Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-17
THE FORGERY.
secession an .nle NOrey Letter Case---
hnP Held for Libel---HHeWiat re-
spOnSIbse for the Publication


sponsible for the Publication.
NEW YORK, November ID. - judge
Davis this morning rendered an elabO-
rate decision in the case of Kenward
Philip, charged with criminal libel upon
Gen. Garfield.
The accused, His Honor saws. is
charged with two offenses, first that he
wrote the so-called Morey letter conn
terfeltlng the signature Of Gen. Garfield
thereto and, second that after General
Garfield made public denial of having
written such a letter the accused
wrote an editorial "Lying and sticking
to it, and asserted that Gen Garfield
was Liar in denying the authorship of
it. 1t is apparent, His Honor says, that
no such person as Henry L.. Morey ex-
listed at Lynn, Mass. The let
ter, he also holds, is unques-
t1onably forgery and not in
the handwriting OF Gen. Garfield. The
question of the guilt or innocence of
Ph1lp must be left to jury to deter
mine. Defendant is held to answer the
charge Of criminal libel, and must be
committed or give bail
Judge Davis dwells on the question of
the commences of the Morey letter as
OF great Importance In considering the
case. He decided that the accused should
be held to answer unless he could show
that Gen. Garfield wrote the letter, in fact
was held to be q liar when he denied
having written it; but the evidence
showed the letter to be forgery, and
showed the non-existance of such person
as Henry l.. Morey
Judge Davis continues: Mr.. Hewitt
connection with the letter and the trans
actions that have grown out of it.are, to
say the least, Of the most extraordinary
character. According to the testimony
OF Mr.. Hart, when he received the
letter in the very singular manner
in which it reached him, his
suspicious were aroused. He saw it's
Importance, if genuine, as weapon of
deadly power in the hands of Gen. Gar
fields political foes. He was not salts
fed to publish it upon the examination
could make and therefore took
the letter and envelope to the
Democratic national committe tor
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 forgery, but if genuine he
did, and wanted no other paper
to get ahead of him in its publication.
He says it was examined by all the per-
SONS named, but Mr. Hewitt made the
closest and most careful examination,
and spent fully half an hour in its exam
nation, and then pronounced the letter,
both body and signature, to be In the
handwriting Of General Garfield.
Photographs were then taken for the
use of the national committee and Mr..
Hart returned with the letter to his Of
fee, but his mind was not fully satisfied,
and SO, late in the evening, he sought and
found Mr.. Hewitt again, and was again
assured that Hewitt had examined a
large number of Gen. Garield's letters
and that the Morey letter was genuine,
and this was a cllncher, by impressing
Mr.. Harris mind with the idea that he
would have made it out forgery if he
could. 1t is not very surprising that
Mr.. Hart, with the usual anxiety of
publishers to be ahead of
their neighbors, should have published
the letter without further inqui-
ry. But it is astounding that
a man of known sagacity, of great
experience in business and in public af-
fairs, and who is supposed to have de-
cent respect for truth and justice and
who speaks as an expert in writing, with
all the suspicious circumstances that at
tended the reception Of the letter. with
the envelope and it's erasures
before him, with the city, postofice and
station stamps on its back, with q letter
marked "Personal and confidential, :"
and addressed to some person whom he
certainly did not know, with the letter
before him, the contents of which, if
true would be greatly iniur-
wrong to his intimate friends
as base and wicked as an assassin's stab,
should have thought it just to press and
cause its publication without first re-
moving all doubt as to it's character.
However much equitable division may
leave for others, upon Mr.. Hewitt must
rest the larger share of the responsibility
of the first publication of the base and
shameful forgery and his subse-
quent relation to the forgery
does not lift a single shadow from his
conduct. He was member of the ma
tional committee; he doubtless knew the
extent and purposes for which it was
used by that committee and that
it went forth to the country with
the sanction of his endorsement.
He knew beyond question that
it met speedily with the indignant denial
of Gen. Garfield, who denounced the let
ter as ga base and stupid forgery" and
it's sentiments as :" brutal"
Judge Davis also says: ''My mind has
reached the clear conviction that the So
called Morey letter, in body, signature
and all its parts, is not in the handwriting
of Gen. Garfield, but is altogether a
forgery, perpetrated by some per-
son OF body of persons for the
purpose of deceiving the people
and defrauding them and Gen.
Garfield of their votes. The evidence
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