Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-24
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
RICHMOND, September 25. 1884.

RICHMOND. September %. 1881. }
Hon. +. 8. Blair, Attorney Generaiof Vir-
1in;o, Richmond:
Dear Sir,-On my return from Bristol on
| last Monday l found your letter OF the
10Th instant, to which l reply at this my
| first moment Of leisure.
IL it had not concluded with the state
ment that .as fair-m!nded man you
deemed it due" to both OF us to put me
"in possession OF the real facts OF the case,
so that unjusiifiable criticism may not be
pronounced," | might not have deemed it
necessary to reply. But IS silence might
lie thought 10 commit me 10 the CORRECTNESS,
Of your statement, | beg leave TO submit
the following as my version OF the case:
On The order OF mandon,uS itse'f re-
cites that you were not present when it
SAYS: "But 10 which said rule the
rule rcturnable I'd September-' answer
has been made"
(2) 1.-The court certifes that" 1t was
shown by the evidence that the matter
in dispute In this cause exceeds. exclusive
Of costs, the value Of $500, and is les, than
the valCe OF 5000. This shows that il
there was no oral argument on either side
in the case, there ,cdS oral evidence intro
duced by the plaintiff without rebuttlns
evidence bv the defendant.
(3j There ,odS rebutting evidence at hand
by which the Board OF Commissioners Of
the Sinking Fund think they could have
secured an appeal without difficulty.
az In consequence OF the absence OF the
counsel for the defendant, the mdnd1muS
ia all these cases was made absolute. Upon
this state OF facts the Board OF Commission
ers OF the Sinking Fund. in your absence,
engaged Colonel w. w. Gordon as their
counsel, aud through him made application
to Judge Hughes for rehearing OF the
cases. This he declined to grant. and
therefore the Board OF Commissioners OF
the Sinking Fund began to fund the cou.
rons, and continued to do so until they
suspended the work by your advice on the
18th Of this month.
(0l This was done at your suggestion
that you could get an appeal in these
cases; and it was reported, on my
return from the Southwest, by my col
Leagues Of the Sinking Fnud Com
mission that you bad told them that you
were going TO Washington 10 procure this
appeal. Butthough that understanding was
had on the 18th OF this month, aud the
papers-st least the Whig-had a report OF
your return from Washington. you have
not informed the Board, or any member OF
it. OF the success or failure OF your effort.
G) In consequence OF your absence on the
ID September, and your continued alb
sence up TO the 18th Ct September. and
your absence, or presumed absence, from
the city on Yesterday the Board OF Com.
missoners Of the Sinking Fund. have en-
guged, and still retain and propose to re-
tain for the future in these and all other
mand0mgS cases that have occurred. or
thai NAV occur. the services Of Colonel w.
W. Gordon. TO which suppose you have
no objection. And this engagement ex-
tends TO any rehearing that Judge Hughes
may see lit to grant on the reconsideration
OF his prior refusal, or to ANY appeal that
may lie accorded 10 you.
"a will add. in order TO make my stale
ment complete, That as president OF the
Board Of Sinking Fund Commissioners, CO.
reciaiIy charged by nv colleagues with
attending 10 these cases. | have used due
diligence to have the Commonwealth prop
eTy represented in court. When the writs
following the first peremptory p,GndGmWS,
John p. Faure as. Commonwealth, were
served OH me | took them, along with Il list
OF them, TO your Office on the day OF service,
| the 14th Of August. and offered them to
YOU. You requested me TO keep them, aud
did so. then had other interviews with
| YOU from time TO time. and on Friday, Az
| gust 18th, | went TO your Office 10 see what
was 10 be done on the following Tuesday.
September ID. when the wriis were return.
| able. In your absence YOUR clerk, Mr.. X.
| ID. Ward, told me TO make myself perfectly
easy; that the cases would all be attended
to without further agency OF nine; that
| Judge HugteS had said there ,cdS cas-. ~
| UOluirg an amount iGrqer than $1,000 On
orh'ch an appeal could be taken or 'c0uld he
| taken. and that all the other cases ,-Ould
,cdii he decision Ofhot.
! | took ii for granted YOU would attend
aud take advantage Of that on TIE I'd OF
| September, and when | found you
had not appeared. | consulted Governor
| Cameron. who at once teegraphed you TO
! come at oRce TO Richmond. which YOU failed
! 10 do, aud an order WAS made in oil the
cases, which, a. understand il, cot off ap-
peal; aud hence an application FOR re-
hearing made, az have said through
| Colonel Gordon, md 10y direct message
! borne to judge Hughes by The Treasurer,
! Nj. Isaac X. Bark>dale.
do not say your absence cannot be slt-
/ isiaotorly explained, or that YOU had No
assurance from Judge Hughes to justify Mr..
! Wards assurance 10 me- OF your absence.
| But know nothing Of that. | only give
! the facts Of which am personally cogni-
zsnt.
Very respectfully, your obedienf servant.
FRANK &. RuFFIN.
Second Auditor. and President Of Board
q Commissioners Of Sinking Fund,