Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-05-17

statements as to the facts in the case.
"Silverthorn's" article betrsys very
jesuitical mode of attack. It is stab
bing in the dark, without giving one
chance to defend himself. Our state
ments are made in regular order. Why
not point out some one, or more, and
deny it2 Did you not try to put the
negro ashore? and did he not refuse to
go? Did you not try to cut off his
supplies and fail? Was not the sher-
lift sent for? Did you not have man
watching him? Was he not found
asleep in the ladies cabin? Did not
the boys from Ashland City take him
off your boat? Now, these are some of
the statements contained in the article
in which you charge that Anon" ex-
hibits lamentable ignorance OF will
full misstatement of facts. Now, we
ask you to answer any one, or more, of
these questions, and if you answer with
a negative, we propose to prove to the
satisfaction of all the world and the
rest of mankind, that you, and not
Anon" are given to misstatement of
facts, by the testimony of four or five
as respectable young men as there are
in Cheatham or any other county,
whose characters you can not impugn
without proving yourself the veriest
migrate alive.
Silverthorn" does not wish to en-
gage In newspaper controversy. We
suppose not; and doubtless he has, or
will, learn that while speech is silver,
silence is golden" Doubtless he un-
derstands his duty, but did he perform
it on the occasion in question? We
suppose that old gray haired man who
trudged out to Ashland City, a half
mile, on dark night, to implore help
for the gallant knight and his esquires,
can but answer He says he lis per-
fectly satisfied with the course pursued
on that occasion" No doubt this is
true as regards the course pursued by
the young men, for they did just what
they were sent for to do. 1t can not
possibly refer to his own course. fit
does, he shows that he was in the fix of
the fellow that thanked God that he
and his wife and ten children were all
shakin' with the ager, just because it
was no worse. 1t seems to us that
man that would be satisfied with that
course would be satisfied at anything.
Further, sir knight, we say something
did occur, on the night in question, in
the writing of which truth played the
only part.
As to the invitation to FILL up with
benzine and come aboard and play au-
tocrat," we have this to say: As Sam.
Patch 1--WE believe) said, whatever has
been done, can be done again" But
for several reasons we decline; first
we never fill up with benzine or any
thing of the kind; and in the second
place, we have no disposition to play
Autocrat, and if we had, we prefer a
different kind of subject to those on
board the Silverthorne on the BIRD of
March last. For if we have subjects
we desire that they be of that class,
who know their rights and knowing
dare maintain them at all hazards
Regarding their houses as their cas-
ties into which the winds of heaven
can enter, but not the king without
authority, much less buck negro
Another reason we might assign is, we
do not belong to that class denomlna-
ted by those across the line "a man
and brother and therefore not the
ward of the best government the world
ever saw, and as no 18th or 18th amend
ment would cut figure in our case,
and further as 'Silverthorne" seems
so well to understand the jesuit mode
of attack, and lastly but not least, as
we don't regard the game as worth
the ammunition, we decline the invita-
ton, and transfer all claim to such
subjects, to the man and brother who
may wish to subjugate them.
ANON.