Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-09-19

without one spot upon his character.-|
He has established business that ena-
bles him to give employment to many,
while the man, who was surrounded
with wealth and power and influence,
who commenced his life after the war
with advantages as promising as any
man in the South, has fallen. step by
step, from his high position, with
character blasted and reputation
until to-day, not only in the
city of his birth, but throughout the
Commonwealth, he is Stunned and
despised by all men who know his ca.
reer, and in his heart of hearts" he
knows this assertion is the truth
The two men alluded to in the fore-
going are: Michael Glennan, editor Of
the Norfolk Tirgiaidn, and William
Lamb, Mayor of the city of Norfolk.
The one, a0ithout fear and sOithout ego.
tisma, points to private and public
record unsullied. The other is the pos
SCISSOR of the character, public and pri-
waite, faithfully described above.
The first is the writer of this article,
and his apology for entering into the
history of 1.-TWO lives" is this, if apology
is needed, that in card circulated yes
terday by William Lamb he is de-
nounced as "a base ingrate," and in the
same card the assertion is made that
William Lamb has treated the writer
from his youth up with nothing but
''disinterested friendship" He felt
compelled, therefore, to show how far
this mans friendship extended and,
once for all, show to the public the utter
falseness of the statement that has been
for years privately circulated for effect
viz, that William Lamb had educated
and was instrumental in establishing
the writer in business. Save the four
dollars week received ae salary dur.
ing the entire time of his service in the
employ of William Lamb, from 1857 to
1861, the writer has never been the re-
cipient of assistance from him; and to
show the callOusness and GOODNESS of the
man, his ingratitude and selfishness, it
may not be out of place to state here,
that on one occasion, when one of the
solicitors of the Norfolk Journal was
seeking from him the job.printing pa
tronage of his office, William Lamb re-
piled to him that his preference was to
give his work to Mike Glennan, but
that his office was out of the way"
Can this contemplate miscreant say
tudt N1lA0 OAOAA0A CNCA GAOu6AV Uh0o
''he was out of his way" when in the
hour of danger he stood by him, and
when for days and nights, after remov-
ing him from DEATHS door on the beach
at Fort Fisher, he was at his bedside
attending to every want and sdminis-
tering to every wish? A more despica-
BILE migrate never lived.
But Notwithstanding the baseness of
his ingratitude to us, we have always
tried to extend to him friendly hand
and do him q kindly deed. We fOrgave
him, if we could not forget, his cold
ungratefulness, and this has been de-
monstrated on hundreds of occasions.
AS a journalist, there was no business
enterprise that he ever engaged i'll that
we did not seek to advance by kindly
reference When he re- entered politics
in the Democratic party we pushed him
forward. It was assisted by our inf1u
ence that he was elected delegate to the
st. Louis convention. It was assisted
by our influence that he was made tenn
porary chairman of the convention that
nominated Governor Holiday, and
whenever we could, without sacrifice
of previous pledges, we helped him po-
litically. Even after we differed politi-
call we defended him from the attempt
to take from his well-gained laurels as
the commander of Fort Fisher. and we
set at rest, we believe conclusively, all
doubts as to that matter. Whenever
we have attacked his public or political
acts we have always extended to him
the use of our columns to correct any
wrongs we may have done him. We
have fought him openly, fairly. and in
an outspoken way, and during all the
time we never assaulted his private char
acter. And yet this man says we have
been an migrate.
Now what has been his career?
A distinguished member of Congress
from this State, q class mate of William
Lamb at William and Mary, has in
formed US that the lamented Judge
Scarburgh, who at the time was pro-
lessor at the College, publicly repri-
manded him for violating honor during
his preparation for an examination,
This was fitting prelude to his life.
AS already shown, his ingratitude to
us, who, as boy and youth, gave to
him devotion as strong and as great as
that belonging to brothers, and who
never was from his side during danger,
saving him, as he firmly believes, from
death, also shows the basenesS of the
man.
His ingratitude to the men of Nor
folk-the brave men whom he more
than any other man influenced to leave
their workshops, their clerkships, and
their other employments in order to
take up arms in defence of the Confed-
eracy, is also shown in the fact that
when these men returned from the war
penniless, to find their wives and little
ones suffering for the necessities of life,
and while they yet wore "the tattered
gray" William Lamb, in Opulence and
with employment to give out, extended
it to negroes, at the time, too, when the
just freed slaves were demonstrating
their insolence to returned rebels"
His course in this matter at the time so
outraged the feelings of the returned
soldiers that in the mayoralty election
that shortly afterwards occurred his
father was defeated.
A stretch of time OCCURS. The man,
through losses in his business ventures,
which none deplored more than we did,
was deprived of his wealth. But he yet
had influence and friends, and became
this city. William Lamb, as the presi
dent of that bank, knew its bankrupt
condition yet he allowed the reception
of deposits, we'll knowing that the bank
must break, and on the very day of its
failure permitted the money of confid
ing friends to be received. Yet this
man processes to have a conscience.
From the failure of the bank many sad
results followed. We have heard of
good, honest English settlers in Vir-
ginia who, trusting the reputation Will
liam Lamb had in England, deposited
their all in the keeping OF his bank,
and who, hearing of their loss, despaired
and died. away from the home of their
childhood, in strange land; and we
know Of others, who, endorsing for this
man, or loaning him their notes, lost all
the possessions they had in the world
They are to-day facing life boldly and
resolutely, hoping to retrieve their losses
losses directly due to acts of William
Lamb. r9
As the chief magistrate Of the city, a
place to which he was elected under
false colors, he has proved a tyrant,
hated and detested. He began his off,
cial career seeking revenge, in a way
cunning and despicabIe, on two trusted
police officers, Messrs. Movie and Pet
It's, who had opposed his election.
By advocating it as party measure