The Osceola times., 1874-08-29
Persecution.

1t is the lot of somo people to
ever be the target of the jealous
and OF those whom you have extend
ed the hand Of friendship. If there
is anything in the world that hurts
Il man it is the stab of some migrate
full wretch that he has bclr1ended
A fight with an open enemy does
not wound the pride. But for {
man whom you have beiriended, OF
II clan of men protesting to be your
friends, behind your back, whcr
you have no chance to c~plarh, OIL
vindicate your course, to miscon
strue your actions, to mlsreprescnt
and vilify and sIander you, it is like
the ungrateful stab of Brutus that
sent Caesar reellng and stained with
his liic's blood to TIE feet of Pom
pey's statue.
When Il mans whole course in
life has been consistent, when the
people cannot put their finger on q
single instance where he has betray
ed their confidence, and through
some jealousies, perhaps sectional,
perhaps political, TO manufacture
point-blank falschoods and to pub.
lish them to the world, is as base
an act of black ingratitude as man
can be guilty of.
How often do we see it the case.
especially in times Of party strife,
that the nobiest, the highest mind
ed men IN our land are made the
objects against which an envious
faction hurl their shafts of malice
and hatred?
n rumor starts no one knows
where, those concerned care not
how, that some man has said this
and that, and has done so and so.
1t is caught by the ready believer,
mole hills magnifed into mountains
and to satisfy sectional spite, an IN
nocent man is branded as an unmit-
igatcd scoundrcl, ,in whom the pub
lie cannot put any confidence.
Do these lalsitiers once think
what they are doing?
Do they Nink that the man they
are slanderlng, or, at least, misrep
rescnting is human? that he has
some human feelings!
Do they once reflect that he ha:
a sensitive heart, that it must bleed
for the wrong and injustice they
have done him?
DO they once reflect that mans
character is more 20 be guarded
than all the wealth Of the world
Do they know that a mans char
acter is more sacred than the dia.
monds of Golconda, or The pearls
from the deep sounding sea?
And then when all this wrong has
been committed, ard is nurtured
and published by men who should
guard your honor, and remember
you when on your knees, ii is dou-
bic crime. alt smells to heaven,
1t hath the eldest, primal curse up
on it-A brothers murder" We
know not what others may think,
but us for US, we would part with
Our right hand before we would
thus mai,rn y fellow man, much
less q brother.
There is too INuch Of this kind OF
persecution going an at the present
day. People should reflect before
they lend a hand to this wholesale
slaughter Of character. If Il person
has well earned reputation for
playing a double faced game, then
a community would have some rsa-
son for suspecting him when charg-
es are made. But when a man has
always stood fair before a commu-
nifty, and has done nothing worse
than mind his own business, and
defend his own rights, the people
have no right to hash up his char
acter, without first investigating
the charges. Such thing is MUIR
der IN the first degree.
We cannot feel right when in the
presence Of men whom we know
have wilfuIly misrepresented us.
and they wilfully misropresent us
when they give credence to and
publish anything derogatory TO us
without first learning this fact, that
is, is it true?
We have no use for q wrong do
er, from a penny thief to man who
will take the life of n fellow mar
without just causc.-[Gayoso Dem