The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-18
fRBY's REPLY TO FARLEY.
"a SOFT ANSWER TURNErH
AWAY WRATH"


A few days ago communication was
published in the several daily papers
from General Farley, abusing me TO-
supposed wrongs / had done him. /
cannot engage in personal abusive
controversy with General Farley, or
anybody else. The public are not in
terested in such literature, and there
engage in any such blackguardism.
The public, however, have right to
be informed as to the truth or falsity
OF any statement Of alleged fact that
may be contained in Gen. Farleys
article.
There are only THO statements of mo-
ment in the letter as / read It.
First that dictated to my private
secretary an article, which appeared
the second week of March in the Au-
gusta Chronicle, signed "Craddock, y
without the consent or knowledge of
the person who uses that nom do plume.
Second, that inspired an editorial
which was written by Mr.. w. T.
Crews, in the Laurensville Herald.
The first charge is as ridiculous as it
is false. The idea of person with q
thfmble full of sense forging the name
of q newspaper man Is laughable in the
extreme: but I am wiling that the
public should know the whole truth
about that "Craddock " letter:
Mr.. James III. Tillman, a son of Con-
gressman Tiliman, was, about the date
of the "Craddock letter, the cores
pondent of the Augusta Chronicle in
Washington, and "Craddock was his
nom dc plume. On Saturday, just one
week after the Inauguration OF the
Augusta, and Mr.. James Fl. Tillman
came into my sitting room at the Ma
tional Hotel. Major Gary said to Till
man that what he had told him few
moments before ought to be repeated
to Irby asked what it was, and TILL
man told the following tale:
That he had just left the Metropoli-
tan Hotel, where he had had q long
conversation with General H. l.. Far
since Inauguration. He said that Far
ley had read him a long abusive COM
munication addressed to the Reformers
of South Carolina, showing that Till
man and Irby were unsafe, unwise, eX-
treme, dangerous leaders,; and that
the Reform Movement could not be
perpetuated without throwing them
overheard and putting more conserva-
tive leaders in front. He asked Till
man to publish it in the Augusta
Chronicle with his (Farley's) nom de
plume, saying that the piece would at
tract great attention, create q great
sensation, and that, at the proper time,
he would come out and assume its au-
thorship. Tillman said that he refused
to publish it unless he would allow the
editor of his paper to know the author.
He told Tillman that that was the
opening gun of the campaign next
year against Tillmans and Irby's
leadership of the Reform movement.
He further said that the following slate
had been arranged and agreed upon {:
That General Butler was to run for re-
election to the Senate, Shell was to be
supported by the Conservatives, or
Ants, and milder Reformers for Gov
,ernor; and that he (Gen. Farley was
to run for Congress in Shells district.
He said they would like to get Talbert
into the combination, but that it could
not be arranged unless George Tillman
would agree to let up on and support
Talbert, and in that way get the Con-
servatives to support Talbert for re-
election. Farley offered Tillman a
place on the ticket as Adjutant and In
,spector General if he would go to his
father>and make the arrangements by
Talberts reelection. (At this time
every one in Washington knew that
the Governor and Colonel Tillman
were not on speaking terms.) asked
Mr.. Tillman what his reply to Farley
was and he said that he told Farley
that blood was thicker than water, and
ne would be id If he would go back
on his uncle for Butler or anybody
else. / asked him if this was news
paper fake or the truth, and he re-
piled:
"To SHOW you that l mean business,
IN publish it IN full" There and then
he wrote the piece signed "Craddock. f"
did not have anything further to do
with it: did not see it any more until
it appeared in the papers; thought
nothing of it until the following week.
when | heard him read certificate
from some one to the effect that he
Jim Tillman) had written and was the
author of the "CraL Ldock letter. That
night in nv room between 8 and 1O
o'clock, while Dr. Pope and | were
talking, Jim Tillman came in, and ]
asked him to rehearse the whole tale
to DR.. Pope, which he did, exhibiting
the "Craddock " letter, and saying that
it would go off by telegraph In few
minutes.
AS to the piece referred to from the
Laurensville Herald can only say that
/ knew nothing of it until / saw it In
print. The subjoined letter from Mr..
Crews on that subject will explain it.
self.
In conclusion, I will ask the public
to think of one thing only: Why did
not Gen. Farley ask Of me an explana-
tion, il he believes what he pretends tC
believe of the assumed wrong 1 did
him. The evident reason to me why
he sought no explanation is that, If he
had done so, he would not have had
the opportunity to abuse me for politi
cal purposes for he knew had he call
ed on me satisfactory answer would
have been given him, his excuse fol
,denouncing me and his chance for in
;gratiating himself with the Conserva
tive element would have been lost.
leaveit to the public to say whethe,
vents subsequent to the fourth of las
faRch have not proved that Jim Till
m. an told the truth when he came II
me with the report of this conversation
bet, veen him and General Farley.
need not give the argument why be
lieye Jim Tillman told the truth, for
am sa tisfied that every one who read
the neN vspapers and who has watched
the turn ,s In politics, will see that there
was trut b and lots of 1t In what TIL