Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-11-23
PRESS COMMENTS.
NEVADA PAPERS DISCUSSING
THE REEK.ANDERsON AFFAIR.
The Incendiary Enterprise "Run-
ming I'm n Gang by Itself"

ming I'm q Gang by Itself"
1t will be remembered that the Terri
torial Enterprise, in its infammatory
article of the 18th inst, called upon the
press of Nevada to speak out and join
hands with it in decrying the law officers
and private citizens Of Eureka as acces-
sories to the foul crime of murder. Since
the "ghoul" Of that paper forced the Sen
TINEL to throw off the courteous reticence"
decent %silence) with which it was charged,
and made it necessary for the SENTINEL,
in Standardization, to review the melan-
choly circumstances of the tragedy, the
Enterprise is left without any decent fol-
lowing in the State, as far as heard from.
We reproduce the following comments OF
the press, the first that have come to hand,
except those of the Carson Index, already
published, since both sides to the contro-
yersy have been presented. We give the
expressions of our contemporaries entire.
We do so in order to convince any OF our
readers who may not be entirely satisfied
that the SENTINEL is honest in the course
it has taken, and has adopted it conscien-
%tiously as its opinion of the right. We do
not indorse everything that we republish
below, but, for the sake of a full, fair
discussion, we leave nothing out. Our
desire ia to show that the SENTINEL is
backed up by the respectable journals of
Nevada in the position it has taken; that
| questions of law are properly within the
sphere of judicial bodies only, and that
the public mind should not be inlamed by
er parte newspaper trials:
A LIBEL SUIT.
Silver State.
In the recent campaign j. E. Anderson,
then editor Of the Eureka Leader, accused,
in the columns of his journal, George j..
Reek, Republican nominee for Superln-
tendent of Schools in Eureka County, Of
treachery to his party-in this, that he
supported A. E. Kaye, Democratic nomi-
nee for State Superintendent of Public In-
struction, and a personal friend of his
(Reek), against @. S. Young, the Republi-
can candidate for the same office. Reek
denied this charge in q card over his own
name in the Eureka SENTINEL. Subse-
q%uently Anderson and Reek met on the
street in Eureka and exchanged shots with
each other. Anderson was MORALLY
wounded, and died Of his wounds in a few
days. Reek was examined before q Justice
of the Peace, District Attorney Davenport
acting as counsel for the prosecution. A
number of witnesses were examined under
oath, and at the close of the examination
Reek was discharged, it appearing from
the evidence that Anderson was the ag-
gressor in the fatal conflict, and that Reek
fired in self-defense. Reek, who had been
teaching in the public school at Ruby Hill
up to the time of the rencontre, was REIN
stated as teacher after the examination,
and is still employed in that capacity.
The Territorial Enterprise denounced the
examining magistrate in unmeasured
terms. and accused Reek of being a muir
derer. 1t is now stated in the Eureka
SENTINEL and in the Associated Press dis
patches that Reek has engaged the law
firm of Baker & Wines of Eureka to bring
suit against the Enterprise for libel with
damages fixed at S25, 900.
This suit will give the Enterprise the
opportunity it appears to have been seek
ing since the death Of Anderson to prove
its assertions, and the result will be looked
forward to with much interest. If the
Enterprise can prove its allegations, it will
show that a murderer has been turned
loose upon the community by the action
of a Justice Of the Peace without protest
by the District Attorney, who is no less a
parsonage than W. H. Davenport, Attorney
General elect; but i il does not prnye the
charge it will probably, and as it certainly
ought to be, mulcted in damages to the
amount of a few thousand dollars. This
its prOprietors, Messrs. Sharon & Co., are
amply able to pay, while Reek, if innocent
of the crime of which he is accused by the
Enterprise, cannota afford to be branded as q
murderer by one Of the leading newspapers
Of the State.
II EUREKA TRAGEDY.
Virginia Chronicle.
The Eureka Leader refers to the ARRAY
in which its late editor was killed as "the
Reek-Anderson duel" One OF two of the
newspapers hereabouts have tried the case
lin their columns) and have convicted
Raek Of murder in the first degree. Reek
responds by a libel suit against the V. & T.
organ in this city, claiming S25 900 as
damages. The Chronicle is not disposed
to try criminal cases in its columns as
long as we have courts to which such duty
is assigned, but considers it not out Of
place to express an opinion in this case.
The evidence is that Reek published q
very abusive personal card, for which he
deserved o sound thrashing. Anderson
armed himself, started after Reek in the
street and was mortally wounded. That
he meant to shoot Reek on sight can
hardly be doubted, though witnesses differ
as to which of the two men fred first.
Anderson refused the most pressing solicit
tations to make an ante-mortem statement.
Had he been able con%soientiously to say
that he was not the aggressor in the fatal
ARRAY it is only reasonable to presume that
he would have 50 declared. Upon these
admitted facts. therefore, it is our opinion
| that Anderson began the street fight, that
Reek fred several shots in self.defense and
| proved himself q coward by shielding him
| self behind third party during the shoot
ing, and by running away as soon as this
live bulwark removed himself.
PASSION ovERooMEs JUDGMENT.
Eko Independent.
The Virginia Enterprise, in consequence
Of its severe structures upon the action of
the civil authorities at Eureka, touching
the Reek-Anderson case, has succeeded in
involving itself in a libel suit which, to
say the least, will probably prove exceed
ingly vexatious. The right of a public
journal to question the propriety Of the
action of a Justices Court in q matter Of
such Importance as the killing of a citizen
is unquestioned, but to deliberately charge
a man with the crime of murder without
the evidence to substantiate such a charge
is not only beyond the province of a news
paper, but even Of the courts themselves.
The Enterprise has evidently permitted its
feelings in his matter to run away with
its judgment, and, like individuals who
give way to the impulse of passion, will
probably have to pay roundly for its in
| discretion.
PROPERLY RELEASED.
Phoebe Record.
Reek, the man who killed Jim Anderson
at Eureka. after having a hearing, was
released on the grounds of having acted il
self-defense, the testimony produced prov
ing such to be the case.