The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-08

Mr.. Robt. Hancock was seen ycster
day by the reporter of this paper and
authorized the following statement wit
reference to Mr.. Hardy's letter whic
appeared in yesterdays News and Oh
server.
Mr.. Hancock said, = was shocke
and dumb-foundCd when | read Mis-
Gertrude AbbOtts statement to Mr.
Hardy. There is not a word of trut
i'll her statement and the publication o
it by Mr.. Hardy was the first intimatio
THAT | have ever had that Miss Ger
trGdc Abbott claimed that | had eve
made any improper advances to her
The woman is certainly bereft of he
senses. No person Of sound mind WOnl
make such a remarkable statement, 5
utterly improbable upon its face, an
without any basis of fact to support i
/ took Miss Gertrude Abbott TO Wash
ington with me only once. This wa
sometime before her sister Annie Alb
bolt came to my house to live. If | ut
tackled her. as she says | did, and sh
defended herself as successfully as sh
says she did, is it not surpassingl
strange that she failed to make know
and d%enounce my alleged conduct upo
her return home, and at the same tim
continued her former pleasant relation
with me and my family. and afterward
permitted her young sister to become
member Of my household. during the i'll
ness Of my wife: | repeat, her state
ment is Il fabrication pure and simple
without the slightest foundation 0
fact, and | canno account for it upo
any other hypothesis than her unrcason
able malice toward ne arising out o
my discharge of her sister from m
homo onI tho Lose nf hon. pnr;4in,
the public school. which she unjustly at
tributes to my unfriendliness, and ne
desire to confirm her sisters maliciou
charge against me, hoping thereby t
make certain Of my ruin. The whole
thing from beginning to end IS a dlaboli
cal conspiracy, dictated by an insan
and dominating passion for revenge, Ell
Outraged and directed by the prejudice
and intrigue of my personal and politl
cal enemies.
] did write to Miss Abbott, and Mrs
Abbott shortly afterwards came to III
house and, III the presence Of my wife
asked me what the exposures referre
to i'll my note meant. | told her 1T ha
reference to the nature Of the CORE
Srondence carried on by Miss Ami
with certain young men while She Wa
engaged to another man. | did sugges
t-i''b NAlSS HIll IttuIH " lily iIoliSt tl
remain Il short time, | did this becaus
felt that possibly my discharge of he
had been a little rude and that if sh
would return to my house for a fey
days it might avoid criticism of her be
cause of her discharge.
Miss Abbott, III her interview viii
MI. Hardy, states that she had. "offere'
to release her tiancce from his engage
ment to marry her, but she nowhere
says tina the engagement has been bro
ken. l know that be has visited he
since her charges against me have beer
made public, and ! hear that he is still
IN constant correspondence with her.
IN reference to Dick Williams: He i
known to De n common and %notoriOu
Liar, infamous in cter. and withou
respect for man or Woman He know
whom ! referred to as lone publicl
chastieed by me-" | have no hesitation !:
saying it was one ChaS. b. Keeler
When William says Il was drunk whe,
| did it." he simply lies. Wherever Dicl
Williams is known. as we'll rs he is il
Ncwlern and Craven county. it is al
together unnecessary to take any motto
Of him or his sayings.
"Uere also continued Mr.. HancocE
taking Il typewriter paper from hi