The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-26
SAVAGE ATTACK ON STOCKTON
CHIPLEY ACCUSES HIM OF HOLDING
A STOLEN LETTER.

The EpistIe One Written to Col.
Chiplcy by T.. j. TRAY of Jackson
VILE and Is Alleged to Have Com
tnincd "A Statement That Represen-
tative Owens of Lake County Hnd
Been Fixed in Col. ChipIey's In
terest-The Letter stolen From MIR.
Now Alleged TO he i'm MIR. stock
toms Possession.
Tallahassee, Fla, May 25.-A big sem
sation has been precipitated here by Sem
ator Chipley, who sent to the desk in the
Senate this afternoon and had read a
communication which was written to him
some time before the legislature convened
by E. ]. TRAY, a well-known politician,
in which the latter. in referring to Mr..
Owens, one of the members from Lake
county, said that they had him fixed"
all right after the first few ballots in the
senatorial contest, as he was very hard
up This letter is now said to be in pos
session of John Stockton. member from
Jacksonville, and extracts from it were
paper, the Tsvares Herald.
Col. Chipley's remarks as read were as
follows: MIR. President, 1 rise to a ques-
tion of personal privilege. l am reliably
informed that a member of the legislature
of Florida of which this Senate is a part,
and of which 1 am a member, holds in
his possession a letter addressed to me,
~
beeen procured without the knowledge
or consent of the writer or myself. l am
further informed that the present
unauthorized holder of my
property has shown said letter
to members of this legislature for the pur-
pose of doing me an injury and has said to
others that he he'd such letter, and that
it would injure me. This property, felo-
niously taken, and unlawfully held, has
been secretely used as documentary evil
dence to influence members of this legis-
lature in the discharge of their official du-
ties, and 1 feel it to be a duty owe to the
members of both houses, and but fair and
just to myself as a senator, that 1 be per-
mitted TO state within my privilege and
have spread upon the minutes of the Sem
ate this statement and protest. The let
ter now illegally held by a member of this
legislature was written to me by friend
in Jacksonville under the sacred confidence
of a close and intimate correspondence be-
tween friends Many letters written under
such circumstances, under skillful and
malicious perversion, might be used to
mislead and deceive. but in this instance
/ am assailed and am held responsible for
the contents of a letter written to me,
and which l have never seen. The letter
was written to me by my friend, placed
under the protection of United States
postage stamp and then deposited in the
writer's coat pocket, that he might mail
it at the postal car, at the terminal sta
ton at Jacksonville, it being his intention
to depart from that station the next MORN
ing. During the night the private home
of my friend was invaded by burglar
and he was robbed of money and clothes,
and also of the letter addressed to myself,
which was in his pocket In all ages a
thief has been despised and execrated by
honest men; yet there is
lower and viler criminal than a thief. for
a thief at least has the nerve to risk his
life when invading his sleeping victims
home but the beneficiary of theft who
secretly receives the stolen goods to his
own profit, or to further his own interest
and purposes is recognized by the law
and the Judgment of all honest and brave
men as a worse and more dangerous GRIM
inal than the cringing thief himself. l
protest against this unlawful and surrep-
titious possession of my property by
member of this legislature. / protest
against the nefarjous and secret use of
that letter in an effort to impair my use
fulness and defame my character as
senator. / state, upon reliable information
and belief. that the person who holds and
uses the said letter as above set forth, is
j. N. @. Stockton, a member of the House
of Representatives from Duval county. l
ask to have this statement and protest
spread upon the minutes of the Senate"
Mr.. Hartridge moved that the document
just read be spread upon the journal
which was agreed to-