Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-11-21

According 10 their IDEAS ne VINO
differs from them is wrong, no
matter. how pure his mo-
tives or honest his convictions.
To maintain an honest opinion,
contrary to that Of the church
militant, is to be damned, worlds
without end. j have been ap-
preached, lately, by those who
said they were anxious to see this
fight, between me and the church
es in this town, stopped, who
asked and begged me to desist
in the interest of harmony. Pal
pably unreasonable and unfair as
as their request sounded to me
and as it really was, / promised
to not strike again except in self
defence. To not deliver another
blow until / was first struck.
This promise | have kept and
more than kept. / have ignored
several little thrusts and passed
them by as unworthy Of notice.
| don't want to be always in a
brawl. | am by nature pacific,
but if that good(?) Church
member who is quoted as saying
that, I'VE have Cottle thorough
ly licked this time; he has fired
his big gun and is ready to lay
down his arms but is ashamed to
say So" say if that person,
whose identity is unknown to me,
will come out boldly and above
board and make this assertion
over their signature, on in the
presence of witnesses without
binding them by a solemn prom
Use not to tell. / repeat f he
she OF they, will come from
under cover and hurl an open def
Of this character at me l will
give them such a roasting that
their whitened bones will not
even smell of scorched flesh. |
will burn their leprous bodies
and sin saturated souls until the
danger from contamination by
contact will be reduced to a
minimum, taking chances, of
course, on the sickening odor
arising therefrom creating res-
thence.
This article is not meant for
the church or churches as a
whole. Although | recognize in
them, as organized bodies, my
implacable enemies, | yet have
some friends in the churches who
realize that / am not a total NOR
al degenerate; that there are
two sides to this question and
who know that am right, but it
takes a rare quality of moral
courage to run counter to church
traditions. There are those who
would be my defenders if they
were not afraid Of public opinion.
To those | will say, not apologet-
ically but by way Of explanation,
that this article is not for them,
| promised to be quiescent so
long as | was let alone. This ]
did and longer still. | only
spoke when silence was no long
er bearable. And l am forced to
acknowledge the futility of my e.
forts. | am shooting without
definite aim, not knowing where
my enemy is hidden. / stand
boldly with a square front to
the world. If you who insist or
I keeping up this desultory wal
fare, from which no good can ever
come, will only tell me when you
are going to strike, will receive
/, fusillades full in the face.
You have fired at me from The
rear till your brcadsides only If
ritate. They no longer fetcE
blood.
SO goodbye, insistent malign
ers, for the present. | some
times wish l knew ouridentity,
, but knowing | might be disap
: pointed. Allowing you all tn,
latitude and longitude you car
possibly make use Of, you are
3 damned diminutive specimen,
t survivor of one of the plaques o
5 Egypt. But keep an expectorat
D ing your venom; there is room Oh
r terra firma for us all.