The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-09-10
Third DistrIet DIntIlIer, RnIdr,


manded by Deputy G. W. Atkinson, in
which eighteen Illicit distilleries were de.
sLrOytd aud III indictments found by tho
U. s. Grand Jury, and the one COM
manded by Deputy l.. Doolittle, In which
II distilleries were torn out, and when
court sits In November perhaps a. many
more indictments will be found against
the citizens Of Summers, Mercer, Raleigh
aud other counties. lsay l am glad you
copied the article from the Herald for the
reason that 1t will show to your readers
how a man can iondls over victim like
dog, in order 10 show the serious
responsibility that Is likely TO fall upon
him. The same paper, in the vilest and
most vicious manner possible, Rssailed
Mr.. Atkinson and his party, Of which l
was one, for having destroyed the dis.
tilleries Of large number OF persons who
had been systematically violating the
laws, county, State and National, ever
since the war, and kept up its howlings
until the illicit distilleries and their nu.
merous hackers and Abettors were led 10
boldly declare that in the future they
would be ready 10 meet any
radical Office holder who might
intrude himself upon them. l
am speaking Of what l know 10 be true,
and when | say that the responsibility Of
the attempted murder OF Mr.. Doolittle,
and his manning for life, rests mainly
upon the Hinton Herald, l also speak
what l know 10 be true, and the honest
masses will agree with me. No such war
Us that paper made upon Mr.. Atkinson
and his party could fail to show its fruits
in the wounding OF Mr.. Doolittle. The
only wonder is that all Of his men were
not likewise shot down. Men who sys.
tematiCally violate the law as those dis.
tillers have been doing for the past twelve
years, cannot stand the paiting on tie
shoulder that the Hinton editor gave them
in about a dozen issues OF his paper
through the same number Of weeks that
followed our raid in the spring, without
striking some one down who might pre-.
sumo 10 invade their territory in the fu.
ture. l knew it at the time, and all the
sensible men with whom l converted on
the subject admitted it also. 1t IL human
nature, and cannot DO gainsaid.
But the Hinton paper praises Mr..
Doolittle az gentlemanly and efficient
officer. That is thin. l was in both
raids, and don't want to draw parallel
between Messrs. Doolittle and Atkinson.
They are both brave men and good OFF.
cers. AZ to who was the Drawer and the
better officer, / will leave it for the men
who were with both parties and
General Duval, the chief, to decide. l
will say this, however, that there was not
one single act done on the Grst which was
not repeated on the second raid. The
Herald abused the commander Of the
frat as an assassin and scoundrel, and
praised the commander Of the last as a
gentleman for doing the same thing,
Now why this discrepancy? The editor
Of the Herald knew full well when he was
abusing him as thief, drunkard and
scoundrel that Mr.. Atkinson has always
born the character Of a gentleman-an
educated Christian gentleman-no man
standing higher throughout those por'
lions Of the State where he is best known
and no one better than said editor knew
that all his charges were false, and have
since recoiled upon him. l repeat, why
this discrepancy? The answer is simply
this: the editor Of the Herald saw that his
villainous attack upon Atkinson embOl.
dened the outlaws OF his own county and
neighborhood to ambush and assassinate
an efficient Government officer, and to
shirk the responsibility and prevent ii
from falling upon his own shoulders, he
cries stop thief" by praising the Govern
ment officer, and crying hang the assas'
sins. These matters have all been writ.
ten in the book OF chronicles and are com
ing home TO roost. The Hinton man may
rage and again imagine vain things, but he
can't get out OF the responsibility thai
his charges against the first raiding party
were the cause OF the attempted murder
of the commander Of the second. Tbs
first party was as orderly and decent anC
as we'll behaved as the second. was 1
member OF both; 40 was Mr.. Doolittle
and he himself will state the same thing
The Herald editor may say that Mr.
Atkinson made unjust charges agains
the citizens Of certain upper counties, il
his report 10 Gen. DuvaI. l deny that h,
did any such thing. The report OF th'
raid was made out, signed, and sworn L
by every member OF the raiding parll
and there was nothing in it that reflected
upon the character Of any citizen, excep
those persons whose distillerias we haC
destroyed. 1t is true that Mr.. Atkinson
took notice OF all that was told him b.
responsible citizens, relating to the ex
tent Of the violation OF law in the coun
ties We ralded, ind in many instances
prominent citizens were implicated in
frauds on the Government in the way oI
Illicit distilling and the passage OF coun'
terieit money. l took similar notice
and 20 did others OF the party. Mr.. AT.
kinson embodied hiS notice in the shape
OF Il secret service letter 10 Gen. Duval
and he 10 the Commissioner Of In.
ternal Revenue, and n portion oil
that letter was published, aud in that
We find, and here only, the terrible
outrageous conduct Of Mr.. Atkinson
and party while on the raid referred 10.
Strange rs it may seem 10 the good,
claw abiding" "honest citizens" (all
quotations from the Herald Of Summers,
Mercer and Raleigh counties, nearly all
the charges contained in that secret ser.
vice letter have already been established
as true. God alone knows what the fu-
ture may bring forth. Already those
good, ""law abiding" counties are al.
most covered over with crime. The bot.
tom may be reached by another raid or
two. lthas not yet been touched.
A RAIDER,
SrEuBESvILLE NEws.-The Hamline