Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-17
An Open Letter to DIR. Verdi.


SrR: There appeared in the columns Of the
New York Tribune Of yesterday a statement
signed by yourself; a statement in which am
personally interested. On the lst day OF April
(auspicious date) il became nv duty as a re-
porter on the staff OF The EvrSNa srAA 20 Sc
cure your views as 10 the relations then existing
between the United States and the Kingdom OF
Italy. 1 followed you from the residence Of
ex-Minfster Fava where Won had made q
lengthy stay) 20 your own once. and in your
reception room YOU gave uttersnce 10 the re-
marks which were printed IN THK sr,a and
which you have since taken occasion to dis
claim and deny. That interview caused you
no mental disturbance until two days after Ste
publication. Then the comments Of g thousand
newspapers and the receipt of numerous threat
ening letters (the latter written by in
cignant Americans) convinced you that a
blunder had been made, and with conscience
less audacity you at once endeavored to tie
that blunder upon the shoulders of the then
nameless reporter-myself. You say in the
7'ttu'e you are astonished to find that report
ers. more sensational than truthful. have pre-
sented you TO the public a citizen of doubt
fui loyalty. "Icannot, you continue, discuss
reporters or their relation 20 the truth, for the
reporter is a comparatively new animal. which
modern anthropologists CT psychologists have
not yet been able 10 define. Al can say is
that the words reported 10 the Washington
EVENING STAR as coming from me- viz: What
can We look for from such a community as
New Orleans, where tho mayor Is a murderer
the sheriff murderer. the board Of trade and
the clubs are composed OF murderers. where
murder has common and open possession Of
the heart are untrue and unuttered."
That denialis a carefully prepared document:
series of utterances from which there can be
no retreat For two weeks past You have been
circulating loose1jointed and negative asser-
tons Of misrepresentation- assertions to
you have at last stated fatty that the interview
published in The STAR on the LIST instant is
false. and l. in reply. declare most emphatic
ally that tbs only apparent difference between
Ananias and yourself lies in the fact that Ana
MAS is dead.
Not only did you saw all that was attributed
| TO you in that interview, but You said il with
| such force and evident passion that the prim-
airy effect Of your denunciations could not be
| put into type. Your manner WEE that of a man
whose interest in the question could not easily
| be measured by words and your indignation
was at italian fever heat when YOU recited the
sentence which you now specifically disclaim
responsibility for. When you charged
| New Orleans with being city of murderers
you did so with yehemence that compelled
| belief in your honesty Of assertion. When YOU
| first attempted denial it Was crafty done ana
was done because you saw how impolitic YOU
had been. The first of your alleged denisls
did not deny, and had you rested there
| this letter would never have been written.
but, embroidered by the silence Of those
whose regulations were attacked YOU proceeded
to greater lengths. and have AT la: reached
| the end of YOUR rope-the moose end. For
! thirty wears YOU had received your s,ls;,nnnce
mainly from the American people, and dc soon
as the unpopularity of your views spread abroad
| il was plain to Your Michiavcliau intellect that
somebody had talked too much. You strongly
| suspected Yourself of being that unfortunnte
Individual shall not discuss with yoa tie
, code OF ethics which very broadly governs the
newspaper profession; you are but slightly
quainted with the newspaper re-
| porter for whatever other weaknesses
be may have he never wastes
his time in the cultivation of useless plants-and
you would necessarily be al an argumentative
| disadvantage: but l do intend to place myself
on record rs to the conversation NC had on the
afternoon of April 1. Your denial-in warp
| woof, fiber ana fiuish-is a plain uaadorned
| lie. Not the semi-excusable falsehood of
a brave man who denies to shield somebody
else but the lie of a coward-of one whose
sentiments are stronger than their creator
The interview YOU now conn lain OF il a literal
and absolute fact, and you know it to be so,
but American condemnation speedily con-