Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-08
TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT.
District Attorney Wilkerson Writes a
Card-McCreight Wants Facts and
Here They Area Dirty At
tack on Hon. H. B.
FERGUSON.


The New MEXICAN is a newspaper thst
prints the news and deals with facts. 1t
goes after news notes in every nook and
corner of New Mexico, and "faith, it
prints 'em." That's what the people take
the New MEXICAN for-the news. When
District Attorney Wilkerson the other
night adorned City Editor McCreight, of
the Albuquerque Citizen, with black
eye for his gross violation of reportorial
license the fact was duly chronicled in
these columns as an item of news. The
albuquerque press mysteriously over
looked the item altogether, but that was
all the more reason why the New MEXICAN
should priut it and keep the people of the
territory informed on what is going on.
Now there is tumult in certain quarters
at Albuquerque over the affair. The
parties most in interest appear to desire
more facts in the premises. Well, here's
the whole story as far as the NEW MExI-
oAN is able at this time to get at the
facts:
THE PRoyRCATIoN.
On Monday afternoon last the Albu
querque Citizen published the following:
"Constable Rossi is one of the best
precinct officers this city ever had, and
when he goes after fellow or company
to collect bill due, or serve attachment
papers, he generally comes out with fly
ing colors; but he failed yesterday in the
Pembroke comedy company, although a
certain young albuquerque attorney, who
was basking in the smiles and under the
influence of the leading lady, put up a
few dollars toward liquidating certain
debts; not enough, however, to satisfy
the claims held by The constable"
OPENING OF HosTIL1T1Es.
On Monday night District Attorney
Wilkerson, apparently feeling deaply hurt
that the citizen should have involved his
name, by inference, in the case above re-
ferred to, rounded up City Editor Nc
Creight and demanded an explanation.
He was told, according to the New MEx1-
CAMS informant, that if the shoe fitted him
he could wear it, or words to that effect,
whereupon the attorney opened out on
the newspaper man and adorned one of
his optics with large unnatural and un-
slightly discoloration, commonly termed
in pugilstic parlance, "a black-eye."
Mutual friends interfered and there was a
cessation of hostillties.
THE NEW MEXICAN PRINTS THE NEWS.
Neither of the Albuquerque papers
referred to the encounter. On Wednesday
the New MEXICAN printed this:
SIN reporting court item on Monday
the Albuquerque Citizen took pains to go
far out of the regulation path of repor-
torial license to print reflections upon "a
certain young Albuquerque attorney"
District Attorney Thos. Wilkerson met
City Editor McCreight Monday night and
a scene ensued, as result of which the
Citizens local is nursing huge black
eye. Truly times that are rocky have
fallen on the Citizen force"
In its issue of yesterday afternoon the
Albuquerque Citizen publishes the fol-
lowing on its first page:
GARD.
"Thos. N. Wilkerson, district attorney,
in company with Thos. A. Finical, called
at the Citizen Office at noon to-day and
left the following card:
"'In reply to a local item in the New
MEXICAN Of yesterday, desire to say that
the Citizen, in the article referred to,
mentioned the name of no attorney. If
there was subseq uent difference between
Messrs. McCreight and Wilkerson, the
matter was long ago amicably settled;
that the statement in the said New Mex
loan that the same was in respect to any
court item is also false, and that the other
party in the contest ia also carrying his
bruises
"This card, as stated above, is published
with the full sanction of Mr.. Wilkerson,
and he desires the NEW MEXICAN to re-
produce it.
"Mr. Wilkerson also added in his card:
'Albuq uerque people are able to take care
of their own troubles, and if any COM
ments had been wished or desired by
either party the local papers would have
published Them"
DIRTY AND UNPRovoKRD ASSAULT.
On Its editorial page the Citizen of yes
terday also prints the following:
"Whenever Democratic office holder,
or any alleged prominent Democratio pol
itician in the Democratic party, visits
Santa Fe from this city, his ear.marks are
invariably noticed in the columns of the
New MEXICAN, and that paper is, nine
times out of ten, forced to print lie."
III. B. Ferguson, the Democratic ter
rltorial national committeeman, was in
Santa Fe yesterday, so says the NEW MEX
loan, and he is accused Of calling at the
Office of the NEW MEXICAN and giving
that paper an cntruthful item about the
jonion member of the Citizen firm, after
T. N. Wilkerson, the attorney, had re-
q uested this paper and the Democrat to
say nothing about his recent escapade,
and had Acknowledged his wrong and
guilt by apologizing in the presence of
Sheriff Hubbell, Jailer Jones and the sem
Tor member of the Citizen"
A SUMMARY.
In summing up the case, the New Mex
1cAN may say that it has no apology to
make to anyone for printing the news. 1t
ia inclined to think that District Attorney
has been misrepresented by
the Citizen, both in reference to its orig
inal attack and its voluntary construction
and explanation OF his "card," ana as for
the Citizens low and malicious assault
on Hon. H. B. FERGUSON that is quite
and as devoid of truth and
fact as most of the statements printed by