Fourth.—­I resolved to try on Winters, silently, and unconsciously to himself a mesmeric power which I possess over certain kinds of people, and which at times I have found to work even in the dark over the lower animals.

Does any one smile at these last counts?  God save you from ever being obliged to beat in a game of chess, whose stake is your life, you having but four poor pawns and pieces and your adversary with his full force unshorn.  But if you are, provided you have any strength with breadth of will, do not despair.  Though mesmeric power may not save you, it may help you; try it at all events.  In this instance I was conscious of power coming into me, and by a law of nature, I know Winters was correspondingly weakened.  If I could have gained more time I am sure he would not even have struck me.

It takes time both to form such resolutions and to recite them.  That time, however, I gained while thinking of my retraction, which I first wrote in pencil, altering it from time to time till I got it to suit me, my aim being to make it look like a concession to demands, while in fact it should tersely speak the truth into Mr. Winters’ mind.  When it was finished, I copied it in ink, and if correctly copied from my first draft it should read as follows.  In copying I do not think I made any material change.

Copy.  To Philip Lynch, Editor of the Gold Hill News:  I learn that Gen. John B. Winters believes the following (pasted on) clipping from the people’s Tribune of January to contain distinct charges of mine against him personally, and that as such he desires me to retract them unqualifiedly.

In compliance with his request, permit me to say that, although Mr. Winters and I see this matter differently, in view of his strong feelings in the premises, I hereby declare that I do not know those “charges” (if such they are) to be true, and I hope that a critical examination would altogether disprove them. 
                              Conrad Wiegand. 
                         Gold Hill, January 15, 1870.

I then read what I had written and handed it to Mr. Lynch, whereupon Mr. Winters said: 

“That’s not satisfactory, and it won’t do;” and then addressing himself to Mr. Lynch, he further said:  “How does it strike you?”

“Well, I confess I don’t see that it retracts anything.”

“Nor do I,” said Winters; “in fact, I regard it as adding insult to injury.  Mr. Wiegand you’ve got to do better than that.  You are not the man who can pull wool over my eyes.”

“That, sir, is the only retraction I can write.”

“No it isn’t, sir, and if you so much as say so again you do it at your peril, for I’ll thrash you to within an inch of your life, and, by—­, sir, I don’t pledge myself to spare you even that inch either.  I want you to understand I have asked you for a very different paper, and that paper you’ve got to sign.”