The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-06-19
For the Standard

Raleigh Sentinel, In which my character APP
pears to disadvantage. therefore ask room
in your columns for word of explanation
and defence The card which seems to have
appeared in the Standard over my signature
was private note addressed to friend in
Lexington and not intended for publication,
in which ascribe my discharge from the
North-Carolina Railroad to my political
sentiments, and especially, to the fact that l
attended the Union meeting in Raleigh
This l did not state as matter OF fact, but
as my opinion, and it is my opinion still.
Mr.. James Anderson, Superintendent OF
the Road, publishes a card in reply to my
card, (so-called,) in which he not only used
very disrespectful and ungentlemanly Ian
guage in regard to me, but lays grave Of
fence to my charge If the nature of this
charge had been fully and fairly stated, l
would have less right to complain. But it
comes in the form Of an inuendo, evidently
intended to suggest to the Imagination OF
the reader great deal that he had not the
bare-faced impudence to express, and which
would not have been borne out by full
statement of the facts
He says that as Conductor l., collected
money from Mr.. VIM. Walker, passenger,
and failed to return it to the treasury "untll
after detection" Now the facts in the case
are these-A Mr.. VIM. Walker in a letter to
the Superintendent complains of difficulty
he had with Mr.. Long, Conductor on the
evening of April Sd, in regard to his fare
said Walker not being willing or able to pay
the extra fare required of those travelling
without tickets. In this letter it appears
that Walker volunteers to state that in pass
ing on my train, the morning of the same
day from Durham's to Raleigh, I had charg-
ed him only the regular fare.
In my report on the 4th, reported no
money us received between Durham's and
Raleigh. When the Superintendent sho we'd
me the Walker letter told him had no
recollection of any one getting on the train
that day at Durham's, and was sure col =
lected no fare between that place and Ra
leigh. In this stated the simple truth ac-
cording to my recollection, felt that this
disavowal ought to be satisfactory to the Su-
perintendent, for think | had a right to be-
lieve that character of eight years growth
in the service of the road, in which length of
time had never been accused of misappro-
priating the funds of the road, although
tens of thousands of these funds had passed
through my hands. say, think had
right to believe that this character would be
sufficient, if not to screen me from suspicion
of an attempt to defraud the company out
of the sum Of one dollar and t,penty .1iue cents,
at least to entitle me to a full and fair inges-
tigation OF so grave charge. But such in
vestigation was never had I was not sum-
moned before the President, confronted by,
the witness, called to answer to the charge
and'to explain my conduct. A character on
the road of eight years growth, suddenly
vanishes before the influence of single al
legged offence, that if true, might have been
readily resolved into amere oversight. Now,
all that expected of Mr. Anderson; all
that now ask of generous public is the
charity usually extended in cases of the kind
There are many ways of constituting the case
without the superstition of a fraudulent pur-
pose. Might it not have been that no pas
senger got on the train at Durham's on the
morning speciied9 or is it not possible that
the passenger that got on eluded the Conduc-
tor purposely? Or if this was not the case,
land / do not charge that it was) is it not
possible that the Conductor happened to
overlook the passenger Forne man is in
falhble. Or if the passenger paid his fare,
is it not possible that the Conductor through
Observation-Disclosures omitted to take the
proper note of the fact? 1t seems to me
that an unpreiudiced mind might have found
some solution of the difficulty not necessarily
involving moral obliquity in the Conductor.
As 1 passed Durham's on the 4th, that is,
before made my report, was informed by
the assistant agent, Mr.. Long, of the difficult
ty between Walker and Long, and knowing,
as must have known, that the difficulty
would very likely lead to an investigation Of
the transaction of the Conductors on that
day, how is it possible that /, if sane man,
could on reaching the Shops, have so played
the fool as to withhold from my report this
particular amount, if had received said
sum from Walker? For the truth of my
statement, l refer to Mr.. Lyon himself.
ID, repeat that I have no recollection of re-
ceiying money from any one between Dur
hams and Raleigh, on the day specified, and
LIDO not believe did receive it, but if did
receive it, my failure to report it was an
oversight. I did not believe at the time of
my discharge, nor do yet believe, that that
little circumstance was the cause of nv re-
moval. A reliable gentleman overheard a
number of men, some of whom were officers
OF the road, conversing about the meeting at
Raleigh, and heard one of them, an officer,
call it "a id negro meeting, and say that
all employees of the road who had any,
thing to do with the meeting ought to be
discharged" ias
g Now all this took place before the Walker
affair occurred, and am prepared to proce it.
( fhe Walker affair camein just in good time.
1t furnished splendid protect for dismissing
all employee for, or on account of his political
sentiments without the necessity of avowing
the real cause, which the President and Su-
perintendent lacked the candor and COURAGE
to do. Mr.. Anderson was my neighbor at
the Shops. was published in the papers
as delegate to the Union meeting from Ala
nance County. My attendance was a public
thing. and cannot see how an antelligent
man placed in the circumstances of Mr.. An
derson, could trutl.tully and honestly say that
/" ne knows nothing of my politics, and that
he did not know that I attended the meet
ing" If the Superintendent did not knw it.
the President did, and conversed with me
afterwards about it. presume the President
ordered my discharge. And with the facts
as have stated them, I will leave dis
eliminating public 10 Judge whether an al
tedged s'rorin business involving the immense
sum OF one dollar and twenty-five cents was
the cause of my discharge, or whether a foul
and coUaadty attempt to crush my character,
and my sudden and summary removal from
employment, oere only the results of political
malice and revenge.
I'have not written these things in the in
terest of any political party, or for the injury
OF honest men who chance to differ with me
in politics, but have been prompted to
write thus at length out of respect to all I
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