Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-01-24

election, or to induce MS TeSlgnhuot
/ had opportunities Of knowing hos
Hobbs conducted the business of tht
office, and / did not consider him com
petent. l have had opportunities .
knowing how Burch has conducted tb'
business Of the office, and he has made
the best comptroller the State has eve
had, so far as my knowledge extends
and have examined the comptroller
books for several years preceding my
first term. | think Hobbs's resignation
and Burch's appointment have been
worth all of one hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars to the State. Nobody told
me as Of his own knowledge tnst Burch
had any connection with procuring
Hobbs's resignation. l was rather sun
prised to find that Womsck was appoint
ed as clerk by Hobbs.
OTHER WITNESSES.
In addition to the statements OF
Messrs. Hobbs, House, Morrow and
Duncan, given above, the committee
submitted large mass of testimony
from numerous other witnesses, nine
tenths of which is chiefly of hearssy
character. We give the main points,
"a far as our space permits:
! a letter to Mr.. Hobbs from 5. II. Tay-
lor, cashier Of the Merchants's national
! bank OF Memphis, dated April 2S, 1873,
was submitted to the committee, in
| which Taylor says: "Rumor has il
| that you are about to resign. The me-
tives that prompt you to this action
am unaware of, but am eager to secure
the office, for which, a few months ago,
l was a candidate; and from you would
| like to know the terms, and promise
that they shall be strictly CONFIDENTIAL -
J. J. WOmack: Was employed as
clerk in the cOmptroller's office until
Hobbs resigned; was not aware that
Hobbs actually intended to resign until
Colonel Burch came in and announced
that he was comptroller; did not know
that any corrupt combination had been
entered into for the purchase Of the
Office.
J. r. Dillin: Knew of no money hav-
ing been paid in connection with the
comptrollership to or by any person.
r. w. Campbell, who has been clerk
in the ComptrOller's office since October
81, 1871: Thought Colonel Burch com.
petent in every way, and that he had
been very watchful OF the States inter-
est; on the last day of April Hobbs said
he did not know who his successor would
be, and on the following day Colonel
Burch took possession of the office as
comptroller.
Judge J. o. Shackleford: Had heard
and talked about the various rumOrs of
corruption in connection with the comp
trollership, but knew nothing of his own
knowledge; heard the report that Hobbs
had sold out for twelve thousand dollars
from Dorsey B. Thomas, w. l.. Lamar
and others. at Waverly; repeated it to
the editor of the Bulletin, who bad an
article about it in his next issue.
Major Thomas O'COnnor, one of the
penitentiary lessees, never paid nor did
the penitentiary lessees pay, anything to
House or anybody else, in reference to
the comptrollership; Comptroller Burch
construed the law very strictly in favor
of the State, and has not allowed wit
ness what he thought the law allowed.
Colonel ]. l.. Rice, one of Comptrol-
Ter Burch's bOndsmen: When asking
witness to go on his bond, Colonel Burch
said he did not wish to pnt himself un-
der obligations to any person who was
likely to have business with him as
comptroller, and who owned State
bonds, also remarking that there were
great many persons in Nashville, bank
ers and bondhOlders, who would be glad
to become his securities, but that he was
determined to place himself in no posi-
tiOns where he would be under Obliga-
tions to any man likely to have public
business with him.
Comptroller Burch: Never entered
into any arrangement with Duncan,
FriersOn or any other person to procure
Hobbs's resignation; did not know Of
ITOhhois int IN, al hi
less than a week before he retired from
the office; in no way whatever had wit
ness ever heard Of any attempt on the
part of Duncan or Frierson to secure the
resignation OF Hobbs; had no;participa-
ton in any sort of manner, shape, form
or fashion with the contracts, cOnversa-
tions or bargains mentioned in the
sworn statements of Duncan and HOODS
before the committee; did not even sus.
pect or dream of anything Of that sort;
never owned bond. coupon or warrant
in his life, except the warrants drawn |
for his salary, and never speculsted on
g margin; was not a member of any |
ring or association interested in the rise |
or fall of Tennessee bonds; there had |
never been any secret connection what |
ever between witness and Governor |
Brown, Duncan or Frierson as to |
probable resignation; did not |
pay cent, directly or indirectly, of the |
amount paid to Hobbs, and did not i'm |
agine that cent was to be |
paid; witness did not request |
Governor Blown to appoint him |
the suggestion that wit
ness should succeed Hobbs came from |
Governor Brown himself; was opposed |
to Hobbs's election, when he was can |
didate, first, last and all the time; the |
made in the card of witness |
dated August s, 1873, he reiterated now, |
having told the truth and nothing but |
the truth; had no knowledge of any |
paper or writing given by Frierson to |
Hobbs, on which FriersOn paid the |
Judge A. L. Demoss: Comptroller |
Burch had applied to him for legal ad-
vice with regard to suit against the Ban
per for libel, in connection with the al |
eged sale of the comptrOllership, and |
stated that he did not care whom de- |
'endents placed on the stand, as he did |
not fear that there would be any evil |
ience that could implicate him in the
slightest degree.
T. F. P. Allison: When witness took
he package for House, referred to in
Hobbs's statement, he took it as any
1ther gentleman would have done, and
with the request to deliver it;
lid not know that it contained money,
)r had any reference whatever to tie
)uying or selling of an office.
Governor Brown: Knew nothing, be-
ieved nothing, nor suspected anything;
never knew that there had been a sale,
Tor suspected that there was a sale, nor
inspected that Colonel Burch was con-
lected with it, until the month of Au-
,ust, 1874, when witness saw such an
ntimatiOn published; Hobbs told wit
less a half-dozen times he wanted to
esign, but did not allude to the subject
# his successor; witness mentioned the
ubject to but three persons, Captain
Wilkes, James M'Callum and John NJ.
Fleming; determined to appoint Colo
lei Burch as soon as the vacancy was
made; compared the qualifications of
;olonel Burch with those of other gen.
lemen; thought OF Dempsey Weaver,
Kennedy, Childress, Dunlap and Others;
bought Hobbs to be wholly incapacitat-
d to perform the duties of comptroller,
nd supposed that the outlook was very
to State credit while Hobbs