Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-28
EN..aov. :. s. MAsks


| DEFENDS HIMSELF FROM THE ATTACKS OF
! HIs ENEMIfs he HAp NOTHING 10 DO
WITH POLK,
| x-Goy. Marks, in explanation Of his ii.
| debtedness 10 Col. Marshall L. Polk. has
| given the following letter for publication:
| WINCHESTER, TENN, February u, 1883.
| H. N. Clarke, Esq, WILDWOOD:
| MY DEAR SIR Nothing is more pleasant to me
| than the friendship of my friends and nothing
W SST Inno y t than the enmiy OF my eneie
| give you the facts you REQUEST but scornipg the
malice Of my enemies, wiz never stoop to plscate
of his works says: Ths disposition 10 beljese
| evil of men who have risen q lew degrees above
| their eotemporary Is allure of human nature as
common as it Is base and when to envy are added
fear and hatred, malicious anecdotes spring like
sion after the widest survey of human nature in ali
asss OF me Wsrd ana II he be right, then in fact
tns assaults Of ny enemies are nothing more than
upon the elevation which the partially of the
P w6iRa mas en,og gwen me- and. therefore,
TO pay the tax upon 1t without com.
plant The matter to which you refer, instead OF
OF the proudest incidents OF my life, md before
close my letter you will see my reasc for so de.
cisIing; differing from Col; Polk in my views
him one of the purest men and loftiest charscters
| in the Slate, and while his misfortune has dis
credited HIM in public esteem, yet still regard
him as the victim of subtle TEN pta tons and mot
innately dishonest man. The opinion had OF
| to show how absurd it is, II 1 had gone to Col
Polk to borrow money when quit office to infer
that knew he was violating his oath and com
mitting penitentary offense by lending H. But
the facts are not that way. l never borrowed a
dollar from him Eor never asked MIN to lend me
aware 1 owed hina . dollar To my stlrpIise he
had a demand OF s4l4. When 1t wss ex-
planet l found his demand correct. It
was determined that my wife, then and
for long time before quite feeble, should 90 to
lieTing it nay duty while in Office to accept bench
from none, had declined both for myself and
The expense this conception of duty entailed upon
me while candidate for governor and while /
performing the duties Of the ofdce, to which
severe illness of my vile, forced me from time TO
time to rely upon the generosity of my friends
Al the time referred 10 wrote my private secre-
tary TO procure tickets for my wife and attendant
aud TO let me have sufficient money to answer her
owed him the amount, but was then for the first
time informed that Col. Polk had let him have the
money ms demand With Sundry items of ex-
amount due Col. Polk. Then and there,
and and, as so soon as 1 found 1 was in
the amount due him. He said to me that he did
not need the money then, andthat might need
what money mad while resufnfng the practice of
my profession; he would wait on me- told him
would not ask him to indulge me and that vss
ready 70 pay him then, He replied that he was,
for it, and when he needed il he would call on me
Tor 1t. Under this state of facts gave him my
due BILL. Ii, III fact, he had then loaned me the
money, would have known IL could not be the
money OF the State, for the reason that at that
immediate time he had to make hts settlement
and show every dollar due the State to be In bank
Immediately l was thrown into shsrp conflict
with Col. Polk upon the one hundred -and-three
was antagonising him where he had Thousands
involved. Hence prepared myself to pay my
note the moment he made demand, but he
made no demand. The day the General AS
sembly met 1 called at his Office 10 pay him the
amount 1 owed him, but he was mot in
his Office. In few days he had fed The nsxt
Monday after his fight was in Nashville 10 argue
case in the Supreme Court. While I was in nv
room al the hotel that day, a friend of mine came
TO me and told me thas Capt. Childress had my
due-bin TO Col Polk, but no one knew the fact
bnt Capt Childress and himself of the existence
OF the due-bil, that could take it up and there
y AVOID al miseonceptlsn about the matter and
Ihat no one could ever know had owed Col
Foik save Capt. Ch1ldress and himself I said 10
him was ready to pay the note but that was
unMllllng 10 have the facts concealed from ths
public, that had never tried to conceal ANY AIT
OF mine, ana that was growing too oId 20 berin
now, BE answered me that 1t was a mere prt Taia
matter between Col Polk and myself with which