The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-05
GARY's REPLY no HASKELL.
He Denies Every Charge and DeHes Els
AocdseP.
O0repondenee Me,rs and O6lrier.

A6 the letter OF Col. John y. Haskell,
which was publi1hed ia the Mews and
Courier Of tho 2ath inst, had aroused the
keenest Interest Us TO what line of action
Gen. Gary would adopt in meeting the
charges so pointedly made against him,
! determined TO ascertain from Gen. Gary
himself, provided he were willing TO In
dicate it, the course he would pursue.
With this purpose in view / arrived at
Edgefield Village this morning and called
upon the General. I said to him that /
had come as reporter Of the Metcs and
C6ufief to learn If he desired TO say any
thing In answer to the charges made
against him by COL HASKELL.
Gen. Gary replied at SOME length, in
timating that he considered Col. Haskell'e
letter as covert attack by Senator Hamp-
ton, the assertion of Col. Haskell that
Senator Hampton knew nothing Of his
(Hashell's) purpose Of publishing the
letter to the contrary Notwithstanding,
and, for this reason, declined to notice
any of the charges preferred in the first
portion of Col. HaskelPs letter. He re-
garded the matters therein alleged aa
pertaining exclusively to the controversy
between Senator Hampton and himself,
and he did not feel inclined to recognize
Col. Haskell's right to intrude himself
into q controversy which in no wise pre-
sented au issue between Haskell and
himself, but which related exclusively to
the points under discussion between Sen
ator Hampton and himself. He gave me
an extended account of his own attitude
as public man during the last f va years,
claiming that events bad vindicated his
political C nrse, aud denying that he had
ever shown anything like pen nal hos
tility to Senator Hampton. The CONVEX
sation then proceeded as follows:
Reporter: Well, General, what have
you. to say in regard to the Haskell let
teri -
Gen. Gary: The attack Of Col. Haskell
upon me is evidently q well-planned at.
tempt 10 shift the issues and change the
actors. Col. Haskell has intruded him
self in rude and unmanly manner be-
tween Senator Hampton and myself, no
dorlS with the view of. relieving Senator
Han. pton and giving himself some i'm
portance. He acknowledges that he is
not authorized by Senator Hampton to
say anything, and certainly have not
invited him 10 do go, for have no cause
cf quarrel or contea.ersy yg;.!. him. 7:
Senator Hampton wishes to continue the
controversy or discussion am ready to
do so upon any field he may select.
Whatever I have stated in my several
interviews rs facts of my own kuowle dge
I herr ,eiterate that they are true, md
such 10 cts as / have stated upon the
know e. 'ge and information derived from
othe here reiterate that helieva them
to be II 1e
Rep ter: What have you to say in re-
gard to the charges against you contained
in the latter part of Col. Haskell's letter 2
Gen. Gary: AS, to his personal Ainga
and abuse or as to what he thinks the
people think of me, have nothing
to say. AS to his charges, they have
been made and repeated in Radical
newspapers for the last 1--WE or six years.
The one numbered First, appeared in
the New York Times, the National Re-
publican and the Union Herald. In Feb
rnary, 1873, it was laid upon the desks
of the members Of the General Assembly
of this State, while I, with others, was
engaged in the fight against the ring OF
fraudulent bondholders. I at the time
rose to question of privilege, and re-
piled to this malicious falsehood against
Senator NJ. @. Butler and myself in O
complete answer, which silenced the
Radical press, and satisfied our friends
but it seems that some of our Democratic
enemies are trying to burn this ammuni-
tion second time to our disadvantages.
AS to the second charge, that en-
gagged to aid in securing the approval
of the Taxpayers Convention to the re-
linluishment by the State of its first
mortgage on the Blue Ridge Railroad to
privets parties, would say that would
have stultified myself Us lawyer had
agreed to aid in any such proposition.
The Taxpayers Convention was vol
UNFAIRLY body and had no legal existence
or Constitutional powers and could not
have made such o REIMBURSEMENT. The
charge that / ever entered into any such
agreement or that / ever received pay fol
the same is as fai5e as it is malicious.
The third charge that / was the con
stant defender of McDeyitt, the Radical
treasurer of. Edgefeld, is also false. ]
never defended McDevitt on the crimi.
MAJ side of the Court. On the civi! side
of the court defended j. III. McDevitt
county treasurer of Edgefeld County, in
the celebrated case of George p. Curry
and Hardy Wall, pls:atiffS, vs.. Harri.
son Strom, Wesley Jefferson and Doc
Martin, county commissioners, and John
II. McDevitt, county treasurer, defen.
dants. 1t is also false that cone of the
indictments against McDevitt was fol
fraudulently paying Gan. Gary q large
sum of county money" The only
money that McDevitt, as county treas
urer, ever paid me was $,605 fol
Gary & Gary, attorneys for the coun
ty treasurer in the case above stated
The amount of our fee in this case was
reported by Chancellor Carroll, to whom
it was referred as % special referee to in
quire an,. report q reasonable fec for oul
work ifi this case and ha reported
after taking testimony as TO the value o
our services That we were entitled TO I
fee of s., ono which report was confirmed
by the Circuit Judge.
The fourth charge is also ffais5. Euev
er did advocate that General Butlel
should be withdrawn and that White
more should be put in his place. Thil
is the Same charge that answered ,ls {
question of privilege In the State Senate
when it appeared in the newspapers al
that time, as can be seen by referring tt
the files of the Columbia Register ant
the Journal of the Senate. Instead o.
trying to withdraw Gen. Butler, it i
weil-kn5wn that when he was virtual,
deserted by Hampton and others wht
snould nave supported nk,., L as mis- re
quest, gave him my support and assisteS
in defeating tho Patterson resolutions
which, IL they had passed, would hav,
placed him in the awkward position o
an migrate by forcing him TO take th,
initiative step to unseat Patterson who's
| vote and Influence helped to secure But
lee ...sst .. 81 IL sE-L-i .l.-e : s-s