Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1876-03-18

friends of the governor, have obtained,
without compensation, the services of
three hundred and fifty conYicts for three
years. They retain one hundred and fif-
ty of them, and lease out the balance for
fourteen thousand five hundred dollars,
and governor Ames appOyes all the con-
tracts. A charge even darker and more
damning is covered by this specification.
1t is said that Ames approved these con-
tracts for French upon the consideration
that French wOuld write out and sign at
the governors dictatiOn a charge of bril-
berry against Colonel G. Wiley Wells,
then United States district-attorney, now
Republican member of congress, and
strong personal enemy of Ames- 1t is
proven by the records that French did
give TO the governor such a charge, and
that he afterwards gave to Wells most
abject and humble apology for and re-
traction of it. Wells swears that French
told him at the time the retraction was
given that Ames had compelled him to
sign the charge as the price of his (Ames's)
approval Of the penitentiary contracts.
French now denies this-so that the truth
of this specification turns upon question
of veracity between these two distinguish
ed Republicans.
Sixth-rhe removal of Chancellor w.
B. PeytOn. There was pending before
Chancellor Pcyton suit to which the
State was a party, and in which the gov
ernOr felt much solicitude. The argu-
ment of tine case having closed, and the
matter taken under advisement until the
following morning, the attorneys for the
State called that night on the governor
and informed him that they feard an adj
verse decision. The governor sent at
nine O'Clock at night, for Chief Justice
Peyton, the father of the chancellor, and
urged him TO use his influence with his
son to procure favorable decision. 1t
is said that the venerable chief Justice
forgot for once the Christian meekness of
his manners and turned loose on his eX-
eellency some expressions much more
pointed than polite. The.son decided the
case adverse to the governors wishes and
was removed from office. The case was
appealed to the supreme court and the
chancellors decision declared correct and
affirmed.
Seventh-'The removal of Chancellor
brennan. One A. 4. Morgan Che of the
negro wife) was elected sheriff of YaZoO
county. His opponent, the former sher-
if (both Radicals, refused to surrender
the office. An armed collision ensued,
in which Morgan killed his opponent
After a long and patient trial on hdbeds
corpus, Chancellor brennan refused Nor
gan bail. He was forthwith dismissed
from his position, and 4 new Chancellor
appointed, who admitted Morgan to bail.
Before his reE- IRON office, Chaneel-
Ter brennan appointed a sheriff pro tenn
pore, while Morgan was in Jail, as he was
authorized by law to do. After his re-
moval from office, he called on the gov
ernOr to ask its cause, and was informed
that he was removed because he had re-
fused to bail Morgan, and because the
party whom he had appointed sheriff pro
teBlpOre was 4 Democrat.
Eighth-The removal of Chancellor
Christian. Mr.. Christian was confessed
ly the ablest chancellor in the State
Having been removed he called upon his
eXcellency to learn the cause, and was in
formed that it was because he had made
no stump speeches Tor the Republican
party in the canvass just closed, and be-
cause he had failed TO send to the Repub-
lican State executive committee the A.
mount of money assessed by said commit
tee against him in common with all the
OfficehOlders OF the State.
Ninth-The appointments TO the posi-
tions of chancellOrs, of Cullens, Abbott,
Barton, Stone and Brock. The men were
not lawyers when they were appointed
chancellOrs, or if lawyers, they were Ii
censed as such at the same time they were
appointed chancellors. One of them, Bar
ton, had been guilty of forgery, and the
governor was apprised of the fact before
the appointment was made.
Tenth-DiFecting Peter Crosby, the
colOred sheriff of Warren county, to re-
turn to that county and arm the negroes
thereof, and attempt the capture of the
city of Vicksburg, and the regaining of
his Office by force. Crosby being in Of
flee, without any sufficient bond, resign
eel his office in obedience to the demands
of large meeting of the taxpayers of
the county. He proceeded to Jackson
and represented to the governor that he
had been forced to resign and to flee for
his life, by an armed mob. A meeting of
prominent Republicans was convened
for consultation at the executive man
sion. The attorney general of the State
being present and called on for his Opin-
ion, advised that Crosby's resignation, if
extOrted from him by force, was not bin
ding, and that he could regain his office
through the courts. He therefore eOun-
seled = resort TO legal measures. This
advice was cOncurred in by a number of
those present. The governor advised that
Crosby should return to the county, sum-
mon an armed body of followers, and re-
capture his Office by force. Crosby be-
came much alarmed at this suggestion,
and showed an evident disinclination to
act upon it. Thereupon the governor
made an excited speech, in which he said,
among other things, that ''himself and
many other nOrther men had barred their
breasts to the storm of battle, fighting for
the freedom of the negroes, aud now if
they would not fight for themselves they
deserved TO be re-enslayed. - When some
one suggested that the cOuIse advised by
the governor would lead 10 the slaughter
of the negroes, he replied that 1.-THE blood
of the martys was the seed of the church.
and subsequently added, in 4 lower tone,
that 1.-THE blood of fifteen or twenty ne
grOes would be a good thing for the Re
publican party These facts are proven
by half dozen witnesses, all of whom
are Republicans. Crosby went forth un-
der this advice, attacked the city of
Nicksburg, and was repulsed with loss
of more than fifty negroes slain. The
governor in the meantime had notified
the Federal commander at New Orleans
that he expected fight at Vicksburg and
would probably need assistance. Dr.
Bowman, prominent citizen OF Vicks-
burg, much alarmed at the threatening
attitude OF affairs, came 10 jackson and
beSOught the governor TO do something to
avert collision. The governor replied
that the white men of NicksbuTg had
long desired a fight, and that he was now
''placid.' To DIR. BOwman's renewed
suggestion, his eXcellency continued to
repeat CONTEMPORARY and with a smile,
''they want a fight and | am placid L
am placid! am placid Or. Bowman
left him in despair, and told one of the
supreme judges that fight at Vicksburg
was inevitable, and that the governor
was determined 70 bring it on
Eleventh-The sending OF Chas. C2ld-
wells company of colOred militia through
the town OF Clinton during the last can
vaSs, and attempting thereby to bring on
a war OF races. IL viii be remembered
that President Grant refused, during the
last canvass in Mississippi, TO supply
Governor Ames with Federal troops, un-
I'll he should have demonstrated that
there was violence in the State which the
State militia could not quell. 1t was af-
ter this that Caldwel's company was
marched through the town of Clinton, es-
corting some wagons loaded with arms,
IN he delivered TO another cOlored compa-
nv In camp at Edwards Depot. Cald- !
We'll. and the men composing his cOmpa- !
nv, had been prominent actors in the !
80 or Clinton a few weeks before. in |
which many men-white and black-had