Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-22

read by the public, and ana 1C3I be USed
hereafter. Any one desiring, upon turning
to the record, viii find how bogus COM
| pany prepared their plans to swindle the
! State-how by a resolution they selected
Bakers bank as the depository of their
| funds, before the bonds lUere applied for
| how the very terms of their resolution gave
notice of the fraud-hoW the bonds, upon
| false affidavits, were procured and depos-
| lied with BaXter-how money was Dor
! rowed from Bakers bank to aid the
| business-hOtv he had the bonds in his pos
session at the UeTy time he l1Gs preparing his
UirtuOUS memOrjdl-hOw he was notified, as
early as October, 1869, and before he pre-
| pared his memorial" by Hawkins P.
Murphy, the Secretary and Treasurer of
\ the bona .tide organization, that the bonds
| held Iy him luere frdddulentLy procured by
! a bogus cOHceTn-how, notwithstanding all
his knowledge from the outset and this sub
sequent notice, he proceeded upon his own
| discretion to put the bonds upon the market
| in New York-how he made return of sales
at the very lowest figures that Tennessee
| bonds reached during the whole time he had
| them in p0ssessiOn--hOw, according to his
| own cOnfession,a and even at the lowest sales
I possible for him to report, he had in his
bank $50, 362.52 Of the proceeds of these
! Mineral Home bOnds-hoH he has held on
to this 0,362.52, battling by his dilatory
/ defence to a Chancery suit, the State OF
Tennessee in her effort to recover this much
of the peoples lost mOney-hOw he has
! stubbOrnly resisted and still resists success
| fully Through the mere inSufficiency OF the
| bill) the appointment of a receiver of the
funds, so that the useVOf it might be secured
| to the State-all this and more, may be
| learned, by reference to the records of the
| Legislature and Of the Chancery Court of
/ Knox.
Without malice toward John Baxter, but
in the simple and Straightforward discharge
/ Of a public duty, ! was instrumental in
! tracing out the Whereabouts ard history Of
! the Mineral Home fund. In company
! with my associates, l inquired into that
! fraud, and ali others coming to our atten-
! ton, with the same impaTtiality. The re-
! latiOns OF John Baxter and myself, as is
well known in this community, had been
not only friendly, but intimate. When
! first heard of the Mineral Home fund,
/ had not the faintest conception that John
! Baxter was implicated in it. 1t had not en-
| tered into my dreams that the money was
! hidden away in his vaults, and even, when
1 found there, but for his own previous with
holding of the fact and the subsequent testi-
mOny elected, its presence might not have
| been inconsistent with guilty knowledge.
! It was not I, but the ddDnilg facts Of the
! 1rhole transaction, that associated his name,
| for this generation az least, with the Min
| eral Home fraud.
Aud this brings me nearer to the point
sought to be impressed by this article. Be
cause / would not violate my official oath
and use my influence, as a member Of that
| Investigating Committee, TO suppress and
cover up one of the blacklist transactions in
our States history, for the sole reason that
John Baxter and his Bank were implicated
by the testimony, he has pursued me, from
that day to the present, with all the malig-
nifty Of fiepd, and, in every conceivable
manner by his savage and malicious nature,
sought to blast my reputation and secure
my prOstTation and utter mpOverishment.
Feeling keenly the effect to be produced
by the disclosure of the proofs already Ia
ken-seeing that the committee were in ear
nest in their invest igations, and that all bis
virtuous assumptions and amazing self
Righteousness would not suffice to parry the
force of the disclOsure-his first resort, for
protection, was to the arts and long cult
waited powers of the bully. Accordingly,
soon after l returned with the committee to
Nashville, taking our evidence with US,
received through the mail, an insolent and
threatening note, as follows:
JOHN NJ. FLEMING-Sir: It is not my custom
70 permit any one with whom have entertained
friendly relations, to remain under misappre-
hensiOn as TO my feelings toward them, when IS in
fh.a0 Df bunan avpllrs'i I deem III q dufE
TO cut their acquaintance and denOunCe them as
recreant and corrupt, and viii not vary the rule
in your case. am fully aware OF the part you
have played upon the investigating ~ Commit
tee. and the motives which have actuated you in
the premises. The insidiOus warfare which you
have been making for the last eight or ten
months shall become an open one Il ON this time
forward. 1t is my purpose TO investigate you
and several gentlemen associated and cOnfed-
Grated with you in your netarlouS ana unholy
combinations. 1t is due to nc and due to the
public that l should do so, and as would scorn
to do so in an insidiOus and unmanly way, have
written Won this declaration Of my purpose TO
the end that YOU and your cOnfedeTates may be
aDpriSed Of my intention, and Assault OF prepare
to defend, as your judgment may dictate.
JOHN BAXTER.
KNOXVILLE, May II, 1870.
No doubt the vain-elorious braggart mag
ined l would cover under bis threats and
that, along with the entire Committee, l
would only be too glad TO hasten to acquit
him over my own signature of any supposed
criminality in the Mineral Home fraud.
But his brutal threats were as impo.ent, as
his presumed personal influence over me
had been unavaiing TO induce favOTitism to
him in violation of my official duty.
The public soon learned what was the
next resort TO screen himself from popular
condemnation. What he could not control
he vainly resolved to destroy. With as
much deliberatiOu as eEer an assassin laid
his plans and whetted his knife for the
throat Of his victim, he spread his paper and
linked his pen to blacken and destroy, if he
could, nv personal reputation. Then it was
that bis ideas Of what friendship is, cropped
fully out. Then il was, that because he
had not been able to use me for his proteC-
ton from exposure, his crafty and wicked
heart conceived the vile scheme Of endeav-
Oring IT, save himself by my ruin. To
charge that / had been sbOUgH up" to in
lure his reputation, and TO scatter his cal
umnies broadcast over the State were easy
enough undertakings. His conscience and
his purse could bear the strain. His lies
would travel where the truth might never
reach them. and, in the impeachment of
nv character, as member Of the Commit
tee, he sought immunity from the shame
that would surely ogertake him. With all
the energy of his animal nature, doubly in
vigorated by the immediate necessity of
sc f protection, he devoted Hanself to his
constituencies task. bay after day, he
poured forth upon me through the columns
of his organ, the full food of his
slanderous inventions-I, meanwhile, qni-
city attending TO my duties in Nashville.
But his calumnies failed also. He was
called to make good his charges. This he
had never expected t. do. 1t was the effect
of bis libels upon the public mind, only,
that he wanted. The truth Of his charges