The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-06-04
AUDI ALTERAM PARrEM.
BAY ST. LOUIS, May 80, 1881,

Iou haNc auihitpSu liito youi WI
ums very long, and very libelous
assault upon me, coming from about
half dozen attorneys in Harrison
county, and one or two youths in Jack
son county. The Press, these days,
enjoys by custom, but not by law,
a very dangerous license, in the mat
ter Of such libelous publications, and
very great and irreparabla injury is
often done to innocent men and
honorable. regulations, by these
libels. Like others, must accept the
customs of rhe times, and inevitable
evils, consoled only by the maxim that
terror is harmless while truth is left
free to combat it," But there is an
other old adage, that "a lie will travel
a hundred leagues before Truth can
put on her boots to start after it," l
have no fear of a liz, or misrepre-
sentation, if l have u fair chance to
combat it, or to catch it. That fair
chance and fair play now ask of The
CoMET-it is all ashland l am much
mistaken in the moral makeup of its
editor, il he will deny me this.
This assault upon me is attempted
to he palmed off upon a supposed gull
hble public, as the result of "bar
meeting" so-called. The only APP
,,,.,,h that u,;l ao,,olox,o ,,,o I, ao tr q,
bar meeting is that it was a secret
meeting of "soreheaded bears" to salve
their wounded heads by the 6earish
trick Of attempting 10 cheaper my
market value as a lawyer. Every man
of them has real or imaginary griev-
ance against me, except perhaps, the
two unsophisticated youths, with the
ink hardly dry Oh their law licenses,
who were inveigled or bulldozed into
a formidable looking combination.
One Of these youths-E. Bloomfield
is junior partner of r. Seal, in Jack
son county, and of course compelled 10
do his bidding. Five of this combina
ton, and the five which make up all,
except the drift-wood and dead-wood
of this conglomeration, are the defeat
ed attorneys, and the dismissed ex-
attorneys in the famous Flaig-Nor-
throp case, whom so excoriated in
my late speech before the Supreme
Court, that they have been laughed at
all over the State. Two of these at
torneys | am now crowding for judg-
ment against them (Seal and Champ
linz as sure ties ON The bond of their
client and delinquent administrator
Northrop. Successful fllibustering,
only, saved them from a probable
judgment against them, at the term
just ended Of the Harrison Court. Two
of the ex-attorneys Of my now client,
Mr.. Flaig, had sued him by earnish-
ments, for enormous fees for losing his
case. The larger of these suits, the
only one tried, was ridiculous .fdsco,
and never reached the jury at all.
"nipped it In the bud" bya little plea
that the plaintiff, who sued for attor-
ney's fees, was at the time said alleg-
ed fees were claimed, defaulter to the
State, and upon this plea, which was
sustained, his case and his Spndest
hopes went incontinent'y cup the
spout" into the limbo of things for
ever lost.
Our Saviour said in his day, il my
recollection is correct, that many of
his enemies "hated him without
The same thing has doubt
less occurred in other cases, divine and
human, and 1t presents a moral and
question which leave
To moral philosophers. But cannot
Of my enemies for Chatting
me without cause" generally give
them cause, grievous cause. The truth
Is, 1 love to be hated by some people,
and | take care to make them hate me.
These five attorneys and ex-attorneysin
said case, have abundant cause, griev-
Gus cause to hate me, and they do It
with vengeance. / have crowded
them, and intend TO crowd them.
have skinned them and ] intend to
skin them-but all legally and openly
In the courts. Outside Of the court
room, I do not know, do not recognize
them, and will not willingly have
TO do with them. But they
shall not slander me with impunity.
| never attacked or mentioned them,
or any Of them, by name. I never
used the name of any one of them in
any newspaper. But now that they
have attacked me by name, 1 shall
respond and handle them with un-
gloved hand.
But now, as TO the fraud Of calling
their conclavea Bar-meeting. Every
body knows that a " Bar-meetingn is
always held in the courthouse, with
open doors, upon fair and decent no.
tice to the members Of the Bar, and it
Is only he'd 10 discuss or act upon
some question Of general interest to
The Bar. Every member of the Bar
has right to attend and participate.
A bar meeting is never held to con-
sider or act, upon the personal griev-
ances Of individual members. Now
lest this meeting by these well known
rules and what becomes of it9 IL was
held in secret. A legal friend Of mine
was invited 10 attend this conclave
at Mr.. Champlln's room" was not
even, but the secret Of the
meeting was carefully kept from me.
The most distinguished and respecta-
bic member Of the sea-coast Bar, was
not ever invited because they fore
knew thai be would not 20. To my
sertain Knowledge by eredltabls in
'ormationzwo lawyers were specially
invited and urged to attend, but they |
refused, becsuse they knew II was an |