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


81 transaction 1t is probably my duty t,
Estate, in this connection, that, in taking
Il The course [ was governed primarily by
regard to my interests, though [ belieYt
4 hen and now that the resignation of Mr.
# Hobbs was an advantage not only to me
sOut to the State, and | am satisfied tina
s he State has been largely benefited by
K MS retiring from the office. | will state
Il urther, l knew the governor to be SC
8 thoroughly pledged to the maintenance Of
q he State credit that he would appoint
Il he very best available man to the posi-
&uon. Frierson was not present when
5paid Hobbs the money. In our converse
zion with each other we did not have il
amind any one as the successor of Hobbs
! had no idea who would be Hobbs success
q sor in case he resigned Frierson had
never, directly or indirectly, paid one
2ent; nobody else but myself has borne
my part of the expense; not one dollar
Z nas been refunded, and | have no promises
hat it will be- Tennessee bonds were
4 quoted in the market just previous to the
meeting of the legislature along in the
+ seventies, with all the coupons attached
J They reached ninety-ona or ninety-twc
,ents Myself and friends were carrying
[ had, perhaps, two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars. 4 decline of ten pei
cent. would have injured me very much
& Friends to whom | have alluded did mol
i've in this State. Hobbs led me into the
dea of getting him out; knew that htI
would be Cver-reached by anybody that
aad any business in the office, and | was
afraid that something might be done il
y The cOmptroller's office; whereby the
credit of the State might be damaged.
really did not hand the money to Hobbs /
laid it on the table, and he picked it up
lid not see him count it. He seemed t.
Know enough about it to take it and put
in his pocket. | regard the payment
hat sum of money to Hobbs as persona
expenditure of my own, and have nc
promise of reimbursement. 1t was a sun
| expended to keep from losing a mucl
arger sum. | had no idea who would bel
Hobbs successor when | paid him the
money, and knew of no act on the part oil
sColOnel Burch to procure Hobbs election
Dr to induce him to resign. Burch never
knew anything about the transactions be
ween Hobbs and | from me. Burch nev
4 er paid me anything on any account. H,
IS the hardest man to get money out Of j
ever saw.
STATEMENT OF TREASURER MORROW.
| know Hobbs and Burch, and have
! leard the rumOrS of corruption in refer
3nce to the cOmptrollership. About on,
Or two days after the election of comp
atrOller and treasurer, House came to me
. borrow one thousand five hundred dol
lars 10 pay off his hotel bills, saying he
vas to be Hobbs chief clerk; that Hobbs
would be back next week and would re-
5place the money. | let House have the
money, and took his memorandum due
75ill. The money was paid a month or sc
lfterward. House and Hobbs had some
8 dispute about who was to pay this fifteen
hundred dollars. Hobbs afterward told
sme that he and House had fixed up THEN
2matters, and he was to pay House some
more money, and assumed to pay said
q lue-bill, and afterward paid it. | also
q Endorsed note executed by Hobbs foI
{ House benefit, and this note was paid
4 through Duncan, the banker. These two
Snotes were afterward brought to me by
aGodfrey NJ. Fogg, Jr., and | took them to
fHobbs and told him if he could not at
atend to his business better than that he
ought to have a guardian appointe1 /.
SHobbs paid me the fifteen-hundred-doll
4 iue-bill within a week of his departure
4 from Nashville, and Mr.. Fogg brought me
u said two notes about the time Hobbs re
q signed. Hobbs and House settled before
Athe legislature adjourned. Mr. Fogg told
lime he had found said notes somewhere
9about the capital, probably on the steps.
1HOuse never did any clerical duty
HAD understood, twenty or thirty days be
j lore he resigned, that he would resign
Saad heard Hobbs say lie would probably
g esign. | had heard various suggestions
= las to who would be Hobbs successor; J
#never had any conversation with Govern
i n Brown in reference to Hobbs's resgna-
g ion, or his successor; | am sure | never
q lid; Hobbs never conferred very freely
i yItn me; Captain J. s. Wilkes, the gov
aernOrs private secretary, seemed to b,
8 HObbss most intimate friend in the CAPT
8 oil; | have often asked Burch, jestingly
show much he paid Hobbs, and he always
s lenied having paid him anything; l hav,
5nO recollection of having told Mr.. Bruce
Dor any member of the firm of Wheeler
81 Marshall d Bruce, that Burch would be
q HObbSs successor; | always thought
y Burch would be H0bbs's successor; my
IS only reason for this was that when Pennt'
Is baker once thought of resigning, he per
7nebaker) told me Burch would be his sue
81 acsSOr. The trouble between Hobbs and
u House seemed to grow out Of contac'
y hat House was to be- HObbss clerk; J
81 -hink / once hear OF John Williams, who
$was defeated for secretary of state, charg
N ne that there was a combination between
3 he penitentiary lesseeS and the treasurer
81 0 beat him. sent dispatch to JOIN
&t'riersOn, day before yesterday, to meet
Ny,,a i Il NT,,-,-oIl l.
q ;ame, but we didn't meet. This mattel
Had no connection, nearly or remotely.
! directly or indirectly, with the Hobbs
q dispatch ! did not know he would be re
q CURED before this committee. l had i'm
SpOrtant private business with him, grow
ng out of previous arrangement.
s don't know of FriersOn having had any
& connection with Hobbs, except what ]
y learned from rumOr. ! knew when PEN
3 ncbaker talked of resigning that HOusC
@ Jalked of applying for the office, and
! old HIM (HoIse) then ! thought Burcl
= would be appointed, and House agreed
! with me. My only reason for thinking
a Burch would be Hobbs's successor was
he one above given, and the fact thai
G Brown and Burch were personal and pO
ticai friends. House knew that Brown
1 md Burch were personal and political
friends, and becoming satisfied thai
Brown would appoint Burch, be opposed
9Penuebaker's resignation. ! think PEN
snebakcr desired House to be his success
n | know nothing of my own knowledge
( ,bout Burch doing anything to procur,
sHobbS's election, or to induce his reSig
nation. had opportunities of knowing
low Hobbs conducted the business of the
jffice, and did not consider him compe
ent. | have had opportunities Of knowing
low BGrch has conducted the business oil
The office, and he has made the best comp
roller the State has ever had, so far as
1 my knowledge extends, and ! have eX-
lmined the comptroller's books for sew
aral years preceding my first term. u
think Hobbs's resignation and Burch's
rpointment have been worth all Of one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the !
State Nobody told me as of his own
knowledge that Burch had any connec-
ion with procuring Hobbs resignation
was rather surprised to find that Wo-
mack was appointed as clerk by Hobbs. Z
Colonel j. l.. Rice, one of Comptroller
8urch' bondsmen: When asking witness
l.,