The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-02-21
NEW LIGHT
Thrown on the Plummerville Affair.
Charges of tho Late Mr.. Clayton
and Mr.. Breckenridge Answer.
Clayton Insists That the Ballot-Box
Was Stolen by Democrats
And That They Wcre Undoubted
Partisans OF Mr.. Breckenridge.
Mr.. Breckenridge, on tho Other Hand,
Corrects Claytons Statements, and
Furthermore says That Clay
toms Partlsans Stole tho Box.

Correcta Clay toms Statements, aud
Furthermore says That Clay
toms Partisans Stole tho Box.
sr, LOUIS, Mo-, Feb. Ca Globe Dcm-
orrdi Washington special says: The mem
bcrs OF the House Committee on Elec-
tons have before them the charge which
Col. Clayton mado about tho Plummcr-
vile ballot-boX theft. They have also
Mr. Brrckinddgc's answer. Charge and
and answer taken together seem to throw
new light upon the motives Of the ass1ssi-
nation. Col. Clayton's declaration about
the theft was rs follows:
! That ut the prruut OF Howard. In the county
~ conway, iu said sUcund District your parti,nns
prevented two OF the regular judges OF lection
ll93 performing lhcit duil q, judge, ul election on
by the maud, iorcc aud violence OF yuur purtisaus
thrust two ol Your mttiaus No. the places ol said
| regular Judges ut election, that after thus syz,ug
AMI usutpug the plluys ui the two regular ludgcsoi
election the polls were, hy Nuur pnrl,aus, declared
open at @id pryiuct that, updu betting displaced
ly the iIrcc. fraud and yip.ruuc ui your partisans
| the two regular Judges of election made mn attempt
| 20 hold tic election ana were pr,Ncnlcd nom
vi arrest aud imprisonment that NJ the polls Ia
| Howard ltccinutaiofcaid siN hundr,d aud ninety.
! seven ,gll VOTES Wyr' cast that oi this uumh2rI
| Wcciycd Nix hundred aud twenty four 900;
| that bvinrc said votes wcrc counted BY
! the JUDGES aud clerks Of election your
e n ,b,r N W, ,n s' sSI .,b pI Ce ,S sn'T
said township were with drWn p,0hcr In their
hand, announced they would show the pcrr0ns
County demanded the ballot box aud TOLL books.
uui under IA At OF death t resistance va, made
iyvN ihv h.u"I boy aud pol books ui slid town
.hp from tuu custody Of ouc of the Judges Of cleo
ton uud ONE ut thc suroN iurs ut said election ap.
/ punnd unagr sua tu ouuiumity to th' laws ~ the
huNU not h,yu seen since Nuur Yattlsnus srifyd aud
carried uid ballot box and poll hooks away.
| l fhtll ulHim and demand that snd six hundred
aud tWput, four lbIu votes received ut sHid elcc-
/ ton in snil township. which Wyw stolen hy your
plriislns which have not set been counted Tor me,
! hc allowed me on contest
In rcply, MIR Brcckinrilgc admits tho
crime, but charges that the Republicans
pcrpclratcd II, aud proceeds 10 construct
an Argument In support OF his theory. lilo
/ SAYS
That the ballot b,, and poll books worl taken I
/ admit nlsn admit that they wtrc uacu leluro
said votes wrrp counted or tic INSULT Hs,rriaincd
/ D ndmt that nl y,idoucr, ui this vote vere 70
| taken upHu "a domud aurr dark ut about isrk,
| when trN uvup'v wore nfuuud. supported Ny iuut
ur mote mvu mAfkgd nud armed. nud violent
Va m.ig gga ,t 4 dgn, va, 'ac Total vote
/ that your vote wa. dA huulnl uni twenty
four W.N do noi Wtt4l - ny how
hos much o.. iour iufo vas further han 10 az
that tIr ovid "urU ui n4Uut tuuus notably tho
vote we. .iti Geo nn yep mI' aui which. 10 part at
/ least ratr something ui pur.' tgsi, shows that
! tHr iHIh vote WIS hut Iiti.g ut.I.N huniWd 900
| .sIN hUulul lul ih.rt big ..H' nui thai % this
! tuIH slIUHu 90 tHH r..uIHr U.mu. rfug candidates
I r.H vIfrl nearly one hall Huu tHmv rriNrd Ck'
/ aptly our hl't aud hm Informed that the
/ Integrity ui That y .iHu Wus yun0cicd. ]
| au tud that tbc Democratic vote Il not
usually lurEn. and hg1gu DO MOT rh1fgg het your
| p.Bim that my vote Wa NOT Ht much ls halt I
believe that sou rul Wurr votes no ths lUx than
did. hut rrui,s. against 1uur claim uron the
| inaccurate. uul which lnu yourself sil'" was All
| taken IHi.rr snll votes were counted. sud which
yuu iufibpI stI hal uui bygu lvlrl irlm since.
