Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-19

A. Yes.
O. Who was the city editor Of the Dis
patch at that time?
A. Mr.. West was acting city editor; Mr.
Woodfin was out OF the city.
Q. Mr.. woodfn was out OF the cityF
A. Yes. sir.
q. In your capacity as reporter, do yo'
| always have to report to the city editor
the news that you gather?
A. have to turn In my copy.
Q. Mr.. Duce. were you in the Dispatch
Office that day? What time do you go on
| duty in the morning?
A. am supposed to go on about half
past 2; on Mondays am supposed to &c
| on at II.
Q. Did you 60 on at that time on that
day?
A. was, probably-I don't know the
exact tIme--it was between IL and /.
q. Mr.. Duce, was Mr.. West In the Of
fee when you reported for duty that day.
A. don't remember.
AS TO FISHING TRIPS.
| @. Well. Mr.. Duce. what do you know
regarding a fishing trip that was taken
| by Mr.. West?
A. / only know that Mr.. West went
on a fishing trip-I know Of two or three
fishing trips
Q. Did Mr. West go fishing on the
S0th day OF August, that was the Mon
day before the discussion of the Mas
sey resolutions?
| A. don't know whether he did or not.
| O. Did he tell you he did-on the 10Th
| day OF August. the day the Mahood re-
solutions were introduced in the camp?
A. Oh, no; he certainly did not tell me.
Q. Did he tell you that he went fish,
| ing on the 9Th day OF September, the
day the Mahood resolutions were intro
duced?
| A. Yes, he told me so.
| Captain Wise: He told you he went
| fishing. What day.
| A. The 9Th day Of September.
| Mr.. Lecky: Did he go alone, or did he
| have company?
A. He told me he went with Mr..
Folkes.
Q. Went with Mr.. Folkes?
A. Yes. sir.
Mr.. Folkes: Went fishing with me, Mr..
Duce?
Mr.. Duce: Yes, he said so.
Mr.. Lsecky: Mr.. Duce, at the time of
the introduction of those resolutions by
Major Brander into the parent camp.
did you have any conference with Mr..
West? Did you have any conference
with Mr. West at that time, subsequent
TO tha.? II so, give us the benefit Of
all that he told you.
A. Not at that time. The first con-
ference 1 had with Mr.. West was on
last Saturday week.
Q. What did he tell you at that time?
A. 1 always go home early on Satur-
day night, and on that night went out
of the Office a few minutes after mid
night. Mr.. West followed me out and
there were rumors Of this investigation.
He said to me on the sidewalk in front
of the Dispatch office, Have you told
anybody about that -W / can't re-
member his exact words, but he alluded
to the transaction to which / gave tes-
timony when / was last on the stand
between Mr.. Folkes and himself. He
said, Have you told any one?" and
said / wasn't quite certain; the ques-
ton had never suggested itself to me.
He said: MY God, If you have done so,
we are ruined, we are all ruined" We
talked about it in front of the Dispatch
Office for some time; then we walked
up the street as fax as Eighth street,
and we stood and talked at the corner
Of Main and Eighth streets for a long
time; we talked about the resolutions
and the probability of these investiga-
lions, and he was telling me about the
American Book Company being formed
VI
said he didn't think that the American
Book Company would permit this in
vestigation TO proceed. He said they
were tremendously rich, and he believed
that they would spend any amount OF
money to stop it.
Mr.. Lecky. Did he say how much
money?
A. / can't remember the figures
O. You are certain that he said that
the American Book Company would not
allow this investigation to proceed?
a. He didn't use the word "allow'; he
said that they would take every effort
to stop it. l don't remember his exact
words, but that was the sense Of 1t.
Q. That they would use money?
A. That they would use money TO stop
It, yes.
NO LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT.
Q. Was there any limit on the amount
that they would use?
A. No, / don't remember any limit
placed. He gave me some reasons for
it; gave me some statistics about the
school children of Virginia; what the
trade in Virginia meant to the Book
Company.
@. Did he tell you as to what books
the American Book Company supplied
to the schools OF Virginia?
A. He said that the histories were not
such an important item to the company
as the other school-books that they sup
piled. He said they didn't care so much
about the histories as about the other
school-books.
O. That was your conversation up to
the point at Eighth and Main streets?
A. Yes. sir.
O. Did you proceed home together from
that point?
A. No; Mr.. Smithers, the night-watch-
man, came down the street as we were
standing there-came and stood near Is.
Mr.. West told him to go on down the
street. and he would catch up with him.
Mr.. West went down the street towards
the Dispatch Office. and / went home.
Q. That was Saturday week?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. That was six days before you vent
upon the stand first?
A. Yes.
Q. Then, all that you are going TO tell
us from now on is within six days?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. That lets you into Sunday morning.
Did you see him on Sunday?
A. No.
Q. You saw him on Monday?
A. saw him; yes.
Captain Wise: Which Monday are you
abiding to?
Mr.. Lecky: That is the Monday previous
to our examination. which was held on
Friday Of last week-Monday of last
week.
Mr.. NOEES ADVICE TO HIM.
Witness: l don't remember seeing Mr.