The Observer.

Observer, Volume II, Issue 44, 16 July 1881, Page 484

The Observer.

Saturday, July 16th, 1881.

Iscariot the Second.

The iniquitous, hypocritical, and mendicant knave who presides over the literary ahortion that emanates every Friday from a printer's den in High-street, has been trying this last week or two to raise a few coppers and replenish his fastemptying pockets by deliberate and systematic lying about the proprietor of the ObSBRVEE. The fact of the matter is the poor devil is in a regular hole, and must get out of it somehow. He has borrowed from friends and acquaintances till they will lend him no more; he has been "round with the hat " till even the Orange and Friendly Societies are dead sick of him and his paper ; the dodge of getting folks to "take a dozen copies and give them away " is worn out, and even the runner hoys won't bother to sell the foetid sheet. In addition to these troubles, the unhappy wretch's job printing is known to be dwindling to nothing. It was collected originally in the most vilely dishonourable manner (viz., by using knowledge obtained whilst an employe of Mr Brett's, and then undercutting that gentleman), and now many of the really important clients are gravitating hack to the Star. They say they were perpetually being dunned for money by Brame, who used to come whining to them about once a month, either with some tale of misfortune or of a mysterious enemy's cruelty, and wanting his bill paid prematurely. The fact is the man never has been anything save a flabby failure, and, but for the energy and industiy of his wife (on whom he apparently lives), he must have gone to Mount Eden or a .Refuge long ago. Latterly the wretched creature's little game has been, first to promote a circulation Toy grossly slandering some well-known man, and then to relj on his hopeless impecuniosity for immunity from consequences. In this way a number of pious Roman Catholics and Mr Brett, of the Star, were assailed for maiiy weeks in succession, and also a much-respected Grand Master of Orangemen, Mr Barton i Brame hates the two last-named with a virulent hatred because in times past he received many substantial benefits at their hands. Mr Brett in particular well-nigh picked the man out of the gutter a few years ago and gave him work, and to MiBarton he owes what little knowledge of the printing business he possesses. Personally the abuse and low Billingsgate of this foul - mouthed successor to Ananias and I Judas Iscariot affects us not at all.

It is annoying, of course, to have a "beast of a fellow chucking verbal slime and literary offal at us, but to send him to Mount Eden would be to make him far too important. What the man wants is notoriety — the notoriety of a common criminal if none other can be got — and to prosecute him would at once enable him to posture as a martyr, and possibly (though this is doubtful) even to sell his paper. The editor of the Observer is quite content to leave his good name in the hands of the public. Those who were tempted by the "dodger" advertisement (which the daily papers promptly refused, and which Bramewas driven to hand about iv Queen-street himself) to buy a copy of the 7ree Liar on Saturday last, must have easily seen i hrough the miserable writer's intent. If there are any who did not they must be abject fools, and for their good or ill opinion we don't care a jot. Of course we have enemies (men like John Smith, for instance), and naturally they giggled with delight over the articles ; but even these people were dissatisfied with the slanders, for as one accurately observed, " Confound it, he's said too much ; half would have done the beggar far more harm " — and no doubt the man spoke the truth. For instance,is it likely anyone not a born idiot would believe we told Brame, the proprietor of an opposition print and a well-known "blatherskite" to boot, that we had £1000 privately put away? The fact of the matter is, the person who gave Brame the information has been hauling him over the coals for letting it out, and the fellow has hit upon the machiavelian idea of saying that we (of all persons) told him (of all persons) what we in reality only mentioned to two people in Auckland, and what (as it so happened) it was vitally necessary should be concealed. Again, who but a fool would believe that the Pollards said they wished to kick us oft' the stage ! In another part of the paper will be found a note which Mr Pollard has insisted on our publishing, but really such lies are not believed by the public, and seem scarcely Avorth contradicting. Finally we would make just one remark, and that is that if Mr Brame were to work as hard, live as cleanly, and pay his debts as punctually as we do, he would not be driven to lie about people in order to raise a little ready money. We lay no claim to being high-principled or religious, or a lit person to teach and preach Christ's gospel as he does ; and if it is a crime against society to be not quite as strong as some men are, then we have sinned. Otherwise our life is open to the inspection of any man (or woman either, for the matter of that). What we owe a £20-note would cover, and if in connection with the Observer there are legal arrangements that puzzle people, why, that is nobody's business. Least of all, do such matters call for comment from a ghastly fraud who, utterly lost to honour, decency, and shame, has at length cast off his ill-fitting "sheep's clothes," and deliberately become a professional liar and slanderer.