The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-03-12
A Cbat With Gen. KYLE.

A Chat With Gen. Kyle.
We have had very pleasant cha
with General William G. Kyle upor
the subject of the lawsuit brough'
by certain taxpayers against the
magistrates of Hawkins county, the
bondholdars and the former officers
of the Rogersville and Jefferson rail
road company. The General says
fraakly he is glad the suit has been
brought, as it will give him an op.
portunity to vindicate himself
against charges which have been in.
dustriously and persistently circu-
lated to his prejudice as President
of that unfortunate company. I'm
this place, and by way of parenthe.
sis, We may say we are glad, too, for
General Kyle has been our friend
from boyhood up, and has stood by
as in some hard fights, and we shall,
of course, be more than pleased to
see him come out all right before
the public-as he aoiU.)
General" said we, "you was the
President of the railroad company at
the time the bonds were issued.
Can you say what disposition was
made of them?"
"Why. of course" said he, 81
can tell. They were used, in the
first place. to pay the debt due the
contractor. The twenty-five thou
sand dollars in bonds we're paid to
Watson, AT Nashville, the trustee or
receiver Of the Bank of Tennessee. |
The railroad company, before the
war, and while Gen. Richard Fain
was president, had borrowed large
sum of money from the Branch of
the Bank of Tennessee at Rogers
vile. and Col. Netherland were
endOrsers on the note. When the
war closed that note was still due
No interest had been paid on it.
The debt had grown until it amount.
ed to fifty or sixty thousand dollars.
Suit was about to be brought.
went to Nashville aud made the best
arrangement with Watson that could
be made, and paid him the twenty
FIVE Thousand dollars of Hawkins
county bonds on that debt. / also
gave him my note for eight thousand
dollars more in payment of the debt
due by the company. Afterwards,
the Tennessee Legislature passed |
an act relieving me and others from
the payment of the eight thousand, |
but Notwithstanding the pass sage of
this act, have been sued on the |
note, and that suit is still pending |
in the circuit court at Knoxville.
Instead of using the bonds for my
own individual benefit, l used them
in the payment of just debt due
from the railroad company to the
bank, and used them without any
discount whatever. In fact, the
bonds were paid on compromise,
and one dollar in Hawkins county
bonds paid good deal more than
one dollar of the companys indebt.
edness."
"Well, General, that is clear and
right. 1 am glad you told me that
thing. for have heard a good deal
Of talk about the twenty five thou
sand dollars"
"Yes," said he. ''there has been o
good deal of talk about that matter.
! have been abused. and many hard
things have been said Of me by peo- I
pie in RogersvilIe on account Of the {
railroad. It is all unjust. It is do s
ing me great wrong, II it had not c
been for my management at the I
close of the war, the cars would G
have stopped at the Holston river c
they never would have reached the Z
toEn. Il vas through my work that '
every bar of iron between the river d
and the depot in RegersYille vas '
procured. aud that iron never cost 9
the people OF Hawkins county one 2
cent. This and much more did to I
advance the interests Of that road, I
and now am getting ny pay in 8
Asrd words. injustice and abusen
General, can you tell about what
amount OF money was collected from