The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-17
Reply of L. G. Wood to j. A.
Foster.

TO j. a. Foster, Esq:-I shall
endeavor as briefly and intelligently
as possible to answer the queries pro-
pounded by you. 1 readily admit
that you did pay the BULLETIN $500
but you are fully aware that the
$500 was not paid out of your fees,
but by the delinquent tax payers.
As to your second question, will
state that the cause of the delay re-
suited from an error in the nom-resi-
dent notice in not giving the defer
dents the legally required time to
answer-an error that was detected
by Judge Hawkins.
| am surprised that you ask me
to state the amount collected from
the goth of August 1894 to the 22nd
of February, 1895. You will not
deny that all fees before the decree
of sale was rendered were collected
by you, but as you have made the
request l will state the amount paid
by you to me and days of payment:
Sept. IA, '94, Is cents, Sept. II,
so cents, Sept. Is, Is cents, Nov.
20, $1.O0, Dec, LIST, 25 cents, Dec.
Sth, so cents, Dec. 10, so cents,
Dec. 20, S1.75, making a total of
5000.
As to hand-bills, / will simply ask
did you ever see one containing the
description of q tracts of land,
one of the number being by metes
and bounds, the authority for selling,
the terms of sale and why sold? If
so, state when.
The fact of my having bills struck
in the Newland case is evidence that
l would have adopted the same
means of advertising in the second
sale if space had permitted.
You ask if the BULLETIN has
charged where the land did not sell?
l answer that no cost bills have
been made in such instances. But
who had that part of the decree
you refer to passed?
In minute book No. 5, page $50,
appears the following: ''Upon APP
plication of j. A. Foster, attorney
for the state and county, it is or
dered by the court that the cause as
to A. M. Lambeth, w. J. Davis
and William Cheshier be dismissed
at the cost of state and county,"
Am l to be held responsible for
your acts and censured for doing as
ordered by decree entered at your
instance?
Now Mr.. Foster let me put you
on the witness stand. Who was in
strumental in getting you the posi-
ton as back tax collector? Is it
not fact that you stated in my
presence that you had made appli-
cation to the comptroller for the po-
sition but had heard nothing from
him? Is it not a fact that | then
wrote to the comptroller in your
behalf and in few days afterwards
received letter from him stating
that on my recommendation he had
appointed you to the position OF
back tax collector for Hardeman
County? Was l not instrumental in
getting a position for you which
you had failed to get for yourself
that caused you to make hundreds
of dollars? But you state that for
two years you advertised with me.
Does not your advertisement with
the Free Press for one year amount
to more than four times as much as
it did with the BULLETIN for two
years? For the first year you paid
the BULLETIN $500, for the second
5000. On the execution docket
there is for publishing delinquent
notices, nonresident notices and
chancery sales, 500. so, which added
to $l4.OO makes $4,000. Now was
there not 1O3 tracts of land adyerti-
sed by you In the Free Press, which
at $500 a tract would be 5000, less
$50 for Is unsold tracts would leave
SIG. But you state that the $40
was for tracts redeemed before the
sale. Will you please state the
charges for each tract after the sale
and full amount of publishers fees?
Is it not true that the first bill filed
was laid aside after publication had
been made, and subpOenas issued be-
cause of your failure to finish 1t in
time to have the subpoenas served?
Who was the cause of six months
delay in that instance? Did you
not state during the last chancery
court that my charge as clerk and
master in the tax case was very
moderate or words to that effect?
Is it not true that | did not make
any additional charge for issuing
'ubpoenas in the second bill, al
hough it was no fault of mine that
he first were not issued in time to
,e served? Neither was there any
additional charge for the publication
# the second nonresident notice
aused by filing the second bill?
Now, Mr.. Foster, have you done
lore for me than / have for you?
Respectfully,
l.. @. WooD.