The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1883-09-22
CHARACTERISTIC NOTE FROM GEN.
10 SHELBY.

PAGE CITY, Lafayette Co., Mo-,
September 9, 1888.
EDITOR REPUBLIcAN-I find the fol-
lowing in the Chicago News:
"This Shelby was during the war
the leader of an organized band OF
horse thieves, a gang of fnight-pr0wl-
ing bandits, who never knew what
legitimate warfare was, and whose
most gallant charges were made upon
unguarded stables and chicken coups
When such men 'possess the respect
and confidence of large number of
people of state ii is decidedly bad
for the state.'
Had the editor confined his abuse to
me should: have been quiet under
his withering utterances, but lie treads
upon n command the Federal armies
were never able to do; he treads upon
their reputation, that no honorable
Federal ever thought of doing.
! am aware how fhe press Of the
country is yeiping.
Let them yelp. L only nerves me
to stand the closer by an ex Confeder-
ate who is in trouble.
We clamor not for mercy; we de
~
James case is evidence of reliable men.
Justice we will demand. Ere a
fortnight passe; the press itself Will see
its error in damniny the Gallatin jury
Think for moment that this man
was tried in one ofthe strongest Union
counties in the state. Everybody in
this section ofthe country, emboldened
by the declarations of the press, was
prejudiced against the defendant. Even
the railroads, the moneyeI power of
the country, combined with the blood
money thieves and assassins, not only
swore, but. were ready to swear any
thing against this unfortunate ex-
Confederate to deprive him Of liberty,
yea, more, even of his life.
Are honorable men, who form the
jurieS of the country to be criticized
and damned because their verdicts are
in accord with evidence and facts as
presented:
While writing this IL friend from
Higginsville has handed me the Kan
sas City Times of to-day in which !
find the following comments of the
Post Dispatch:
"When at last an aroused public
sentiment and their own murderous
dissensions had broken up the bard
and forced its leader to surrender,
what did we soc? Gal!atin thronaed
With loud -nouthed and bullying par
tisans of the prisoner, behaving like
men who were certain of the jury, GER
tain Of an acquittal or of mistrial at
least one of the prisoners distinguish
ed friends denouncing and brow-beat-
witness tstand, and afterward in open
court denounciug rs false the sworn
testimony, on which the court fined
him the pitiful sum Of so for drawing
a pistol on a stranger whom he took
for prosecuting witness; eX-Gov.
johnson and cX-tongressman Philips,
both Union soldiers, both aspiring
politicians, paying homage to the poll
tiCat influence Of James friends by
appearing as the personal representa-
tive OF Vest ana Philips, but also as
the representative Of Cockrell and
Crittenden, and boasting to the jury
that he was, moreover, a representative
Of the Supreme bench, because the
governor had made him such after he
undertook the aoTutttal of Frank
James and with the understanding
that he was to adhere 10 the cause of
the eX-handit. With such bold parade
of political influence on his side, the
prisoner had little to fear from a rustic
Jury already inclined to pardon him
the vengeance he had suffered"
The editor of the Post-Dispatch evi
ls>ntly intends this partly for the un-
dersigned. When his sanctum is
,la.,..,J Of Jha blnnl of tha IN riacp1