and county and city officials, and some of its attacks were as
justifiable as are the attacks of the STAR upon rascals in high places
now, while others were actuated by personal spite.

The paper prospered. The multitude enjoyed its sharp, short, stinging
paragraphs; its vim and vehemence. At length its columns were turned
against Major Selover with unrestrained virulence. He had no equal means
of reply or defence at his command, but he had at last uttered threats
of personal nature, and published King as a liar, a swindler and a
coward. To all this Mr. King responded in his Bulletin, by stating in
that paper that he defied Selover; and he went on to state the place of
his residence; the time he left home to go to his office in the morning;
the route thither he usually took: and also the same details of his
customary way home every afternoon. Selover, or any other person who
felt aggrieved on account of anything which appeared in the Bulletin was
similarly apprised, and thus dared or invited to encounter him on the
street. To all of which was added the significant remark for the
consideration of Selover particularly, and all others generally: "God
have mercy upon my assailant." There was no mistaking this language. And
the common opinion was that whatever else would be said of James King of
William, he was a game and fearless man. Casey's own statement of the
deplorable affair - made in his cell to a friend who had been permitted
to visit him in his four by eight feet cell, the day before his death,
in the presence and hearing of the guard then on duty, was substantially
as follows: that after all Mr. King had said in his paper, any one who
attacked him should be well prepared against the worst to himself; that,
accordingly, after he had called early that afternoon upon Mr. King, in
his office, and told him what would be the consequence in case the
Bulletin should publish the matter against him, and it was published, he
very naturally expected that King would be prepared for the encounter.