The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-12-18
Hewitt Pays His Respects to Judge
Davis.

In his opinion in the case of Kenward
Philip, charged with having forged the
Garfield Morey letter and thus crimi-
nally libeling General Garfield, Judge
Davis characterized the conduct of MIR.
Hewitt in severe and unjudicial and
partisan terms. Mr.. Hewitt makes the
following reply:
The Judge who sits upon the bench is sup
posed to know the evidence which has been
given by a witness. Certainly he should ex-
anime it before he undertakes to make state
ments as to its nature and to draw conclusions
from it. That Judge Davis has not performed
this duty the following comparison of his
statement with my testimony will serve TO
prove:
The passage is quoted from the opin-
ion in which it is made to appear that
the Morey letter was not published I'M
til after Mr.. Hart had it examined by
Hewitt. Mr.. Hewitt makes this re-
joinder:
Now, the simple and unanswerable reply to
all this statement, the extraordinary COM
ments in which Judge Davis has seen fit TO
indulge, is that the letter had already been
published in Truth before had ever seen Mr..
This fact Judge Davis must have known when
he penned the above lines, because had
sworn, in his presence. and after the GRO s.
examination by MIR. Stoughton, in which Mr..
Bliss interviewed to verify the dates, that the
interview with Mr.. Hart and the examination
of the letter took place on the Goth of Octo-
Der, after its publication in Truth, and not be-
fore. do not know whether Mr.. Hart made
mistake in his testimony as to date, but If
he did there is no possible justification for
Judge Davis to base a statement on this mis-
take in order to attack from the Bench the
character of a citizen after the date had
been fixed beyond the possibility of all con-
troversy.
While writing this statement sent mes
senger to Mr.. Hart to ascertain whether he
had ever made any declaration at variance
with the facts as 1 have stated them Mr..
Hart replies he never said, testified, or thougit
that Mr.. Hewitt, or any one connected with
the National Committee, saw the letter i'm adj
vance of the publication of the text of the let
ter in Truth on the 10th of October. Inever
pronounced the body and signature of the let
ter to be in the handwriting of General Gar
field. On the contrary, in the presence OF
Mr.. Hart, and all the gentlemen present, l
declared the body of the letter not to be in
the handwriting of Gcneral Garfield, but that
believed the signature to be his autograph.
As to the second Interview i'm the evening, it
took place after my speech at Chckering Hall,
when was exhausted, and took no other part
in the discussion but to reafiirm my belief in
the genuineness of the signature. / did not
tell Mr.. Hart that / would have made 1t a
forgery if could, nor has he or any one else
testified ever used the expression.
To Judge Davis assertion that Hewitt
event on with his associates scattering
the forgery broadcast throughout the
country" Hewitt replies:
So far as am concerned, it would perhaps,
be sufficient answer to say that never circu-
lated any Autographs or fac-simles of either
kind, but, in order to show with what reckless
eagerness the charge is made, state that am
fac-similes that only the first or accurate ones
were CIRCULATED. and that the second or
amended -fac-similes were only published in
Truth, over which 1t is not pretended the COM
mittce had any control | forbear to
make any commentary whatever upon
ion p.oduced by Judge Davis. 1t is
en- gn for me to point out that
i,e foundation upon which he has built up an
attack upon my character Is false in fact, and
with this demonstration the consequences can
only be damaging to himself. l was prepared
for this attack by the evidently prearranged
preliminary statement of Mr.. Stoughton in the
Times of yesterday, and l am now forced to
believe that there is concerted scheme TO at
tempt to break me down I'm this community
where have lived for fifty years and TO which
can more safely trust for just judgment than
to a Judge of the Supreme Court who forgets
that when he becomes a Judge he should cease
to be partisan.