Year: 1873

personal controversy which BY any
chance might interrupt or interfere with
our official duties, Sprague and Smith
"set their dog on" US, in order to di-
vert public attention, or detract from
the force of our damaging e1positions
of their rascally public transactions.
We were bayed through several columns
of their ne vspaper organ by the foulest
ISLANDERS and most abusive inusndUes
which they and their blackguard minion
could in, ent, and these ISLANDERS were
repeated in public bar-rooms by Smith
accompanied by the endorsement that
he had personal knowledge of the truth
OF portion of them. and that we had
not, and dare not. respond to them. A
residence of over three years upon Pu-
get Sound. during which our conduct
and department has been of uniform
character with all our previous life, has
given US the most ample assurance that
any citizen could desire, that We have
no cause for explanation or defence, in
this community. in regard to any un-
supported charges coming from any
other source; and We are proud to say,
that from boyhood to the present hour,
we have held tie same relations to the
be tier class of every community in which
We have ever lived, without distinction
of sect or party, albeit We have made
many and hitter personal enemies by
assaillng public wrong with an uare-
lsnting hand, regardless of the personal
conseGuencss-quite as often against
members of our own political party as
against those in the opposition never
seeking to shell the guilty or wrong
the innocent for party or personal ad-
vantage. Z. A. Hoffmal. Esq. now a
highly respected citizen of Olympia, for
many years our political opponent In
Wisconsin, and the editor of Republi-
can paper only second in circulation and
influence to any in that State, will bear
cheerful testimony to the entire truth Of
the foregoing statement.


1t is Only because it is the habit of
many to accept for true charges that are
not denied, upon the hypothesis that
"silence giyes consent in regard to
our friends and that our enemies may
not have even the appearance of tri-
umph, we will briefly notice and explode
the falsehoods upon which three col
umn TRADE of vituperation is based:


1st. We are represented as "an old
Vermont renegade who. " Hippled
himself from the Green noun
tains into Wisconsin" under circum-
stances which are only limited at as very
dark and disgraceful. To this We have
only to say, that at no period of our life
were We ever within a hundred miles Of
! the Vermont State line. ...


I'd, That "Gov. Burns busted his
jacket and gave him a dose Of toe
leather, at Madison, and literally drove
him out OF Wisconsin" That Is lie
Which Skookum Smith claims the pa
ternity Of. having repeated it publicly
on several occasions, with the addition
al lie that Burns was his brother in>
law. In lS52--ten Gears before we left
WIsconsin-we had occasion to expose
and dsnounce an attempt 10 defraud the
school fuad by Lit. Gov. Burns. For
this exposition, the following night he
made an unsuccessful attempt to assas-
sinate US, being armed with deadly
weapons to that intent. Without warn
| ing, he struck US on the cheek bone
with slung shot aimed at the temple, the
mark of which We yet carry. Before he
could draw revolver upon which he
had his hand at the instant, we disabled
him ia such manner that he could not
use it. He was taken to his room and
we never saw him afterwards. 1t is
certain that he never resumed his seat
as the presiding officer Of the Senate,
and according to our best information
and be lief, he died soon afterwar 5, of a
fever. Immediately after this event the
party to whick we both belonged nomi-
mated and elected US a Presidential
Elsctor, and during tho years that inter-
vsned between Burns death and our
leaving the State, We held the Various
positions of Elector, State Printer. Re


gent of the University, Chairman Of the
Delegation to the National Convention,
Chairman OF the Democratic State Cen
trail Committee, and Democratic candi


date for Congress; not one of which did
we ever seek or ask for. with the sxcep


ton of printer, in the line of our voca
ton. And We may add, that at 30 time
since our early youth, has any man
made the attempt to kick, strike at us
with whip. or offer US anv other de-
grading indignity. and we doubt much
if We have ever met any man who would
care to ofer us that deadly insult oven
n onr ol ago. Ii Sprague and Smith
think otherwise, the field is open to the
experiment.


Sd, That Judge Tyler repeated the
DOSE" at Stockton. This is a lie out of
whole cloth. Tyler never SO much as
laid the weight of feather upon our
and bu,lied and threatened, but never