The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1898-08-04
Mr.. SIMMONS REPLY.
POURS HOT SHOT INTO THE
RADICAL GANG.

Intimates That Russell Dictated
Mewborne's Letter, Which He
Denounces as seImpotent Vapor- /
ings of Miserable LIAR
The following letter, written by |
Hon F. NJ. Simmons, chairman of |
the Democratic State Executive Com
nilttee, is in reply to "an open letter"
signed by j. M. Mewborne, superin
tendent of the penitentiary:
Raleigh, n. G., July 81, 1898.
j NJ Mewborne,
Supt. of Penitentiary,
Raleigh, N. c.
Sir: On the 14th day of July /
addressed you a letter hereto at
tached marked GA" On the 10th
day of July addressed you a letter
hereto attached, marked ''B On
the goth of July l addressed you a
letter hereto attached, marked &C."
On the 21st of July addressed to
Glaudius Dockery, Esq chairman of
the Board of Directors of the Peni-
tertiary a letter hereto attached,
marked "D." On the 14th of July
l addressed to John R Smith, Esq,
Commissioner of Agriculture, letter
hereto att ached, marked e.. To
the communications addressed to
YOU [ have received no answer, but
there is published in today's Raleigh
Post an open letter dated July %,
addressed to me and signed by you.
The public knows the contents o.
this letter and it is not necessary
should reproduce it here.
A little after noon tod ~, L received
through the mails u letter signed by
Mr.. Dockery, dated July % and
hereto attached. marked IF. L
have received no answer whatever
from the letter addressed to Mr..
Smith.
1t is well known in North Carolina
that we have just entered upon
campaign in which the management
OF our State afflirs by the present
administration will be largely dis
| cussed and that the question will be
presented to the people to be decided
at the election in November, whether
| they will continue the control OF the
present fusion government in North
| Carolina. Under these circumstances
| [ deemed it due to the voters OF the
| State to whose INTEREST, Judgment
and patriotism the party OF which |
am chairman proposes to appeal,
that they SHOULD be put in possession
| of the full facts concerning the man
| agement of their affairs 10y the pres
| ent State Government, To the end
| that they may isely and fairly de-
eide whether the interest and honor
| of the Slater, qnired that their public
affairs hereafter be cor Quoted by q
different political party.
| IN order that this work in which
he peuple are SO much interested
| should be thoroughly and faiGI 2
| executed, | secured the services OF
| Hon T. T. Jarvis, former Governor
and United States Senator, and o.
captain s. A. Ashe, long a leading
| urn 4list of this State and man OF
nigh character, to prepare a han6-
| book giving All accurate statement
| of all the facts concerning these mat
| tiers.
| Early after Governor Russell was
indicted into otfite he appointed
| John r. Smith superintendent of the
| penitentiary and you commissioners
| OF agriculture. Soon thereafter
rumors OF Encouragement and mis-
appropriation OF the property of the
| penitentiary under Mr.. Smith S
| management became rite thro Jghout
| the State.
1t was stated in the public press
| and from mouth to mouth that the
| Governor had determined to remove
| Mr.. Smith from the office of superin-
| tendent because OF >lncOmpetency
| Encouragement and corruption.
1 bA in
was irtled by the information that
| tor the reasons above stated the
Governor, acting through the Board
OF Directors, had removed Mr.. Smith
az superintendent and caused him to
be put in charge of the Agricultural
Department., thus transferring man
| found unfit by reason of moral and
mental delinquencies to manage the
convicts, to the control of that insti
tuition which most closely touches
| the interests of the predominant
element of the population, the farm
er. 1t was also stated in the news
papers and not denied, that the
| Governor had stated to a member OF
the Board of Directors of Agriculture,
in q personal interview with him, az
a reason for the removal of Smith
from the position of superintendent
of the penitentiary, that under him
the penitentiary management was
not only squandering but actually
stealing the property of the State.
1t was likewise charged that this
director stated in meeting of the
Board of Agriculture that the Gov
ernor had stated to him as his reason
for transferring Mr.. Smith from the
penitentiary to the Agricultural De
partment. that under his manage
ment of the penitentiary the proper
ty of the State was being squandered
| and stolen.
The law requires the superintend-
| ent of the penitentisry annually on
the 31st of Decent er of each year to
| file under oath an inventory of the
| assets of that Institution and re-
| quires the Board OF Directors to
| make an annual report of the affairs
of the penitentiary to the Governor.
Ii was ascertained upon il quiry
that no report or inventory for the
year 1897, such as the law requires
should be made, was accessible to
| the public. In view OF these facts
and the summary removal of Mr.
Smith under the imputations afore-
said, thought and still think, that
| the public would be interested in
knowing and had the right to know
| the facts concerning the management
of this institution during that year,
of which no report could beobtained.
Therefore as it was intended that
| the handbook which Governor
Il t. nd ,fofv 1 Arh