpose to
ask you auy explanation; but in referring to me-
under my own name YOU have been guilty Of what
consider direct Misrepresentation. You refer
to my concluding argument for the plaintiff, and
saw that travelled out of the record and misrepre
sented facts because knew no one was to follow
me and show my mistakes. which you qualify as
not only wllfully but maliciously false. In this
connection you allude and quote from my argu
ment as follows:
This canvass (of the Lynch returning bOArd) was
made-this result proclaimed to the citizens Of the
State of Louisiana on the twelfth dav of Decem
ber. What did the Picayune do: Bid the Plea
yuns in the month of December say enc word
month of January. Did the Picavune in the month
of January say one word about it Not a syllable.
Another month is about to eS pire: on the twenty,
third Of February, two months and half since the
action was committed then it 10 that the virtuous
indignation that very viItuous shee: is aroused
and it published this article.
Why i. i, that they single out Ju,ge Hawkins
from the returning board; 1t was not HAWKING
mense injury OF which you had complained. If
any body did it, it was the board; that board was
com posed of five individuals. l aek you, If
you put yourselves forward as champions of
public liberty AID public interest and on that ac.
count claimed exemption OF damages for libel.
lous article which you have written, I ask you if
you did that in the interest of the public. why
didn't you pitch into LOngstreet, Lynch, Bovee
and Heron might suggest reason will let
you guess at it. Some people. you know, 1t don't
do to trife with
In answer to this you pretend that the Picayune
had repeatedly denounced the returning board
previous to your article against Judge Hawkins, of
the twenty. third of February. 1873. Now. SIR
was defending Judge Hawkins against charge of
.'perfdy," perjury" and bribery" in connection
with his labOrs > member OF the returning
board, and took occasion to tell the jury the
"Picayune' had made no such charges against any
other member of that board. now reiterate my
language, and make you this proposition: If you
can find and show me, in any number of the
'Picayune" the words "perfdy," perjury and
bribery" applied to any other member of that
board, I shall publicly acknowledge was wrong;
if you can not you will make the acknOwed Smeut
of contradicting your record.
Your Obedient servant. ". II. COOLEY.
INV ORLEANS. June 26. 1873.
". II. Cooley. ESQ:
SIR-Your comm imitation OF yesterday was re-
ceived
The editoria! remarks in the Pcayune to which
you refer were reply to portion Of your speech
therein quoted. You asserted that neither during
| the month Of December nor January had the Plea
yune noticed the canvass Of the Lynch returning
board and the result proclaimed. and that had
| omitted noticing all the other members of the
| board but Judge Hawkins. 1 cOntroverted these
assertions, and appealed to the files of the Plea
| yune to disprove what you said.
1t is not my province to find and TO show you
| what the files Of til. parer contain. What was
| published on the subject Of the Lynch returning
board in these two months, i: not be difficult
| for you to ascertain; and any acknowledgement
you may see Il: to make will meet with due con-
sideration.
Ia the meantime, Ian, sir, your obedient servant,
R. B. RHETT. JR.
The public will perceive from the above
correspondence that made fair, honest
| and manly offer 90 Colonel Rhett. viz to
publicly acknowledge I was wrong if he
could show from his own files that from
the twelfth Of December. 1872, until the
/ n; of 1879
| yune had used toward any member of the
Lynch returning board, except Judge
Hawkins, the terms "perhdy. perjury and
| bribery" provided that he agreed to admit
he had spoken incorrectly In the article of
! yesterday morning, If he could not prore
uAat Ide,ied The valiant and truthful colo
mel lodges the issue in his letter to me, and
very complacently refers me to the files of
his paper from December IL, 1879, to Feb
| ruary 23, 1873. had already examined
those files, and knew that Colonel Rhett
could nos prove by them that had mis-
stated the Pcoyune; and presume that
Colonel Rhett employed the twenty four
hours of delay he claimed. and was allowed
| to answer my note to him, in examining g
those files himself and after satisfying him.
self therefrom that he was fairly caught, he
refused the proposition I made to him.
Colonel Rhett having written in the Plea
yuuc that I made assertions TO the jury
which were malicious and willfully false. "
| and having subsequently refused my fair.
honest and honorable offer to decide which
Of us is correct, publish him to the people
| Of New Orleans as an unmitigated calum-
niator. deliberate and willful falsitier. an
artful dodger, and withall, a thorough
paced braggart. w. II. COOLEY.
New Orleans. June &c 1873.
A CARD.