Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-09-26
STEWART VERSUS CASTOR.
OTTUMwA Iowa.
September, 22d.
Editors Of the Courier:

u
: month, is an article written by A. w
CASTOR, rejecting upon myself as al
honorable business man. I did a
first think, that I would not notic
the communication sufficiently, Il
make reply to it, through the col
umns of your paper. regard it a
q petty exhibition of malice towart
me by Mr.. CASTOR growing out of
law suit against me in which Mr.
CASTOR appeared for the plaintiff
He appears to belong to that class o
attorneys, who cannot conduct o cast
for their client without making ;
personal controversy with the oppos
ing party. 1 do not now call to mine
that I eyer gave Mr.. CASTOR any rea
son to make the violent attack on mt
that he has, and hence imagine that
the malice and i'll feeling which hi
evidently has against me grows out
of his connection with the case t.
which nave referred.
| say, that thought at first that
would pass his article by in silence
but as the antecedents of candidate
for Office are to certain extent opeI
to examination and criticism by the
public, upon reflection l believed
owed il to the people of this county
10 answer his communication though
coming from source, that l would
not personally notice, and sustained
only by the affidavit of man, who
shows that he is not entitled to a mo.
ment's consideration at the hands OF
amy honest person. A man who adj
mits himself to be villain, and
whose affidavit Mr.. CASTOR himself
is ashamed of, and says that he does
not claim it to be verify. A mans
good name, in the community in
which he lives is something that he
should highly prize, and which
should not be taken away from him
without evidence of the most salts
factory character. Yet Mr.. Castor
seeks to influence the voters Of this
County against me upon the state
ment ola man, who is not worthy of
belief, who bears the reputation of a
common liar in st. Louis where he
permanently resided, Md who has
not one redecming character as a
man. Such a person no intelligent
juror in court Of justice would for
a moment believe; and sncn man,
the people who generally desire to
do right will not fora moment listen
to. During the twelve years that l
have resided i'll Ottumwa, think 1
may say without egotism, that have
borne rs fair a character for honesty
in business as most Of the business
men have, much fairer than my ira
duccr or his witness Edmonds. While
I do not claim perfection, have ever
tried to merit the good will of my
neighbors. Iadmit that a portion Of
the time was engaged in the whole
sale liquor trade, aud Mr.. Gaston's
charge against me in that respect is
so frivilous that need not mention
it further. 1t seems TO me that no
one would m axe such charge ex-
cept out Of the purest malice and
with personal desire TO injure me,
and no one wonld give it any weight
except bigot.
Tho main charge that Mr.. CASTOR
insinnaies against me, for he does not
make it openly and boldly and he
dare not do it, is, that / was associat-
ed with his perjured witness I. F..
Edmond 8, Byron Clark and o. W..
Lyman, to defraud certain whole-
sale liquor dealers in st. Louis. Be
fore look at the proof Mr.. CASTOR
claims to have, let me say to the pco-
pie of this county, that the instiga-
ton or charge. whichever it may be,
is a base, outrageous, dastardly lie,
linstigated out of malice toward me,
and without word OF honorable tes-
timony to sustain it. may go fur
ther and say that, Mr.. CASTOR when
| he wrote his article against me had
every reason for believing that such
q charge was false, malicious and
slanderous falschood. He knew then,
and had known for years, that with
all his efforts he had never been able
| to secure particle Of reliable evil
dencc against me.
That the public may more fully un-
derstand the base insinuations of Mr..
CASTOR, and the better to show how
false they are, l will briefly state the
history of the transactions out OF
which they arose. In July 1872, now
five years ago, the firm otO. w. Ly.
nam 4 Co., were adjudged bank.
rupts, and an assignee appointed; in
1873. About one year afterwards il
was claimed by Mr.. CASTOR that / was
q member of that firm, and he COM
menced proceedings against me be
fore Judge Love, to have me adjudg'
ed bankrupt as member of thai
firm. Upon the hearing Judge Love
refused to grant the order. This
proceeding was the first intimatior
that had that it was claimed that
was one of the firm of o. w. Lyman
Is Co. Mr.. CASTOR in his articl,
prints what purports to be an afiida-
Wit of f. 4. Edmohds, made in st
Louis in May, 1873. In this affidavit
F. T. Edmonds says, "the parties o
whom such purchases were mad,
should be defrandcd out of said good
SO purchased This affidavit wa
evidently drawn by lawyer. and
have NO doubt but that Mr.. Castor
prepared it and sent it to St. Louis I,
be signed by Edmonds.
Every honest man, every man VIII
desires fair play, will at once see, hoy
base and mean it was in Mr.. CASTOR
} to use such an affidavit, from such
man as Edmonds. If Ihad been pres
ent when Edmonds made tho afiida
Wit, and could have examined hin
then the affidavit might be use
} against me; but when it is remember
cd, that the affidavit is drawn in o.
tumwa, sent to st. Louis and Their
: signed, that l was not present All
J knew nothing Of il, it shows tn
: greatest malice as well as meaness il
!, Mr.. CASTOR TO use it as he ha.
When Mr.. CASTOR wrote his articl
q he knew that the contents of Ed
n monds affidavit had been repeated
contradicted. He knew that | ha,
contradicted tin court of Justice
!. he knew that l had sworn that | wa
: not a member of the firm of o. w
i Lyman n Co., and never was; h
knew that Lyman had sworn that
was nota member Of the firm. ii