The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-25

SUCH al dccuSdLlOn IS past Delicl, even
in these times when the public is daily
shocked by fearful crimes contemplate
ed. or enacted.
To His Excellency, Daniel l.. Russell,
Raleigh, n. c.:
Your letter OF the nth inst, notify
ing me of my attempted emo as a
director, on the part of the state in
the Atlantic and North Carolina Rail-
road Company, vas duly received, and
in reply ] deem it my duty to address
to you this open letter in order that
the public may judge for themselves,
as to whether or not I was acting prop
erly in what has beer termed my de
lance" OF your e~xcellency.
Today your board of directors, act
ing under instruction from yourself,
have removed me from my posi-
tion as president of the Atlantic and
North Carolina Railroad Company and
o ur victory is apparently complete.
I have lost my position. 1 ann, as far
as 1t in your wv to place me so, at
the mercy of my enemies, but Your
Excellency, through it all, I have pre-
served something that you, perhaps,
can never feel, and that is-self re-
spect. When you removed me as a
director and caused your board of di-
~ "NPAA' In VI ~ pooilioLA
as president, upon charges made by
my personal and political enemies, and
of which there has been but a superb
cial and imperfect investigation, you
we'll n that a suit was pending
against me and that a judicial inquiry
could alone determine my guilt or in
nOcence and, being a lawyer of some
reputation at the bar, you were fully
aware that to PREJUDICE a case was in
tho thiorhnCt conCn 11niJ1Sf Vn,,
had frequently and publicly de-
clared your belief in my in
nocence Of the charges alleged. You
stated to the seven directors on the
part of the state, when they were as
senlbled in your presence at the man
sion on the night of February the 4,
1898, that you did not believe me guilty,
and after polling the directors you as
certained that they Were unanimously
Ct your opinion. Since that time no
additional charges have been made
and there have been no new Develop
ments in the case, except that your
eXcellency has Perhaps aScertained
that l am not as subservient to your
wishes as you would have me to be.
During the session of the Legislature
held in 1897, having great confidence
In your good judgment, / was OF some
assistance to you in endeaVOTing to
procure Legislation you desired, and
several times since my appointment as
president of the Atlantic and North
Carolina Railroad Company, I have
followed your requests in the adminis-
tratiOn of the affairs of the company
when my own judgment told me that
the opposite course would be in the in
terest of the company and the state.
This, together with the fact that I was
dependent upon you for my position,
doubtless led you into the error that no
requirement of yours however absurd
or infamous would he disCabeyed by a
man bowed down by sorrow, a victim
Of unrelenting political malignity,
blackmailed by personal Toes. You
have been disappointed. So long as
your wishes could be ofbeyed without
the sacrifice of my personal honor 1
was your servant, but when you de-
livered your ultimatum ON the 18th day
OF January that I should make a vio-
lent assault and battery upon the per-
son OF Josephus Daniels, editor CT the
News and Observer, and retain my
position, otherwise I should lose it, 1
felt that indeed you were tres
passing upon sacred ground and
1 was compelled to decline
-Lnd uo!l!sod e u! enu!luoo o.
chased at so great a cost I endeavored
to move you to a sense of justice be
cause I was fully cognizant of the eff
feet my removal must have upon the
charges against me, but / have found
that your selfishneSS has destroyed
your sense of justice, n that graft
tude is a sentiment unknown to you.
Subsequently / have received several
messages from you indirectly, urging
this violation Of law in order doubtless
that your private thirst for revenge
might be satisfied, and ach message
contained an assurance that his act
would absolutely guarantee my reten-
ton in office, but, Your Excellency, I
declined to be your INSCRIPTIONS tool,
and, however great the cost, I am
thankfu that my manhood repealed
unfortunate condition.
There is no one who knows me. Your
~ENcellency, who will doubt my person.
al courage and gnong my own people
not one Of my enemieS will believe
that l was eve afraid to vindicate nv
personal n with any man, 50 a
suggestion Of cowardice VIII not helm
YOU.
In conclusion I desire to say that
in these charges 1 have used no names
or third parties because 1 do not desire
to injure those who are my friends,
while at the same time they have act
ed as messengers for You; but if You
deny that you suggested the outrage
Gus alternative published in this letter
l assure you that 1 have full and ample
proof to s~ubstantiate my statement.
ROBERT HANCOCK.