Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-02-12
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ia h:r SttpAr;S 5ays:
II deeply regret that allowed myself under |
ahy extremity VI lr1v0c alton IA use towards
you tho harsh AID angry H0ids J. uttered 10 the
controversy before the cansns sub committee.
Eu. il had been reported to mo that for some
Sims naSt you had doso nc grave Injustice in
private conversations. aud | had sUnt to you q
mut ual friend 10 c.rHct tho wholly erroneous
Impressions unacr Thich you sO0mcl To be To-
bon Z. Therefore, Thcu YOU repeated thcsc
| lusinuaions before 8 sub committee OF NY a.
| s1cIatcs iii the Senate. |. Of curse, felt tic
| wfotg still moro keelly. Then, when you eGd.
I'd 10 tbs the statement that you had heard
that favored TX Marshal Smytho for the oHco
OF sup uylior in The lsi &C lsus district Of GcOI-
Ella. III the fac, Of the l.ct that had Just NC.
picnt before, in GDsw, 10 qucsi N from tho
committee, stated that ! had urged the ap.
polntmcDt Of both MIR. Albert Howell and of
our mutual friend, Col. Mark johnson. aud
laillug with both those, had d0Do oil | could 10
! secure tho appointment oil MIR. Grillin, who is
| alsJ acmo3rut-l say, when, in tho presence
| oil these Facts, you repeated to tho CONN l;ttc
| that you had htou told that YVES cndcavoIirg
| to secure MIR. Smytho' appointment, ! felt q
| tnsu OF wrong and Of outrage, which c,mrcll-
| Cd n!n to ask ytll Ter tho name Of your iaiorm
att Tho charge by your il l,rmor Was so false
so malicious, 80 directly 10 COL ilct with what
had Just stated TO the committee. ard, there
fore. SO Inconsistent with my character Tor
Truth. political mud personal intGerityso ahs1
lutcly without foundation or even tho shadow
| OF ~ excus6--that upon your refusal to SIV0
mo tho namo OF your informant. my indigua.
ton was so great that | used TO you language
which 10 view ct your ago and our lorg Establish
| cd friendship, deeply regret. | alIulc to the
l la 1,It boil -, h.,
friSchood until you divulgc tho nnme OF The
traGuocr. VI curse. meant by this tny that
| will consider that y&u we're responsible for the
| false charge unless you would .iyo tho author.
These wOldS, | repeat, deeply rrgroI; and, a.
! though still suffering under scusu OF the
wrong Jon have donU me-, and still repeating
the utter iblSGh0od OF Your iIlormcrs Slate
mcnt, | wish 10 recall the words which seemed
to imlly tina: | regarded you az responsible Ter
thn asatrod"
Tuihis uolc Mr.. Stephens replied that hn
duly appreciates the motive by Whinh tic is as
surcd it was prompted, and without any ocnl-
ment upon tho tone, fceling and excitement in
it, quite arpsrant throughout, no rcct ives il iu
The spirit by which every honorable man should
be ac,latci under like circumstances. 1t il
proper 10 say to Gen. Gordon the. while Mr..
Stephens aca"p's his apology and tho withdraw
| oil OF tho words, no regrets having uttered, in
tho spirit in which they wore made, yet he Gin.
not admit the correctness Of tho version of what
occurred on the OCCASION referred to as set loi
In Gen. Gnrdon's letter. lilo cannot admit that
| thoro Waa my such provobatinu as Gen. Gordon
assumes III apparent Justification ot tho words
which he icgrcts and wihdraws. Mr.. Sthphens
does not admit that there was any pioVccation
| on hla pbrt ut al!--crrtany none waa Intcndt i.
In further response To Qcn. Goriona letter,
| Mr.. st: phcns takes this occasion to add that
DOthlns was farther from hia iutnnlon in any,
thing he sail or did on The occasion referred to,
| by tone or action to wound the feelings Of Gen.
Gordon, or TO ba IN any Wap. Ey manner or
otherwise, IN tho least degree discnureous To
| linn. AZ tn tho remarks of Con. Gordon in
relation Ia what seems ~ have been an extreme
acnsilvcucsI on his part. 81 that line, on &C
count al what had boon reported to him sbout
MIR. Stephens having done him great Injustice
| III private conversation, and about his having
sent to Mr. Stephens mutual friend 10 To DOR
rot the erroneous Impressions under which Mr..
Stephens seemed TO hc nhnrng, il il. proper 10
state here, briefly. that MIR. stephens Haa not
| aware 1T all nt any such srnsiivcncsa or any
cauGo for such on tho part Il Ger Gur,lnn. 1t
| IL tIu1 gentleman, who gtanda ia a fri, nily
position tn both Mr.. Stephens anu Cen. Cor
|
and stated that Gen. Gordon had requested him
20 c6mn and make solne explanations. which he
thought would di:ahuse Mr.. Stcrln,' mind
OF somo Impressions existing On it in relation
To his CONFLICT MIR. SLuphons promptly sad
III reply, az suon as tho object of his mission
was stated 'lrll Genetal Gordon | do feel
that have been badly treated by him, and if no
has any explanations TO make TO emo in per-
sea AMI mako them himself. want no inter
mediate. Va oan talk over all thcao matters
curSoiSc', and in Ills way come to better
mutual understanding. ucntral Gordon did
not act in accordance with tho rcqu, 81. but MIR.
stephens wnd III no iritAtCd mood with him
because OF that or anything else; ADD therefore
had not the sllshtcst Intention Of bGrg in tho
least d!sconrcnu5 to him bciOre committee OF
hIN o; sociato senator's in anything no said. Mr..
stephens did not know what matters General
Gurdou wished to cxrliin through tho mutual
TREAD, or what MIR. Stephens had been report.
ed to HIM ~ having sind about him; and,
| therefore, dncs not know, oven now, what nor.
lion of his rcmprks before tho committee was
considered by him rs suIh 'insinuations" as
produced tho great excitement wliph ho al
mlts Mr.. Stephens was entirely unconscious
at tho hmo Of what had ccoasnncd it. Further
more, MIR. Stephens wishes General Gordon
clearly to understand that hn claims no rcspect,
or any sort Of favorable confederation from any
person on account Of his ago or infrmities but
| ho dots expect from all persons that reSpeot
when Is duo TO every ono according as his COZ
duct and Intercourse with others exhibits o
s!iiot adheroncn TO tho principles Of integrity,
right, truth aud honor. This is tho only firm
foundation OF gcpuine and lasting friendship.
| MIR. Stephens repeats he meant nothing Of
teDs, vo to General Gordon in anything no said
on tho occasion referred 10. AID certainly roth
og offensive in what he said he had heart
about General GoidOn -Gtvoring tho appoint
ment Of Major Smythc. lie d. not mean, by
tone or manner, TO express any opinion OF to tho
correctness of what ho said he had heard. It's
proper to state, however, what was heard, as
| alluded to, had 10 such bearing ns General
Gordon seems 10 suppose it did, 1t vas not that
General Gordon had endorsed or recommended
Maj r Smytho in the first Instance, General
Gordon, therefore, was laboring under strange |
mlaapprc hcnsiou when be supposed, az set
forth in his letter, that he was, by ''iusinua
ton or otherwise, attacking tho truth Of