Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-21
WILSON'S $50 CALLED DENIAL.
FINCAsTLE VA
Oct 10th 1881.
Hon. Fl. II. RiddlesJoroer

Hon. Fl. Fl. Riddlesbarger
Dear Sir
AS there has been so much said about
the Blair Wilson letters 1 think 1t time
for me to let the people know how these
letters were gotten out of my possession
and there origin On Thursday Sept 9:f
1881 l went to the Big Lick to here
speeches of George D Wise and Maj Dan
ell. While [ was at Davis Bar Room Bot
Logan OF Roanoke chairman of the Demo
Cratic committee came in the room Il said
he wanted to see me-we went out in real
of the bar room he said Leigh will you
stand to the letters that have been takeI
from you | said have you any letters OIL
mine he said I have a copy of a letter dat
cad on the 81 Oct 1880 signed by Frank s
Blair ] asked where did you get a copy oil
that letter he refused to give any more
but said good friend of yours give me the
copy he then said l Lave $75 Dollars in
my pocket fer ,Ou given me by DIR. Moni
terio refused to take it but said if you
Will give me $500 to night and $500 more
in sixty days [ will Surrender the original
of which you hold copy and you may
read them and have them lithOgrafed il
you wante to.
these letters We're taken frome my pocket
while under the influence of liquer by MI
- and coppyed aid then put back in
my pocket asked the parties however not
to read the letters that day until they had
them examined by persOns-whO knew
Capt. Blairs writing DR. Monterlo asked
me to let him have any letter l also had of
MahOnes but l refuseed-as there was
nothing in them of any importance-As
the election is near at hand l deem it my
duty to the people of Va. to say, that
Capt. Frank 5 Blair never wrote line
uorda owl n1o Of fhnco lott h,,t %J,o
sane was forgery put up on him in
Wythville the name of forger / will not
give, but before God and men / am willing
to bPar the consequences not being willing
to sink a mere tool of others. but regret
to say-that that party has done all he
could inquire me-that George D. Wise
and John Danneil who persuaded Me in to
this act on promises not fulfilled induces
me to deal with them as they deserve &
tell what they have as yet failed to tell
And that is that they on promise to pay
seven hundred and fifty dollars in three
payments $3.50 cash $3.50 in thirty days and
$3.50 in sixty day-obtained permission TO
read and publish If they wished the letters
dated the 9th and 11th of Oct 1870 the last
named of which l found they had also a
cCpy-I regret very much to write this
le' ter but justice to my self and Capt
Blair require tt say now with no wit
ness but GOD that stand alone RESPONSE
BILE for every line of this letter And l fur
Their say that John w Daniel George D
Wise q DR. MontsriO knew as we'll as did
that these letters were never written by
Capt Blair that the loose conversation and
other things takiI G place my deunken con
dition and reluctance on my part to give
up the letters and there eagerness was
more than sGfficien. to have aroused the
susDitiOnS of far duller men than Daniel
Wise and MOnterIo this whole thing was
a rascallY proceeding perpetrated ON a
drunken man and for it Daniel and Wise
are manly responsible.
l deeply regret the wrong done Capt.
Blair and would rather have lost my arm
than been a party to it and never would
have been but for mean whiskey and bad
company.
Hoping this will remedy wrong put the
blame where it belongs, and be satisfacto-
ry to the people of Va.
Respectfully
[siqned1 W LEIGH WILSON.