Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-09-08
The Massey Bribery Charge Cleared Up.
YOUNG VS.. PARA QUESTION OF We
RACITY.

OONu O4Oh1s 49, I
August 2lst. 1882. :,
Mr.. Editor, Having seen the state.
ments of Edmund PAR, of Patrick, and
Amos Dickerson, OF Floyd, and also Mr..
Massey g explanation of the matter. feel
it nv duty to make public "facts"
which came under my observation in regard
to the charges. Mr. Parr says.
<"A sense of party, II not Of public. duty
lmpels me to make this statement: went
to Richmond q member of the house OF
Delegates from Patrick Mr.. John E. Mas
seys political and personal friend. He was
my choice for the United States Senate in
side of the party and its caucus, and dur
ing the active canvass Of members at Rich
mOnd preceding the caucus nomination.
and when all manner OF efforts las Was
generally KNOWN we're put on foot by MT
Massey and his partiZans to secure suf-
6clent number of the party to leave the
caucus and to join the Observation-Disclosures
to elect him, I saw Mr.. Massey frequently.
One evening, Just preceding the caucus
nomination, l met Mr.. Massey at the door
of the tea-room of the American. After
assuring me IN pleasing terms of his con.
fidence in my friendship and my Partially
for his candidacy, he said : "Help me all
you can, and if you need any money you
can get 1t you can get as much as five
hundred dollars if you want it," L was 50
startled and COMPOUNDED at this suggestion
that made no reply, and left him lmme-
diately. l really felt 80 humilitated in my
own esteem to have been thus approached
that for some time did not mention this
matter to any one.
"When Mr.. Massey came to assist upon
his nomination to TIE authorship upon his
own arbitrary terms, and when the atmos-
phere was pregnant with all manner OF
suggestions as to bribery of members
when committee of the Senate was en-
gagged in an investigation of the conduct
of some officer of the Senate against whom
were charges Of an attempt to bribe men,
bers, 1 made known to Mr. Amos Dicker-
son. the member from Floyd, what Mr..
Massey had said to me in the hve-hundred-
dollar matter giving him the case and
circumstances as previously stated.
"Mr. Dickerson promptly said he would
abandon MIR. Massey that he would not
give his support to any man who would
thus approach q member of tie Legis'
ture.
s'Subsequently, and during the tedious
contention over the authorship nomlDa'
ton, Mr.. Massey, hearing that Mr.. Dick
erson had abandoned him, called on Mr..
Dickerson to know why he was no longer
standing by him. Mr.. Dickerson frankly
gave Mr.. Massey the reason by telling him
what I had made known to him in the
matter of the five hundred dollars.
Mr.. Massey denied that he had offered
any one any money. On beng so advised
by Mr.. Dickerson, l went with him to
Mr.. Massey's Office, and there. to Mr..
Massey's face, and in the presence of Mr..
Amos EickersOn, l repeated the statement
I bod m Mr. ninkora0n Of hia mr.
Massey 81 proposal to me, in effect: Help
me all you can, and if you need $500 you
can get it,
Mr.. Massey then and there admitted to
having spoken to me, but said his purpose
was, as 1 was poor man, to offer me a
bear in mind, the conversation which,
$50 startled and confounded" Parr that
he 'made no reply" and which $50 humil-
lated him" he ''did not mention the mat
ter to any one,' took place just preceding
the caucus to nominate candidate for
the United States Senate.
Parr leaves every one to balieve who
reads his letter that after this time he had
no further use for Mr.. Massey and never
did anything in support of him afterwards.
| know very well the night Riddleberger
was nominated that Mr.. Massey's most ir
innate friends met in his room, at the
American Hotel. to consult as to wha.
was best to be done.
Among those present was Edmond Parr
of Patrick, who said openly that he would
vote for Mr.. Massey either in caucus or
out of it; that if we had sufficient num-
Der with the aid of the FuDders to elect
Mr. Massey, he was ready and willing 10
go into it, but that he did not want to fail
and leave US in hopeless minority. Does
this look like Mr.. Parr was very much
"humiliated" or disguised to any great ex-
tent, when he was thus planning to defeat
Riddleberger with Mr. Massey up to thu
very moment the caucus met to nominate
candidate for the United States Senate?
Nor is this ALL Mr.. Parr stood firm for
Mr.. Massey throughout the contest for the
authorship and voted for him / think on
every occasion. | was nob'in the caucus
the night Allen was nominated, but Mr..
Parr told me he voted for Massey. .
l had frequent conversations with Mr..
Parr about this time, aDd he always said
he Was Massey man. and that he thought
him the best man in the State, and would
him elected to the United States Senate,
and thought surely there could be no OBJ
lection to making him Auditor. Can any
reasonable man now believe the charge
brought against Mr.. Massey?
Mr.. Parr and myself we're summoned
before the investigating committee. my
understanding was that Mr.. Parr went
before the committee. / knew be left his
seat and said he was going, but it is
claimed by some that he did not go) A
few moments before he (Parr) left his seat
to 90 before the committee las thought J
he told me that he did not know anything
against Mr.. Massey; that Massey had new
er limited such thing as Offering money
to him for his vote or to get other votes,
and that he did not believe that any such
proposition had been made to any one.
Parr says this offer of money was made
to him during the acknowledgements, which
was in December. Why was it then that
(Parr) was such strong friend of Mr..
Massey all the winter and testified before
the committee-if my memory serves me
right Il have not the printed evidence be-
fore me)-late in the session that Mr..
Massey never offered him any money!
l think these charges we're after
thoughts concocted near the end of the
session of the LEGISLATURE after Parr had
put IN the Boss's collar. What wonder
full effect it has on man to put on Boss
Billy's collar. 1t must be charged with
electricity. AS Mr.. Dickerson. of Floyd,
has endorsed Parr's statement. 1t will not
BE- amiss to say few words in regard To
him
Mr.. Dickerson was a persistent Mass,
man until very few days before the el+c-
tinn of Allen as Auditor. When l saw
Dickerson was getting off on the other
siGe, asked him what was the matter and
if he was going to forsake the old man
(meaning Massey. He said he guessed he
would have to, as he Massey would No,
submit to the caucus. and he had seen one
or two leading men when at home who told
him that it would not do to go against the
caucus for Massey. Mr.. Dickerson said
MI Massey was good man and the peo-
pie wanted him for Auditor, and that he
Massey did not yield to the caucus and
let us elect him.
These were the reasons assigned for his
change from Massey, but thought, from
the company be was keeping about that
Time, that there were other tn ngs that
bad more influence over his mind than
what two or th ee m en- had said at homo