Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-08-16
THE DE YOUNG LIBEL SUIT.

SOuAS
Some year and half ago the community
was startled by the sudden disappearance OF
Geo. M. Pinney Accompanying his flight
was the statement that banks had been
swindled to the amount OF 5000, 900 by
means of false and forged certificates, forged
by him, which were illegal in their character
and of which it appeared nobody knew any
thing except some Of the parties, not all of
them, in whose names these certificates were
issued, and the banks that took them, The
banks had taken them to the extent OF hun
dreds of thousands Of dollars, without any
Endorsement on any of them. A condition Of
things like this of course created considerable
excitement. Pinney went off III rather 3
romantic way. Accompanying his hight was
q noted prostitute.
| am now travelling out OF the record
am speaking OF the things alleged IN this IN
dictnent, viz: That we induced Plnney to
abscond that our iniquities might be put on
his head. | have sat here patiently for an
hour and half and heard myself carricatured
and misrepresented by Judge Campbell on
the other side, and | have not asked to inter
rupt him, or say a single word III explanation.
Things, most honest and innocent in every
respect were dragged in and given malicious
aspect. Now let him hear me. do not ask
his leave to speak This man ran off under
peculiar circumstances This flight is referred
to in this indictment.
Afterwards he came back in dgsuse, as We
shall prove, and joined cOnfederacy-a con-
spiracy composed of the Chronicle proprietors
and himself and one or two others, which
conspired to ruin certain men who stood far
in the community, myself being one of them,
who never did HIM an act except one OF kind
ness. C0ntemporaneously with his coming
back, there was libelous publication in the
San Francisco Chronicle, OF which We com
plain here to-dsy-not a publication that |
had been in favor OF Dir. Gorham to succeed
Mr. Casserlv, or that | made pledges to
that effect, which would have been false, for
there was no such agreement or understand
ing not that I had requested that employees
of the Navy Yard might or might not be re-
tanned in their positions; not that | had been
prominent politician for that was part of
the history OF the State-for how could have
served the State in Congress for nearly half
my lie, within this State, without being
identified with some strong party and bring
ing to that party some strong support. None
of these things were alleged in that publication
and il they we're, we would not have objected
to their publication. Nothing in the way of
legitimate criticism of myself or Mr.. Page
was objected to-; but it was because OF the
libelous publication that this man Pinney had
committed certain iniquities with our com
plicity, had robbed the banks, and that his
flight had been planned by Us to shield our
selves, and that therefore we deserved the
opprobrium Of the community.
That was the libel and that we ask to meet
in open day. Now, is everything of q politi-
cal nature to be lugged in herel-that l was
for this candidate or against this candidate;
that l served my party and was under its
conventions or members. And how is all
this to be proved2 By that kind Of testimony
which has been regarded in all courts as the
most uncertain; by testimony Of conversation
related by witnesses years after they took
place} The books are full of authorities
going 10 show that this kind OF testimony is
scarcely to be believed at all, and not to be
believed when there is any bias on the part of
the witness,
Here is swift witness with every badge of
bias and hatred. But [ would not stand
here to-day to complain of these persons if
they had simply misrepresented me with
reference to political matters; whether they
told the truth or not about political matters
is of entire unconcern to me. The defend
ant knows that for the last six years he has
been abusing me and have never taken any
notice Of him.