The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-08
Joe Brown and Bob Toombs.


"How is it, Judge, that Joe Brown
continues TO be notoriety, and to some
extent a political quantity in Georgia, if
ne %as not,a public speaker nor man
of muol following 2"
poor people, of whom he claims to be
one. think his start in life was about
$4,000 that he got with his wife. Brown
was more capable of doing very slrewd
thing than any man in 0eofgin. / give
you an instance. Before the war he was
considered poor. After The reconstruc-
ton he was regarded as a rich man, and
his ncighbors demanded an investigation
into his conduct aud property. lie WAS
invited to name one of three persons to
go on committee to examine him. To
my surprise, he telegrapbcd me to be his
member. lie WAS cited before the COM
mittee and positively refused to take an
oath. said he, don't recognize the
right OF the Legislature to examine me,
under oath, for acts which performed
IN the ordinary course Of my Office and
not under oath This led to the greatest
excitement all through Georgia. and was
regarded as confession that he had been
dishonest. The matter was debated, and
bis enemies greatly rejoiced ut the lapse
of time, and it was finally settled that he
could make his statement without swear
ing. lie then walked before the com
mittec and said: "Now. gentlemen, rs
have established my rights, insist that
! be sworn and examined not only as
to my official acts, but my private life
The rcvulslon WAS immediate all over the
State. II wns Browns design To make
people think the very worst, and then To
staggcr the public judgment and produce
revulsion. Brown, however, WAS a
sccessionist among the earliest. H. be.
longed to what WIS called the Southern
Rights party Some Of his corrcspon-
dcncc with JeH. Davis was very shrcwd,
particularly about .hc time when Shcr-
man had begun his march through
Georgia, and Brown asked that the GcOr-
gia troops be sent back from the army Of
the Potomac, either TO resist Shernan's
advance or Ia move in his rear"
Al this point the Jndgc smiled again
and Hnid :e"Onc OF the very cases Of Bob
Toombs' wit came ut that time in n pri.
vatc conversation with me. M. Davis
had started Hood off to the North to in
wade Tennessee and produce diversion.
One of the oratoricnl addresses that nc
coHiphIlcu Ilouu HiHTcH ItOTIn Salu That
his soldicry would soon he enjoying them
selves in the green fields about Nashville.
| asked Toonbs what he thought of that
address of Davis, and he said il reminded
him of the death Of Falstaff. His nose
WIS rs sharp AS pen, and he babblcd Of
green fields"
What kind Of u man is Toombs ?"
FToonibs has II reckless way of talking,
by which many people judge him. In
reality he is most conservative man.
When they were dclibcrnting ut Mont
gomery, Alabama, about firing ut Fort
Sumter, he was the only. man to oppose
it, and said: The first gun fired on that
fort would make the greatest revolution
he .yc.id had ever seem If lie was in
the Senate to-day, he would be prudent.
In the management Of his worldly affairs
and law business, his success demon
strates this quality os conservatism. lie
inherited great deal of money, but he
il still rich and has n snlendid lnw nrac-
ticc. He is al kind hearted as II child.
You observed that when he visited Grant.
ard understood him in person, he became
his warm friend. - GuMs inicrriew miH
Judge Lochrane.