Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-08

SOME MORE OF THOSE START
LING C?) DEVELOPMENTS.
Some Remarkable Reasons for
Reputation, a la Nashville
Banner.
60. LosFPH q. COZ


Deposition of Gen. Joseph a. Cooper,
taken at Knoxville, February IL.
Said witness being duly sworn de-
posed as follows:
Dues. Where do you reside, and
how long hSye you lived at your pres
eLt place of residence?
Ans. L live five miles West Of Knox
vile, Tenn, and have lived there
since 1865.
Q. Have you held official position in
any department of the State GOyern-
ment since 1865, and any in the United
States Government since that date? If
so, please state what ana how long Ia
each.
A. [ have held no State position, ex-
cept commander of the State militia,
aud have forgotten the leUgiI Of time
/ served each time they were called
Uut. [ Was elected to the Legislature
once since the war, but declined to
serve. have been Collector of Inter
nal Revenue for the SecOnd'DistrIct OF
Tennessee since 1SGS.
Q. Please state if you saw at any
time a member Of the Legislature, or
any one, pay Capt. Nj. ID. Bearden
$500, or any sum, and heard him sly
anything In regard thereto? If go,
was, what was SAID and the party's
name, if you remember it.
a [ saw a man 10y the name of
Shepherd, wv. Il. u Representative
from Hawkins County, in a room in
the 81. Cloud Hotel, in Nashville, hand
NJ. ID. Bearden $500. He said az the
he handed il TO him, II cursed him at
the time L got the money from him,
and told him If we had known what
he WAS worth We would have known
how TO bid at him; if be had placed
himself on the block like Cd id
mule We would known better how to
bid on him." The above is Just about
what was said. My best recollection
Is that L took a walk with Shepherd
that evening, and tried TO get out Of
him the man from whom he had got the
$500, but he declined TO tell noe. [
know / guessed one or two, aud yeu-u
l guessed a certain man ne deciiued TO
say and got the impression that lie
WAS the man. | think the man was
named Thomson, MckiLiy or Robert
Medlin-One of these,
q Who was in the room at the ST.
Cloud st the time the $500 was banded
to Capt. NJ. d. Bsarden?
a. Well, there was Shepherd, N.Y.
self Rev. Thomas TODey, 9a6, think,
john BrowDlow and Gem Joseph A.
bry, perhaps others.
q What measure was Shepherd and
BeaTden there to secure?
a. Shepherd was a msmber, and
Bearden was there to secure aid for
the Knoxville & Kentucky, Virginia,
Knoxville & Ohio and the Knoxville
q Charleston railroads. Bearden, [
think was q receiver Of the Knoxville
IL Charleston. l was interested in get
ting aid for the Knoxville & Ken
lucky.
Q. When the $500 was handed back
to Bearden, and from what was said,
did you understand that it was $500
that Bearden had paid some member
for his vote or influence, and that said
member had been made to refuse il be-
cause he had not stood up 70 his con
tract in regard to il?
A. That wss exactly my understand
ing. 1t was money that BeaTden had
paid the mem6sr, and the member had
voted sgainst the measure and Shep-
herd had made him pay the money
back. Nothing else could have been
Understood.
q. Did BeaTGen make any remarks?
A. | DONE recOllect that he did, ex-
cepJ, perhaps, to say that the member
was q scOundreI, and took the money
and put il in his pocket. | am pretty
certain that he said but little.
Q Was it not the understanding,
and was ii not so said, that Barbour
Lewis and Memphis delegation had |
paid sal, mem Der 81 600, or sumo sum, |
20 vote for aid To the Memphis & |
road, land against Bearden's |
-Oads, and hence had Out bid him, |
BeaFdeu q?
Il Hez, sir; that remark was made. |
ind Know that Barbour Lewis was /
mere In the interest Of the CiaTksvil!e /
y Memphis and against our T,yads and /
[ was John BrOwnlow, | think who
aid the fellow had been paid 81 OOo
o vote for the Memphis job | know
hat 10 scared Us up when we discov-
cred the Memphis delegation there
We began 10 feel sanguine of gettinu
'ur bin through. II had passed two
eadIngs, but on the third the Mem
Jhis delegation floOred it.
Q. Please state If you did not make
everal trips in the interest of your
measure? If so, who paid expenses?
A. | made trip to Cincinnati aud
We had called meeting a. Louisville,
nd came from Nashville to Union
county. Col. Joseph A Mabry paid
ny expenses to Union County. /
hink the Knoxville d Kentucky paid
ur expenses to Cincinnati and Louis
lille. L think McGhee was President
{ the time.
@. You remember the Legislature
( 1869 90 and that it instituted inves-
gations into railroad bonds, etc &?
A. Yes sir. 1 remember something
( the kind.
@ About the time of this inyestiga-
on, or soon after 1t commenced, did I