Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-09-23
The Blair Letters Not Forgeries.

The Blair Letters Not Forgeries.
WY1uEvILLE, VA, Sept. 10, 1881.
Editors Dispatch:-Ou town and coun
sty have been IN state of great excltemenfs
] or the entire week in regard to the Blair
Wilson letters. Capt. Blair was in East
9ern Virginia, but returned home On sun
2day. 1lth, to meet, as his friends said, thu
acharge that he never wrote such letters.
land to brand the forger. Monday morn
hing. 18th tour County Court-day), Captain |
SBlair sent by friend a request to CAPTAIN
w Use to be- allow ed tn seq the letters. Cap
Il ain Wise answered that he could SO. the
sedters by calling at General J. A. Walk
rs Office Cap Blair, Mr.. Robert Crock
TT his law partner, Col. Robert Savers
1 land probably halfdozen other of his
Il lends called. Captain Wise handed tn4
letters to Captain Blair He and some OF
his friends read the letters, and immedi
5ately left the roum without saying word
aGen Walker turned to Captain Wise ancl
i said: s'Tbey don't say whether the letters
are genuine or not.' Capt. Wise got up
went TO the door and called to Capt. Blau
20 come back, and when he came in SAID
ITO him: Cap ain Blair, YOU req' es.ed tt
3see these letters-you did not say they
Swere genuine or mott am going to u.s.
sJhem. and would be glad if you wonld give
fine an answer Capts Blair replied. u
i Twill answer you at the proper time" Mr..
aCrockett then said, They are base forge
arles.'7 Capt. Blair assented to it. and
blocking at General Walker, said, sYOn
aknow they are not my handwriting. Gen
4 Walker replied, II will swear they are
your handwriting" Captain Blair and his
5friends again withdrew.
This took place in the presence of Gen.
W alker, Gen. VIM. Terry, B. w. Terry
CDR. Mopteiro, w. L. Yost, Colonel Robert
aSayers, TT. Savers, VIM. q. Pendlet"n
syour correspondent, and perhaps dozen
5others.
4 The following certificate has since been
sprepared, and will speak for itself:
4 WYTHEvIILE, sept. II, 1881.
We, the undersigned, do hereby certify
sthat We are familiar with the handwriting
Sof Capt. F. S. Blair, and that we have
Sseen and carefully examined the original
8Ietters purpoI ting to have been written by
5Capt. Blair to W. Leigh Wilson. dated
sthe Sd and 18th Of October, 1880. and the
assame read to the public by Capt. George d.
aW ise in his speeches at Big Lick, Wythe-
sville, aud other places, and we give it as
Sour opinion that said letters are in the
Handwriting of Capt. F. S. Blair.
4 Given under our hands the day above
4 written.
q JAMES A. WALKER, Attorney at Law;
q WIaLIAM TERRY, Attorney at Law;
Il w. L. YosT, Attorney at Law;
9 A. M. DICKINSON. Attorney at Law;
3 G. j. HoLBRooK, Attorney at Law;
i BEN. W. TERRY. Attorney at Law;
! F. H. MCGAvoCK,
q s. T.. GLEEVES. NJ. D.;
q X. N. PENDLETON,
] THOMAS J. BOYD,
4 Z. I'll. UMBERGER. Sheriff;
a WILLIAM GIBBONEY,
q JOHN A. COOK, Printer.
4 Some time after the above took place,
cdr Savers came to General Walkers office
Con behalf of the Readjusters. to see about
4 a division of time, saying they knew it was
Major Daniels appointment. and they
3wanted to know his terms. A proposition
Twas made them giving them an equal di-
], vision of time-they to lead off with one
Cor more speakers, as they thought proper.
! This they refused to agree to-. Afterwards
Z General Walker stated to Riddleberger and
sothers that they 1.-THE Democrats) would
s let them have any terms they wanted-to
4 come on and have discussion, and they
could just state their own terms. They
refused to do that. Sections Hall was in
"a few moments filled with some of the best
! men in Wythe county ant! few of the
I fair sex. Captain Wise opened i'll speech
Sof nearly two hours, and was followed by
4 Major Daniel in a speech Of two and one
4 half hours, and all agree that there never
4 were two such speeches made IN Old Wythe
before. [ will not attempt to give you
J. even q faint idea Of the speeches. The Re
/ adjusters spoke on the street. Captain
& Blair, opening the meeting, said 'sthe Will
4 Iottpro y,pr forrarJcC that ha did not
Z write nor dictate one word or line OF them.
sand there was not one line nor syllable OF
ssthem that were his in style or In senti-
syment." Captain Blair spoke about ten
1 minutes. Riddleberger, PeLdleton, a ne
1 gro, Newberry, and Colonel Savers spoke.
( | did not hear them, and can tell you moth
aing about the speeches.
& Wilson arrived here on Tuesday even
22ing' S train. and hearing that Captain Blair
asswas going TO leave town that night for
gsome of his appointments. wrote the fol
(, Glowing note to him:
81 WYTHEv1LLE. Sept -, 1881.
a Capt. F. s. Blair: am here to prove
ssthat you are the author # the letters read
Shy Capt. Geo. D. Wise, yesterday, and vii
q be pleased to meet you in the morning anC
3 give you the benefit of public denial II
ssthe face of the people of your own town
81 hear you propose to leave WytheviIle to-
sSnioht, and write to ask you not to leave
sbefore you see me.
4 Very Respectfully,
y w. LEIGH WILSON.
q Capt. Blair said to the bearer of the
mote, ''There is no answer to this note
sSswhatever." Wilson appeared and remain.
sed on the street all day Wednesday, an
snouncing to crowds that would gather
slaround him that the letters were written
gsto him by Capt. Blair, and he was here to
|Hprove it, and was then waiting for Capt
II Blair to appear so he could do So In the
sevening about clock they met for the
ssfrst time: and [ will give you a descrip
Stion of that meeting from statement fur.
Finished me by the only two persons that
gswere with Wilson at the time: II saw Mr.
aWllson walking down street. l joined
sMr. B. W. Terry, and was walking behind
MWilson. l asked Wilson and Terry to take
IA drink with me. We all three started to
WNeighbor 4 Riders bar room. Terry and
asmyself walked together and Wilson little
gin front of us. When we got in front Of
ECrockett & Blair's office Wilson stopped
saslooked up, and said, is this the saloon2
MAt this point Capt. Blair stepped out OF
sShis door and said to Wilson, do you want
ITO see me?' B. w. Terry answered You
sshave his communication. Wilson repeat.
FED it, saying, You have my communica-
sstlon, At this point Capt. Robert Crock
S2ett. with others stepped out and said
81 Come in Blair you can't have any fuss
sshere.' and took Capt. Blair back into his
Soffice. Wilson, Terry and myself then
ssproceeded to the saloon, which is about
saforty yards beyond Blair's Office. The
'aabove statement is perfectly correct
NGiven under my hand this 10Th Sept. 1881
M