The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-29

The COmpIrOIIership Sale.
The following is the substance of Mr..
Iohn Frierson's testimony, taken before &
the COMPREHENSIVE Investigating Com
nittee, at the Capitol Thursday Jan'y 2lst:
He was acquainted with Hobbs, Burcb !
and Duncan; was a member of the last
General Assembly and supported House
n the election for Comptroller, but uponk
the final ballot changed his vote from {
Pcnnebaker to Hobbs, after he saw that
Hobbs was elected; was cognizant OF theH
transaction between Hobbs and House,
which resulted in the withdrawal of House
md the casting of Houses friends votes
or Hobbs did not think that he knew
lobbs at that time; may have been in !
reduced to him, but never passed dOz-
IN words with him; House stated to wit \
less that the occurrences of Saturday
light, previous to the election of Comp
roller, had beaten him, but witness iuss /
ed on House making further efforts, SO
hat by balloting few days he could getI
rp again; House came to him and asked
lim to vote for Taylor, of Memphis, butt
lie let him know that he was his friend.
md could not be transferred to anybody !
hat whenever he stopped voting for him,
re would vote for Pennebaker; the next
\ lay House came to him with Different
proposition, in which he said that it had!
Deen agreed between him and Hobbs that
lis friends should vote three ballots forl
house, and if he was not elected on theI
bird ballot they were then to go to House,
& md asked him to vote for Hobbs; McAdOO,
hobbs friend was present during the con
yersation, and consented to the agree-I
4 nent; hobbs was not elected on the third
+ ballot; witness then told McAdoo that.
Hobbs friends were to come to them on3
! he next ballot by agreemnnt, and Me-
( AdOO said, No, we are going to elect
Z Hobbs this time" he told McAdoo that hel
! lad broken faith, and he would not sup-I
: jort Hobbs, and then commenced voting
or Pennebaker; witness now thought that
n he agreement as to the benefit which
louise was to receive from HObbs-thoI
: ,hief clerkship in the office-was entered
nto between House and Hobbs before the
election; after the adjournment of the
! legislature, Hobbs met him in the capitol
q md told him that he wanted to see him
! 1t his room; did not remember how long
.fter the adjournment of the Legislature ,
nut thought 1t was some little while 4
: Hobbs opened the conversation by stating
i hat they we're comparative strangers to-
! ,ach other but that he knew of him
Trough a mutual friend, Gen. Whitthornei
md stated that he was In great trouble
md that his health was impaired, and
Y .sked his advice; there was money on one
ide and life on the other the money had
4 'eference TO the office; Hobbs said that he
y lad an idea of getting some man at snl
lry of 81 500 to run thesOffice, while he
$ would stay at home and only come up
= nee a week, witness told Hobbs that that
Y would be very unsatisfactory the people
q If Tennessee, and certainly unsatistac-
DRY to his bOndSmen: Hobbs then said
z hat he had a proposition from parties to
d .un the office on halves, but did not men
4 ion the names of the persons making the
81 proposition; witness told Hobbs that he
"A lid not think that it was a good plan;
" Hobbs then asked him what he thought of
n Billy Duncan. and he told him that Dun>
: AN was a man whom he knew very yell
Il md who was perfectly responsible, Hobbs
u old HIM that there were other parties who
S Iad been talking about it, but he did not
mention any names, and that Duncan had
j pficrcd him $500 to resign, but that the
y ,llice was as much as S26, 0OQ i'll speaking
# his transaction with House, Hobbs i'm
Il pressed witness with the idea that he
NJ bought House was taking advantage Of
z lim, and that he did not regard himself
{ IS having made the agreement or trade
M hat House insisted upon; nothing was
II aid by Hobbs in that conversation as To-
3 Who would be his successor; there was no
4 xpression of desire on the part of
VI Hobbs or witness as to who either of them
wanted to he the successor the next time
3 hey met, Hobbs told him that he and
duncan had concluded the agreement
"A out that he was not perfectly satisfied
q hat Duncan would pay him the money
IpOn resigning; witness told Hobbs that
4 uncan was incapable of anything of theI
lind Hobbs said that Duncan had prof.
: posed to give him $4,000, and seemed
intent on having that amount; so much OF
Mr.. Duncans testimony as referred toI
witness as acting as an agent was clearly
mistake; was not DunCan's agent;i
1 Iobbs had mentioned the matter to him
n ,efore Duncan did; witness did not tel
Hobbs to take the money as that wasI
4 something that he would have to tix ac
& .ording TO his ideas; witness met duncan
IN the street one day, looking very som
I bre, with his head hanging down, andE
lsked him what was the matter; Duncan
'epied that he had just been to see thalE
dog goned" idiot (Hobbs), and that he !
Hobbs was willing to trade but for some
reason he (Hobbs) wouldn't conclude the :
natter; witness told Duncan that Hobbs :
believed that Duncan would not pay hims
he money he did resign; Duncan repli
ID that he would pay the money upon
Hobbs resignation; Hobbs had asked wit &
ness If he thought Gov. Browns brother
n-law, Mr.. Childress, would be appOInteds
lis successor in case he resigned, and be
old him that he did not know who would 4
re appointed; witness was very uncertain
tbout it; Duncan and himself had spoker :
# Mr.. Childress, of Columbia, cashier OF {
First National Bank Mr.. Bureh and Mr.. !
Duncan himself in connection to Hobbs
aud the name of Dempsey Weaver might :
rave been mentioned in the same con
lection, if so witness has no recollection Y
If it; did not care who was appointed as
successor to Hobbs, so that he was ?
good man, and witness thought that every
GOOD citizen in the State had an interes,
II having a good Comptroller; witnes,
gave Hobbs no assurance evidence, pa
per, Ia emorandum, check, order, draft or
any sort OF writing over his signature, fOI
the sum of SO, 500, honestly believed that
Hobbs never saw the signature of witness
in his life, unless on the register at the M
House; there was no understand q
ing, directly, or indirectly between Dun
IAN and witness, whereby witness was tC
share the payment OF any portion of tn, M
$4,000, did not consider himself bound t IS
pay auy part of it; did not expect nor in &
end to pay one cent oft had converse I'M
ion with Gov Brown, while riding on the H
rain on the Decatur Railroad in refer
,nce to the fitness of his friend Childres Isl
or the position, but the conversation re- nj
erred back to the misfortune in the cleo E
ion OF Hobbs instead of Childress Child 81
ess was not IN the race, but great dea 81
# eieotiOHeering was done for him. and il E
House had quit the race squarely witness 81
would have put Gtiidress in nomination 81
n the conversation had with Governor
Brown there was nothing like az appGca S
loa for the appointment of Childress-fOr
n fact. there was no vacancy, 1t havineE
xisted as he understood, only an hourH
efore the appoints ent was made; this ~
was held befOTe the reslgna- q
ION of Hobbs; Childress was discussed as 81
n extraordinarily good business man ~
nd the remark was made that it was un &
Drtunate he had not been elected insteaGS
f Hobbs: Gov. Brown spoks favorably OF E
as far as he knew him; did nCt@
now him well NJ that time: witness hadE