Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-01-18
HUDSON HAS HIS SAY.
Richard Hudson Writes an Abusive
Letter to the Governor Regarding
His Removal as Penitentiary
Commissioner.

Inasmuch as the New MEXICAN printed
the grounds upon which Gov. Thornton
removed Richard Hudson from the Office
of penitentiary commissioner, it is fair
enough to print in full Mr.. Hudson's let
ter to the governor on the subject. 1t
will be noticed that Mr.. Hudson does not
deny that, while travelling on free pass,
he presented eight different vouchers for
$29.1O each to the territorial auditor for
payment, and that, in the face of his ef
forts to remove Col. Bergman from the
superintendency OF the penitentiary, he
"ventures to say that the penitentiary has
never been in better condition of dis
cipline." His letter is appended IN full:
R1oHARD HuDsoN's LETTER.
Gov. W. 7. Thornton, Santa Fe.
Silver City, N. NJ, Jan. 16.-Sir.-Your
letter of January 13, 1896, which was pub
lished in your personal organ, the NEW
MEXICAN, previous to my receiving a
copy, was duly received, and in reply
would say that as you have treated me as
though were au embezzler by removing
me from the Office of penitentiary COM
missioner, and publishing the order of re-
moval in your said organ, headed in large
letters, "Removed For Cause" ask you
to do me the justice to publish this, my
reply, in your personal organ.
You say that You have found upon e1-
animation that have received mileage,
and have drawn my vouchers for the
same while travelling on pass, to which
l answer that my pass was compliment
tary to me from the A., T. & S. F. Railroad
company and was my own personal prop
erty, having it at the time was appoint
ed by you. l claim am not in debt to
the territory on that account. If had
been, why did you not make claim
against me for the same, and why did you
not either remove other members of the
hoard for the same reason, or make q
claim against them for travelling on their
passes and receiving mileage as l have
doneH Why do you travel on railroad
passes and also on Pullman car passes?
No, sir, that accusation is false. Why
did you not have the courage or manhood
to disclose the real cause of my removal,
namely, the exposure of the pardon of
convict, William Davis, for the sum of
$3.50, paid to j. a. Crist, district attorney
of your district, without any application
or petition of single person for the
same as required by law. I have been
informed several times that you have
threatened to remove me ever since as
sisted in exposing your pardon bureau,
but you have not had the backbone to
attempt it until the present time.
Your second accusation is, that myself
in connection with others, (why don't you
give their namesf have made an effort to
remove the superintendent of the peni-
tentiary, and that visited that institu-
tion and talked with convicts in regard
to Supt. Bergman. In regard to the
affidavit of Convict Reynolds, l deny most
emphatically that ever spoke to Rey-
nolds in regard to Bergman or that I
ever promised to assist in securing q
pardon for him, but, on the contrary, had
positively refused to sign petition for
his pardon.
have no doubt you or your principal
henchman drew the affidavit and got him
to sign it for some consideration, as that
Is one of your qualifications, getting con-
victs and prostitutes to swear falsely.
No, sir, the pardon money business is in
it all, ard that is the only reason you had
for removing me, as it broke up very
fourishing business.
In reply to the latter part of your let
ter about maintaining order and disci-
pline venture to say that the peniten-
tiary has never been in better condition
of discipline, and consider it is because
the board of penitentiary commissioners
have tried to do their duty honestly and
have inspected it every meeting. The
board have corrected many abuses, and,
although it is good place for you to put
your relatives at good salaries over men
who have served there and done good,
honest duty for months and years, it
would be great improvement in the
discipline if the board would examine
into the qualifications of the employees
more carefully, and see that all the posi-
tions were not filled by political favor
ties and strikers of yours as has been
done during your brilliant administra-
tion as governor.
The last part of your letter in which
you say you "regret exceedingly to take
this step" is false; for if you had been q
fair, decent man, you would have given