Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-09-01
Called to Time by Ghancery
Clerk Jones of Claiborne.
Who Charges Him With With
holding Money Due His
Claiborne Constituents.
An Interesting Performance at
Port Gibson not on the
Printed Bills.
Col. Hooker Offers an ENplana-
ton That Doesn't Fully
Explain.
From the Port Gibson RcreInc !

| 4 rom tl6 lOtt NillNOn NCVtliie.
To THE PUBLIC In the court house
last Friday night after the speaking,
a public controversy, not of my seek
ing, arose between Col. Hooker and
myself. | learn that distorted versions
of that alteration are current, repre-
senting me as having first and without
provocation assaulted the gentleman in
order to damage his candidacy. 1t is
said also that | was silenced and put
to confusion. All then present know
these statements to be untrue but
| for the information Of others and in
my own justification | here relate the
facts as they actually occurred
The last sentence of Col. Hooker's
! speech was in words of this import
ii have heard that some person or per
sons are circulating reports to the eff
feet that | have received 5000 from
congress to pay my costs incurred in
the contest made by Mr.. Kernaghau,
and that have not paid them, which
reports | would characterize with a
word of one syllable il it were not for
the presence of these ladies'" Though
astonished by Col. Rockers assurance,
| rose and said in substance:
my friends, | will not let this accuse.
|
added to the injury he has done me and
46 other citizens, residing in all parts
of this county. -Four years ago, in the
Kernaghan contest, in behalf of Col
Hooker | summoned more than 80 wit
nesses, residing in all parts of the coun-
ty, to appear and testify. That | and
my deputy had laid aside all our work
and for two weeks had devoted our
time exclusively to taking down in
writing the testimony of IA witnesses,
and when completed | took the money
out OF my pocket TO express it to the
speaker of the house of representatives.
That attached to these depositions was a
detailed fee bill OF costs, giving the
name of each witness, his per diem and
mileage. That some Of these witness
es had Travelled more than 20 miles and
had been in attendance days, but
were allowed per diem of only one
day at 75cts. That while l recognized
the fact that Col. Hooker was individu-
ally responsible for these costs, / new
er demanded them of him until after
| saw in the newspapers that congress
had appropriated 5000 for their pay
ment. Thereupon had addressed Col
Hooker a respectful letter saying ~
see congress has made the appropria-
ton for the payment OF your costs in
the Kernaghan contest. | am daily
importuned by the witnesses for their
fees and would be pleased il you will
see that our fees are paid and | en-
closed in this letter an itemized bill OF
costs. Col. Hooker has revcr answered
that letter until tonight. Sometime
after Mr.. Martin came to my office and
said Col Hooker has sent me a check
for my fees, and if you will write him
at Jackson congress was adjourned
and Col. Hooker was at home) he will
send you a check" | wrote to Col.
ter sent third itemized bill of costs.
letter until tonight When congress
re-assembled l wrote Col Hooker
again, at Washington, saying possibly
my letter to Jackson had miscarried !;
that the witnesses were clamoring for
their fees; that they knew that the APP
preparation had been made; and that
Mr.. Martin had been paid that many
of them were poor men dependent on
their daily labor; and l thought they
were inclined to believe that | was in
fault and to please remit" With this
| enclosed fourth itemized cost bill
Col. Hooker tonight for the first time,
has answered that letter. After this
last letter, | again wrote to Col. Hook
er saying ''if you will pay the witnesses
their fees you may retain my fee." 7
made the proposition to avoid the hui
initiation felt in answering the inqui-
ries made of me by the witnesses. Not
until tonight has Col Hooker conde-
! scended to answer any of my letters,
and to night he is pleased to say that
the reports that he has not paid those
claims are false. You have heard his
reply to all nay letters. Is his answer
satisfactory or becoming to his position
or his audience 1 say positively that
Col. Hooker has my money and the
money of 46 other good and worthy cit
liens of this county in his pocket.
Money paid him in trust for us. Mon
ey that he can lay no claims to in law,
equity or good conscience. Col. Hooker
has taken all of his appropriation of
$1,000 and, judging from my experience
he has not paid out one dollar in the
way of costs +"
Col. Hooker replied in about these
words: II have receipts in my hands,
(hOlding up large official envelope,)
accounting for every cent of the $1,000
and have not retained one single cent.
| have never received but one letter
from Mr.. Jones ON this matter. The
costs of that contest aggregated about
$4,000, so all the claims could not be
paid. Among the claims paid | rec
olleet to have paid Mr.. Dodds here
$3.50; paid Mr.. Martin $3.50; / paid
my son for representing me before the
committee of the house $3.50. The re-
ceipts for the entire $1,000 are in this
envelope, which any one may inspect.
And do hope the good people, my
friends of Port Gibson, see that / am
not unjustly assailed tonight"
IrejOined in these words: "My let |
ters all go in my official envelopes, all |
of which have on them my return card |
and for ten years can say that have /.
never mailed letter in one of these
envelopes that has not been answered, |
or the original returned to me except |
in your case. Why did you not reply |
to that one letter? It was couched in /
respectful and business language and I
enclosed my iteinized cost bill What |
law of fair, honest dealing authorized |
you to take money out of one pocket
and put it into another, and say that /
you have paid your son, and leave !!
those claims unpaid Don't good con-
science and the law demand that if the
money was insufficient tohave paid all
these claims in full, that they should
have been prorated and paid all alike