The border vidette., 1899-12-09
70 The Pubic
Allen z Bird

thrilling political and commercial
drama in the history of Nogales is be-
ing played. With many who have
esseyed leading roles the play as it pro-
! gressed from act to act has increased
in intensity until it now approaches
tragedy.
In view of your faithful portrayal
of the character of Humpty Dumpty, all
critics must agree that your efforts
were admirable. But your travesties
on important public questions and
your method of treating persons in
| the audience e;-otherwise individ uals
in the public service, has been so fiend-
ishly satanic, that 1 am impelled to
make critical review of your work,
| for the benefit of those of the public
who have been unable to rightly inter
pref it.
The review involves the lifting
a drop curtain of your creation;- "a
fabric whose warp is tissue of lies and
perfidy; whose woof is blackmail and
criminal libel.
FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD.
At the beginning of this review will
against yourself or any of the affidavit
stars of your troupe is not the motive
Any reference you may have made to
me in your bill of the play 1 do not
| consider calls for a reply. No sir; this
review or letter is written entirely for
the public good; in the interests of this
town and people of Nogalcs, aud for
the further purpose of counteracting
before the world the evils of your asst
ardly efforts to blight the good name
of Nogales:
THE INDICTMENT.
My Indictment against you is that
you are liar, coward, a black mailer,
a braggart, and either thief or re-
ceiver of stolen goods, and as such you
are not, therefore fit to be permitted to
associate with decent men Further
more; your criminal misuse of the
columns of your paper has had the
effect of bringing reproaeh upon the
commercial and material interests OF
the town.
yOuA POiiOy yOo haNO
caused dissentions among the people;
you have driven thousands of dollars
from Nogales and have prevented the
Investment of thousands more therein.
THE TRIAL OPENS.
Item by item, charge by charge, I
shall now proceed to convict you of
each count in my Indictment.
First.-YOU ARE LIAR.
On Sunday, October 1st at meet
ing of settlers of Calabasas did not Geo.
w. Atkinson ask you what THE VI.
DETTE had to say the day before on
tho Baca Float question? And did you
not answer "Nothing?" Is it not
fact that THE VIDETTE did have an
editorial on the subject: Is it not q fact
that The VIDHTTE was the first paper
to defend the settlers against the claims
of the Baca Float schemers? Em-
phatically yes.
You arc convicted on this count.
IS A COWARD
Second. You ARE A COWARD.
In your paper you have attacked
wan tonly and ruthlessly persons with
out cause, who had not the means of
public defense. In referring to a coun-
ty official as ''peg-leg'' you applied an
epithet to man who met with an &C
cident that made him a cripple for
life. You, in effect derided and scoffed
at an act of Providence Is it not
enough that one must suffer an infirm-
ity; do you believe you add to ones
happiness or prosperity by holding up
to ridicule permanent injury?
Convicted on count IL
IsA BLACKMAILER.
Third.-YOU ARE BLACKMAILER.
Did you not run in three successive is
sues OF your sheet during November
reference to abalone shell dust in sugar
as club against a certain merchant
who did not choose to adopt your de-
mands?
Did you not bid one cent per
inch for the county ndvertising-a ri
diculously low rate and one twentieth of
actual cost-and threaten to drive THE
VIDETTE out of business? And this
reminds me of that Pecksniffian parrot
phrase of yours, ''tote fair Have
you ''toted fair in such practices:
When you talk of driving business en-
terprises from the town, is that the
spirit that promotes expansion and
prosperity and draws business to our