Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-02-13

We'botice tnat ootn the state Regts.
ter and Dubuque Times say that d. W
Spence. in his testimony before the in.
vestieating committee, affirmed that
the check of $l9, 900, said to have been
handed to James II. Wilson, bore Viii.
son's endorsement. We are quite Ger.
tain they err in this. We know moth.
ing of Spence nor his character, and
we do not wish to be understood as on
advocate Of reputation as witness
but according to all the accounts WI
have ever seen of his testimony. hi
stated that the check was first made
payable to himself and then endorsed
by himself to E. II. Rollins, Secretary
that in silch condition he handed it 10
Mr.. Wilson.
Further he stated that this check
was part of the $l26, COO spent by the
Union Pacific Co. and accounted for
under the head of special legal ex-
penses. This cheek, on being found,
does not bear the endorsement of Mr..
Wilson as might have been expected
from the character Of it, as correctly
stated by Mr.. Spence. Mr.. Spence nj.
frmed that he handed this check to
Mr.. Wilson at or near his desk in the
office of the Company at Boston, stat.
ing the day, month and year. Mr..
Wilson affirmed that he could not re.
member ever receiving such check
and certainly knew that if be did 10.
ceive the check be never had any OF
the money. The face OF the check
with its endorsements bears him out
in this statement, and all of this is not
inconsistent with tile statements OF
Spence aud the doubts expressed by
Wilson as to whether he received the
check or not. II we are mistaken az
to our understanding of spence's tcsti-
mony we shall be glad to be corrected.
The Des Moines Register with it,
usual disregard of truth, has been for
several days twaddling about the five
men in Harlan's livery who edi. the
Ottamwa COURIER.
tits generally understood by the in
telligent newspaper people OF Iowa,
that A. II. Hamilton and r. H. War.
den, whose names appear at the head
OF these columns as editors, are solely
and entirely responsible for the edito-
rial and local management OF the CouB-
TER, and that no one else has any cdi-
torial connection with this paper
whatever.
Mr.. Hamilton has been Postmaster
for some two years and Mr.. Warden
holds the position Of Gauger with a
contemplate salary, but it has not
transpired that either OF them ever
charged for services they did not per-
form.
1t is true that j. NJ. Hedrick is part
owner of the COURIER, but his official
duties keep him nearly all the time
away from home and that he has no
sort of connection with tho editorial
management of the COURIER in any.
manner.
If consistent with the high toned
character Of the State organ, it is hoped
that the Register win hereafter paw a
little attention TO the matter OF edito-
rial courtesy and veracity when it re.
fers to this journal.
The Patent Office, at Washington,
has issued during the past year. 49,.
$50 patents. Its receipts during the
same time have been $699, 726, and its
expenditures $665,595. A large pro-
portion OF these patents amount to
nothing in the way of pecuniary pro-
fit to the inventors or anybody else.-
IL is only the few that prove remuner-
alive. and some of these bring immense
fortunes 20 the parties owning them.