The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-13
rjI,'.E;,ll r e .EsGR.ApHTC
Io-Dav's Dispatches.
THE EoREY LETTER.

Justice Davis Pronounces it a forgery
Severe oensure Of Hon. Ahram S.
Hewitt--7hs author Of the lette.
still unknown.
NEW York, Nov. l3.-Judge Davis
this morning rendered an elaborate dcci-
sion in the case of Kenward Philip,
is charged with criminal libel upon Gen.
Garfield. The accused, bis Honor says. -
charged with two offences: frss-tha he
wrote the so called letter, couGterfeitipg
the signature of Gen. Garfield thereto, and
second,-atter Gen. Garfield made a pub-
llc denial of having written such letter.
the accused wrote an editorial entitled
Lying and sticking to is, and asserted
that General Garfield was a liar ia deny
ing the authorship of it.
The genuineness of Morey is a very
important factor In the case. Philips must
be held to answer, unless he can show
Garfield wrote the letter. Judge Davis
says, Dir. Hewitt's connection with the
transaction is of a most extraordinary
character.
Hart testified that when he received the
letter in the very singular way in which it
reached him, his suspicious were aroused.
He saw its Importance, ii genuine, as a
weapon OF deadly power in the hands of
Garfeld's political foe. He was not salts.
fed to publish it upon the examination
which he and his editorial staff could
make, and therefore took the letter and
envelope to the Democratic national com
mittee for inspection, He there saw Mr..
Hewitt, Mr.. Barnum, Mr.. Randall and
several others. Mr.. Hart showed them
the papers and said in substance.
that he did not want TO publish the letter
if it was q forgery. but. if genuine.
he did. and wanted no paper to
get ahead OF him in its publication, He
says it was examined by all the persons
named, but Hewitt made the closet and
most careful examination and spent fully
half hour in its examination, and then
pronounced sthe letter both body and
signature to be in the handwriting of
Garfield. Photographs were then taken
for use Of the national. committee. and
Mr.. Hart returned with the letter to bis
office. but his mind was not fully satisfied,
and so late in the evening he sought and
found Hewitt again and was again assured
that Hewitt had examined large number
of General Garfeld's letters and that the
Morey letter was genuine. This was
clinched by impressiug Hart 8 mind with
sho idea tha. he would have made it out q
forgery If be could. Il is not very surpris-
ing that Hart, with the usual anxiety
of newspaper publishers TO be ahead of
their neighbers, should have published
the letter without further inquiry, but it
is astounding that q man o. the known
sagacity, of great experience in business
and in public affairs, and who is supposed
to have decent respect Cor truth and
Justice, and swho speaks as az expert in
writing, with sii the suspicious circum.
stances that attended the reception Of the
letter, with the envelope and its erasures
before him, with the city post Office and
station sstamps on its back. with letter
and confidential and
to some person whom he Ger i
tainly did not know, with letter before
him the contents Of which, If true, would
be greatly injurious, it false would do
wrong to his intimate friends, as base and
wicked sassassin stabs. should have
thought it lust to press and cause it's pub
lication without first removing all doubt as
20 It's character. However much
an equitable division may leave for
the others,upon Mr.. Hewitt must rest the
largest share of responsibility Of the first
publication of the base and shameful for~
gerry, and bis subsequent relation to the
forgery does not lift single shadow from
his conduct It is apparent, his honor
says, that no such person as Henry l..
MoreY existed at Lynn, Mass. The LETT
ter, he holds,is nquestionabiy forgery,
and not in the handwriting of General
The question of the guilt or in
nocenoe of Philip must be left to jury to
determine, Tho defendant is held to
answer the charge of criminal libel, and
must be committed or give bail.
Hewitt was a member OF the national
He doubtless knew the extent
aud IN rposes for which it was taken and
used by that committee, and that went
forth TO the country with the sanction OF
his endorsement. lie kno" beyond ques
lion that it met spsodilg with the indiR
nanr denial of Gen. Garfield. who de.
nounnced the ietter SIS 'ha9e and stupid
forgery and its sentiments a. brutal.
Judge Davis also says. NJ mind has
reached 4 clear conviction chat tue so-caiied
Morey letter in body. signature and all its
mart. is not IN the handwriting of Gen.
Garfield but is altogether forgery, per-
netrated bv some person or body Of per-
sons for the purpose of deceIvlng the
nponIe and defrauding them and Gen.
Garfield sof their votes. The evidence
bearing upon PhlD's guilt or Innocence o.
the ltoreery is volumi0ous, and would
demand careful analysis.
Taken IL connection 1ith the otnef
evidence in the case, it tends to estabAsh
a conspiracy to accomplish national
CRIME. The conspiracy points to men ID
other quarters and of far higher POSITIONS
Of whom he may have been an aecompilce'
or oplv dupe and tool. Ii Is better,
fhereiore. tliat the question Of the actual
.ouiIf of forgery, be left TO the considera-
rion oi : iury. before whom additional ana
nerhape more decisive eVdeace may be
broneh& -.
Right thinking men everywhere must
want not only the guilty punished for tins
anna,iirg crime. but laws enacted to
nrararlv meet such cases in the future.
+ Is wholly at war with the safety and
sanctity of popular government fortun
aselv no body of men hold the eonscIeices
of the peoplo and no party feaity IS strong
enonpI, to interpret the sentence OF CON
demnation which honest men OF ali parties
pronounce upon such guilt. Ihe men
most guilty in this matter may not De
brouglt to Justice, but they viii ina no
party to bear the just measure OF lhiauy
and scorn that meets them. As they
tailed 10 their guilty purpose they viii lail
of tho approval OF those even tor WnoSe
| suecess they have done the guilty work.