A Card.
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                                                                    DENVER CITY, Dec. 11, 1860.
To the Editors of the Rocky Mountain News:
    On reading a piece in your paper, yesterday, you will do me a great favor to publish this in reply. On my coming up to Mr. Hill, I told him I did not allow any man to call my bar-keeper a "son of a b--h," for I kept no such men in my employ. Mr. Hill said if I took his part, I was no better than him, and shoved me off with one hand, and raised his pistol in range of my body. I grabbed his pistol, and tried all in my power to get it from him, but he tried to get it in range with my body; and I shall always believe when this was done he meant to fire at me. My finger caught before the trigger and behind the guard of his pistol, and when he let go of it my finger was benumbed, and all the skin rubbed off by the guard. I had no use of my finger for some time.
    All the witnesses saw the pistol, except the honorable writer for the Mountaineer. He saw it all; and I will take the liberty to say if this Mr. Stanton saw the pistol in the scabbard as soon as the affair was over, he put it in himself. Mr. Stanton was behind the stove, and could see through the man better than anyone in the saloon could, who had their place in front of Mr. Hill, and at his side. Several witnesses, who were not called, saw the pistol all the time in Mr. Hill's hand, from the time he had the quarrel with Mr. Wynkoop. When I went up to Mr. Hill, I had no intention of killing him, nor did such a thought enter my brain for one moment, until I saw that he was determined on killing me if he could. Then I commenced shooting at him, but for the smoke I could not tell whether I hit him or not, until just as I was going to shoot the fourth time, Mr. Hill let go of his pistol and fell, as my pistol went off.
    Mr. Stanton said I shot at Mr. Hill when he was on the floor. I have this much to say: that if Mr. Stanton will come and show me the ball-hole on the floor, I will make him a present of my saloon and all that is in the house.
    Now, Mr. Editor, let every man that is a man, put himself in my place at the time of my seizing Mr. Hill's pistol, and when they can see by his motion that he wanted to bring the pistol in range of their body, what would they do? I will leave this for you all to answer. Yours truly,
                                                                            CHARLES HARRISON.

Source:

Unknown, "A Card," Daily Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Colorado, Tuesday, 11 December, 1860, page 2.