Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-08-26
THU HOUK CONCERN
What Spectator Saw and Heard.

Just after the Houk managerle effected an
organization | entered the opera-house,
where the little boss was performing Thurs
day. and witnessed an affair so remarka-
BILE in all its particulars as to merit expo
sure through the press.
| will first state that l have hitherto taken
no part in this canvass for either OF the |
Congressional aspirants, except to occa-
sonally defend Judge Houk against what |
he denominated ISLANDERS" ETC., but If the |
voters of this district could have seen and
heard what I saw and heard yesterday L
think they would have no hesitation III re-
firing Houk, forever, to that privacy which |
his disgraeeful exploits, of which he, IN
sense, publicly boasts, demands he should De
driven. 4a
Wilson Duggan, of Sewer County,
one of Houk's smallest puppets, was
chairman and all the motions-the pro
ceedinos were evidently ''cut and drled'-
were made by H. r. Gibson and W. +.
Yardley, the latter colored man OF some
prominence. who is a VIGOROUSLY cheap
piece of marketable material IN every
election.
The names of the committeeman for the
different committees had been carefully
written down probably by Houk hlmseltl
on paper and placed in the hands OF salo
evils" Duggan, who, IN compliance WIN
evident instructions, proceeded.t to read them
off and make appointments accordingly. a
noticeable feature in this connection was,
that Houk appointee headed every COM
mittee.
While the committees were out, Judge
| Te1npIe. postmaster under Houk, made
talk. in which he boosted that the people
| of this district would vote for Houk no
| matter how disgraceful his conduct
| NAV have been" Postmaster Temple
was followed by the irrepresslble 4ardley,
who uroed the election of Houk, because he
said the latter had promised to give the ne
proes preference, in selecting clerks for the
various departments in Washington, If he Is
reelected He spoke for nearly an hour,
and closed by promising all the eolored del.
egates an office, after next November II
they would elect Houk.
| will not attempt to give particulars IN
detail as to the management OF the pow
| WOW" or convention, as they called IT, but
wish to make brief allusion to l.. G.
Houk's speech before close.
He was put in nomination by the self
same Yardley above mentioned, who,
it will be remembered, the
Democrats hired to run for
Governor. six years ago, and upon call OF
counties. the said Yardley's nominee was
declared the choice of that concern for Con
gress.
Houk's speech was an imperfect and dis
connected repetition of the old harangue
he has been delivering over the district here
tofore. He denounced the ''custom house
ring in bitter terms, with but little effect
(he's worn that stale) and frantleaily STROBE
from one side of the rostrum to the other
in a vain endeavor to get up some applaus'
on those old 'sthread bare" subjects
He denounced Rules supporters and sym
pathizers as q lot of dirty rascals; said tina
the Methods, Church wa
a mean liar and traitor in that he reporte
5 Houk as saying that Garfeid's death was
J., good thing. etc; admitted that he had bee
drunk several times lately, but attempte
: to condone the offense by charging some c
his accusers with being drinking men.
referring to his little experience in til
e Washington City calaboose he said, 1T
q possibly true llow-citizens, that [ was /
the calaboose, but l tell you, before God,
S have no lecollec iono of it. A voice, &C
course not; you was too drunk.") Il &C
poisoned" he continued, land for tie
hours did not know anything under II
sun, and it may be that some OF the rasca
who poisoned me put me III the calaboo'
:, while | was unconscious. L would ha'
L made this poisoning business public lon
since. but had detectives after the murde
Gus villains VINO attempted to take my IF
and I feared that if I made it public the a
sassins would escape They slipped in
y my room and put poison in my water-glas
he and upon taking it / became unconsciou
l., and in that condition was put in the cal
If boose, if put there at all >" (This is We
T,atim report of what he said, bahD
u " This poisoning business fell ike W
ne blanket on the audience. / heard three
L. Houk's warmest supporters remark that
I'll had injured himself in fixing up that XII
:, of tale. Others seemed greatly chagrin
III to think their little boss would try to impo
1t on their intelligence to such an enormo
We extent as to try to palm off such miserab
a. lie on them. That lie abo
er getting poisoned was such an awful sho
%, to his more respectable supporters tn
Nv many began to leave the house, some iaug
ING In their sleeves and others making e
he carnations of disgust in an undertone.
D. / have always been Houk's person
ed friend, as everybody in Knoxville know
a and say, in the candor of friendship, tt
nd the weak and palpable lie about gettll
DE poisoned made me sorry for the poor ma
at Is it possible that he is driven to su
miserable expediences? Do you supp
ed he had the presumption to think he col
nd force that awful lie down
en- tbroats of honest and sensll
ch men? Really, don't you reckon
in poor man is going deranged! | have hea
nd such intimations repeatedly, and if l KIN
he such was the case, | should never cease
rn regret having thus reflected upon him.
de- he is not crazy, however, l, as an hum
voter of this district, want better explal
on ton of how and why he got III the Wa
art ington City calaboose The people WI
ent to know. 1t is charged by good author
all that he was in for drunkenness and con
S. quent profanity, and the charge is eviden
in true. He was put in jail, he staid all Nil
on. in Jail. he puked in Jail, he bawled 6
nv. rolled and cursed and blasphemed the ma
ate of God in jail, he 4;gned a receipt for
wv, pocketEknife, money, etc, in jail and Il
We an outraged and misrepresented CT
of stituency wish to know the truth, the VIII
su- truth and nothing but the truth, as to b
nd he got there. But may God forbid t
mes their intelligence and decency shall again
and .insutted by an attempt to choke them v
rul- the awful and ridiculous lie that he
We sent there while unconscious from the
lem fects of poison-other than such as is CT
mes manly found in popskul whisky
we SPECTATOR
P. S.-Since the above was write
on have talked to six ''sold" Houk men,
oted express surprise at Houk's rambling stylt
ty- speaking and loss of continuity of thouG
son and entertain the opinion that Judge d
tie, is loosing his mind. Is it excessive DIR
1t is ing that caused it, or is it heriditory
OF sanity
ele ----1---- ----- ------
IFS