The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-07-01
COOK US. BREWSTER.
The EI-CounseI to Sue the Attor-
ney General for Libel.

The EI-COunseI to Sue the Attor.
ney General for Libel.
Washington, 80 William A. Cook
says he proposes to sue the attorney gem
eral for SANDER. Brewster made certain
charges against Cook in q recent inter-
view published in the Philadelphis p eSS.
The following correspondence explains
Itself;
3" Washington, June 90. - Benjamin
Harris Brewster, attorney general. Sir
On the 7lh list mailed 20 letter, Of
which the following is COPY: Wash
inQtuD, T. BeI jsmin Harris Brewster,
attorney gen rsl Of the United States.
D ear Shiny attention has been called
! To an Interview with you, pu bin he'd in the
Philadelphia Press. May l4Lh. II appears
thst, among other things, you stated 10
be CORE. pondent of the Press that the
defendant IN the tar route cases not on Y
u:ed the proceeds of their rob berries to pay
C-unse', but uon y was expended ~
! spiFiting away witnesses, In buying up
ex-couLtei Of the govern ment, AMI in
hiring newspapers to defend their Rascal
ity. Government bss paid for all thi>;
II also apptafs that the following qIes-
ton WA, asked you, VIZ: Whist do you
m sn by the assertion that defendant
bought ex-rounsel for the government in
these cases? To which You replied: !
mean that j. n. Brewster, of Carlisle,
Pa, showed Mr.. bliss his book contain
ing record of payments made by him
on account OF expenses incurred ia the
tfense of these suits, among other
'hings, and Mr.. Bliss told me that DOS
leI's books contained entries Of sewers
thousand dollars paid to bis law partners,
Mr. William Cook AID Mr.. A. NJ. Glib
sUn; both Mr.. Cook and MIR. Gibson we're
originally retained by the gcYernmen,
on these bases, and l dismissed them b.
cause l felt that their services could be
dispensed with. Allow me to inquire
whether you are correctly represented in
these extracts from the Press. Youwil
observe that they contain, first, strong
and plain implications that, as one Of
the GO unsels in the altar route cases, l
was bought by the defendants, and
second, positive assertion that you dis.
missed me as one of the original counsel
will be pleased to receive an early re-
ply, respectfully, WILLIAM Cook"
AS you have not seen fit 10 reply
to this letter, am compelled TO
conclude thst your utterances TO the cor
respondent Of the Philadelphia Press
were correctly reported. indeed this was
q reasonable presumption, but I deemed
it proper to afford ycua fair opportunity
for explanation, correction. 1 am no.
accustomed 60 notice misrepresentation
or censure which uniformed or
malignant pereons may c rcu ate or pub.
n
nor Inclination to do so, but your acct.
oehtal position as attorney general Of the
U nlted States impartR to your accuse
tIOn an Importance which they would
not possess IT they emansted from you as
private individual, and therefore both
personal and public respect require that
they should receive the proper denial
from me. First, it is utterly false thut
the defendants IN the star route cases
bought me as one of the ex-counssl |
No one OF them had thu audacity 10 ct
tempt 1t. l believe that Mr.. Cole u as
for awhile employed by Mr.. Reredeli,
but nm crsdibly informed tina. he gave
a receipt for bis fee, which was turned
over to the government. Il is to be pre-
sumed that you knew this fact, more Ver
you were not ignorant of the truth that
Mr.. Cole aud were only limited part
ners II civil cases; this informslion you
had twice from my lips, go that your
assertion was not only untrue
but made with full information
Of the actual facts. The second declara-
ton, that you dismissed me one of the
original attorneys in the star route case.
could not be surpassed IN misstatements.
March l4th, 1882, send you q writer
aud unso lei ed resignation Of my ap-
pointment as special attorney. On the
18th Of that month you transmitted
reply in which you said that n Y letter Of
resign ton was a surprise to you and
{ 81 on ecu d not see the necessity for it, |
and thsI had continued iuthe eesss an6
a5ored in them my usefulness would
have been appreciated. l. Cal not be
therefore doubted that when you inside
the assertion that you h2d dismissed me,
II was utterly untrue. The intellec' ual
and moral 6epravity which tempted and
impelied you 10 malign and mi. represer { !
me as you have, l am unable TO compre.
mend. You probably can. It only re-
mains for Ii that will publish this re.
ply 10 your msnifestly malignant tgIee |
hood in the public press and pursua any
otter plSn of vindicsiion [ may deem
proper. An attorney general cannot |
assail my professional or personal char |
seter with IMMUNITY, especially ore who |
obtained his distinguished position amid |
the smoke of an asssssin's pistol, and
possibly by means which reflect little or
no hoCo- on exalted manhood. Yours
etc. (signedl WILLIAM Cook,