The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1880-11-14
JUDGE DAVIS DECISION.


| TINS morning renocrcu An elADofAls
decision in the case Of Philip.
The accused Is charged with two Of
fenses-nrst, that be wrote q so-ealled
letter. eounterfeiting the signature ol
Garfield thereto; and second, that aftsi
Garfield made public denial OF having
written such a letter, the accused wrots
the editorial Lying and Sticking tc
It," and asserted that Gen. Garfield
was u liar in denying the authorship Of
the letter.
1t Is apparent. his honor says. thai
no such person rs Henry l. Morey ex.
listed at Lynn, Massachusetts,. The
letter is unquestionably 4 forgery, and
not in the handwriting Of Garfield The
question Of the guilt OF innocence OF
Philip must lie left To the jury TO deter
mine. The defendant Is held TO an
swer TO the charge Of criminal libel,
and must he committed or give bail.
Tho genuineness of Morey is worry
important factor In the case. Phup
must lie held to answer, unless he Gan
show that Garfield wrote the letter.
Judge Davis says Mr.. IIewitt's con-
nection with the transaction Ia OF the
most extraordinary character. Hart
testified that when he received the lst-
ter, in the very singular way in which
1t reached him, his suspicious were
aroused. lie saw Its Importance, II
genuine, as q weapon Of deadly power
In the hands Of Garheld's political foes.
He was not satisfied to publish 1t upon
the examination which he and his edi-
torial staff could make, and therefore
took the letter and envelope to the
democratic national committee fer in
spection. lie there saw Hewitt, Bar
mum, Randall and several others.
Mr.. Hart showed them the papers,
and said in substance that he did not
want to publish the letter IL II was a
forgery, but IL genuine, he did, and he
wanted no other paper to get ahead OF
him. He says 1t was examined by all
the persons named, but Mr.. Hewitt
made the closest and most careful ex-
animation and spent fully half an hour
In its examination, and then pro-
nounced the letter, both body and sig
nature, to be in the handwriting Of
Garfield.
Photographs were then taken for the
use Of the national committee, and Mr..
Hart returned with the letter to his
Office; but his mind was not fully sat-
isfed, and so, late in the evening, he
sought and found Mr.. Hewitt again,
and was assured that Hewitt had ex-
aminsd large number Of Gen. Gar
fields letters, and that the Morey letter
was genuine, and this was clinched by
imprcssing Mr.. Hart's mind with the
idea that he would have made 1t out a
forgery IL he could. Il is not very sur
prising that Hart, with the usual anxi-
ETY. Of newspaper publishers to be ahead
Of their neighbors. should have publish
ed the letter without further inquiry;
but it is astounding that a man Of
known sagacity, OF great experience in
business and in public affairs, and who
is supposed TO have q decentregard for
truth and Justice, and who speaks as an
expert in writing-with all the suspi-
cious ci circumstances that attended the
reception Of the letter, with the enve-
lope and its erasures before him, with
the city postofiice and station stamps
on its back, with the letter marked
"personal and confidential" and ad-
dressed to some person whom he GER
tainly did not know-with the letter
before him, the contents Of which, II
true, would be greatly injurious. and IL
false, would do q wrong to his intimate
friends M base and wicked as an assas-
sins stab-should have thought it just
to press and cause its publication with
out first removing all doubt as 10 its
character.
However much, equitable division
may leave for others, upon Mr.. Hewitt
must rest the larger share of the respon-
sibility Of the first publication Of the base
forgery, and his subsequent relation to
the forgery does not lift a single shadow
from his conduct. He was n member
Of the national committee. and he
doubtless knew the extent and purpose
for which 1t was taken and used by that
committee, and that went forth to the
country with the sanction Of his en-
dorsement. He knew, beyond ques.
tion, 1t was met speedily with indig'
nant denial by Gen. Garfield, who de.
nounced the letter as q "base and stu.
pid forgery, and Its sentiments rs bru
tal."
Judge Davis also says: My mind ha.
reached the clear conviction that th,
so-called Morey letter, in body, sigma
ture and all Its parts. Is not In tn,
handwriting Of Gen. Garfield, but /,
altogether forgery, perpetrared b,
some person or body OF persons for tn,
purpose OF deceiving the people and dc
frauding them and Gen. Garfield o
their votes.
The evidence bearing upon Philip
guilt or innocence Of forgery Is volumi
nous and would demand careful an.
alysis. Taken in connection with othe