The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-09-16

SOluteiy raise, he a the cor
rect information at hand; while other
statements LIZ mere juggling of figures
very creditable to his attachments as a
man of low cunning, but utterly out of
place in one holding a high and re-
spOnsible Office in honest old North
Carolina. There is no room for DIR.
Thompson to suggest that he fell into
error, for his language excludes him
from seeking TO excuse himself, and
prohibits a lenient judgment"
He makes this good and clear
throughout He simply places the art
full ca~mpaigner, and artless manipula-
tor of figures in a hole of his own dig
ging. Unless you read the whole of
Captain Cookies exposure and replica
ton o can not possibly understand
it's open-faced candOr and conclusive
ness. Read and see how easily an OPP
ponent goes down when touched by the
Ithurial spear of truth.
One illustrative example must suffice.
Thompson charges corruption-even
robbery Of funds by implication. He
says the state has been robbed of
thousands. Hear Thompson:
Captain Coke, according to the
auditors report, did not pay into the
treasury a dollar, for insurance taxes,
after May 1895; and these taxes were
not reportable until July nor payable
until August. So | say it, and let
them explain it if they an, that if one
and one-half years collection are not
counted in Captain Cookies collections,
then there is no record on his books
that they are accounted for at all.
He collected it, Or Coke collected it:
[ Cooke charges himself with nothing in
this account from Coke; and Coke paid
| nothing after May"
If true it is very bad. The charge is
of the most serious kind. Captain
Coke died Goth August 1895. Cooke
succeeded and was sworn in 3rd Sep
TENDER following. Now read what
| Cooke says:
"A large amount of insurance taxes,
about 81 900, became due on August
LIST, and was payable in August.
DR.. Thompson alleges that after May
25th, 1895, Captain Coke paid no taxes,
or other money to the state treasurer;
and that I do not charge myself with
having received from him eny public
money Except alone the land grant
fund, and hat none of the insurance
taxes for August, 1895, has been ac-
| counted for by either of us.
So DR.. Thompson charges that either
l Inv 90 rn1nccnnCC or hy communion tho
state has lost thousands If dollars.
Death itself, says he, in his high tragic
language, cannot sanctify a crime, or
fill UP a shortage.
1t must be remembered that these
taxes were not due until August; and
tina about August LIST, the lamented
gentleman who was secretary of state,
became desperately i'll, and fingered at
deaths door all through hat month,
finally dying on August Goth.
1t must also be remembered hat it
took some days for the afflicted widow
to qualify as administrative, and nee
~essarily other days elapsed before
Captain Coke's accounts could be gone
over. And then ON September 18th,
when these things had been decently
done, and was paid into the state
treasury every cent that was ascertain
ed to be due and was then payable to
the treasury by Captain Coke, to-wit:
SIS, 930.94 on general fund and $S41.6S
on educational fund.-
Cooke stole the states funds QuOth
Thompson, while the treasurer's books
then IN his own keeping Shove that
the payment he said was never made
had been made, and he must have
known it perfectly. Mr.. Cooke says
then 1.-The published auditors report
for the year ending November 3Oth,
1895, pages 60 and SIS, shows that the
payment was made; and the following
statement by Mr.. J. w. Denmark,
chief clerk in the treasury department,
shows that it was made" Cooke gives
the whole figures, and all the written
evidence to contradict ThompsOn's
brazen, deliberately false charge. The
entire proceedings are presented force
fully and fully by Mr.. Cooke, including
bank statement. He gives what the
report OF Mr.. BelVln, republican, and
Mr.. Robert Gray, democrat, made after
an examination of the books o o fol-
lowing the death of Captain Coke. We
quote from Mr.. Cooke:
and that report was in the office of
the secretary of state, when [ turned
the office over to DR.. Thompson. 1t
DrOba h1y did not shit DR. m
to ask Mr.. Bachelor, whom he con-
tinued as his chief clerk for sever
months, about it. 1t suited his pur-
poses better to make a false statement
in regard to this matter, as he did in
regard to the money not being paid
to the treasurer.
That statement prepared by Mr.. Bel
vim and Mr.. Gray was to the effect
that Captain Coke was accountable
for public moneys as follows:
Eor lord rrontc = COZ On