The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-22
FIRST EDITION
D H ~ II.
Little Judge Looks for 10000
Majority - Military Intimidation
Threatened-The Judge Ready
to Fight at any Time-The
Fifteenth Am endment.

nerdM writes that paper as lOllOWS:-
Judge Dent is now here for the purpose OF at
lending to some private law business, having come
mom Mississippi afew days ago, where he was en-
gagged In spirited Joint oratoriCal trial with his OPP
pOnent, AcOrn. The Judge is not much like his
senior brother, Frederick T., of warke antecedens,
either in personal appearance or manner Fred Is OF
ordinary stature and prone to put on airs Lewis IS
quite small but, unlike most little men, he is modest
and unassuming There is very little vanity about
Lewis he is very practical, good lawyer, with
foe practice and very much esteemed In the social
The Judge dropped in on yOnr correspondent the
other day and had a talS some portion OF winch
may be interesting to your readers.
Dent Anticipates Twenty Thousand Majority.
Your correspondent, among the first questions
asked Judge Dent what he really Thought OF his
chances OF election?
',My dear sir" said the Judge, 81 have no doubt
that / will be chosen Governor of Mississippi by
10000 majority. Scarcely white man in the State,
except the hangers-on OF General Aines and a lew
imported radicals, VIII vote for AlcOrn. Even some
OF the very appointecs OF General Ames secretly
in my favor, only relraning from expressing their
preference publicly through fear OF losing their posi-
fons will get all the white votes and at least one
third of the coored vote, which exceeds that of the
whites by about S000."
.'Then you have no fear at all OF defeat Judge?"
',No sir, not the slightest. My election is as as
sured as anything Of the kind can be, was the an
swer.
General Ames and the Threatened Military
Interference.
GLOW is it about General Ames' reported threat to
nse military force II necessary to defeat you for
Governor? Did the General really make such
threat?"
presence of members OF his own stan Ames declared
that sooner than allow my election he would march
his military forces through Mississippi, take them
from one place to another, and thus overawe the
people.
General Ames has denied that charge?
Judge Dent-Yes, have seen the denial bnt it
is fact, nevertheless, that respectable persons,
against whose truthfulness nothing can be ad-
vanced, have made aflldavits in which they posi-
lively charge that Ames made use of that threat.
Those afdayits were sent to the Secretary OF War,
and have no doubt you VIII find them on Tile in the
War Department. II ! am not mistaken, one of
the af1idavants is a member OF Ames staff; but
won't be positive on that point l am satisfied,
however, that members of his stan would swear
to the fact i they could be assured that
But fearing that no investigation would be
ordered and that they % would only expose them;
perhaps lose their positions in the bargain, without
at the same time accomplishing any good these star
officers prudently remain silent Ames is an I'M
scrupulous and ambitious otlicer. His object is to
make himself one OF the United States Senator's from
Mississippi, and he will use every meaus to compass
that end. In spite OF all that however, shall beat
AIcorn
of those afidavits, Judge l should like to publish
them.
but you can obtain them have no doubt, from
Secretary Belknap
Judge Dent has not been Challenged to Fight.
Correspondents it true that while you in
Mississippi you were challenged to fight by some OF
your opponents
Judge Dent-No, sir, it is not. / have never re-
ceived anything like challenge from any of them.
Some OF The discussions during the canvass have
been very warm and exciting; but there has been no
violence or personal collisions.
His Difficulty with Power and Fisher.
Correspondent-There is a story that your trip to
Washington at present was prompted by desire to
escape from duel with person whom you severely
denounced The name stated, believe, is Power or
Fisher.
Judge Dent-I understand now, sir, to what you
allnde. The persons you name circulated base
special Government duty had to perform i'm New
Orleans towards the end of the last administration.
l was sent down to New Orleans by Commissioner
Rollins to investigate frauds, and dis
covering that certain persons were implicated,
caused their arrest and examination. They were
held by the court for trial. A fellow named Penni-
man got up the story that had compromised the
case FOR $4,000 ] returned to Washington, de-
manded an investigation, and the Commissioner
sent proper officials to New Orleans to ascertain the
true state OF affairs. These officials reported tha
the charge that i had compromised was baseless
and that the accused were still held by the court
The folly of the charge was evident TO the Conmis.
approved APPROX them. We'll this s. fellow t Penimaa was was
afterwards appointed by Mr. Dslano to some internal
o GcS M IN NV aano and nd soon as S
dismissal The result was that the Commissioner
telegraphed Immediately to New Orleans to dismiss
Pennman, and the latter was, in point OF fact, de-
prived of his Office before nghtfall. This is the
cause of the fellows spite against me. met him
the impudence to come up to me and say that he
would Withdraw all his letters and charges against
me II would procure him an appointment. My
answer was to
e Kick the Fellow of the sidewalk.
In revenge for tlis he worked up the former
charges against me and sent them to Power, who is
the Republican radical candidate for Lieutenant.
Governor OF Mississippi on the ticket with Alcorn
The Judges Views on the DueIIo.
don't believe ia bravado OF any kind, but this
must say that always hold myself responsible for
anything say against person. II do wrong
am willing TO retract; but if have merely spoken
written the truth and am challenged or insulted,
will fight No man has right to abuse and insult
nohe wtnTt @ being EoG Teady to give m
back there again to remain till the election is over,
and they know it. They know, too, that if they de-
sired any communication with me, my friend Colonel
Barksdale, would attend to it,
The Conservatives Must Ratify the Fifteenth
Amendments.
why" said the Judge, ''nothlng can be more
ridiculous than the story Of some Of the radicals that
II the conservative ticket is elected the fifteenth
amendment won't be ratified. Everybody who u l.
aerstands the matter knows that the ratification
OF the fifteenth amendment must be done before
the State can be admitted. Itis Il condition prece-
dent TO admission and therefore must be ratified.
II is only one of these stories concocted to draw
away the negro vote from u.s."
On Which Side Is senator Wilson
The Judge next referred to Senator Wilson, OF
Massachusetts, and asked your correspondent il he
knew upon which side the Natick statesman was
Jour correspondent said no. Tho Judge went on to
say that he had understood that Wilson urged that
the Government should take no side In the Missis-
eipp contests that the people of that State should be
LETT 10 fight 1t out unembarrassed by Bede-
said the Judge, az have seen
Mr.. Alearn, who is q gentleman OF the highest
characte Fepeatedly during the campaign read a
letter puf Vting to have been written by Senator
Wilson, IN hich he (Wllson) declares IN emphatic
terms In favor OF the election OF the radical ticket
Now, have no doubt AlcoFn believes the letter
genuine, and II may be; but am inclined 20 think
itis bogus and palmed on Alcorn by some un-
scrupul0us party"
Grant at Heart n Conservative.
Your correspondents talk with Judge Dent EN-