West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-02-06
A Public Officer Trusted.
A Public Office Busted.

angels dare not tread" and this
probably accounts for it.. We regret
to have to say anything more about
this rather peculiar and mysterious
robbery" but since Mr.. Swearin-
gen has been foolish enough to still
keep it before the people by openly
attacking us in the columns of the
Journal, we will give him more free
advertising than he cyer had in his
life before and more than he will
want again soon. The little item
that particularly aroused his ire was
this, published in the ARGUS of
Jan. % {:
The account Of the robbery as given in the
Wheeling papers, stated that Chief of Police,
Swearlngon was on his way home from lodge"
when lac was robbed. This Is a slight mistake
II was a meeting Of the Y. NJ. G. A., that ne had
been attending, and the ritual Is the revised
edition Of Hoylc.
Now anyone with any common
sense or intelligence would under
stand that, even if they knew moth
ing about the circumstances. "Y.
M. G. A." is commonly used as an
%abbreviation of the Young Mems
Christian Association, a society that
is found in all the cities or large
towns, but in this case it was used
to denote the Young Mems Card
Association, from which meeting
the town sergeant was returning in
all the happy innocence of fancied
security and a good conscience, when
10 I! he IA suddenly set upon by
two bold brigands, who demanded
his money or his life, and he, like
the daring heroes YOU read about,
stoutly resisted and suffered himself
to be shot, and the robbers only got
the money by superior force of arms.
This is his story and a very pretty
story it is, but people have generally
agreed that it is a most too thin to
stir with a spoon, and to get them
to believe it will be like feeding
them soup with a fork I; they will
die before they ever become salts
fed.
1t was the common talk of the
town, that the parties who commit
ted ills robbery were the same ones
who stole Mr.. Swearingen's horses
a few years ago, and we doubt if
there is a single citizen IN town who
believes this "'robbery" TO be
straight goods. The. "slop" bust
ness may be a good joke, Mr..
Swearingen, but this robbery" is a
devil of a sight worse one for a man
to get his fingers into. 1t was so
amusing to read in the Wheeling
papers that you We're returning
from lodge when "robbed," when
everybody knew, and you admitted
yourself, also the boys that were
with You, that You were playing
cards and eating oysters at a certain
place in town, hence the ironical
correction made in the ARGUS. We
may have been joked about drinking
''slop." but we have never been
accused of stealing our own horses,
or robbing ourselves of other peo-
PIES money.
Since Mr.. Swearingen suggests
that we had better attempt to cor
rect our mistakes, we will
accept his advice and begin by
correcting the account Of the rob
berry as originally published in the
ARGUS. In spite Of the general
opinion Of everybody that the rob
berry was a fake, we thought best to
publish a straight account Of it for
tiAJ NAthlb VI VIC lbNu ~ ledSLs a
number Of our friends suggested to
as that in view of the matter being
rather a rotten affair, it would be
better not to publish any account
Of it and our esteemed cotemporary
OF the Er0 took this view Of it,. Incur
account Of it we made it as favora-
bic for Mr.. Swearingen as we could
and instead Of being grateful for
this public favor, me allows himself
to be used as q tool for a dirty fling
at us. We have been unwilling all
along 20 believe what people have
been openly saying about this being
q sham robbery but it is said That
''whot everybody says must Dc ao."
We were willing TO give SIR. Swear
the benefit of any doubt i'm
The matter, as the law presumes a
man innocent until proven guilty
and we hardly think be viii want