The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-10

Huu Hurmureu, Wv nltner Cnou goeSJ
co. and he Kept his word. Poor old
ocsogenarian JohD ]. Blair became i'll
and was unable TO attend the Republican
pow-wow.
This resulted in the greatest humilia-
tion Mr.. Gaddis ever received. General
Sewell said to him;-"Gaddis, take Blair's
credentials and vote for Harrison" and
will" But he didn't. Colonel William
Murrell, a colored man employed as
Treasury agent by the Govern
ment, put in an objection. He
had also been elected an alternate and he
claimed the credentials of Mr.. Blair. To
say that Gaddis, the big man of Newark,
was astonlshed at the audacity of the
black man would be to use a mild
expression. He was completely
dumfounded. When he did recover some
from the shock he. it is reported, shouted
with disgust:-
81 have bought many nigger like
you"
OH. GADDIs. HOW COULD YOU!
This frank confession on the part of
Gaddis of his political methods did not
meet the appreciation of his Republican
hearers In the convention. To buy votes
they may have considered extremely
proper. but to admit it was indeed
a violation of cardinal principle
introduced in the party by Quay and
Douglass. 1t is a well known fact that
two years ago when Gaddis was elected
member of the Board of Council over Or.
William N. Pindell, the Democratic
nominee was sold out. When
his first admission of having purchased
the votes. This may account for the
manner in which Gaddis was elected to
the Assembly. Murrell continued the
light for the credentials in the committee,
and at late hour last night Mr.. Gaddis
had not received them, although General
Sewell had eXerted all of his persuasion
in behalf of Gaddis.
A prominent man in Newark said to-
day: 'E. B. Gaddis never got such
blow in his life. To be defeated by
black man must be CALLING in the ex
treme to him. aud anyone who knows his
disposition will believe that Gaddis will
spend n fortune to place the "nigger"
where he will never again do him harm.
WHO MURRELL IS.
William Murrell. the negro, who claims
a residence in this county, and who
braved E. B. Gaddis, the millionaire mer-
chant of Newark, in the contest in the
of John l. Blair. has had curious
and by no means envious career.
But little of his antecedents
is known in this city, but from what l
gathered last night, Murrell claims to be
a Colonel and says he gained the title in
the rebellion, when he fought for the
Union. No one that l could find
would say this was fact,
but the negro calls himself
Colonel, and has never denied that he
was a Union soldier. 1t was said by
some people who claim to know some
thing of Murrell that he was once slave,
Sut this could not be substantated.
Murrell when he first came to this city
five years ago professed to be RepubIi
eau, and he made himself officious and
offensive by the part he took in the Re-
publican Colored Club in the last national
campaign. He gained the confidence of
his colored brethren, and it is said
he was instrumental in making q consid :
erabie portion of the colored vote in this
city friendly to Cleveland. Soon after
this number of Democrats furnished
money, and Murrell, the alleged Repubii-
can colored leader. was employed to edit
a paper called the Trumpet
MURRELL AS A DEMOCRAT.
The paper was run in the interest of the
Democratic party and was very en-
thusastic supporter of City Collector
O'Neill, for Member of Assembly. This
campaign paper had considerable in
tiuence with the colored vote in Mr..
O'Neill's district and contributed
much toward his election. This
so called Republican, not satisfied with
betraying his party in this manner, took
the stump and from the platform exhorted
his hearers to vote the Democratic ticket,
The paper died an easy death after the
election, and Murrell left the city. l was
told last night that he had secured po-
sition under the Government as Treasury
Agent at that time, and that he had
been in Washington ever since except for
one or two flying visits here. Murrell
claims to be personal friend of Senator
Arthur p. German, the great Democratic
leader, aud it is said that in Baltimore
N1x,@ fNl 1.
interest.
Murrell claims to have been a member
of the Louisiana Legislature several
times during the corrupt times of the Re-
construction. aud it is strongly intimated
that his career as legislator was such
as to make a residence in Louisiana at
present not desirable by him. This is
the man the Republican party selected
to represent New Jersey as an alternate
delegate-at-large in place of the railroad
king, John l. Blair, and for whom e. B.
Gaddis, the proud Newark merchant, was
thrust aside