Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-07-30
THE KANSAS CITY JOURNALS
TRUTH AND COURTESY.
The Kansas City Journal has this to

The Kansas City Journal a this to
say editorlally:
..Mr. A. A. Lesueur, a ~well-known demo-
cratic journalist of Lexington. telegraphs to the
Times that there is no truth in the report ths,
the James boys were encamped opposite tina,
place. Mr.. L. 10 like q good many other Bour-
bons, he can never see any Of the james gang
and does not believe they ever enter Missouri to
plumber banks and railroad trains He IS blind
because he does not want to see, on many occa-
sions."
1t strikes US that it is the Journal man
who is the Bourbon, in that his political
prejudlces, born of ancient history cause
him to make an unwarranted attack
upon a fellow journalist. What has a
mans democracy to do with sympathy
with crimeP Where is the evidence to
prove that q single one of the Daviess
county train robbers is q democrat ? The
assertion is the subterfuge OF the dema.
gogue. The impudent assumption OF the
Journal that it is better than its neighbor
is the cant of the Pharisee. 1t we thought
the James boys were in this neighbor-
hood, we should so inform the sheriff OF
this county, aud it would not be ten
minutes before steps would be taken to
institute a pursuit, and a vigorous one at
that. but we should do the state poor
service and the robbers good service if
we were to raise a hue and cry upon
every false and sensational report man
ufactured by designing or excited peo-
pie. As to the persons who ARE blind
because they do not want to see. on
many occasions we have a word to
say. On last Sunday the Journal pub
lished a news article regarding the
stealing of the yawl in use by the gov
eminent officers here, on Thursday of
last week, which we print elsewhere,
and which is a tissue OF baldfaced lies.
Upon this sort Of stuff it inconsidorately
based the attack upon the writer which
is quoted above from its issue of Tues
day last. Having our attention called
to the latter article, we immediately, in
the presence of q responsible witness,
called upon Captain B. T. Wiley. Of the
ferryboat, the principal witness in the
matter, and asked him to give us a
itten statement of the facts in the
case, signing his name thereto. 1t ut
gives the lie to the statements in
the journal, as may be seen BY reading
it, in another column. This statement,
and probably two hundred words in
defense of ourself we telegraphed 10 the
Journal. last Tuesday night. We also
tslegraphed the statement to the Kansas
City Times, Sedalia Democrat, St..
Louis Republican and st. Louis Globe
all of which papers, except
the Globe. Democrat and the Journal.
received the dispatch and printed it.
The Journal refused to receive 1t, and
did not print it. 1t was swift to accuse
the sheriff of this county Of neglect Of
duty, "when four heavily armed and
we'll mounted men appeared and camped
all night near Lexington" but it did
not want to ses' that its story to that
effect was q Munchausen yarn. As be.
tween gentlemen it owes sheriff Benja.
min Elliott IN apology. We LETT it to
its courtesy as . respectable journal to
the amende honorable to US. 1t
failed to do so; from which we can but
Judge 1t to be a disreputable and UNI.
newspaper. In order that
there may be no dispute about the send
ing of the message in time, when the
others were sent, VIC have ohtainad=th
following:
LEXINGTON, No., July q, 1881.
1 certify that 1 sent to the Kansas City Journal
at 1889 last night q message from A.. a. Lesueur
embodying . statement of Mr.. B. T. Wiley, re-
garding the stealing OF . yswl at this place
Thursday, July Fl. E. G. LOOMS,
Manager W. o. Telegraph Co. al Lexington.
We leave 1t to q candid public to
judge who 'sis blind because they do not
want to see, on many occasions"
A special dispatch to the Globe Dem.
oerat. dated Augusta. Me-, July 81. was
as tollows:-''The frequency ofeterrible
murders In this state is causing much
comment. and the next legislature will
undoubtedly be called upon to REVISE
our present laws in regard to murder.
ers. Capital p~unishment was abolished
during Governor Connor's term, and
since then some OF the most atroclous
murders that ever disgraoed civilization
have been committed within our Dor.
ders. Many lay them to the abolition
OF the death penalty; others think tina
the state has been passing through {
sort of murderous epidemic which NJ
amount of legal killing could prevent,
One thing 10 sure; each recurring hor.
o only renders the community lest
concerned over human life, bat that thu
punishment melted out to murderers is in
sufficient, nearly every one admits will
one exception. There Is not an inmaae
of the state prison at Thomaston, who, Il
l~ncarcerated for murder or attempt
ed murder, who is not in better quar-
ters In most respects than ever befor'
in his lite. Something more severe thai
the present punishment must be provi
ded, or the state prison will cease to b,
a very severe punishment" So 1t seem
that there are other states beside Mis-
souri, in which crime exists.
The republicans would like to breal
the solid south. but not the solid repub
lican negro vote in the south yet Their,
is danger of their losing q part of thi
vote, owing to the negro's frequent dis
appointments in his efforts to secur
office from the party with which he ha
acted uniformly since he was made Al
%elector. The colored editor OF a Mort
Carolina paper counsels the negroe
that the time has come tor selt-interes
to show them that independence i
politics will best serve their future, an
that they will never get Office SO long a