The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-11
DUKES DEFENSE.
The Slayer OF Capt. Mutt Leaves
on Record His View of the
Case.
sBe JnsIifics the kiIitng of Mutt. hat
not the Writing of Those
Letters.

FITTSUURGu, Pa, Aug. 10 A pOsthumous
history, hy N. l. Dukes, Of the struggle last
December al Uniont0wn, in which ha killed
APT 4. & Mutt. OF the circumstances which
led % it, and of his subsequent trial and &c
luittal has Just been given to the press
After recitlng the details of the terrible fight
in his ro0,n III the jennings hotel Dukes says:
But taking the evidence adduceG upon the
trial no man with II sbadow OF
fairness can resist the conclusion
that Capt Mutt cam" to my room
the morning Of the oath of December TO
take my life and he wonld have done SO had
not my dexterity prevented such result.
This conclusion established then my legal de
fense is perfect, and theattack upon the jury
is unjust and malicious The other matters
dragged into rhe trial are extraneous, and
lugged in for tie purpose of divertIng the at
temtion Of the jury from the point at issue
| was upon trial for the felonious killing OF
Capt Mutt, and not for writing asinine
letters. was legally guiltless Of taking
Capt Nutt's life, and well |
knew 1t, and the jury very properly |
81 found. The matters which led to |
the hostile encounter are we'll known and |
need not be referred to except incidentally. |
When wrote that first letter 10 Capt. Mutt |
/ comBlitted most appalling biunder. 1t |
was the personifcation of stupidity and the |
renorse Of lifetime will be inadequate ex-
piation for the error When | look back
upon it in the light OF developments | can
scarcely resist tue conclusion that was Ia
boring uadcr temporary insanity. But here
the matter ends would not believe in uny
total d,ITavity and abandoned villainy if
every fafatir;,I minister in the land howled
from the Pulpit and platform till he
were bliuh Hhd every editor in existence
should lie about 1t 10 all eternity. True
Capt. Matt is dead This fact can fall upon
no heart with more crushing force than upon
my own. had no more malice against tue
man than against my own mother, why
should | have: He never wrouged me. No
man respected bIm more than did and no
man It,vrl,,s his memory more than do now.
The images Ut the diSconsuiate widow and
the helpless orphan children rise up before
me like accusing spirits, aud If such
thing were possible gladly would ho
down in this mans grave and restore
him to his disconsolatc family COnld |
have known tho elimination of this
wretcbed affair how much better would it
happiness and self respect upon the altar of
pacitication but | fooliShly thought / was
doing Capt Mutt ii cruel kindness, and taking
a stand for tho preSerN alton of my own
honor Since this occurrence [ have con
| cudcd that honor is Il deluslou and mockery.
| Ny enemies teach that the whole matter was
| ii deep laid Schcme-thaf deliberately ruined
the daughter and then killed him. What
| 4 7 l. IL,
| sihia people will see that am merely the vic
tim of circumstance and my own folly.
| One thing grew out Of another accord
| ing to the law of cause and effect
until the homicide was the result of a contest
for survivorship. Bot am | alone rnspOn-
sitllt, for this great mountain of Nsoe2 Is there
| no one who SlIuud share Ii portion OF the
burden. The party vino can answer these
questions will ever remain silent. / have
been traduce1, maligned aud viifed by a
venaI press rs a monster Of iniquity If |
we're So shallow Drained and vindictivo as The
authors of these incendiary articles l wonhi
reply to some Of them with the torch; hnt |,
unlike these self constituted public educators
and moral ccnsors, respect the law, and will
Judge and be judged by 1t, and abide by its
DEGREES. The venal press always takes the
|
it has iuilamed the minds of the people il
must minister to the appetite it has created
bv n fabrication of injustice and falsehood
1t consrrues the words freedom of the press
TO- mean irresponsible license, and bligbt'
everything it touches. In my individual cast
the reporters col0red all the testimony agains
me and suppressed all the evidence that
tended to my vindicati0n. have also beeI
htll up to the public gaze as the destroyer o
the reputation Of an innocent little girl
The little girl is ~ years ct age. b
her reputation is destroyed ! am not re
sponsible for il Never at any tint
have my lips parted 10 say one word reflect
ing upon her True | wrote the foolish let
ter but it was guarded by all the precaution
of privacy-marked personal and addressed
to Capt. Mutt at his hotel He would guar
its secrets more carefully than he would hl
own life She has beep cTuclfied hy her owl
friends and lifted high on the cross for tn
insulting stare and mock sympathy of til
millions The responsibility rests upon thoS
persons who actuated alone by vindictivene-
against me ran roughahod over cvcrybod
to convict me OF the crime ut murder b.
showing that was fool.
'''Phat letter was legally no part of tn
case, aud the friends Of Capt. Mutt and hi
| family should have withheld 1t, but ais The
| did not let them shoulder the responsibility &
publishing It to the world W hen the SYN
pathieS and passions Of men are aroused the
are apt to lose sight OF palIiatioIiS and piung
headlong into the popular current. II the
would reflect moment tbi, case the
would recognize that while the noble qual
ties of Capt. Mutt were unlimited, yet lie wa
a man OF very rash temper Ii woul
be unbecoming i'll me to enter enter into
detailed account of the physical encounter
ia which he has been engaged, and
will desisr but IL seems that he should nC
have taken the law into his own hanC
against me. 1t had wrOngcd him the doo
of the court house were open, and
should have sought redress there The la
that is good enough for other people ce
tainly sufficient for him. but he rises abu'
the law and demands my life, and falls d We
tim to his own raShnesS Would any man 1
difference what his defenseS might he star
still and be shot downs No man can resi-
the natural God given impulse to drftnd h
own life, aud this is why Capt. Mutt vi
killed.
.1Tn this whole transaction / have su
mitted myself to the law. / gave myse
4 into custody. The law gives nie my libe
ty and prononnces me an inn
4 cent man, and gives me the san
rights as any other citizen of II
state or United States. l have the leg
right to go when and where | please and I
what | please within the limits of law; b.
there is a gang about Uniontown who de
80 the behests of the law, and undertake 20 p,
scribe the limits OF my rights and give '
commands as to what shall do and what
shall not do"
In conclusion Dukes hurls defiance ut t
Uniontown people. There is one paragral
expunged from his letter. His friends W
not allow it to be published. 1t reflects
verely on the Hon Jere Black because of
published sentiment of the latter reco
mending that Dukes be run our of Harr
burg if he should so there to be sworn in a!
member of the legislature.
a Too PFcrjoa~ Report.
ST. ALpANs Vt. Aug. lo-BradIey ia
. low denies tie truth of the statement shat q
r,,,4k,a,+ar,, rNod has lepn s,lld TO tho N