, 1890-03-27
TIE FACTS OF TIE CASE

THE FACTS OF THE CASE.
1t may be OF some interest to the read
ers OF THE LEADER to know what caused
the ruffled feathers OF the gallant COM
mander of the 18th infantry. Col Miner.
On Sunday morning. Feb. 10. the society
gossip published IN this paper contained
the following paragraph:
A special train carrie the members OF
the German club to the post Friday night.
The same train carried them back again,
but not until two hours later than the
time agreed upon. making a pretty long
wait for the party in the not too comfort
able waiting room at the post. The ger
man was led by Lieut.. Dashiel. The fig
ures were all new and the music fine.
Ices we're served at intervals during the
evening and supper at the end Of the
dance. Several members of the legisla-
ture were present.
Two days later in the midst OF the leg
~islative turmoil, the appended communi.
cation was received from Col. Mizner and
published in this paper:
To the Editor of The Leader
FORT RUSSELL, Wyo., Feb. Is. 1890.
Your contributor to the social column
Of THE LEADER Of Sunday morning last
referring to the recent cotillion at this
post states that the guests from Cheyenne
were compelled to wait two hours for the
car OF the Union Pacific to convey them
to the city and that they were compelled
to remain in the not too comfortable
waiting room until the arrival OF the
train. | am unwilling to believe that any
guest of the occasion could have been
guilty OF so gross a misrepresentation of
facts. The statement is a libel upon the
railway ompany and a Islander upon the
commanding officer, who has never been
wanting in courtesy to the citizens of
Cheyenne. As soon as it was ascertained
that the car had not arrived the com
manding officer not only went out himself.
but sent messengers to the railway station
and hop room to invite to his quarters all
who were waiting for the car, and did
welcome them with refreshments until the
car arrived about forty minutes later.
Yours truly. Henry r. MINER.
Colonel 18th Infantry. Commanding.
In explanation it was then briefly stated
(which was the fact) that The LEADERS
authority for the statement was e gentle
man who attended the party. 1t was con
sldered only natural that this would end
an i"nconseduential matter in which no.
body could have any very profound inter
est. Col. Miner, however, was still I'M
satisfied and two days after the publica
ton of his first communication sent a sec.
ond letter to this office. 1t was as toll
lows:
To the Editor of The Leader.
FORT d A RUSSELL, Wyo, Feb "a,
lS90.-Your journal of the 22nd inst.
contains a tardy publication OF my com
muuication of the 18th inst, accom panied
by the statement that THE LEADERS,
authority was a gentleman who attended
the party"
| have now. through Your columns, to
express the hope that this command may
not again suffer the infection of such a
gentleman, for if discovered by the guard
he might be deemed dangerous if per
mltted to run at large. and be removed
outside the main gate.
Senator Beck. Messrs. Hebard. Camp
hell, Van Tassell, Jeffrey, Mai. Whipple
ct al. remained at my quarters until the
arrival of the car, and | believe all of
them will denounce the article prepared
by the gentleman lcho attended the
party as a gross falsehood. l desire no
such gentleman inside OF the garrison.
Truly yours,
HENRY R. MINER,
Colonel 18th U. S. Inf Commanding.
As it was a matter of the profoundest
indifference to THE LEADER who Col.
Miner wanted or didn't want in the Fort
Russell garrison the foregoing letter was
not published. A breathing spell Of a
few days followed when an officer from
the fort came into THE LEADER office and
delivered a verbal message from Col.
Miner, ~peremptorily requesting that the
paper being sent to him be stopped. The
blow was a severe one, aimed at our very
vitals. but as our readers have no doubt
observed The LEADER continued to ap.
pear with its usual regularity.
As Col Miner had been accorded a
public hearing and given a great deal of
prominence to an exceedingly trivial mat
ter. as he had even gone further and
reaped sweet revenge bv stopping THE
LEADER and taking the Sun, whose edi.
tor he had previously treated with the
most distant c%ivility. 1t was thought this
puerile matter would be allowed to drop.
But it wasn't. The next step of the
doughty colonel was to draw up the copy
for a circular which he intended for dis
tribution about the city and through the
quarters at the post. In it he offered a
reward Of $40 for the name of the gentle
man who gave THE LEADER the informa-
ton about the cotillIon. He desired the
name, he stated. that it might be posted
on the door of the guard house so that
the gentleman might thereafter be ex-
Guided from the garris IN. So far as we