Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-11-15
BILIN' OVER.


two-column editorial ne labors hard
TO ponlard us for sympathiziug With
poor Charlie Lewis and because We
are glad he was pardoned. And
this IN the face of the fact that some
OF the Sachem's own political bed
fellows have been trying their all
firedest, for fee of course, to pc,
him pardoued. Too bad they could
MT succeed where others did. Pos
slbiy this is the cause of much of the
spleen. We ought not to notice Tia,
SAchems ugly mood, but les him
feed upon il; yet two or three recent
bursts OF spleen going unnoticed
seem to give his tribe courage to
deal in ugly names. Their paper
does not bubble at falsehoods when
attacking the VIRGINIA CITIZEN.
We did not for a moment con-
done Lewis crimes or "exult owe,
his escape from just punishment"
In our Judgment (and that of a large
majority of his countymen) he had
been sufficiently punished. Our first
ground for commencing the par
don was the restitution of himself
and innocent family-wife and help
less girls. Our second ground is, il
IS true that he is a physical wreck;
we have seen him, and it was testified
to by the penitentiary superintendent
and accepted by the Pardonine
Board. Thirdly, his record mad been
good-more than good. These were
the three grounds we surmised the
pardon was based upon, aud not the
one the News begs the question
on, and bores the public with
10y distortion. We believed wrong
hao been done him under Governor
Montague's regime, now righted.
Whether it was three or Eve years
docked from his time is a matter we
never looked up the records on, but
will take the News writer's version
that 1T was three, as it now appears
he was closely familiar with the
affair at the time, and it would seem
from his writings had some hand in
1t. 1--WE were not aware the brick fell
In the pack.) The facts remain, lust
the same, that Governor Montague
was imposed upon by a story of put
mp job, and rescinded his leniency.
and from political urgency put back |
the three. or five, years. We have
the highest authority at the peniten- |
tlary that Lewis exploit of saving the |
guard was bona fide, and we believe
the fake business is on the other foot |
Hence the injustice, now rectified
we alluded to. The CITIZEN did not
lnainuate that improper methods
were resorted to to secure his convic.
ton. Oh, no; they had the dead wood |
On MIN, and judge and jury could
not have rendered other verdict than
they did, and this paper never Ia.
mented the issue nor condoned the
crime, the sanctimonious and
News to the contrary
Notwithstanding. We alluded to the
ncessant bounding for years by some
Who had profted by him..
The News invective against us
throughout its wind-jamming arti.
lie consists of such as this: respecta.
'iiity (questioned); hardlhood to exuI.
'Ser escape from just punishment;
tatement untrue difference between
ana 8 years.; "gratuitous and ALSO.
nteiy unfounded statement" (about
Governor Montague's reason for 6
the 3 years time deducted):
he good people of Lancaster will
OF welcome him, but the VIRGINIA 8
iTizENisexcepted (than ks, Sachem):
nd the News charges that we did g
OF attribute Governor Swanson's ;
nlency to Lewis being a physical 3
reck, but based it upon rectifying y
he injustice and that the CITIZEN
Iieges this ground for the present |,
ardon. 1t also garbles "more o
nned against than SHINING" as our h
ords when they were gwen "a +,
ipressions from former couutrv. :
zen of his.
In order to show how the News q
'nnot stick to the truth when h
hitting bile against the CITIZEN. q
ow nnqualifiedly false are its n
lathemas, we will reproduce our o
'rmer words of sympathy which :,
led it so. If the News had 4
anted to deal fairly it would have s.
lollshed our editorial with its y,
'atultous attack. Here is the ed d
orial in toto with the hope that v
me who are afraid to look at the b
THEN may yet come across it: W