Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-22

clrd was never dellVcreu 10 uc' ,ho
10 charity to GeIera llunior, and LOT tnt
honor of Old Firguia | repeat that up TO ' M.
time do not think he meant anythlbg eIse wv
"budozinp." Had he meant ilsht' tue nla ~
per 10 which he communicated his lo'ep'loo ~
do 81 is not that OF QIrg'ulan. ,ch
NV answer appeared the same day. the lb:h'
- tho Alexandria Gazette. At nooE OF the
next day, the 18th, he telegraphed to me:
"CalI at tho postofico for registered letter
from mr.. EppA HUNToN."
That registered letter could not receive
uztiI the morning of the 18th, though | called
at tho postcHice Immediately after receipt OF
that telegram. The following is a COPY of that
letter: ,o-o
Columbus Alexander esq:
SIR: l addressed you loLter, giving you an
opportunity, of which you should have avail
cd yourself 10 correct IN error into when you
had fallen. Instead Of doing this you have re-
piled Extensively through the press, and been
guilty of such illusions to my friend, Captain
Sheppard, as justify The apprehsion that you
would avail yourself of the police of the District
to subject any friend of mine to arrest under
certain circumstances.
l am thus constrained TO resort to the mall IS
the only ssfs method of communicating with
YOU, RELYING on your declaration in your Sec
ond card, that you are Virginian. ask that
you will indicate somo place beyond the reacn
of the District police, where demand for the
reparaion which Virglnlans accord IN suCh
cases can be made upon you.
To be sure you receive this. send 1t as reg.
istered letter. An answer addressed to INC a..
this place will roach me.
Your obedioni servant,
BrrA HUNToN.
The same day l replied to that letter in the
Gazette as follows:
My answer to General Hunton is this:
You publicly, in a spoech published in tho
Baltimore Sun and Washington Star, grossly
iDsulted me by saying that the most Infamous
ring measure ever passed through Congress, and
for which you voted. ''hsd been brought to you
endorsed by Commissioner Bryan, Judge Wylie
and Columbus Alexander" Greatly offended
at that assertion, felt compelled to show from
the Record that your statement was false.
Instead of writing, however, to those papers
and correcting the wrong done me, you send me
through one Of your appointees under the Rad.
cal District government letter in which you
| attempt 10 "budoze' mo. Wollr that you can
not do. =,
am free citizen, and l shall always avail
myself of the great privilege Of such citizen, to
wit, to defend myself and fellow citizens snd our
propeaty against sucn Infamous end confscating
ling acts as the ono in question, and for which
which you exertod yourself personally, some
| thing which you do not dare to deny. That it
| is ring act Of the most atroclous character ia
shown by the recent opinion OF District Attor,
ney Riddle. who cannot help e1cuslng himself
for the hard features of that law by egclaiming
that "he did not make tho law" You have boon
our enemy, and for that reason, and no other,
we ask the Virginia Democrats not TO return
you to Congress.
There is nothing in my last letter that should
induce you and your friend, Captain Sheppard,
to believe that ever intended 10 use the police
O ct % Lott i nOnfags
visits were frequent and annoying, one of them
being made on Sunday night about ten o'clock.
after 1 had retired to bed. 1t is not customary
in polite society for strangers to make calls 10
such manner and at such hours.
You seem to have an ungrounded fear OF our
District police, though you ought TO know that
it is under the control Of your Radical ling
friends, who will certainly see that no harm
shall be done to you. In that you have eveA the
advantage over me, as that very police $1,000
house OF the night when the ring scoundrels
were trying by their infamous conspiracy to ruin
me and my family. No. you need not fear our
police. Most respectfully,
COLUMBUS ALEXANDER.
From this letter it will appear that did not
decline MIR. Hunton' "chaleugc." Indeed |
regarded his letter as another "bulIdczng
move. Ills very words, ITO indicate some place
beyond the reach Of the District police "A po'
lice friendly to him aud controlled by his ring
friends-oorroboraed me 10 that belief. For
tho laws in Virginia arc even more severe
against duelling than those Of the District OF
Columbia. In fact there is not State IN the
Uuion where duelling is allowed, and for that
reason | could, if | had intended to have him
arrested, have done so much more easily IN the
States than in this ring controlled District
The farce would hava bean """'nIHt" IT ! had
told him 10 return that was equally afraid Ct
the police Of Virginia. under whose protection
he was, or of that Of any other State IN the
Union, aud for that reason had Invited
him to meet me during this hot weather
at the North Pole. or, ii that climate
did not suit him, at place still hotter
than Alexandria was last week, when he wrote
his "chalIengc." His friend, the Captain, l
had not seen sinca he left that card. Besides
he had no right, as the challenger, to say where
he was to fight or not to fight. His apprehen.
sion that l would avail myself Of the ring
police or that was sitting under the protection
of the ring District police any moro than be
was under the Virginia police, is, to say the
least, absurd. | never had asked the protec.
ton of the District police, and hence l could
not refuse to come from under its protection.
Whether under such circumstances General
Huntou was justified to issue his following card !;
whether he really meant anything more than
to "bulldozs" me- indeed, whether bis chal-
lenge has been sent 10 earnest, leave to the
fair judgment of every honorable Virgioian.
After my last letter was published Gen. HuntoD
issued on the same day the following card
l have thus given this Individual the opportu.
nifty to show that he is a gentleman and man
of courage but he has not done me the justice II
the one or been willing to accord me the redress
of the other. He refuses to come from the protec-
ton of the police he affects to despise, aHd can
not reach him without exposing friends 10 the
penitentiry. therefore proclaim him mali
cious liar. vulgar blackguard, and al irrespon-
sible coward.
The public is assured I shall take no further
notice OF Columbus Alexander or any pubcs-
ton from him. EPPA HTNToS.
Alexandria, July l8, 1875
Who is "a malicious liar, a Vulgar backyard
and an irresponsible coward is not necessary
for me to say So much about that personal
difficulty between Gen. Hunton and myself,
But politically | cannot let him 20. lie is
the friend of the various District rings ; has al
ways voted for them and against the honest
naonle IF thia District haa onlv recently not