The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-10-26
Athens Journal
Athens Journal
THE COTTON KING.
GENERAL c. H. GR0SVEN0R RE.
CEIyES 223 BALES OF COTTON
AND ACCOUNTS FOR NOTHING.

Gen. Grosvener said before the
Democracy had named their eandi-
date for Congress, that he desired
that they (the Democracy would
give him a man with record to run
against. What do You suppose, Mr..
Honest Voter, was Grosvenor's rea-
son for wanting an opponent with a
record? We can conceive OF no bet
ter reason than to assume that he
proposed to run on his own record.
That being the case, we propose to
examine the Generals record, and
for ;that purpose we do not know of
any better place to begin at than to
take the records of the courts of
Athens County, where he has figured
frequently, either as the plaintiff di-
rect, or as prosecuting witness in
slander and libel suits.
He began by suing one r. S.
Twombly for slander. Twombly was
a young man without family, and
left the county before the case came
to trial, made no defense, and GrOs
venor got Judgment for whatever
he claimed; whether it was right or
not no one will ever know, because
Twombly did not fight it, and Gros-
venor took judgment by default. We
will give the General the benefit of
the doubt, and assume he had case
that time.
Then the Cincinnati Gazette Of
Tended him by something it pub
lished about him, and he prosecuted
the Gazette for libel. The Gazette
was more pugnacious than poor
Twombly and proposed to fight the
General; and then the General wilt
ed, and the case dropped out of
Court without trial.
Then the Athens Messenger, the
organ of the Republican party in
Athens County, published some ar
ticles which limited that Gen. Gros-
venor was not fighting General, but
had a faculty Of getting himself put
on detached duty to keep out of the
way of rebel bullets, and that he
had grown rich out of the wsr, DC.
These publications of the Messenger
angered the doughty General, so he
sued the editor, G. E. NJ. Jennings,
for libel, and af;er much evidence,
pro and con, the jury found that
Grosvenor's record had been dam
aged, but that ONE CENT would
make it as good as ever, and gave
him ONE CENT damages. 1t was
the opinion of many who heard the
trial that the jury erred, and that
the judgment was too high. The ef-
feet of their verdict was to leave
Grosvenor to pay the costs by him
made. That did not suit him. So
the next time his record was exam
ined by newspaper he adopted an
other plan. He went into the Grim
inal courts and made the State OF
Ohio take his place as plaintiff. So,
when Col. William A. Taylor came
down to Athens from Columbus and
wrote up the Generals record as he
could get it from his neighbors and
political associates Grosvenor went
before the Grand Jury In October,
1883, and had Col. Taylor indicted
for criminal libel, and indorsed on
the back of the indictment, Il ac-
knowledge myself security for costs
in this case. G.. H. Grosvenor.'
Col. Taylor was arrested and brought
to Athens, and plead mot guilty" to
the indictment. Then Grosvenol
tried to rush Taylor to trial, but
Taylor said he was not ready. That
under his plea of not guilty he had
a right to show the truth of all ht
had said about Grosvenor, and te
do that he must take dispositions in
various States, and get certified cop
les of records at Washington City
and the case was continued. Taylor
was ready for trial at the next term
but Grosvenor was not, ,and never die
get ready any more, but continued
the case upon his own application
to enable him to get certain witnesses
to come to the court in his behalf
but they never put in an appearance
And finally, at the October term
1884, Grosvenor went off to Wash
ington just at the time he was need
ed here to try the Taylor case, fol
he knew he could not get anotheI
continuance, and he also knew mucl
of the evidence Tsylor's attorneys
had dug up in the case. He alst
knew that Taylor would insist on I
trial and that the Prosecuting AT
torney would be forced to enter :
noHe proseqm in the case, which, il
common U. S. language, means tc
dismiss the case and the county tx
pay the costs, amounting to $299.4O
if he was not here to try it. Ant
that is just what was done. A goot
part of the evidence relied upon b,
Taylor is in dispositions, and in cop
les of the official records at Wash
ington City.
Now,let us look into some of thes
depositions and records and see i
We can ascertain what it was tina
frightened the General so badl:
Here are some extracts from tn
deposition on file in the case, viz:
VIM. II. Mathews, of lawful age
being first duly cautioned and sol
emnly sworn, deposes and says a
follows: My name is William Fl
Mathews; reside at Augusta, Ga.
1S52 years old; by occupation cottol
sampler. knew Gen. Grosvenor.
was in Augusta, GA, in 1865, in tn
cotton business. The Confederat
Government, through Capt. Carmi
chael, its representative here (at Au
gusta) ordered that all the cottol
be taken from the warehouses an,
piled in the streets, preparatory t
burning. That this was done ant
; large quantities of cotton were pile
on the river bank preparatory t
burning. That while in this position
the Savannah River rose and over
flowed it's banks and some of tn
cotton nnntnd off / saw this an.