The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-05
TAeolore TRton..
"174 LIVINGSTON STREET,
BROOKLYN, August 8. !

s Z Very'truly, yours, - ~ ) l
81. W. SAGE, Chairman.
"l74 LIVINGSTON STREET,
BROOKLYN, August 8. !
'I6 Mr.. Henry r. Sage, Chairman Of The
Committee: iH JIG t'',1iaH..S. Of
"MY DEAR SIR:-I have just received
your note oil July 3lst, four days after
date. Unless you accidentally misdated
It, the communication should have come
to me several days ago. This leads
me TO recall the similar dilatoriness in
the delivery OF your original note, first
summoning ito your committee, which
l received only four hours before was
to appear. But let these tritles pass.
Your note just received surprises me
BY its contents, for you seem TO have for.
gotten that on the last day Of my appear.
RnCe before your committee l carried to
your meeting not only all the documents
which quoted in my sworn statement,
save those in Moulton's possession, bnt
many more besides, making a double.
handful Of interesting and important pa.
pers purposed 10 lay before you. But
no sooner had l begun 10 read them aloud
in your presence than one Of your
attorneys stopped me In reading,
and proposed that l should save the
committees time by referring these papers
to one OF your members, Hon. John
Winslow. 1acquiesed in this suggestion
and retired from your committee with
the expectation OF speedy conference
with MIR. Winslow. Perhaps it was my
proper duty TO have called on Mr.. Wins.
low, but as the whole committee had pre-.
viouGly set the example Of calling In q
body on one Of the other parties 10 this
controversy l took it for granted that MIR.
Winslow would repeat this precedent by
doing me the honor to call at my house,
at which he would have been q welcome
guest. But while waiting for his coming
l was called upon, instead, by police
man who arrested me, aud carried me at
thirty minutes notice before Justice
Reiley's Police Court 10 answer q charge
OF libelling Rev. Henry Ward Beecher,
against whom l had spoken not libel,
but truth. Up to the time of this arrest
! had employed no lawyer, not need.
ing any; but on finding myself
before police court, and not understand,
Ing the motive Of my arrest norIthe meth.
ods OF the courts, l requested my friend,
Judge b. D. Morse, to answer for me In q
technical proceeding In which / knew not
how to answer properly for myself. Twice
already I have been before this unexpect.
ed tribunal and may be called before 1t
the third time on Wednesday next.
Meanwhile my counsel, to whom l have
Just shown your note, instructs mo to lay
NO documents, papers or remaining teati-
mony before your Committee, nor 10 hold
any further communication with you in
any form except TO send you this present
and final letter containing the reasons for
this step. These reasons are the follow
ing: ~
First-You are q Committee OF Mr..
Beecher's friends, appointed by himself;
expected to act In his behalf; assisted by
attorneys employed exclusively for his
vindiCaton; holding secret sessions mac.
cessible to tho public; having no power TO
compel witnesses; giving no opportunity
Tor the opposite aide TO cross examine
such as will voluntarily appear; publishing
or supprassing their testimony as you see
fit, and 90 far as my own experience goes
asking me no questions, save such as were
irrelevant TO the case and emitting 10
publish In your imperfect and unjust re-
port Of my testimony all that most peril
nent 10 my own side Of the controversy.
Second-The daily papsrs Of Brooklyn
and New York have been artlully led
day by day with crumbs OF fictitious evil
dence against my own character, as If not
Mr.. Beecher but ! alone was the man on
trial, and though have but little right,
perhaps, 70 hold your committee responsl,
BILE for this daily Misrepresentation, which
may come through the malice OF others,
yet the result Is the same to me as II you
had deliberately designed 1t, and that re.
suit Is this, namely IL expect no justice
either nom your tribunal, since you can
not compel witnesses 10 testify, nor from
your reporters, since they don't give i'm
partial reports. - - : --,UI .
Third-1 cannot resist the conviction
tnough mean no otienSe in expressing
t-that your committee has come at last
70 be as little satisfactory tothe public as
70 myself, and that your verdict IL you
tender one, couldn't possibly be based on
Iull facts, since you have no power to
compel the attendance OF witnesses, nor
TO verify their testimony by oath, nor 70
silt 1t by cross.examinalion, M I,
For these reasons, which ought to have
moved me earlier, ] have at last instruct.
ed my counsel TO proceed at once, at his
discretion, 10 carry my case from your
Jurisdiction to court Of law, and in view
Of this instruction from me he has In
turn instructed me 10 hold no eommuni-
cation with your committee except this
presentletter Of courtesy, In which l have
the honor 10 bid you farewell, In doing
which allow me TO add jthst the re.
spect which lam unable to entertain for
#H0I.N. and IEHH HF..aIHH. y