Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-19
IS Marks MONEY IN TH|S2
Sensational Charges F ying
Thick at indianapolis
HOW WAS FUSION Baked?
Sensational Statements of Two Members Of
the Populist Committee of Thirteen,
Direct Tender of Bride.

Indianapolis, Ind, Sept. 1S--Charges
ton with the failure of the populist COM
mittee of thirteen and democratic leaders
to accomplish fusion al the conference of
yesterday afternoon. Charges of bribery
are openly made. The Sentinel, the dem
ocratic organ, under the head line, Rank
Bribery Attempted" gives two-column
story of the affair, when contains inter-
views with l.. w. Hubbell of Pulaski
county and Capt. S. Nj. Shepard of In
dianapolls, both members of the populist
committee, in which they say they were
approached and offered large sums of
money to prevent fusion.
Members of the populist committee of
thirteen deny emphatically that the de
cision against fusion was influenced in
the least by money, and declare that
Sewall must come off the ticket before
fusion on any terms will be agreed to.
In regard to the charges of alleged
attempted bribery Mr.. Hubbell today
confirmed his earlier statements. Said
he: "A short time ago fellow resident
Of Franceville, my home, accosted me.
The man, whose name l have not di
vulged, was republican. He asked me
what my ideas were regarding the Bryan
SeWall ticket L replied that being mid
die of the road populist and doubling the
sincerity of the democracy in some re-
spects | was in favor of refusing to in
dorse the democratic electoral ticket I'M
less Sewall be replaced by the populist
nominee, Watson.
'He then, by gradual stages, resumed
the point Of telling me that in the event
of my promising to vote in the commit
tee for the positive removal Of SeWall
before the populists would agree to stand
by the democratic ticket l should receive
$500.
Aa1l
that he did not want me to stultify myself
and asked me what my price was, offer
ing me $4,000, which he said would relieve
me of all indebtedness which hangs over
my 200-acre farm. | again refused and
there the matter ended.
He said he did not know where the
money was to come from, but he was led
to believe that it poured from the purse
OF the republican state central commit
tee."
S!las NJ. Shepard, member of the pop
ulist state committee from his district
was quoted by the Sentinel this morning
as saying that it had been proposed to
him that If the populists would put an
electoral ticket in the field and keep the
state ticket on the ballot the expenses
Of the campaign would be paid by the re-
pubicans and he would receive any sal
airy he might name. Mr.. Shepard says
man known to him to be republican
came 10 MS law olilct WeuuVSuoS ".iN
asked him to take the job of keeping the
populists together and organizing them
against fusion with any other party.
He wanted Mr. Shepard to see that Bry-
an and Watson electors and a populist
state ticket were kept in the field. The
visitor said: "You may name your own
salary for this service"
"I was indignant at the proposition.
said Mr.. Shepard. land rebuked him
sharply, babe him goodbye and good
day and left my office. There was anoth-
er man in my back office who overheard
the entire conversation" Mr.. Shepard
says that he does not know whom the
visitor represented and has never ex-
pressed an opinion on this score, but pre-
sumed that he was not speaking for
himself, for" he said. II know him to
be a man without money"