Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-21
aaired so far as l know in this connec-

Respectfully, DECATUR Axrrrr.
Mr.. Axteli's letter was certified 10 nv
MT IL. Taylor. Jr. notary public.
SPENCER COULDN'T COME.
Al this point Sergeant Arms Weaver
handed the following telegram ,,p,ch
was read and made n part OF the record
NEW YORK, December 10. 1898.
j. T. Weaver. Sergeant-at.Arme Rich.
mond. Va.
your message received at q o'clock this
morning IL is impossible for mo Ia GO
70 Richmond, and know nothing what
ton. eprWcsN
MT. Spencer is one OF the receivers OF
the Richmond and Danviile railroad.
MR. WINTERS EXPLANATION.
Mr.. George w Mlnter, who WAS 70.
ierred TO by Mr.. Isaac Diggs in his testi.
ihony Tuesday evening, asked the privi.
lege or making personal statement. lie
Sa'1 ne mad invited number OF gentle
men 20 General Lees headquarters prior
10 the caucus. among whom was MIR
Digs This was not at the solicitation
OF state Senator Sands and the witness
denied that he told Mr.. Diggs that Mr.
Sands sent for him. He knew that Gene
raj Lees friends were anxious to talk
with MT Diggs, as he had been regarded
AZ Lee man. Mr.. Minter also denied
that he took Mr.. Dlggs into a room ad-
Joining General Lees headquarters and
offered him drink.
Judge Green's Statement.
Judge Bergman Green, OF Danville.
was observed in the chamber. and was
Invited TO take the witness chair. II
will be remembered that Judge Green
having authorized Mr.. Royal 10 give
him as the author of the letter pub
lished In last Sundays Times, 10 which
State-Chairman Ellyson took exception.
was telcgraphe1 to, and replied that he
would come here at once. Being asked
by Chairman Nicol to state what he
knew in regard to the investigation, the
Judge said
Il desire to say first that do not know
OF any improper use of money or other
means 10 influence the election Of United
States Senator from Virginia | have
never had any knowledge OF such i'm
proper means being used whatever.
have heard reports and OF course l
have read the newspapers. and ! have
frequently talked with different persons
who believed and said that they did
believe there was improper use OF money.
but none of theu ever knew of their
personal knowledge.
AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE.
MY object In coming before the com
mittee has been rather 10 make personal
explanation OF my relation To "a paper
than anything else, | am the author OF
the article signed 'Civis' and dated at
Danville Va. December 18th. That ar
ticle contained three allegations. The
first. In reference to the Times and the
public mind in regard TO the Times. The
second. In reference to the matter before
this committee and the management OF
the case. l will say that II was written,
rs the committee we'll know. upon Sat
urday. II was written after ] had only
seen the papers OF Friday. In the paper
that | saw IL was only mentioned that
Mr. WithrOw. Mr.. Withers, and Mr.. Bin
ford hid been summoned. l did not
think that they could give testimony
OF any bribery, and | did not think the
investigation would be satisfactory to the
people Of Virginia, and certainly would
not be satisfactory TO my mind If these
three gentlemen were the only witnesses.
CONVINCED OF HIS ERROR.
con Sunday morning l received the
Sunday papers ana was at once convinced
OF the error of my opinion in regard To
the object and intention Of the committee
10y It's summOning a number of other Wit
ncsses. I was satisfied that | had been
hasty in writing that article. l have no
reason 10 suppose that there has not been
every witness here who the committee
thought could furnish information. IL /
had known Of any sUmmonses except for
the three witnesses named l would not
have written that section OF that article.
REFERENCE TO MR.. ELLYSON.
The third section referred 10 Mr.. j..
T. Ellyson.'
This section was as follows:
ITO this end beg 10 say that there are
rumors in this section OF the State that
Mr.. J Taylor Ellyson, our party leader.
has declared that IL ia absolutely neces-
sary for the Legislature to elect Mr.. Mar
tin To the United States Senate and give
the railroads what they ask for, as the
railroads furnished most Of the money
with which ne conducted the last cam
paign. II this be true the people should
know II. and / suggest that the commit
tee summon Mr.. Ellyson and inquire as
to the facts
In this connection Judge Green said:
THAT statement 1 had heard dozen
or more times from prominent Democrats
in my section Of the country / had
heard II stated time and again, and l
thought IL due TO the Democratic party
and l. q member Of that party, who
have worked for It for years, felt that I
had a right to demand that that should
be investigated"
Continuing, he said he thought railroad
influence and railroad money were not
the proper sort Of things. and as a Dem
ocrat he felt II was improper for the
Democratic party to take railway funds
at all and for that reason he wanted
the matter investigated.
WAS ALL HEARSAY.
THAT statement" said the Judge. rs
L., ,fFxFf
He then referred TO the person from
whom he heard the rumor. saying that
ne had written to him In regard 10 the
matter. that the party had acknow-
lodged having told him of the rumor,
but could not remember who Informed
him. The man TO whom the Judge re-
ferred declined to allow the Judge to
let his name go before the committee.
IL am. therefore" said Judge Green,
'in a position of either exposing the
names Of gentlmen who do not desire
their names exposed, or OF assuming
whatever responsibility attaches 20 that
statement in the paper myself. l prefer
the latter"
VINDICATES MR.. ELLYSON.
In conclusion. Judge Green. said he was
satisfied Mr.. Elyson had never made
use Of the statement attributed TO him
by these rumors, and he regretted very
much having written the rumor out.
When Judge Green had concluded his
statement Mr.. Ellyson was asked II he
had any questions TO ask the witness.
He replied that he had not. inasmuch
as Judge Green had withdrawn the aru-
Gle published In his testimony.
Judge Green remarked that Mr.. Ellyson
misunderstood his intention. He did not
withdraw the statement published by him
in the Times, based upon rumors that
had come to him, but ne disclaimed any
further belief on his part that Mr. ELY
con had been guilty OF what had been
charged 10 him, and had been heard by
him Green and so written.
AN EDITORIAL FILED.
Mr. Ellyson then asked. that in order
m properly close up this part Of the In
vestigation. the following editorial from
Yesterday mornings Times be filed as a
part OF the record:
eve feel so sure that "Civis' has been
p,isinformed about Chairman Ellyson's
views about the railroads that we regret
that that part Of his letter should have
been published at all. The letter to us
came from a high source, and the gem
tleman Is no doubt amply able to give
the reasons which he considered sum
Gent. but he did not know Mr.. Eliyson
as we do II he had, he never would
have listened 10 the rumors"
Mr.. Eyllson's request was granted.
AIR. c. V. Meredith requested permits