The Sunday globe., 1901-08-11

itOr had the tacts, ana IlBuJly cOncluu-
ing he would be exposed for his vile
assaults on the Capital, he sought out
and obtained the services Of a mutual
friend to prevent the publication. This
gentleman was the State Labor Com
missioner at the time, Hon. John
Mcbride, Levering knew that | was
under some obligations to Mr. Nc
Bride, as the latter had appointed my
younger brother superintendent of the
State free employment Office in Colum-
bus. Levering authorized Mr.. Mcbride
to state that his paper, the Sunday
World, would stop all future attacks
on the Capital If | would not expose
him. He was to be married to very
respectable lady the next week, and If
the Capital unmasked him all would
be off and he would be ruined. Mr..
| McBrde's friendship carried the day,
and | ordered the expose taken out and
KILLED" | admonished Mr.. Mcbride,
however, that Levering would not keep
his contract, but Mr.. Mcbride thought
| differently, as If he did not, all aid
at the governors office and all recog-
milton would be cut off.
Levering married the next week, and
his hired man, Osborne, wrote me a
private letter through the mails noti-
flying me that
"While | have nothing against your
family. know your weakness for
them (he called the natural love Of
husband and father-weakness!), and
to reach you | will attack them and
compel you to fight or leave the city"
This was the substance. There was
I ,,,1,1fghol thn IpftpT q
an illustration of Osborne's depgayed
character, and the Levering expose,
But the important fact will be noted,
that Leyering, as | had anticipated,
violated his word and agreement, and
published a most scurilous attack on
the Capital, and myself individually,
in the very next issue Of the World!
| Mr.. Mcbride called on me, and his
chagrin knew no bounds. He de-
nounced Levering, and solicited me
even to expose him.
After the exposure in the Capital,
the whole town turned on Levering and
feeling himself ruined, he consulted
Meeker as to the advisability Of per-
hitting Osborne to attack my family.
I Osborne got up the article, five col
umns in length, and the proof was sub
mitted to Meeker in the governors Of
fee; was read by him. and even by
Governor Campbell, il is said. Hon.
James A. Norton has informed me,
during the last session OF Congress,
that he saw and read the proof-sheet
in the governors office, and advised
against its publication. Meeker, how
ever, encouraged Levering, and the
latter, smarting under the expose, pub
lished the article Sunday, February p,
1891.
The article, in substance, charged
my dead mother Whom Osborne never
knew with prostitution, my wife, sis
| ters-in-law, and the female members Of
my family.
1t was the most atrociously and in
] describably filthy and villainous con-
coction which has ever emanated from
| the depraved intellect of the vilest
scoundrel who ever handled a pen.
The whole town was shocked. There
was no concealment by the author Of
the article and the publisher Of the pa
per that it was a lie and a deliberate
concoctiOn to compel me to fight or
leave town. The conspirators-Meeker,
Levering, Osborne ct al-insanely
imagined that had too much at stake
to fight l was worth probably 100000
| in my property and newspaper, I had
a wife and six young children, the old.
! est Of whom had just matriCulated at
Niagara College, in his 13tn year. But
when ! read the article l forgot all
| but the terrible and shocking charge
| against a sainted mother, a yirtuous
wife, and helpless females, looking to
me for protection.
At A. NJ. Sunday morning, / rushed
| to the office of the World, seeking the
villains in their very den. They were
| absent, Of course, having gone to their
| homes after the labors of the night.
| sought them at their homes, or where
! the addresses given me by those | ask
/ ed claimed they resided. All day Sun
| day | secured the city of Columbus
| for the wrctches, determined to shoot
/ on sight and kill or get killed, or both.
| It matteved not 20 me one particle, so
| that | could wipe such eXcressences
| off the face of the earth, whether | was
Iillca Instantly or choked to death on
| the scaffold. Their blood alone could
wipe out the horrible act they had
| committed against innocent vcEep
anu Gil luItui NIoHl uolu NhS mum AZ
and divine law constituted me the pro
tector and defender.
Anxious relatives finally got me IN
my cam idge late Sunday and took me
home. three miles west OF the city.
All night l lay awake, impatiently
awaiting daylight, and burning for le-
venge As it afterwards developed on
the trial, my slanderers mt the Sun
day practising in the suburbs with re-
volvers and early on Monday came
into the city determined to wipe me
out, should | appear on the streets Of
Columbus. And I did appear but not
as promptly as the assassins antici-
pated, and | thus escaped being shot
down from an ambuscade they had ar
ranged within a half block Of my Of
flee. Tired from their vigil, they call
ed for lighting whiskey," boasted
what would happen If | showed up, and
proceeded to the main thoroughfare of
the city known as High street, and
fully as broad as our Avenue, at the
exact place where the fight came off an
hour or two subsequently.
Leaving for the trial of the case the
testimony, which | will epitomize Of
the acts and utterances of Osborne and
Levcring, I shall proceed in the order
or the sequence Of the facts leading up
to the actual killing itself, and leave
the facts before the so-called tragedy
to develop in my narrative Of the go
called trial of the case.
A few hours late in coming into the
city from my residence at Arlington,
the suburb referred to, owing to a vio-
4. a
I drove to my Office and having turn
ed the rig over to the stable man, en-
tered the Capital Office from the rear
and deposited in the safe the money
secured from the sales Of the Capital