The daily gazette., 1879-06-05
FIRST EDITION.
Freeing the Wilmington Bridge.

written letter, cOntradicting what was
stated by your reporter, as to my setting
the ball In motion in relation to the free
ing of the Wilmington Bridge. In his
remarks he says:
"What Internal stuff il was that Fran
els Vincent set the ball rolling, and that
1t was in the palmy days of the Blue
Hens Chicken. The said Vincent in
te.rogated the members of the Levy
Court and the Legislature in the year
1850. Now, any sensible man can form
an idea of what influence Vincent,
Wing, and his gutter-scraper Blue Hen's
Chicken had with Democrats, and par
ticularly with Democrats in Appoquini-
mink Hundred, &C." l
In reply to Mr.. Townsend, l would
state that the Blue HENS Chicken treated
every man, friend, or enemy, as a gentle
man. That Mr.. Townsend has uttered
more brutal, low, vile, sclIrrilOus Ian
guage in the above paragraph, that 1have
copied from your paper, than have ever |
written in the columns Of the Blue Hens |
Chicken or any other paper. And, also, |
he has told more untruths in the articles |
he has written against me recently, for |
getting the Life-Saving Stations estab-
lished on our seabOard, and in relation to
freeing the Wilmington Bridge, than i
ever uttered in all my life. After car
fully looking over my files of the Blue
Hens Chicken, find nothing SO scurri-
lous. Nothing SO low. Nothing SO vile.
Nothing am SO much ashamed of as the
articles published over Mr.. Townsend's
signature. My paper was then opened to
tree discussion. Mr.. Townsend had been
refused admittance into all other papers
when he brought his communications to
me, and published them. The first was
so scandalous that after promised its in
sertion, was ashamed to place it in my
reading columns. therefore set it among
my advertisements and marked it cit"
Gone time) as is customary with adver-
tisements in newspapers. The first ar
| ticle was published on the lst of Janu-
ary, 1916. 1t is filed with so many vile
phrases that will not soil your columns
| by repeating. Again he cal Is gentle
man who happened to differ from him
in sentiment, in letter to me publish
ed the Sd of February, 1S46) "white
hided negro" The gentleman had pub
| lished his communication in the Deld-
,care Gazette. In this vile style he ad-
dressed every one. Thepapers he in this
manner opposed retalliated by publishing
the communications he sent to them
with all his barbarous spelling and pune
tuation. With big "A's" where small
ones should have been, and little 'i's"
where there should have been capitals
took no part in this discussion, but all
my life have treated him, (when either
speaking of him publicly or in social
con yersation,) as gentleman. But al
though l knew how abusive he was, and
what blackguard he made of himself
whenever he wrote for the public, l al
ways vie we'd him, (until he published
the articles against me in relation to my
getting life stations established and the
freeing of the Wilmington bridge,) as
truthful man. l cannot hold that opin-
ion of him now, He there told so many
untruths, that at present hold him un-
wol..ly of belief. A man may be no
scholar and yet gentleman. Some Of
the greatest statesmen of olden times,
have been unable to read. But no gen.
tleman (however illiterate), nor any one
calling himself a man, ever utters false
hood upon any question. If he does he
ceases to be a gentleman. As long as a
mans character for truth stands unim-
peached, whatever may be his vagaries,
he still has influence. When he looses
that he is a nothing in the community.
shall say no more in relation to MIR.
Townsend as regards this matter. Let
him shower his abusive epithets. He
thinks, l suppose, they show boldness
of spirit. AT one time in some of oul
States it might be considered SO. Be
cause those that used them might be in
dangerof filling coffin. But in Delaware
there is no such fear. People pass them
as the idle wind, and when a man utters
more foul expressions than ordinary
the world simply Gn words similar tt
these) inquiries "what filthy blackguart
has written this" Therefore men
who, like myself, know how little scan
dalous expressions or untruths pass for
How they hurt the man that uses them
, or the matter he supports. Simply use
as shall do, in the remainder of thi
. article, or in any other that shall here
af.er write in relation to this or an
other matter the expressions that on
gentleman should use to another
10 never mind how much l might be assai
ed by vituperation.
The yileness and the blackguardisI
shall be all on one side and not on mine
And now thus having spoken Ishall pre-
y ceed to give true
=. !, HISTORY OF THE FREEING OF THE VIII
1d MINGTON BRIDGE
e. And people can then see how widely
"a differs from Mr.. Townsend's account.
n. As soon as commenced the public'
ton of the Blue Hens Chicken (tl
I'd readers of this paper suppose all kno
m that all Delawareans are called Blu
Hens Chickens, and that they receive
,le this name from the gallantry of the
..ly troops in the Revolutiom ! determine
q to pay particular attention to the loc
affairs of the city and State. l found
enquiry that GH the toll bridges in Il
> States, amongst them the bridges ov'
y the Christiana at Newport, and at Ma
], mans Creek had been made free, ar
that the only toll bridge in the State WI
that over the Christiana at the foot I
Market street in this city. TO go an
rel come over this bridge with one horse al
carriage cost 25 cents. With two horst
a, and carriage 80 cents. Whilst at I'll
N same time was informed that passeni
J, ers were at times carried in the steam
IN boats from Delaware City to New Ca
lU tie, and other landings on the Delawar
to Philadelphia for 20 cents. Thus
: often cost in toll, as much to enter an
90 out of Wilmington from that porto
of the State south of the Christiana wit
u two horse team (and that number