The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-04-11
CHALLENGES THE SLANDERER
TO STAND BEFORE HIM
FACE TO FACE.
Brands Him "Wilful, Deliberate
and Contemplate Liars Crea.
ture Utterly Debased and Abso-
lutely Lost to All Sense of
Shame"

In an address az Aberdeen, Hon.
Oscar Johnston, candidate for Gov
error, did not hesitate to denounce
his wife's traduccrs, in the most en-
phatic manner. He had Feceived en-
anonymous letter rejecting upon
his wife's character, and after max
| ing that statement said:
In order that | may not succumb
under the stress of feeling under
Which | must labor on such an Occa-
sion 20 the temptation 10 say some
thing more than should be said,
| nave taken the precaution to reduce
to writing the statment that 1 pro-
pose to make.
Il have believed that anonymous
| communications should be ignored.
but there are exceptions TO all rules,
and there comes Il time when even
rumor, for which you may be able to
find no father, and no responsible
source, arises TO that degree Of COM
mon knowledge and discussion as to
iemand an answC.'. l propose to
answer g rumor: it may or may not
have prevailed to the confines OF
hat it may not have; if not, then I'll
is well and good, and if i has. my
answer is made.
Shortly after | entered the poiit-
io4l ring friends told me that. some
.coundrel was circulating z rumor to
the effect that had givee&up my law
practice and gone into the army be-
cause of domestic troubles. This
&C was so absurd that ii was its own
refutation. The fact that ! had
wound UP my law practice and turn
ed over to my wife every dollar, cash
and property. :h:.t ! possessed, and
that size accompanied me TO camp,
both while | was : private and later,
after | was comm issioned. remained
constantly near me until / was pre-
pa. ing to GO overseas was too well
known 10 all who know TO allow SO
vicious 3 lie to make heG Gdway.
1t now comes TO me through this
!cttel flom neighboring county,
the county Of Alcorn, the letter
shall not read, that some slanderer
who because of cOwardice has COW
cred well his tracks, has started
rurnor intended to reflect upon the
.o3 alty and fidelity of MY wife. This
/ .annot permit to go unchallenged.
/ lave made an earnest endeavor to
discover the idenity Of response
bic author in order thai ! might put
;n everlasting stop to the circula-
ton Of so wilfull lie, but / am un-
able to discover him, and l am. !
driven to the painful. ne
cessity of publicly denouncing the
COW ardly author of this miserable !
lie, not with the view Of singing him
into coming from his hiding into the
open, for a creature SO low, SO utter
ly debased. so absolutely lost to all
sense of deeeEcy as to seek to at
tack 6 man in the fashion of Ger
man submarine, coming from under
the surface from whence you know
not, and stabbing man In the back.
is capable of any infamy and is too
depraved to be stung into the open.
But now / denounce the state
ment and the creature who utters IL !,
rs a willful, deliberate and con-
semptible liar, and him who repeats T
It in the presence Of any honest man /
Or woman as a creature who Is de-
void of honor and unfit to breathe
he same air with decent people.
Il brand any statement refectlng
apon the loyalty or fidelity OF my
wife as a miserable lie and denuonc
he creature who gives utteranee to
{ as a moral and physical coward.
shall not again refer to this matter
luGfg the progress of t1s CAM
,aign, and regret exceedingly the
,eessssng Of making mention or 2
..:...u. SO IN-aN se2goeGl. but bs-
ieve that every father, every brotn-
y, every husband. every man VINO
owes the honor and integrity OF ~
Is1ppi womar1hood " agree WIN
ne that could not afford 70 let sucn /.
-dherge 60 Incbal5en1ed.
s5Nheneva you hear susn Fl