The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-07-31
McDOWELL'S DEFENSE.
He Reviews the Americans Charges,
In Lengthy Argument.

Ill IL LtHSLHI Al uHtOhOs
TUESDAYS Banner contains a four col
umn argument by j. ii. Mcdowell III
answer TO the Americans second at
tack. 1t is well written and contains
some pretty plain talk, but 1t Is mostly
talk. lie does not attempt to contro-
vert the Americans charges or impeach
its witnesses, except by argument anu
abuse, not by proof.
lie adheres To his original assertion
that it is all u conspiracy, and is very
severe in his denunciatiOn OF reporter
Anderson. He denies that he used any
intimidation or bribery to procure his
VindicaCiOn, and says he can prove that
one of his witnesses was offered $ZOO To
deny his statement: says ne olu not
receive any dispatch from Green, and
that his total expenses going To ana
from Arkansas aud while there, were
less than $50. Says fifteen of the Amer
leans witnesses denied their state
mentS, while only one OF his goes back
on him. Says Jones owns Il farm of his
own, and acts as agent for MS brother
Wallace more for accommodation than
other wise, and has always stated the
same facts. He accounts for Jones' let
ter being in his Nc DOwell's) handwrit-
ing, by saying that he copied everything
ami Kept the original under lock anu
kew. He denies the attempt to leave
the impression on the public mind that
some of his witnesses were white when
in fact they were colOred, and says the
head lines will show that they appeared
under the following head: "tlulte
number of colOred MEN made the fol-
IOwingistatements." Heiadmits TINS was
not the case as to "Senator Bell" but
SAYS this WAS an unintentional mistake.
He states that none of the witnesses
say he attempted to bride or intlmldate
them. That this ~ the voluntary state
ment of the Americans correspondents.
He denies carrying the Winchester ex-
cept when in Wynn's neighborhOod,
and did il then because he knew his
life was in danger. In regard to his OLD
debts, says he intends TO pay them.
That the reason he left them unpaid
was because of an overflow which imam
ciallY ruined him at that time.
He produces letters from L. J. Wat
kins, OF Brighton, Tenn, NJ. Stroud, OF
Watson, Ark, and Judge Greer, OF
Memphis, rs additional witnesses for
his character. Also from Mrs. Malpass,
j. I'll. Anderson and Mrs. Matte Moore:
In regard to the mass-nIeeting 1T Red
Fork he says that the slBners were
composed of fifteen of the Americans
witnesses, while eighteen of the others
were not residents of the county when
he lived there. He says the meeting
was called by Peoples, Wynn ana 9TH
ers to sustain themselves. He scharges
several of the signers by name as being
gamblers, saloon-k eepers, cock-tght-
ers," and such like, and claims that IN
stead of owning three fourths or the
land of the county they own about a
tenth. He closes his argument as Iol-
lows:
The foregoing facts are submitted to
the public without waiting tor addi-
tional evidence, which L feel assured
on account of the inherent weakness OF
the Americans last so called "expose,"
are sufficient to satisfy any impartial
mind, that the attack of the American
was not only unwarranted and mali
cIous, but that it has wholly failed
either to accomplish it's purpose to sus-
tain its former charges, or in the slight
est degree to effect my standing and
character, politically or otherwise.