| taken HN UHU'saUa Hl WIur Hui charge that thcy
Wru iukyu hi IuriI.1u ~ ,uur. Your r1ftifans
,ui.as place ani at the county sat iI1i uic vote
Doc thls but should never De- Dnuui9l urmocmY
caHl voting ut this bny The election uhcsu
uf Doe county Wrw almost ouury Of your
party ~ every pr 'uri your party bod
| uus r,rIuDl aud boo spIu, of the townships
| Che uymugrlr, dIl noe tHEg Single ulrinI tufc.
sentative lnnt lat,',w wgrg gn.gt 2" SUSPECT
| now. in1W their evident SCENT rIUu 90 He con.
tents Che, found In tn huS after hgy bad taken
| IshiIl all ihft in some hif aud rrnper way tho
vote that was actually aud lawfully east no THIS huN
o. a.orfiauri. aud that you ig allowed ihnt uhich
wHs lawfully ysi iHf luu lud hHt bg allDWCi that
! which wus lawfully o,st ior noe.
Such, then. was the Democratic theory
| OF the stealing Of the balot.buN theft
/ Congressman lircckinudgu had SOLEMN ~
/ declared that Republicans stole the box,
and hal given reasons for o. u was only
/ natural after ihig Chat the assassin should
/ ay tu himself while plotting thD foul
decd. "Ihr murder VII boz Laid uu tic
| Republicans who stole She box He
. went ahead aud killed Clayton. lm-
| mrdiatrly everybody said thy crime had
| boon pprpptfaicl hy those who stole tho
| IaIlut.hnN. but instead OF sticking 90 their
nnt position that Republicans stole the
box. Congressman Breckenridge and his
friends abandoned chat It once as uutcna-
bile. The shield furnished boy the answer
a. Col. Claytuns charge, aud behind which
the assassin thought hc would be- safe from
suspicion. suddenly lCll 90 pieces.
II deny that the poll books anil ballot.
box Wpr' taken hy pIul Of mine, aud
charge that they were taken 10y rariisans
oI yours" said Mr. lifyr0uudgc.
IL nuYtdnirult i0 Imagine tl' opera
tIuua uI the murlyvTs mind, starting
with that declaration of h.s tUrrrssmln.
NuI as lhc contest proceeded Nr brrcN-
iuriIsy's attorney J.'ul upon THIS theory.
When they went to r.ummcrlc 90 mko
evidence CLAYTON cuuirutyl himself with
iH.Efrs witnesses how 'huy h1l voted But
tbr attorney lot BwchurIigc pressed
us inquiries hard Boz tho direction
OF uucpycfing the theft ul tho
hgIlot.boX, asking each witness what ho
know about that, and conveying the idea
THAT Republicans were considered fcspon-
sb'o Tor It, Az ihi. up doubt had It's
effect upon The mind of tuo assassin. lilo
irIt moro certain than ever that tie MUIR
der would bo laid 90 the haIloi-box
thieves. and that Republicans alone
would De- h.id responsible Tor that
crime Thus reasoning, Doc Crcpt up 10 tho
window. waited hIs opportunity and tItd.
IlouGrl uy the death oi his llcud, Mr.
Irrkuudsr throw bis pleading 20 the
winds aud wauIully admitted the only
probable explanation Of ihc theft Of tho
box. and with !, thc ou.y plausible theory
ior the assassination liut the mischief
had been done lhp impression hcrc -
that the assassin long ago DruEscl Tie Ar
kansas line and s nov ia thc Indian Ter
ntDry