The times., 1898-02-03
The ALABAMA DIFFICULTY
1t Seems to Be Due to Auditor
Yonngbloed's Cousre.
PROMISES GARDEN AN OFFIt E
He Then Gives 1t to a Man With an
To Get Charees Against the APP
pointee watisdrawn Causes the
Fight.

The diffic Iiy over the postoffice at
on the stree.s OF that place on Tuesday
afternoon between W. J Siddall. clerk of
the circuit aau-t of Lee county, Ala, and
| u. +. Garden. prominent business man ,f
was seriously, it not fatally wounded, an
account OF which. appeared in The Times,
| has attractett considerable attention among
parsons wei UP In administration mat
of authority hat the trouble which led up
to the figil: grew out OF breach OF
political faith on the part of Mr. William
Youngblood. the Third Auditor of tie
Treasury, IN tins city.
Mr.. Youngblood~is the national Repubii
can committeeman for -iiaham;: and his
prestige with the present Administrations
such that he has represented the Admins
tratioD in the distribution of the patron
age OF his Scate. Especially is this the
case with the town of 0pelika, as 1t is IN
his own Con gressiunal tli strict, OF which he
is also district chairman.
Ia the election of deleca tcs TO the last
national Rapublca cunvention, in ST.
Louis, n compromise was effected at the
Ala bama district convention, by which
there was Il division of the delegates to
the st. Louis ga thering, Mr.. Youngblood
agreeing in the event of MT. mckinley's
election that Mir. NJ. w. CaIden, who is
the father II one OF the principals in The
affair OF Tuesday afternoon, should have
control Of .he opeiika postmastership, and
also the parry organization of his county,
Under This 3greaBsnt Mr.. Garden came TO
Washington at the time of the inauguia-
tiOn and remained here nntil December
under the most positive assurances, il is
said, from Mr. Yoangblood, that his son,
ID. r.. Garden, would be appointed to the
poStna sters hip-
On The contrary, the appointment was
given to Mr. Dallas b. Smith, about De
cennher i. and for same reason or other, best
known TO the members of the Sena te Com
nIittee on PaStnrfices ind Postrcads, the
appointment has not been confirmed as
yet. The protests winch had been filed
at the Pos'"ffice Department in this city
gainst smiths appointment were then
transferred 80 the Senate Committee On
Pustoffices aud Postroads.
Among those who protested were twenty
nine colored ministers of Alabama, five
c2lared hsli'ios OF the Methodist dcnumina
ton. and 'aTSe number OF cniored persons,
na;ronS of ne office, naming among other
reasons for their opposition MT. Smiths
alleged vioIea temper and bad treatment
ol their race when under the influence OF
lhtoXicants.
Among other things filed as eviderce of
lis alleged dissipation were the records
from the 1al n; Montgomery showing that
Smith was that INSTITUTION four timer,
while possn5 ,terat0pelika underthe Iiarri
son admiai ration, for drunkenness, to
which he Pleaded guilty. IN addition to
these are th protests of large number Of
the leading white raca a the town. and the
statements which had been made against
Smith before the Senate committee, On ac
count OF his habits.
The published slatenent tliat the troubI,
of Tuesday ;srew ous OF the filing of false
affia;tvitS berore the Senate committee is
denied. Ii is said, however that Mr. sid
dan busted Himself In trying TO get the
colored peonla who slgucd protests against
Smt,h's appointment 10 Tetract or deny
their statetr"ntS 20 that the Senate com
miItee would pass fayorably upon Smiths I
name.
On account OF the methods said to have !
been used by SIddall In trying to procure
these Fct.aciions from the c3lored people, !
j. F. Garden acoosted him on the streets !
Of CpeIika aud asked him concerning the
matter, and this brought on the difficulty |
stated In the dispatch.
siddan attacked Garden with pocket |
knife, inflicsinG three bad wounds on the |
head, and arden, in return, drew Il 4S- |
Cahher revol -er and fired four shots at his |
j antagonst. 5Ee of the bullets took effect (
in Siddall's neck, and afterward took |
downward @onrse toward his stomach. The |
latest advices from opclika are that Sid
dali is in a very critical condition.
1t is sta f,d on authority that if it is |
rue that "cme of the colored people
signed a statement reiIacting the asser-
iions made IN their affida wits, since Mr..
Smiths nomination, it was done proha bly,
beca use the; We're afraid Of him, for il is
said To be =. well known fact in opelika
hat since his appointment he has severely |