Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-10-13
LET SETTLE WITHDRAW
HOLDEN'S COMES ION.
~ ID r d En- WILL OUT.
THE TRUTH AT LAST.
Who Killed stephens {!

Who Killed stephens {!
On the night of the 28th of Septem-
Der, 1876, Rev. @. T. Baiiy. promi-
nent Baptisi Divine and editor of the
Biblical Recorder, in the course of a
conversation with several gentlemen,
at Cameron, in Moore county.
made certain statements IN regard to
W. W. Holden which were commun-
! icated to a reporter of the Raleigh
Neaos and published in that paper on
he morning of the 3Oth. In conse-
quence of that publication, Mr.. Bailey
has written and printed the blowing
| card:
In the Daily Nea0s Of the Both ult. :,
an article vas published which pur-
ports TO give the substance OF a state
'ment made by me to certain gentle
men at Cameron on the night of the
| 2Sth. AS matter Of justice to myself
and all the parties concerned it be-
comes necessary for me to Bsate the
following facts:
On my way to the Baptist State Con-
vention in Fayetteville [ was intro
duced to exGov. Holden. During
| the session of the Convention | was
invited 20 dine with him and accepted
| the invitation. I spent the afternoon
with him, returning to the Baptist
church after tea. Our intercourse
WAS free and agreeable. He gave me
an acconns Of bis religious experience
and of his political troublec. He rtat-
ed to me that the plan of the Kirk
war; originated with the Executive
Committee of the Republican party at
Washington, in the interest Of the
party that he was opposed to it, but
! was allowed no discretion in the mat
! ter that it was decided by that COM
mittee to inaugurate and prosecute
the campaign as he did it !: that if he
did not carry out the wishes of the
party he and the State were to be
crushed and that if he was succee.-
full in the execution of their plans he
would probably receive Cabinet ap
pointment, the Secretaryship of the
Interior.
In reference to the death of Ste
phens [ understood from him that the
Republicans had much to do with that
crime; that the prosecution Of those
who were charged with it was discon-
tinued because testimony was either
elected or likely to be ELECTED which
would implicate or eliminate promi-
nent members of the Republican party;
that these fears were awakened in part
by the discovery of the coil from
which the rope was cut which was
found on the neck of the murdered
man.
The statements of Gov. Holden left
on me the clear and distinct impress
sions that he had been the unwilling
instrument for the accomplishment of
the purposes Of his party and that he
lid not merit the odium which at
| tached to his name all over the State.
During the session Of the late Con-
stitutionsl Convention I called on Gov.
Holden in his office at his own request.
In a very pleasant interview reference
was made 10 the removal Of political
disabilities by Congress, and also to
the removal Of his own disabilities by
the Convention then in session. 80
favorsbly was [ impressed with state
msnts made by him that I called on
! Rev. J. n. Stallings, of Duplin and
| few other members, and requested
them to use their influence to have
GOV. Holdsn's disabilities removed.
I stated these facts or some of them
in the conversation referred to in she
NeaUs as mentioned above. [ have
also given them in other parts of the
State, where Gov. Holden happened
to be the subject Of conversation. It
was done in the free and easy Style OF
social intercourse. and though l stat
ed nothing which was not true, I did
| f0 in no
or In print.
In any statement which [ may have
made concerning Judge Bond or the
hanging of Judge Kerr, I gave or
meant to give my own opinions, bas-
ed on information received from other
sources; not from anything said to
me by Gov. Holden. SO far as can
now recollect he has never spoken to
me in reference to either of those gen
tlemen.
have made this statement in the
interest of truth and not of any politi
cal party also as a matter Of justice
to myself and ali the persons meH-
toned in the NeUs of the 3Oth.
O. T. BAILEY.
It will be seen from tho above that
Governor Holden unequivocally con-
fessed to Rev. Mr.. BAILEY that Stephens
the Radical Senator who was killed in
tho Court House in Caswell county,
on the 21st May. 1870, came to his
death from Radical violence, and that
it was because this fact was about to
be made public that the Investigations
were brought to an end. It appears
also that, with full knowledge of the
true state of affairs, the Kirk war was
carried on until put stop to by Judge
BROOKS.
The record of the infamy of
the Radical party is now complete,
for it is proved by the confession of
one of its most honored and trusted
leaders, that it hesitates not to compass
the murder of those who may stand
in its way, even though they have
been long numbered among their
friends. That it hesitated not to
compass by murder the death of its
enemies, il needed not the confession
| of Governor Holden to Rev. Mr..
BAILEY or to any one else to prove.
That the foulest murder was intended
in the Kirk war is matter of record,
murder that was prevented only by the
courage and integrity of Judge
BROOKS.
WHAT A iSHNGLE BALLOT AC-
COMPLISHED
The Ohio State Journal says:
In 1880, Dan Stone. of Cincinnati. was