The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-11-30
Asking Justice.


OFFICE OF p r. BAILEY.
ATTORNEY-AT,LAw.( u
. SHELDON, Iowa, Nov 18th, 1882.
To, the Editors Of the Hallsy Isayinian: add,
DEAR SIRs Though not having seen you,
or had the pleasure of reading your paper, l
make bold to write you, first, because of being
an old member of the tart preventative"
assume that. familiarity characteristic of the
craft" and second because believe that you
design to do Justice to all persons and subjects
with whom you may come in contact in the
line of your professions have learned indi-
rectly that you published in your paper not
long since statement from one George
McCord an officer of this State, relative to
the arrest and shooting of ]. w. Bailey which
occurred some where near your city in Sep
TENDER last. j.. w. Bailey is my brother.
am also acquainted with McCord, and know
that he is deputy sheriff of Marshall county
Iowa. l, too, am an officer OF the courts OF
this State, under and bv virtue of the statute
of Iowa, as you will see by my printed card at
the head of this sheet, and hence | dare not
make any statement for publication relative
atty of dlsbarment. From what can learn,
the great and generous hearted detective"
McCord gave you not only prejudicial ac-
count of my brothers affairs in Iowa, but that
he gave YOU an untrue account of the matter
in order to make himself appear great, and
nv brother villain and desperate. J. w.
Bailey has lived in Marshall county, Iowa, for
the past fourteen years, and during all that
time no man stood higher in that community
than did himself During the past three years
he has made cattle herding a business, having
in his control from seven hundred to one
thousand head of cattle each year. Losses
he. or 1occ which
until this year he has always voluntarily and
promptly made good. Last spring however,
he gave due notice to his patrons, the farmers,
that he would 70 longer be responsible nor
pay for the lost cattle that were not branded
Notwithstanding this notice, his herd was filled
with about eight hundred head Of cattle, but
very few of them being branded. Heavy losses
occurred during the spring and early summer
part by death, and many from stampede
caused by cyclone, all of which loss the
owners OF the cattle We're fully made aware of
long before the time of delivery. 1t is also
claimed that number of head were driven
away during my brothers. absence, as owing
70 bad health he was absent from the herd
part of the summer. He placed the matter
of settlement in the hands of an attorney in
Marshall county, and after visiting few days
with me, he started to your State to visit the
land OF his birth and our relatives in your vi
cinIty. His sojourn there was by no means a
secret, as he LETT an open bank account here
in bis own name, aud was in regular cores
pondence with myself and many other friends
here and in Marshall county. The man McCprd,
who took it upon himself to play the role of
self constituted detective is an aspirant for the
office of sheriff, and is trying to undermine his
superior in order to geI the nomination, by
"deeds of daring" thereby earning the fulsome
praise of the Press. The sheriff in very strong
terms condemns McCord for the shooting as
he knows my brother WE'LL and knows his
disposition is not that of an outlaw. McCord
has admitted to me that he and my brother
did not know each other, and that he rushed
upon the latter with drawn revolver and that
he did not demand surrender,or make known
the fact that he was an officer. Evidence in
my possession from. parties residing at the
place where The shooting took place, unques-
tionably fastens the blame on McCord for
firing the first shot, and that too without any
proyocation whatever. Hence it would OF
course follow that my brother acted in self
defence, and that only McCord's statement to
the contrary l ask in behalf OF our many
relatives residing in and around Harrisonburg,
that Justice he done and time given for legal
investigation of the whole matter at issue. |
mail YOU to-day copies of our home paper con-
tanning an account Of the case as it now stands,
which YOU may notice if you see proper, and
this letter is at your disposal to publish or not
as YOU NAV choose, but of course inasmuch
as Won published McCord's side of the matter,
Il would be but justice that we should be
heard a. Very truly yours, MI
P. Il. BAILEY.