The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-03-14

the case III All us lHlnutld. anu not
only justly acquitted the prisoner, but
convicted his mean accuser-of WHAT
Either of being a knave or else a
fool. If, through carelessly allow
ing his sympathies and his
Judgment 10 be led astray so
far by gossip and hearsay, then ne
stands convicted of being a fool.
But if, as is more likely, he has done
it from a mean spirit of spite, then he
stands before the bar of popular mind
a convicted Knave; and only by the
grace of the people and the individ-
ual whom he has wronged, can he
possibly escape the corporal punish
ment lie richly deserves. Nor does
the matter rest here. The popular
mind having tried and convicted
him, the tongues Of the people, ac-
customed as they are to free speech,
will repeat aloud the minds just de-
cision without let or ,hindrance
till all who can possibly be inter
ested snail hear it, and that great
weapon of liberty, Erec Press, will
stamp it as an indelible record IN
black and white where every family
may read it by the fireside. And so,
/ say, glory in the fact that am an
American and live in an age Of free
Thought, Free Speech, Free Press.
1t brings men, though far apart. near
together, and makes us, though
strangers, friends and acquaintance.
1t brings us into a position to feel in.
terested IN every mans welfare here,
and |, man who never saw either of
these parties, nor even before heard
of them. But this barbarian, that
name "Christian" the courts ought to
deprive him of, has thrust the keen
dagger ofinfamy at human heart,
and in SO doing feel that he has also
thrust it at my heart and your heart
reader and at every heart that beats in
the land, and say let the free Press
so point the whitening finger of pub.
lie scorn at the actor that he shall
feel compelled to withdraw himself
into the gloom Of obscurity--or the
grave, few will care which, 10 escape
from the torment of enraged public
opinion. That hus others who have
the like devlish disposition maybe
fearful to exercise it. Else you or l,
or we know not who, may be the
next to suffer unjustly from the cow
ardly thrust of moral assassin.
| see in the Owosso Press of last
week in Spectators account OF the
Bennington donation, he literally
goes for DR.. Witsie for being poor
reader and says, by way, "Lastly" and
"Amen," to his report, that poor
reader is public nuisance. eff" he
says, Genet could only have been
present that night some one would
have hrmbled and turned balS."
Now ii so happened sin the course
Of human events" that Comet was
there, snugly ensconced in his usual
modest course, and he is compelled
from his actual knowledge of facts, to
say that Spectator treated the Doctor
to rather cold piece OF injustice.
True, the Doctor is, as Spectator says,
a miserable reader, but then, he makes
no pretentions to being a reader and
only appeared that night at the insti.
cation of Spectator himself, and SO
energetic, soulful, public spirited, and
with all, usually just man as Spec
tator should not have have ''sat down
onto" the poor unsophisticated coun-
try bones he has. The poor fellow
feels bad about it and no wonder.
1t was his first public attempt and
for his patron to go back on him
that way was horrible to his sensitive
mind. The doctor come to me, and
with eyes in which it seemed the
milk of human kindness had soured,
and hand that shook with the pal
sy OF mutilated feeling he pointed to
that part of Spectators effort in
which he mentions Comet, and said
he .dolorouslv and feared irronicallv