Asheville daily citizen., 1894-12-21
MALICIOUS FICTION.
some One Evidently Has a Grudge to
Work or On Mr., Vanderbilt.

some One Evidently Has Grudge to
Work on On Mr.. Vanderbilt.
In a letter recently received by Col. J.
NJ. RAY from the editor of Chicago
trade paper inquiry was made as to the
accuracy of printed slip enclosed. Col.
Ray handed the latter to THE CITIZEN.
The slip was evidently printed from a
stereotype plate, and the matter, II
reproduced in THE CITIZEN would fill
perhaps hall column.
The sui ject Of the circular is evidently
worked up by malicious Imagination
from the old fable of the colored man
who refused to sell out to Mr.. Wander
bilt because he likes good neighbors."
Taking this incident as basis the
articles goes on to accuse Mr.. Wander
bllt of institutirg against this unoffend-
ing colored man series of prosecutions,
some petty, some serious. but all satanic.
by which his liz. is made miserable. To
crown the fiction with something past be-
liei--even if one knew nothing OF the facts
the slip states that Mr.. Vanderbilt has
surrounded the mans land. which he
cannot buy. with fence 20 feet high,
depriyins him of sur shine and making his
life and that of his family one continual
round OF misery.
| In this locality, from which go scores
of visitors daily to all parts Of Wander
| bilt $ estate at BillmOre, no contradic'
tion is necessary OF SO silly a piece OF
fiction. THE CITIZEN forwarded the slip
to Charles McNamee, Mr.. Wander rilt's
agent here, and has received the follow
! ing reply.
EDITOR THE ClTKEN:-Your letter OF
the 18th enclosing the printed slip is at
hand. thank you for bringing the matter
to my attention. What object anyone
can have in circulating such outrageous
falsehoods about MIR. Vanderbilt is more
than | can imagine. Every statement
made in the printed s. ip YOU send me is
untrue, and the people of this vicinity
must, most OF them, know that it IS
untrue.
The person re'erred to is doub less
Charley Collins, acolorcd man who owns
a small piece of land along side Of the
estate. | made an attempt to buy this
land OF Charley Collins once or twice
several wears ago. as we wished to run a
road through it. Collins asked an exor-
bitaut price and simply dropped nego
tiations with him, and the road was
built through other land. Collins had a
right to set his own price. and he had a
right to decline to sell at all il he wished
to. Neither mir. Vanderbilt nor |, nor
anvone representing MIR. Vanderbilt, d.
rcctly or indirectly, has in any way
whatever done the slightest thing to in
teriere with Collins enjoyment OF his
land or his means OF gaining his liveli'
hood. On the contrary, Collins makes
his living largely by running liverv
team, which is patronIzed by emplovts
in my office and others in Mr.. Wander
bilt's employ, or has been until very
recent date, when Collins obtained en-.
ployment at the Oakland Heights in con.
ve,irg visitors principally to Mr.. Van.
derbilt $ estate, and the estate, therefore
has been for several years past, and still
is, his principal source of income. A
daughter of Collins has had employment
at the farm house. Did Collins not
OBTAIN phSStS lTOW tHe OIHcc peI
ntting him to take Oakland Heights
guests over the Biltmore roads he would
lose the better part OF his business.
You know. and everybody in this re-
gion knows, that the statement about a
high fence around Collins land is tissue
OF ialSehoods.
A Greensboro newspaper recently pub
lished an article very similar in many
respects to the printed slip YOU send me
and wrote to that paper rather
vigorous denial OF it and asked them tc
print it. have not yet learned whether
or not this has been done, as the paper
declines to answer or even acknowledge
letters that write to it. propose
however, placing the matter in the hand!
OF counsel, aud hope soon to know
; whether the laws of North Caroline
afford any redress for the publication o
such deiamatory statements. l am
very truly yours,
Charles McNamce.
. Bill more, y c., Dec. IS,