Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-02-19

business habits-with no reflection then or now upon
the integrity Of his motives in this regardI beev-
cd this not to be safe state Of affairs, and having
frat advised with friend, informing him Of the
facts and stating to him my discrimination, trans
erred the items in my cash account to the pages of
private book, where have since kept, and be-
leve can exhibit to-day every dollar Of my receipts
IS e member Of the arm and then cut out the leaf
that contained my cash account so that all he has
10 base his charges against me upon-unless he re-
fers to certain memoranda, not relating to myself
which left in my desk among my papers and which
not there now-is the fact thAt the leaf Is cut
out Of the book and he ands as many cash charges
against me as against himsef-that is, none at all
These are the facts. Let him make the most OF
them. 1 am ready for legal investigation. The
gentleman calls upon all parties to state what money
they have paid to me. could save him and them
the trouble If 80 desired, by showing him my cash
account but as l wish 20 know what his receipts
have been, and do not expect to learn from him,
am willing to let matters take the course he has
chosen, and will ask tas same information regard
ing the gentleman himself he says be has "availed
himself of the usual equitable remedies for relief"
This would indicate bill in Chsncery. have
been to the Clerk and Master and have sought gen.
orally for information to the equitable remedies
be has puraued, but can find neither bill nor other
legal proceeding and hence am left to the eonciu-
sion that In his great friendship for me- his equi-
table ideas have degeHerated from old principles
and assumed new forms. Vas The gentlemen Pi'T.
sg his .s.al equitable remedies for Tsti. i0hs'' ne
broke open my private desk in the abssss Of Captain
CottTsH fron, tbs ofcs do not to enquire as
to the desk he opened in the Captains presence, and
from which he took the company book, for had
no private papers therein, but would Ike to know
about ny papers that we're in the other desk.
It is disagreeable duty for a man, however IN
nooent, to defend himself against such malignant
fAlsehoods as have been put in print regarding me-
cannot but believe that if the editor of the Press
and Herald had been the friend he claims TO have
been, he would not have put in print the fasehood
that he knss0 to Be false i0hsH he printed IT. which
has caused my name to appear in the papers Of
nearly every State in the Union as that of felon
II is at least strange exhibition Of friendship The
whole matter has been prompted by hearts and ex
ecuted by hands too eOssardly to attack me when
! had an opportunity to defend. Fully conscious OF
| the integrity OF my ConuucsI 0Hi Ao0NJ W --S0
all in any legal manner, who have insinusted &c
the contrary. They have created the issue, and
do not shrink from the contamination. If they
emerge from the investigation with clear record
mine am assured will be bright. Warm friend
ship, and high regard for the family of the editor
of the Press and Herald, have, in large degree
moderated the language with which should have
denounced the man who would so basely attack my
own reputation and that Of one very dear to me, Al
he has done. 1 leave him and the subject for th'
present by saying that his conduct has been at va
rance with the friendship that had expected o
him, and which in brotherly regard ought to hav'
Cover ned him. and all his insinuations against m.
integrity are uncharitable and ungentlemanly il
their conception, cowardly in the manner of thei
publication, and false in every particular
Very respectfully,
Your Obedient servant,
E. j. BRooKs,