Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-12-12
He PrOnounces TIVE Lately
Published Charges "FaIse
and SlanderOus."
An Illinois Friend Prints a
embarrassing" Affidavit
What ID Amounts To.
Little Beecher's Word vs.. the
COurt RecOrds-As light
Difference.
Envelopes. Postage Stamps
SawIOgs and Vests-Grand-
mother Hunters Model
of ;" Honesty and
Integrity"

| -N-
Little DIR. Beecher, the Radical nOmi'
nee of the negroes Of Mississippi, Presi'
dents Island, and other foreign parts, for
Mayor of Memphis-the man cordially
Endorsed by Grandmother Hunter as a
gentleman of honesty and integrity"
and whose claims thereto we briefly dis
cussed the other day,-has proved him.
self not exactly insensible to the grave
charges, affecting his personal integrity,
banded about the streets by prominent
members of his own party. We con-
graduate the Doctor on possessing a
cuticle not less penetrable than that Of a
rhinoceros. Had he not WINGED under
the eGpoSe, we should have felt that for
once in our journalistic career efforts to
call the blush of shame to the cheeks of
the unworthy had failed.
Radical evidence about Radicals should
be deemed competent, and on such au-
thority we ventilated the antecedeuts of
the man sought to be thrust by a packed
"What.is-It on the city for Mayor, and
Endorsed as eminent for "honesty and
integrity by the judge of Criminal
Court. Among these charges we're the
following items: fsrrs
He was twice indicted in 0narga, ILL.,,
for larceny-once for stealing vest;
once for stealing saw logs, or raft timber.
= While q tax collector at Omar
ga, Illinois, before the war, he collected
large sum of money from the people
for taxes. The county never received it.
He attempted to account for it by assert
ting that he had been robbed of the
money. The good people Of 0narga did
not believe the yarn, but thought it was
put up JOB.
Several other little charges were thus
stated.
He has several times been indicted in
the Criminal Court OF Memphis for
larcenies; and an indictment is now
pending against him in that court for
embezzling property of Shelby county
| provisions, etc, J, from the county hos
pital, of which he was surgeon. He was
postmaster at 0narga, Illinois, in 1861,
AMI was a defauter to the Government
for large sum of money received in his
official capacity; and the Government
recovered judgment against him in
the United States Circuit Court for
Northern Illinois for the sum of six
hundred and fifteen dollars and one cent
which he had received as postmaster for
postage stamps and prepaid envelopes,
and failed to account for or pay. over to
the United States--which judgment re.
mains unsatisfied. While surgeon of the
county hospital of Shelby. county, he
sought and received q bribe of two hun
dred dollars to procure the purchase by
the county Of an old barrack, situated
in an unhealthy place, at an exorbitant
price, to be used as county hospital
and in consequence of such untavorable
location, many of the inmates (princi.
pally poor colored people, died.
This was more than even little Beecher
could stand. He persuades an apologst
to denounce on his authority the LEDGER
charges as false and slanderous," and
adds, as testimony relative to his general
character here and elsewhere, the sworn
affidavit of one Captain L. r, Knight,
now planter on the ST. Francis river,
but who, provdentially it seems, hap.
pened to be in Memphis when the false
and slanderous statements were pub
lished. This knight makes everything
as clear as day in the following, which
may be regarded as a clincher;
State Of Tennessee Municipal Court
of Memphis L. r. Knight, being duly
sworn, doth depose and say he is resi-
dent of Onarga, Illinois, aud has known
DIR. p. d. Beecher intimately for eleven
I'D years, and in Memphis as we'll as in
the above town. The statements made
in the PUBLIC LEDeER of the 9th inst,
that he was indicted in Illinois, or was a
tax collector, are false and incorrect.
He never held or collected money for
any official position, directly or indirect
ly, for said county, or in any way through
which a statement could arise Of this
character as stated.
5l f. r. KNIGHT.
Subscribed and sworn to this tenth day
Of December, A. d. 1861
L. b. EATON, Clerk.
By MASON HYDE, Deputy Clerk.
We will take up the affidavit of Capt
knight, who thus hastens to the rescue,
and is said to be Beecher's brother.in
law: .. -r
|. He denies that Beecher was ever a
tax collector, and may be correct. We
are not certain that was the Office
2. He denies that Beecher was ever
" indicted in Illinois" This we learn TO
be also true. Indictments are found by
grand juries and while Knight swears
Beecher was not indicted, he does not
swear he was not tried for stealing a
vest. On the authority Of DR.. Shaw we
have the confession from knight, in
private conversation, that Beecher Oas
drraigned and tried before magistrate
on the charge Of stealing rest, but
that he got some one to swear he bought
the vest in Chicago, and Was'scquitted.
Knight-we still give DR.. Shaw as au-
thority-aIso confessed that Beecher got |
into trouble about some saw logs
We shall not grudge him the explana-
ton that he was tried by a magistrate
for stealing-not indicted by a grand |
jury.
We have heard that Capt Knight was
-, ,r-osto5 hoe ~, sor,, ,,ro,,e cbarra /