People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-10-09
Chairman Cunningham's Card

fit to attack my private character.
In the management of this cam
paign, have endeavored to conduct
it as a gentleman, and In no instance
have / attacked the private character
of Clay or any of the Democratic
nominees. We have confined our
selves entirely to attacking the public
acts of the Democratic chairman and
his nominees, and the Infamous
methods and appeals used by Clay to
secure the votes of the ignorant and
vicious. 1t is scarcely necessary for
me to say to the people of Atlanta
tha. Clay's charges are tissue of in
famous distortions and exaggerations,
but for fear that people in other sec.
tons, who do not know the facts and
this man Clay, should believe him, /
MAKE tnis Statement
1t is true that in April, 1898, while
on a frolic at the Aragon hotel, I did
throw dice with few men, some of
whom / knew to be gentlemen, and
others whom at the time l supposed
to be gentlemen, but who turned out
to be "dioe Sharpe" The entire
amount lost was 1912 in cash. There
was also notes given for 81, 800 signed
by myself. I pocketed the loss and
intended to pay the notes until reli
ably informed in short time that
the same gang had robbed in the
same way number of prominent
young men in the city. After salts
flying myself that it was bare-faced
piece of rohhegy,d demanded the
return of the notes and secured them.
No attempt was made to collect the
notes by law or otherwise, nor did l
file any pies in any court, or sue any
body for the cash lost, or make any
attempt to secure the same.
dsnounce as false the statement
that l voluntarily went before the
grand jury CT made any attempt to
secure indictments against these "dice
sharps." ] vas fore by an attach
ment to appear before that body
after disrega ding two subpoenas.
Clay's statement that any grand
jury ever indicted me for this or any
other matter is false. | have no de-
Tense to make against the wrong of
throw wing dice in this instance, and
have never been been guilty of any
thing of the kind since then.
In regard to the unfortunate diff.
Guilty l had with Mr.. Joyner on the
exposition grounds last fall, l will say
that the folio owing statement from
Mr.. A 81. G Tdner, president of the
NJ, lanics' Mutual Fire Insurance
company, and vice president of>the
Atlanta Mutual Life, oonclusively
nails this lie:
ATLANTA, Ga, Oct. ), 1896.
Mr.. john d. Cunningham, City.
DEAR SIR note that A. S. Clay
in his Winder speech refers to your
difficulty with MIR. Joyner at the ex
position grounds about year ago
As you know, l was in your company
that entire afternoon and night, anu
it gives me pleasure TO say that any
statement that you cut Joyner from
behind or that the fight was about a
woman WAS thhedly false.
Very truly yours,
\. S, j GARDNER.
Clay says that drink more whiskey
than water. Now, 1 am CANDID to
say that in the past l have been con-
vival at times in my personal habits,
but l have always been an ardent
anti barroom man and have never
failed to work and vote for prohibi.
ton. l have quit drinking entirely
and have not touched whisky or
beer since last July.
Now, it is difficult to deal with such
a man as Clay. Less than 80 days
ago he approached me in Marietta
and said he hoped thai l would allow
nothing that happened in this cam
pAign to interfere with our past
pleasant personal relations, but now,
IN his desperate efforts to divert the
attention of the people of G ,orgls
from mis- Infamous appeals to brutes
for votes. and from thu 81 ly and ter