The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-15
Last Nights Dispatches.
Mr. Hewitt's Reply.

New York, Nov. l3.-Abram s. Hewitt
makes Il reply to the opinion of Judge
Davis in the Philip case ia so far as it
relates to himself. Hewitt says the Judge
who sits upon the bench is supposed to
know the evidence which has been given
by a witness. Certainly he should exam
inc 1t before he undertakes ito make state.
ments as to it's nature and to draw conclu-
slons from it. That Judge Davis has not
performed this duty the following oompar-
ison OF his statement with my testimony
will serve to prove:
a passage IS quoted from the opinion. in
which 1t ls made to appear that the
Morey letter was not published until after
Mr.. Hart had it examined by Mr.. Hewitt.
Mr.. Hewitt makes this rejoiuer:
Now the simple and unanswerable reply
to all this statement andsthe extraordinary
com ments in which Judge Davis has seen
dt to indulge is that the letter had already
been published 10 the Truth before ! bad
ever seen Mr.. Hart or the original letter
or any copy of it. This fact Judge Davis
must have known when he penned the
above lines, because | had sworn in his
presence, and after cross-examinstion by Mr.
Stoughton. in which Mr. Bliss interviewed
to verify the dates, that the interview with
Mr.. Hart tand examination of the letter
took place CO the goth of Octobar. after it's
publication in the Truth and not before.
l do not know whether Mr.. Hart made a
mistake IN bis testimony as to the date but
if he did there is no possible justification
for Judge Davis to base the statement
on this mistake, in order to attack from
the bench the character Of citizen after
the date had been fixed beyond possibility
of all controversy.
w hIla writing this ST. 4 oouA
messenger.to Mr.. Hart to ascertain whether
he had ever made any declaration at var
lance with the facts as | stated them. Mr..
Hart replied that he never said. testified
or thought that MT. Hewitt or any one
connected with the national committee
saw the letter in advance OF the publica-
ton OF the text Of the letter in the Truth
on the Goth of October, | never pro-
nounced the body aud signature of the let
ter to ba in the handwriting of Gen. Gar
field; on the contrary 10 the presence of
Mr.. Hart and all the gentlemen resent
declared tho body Of the letter not to be
in the handwriting OF Gen Garfield, but
that believed the signature to be his au
thograph.
AS to the second interview, in the eve
Dlug, 1t took place after my speech at
Chickering hall, when [ was exhausted
and took no Cther part 10 the discussion
but to reafirm my belief in the genuine
mesa of the signature. | did not tell Mr..
Hart that | would have made il forgery
if could. nor has he or any one else testi-
fed / ever used the expression.
To Judge Davis assertion that Hewitt |
went IN with his associates scattering |
forgery broadcast throughout tbs country"
Hewitt replied: 80 far as ana con-
ceTDed it would perhaps be suff- |
oient answer to say that | never |
circulated any Autographs or fac simile of
that kind, bat in order to show with what |
reckless eagerness the charge is made, | |
state that L am assured By parson who
did send out fac SMILES that only first or
accurate ones were circulated, and that
the second or amended fac SMILES were |
only published in the Truth. over which it
is not pretended the committee has any /
control. | forbear to make any comment
ary whatever upon the extraordinary |
character of the opinion pronounced by |
Judge Davis. 1t is enough for me to |
point out that the foundation upon which |
he has built up the attack upon my char
acter is false ii fact, and with this Demon
stration the consequences can only be |
damaging to himself | was prepared for |
this attack by the evidently prearrangcd |
statements of Mr., Stoughton |
n the Times of yesterday, and L am now |
forced to believe that there is a concerted |
scheme to attempt to break me down IN |
this community where | have lived for |
fifty years, and to which | can more safely |
trust for just judgment than to judge os |
The supreme court, who forgets that whom |
he becomes Judge he should cease to be |
a partisan.