Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-10
AN EXPLANATION.
WHY THAT $1,000 STANDING RE.
WARD" WAS OFFERED.
Henrietta Citizens Feel that an IrreparabIe
Injury Has Been Done Them. and
Eensure L. c. Barrett.
HENRIETTA, TEX, May I, 1891.

", 6
Editor of the Gazette.
DEAR Sir In your paper Of date, May,
6, 1891, see an extract from a letter written
by Governor Hogg to L. c. Barrett Of Hen
rietta, which is as follows:
You are authorized to announce that there
is a standing reward OF $1,000 for the arrest and
conviction OF any member OF q mob who takes
the life OF citizen: mean 10 stand by this If it
exhausts every dollar in the treasury at my
(SigneD j. s. HoGasGovernor"
Idesire, on behalf of the citfah of Hem
rietta and Clay county and at thaGequest of
many Of them, to explain in yourynaper the
true cause of this letter from pvernor
Hogg. L. C. Barrett was appointedHby the
governor to act as special judge in krtaia
lot of cases of the State of Texas vs.. VI
Morgan, wherein said Morgan stood chi
with the theft of cattle on account of J E
Miller being disqualified TO try the
he having been employed to prosecy a
cases prior to his election as Judge.
There were at first eleven Of tho ceases,
all growing out of the same u saction.
One was tried and the defendant tauitteG,
while Judge Slime was judge Id Judge
Miller was prosecuting, and ring that
time two were dismissed bY he state,
leaving eight OF said cases on docket at
the time L. C.. Barrett wa" appointed
special Judge. During the last term Of the
district court of Clay county one of said
cases was tried before said Barrett, and
after three days trial, and so soon as the
jury were charged and retired TO consider
their verdict, said Barrett, on his own
motion, changed the venue in the remaining
seven cases to Wichita county, because ''of
the lawless condition OF Clay county" Our
people felt very sore over this action OF Mr..
Barrett's, he being citizen Of the county,
and sent petition 20 Governor Hogg
signed by large number of the best citi-
Zens of Clay county, asking him to revoke
the commission of Mr.. Barrett as special
Judge in the cases, and not to appoint him
in any other cases in Clay county. We
learn that Mr.. Barrett wrote the Governor
as to his action in the matter, and also led
him to believe that there was danger of
him (BarretO being moboed by some of the
citizens OF Clay county, and for that reason
Governor Hogg wrote as above quoted
desire to say that the people of Clay
county are as law abiding class Of citi-
zens as can be found in the state, and never
for moment have they thought of mob
bling Mr.. Barrett. We do think, however,
that he has very unjustly assailed our peo-
pie and our county, and for some reason
unknown to the writer. he seems TO be de-
termined to continue his spite against the
county. and while there is no danger of his
ever being mobbed on said account, still if
he should continue to SANDER our county, L
should not be surprised if he would not re-
ceive the same reminder that was admins
tered to the Waco cores pendent of the
kansas City Sunday Sum- only few
days since at Waco. / would therefore
suggest to Mr.. Barrett that it would be
well for him to 'slet up on our county and
people, as he has already done our county
an irreparable injury.
R. D. WELBoRNK