The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-19
ONLY ASKED HIS EXPENSES.
THAT WAS ALL SIMS SAID HE
WANTED FOR HIS WORK.

Evidence. However, 1t Appears He
Was the whole COmmittee-Style les
and DeIegaI said They Had Moth
ing to Do with the Money Part of
1t.
The preliminary hearing Of the case
against Felix r. Sims, the colored preach
er and politician of Liberty county, charg-
ed with using the mails in furtherance of
a scheme to defraud, took place before
United states Commissioner J. F. Lewis
yesterday afternoon.
The warrant was sworn out by Post
master William S. Harden of Walthour-
vile. with whom Sims had had some cor
respondence with regard to an indorse-
ment for Harden for reappointment. Mr.
Harden was the first witness called. He
wanted to be reappointed postmaster, and
he first heard of the fact that 1t would
be a good idea to get the Endorsement of
the members of the republican executive
committee from Mr.. F. c. Miller, the post
master at Lambert. 1t was upon the re-
ceipt of this information from the post
master at Lambert that Harden began
correspondence with F. r. Sims, one of
the members of the First congressional
district committee of the republican party.
The letters written by Sims to Post
master Harden were introduced in evil
dence The first letter written by Sims
was In answer to one that Harden had
written him. Sims first told Postmaster
Harden that it would cost him SIS to get
the committees Endorsement for reap
pointment as postmaster at Walthourville
but as the money did not come promptly,
nothing was done at that time and in
subsequent letter Sims told him it would
cost him SO extra for the recommended
ton
Harden refused to pay more than the S15
first demanded, and finally sent a draft
for that amount He had been told that
the services of three members of the com
mitiee were needed, namely, of Sims, w
H. Styles and j. R. Delegal. He wrote
letter to each member of the committee
with regard TO the Endorsement for reap
pointment, and Sims was the only one who
replied to it. Harden then came to the
conclusion that he would not need the in
dorsement of the district committee I'M
der the circumstances, and he so wrote
to Sims He telegraphed at the same time
and ordered payment on the draft stopped
Harden admitted that he first wrote TO
Sims, and said he knew the committee
could not appoint fourth-class postmas-
tiers, but could only recommend their APP
pointment.
The case of Mr.. Francis C. Miller, the
postmaster al Lambert, was, perhaps, the
most interesting of ALL Miller sent
blank petition to the defendant, and in
reply received a letter from him calling
for SIS by return mail, and $40 more when
the appointment was made. In this let
ter Sims stated that he had been instruct
ed by the committee to say that If Miller
would send SIS by return mail and $40
after the appointment, it would be all
right. At the end of his letter he APP
pended the significant word business"
Postmaster Miller said he first paid the
SIS, but afterward, when a demand was
made for the $40 by Sims. he refused to
pay it. He expressed himself as dissatis-
fled, and called for the money he had al
ready paid. This Sims returned to him.
When questioned as TO this letter, Sims
said that w. H. Styles and ]. r. Deegal
were the other members of the committee,
who had instructed him to make the fore
going demand upon Miller. Both Styles
and Delegal denied that they had in
structed Sims TO make any such demand,
though Delegal said Sims had told him
that Miller was going to pay the expenses.
So far as the evidence showed, that was
the only Instructions Sims had had on
the subject.
Mr.. r. Q. Cassels, postmaster at McIn-
tosh, testified that he had had no CORE
spondence with Sims, but said he did have
a transaction with him and paid him $15
for the services of the committee in secur-
ing him Endorsements for reappointment.
He thought that was a small amount, he
said. He received the recommendation
and forwarded It to Atlanta, and received
a reply that it would be favorably con
sidered.
NJ Il c u,ta,o;pe of AHoTntosb said t1,,t
Sims had solicited him for the appoint,
Inent as postmaster at Lambert Sims
and Parson Styles told him. he said, tina,
If he wanted the office he must make APP
plication for it. He sent in the applica-
ton to Sims at Thebes, he said, and re-
ceived a letter by return mail stating thar
Il he would send SIS the recommendation
would be given him, and that after the
appointment was made he should send $40
more He replied, telling Sims he ac-
cepted the terms. but sent no money. He
never heard anything more from Sims on
the subject.
W. II. Styles, who is a member of the
First congressional district committee of
the republican party, said this committee
was appointed at the Guyton convention
held in the spring of 1896. He said no one
had delegated any authority to the COM
mittee or any member of the committee to
call on fourth-class postmasters for con-
If1DuuOnS IOf Recommendations lot reap
pointment. The first he ever heard of any
money being asked for he said, was when
Mr.. Miller told him that Sims had called
on him for SIS. He said he was surprised
that it should have been done. 1t was
customary however, he said. for expenses
of members of the committee to be paid
when they were requested to secure in
dorsements for any purpose.
J. r. Delegal, the chairman of the dis
trict committee, gave testimony very sim
liar to that presented by Styles. While
no member of the committee had author
fly from anybody to call for contributions
for recommendations. it was customary,
he said, for those seeking them to pay the
expenses of the committeeman doing the
actual work.
Sims, in making his statement, denied
that he had ever first solicited any of
the postmasters, but that in every case
they had first called on him for indorse-
rhents, and he then Informed them that
they would have to p9y the expenses OF
securing the signatures to the petitions. In
the case of Harden, Sims said he was
ready to carry out the contract had he re-
eeved the money from Harden, but that
when it did not come at the proper time
extra expense was incurred. In Miller :
case Sims said he had also been asked