San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-08-09


= and green and whose only claim t
literary fame is that he rode
bicycle into Mexico and made
wheel trip to Chicago. Any idiot
who had meagre intelligence, coulC
have done that. Why in Pari
[France) monkeys ride bicycles and
perhaps, that is the reason VIII!
some of the local riders initiate
their appearance and motions.
l do not know whether "Loiter
er's' attack on me was made in ig
nOrance or whether he was splen
attic, malicious and jealous. AND
l care not. His words are in
cold print and by them he is
rightly Judged. | did not see OF
hear of this attack for three days
when it was shown to me, glOat-
ingly, by friend (?) who has had
a Surfeit Of abuse and wanted SYM
pathetic company. There were two
impulses in my mind. One was to
whip the traduCer or be whipped
in the attempt, but then a news
paper man, who breaches law and
order for others, cuts an 1nconsist-
ent figure as rOwdy or brawler in
his own defence, and might is not
always right. The second was to
seek vindication at the hands Of
the law, but this would probably
have involved others who, though
technically guilty, were morally
innocent. Then | have no desire
for the Incarceration of any fellow
citizen, however foolish or vindic-
tive he may be. In default of either
of these actions only one alterna-
tive remained that was vindica-
ton by reason, and that course,
with your permission, will adopt.
In the first place | deny in-toto
the truth of "Loiterer's" derogato-
ry statements and defy him to give
any tangible proof in support of
his statements.
In the second place I demand
that he come out squarely and say
that he did or did not refer to me,
instead of insiduOusly inferring it,
for, in case he will aver that / am
the man he wrote of, the law can
arbitrate decisively.
In the third place | defy him to
prove that | am, or have been, as
he infers, the correspondent of the
Kansas City Sunday Sun.
In this letter there is perhaps
more than appears on the surface.
/ have been here thirteen years
and have endeavored to maintain
a good character not only as a
newspaper man but as a gentle
man, and | hope | have done so,
but there are those who have ig-
nOrantly slandered me, malicious
ly injured to keep me from work
and rob my family of the bread,
etc, / should win for them. This
is fact as many know and if |
write harshly it is the natural re-
sentiment of injustice. Put your
self in my place and see how you
would act if you found as | have,
yourself reviled and abused for
what you were innocent; find men
who stopped your progress on bare
suspicion and title tattle; find
boys, nonentities preferred to you
because of SANDER and know that
these rob you of the emolument Of
your brain and experience. You
would kick, even more vigorously
than | do now, especially when a
mere tyro in newspaper business
assails, ridicules an old journalist
whose advent into literature far
antedates that Of his juvenile as
sailant's birth.
Gone-to-seed will compete with
the green Loiterer, provided he
can get fair ,play, and competent
judges. He will take any assign
ment and beat in time and data
he will write an editorial, essay or
thesis on a given subject that shall
excel in language and fact; he
will write poem on any subject
and he will write a column of hum
or such as LOiterer can not do.
This he will do for glory, not for
gain, merely to take the concert
out of man who dares to criticise
the mentality and conduct of one
who is and will remain his superior
in that way.
This is for the most part person
al, and | regret that it should be
necessary to write publicly in this
way. The fault is not mine. j
have given "Loiterer" the oppor-
tunity to withdraw his charges or
substantiate them. He has done
neither the one nor the other, but
"sulks in his tent" in silence. You
have given my assailant a column
and half of space in which to
abuse me, and therefore, l think, L
NAV fairly ask Won to do mo tho