Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-04-03
A MODEL ADvENTURER
Hlw a Tribe Of Wandering Dead beats
Tsmpsr with KY Amendment Lsgis.
iatGFst-A Tribune Cores
pendent Ventilated.
vIcEsBURa, Miss, March 81, ISL.

VICKsBURG, MISS, March 81, ISL.
During a recent visit to Jackson /
secured. in conversation with several
friends. a glance Of an episode OF last
years session of the Legislature of
Mississippi As ID is not only anus
ing but also instructive, / propose to
submit it through your columns to
the perusal Of the public:
Last spring witnessed the arrival In
Jackson of James Z. Richardson. The
people of Memphis, who do not know
that man personally, will not fail to
identify him as a notorious sharper,
who had kept q negro billiard saloon
in this city and was denounced, in
the city journals by some of our re-
spectacle citizens, as a scOundrel and
a cheat. And the only new light
necessary to be thrown upon his
character 70 make him known fully to
your readers, is that under which he
now appears as an occasional cores
pOndeut Of journals at theNOrth. lie
is q man of no education, A common
school training in some OF the States
OF New England, or Of the West,
added TO some experience IN letter
writing as clerk in a railroad Office,
are. however, sufficient 10 obtain Oc-
casiOnal publication for his CORES
pOndence in the Chicago Tribune aud
in the New York Tribune, seeing that
the correspondence is volunteer and
gratuitOus.
He WOULD BUILD A MIGHTY RAIL
WAY.
Richardson announced himself on
his arrival in Jackson as correspond
ent of tke New York Tribune. An
acquaintance opened on this basis
amongst the members Of the Legisla-
lure, he brought TO light after a time
the special purpose Of his visit here in
the form Of a general railroad bill.
What Richardson's individual object
in this scheme was win be seen by
and hv. but without an avOWal Of any
such object he obtained a large sup
mort for the projection, while he COW
cred that Objectundera generalization.
The means employed by Richard
son for enlisting members IN support
of his general railroad bill, were what
might ne expected from a man Of his
anfecedents. With corruption as his
agency, It is not only painful but sur
prisinC 10 witness the extent to which
he succeeded in cheating men into
the belief that his project was a
perfect FI Dorado ia its yield OF riches.
Some men in the Legislature who ad-
vOcated the general railroad bill would
not have done so at the bidding Of i'm
DrD,er motives; but there is no room
Tor doubt that very many others in
that body sustained the bill at the
prompting Of considerations high
ly improper.
TIE PROCESS OF CORRUPTION.
lam assured by several who know,
that the corruption set In motion
in favor of Richardson's project
NAV be shown by available proof
fnt6a form OF written dOcu-
ments. Amongst these are, 1 am
told. dozens of papers giving
Jas. ID. Richardson IN some instances,
sud Cassius D. Landen, a member OF
the legislature, in other instances,
power of attorney to represent the
subscribers in any election, or Tor any
other purpose connected with the par
ticuIar road Of the general railroad
network in which the subscriber had
taken an interest. The scandal which
would follow a publication OF the
NAMES of the parties signing these IN
st~uments, leads my infOrmants 70
withhold the names, but they aver
p0sitiveiy that these instruments set
forth the taking Of q certain number
of shares for the use and benefit of
the subscribers in certain railroad pro-
iecis to be endowed with corporate
rights on the passage Of the general
railroad law-th5 subscribers 10 De
thus benefited being, with but few eX-
eaptf0us. members Of the Legislature.
Information from one or two sources
concur fn telling me that shares were
subscribed for in advance Of the pass
age of the law. or the filing OF the pre-
pared charters by the Auditor OF Pub
lie Accounts and the Secretary OF
State.
SUCCESS OF THE JEREMY DIDDLER.
It's something wonderful to think
how this man Richardson could have
cheated people into the belief that
stock In charters under the proposed
general railroad law were as good as
greenbscks. Not over five, out OF
TWENTY-FIVE or thirty, cOlOred men in
the House of Representatives, Dul
were gulied bv this experienced
Jeremy Diddler! This is even less
surprising than the fact that Richard
son succeeded in drawing the wool
over the ewes, with equal effect, in the
case Of a sharp C8rpet-bagger from
New England, who represents Adams
county in the HOuse-O. D. French,
A letter written by Richardson to a
little negro known not very favOrably
Ia Memphis-Ham Carter-has been
shown noe bv one Of my cOntidants.
1t shows Richardson's manner OF
working. 1t contains these passages:
81 am advised by French that the
Governor is understood TO have said
that he would have signed the bill, as
he agreed, had IT not have been for
my remaining in Jackson" French
Is confident ne Will sign it on his re-
turn. Should he return before my
arrival and sign the bill, I rely on you
to see the documents filed in proper
style Immediately. And the filing OF
the document had not been left open
to risk; for a proper number Ofshares,
ten Of my infOrmants agree in de-
claiming, had been taken beforehand
to make good the services Of the agent
Of that iling-Secretary Of State
Lynch.
Pulling wool over the eyes Of Car
ter, Richardson says in the same let
ter: "Be WatchfUl and discreet and
fill the bill with me to suit, and my
word for il, yOU are sooner or later d
made man. You will be in the Sdmt
boat with French, Landen and myself;
and 7 EnotC I can make il pay all con,
.cerDed - This letter is dated Little
Rock EppfpWbpr IL. 1870.
But In fOOling Carter, French, Land
en- and all the rest as to the genera
railroad law, what was the object o
Richardson? By an extension of my
INQUIRIES as to this curious mattel
and comparison Of all sources o
information. am able TO answer tina
question with confidence thus:
THE EXPLANATION.
On the lst OF March, 1870, an agree
ment was entered into at the CITY o
Little Rock between James z. Rich
ardsOu Of the one part, and Henry
Rudd, Edward Stafford and Henry
Page Of the other part. This instru-
ment, am assured, sets forth
that the parties named in il
are partners; that Richardson
shall have the right to name two
Others; that in promotion Of the OBJ
iects Of the partnership heshall obtain
a charter for a railroad i'm Mississippi
from a point opposite the Mississippi
Ouachita and Red River railroad in
Arkansas, by way Of Grenada, to a
point on the Alabama line in the di.
rectiOn Of Decatur; and that he
6RichardsOn) shall obtain from Ala
banna a charter for an extension Of the