Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-26
Interview with Mr.. RrekeI.


| Mr.. Krekel on Friday evening, and not find
! ing him at the brewery was led to believe
! that he was at home. Accordingly he pro-
ceeded thither, and found the gentleman
! smoking his after-dinner cigar at his resi-
! dence on Tennessee street. The scribe I'M
| bosomed himself OF his mission, and soon
! learned that Mr.. Krekel was willing to talk
! about the gross and offensive libel on the
! people OF Memphis. He said that he had
| many times desired the author of the
offensive and lying letter to speak, but he
| had never done so, and felt that it was no
| longer incumbent on him to maintain a
| silence which had Injured him in his bust
ness in the past and might be brought up at
any time in the future. The first question
the reportorial riheman fred at him was:
"You, of course, remember the letter signed
/ Southern Democrat published in the Ara-
| lanche on July II, 1880"
! "Yes"
"Did you take that letter to the editor of
| the AudIaHche,"
81 did"
ITO whom did you deliver il?"
"Well, l met Colonel Nichols and Mr..
! Thompson there together, and l handed it to
the former"
"What did Colonel Nichols say?"
"He read it over and said: Il suppose this
| is intended as a reply to an article in the
APPEAL attacking Eaton and Bigelow, and
other candidales?'
THE AUTHOR.
"Who gave you the letter."
~ was going home on Saturday night and
stopped at Marsh's shoe store for few min
utes. While standing there, Mr.. l.. B. Eaton
came up and asked me it | was not pretty
we'll acquainted with Colonel Nichols, of the
Aualanche. ! replied that / was. He said
he wanted me to do him a favor; that he
IL,
he asked me if would not take a communi-
cation to the Avalanche, to appear in Sum
days issue. He took manuscript from his
pocket and gave it to me to read. 1t IN
his handwriting. l started to read the COM
muuicatiOn, but he said, Let me read it, as
you are not familiar with my handwriting
| took the communication when he had fin
ished, and he said, i will wait for you Ask
him to put it in, but don't let my name be
known. If he won't publish it, bring it back
to me- ! then delivered it as | have already
told you. Colonel Nichols was in favor OF
publishing it, but Mr.. Thompson was not.
Nichols then read it over again, and said,
ooh yes, we will let this go in;
WE WILL HAVE SOME FUN
over it, told Nichols that wanted him to
understand that l didn't urge him to publish
it, if he was not Inclined. He said, we will
publish it. | didn't tell him who the author
was. | returned to Eaton, who asked me to
keep quiet, and mention the matter to no
one"
'The letter raised Cain, didn't it?"
at created great stir. On Sunday l re-
manned at home, but went up town Monday.
| heard so much about it that / went to see
Thompson Monday night about o'clock.
told him l did not want my name mentioned
in the matter at all. He said that it should
not be; to go up stairs and see Colonel
Nichols, who would attend to it. Thompson
was very much worried over the publication.
Nichols told me to rest perfectly assured,
that the Avalanche would protect me- Tues
day word vas sent me that Nichols wanted
TO see me most urgently. l called on him,
and he said
THE PRESSURE
on him to divulge was too strong for him,
and he would have to give the author. He
asked me for his name. | said ! was not the
author, and that the communication was
given TO me under promise of secresy. He
said he must have the name, and ! asked Tor
time to see my man and get his consent to |
divulging his name. ] hunted for Eaton
everywhere, and found him at last on the
bluff at some political meeting. He was
then running for county trustee. We went |
to the Avalanche building and l called |
Nichols down, but did not tell him Eaton |
was the author. Eaton requested him not to |
say anything about it the next morning, but |
to wait till We saw the author OF il, and he J
thought he could get his consent to use the /
name. Nichols promised that he would |
mention neither Of our names in connection /
with it, and We left. Eaton told me he /
thought he could
GET FELLOW TO SHOULDER IT.
| had no objection To his screening himself |
SO long a. it relieved me. We went to see a |
man named Gill after We left Nichols that |
night, and he said he would assume the re- /
sponsibility Tor the article, and Eaton 4
accordingly drew one up for him, which Gill |
copied in bis own handwriting. I have |
Gill'-~ GTslt OF it still in my possession. |
Next morning / was going up town | was |
hailed TWO or three times as The Southern |
Democrat and on looking at the Avalanche /
l found a paragraph conspicuously at the !
head Of the first column on the first page of /
the paper, stating that the public might as 1
we'll know that the card signed Southern 4
Democrat" was brought to the Office bv
Theodore Krekel.
I CONTAINED TO NICHOLS
Of the way he had treated me, but he got |
out OF it by saying he had not stated that | |
was the author of 1t. GilPs card, in which |
he stated that he was responsible for the 1
article, was published in the APPEAL and 1
4 IA anche, and the night before he packed up .
his baggage and went to Cincinnati. He was
paid, / think, to act a- he did, though l did |
not see Eaton give him any money. The
Gill story did net wash well, however, and