Wilmington journal., 1876-08-04
CLINTON, SAMPSON, Co, N. g.,
Iulv 18TH 1879

| Hon. Il. NJ. JfddIeU
| DEAR SIR:-Y ours of the Sth has been
received. You state that while in Dupln
county you were informed that Mr.. T. l..
Hargrove in his speech at Magnolia made
assertions of an offensive character in refer
! ence to the ministers and members of the
church to which l belong, and you enquire
whether or not you were correctly in
formed.
AS am informed that perverted state
ment OF the occurrence tc which You refer
has been published in some of the Republi-
can papers, and illusions to it have recently
! been made by the religious papers, have
no hesitation in giving the facts as they oc-
Cured.
1t may be proper here to state that from
early manhood to the opening of the war |
was politically Whg, and took as much
interest in public affairs as private citizens
usually take. | ignored the assertion so
often made by demagOgues, that a minister
of the Gospel loses his citizenship by be-
coming minister. Since the war l be-
long to no political party. I am not a
Democrat and certainly no Republican.
If have heard polite al speech since the
war, until l heard Col Hargrove at Mag
nolia, was present by accident or upon
business unconnected with political mat
ters. The day Col. Hargrove spoke at
Magnolia | happened to reach home. At
one time had been the pastor of his faith
er and family; and 1 felt as the Colonel
was at my home, some act of courtesy was
due from me to him. Prompted by that
consideration alone heard the speech. To-
ward the close of it he turned and ad-
dressing himself directly IT, me, made vi
Olent attack on ministers in which he
charged, that before the war they were all
secessionists; that they made war speeches
and brought on the war; induced others to
90 into it and then shirked it themselves.
quietly but promptly repelled the assault.
He made no reply, but then made vio-
lent assault upon the Methodist Church,
South, stating that he knew me to be lead
ing minister of that church and that she
was responsible for the war and it's conse-
quences-that the Methodist Church
brought on secession and that brought on
the war. promptly but briefly repelled
the charge. At this time Mr.. Sherard of
Wayne county, (who l believe holds some
office, or is a candidate for sOmething),
came to the aid of Col. Hargrove
by making a personal attack upon
DR.. Deems. Both talked to me at the
same time. L made no reply to Mr..
oherard. He and DIR. Deems are both
known to the citizens ofDnpln which rem
dered reply unnecessary. The Colonel
then closed and Mr.. Sherard also closed
about the same time. A negro then mount. |
ed the rnstrnm, poured n glass from |
the pitcher from which Colonel Ha. grove |
had drunk quite freely, swallowed down |
about half of it and poured the remainder |
back into the pitcher and then took his |
seat by the side of the Governor (Cald- |
WE'LL. The Governor left. Harsrove, the |
negro and Shenrd remained. | will add |
that nothing had occurred to provoke the |
attack, either on the ministers or the |
Methodist Church. l have not seen the |
account of this affair as given i'm the Rppub- |
lican papers, but have been told by friend |
that they represent the Colonel as giving it |
to me so keenly that left. That is mis- |
take. [ stayed until after the Governor
left and rode thirteen miles the next day to |
the place at which the Colonel was to speak |
and sat Immediately in front of him during
the entire speech to let him know that if he |
desired to repeat the attack either
On the ministers or the Methodist
Church, that was ON hand. He did NOT |
repeat the attack on either. The public
will judge which man had gotten enough |
of It.
will close by saying that some of nv |
personal friends belong to the Re- |
publican party; that I was present. as an act |