The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1888. The Purloined Letter.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3046, 5 November 1888, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1888. The Purloined Letter.

Our local contemporary in his last issue devotes his leading column to th N e question of the "purloined lotto,' bup ijufortunately give's no further explanation of the gravo indictment jjavifid agjunijt hip. Asa vicious \ : pWotl #ck; nppn Mr Payton, the article in question may be effeotivo, but as a defence pf p specific charge against Mr Hogg it is lamentably weak. Mr Hogg, so far, pleads neither "guilty" ( nor "not; guilty" to the offenco of pilfering Mr W, H, Beetham's private letter, but ho lias simply endeavored- to shuffle, from the point ijt tsst}o by pretending that the letter was a public docunieitk .This pretence eaij. i)o longer bo sustained, Tho evidence in favor of i the purloined letter being a private and confidential paper is simply overwhelming. Another specious pretext which has been preferred is that the letter has been read at a meeting of tjie MgjjJjsylpu Road Board, but this contention v js iiq,\y jlbsoliitely disproved. Apparently"'no fpthp explanation is forthcoming, judgment is going by default, and the public believe that Mr Hogg did deliberately purloin a private letter written by Mr 6. Moore from tho office of the Road Board, and what was fo WOs handed either the letter or its to the avowed public enemy of {lie writer of j tlio epistle. There aro reasons why I we would bo glad if Mr Hogg could explain tie transaction, if it be capable of an explanation, or if not shew JJjjt there wero mitigiltiyg nil'cunistanc,e.3 yhielf might extenuate, it, W.o .a,re notpbliyps fej the consideration journaiiam is discredited by kind and that tU.e outcofflfi of it IMJf be that tlio secretaries and oi public bodies who |.ipi hjtljerto treated the representatives pf jthe local press as men of honor, will evince a disposition to keep them at' arms' length, In this way we may participate ourselves in the consoquence of the holies of our contem-

poravy,, Mr Hogg, too, should bear in mind, that lie is the parliamentary candidate of the radical party in this district, and that in; this capacity it is essential, that lie should clear himself, if possible, from the stigma now cast upon liim. It will not suit his friends to put up a candidate against whom an unanswered charge of such a nature is levied, nor would it be agreeable tomembers of the Assembly in Wellington to have amongst them one who. would'be; a source",of,. suspicion,' with ' respect 'to' any private' letter wliieli may lie unguarded. This purloined letter is fatal to Mr Hogg's future political preferment in this district unless some more satisfactory explanation of it is given than -has,- as yet, been afforded. The public are unlikely to accept unscrupulous recrimination as an anslver to a specific charge, nor will they be misled by bluster. The facts haye been .fairly placed before j the settlers in this district, and unless tliey can be shaken by equally trustworthy evidence a Verdict of guilty mil be recorded against Mr Hogg, If there is no .real defence which can be made for the misconduct to which public attention is now necessarily drawn, it would be well for the oulprit to at least refrain irom putting forth a bogus one. .if there is a defence, oiv. oveu. extenuating! mrcumstances connected with the affair, a statement of it,'Or them; would be more acceptable to right thinking men than columns of scurrility, which, while indicating the' somewhat '.unhappy mental condition ,of .the; offender, dp not in the.slightest degree .convey to the unprejudiced mind a conviction of his innocence. : ;;