The Opelousas courier., 1894-03-10
Communicated
EDITORS COURIER:

ed. to ask for sufficient space in your
valuable paper to answer certain state
ments publilaed in the st. Landry Cla-
rion on the 18th ult. and purporting to
come from the brain Of a certain person
who has adopted the pseudonym of
Fair Play"
Inever before have been made the sub
ject of a newspaper attack and l assure
you that it is with the greatest reluc-
lance that | now enter, what may be
termed a newspaper controversy but
Justice must be done and "the truth
must prevail, though the heavens fall"
and with the comforting assurance that
"thrice is he armed whose quarrel is
lust" | enter upon the ordeal regardless
of the consequences which a statement
of the truth may entail.
In the article referred to above, Fair
Play attempts to saddle me, as its fore
man, with the responsibility for the
findings of the Grand Jury, and accu-
ses me of u%nfairDess in going into
an investigation of what he pleases to
term the affairs of the Sheriff, without
proceeding to investigate, at the same
and alleges that the Clerk has been
guilty of official criminality, malfeas-
ance, etc., in several particulars.
To these charges | will reply that, /,
as foreman of the Grand Jury, was sim
ply acting as its presiding officer. My
duty, as | understood it, was to preside
over it's deliberations and to be the
spokesman Of that body to the Court,
and this being the case, responsibility
for its unanimous conduct cannot be
visited on me, personally. any more
than on any other member of that in
quisitorial body.
AS regards the Jail | will say that we
were earnestly requested, both orally
and by letter, by persons living in the
vicinage of the parish prison to exam
inc and report not only on it's sanitary
surroundings, but also on the quality::of
discipline maintained therein. This we
did and we found the existence of a
condition of affairs there that might
have been justly censured in severer
terms than those embodied in our report
had we desired to have elaborated on
the evil.
Fair Play and all citizens who have
occasion to frequent the neighborhood
of the parish prison know full we'll that
there is vast room for improvement in
the prison management of this parish.
In their report tho Grand Jury stated
dition exists to-day and all who are
skeptical on the subject can convince
themselves by a visit to the premises
in question
Now for the second charge, that of
Partially in not investigating the Off
| cial conduct of G.. M. Thompson, my
kinsman. To this charge | will state
that we did not, nor did previous Grand
Juries investigate because the charges
had no foundation in fact and were alb
solutely groundless. In other words
they did not investigate because they
had 10 grounds on which to base an ex-
animation. In his article Fair Play
makes an allusiOn to a resolution of the
Police Jury by which he states the Dis
trlct Attorney was instructed to exam
inc into the charges against c. NJ.
Thompson as Clerk of Court, and that
no u knows whether any steps were
aver taken in the matter. For his ben
tit, if it will assist him in the future in
trying to ascertain the truth before he
presumes to asperse the character of
any one, | will say that the District
Attorney informed me that in ODE
dience to that resolution he had made
an examination of such records as were
calculated to furnish evidence on that
subject, and as a result of said exami-
nation had found everything absolutely
correct. So if the officer specially dele
SaCcu ~ poIAoi" Ills VaSh, duu "hone
duty the law makes it to present and
prosecute all offenders against the pub
lie peace and the public welfare, after
an investigation having this special
charge under consideration, could find
nothing on which to even base a COM
plant, I am ure the Grand Jury, or |
as it's foreman, ought not to be blamed
for laches in the premises. If on the
other hand Fair Play, good citizen as
his assumed name would imply, knew
anything criminal that G. M. Thompson
had done, why did he not com before
the Grand Jury and report Ehese
nent parish officials? 1t seems to me
have been dictated to him by his honest
instincts.
| think the articles written by Fair
Play and other nameless correspon-
dents of the Clarion have been written
with a view of doing injustice and
creating mischief more than from a
desire to correctly inform the public of
any existing evils. If not, why should
they withhold their real M from
the public? Were they afraid that the
public would not attach SO much Gre
dence to a statement over their real
names9 1t seems to me that it is more
Aduly anu C"OLHA1Ouudulc III Ouo VIII
wishes to call the attention of the pub
lie to a culprit, through a public COM
munication, to sign his real name to it,
and not have all surmising as to who
might be the author of these public
statements, and forcing upon the party
whose character is aspersed the neces-
eity Of making a trip to the newspaper
office to ascertain the name Of his &C
cuser.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l will not further
trespass on your valuable time. l think
l have answered satisfactorily to the
public the charges contained in the COM
munication Of the Gath ult. and will
close with a few words of advice to
Fair Play. In his next effort to do a
an injustice, if he will pluck out
some Of the wing feathers of his zeal
and stick them in the tail end of his
judgment he will find himself better
balanced and will sail out in life more
smoothly and be more at peace with
himself and the rest of mankind.
Respectfully yours,
G. j. THOMPSON.