The semi-weekly messenger., 1898-10-25
(Raleigh News and Observer)


Kilgo by the trustees of Trinity col
lege. he saw fit to do me a cruel and
unprOvoked wrong. / have waited Pa
tientIy until now to see if in the min
utes which it was advertised would be
published, the wrong would be righted.
DR.. kilgO's speech, as printed by him
in the newspaper supplements, differed,
/ am told, widely from the speech actu-
ally delivered, and it is certain the
speech as now printed in his pamphlet
minutes" differs from that first given
to the public in the supplements, but,
flexible as it has been, no sense of
wrong has induced DR.. kilgo to amend
it to do justice to me, though ne has
had ample means and the greatest
abundance Of time to learn the truth
in regard to my character Now, the
minutes, as published, omit the EVIL
dence brought out on crOSS-eXamina-
tion Of Messrs. Ivey and Hurley, which
was printed in the press at the time.
This evidence, as it seems TO me, of
deliberate and continued purpose 10
injure, requires me to submit the facts
as | understood them to candid pub
lie.
At the Atlantic hotel, in MOrehead
city, in June, 1897, during the Teach
ers' Assembly, while in conversation
with DR.. KilgO, he sent a message to
DR.. Kingsbury by me. What that mes
sage was the public knows, as 1t was
given to the public over the names OF
myself Mr.. j. j. Royal and by DR..
Kingsbury. DR.. Kilgo has never de-
MED this in affidavit form, and what
he did publish in reply was shifty
evasion of parts of the conversation
and ignoring Of other parts, with a
lofty assertion Of his superiority to
be called in question for any OF his
words or actions. At the late investi-
cation Of DR.. KilgO, at Durham, the
affidavit Of Or. Kingsbury as to his
message was put in evidence in which
it was stated that | was the bearer
Of the message. The following deposi-
tiOn Of Mr.. James w. Jackson, one OF
the prOprietor5 of The Wilmington
Messenger, taken by the regularly ap-
pointed representative Of the board Of
trustees OF Trinity college, was then
offered.
North Carolina, New Hanover County.
In the matter against DR.. John c.
KilgO Before the Board Of Trus-
tees of Trinity College.
James w. jackson, being sworn, says:
That he is a resident and citizen Of
Wilmington, said county and state.
That he is q proprietor of TheWilming-
ton Messenger; that he knows the gen.
eral character of Mr.. j. A. Crews, and
that he is man Of character and We
racity; that Mr.. Crews has been in
their employ for seven years, and he
Oackson) has never heard his char
acter for truth and honesty questioned.
(SigneD JAS. w. JACKSON.
Sworn and subscribed before me this
25th day Of August, 1898.
w. NJ. CUMMING.
Notary Public.
On Mr.. kilgos objection, this was
ruled out on the technical ground Civ
but he had been served with notice
that at that place and time the depO-
sitiOns of DR.. Kingsbury and myself
would be taken, and that proof of the
good character of the witnesses would
be taken was an incidental matter OF
which he should be deemed reasonably
fixed with notice. 1t was certainly in
tolerable and unjust that, after ruling
out competent evidence as to my good
character, he called to the stand Revs.
Ivey and Hurley, neither of whom
were asked if they knew my general
character, but who testified to the bare
fact that my wife and [ did not live
together, which was not only hearsay
(Which DR.. kilgO had so strenuously
aCter) and therefore incompetent TO
prove a substantive fact. The circum-
stance of our not living together no
reputable person in Wilson, where we
have both lived for many years, will
impute to moral ObliQuity on the part
of my wife or myself 1t is capable of
satisfactory explanation if it interested
the public. DR.. kilgo dared not ask
the direct question, what my character
10 oil CI0
He knew if he had inquired he could
find no respectable witness who would
testify that it was not good. He had
rejected evidence of high authority
that it was good. He knew that the
question he asked was incompetent,
but he used the reply as the foundation
of a sneer in his speech to the purpOrt
that on account of that fact my evil
denCe ought not to be believed. He
said: Mr. Crews. who gave this mes
sage to DR.. Kingsbury, was proven by
Rev. Mr.. Hurley and DR.. Ivey to have
severed his marriage vows. Yet you
are asked to believe him. Neither
one of these witnesses proved any
thing of the kind. The assassin who
plunges a poisoned stilettO into the
back Of an unsuspecting enemy is a
gentleman compared to the man who
would thus stab private character by
inSnuating what he knew he could not
prove. The message I took to DR..
Kingsbury has been proven by myself,
Mr.. j. J. Royal and DR.. Kingsbury.
Statements from us all were on hand
at the trial to prove this, and DR.. Kill
go did not go on the stand to deny it.
There was nOl a particle of evidence
before the trustees to the contrary. If
true, it proved that DR.. KilgO was a
'boaster. malevOlent and a wire-puller
After all the terrible evidence brought
against DR.. Kilgo as to the message,
ne did not offer a syllable to contradict
1T, but COntented himself with saying,
in his speech. where he could not be
cross examined, mat he had sent no
message, and insiTruating that l should
not be believed.
AS to my character. I will wir1lusly
compare it-and l now challenge DR..
TniIgO TO have it cU1npared-with his
own in any tribunal he may select in
North Carolina. except-always, MS
board Of trustees.
l here -grve the certificates of Judge
Ik G.. Connor, Elder r. D. Gold, edf-
ton of Zions Landmark. and Hon F. A.
S1,.a TOW ~