The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-04-14
COLONEL JOHNsToyS DEFENSE

COLONEL JOHNSTON'S DEFENSE
We surrender the space usually occu-
pied by our news condensation to the
speech of Col. J. SToDDARDJ JOHNSTON. !
delivered at Bowling Green on Monday,
the 9th instant, and subsequently re-
peated at HOpkinsville, at both which |
points WILLIAMS had made brutal, w.
ing and malicious assaults upon bis hon
or as man and his record as a soldier.
WILLIAMS did not have the nerve to
stay and. listen to the indignant denun.
citation of the gentleman he had out
ragged, at Bowling Green, but ran out
Of the courthouse, as he has run out Of
battle aforetime.
The present contest going ON in this
State is the most remarkable in the his
tory of Kentucky politics WILLIAMS,
the most vulnerable of men, whose en-
tire political record can be written IN
the two words, "unscrupulous dema-
que; whose military history was dis
graceful to the cause he espoused; and
whose habits and character are those of
drunken, Bullying BLACKBOARD who
would not hesitate to SANDER his warm
est friend or nearest relative if he could
thereby accomplish desired end; has
succeeded in making the canvass too
disgraceful almost for a gentleman to
compete with him. Gifted to a re-
markable degree with the tongue of
falsehood, he has very nearly elevated
the vice of lying to a place among the
fine arts, and has not hesitated, after a
fashion peculiar to himself, to exercise
his wonderful gift of falsi6cstion upon
Colonel JOHNSTON ON all occasioBs.-
The latter gentleman is one of natures
nobIemen. Among the first and finest
scholars m the State, he stands in the
front rank of her writers. Elegant in
his manners and address, punctiliously
correct in his conduct, hospitable almost
to fault, the soul of gallantry as SOL
dier, he Is 1.-THE knightly scion Of a
l.
knightly race" of whom # may be writ
ten as was written of the BAYARD, sans
Ipeur ct sans reproche. And withaI he is
modest as a woman In everything he
is the opposite Of his british assailant.
! Recognizing the fact that the position
of Governor of Kentucky is too exalted
to be with IMMUNITY pulled down and
dragged in the mire and filth, the blus-
ter and wrangle, the whisky and bride.
Try Of the hustiDgsscramble, Col. JoHS
sroN has held himself aloof from cor.
test on the stump with WILLIAMS
, The latter, who irnagines himself to be
the greatest man in the world, attribu.
ted it to fear Of him, and so believing
presumed upon Ike belief. Col. JOHN.
ToN kept the seal Of silence upon his
lips until forbearancs not only ceased
to be a virtue, but closely borserei up.
f on positive injury to himself Indig-
nant beyond measure, he has been com.
f PEELED to address his countrymen in
, selfdefense, and it was a sorry day for
WILLIAMS prctentiOns to heroism that
he did open his lips. We ask our read.
ers to carefully peruse every word Of
his speech. While it cuts the bogus
hero TO the hollow like keen-edged
r sword in every sentence; while it burns
and blisters him as though it were a
searing-iron; it is remarkable for its en-.
! tire freedom from vulgar personal abuse.
Instead of paying his assailant back in
his own coin, with bleary winks, round
oaths, and thinly-veiled obscenity, Col.
JoHNsroN's speech is couched in Ian
! guage as elegant as it is forcible;-it i,
almost Addisonian in its construction.
E In ventilating the boastful pretend
er's military record, the Colonel neg
lected to state the cause of WILLIAMS
arrest, Immediately after the fight al
Saltville, which that F alstafian individ
: ual has magnifed into battle of thefirsI
magnitude, and of which he has consti
tuted himself the hero. We are ena
bled to supply the omission, thanks II
J gallant and responsible Confederates
e who stand ready to produce the mos
: conclusive proof of our statement when
ever WILLIAMS has the temerity to dis
pute it. Like he did at Rheatown anC
Peach Tree Creek, he retired from tn,
field, got drunk, and while lying in .
drunken stupor in the house of a MAJ
: named SMITH, enabled BURBRIDGE anC
y his men to withdraw unmolested from