The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-16
TIE PLOT TaICKESS.
Senator Irby Investigating the "Craddocs
Letter-It All Looks fsry Queer.
washington Post, August II.

Washington Post, August II.
The dispute between Senator 1rby, OF
South Carolina, and J. H. Tillman, a
newspaper correspondent of the same
State, over the authorship Of certain
important political dispatch that ap-
peared in the Augusta Chronicle III
March last, has stirred up good deal
of feeling, as appears from telegram
in yesterdays Post, which detailed a
personal encounter between Illlman
and Editor Shelton, of the Columbia
Register. The whole matter has been
exceedingly annoying to Senator lrby,
because it tended to place him, as be
asserts, in false and ridiculous atti-
tude, and yesterday he took steps to
settle at once and forever the real
authorship Of the telegram to the Geor-
gia newspaper.
Tillman's version was that he wrote
the story, but fearing it might cause
trouble, informed Senator Irby that he
had decided not to send it to his pa per.
Tillman further charged that the Sena-
tor, acting on his own motion and
without Tillman's knowledge or con-
sent, subsequently filed the dispatch in
the Office of the Western Union Tele
graph Company in Washington. This
the Senator eniphatically denied in
toto.
At the request Of Senator Irby there
gathered yesterday Senator Jones, OF
Arkansas; Congressman Latimer,
Strait and McLaurin, of South Caro-
lima; Mr.. NJ. Marean, manager Of the
Western Union Telegraph Company;
Mr.. P. A. Simpson, receiving clerk OF
that company; Mr.. J. Y. Jones, Of
Abbeville, S. c.; Capt. J. NJ. Woddell,
Of the same State, and two stenogra-
pliers. Mr.. Marean had been directed
by the editor of the Chronicle to permit
Senator Irby to examine the dispatches
of March II, with a view to deciding
their authorship. A lengthy question
ing of the telegraph officials was had.
The original manuscript signed by J..
II. Tillrnan, with private Dote to the
editor to sign "Craddock" (Tillmau's
newspaper name) was exhibited. The
statements of both Mr.. Marean and Mr..
Simpson were positive on the point
that the writing was Tillman's. Both
were familiar. Herewith, and other
telegrams Of the same date were com
pared to prove the identity OF hand
writing.
The next step in the examination
was to show that neither Senator Irby
nor anyone authorized by him filed the
message. On this point the receiving
clerk stated that while he was not ab-
solutely sure that Mr.. Tillman filed it,
it must have been sent in by that gen.
tleman. It came in, he said, through
the Irregular channel" the same chan
mel az did all the other Craddock dis
patches. If Senator Troy or anyone else
had brought it, their right to do so
would have been questioned. In con-
clusiou Mr.. Simpson states that he was
positive that Senator Irby had not sent
in the dispatch, and that it was not
rendered by anyone representing him.
In the dispatch published in The
Post yesterday morning, Mr.. w. j.
Shelton, of the Columbia Register, is
credited with confessing to 1illman
that the "Craddock" letter was dictated
to 'Tighe, his secretary, by Senator
Irby; that Tighe translated his steno-
graphic notes to Shelton, and that the
dispatch was eventually filed by Sena-
tor Irby and his secretary. The follow
ing dispatch was received last night by
Senator Irby, and will explain itself:
AIKEN, S. c., August 10.-To J. l..
NJ. Irby, National Hotel, Washington:
I made no such statement as appears
in The State and Augusta Chronicle to-
day. To-morrow's paper and letter
will explain. W.. SHELTON.