The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-04-04
GOULD'S OPEN LETTER
James GsrdOn Bennett The Recipient Of :
sCAthing Epstls.
The Great Ffnancier Defines what is Called
New York Herald" scream
Sensational Acts in the
Editors Life.


morning and has produced an immense
sensation;
New YoRS. March 81. 1855
To Mr. James Gordon Bennett:
'In Friday Issue of the Hr'ah you full
minated what ON told iscommOnly called
in the Herald office "a scream bat that
scream must have been charged with dyna-
mite, as have learned as it rolled of from
Mackay and Benefits cable direct from
Paris IL shook that noble structure from
which the Herald is issued from base to
root. Now, as in the so. c Filed scream you
have taken occasion to deny certain state
Tnents deliberately madesby me as to the
New York Herald and yOErsef, II is proper
thst reply. In the frtt place, l never
stated that you were ever director of the
American Cable company. il is true you
were never invited to take seat in that
board, and 1 doubt IL any member of II
would sit in board with you, for reasons
that will be apparent as proceed. What
l did say was that some years ago your
father bought ] 600 shares OF the stock Of
the American telegraph company in order
TO make you a director that you were
elected and appeared il the board; that
you demanded for the BefGld lower rates
tran were paid by other newspapers and
precedence over them in transmission OF
the news in other words, you were at
tempting to use the corporation OF which
you were q trustee, not only for your
personal profit and advantage, but to the
injury of your rivals l stated further that
your demsnds we're so persistent and so
offensive that the first opportunity your
name was dropped fromithe board.
When I made these statements had be-
fore me certified copy OF the records OF
the American telegraph company, now
Western Union, and had also a memoran-
Irn Ha hrvn ~ ny
tors, who was then connected with the
actual management. This statement proves
the truth of what | said and the falsity Of
= our denial. This memorandum is as fol-
flows: Notwithstanding the New York
Herald hes generally, during the last
tTeniythree or four yesrs teen among the
largest individual newspaper patrons of the
Western Union telegraph company, it has
been for the greater part Of that perlod
ready tc criticIse and oeaouUce the COM
psny on the most fimsy pretext. These
cfIicisms il a lesser degree date from the
retirement Cf James Gordon Bennett, IT,,
from the board OF direc'oTs OF one OF the
| leTger telegraph companies now en-
braced in the Western Union system.
/ The limited facilities OF the telegraph
| companies in 1886 did not enable the
/ prompt transmission CO paws reports that
eve now rendered 10 kllitusto occTs acc
| often simultaneously - a r. eat number of
| individual papers, over numerous wires,
| but they were then transmitted, as now,
/ on the principle OF frat come, first served
/ and papers that were late in getting their
reports from Washington, Albany and
/ elsewhere, had TO wait their turn. The
elder Bennett had been supplied ,O00
shares OF stock in the American telegraph
company, at a price more than 20 per cent
below the market TGlue, and his son elected
member Of the board: His first service
was to demand that the Herald, being
large stOckholdar and our largest Gus.
toner, was entitled TO and should be
awarded precedence in the transmission CT
| special reports. This demand could not
be acceded to and the new director was a
disgTuntled and disagrteebl associate Ia
the board. When the company was sb-
sorbed by the Western Union he vas not
among those who were taken into the
! western Union board.
The bitterness of the Herald has been
intensified since the refusal of the cab e
pool to allow the French company 20 re-
! new its contract with the Hdrdd for speCi al
rates at about one-hsh the price the ether
newspapers were being charged. The
renewal OF the contract was demanded in
1883, accompanied by a threat that II 1t
was not agreed to an opposition cable
would be laid. The elder Garrett had at
one time agreed to unite with Mr.. Bennett
in procuring s new cable, bat Mr.. Fender
succeeded in persuading Mr.. Garrett that
an opposition cable would not pay. Bat
few months later he found another CAPT.
talist who yielded to his importunities,
and he got his revenge. Whether he got
the benefits ne had demanded and expected
is doubtful question. He has succeeded
in procuring general reduc ion of rates !;
but whether that compensates his unre-
muneratlve investment IN the cable is q
question OF his own finances. Asit is thus
apparent that the Herald. though actcated
by personal malice and selfish interests
conceals this motive and poses and pre-
tends to act as the guardian of public
interests, denouncing in its lordly way
individuals ana corporations, using such
epithets as wizard corsRir,' ETC., and
uttering such fearful screams that even
the Herald building quakes, il seems to
NE that ! should say few words OF aud
{ to Its editor and proprietor.
AS the Heed says Mr.. Bennett would
not sit at the same board with me, il seems
proper for me to state the objections
| might have to such an association with the
editor and proprietor of the Herald. Let
me see: have known you over thirty
| years, and during all that time your life
has been bat succession of debauches
and scandals, 90 that your name is associ-
ated on every tongue as Bennett the liber-
! tine," and however gentlemen might meet
You ut clubs or hotels, not q gentleman in
New York, a. yeu well know, would allow
you to cross the threshold of mis- residence
! where virtue and family honor are held
sacred. Your very touch in the social cir.
Gle is consaminsting. A few instances.
each % decency permits 10 be put in print,
will suffice to illustrate aud confirm what
have to say on this head. A few years ago,
while on one OF your debsuches, the police
came down on house o. ill-fame in this
city. You were among the victims bagged.
When you were arrsigned, past midnight,
at the police station, you screamed: 81
am James Gordon Bennett, proprietor OF
the New York Herald. Let me co." Do
you remember the simple reply of
| the faithful officer. who said: "You
may be James Gordon Bennett, or
you msy be George Washington;
the case will take the usual course
OfEcer, lock the prisoner up;' and you
went behind the bars. In the morning,
when you had sobered down and came to a
! full realization OF ycur situation you no
longer screamed, i am James Gordon Ben.
| nett, proprietor of the New York Herald
] but you spent the whole day in trying to
| get the newspapers to suppress the sicken-
| ing story, and with very good success. At
q dinner party given by you at your resi-
dence, after your guests were about through
you took revolver and began firing at the
globes OF The large chandelier over the cen