The National tribune., 1885-10-01
THE WILLIAMS CASE,
A Strong Appeal for the Defense
COmlade NOSSaman Answered.

To THE EDITOR: Under the heading "
Prosecuted Soldier" we notice IN lHE NA
TIoNAL TRIBUNE Of Aug. p, 1850, STATE
ment from the Other Side over the signature
OF one Lewis NoSsaman, Co. - I'd 40 tav.
Bethany. Mo. This article bears the ear marks
of the hired attorneys for the prosecution o.
George y. Williams plain, even to the use Of
the very words used by one of them IN writing
TO friend about this case, that there can he nt
doubt as 20 the real author OF the NosSainar
article: and further there is no person WHO lS
acquainted with h0SSaman who would ever
believe that he is the real author, from The TACT
that he is known to be mentally incompetent tC
write anything of the kind. He has allowed
himself 10 be used as the catspaw OF tins prose
cution, which perhaps 10 other SOLDIER IN
Harrison County would have done; ana whlle
ii is fact that he served, as he says, IN the "a
Mo. Cav. il Is also a fact that the men VINO
served IL the same regiment with MN uh-
hcSitatngly say that while in the army he was
considered As being dislOyal all the time. ii is
further fac; that soon after his discharge from
the army he was diSfrauchised by the Board OF
Registration of this County for disloyaty, a
man who had served in the same regiment
with him being at that time President OF the
Board tha; disranchiscd him. Nossaman says he
knows much about the fact Of the matter, rs he
lived here AZ the time. His home was here at
the time, il is true; but as lie was III the army
from August, 1862, to August, 1865, if he knows
the facts he got them cny as hcarsay. ana we
believe that his statement as to facts III tins
case are no more reliable than his statements
as to what this committee have done.
The I'd Mo. Cav. (Merrill's Horse at its Re-
union at Princeton, Mo, Aug. q, 1880, at which
there were Is members OF the Missouri bat
TALON lincluding NosSaman) present, entirely
ignored Nossaman. and i'll view of setting their
regiment right before the people as TO this case
(NoSSaman's letter having been previously pub
lished in local paper here passed resolu-
tion cOndemning the persecution of Williams,
with the approval of all the members present
except NOssaman. and then and there raised
quite little sum of money Tor the assistance OF
Williams, and have since paid the same to the
treasurer of this committee. As TO the state
ments made by NosSaman in the article above
referred TO. we will say that this committee III
its statement published in TIE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE Of June Is. 1885, or at any time, have
not unwillingly, or i'll any other manner, done
the people Of this County or the soldiers cause
any injustice or imposed or attempted 10 i'm
pose upon any one as Nossamau states; but, Oh
the contrary we made a fair statement of the
case rs known here, and if any harm has been
done the people or good name of this County, IL
has been done by the persons who arc trying TO
convict Union soldier for what he did rs
soldier ill the line of his duty. The GlS!Oy2lty
OF Isaac McCollOm and his father has never been
OlSlulSN hSTt, uuill IL DSCtibt lISSSSSsi ~ Nt
so in order TO create a prejudice against Will
liams We deny that Isaac McCollom was a
member Of a loyal MALTA company. and if he
belonged TO any nialltia company Is was that
known as the Paw Paw Malitia," which was
known and has gone into history as disloyal.
(See GTeeley's American Conflict, ol. H. p. 656)
Reliable men here remember that Isaac Nc
CollOm stated openly short time before his
death that if he went to the army at all he
would go to Prices army.
This committee have never stated that Will
iams could not get a fair trial in this County,
or that Union soldier stood poor show for
justice in "pOor old Missouri" or anything
that could reasonably be construed TO mean that
or anything like it. We simply asked for aid
TO assist him i'll procuring competent counsel to
make his defense and to pay the expenses Of
collecting his evidence, that had become scat
tered by the y years of intervening lime, and
to Iay the necessary incidental expenses Of his
trial: and We did this. representing the senti-
ment Of every true Union soldier Of this Coun-
ty. believing we did that the burden of this
defense shoald and would be shared by his fell
low-so2iers instead CT being allowed TO fall
singly on hinl-hejicviEc that he who stood
shoulder to shoulder with us in the hours Of
trial and danger should ,ot be left to ygrly the
burden OF his persecution alone. The responses
We have received from ali over the Uniled
States prove that wewere correct. We believed
that Williams should be financially helped, so
that when his trial was over be would be i'll as
good a condition financially as before.
The use of Ao5Sanan by the prosecution, and
the false construction rut on the actions of this
committee by that lcttor, shows the lengths
they will 90 to warp and bias popular opinion,
and prevent any further contributions, 10 the
end that they may succeed IN getting Williams
convicted.
Ifcourts have been regularly held here Gur-
the n stated bx-.t tor
neys for the prosecution in their Nossaman let
ter and they have been so heidi, why has
Williams. if guilty, not leen indicted and tried
before this? We answer, simply because in all
that time no grand jury has ever before been
found that would indict him.
As "a the statement in Nossaman's letter that
Williams was home on lGrongh and a long dis
tance from any of the officers of his regiment,
1t scarcely needs our answer as any soldier
knows that United States soldier is subject to
the orders Of his superior officer Of the United
States army, whether belonging to his regiment
or rot
We think that careful reading of Nossa-
mans letter will convince any one that il is
full of false statements as to what this commit
tee have written ard done, and we ask that the
general rule be applied to him, That where a
material statement Of witness is shown to be
false, all bis other statements are TO be disre-
garded. w +. R0GINsCN, J. WALKER, ED. 5.
MINER, A. j. FULLER, VI. II. SKINNER.
ANOTHER STATEMENT.
To THE EDITOR: In THE NATIONAL TRTB-
UNE OF Aug 20, / saw an article on the George
u. Williams case, by one Louis Nossaman, Of
20. Il, 2d No. Cav. As answer TO Nossa-
mans article, wish 10 say. TINS same article !
was published III the Bethany NO. Broadax
OF Aug. l3, I555. AT Reunion of the Mis-
souri, Battalion of the I'd Mo. Cav, held at
Princeton, No, Aug 20 and q, 1855, at which |