The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-02
T|LLNAl REPLIES TO IRBY,
ARRAIGSMEST OF THF:
JUNIOR SENATOR
Capt. Jas. H. Tillnam Tells Some Things
He Knows About the Cratidock Letter
and Offers to Tell More if Mr.. Irby
SO Desires-Dr. Pope'r Connec-
tion with the Incident.
Especial to News and Courier. !

lively indeed, and no one seems t.
know what to expect next. Gen. Far
ley's latest letter attacking Irby is the
talk Of the city today. The sensation
caused by the matter is sufficient tc
have entirely driven the dispensary
fight into the background for once al
least.
Capt. James RI. Tillman arrived here
this morning, returning from Wash
ington, and be had bis reply to Irby
ready for publication. He gave it tc
the press this afternoon and it will
doubtless create as much of sensation
as Gen. Farley's. 1t Is given in lul
below and speaks for itself:
TILLMAN's REPLY TO IRBY.
Owing to the serious illness of Mr..
Gillespie and a necessary trip to Wash
ington this statement has been un-
avoidably delayed several days.
There are many reasons why regret
being drawn into the controversy be-
tween Senator Irby and General Far
ley: Both have been friends Of mine
and in the capacity of newspaper cor
respondent l have never hesitated to
extend to them courtesies in return for
courtesies. But Senator Irby in his
letter printed throughout the State on
July l4th did me gross injustice and
wantonly imposed upon the pleasant
relations which have heretofore existed
between us. 1t is only from a strict
sense of duty which 1 owe to myself,
and none the less to General Farley,
that submit to have my name dragged
before the public in wrangle undigni-
fled as it is unpleasant.
1t is not my purpose to eXoDerate
General Farley from any alleged charge
or to magnify the faults Of Senator
1rby, but to clear myself of implications
Of duplicity which are both false and
malicious. / cannot permit even Sena-
tor Irby to clean his own skirts e a
stencil if must bear the odiaR,. I
have said, as [ believed, that Senator
Irby dictated the dispatch now under
discussion, to his private secretary, as I
was Informed by one of the operators
at the telegraph office that the message
was typewriter on Senatorial paper,
bnt it proved to be mistake. (When
/ added the postscript to my letter to
General Farley, give him my reasons
for thinking that Senator Irby had die
tated the article to his secretary and
quoted the operator alluded to as my
authority. General Farley will bear
me out in this statement. fit is de-
sired, I can secure an affidavit from the
operator, stating that be told me the
dispatch was on Senatorial paper and
typewrltten.) 1 have just returned
from Washington where went for the
purpose of proving the dispatch to
have been written as L had said. /
wished to be convinced that that any
charges l might prefer were true. I
bad thought Senator Irby capable of
deceit, but only when 1 arrived there
did | learn that he was unscrupulous.
With authority from the Hon. Patrick
Walsh, editor of the Chronicle, to ex-
anime all specials sent to his paper, I
began search for the "Craddock" dis
patch, and after diIigent labor, the
officials Of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company found the original
manuscript.
To my rtter astonishment, it was in
my own handwriting and signed with
my nom de plume, the same dispatch
dictated to me by Senator Irby and
which [ returned to him, refusing to
be party to scheme to misrepresent
public men whom I know to be my
friends. In handing the dispatch back
to Senator Irby, l said: You may
send this of your own accord to the
Register" 1t never once entered my
mind that be would dare to use the
dispatch as has been done. His con-
duct shows him to be farsighted and
astute. l doubt not but at that mo-
ment he thought that I could never
disprove having sent the special even
if should ever dare to make an ex-
pose of him. 1t is perhaps proper for
me to assign my reason for not prompt.
ly repudiating the authorship of the
Craddock dispatch. I had hoped at the
time that the affair would blow over
without iniuring the parties maligned.
Moreover, l am free to confess that
Senator 1rby had placed me, as he
thought, under more or less obligations
to him when be endorsed my applica-
ton for a consulate. Inasmuch as he
freely put his name on my paper did
feel kindly to him.
His endorsement was not entirely
necessary, as had the names of every
other member of the South Carolina
delegation, with the exception of Mr.:
Talbert, whom [ did not ask, besides
the endorsement of Speaker Crisp and
Vice-President Stevenson. 1t was
through the advice of the Vice-Presi-
dent that first contemplated an ap-
plication at all, Mr.. Stevenson having
been IN Congress with my father for
number of years and one Of his warm
est friends.
1t was only when returned to South
Carolina ana found thav the dispatch
had injured General Farley, as Senator
lrby had foressen it would, that told
him all l knew about the matter.
was simply prompted by a sense of
justice to pursue such course as | had
nothing to gain aud I realized that /
would forfeit Senator lrby's friendship
and that lie would do all be could IN
the future to injure me. But never
believed for one instant that he would
try to shift the contumely OF this mat
ter from his own shoulders to mine.
While I admire his audacity, am
astounded at his impudence. 1t is but
fair to say that as soon as Senatar Irby
disclosed the cloven hoof, | at once
wrote to the Secretary of the State to
return to Senator Irby his letter of en-
dorsement and to erase his name from
my application. Under the circum-
stances | could not honorably accept
any benefit that might be derived from
Senator Irby's endorsement.
The following are the conditions, as
near as can recall, surrounding the
origin and writing Of the now famous
or notorious "Craddock" dispatch:
On the morning. of March II l visited
the capitol. as was my custom in getting
up news, and there met Senator Irby,
who told me be had a sensation be
would like for me TO send TO my paper.
Then and there, quoting Mr.. Left
witch, of Spartanburg, as his authority !
Il don't believe Mr.. Leftwitch gave
him any such information) he told me
IN substance what afterwards appeared
in the Chronicle. [ was wary of haDd-