The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-03-08
THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1894
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THE HENDERSON POST OFFICE.


We notice that the Washington cor
respondent of the Goldsboro Caucasian
makes some reference to the Hender-
son post office, in his letter of last
week, along with those Of Tarboro and
Mt. Airy. He says A. NJ. Basket was
ruled out simply because ''he is a
farmer although he lives within
hearing of the court house bell and
undertakes to make capital out OF this,
the animus Of which is plain. He
makes some uncompimentary allusion
to the gentleman who has been en-
dOrsed for the position and also alleges
to have discovered something whereby
"han.s a tale" which he says will be
unfolded later on.
The Raleigh correspondent Of the
Charlotte Observer, in his letter OF
Monday, also writes about the llender-
son post office, but in different way
His story seems to have justified
big "scare head and was captioned
:" A Sensation at Henderson" accord
ingly. Here is what he says, and the
same paragraph was embodied in his
letter to the Wilmington Messenger,
Richmond Times and other papers OF
same date:
One OF the most remarkable transac-
tons ever attempted in this State causes
quite a sensation at Henderson. J. X.
Moss is postmaster there. He is a Re
publican hold-Over and his attempt was
to sell the postmastership to q man
named A. Nj. Basket, who lives a couple
of miles from Henderson. The consider
stion was to be 5000, to be paid by
Basket. The latter mortgaged his farm
to raise the necessary money, and liaid
$50 TO q lawyer to prepare the pHprr-
He also agreed to pay the expenses OF
Moss and the attorney to Washington
to make the transfer. When Moss and
the lawyer returned and Basket found
they could not deliver the goods he raised
IL row and declined to pay any more
money. The lawyer at once ina'r an
attempt to sell the land in order to pay
the cost of the Washington trip and
other expenses, amounting to Sl?2.
Basket was compelled to go i"f ''r'' IL
Judge and get an order restrainIn" the
Judge said he wished to have nothing to
do with such case and has referred lie
matter to u prominent citizen to act as
referee.
Postmaster Moss upon being asked
about the matter denies the charge
that he has attempted to turn the office
over to any one for a consideration, or
that he has entered into any such ar
rangement with Basket as above in
dictated. He has replied to the allega-
ton of the Raleigh correspondent in a
communication addressed to the editor
of the Charlotte Observer, in which the
whole transaction is explained. He
admits that he loaned A. NJ. Basket
money, about 5000 90 in all; that the
object of such loan was the prosecu-
ton of his (Basket's) candidacy for the
Henderson postotlice. That with this
money Basket employed an attorney,
paid him fee and betrayed his ex-
penses to Washington City once Or
twice and spent it in other ways in a
perfectly legitimate manner. s37. 90 of
the $4,000 was secured at previous
time, for different purpose, which was
secured by note. The balance, with
which to work for the postoffice was
got in August last, Basket giving a
mortgage on his land to secure the
payment of the whole indebtedness.
Default having been made in the pay
ment of the debt the trustee proceeded
to advertise and sell. At this juncture
Mr.. Basket applied for an Injunction
restraining the sale, and the matter
is thus held in allegiance.
This, DR.. Moss says, is the history of
the transaction in brief, and further than
this there is no foundation upon which
to base the sensational charges above
set forth He tells us he has made a
demand upon Col. F. \. Odds, the
Raleigh correspondent of the Charlotte
Observer and other papers in which the
article was published, for the name of
his informant and does not propose to
let the matter drop with Il simple de-
NAL of the serious charges that have
been made against him and given such
wide publicity to.
A great deal has been said of late
about the Henderson post office being
made :. a matter of bargain and sale, -
but this is the first intimation that any
transfer Of the commission or appoint
ment secured was to be done for a
money consideration.
We want to see 900 students at
the State University. There are now
nearly 400. The University of North
Carolina is the dome of our public
school system, and We desire to see it