, 1880-04-19
A Foul Slslnder.

| C0nSc1OnoOIc lidT, TndH ttlOc uCieTIy OD-
livious to ali the decencies and amenities
: of social l,fe or more utterly devoid Of
shame than Thomas w. Presch. the osten-
sable editor nf the Intelligencer. we have
never known as holding any responsible
position upon public journal. N" one
with any self-rrspcct can hold cnntr"
vercy with creature 81 base but when
he uses his journal with intent to defame
and hlacksn private character, il Incomes
asmuch matter of duty to defend against
AMI repel the assault, ms it is to resist at :
tempted robbery. assassination or arson
Every honorable member Of society holds
his personal character more dear than
any other possession. The detamer by
vocation above named. has on several 0c-
casions assailed us with the fnulrst SLAMS
ders, for which there was mol the slight
esr foundation in truth. With all the
particularly y belonging to fact, he pub
lishrd us as having committed forgery,
specifically stating circumstances and
incidents in that connection which were
pure inventions without color of truth.
For that malicious crime, he was indicted
by the grand jury and only escaped con.
viction and punishment hy ruling of
the Court, that the statutes being silent
as to the measure of punishment. it was
not in the province of the Court to i'm
pose any. The escapad ccnvict again
vents his unscrupulous malice in the fol
lowing:
Fifteen years aao to day was an ex>
citing and perl-us time in the life of an
aged individual now a resilient of s,pat-
tie, and not without cause was il so eth
er. He was then blatant traitor in the
city ot San Francisco. the loyal people OF
which, in their Indignation at the killing
of Lincoln, tried very hard to get mold of
him for the purpose of hanging him. HIS
flight on that occasion was little. if any,
more glorious than the attempted escape
from the Union soldiery of jeff. Davis, IN
petticeats, Il few days after"
Every body in this community knows
that these remarks were intended tor the
editor of the DISPATCH. whose property
was destroyed on the occasion alluded to,
10y an in>ensate mob composed exclusive
ly OF the vllest wretches who could he
raked out of the slums of the city. with
out any cause or provocarion whatever.
Our notice of the assassination of Lincoln.
issued and circulated oyer the city before
the mob outrage, published IN the Demo
cratic Press, April 10, 1865, was literally
and ldentically as follows:
A.snssimuiiOn Of the Pres dent.
No event OF the present century has
sent such thrill of horror through the
hearts of the people, us fhe announces
ment that the President of the United
States and his chief Minister have simul>
taneously met theil deaths hy assassina>
tion. Suci. an event at any time. and
under any circumstances, could not bur
create a profound sensation; but Mt the
present moment, when all parties were
rejoicing in the prospect "f ii restoration
"l peace and unity, that the man in
whom, above all Others, were centered the
hopes of the Nation, should he suddenly
stricken down by the hands Ot assassins,
shrouds the affair and its consequences in
the deepest gloom, regarded Ivy ali cons
sideratc men AS IL National calamity.
bearing more depressingly upon none
than those who have heretofore opposed
the policy of Mr. Lincoln's administra,
ton. 1t is no ime to speculate upon the
causes o: ultimate consequences of this
act; we can only feel that the head of the
Nation, by the suffrages OF millions, is
stricken out of being without an instant's
warning by the assassin's hand. 1t mat
tiers not what were our personal sentl'
m.n,s or party relations to the illustrious
dead. we remember but the high posi-
tinn OF trust to which he was called by
the deliberate choice ot the people, ant
bow with saddened heart to the pOnulal
verdict to do fit homage to his memory.
This article was, on the following day
copied and endorsed by the Bulletin, Cal
and Alta. There was not Republican
OF respectable standing in San Francisco
who did not condemn the m0bbing O
our office as entirely unprovoked. Th
leading Republican lawyers, including J
B. FELTON,, Frank NJ. Pixley, Judge Stow
J and others, offered their services grasui'