The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-22
FlSTICUFF IN ASHEVILLE
ENDED BEFORE SERIOUS DAM.
AGE WAS DONE.
BOTH PARTIES MAKE A STATEMENT
Pearson Had Accused Martin of Stuffing tn
Ballot Boxes at Black Mountain. Mar.
tin Resented the Charge with
Scientific vigor.
baskerville CGitizen.)


There was a one-round contest Win
out gloves in the Battery Park barber
shop today between ex-Cougressman
Richmond Pearson and Harry Martin
stepson of the late T. s. Senator Vance
in which Mr.. Martin was declared vic
tor after the first round, when the con-
test was stopped by the spectators. z.
B. Burritt and the Battery Park bar
bers.
lit seems that Mr.. Pearson was being
shaved and Mr.. Martin was getting his
shoes shined. There was naught TO dis.
turb the calm in the shop except the
swish of the blackimg brush and the
gentle rustic of the razor, until Mr..
Martins shoes had been polished 70
mirror-like brightness. Then he mp.
preached the chair I'M which Mr.. Pearson
was undergoing the last few touches and
began to question him concerning certain
matters relative to the Pearson Crawford
contested election case.
After a few words had been spoken
Mr.. Pearson arose from the barber S
chair. grasped razor strop and at
tackled Mr.. Martin The latter replied
by getting Mr.. Parsons head under
his left arm and holding it there while
The changed certain features of the tx
Congressman face with his right
1T seems that Mr. Pearson would
have made a slightly better showing
but for the fact that he was somewhat
hampered by the BARRIERS cloth which
became entangled between his feet and
interfered a little with his sidesteppin..
and footplay
MIR. MARTINS STATEMENT.
Mr.. Martin said to The Citizen this
afternoon: Throughout the contested
election case Pearson has gone ont of
his way to be personally insoient to
me. Politics had nothing to do with our
difficulty this morning. / was in rhe
barber shop having my shoes polished
when Pearson came in to be shaved and
] spoke of the matter and mentioned sew
eral disagreeable things in his record.
among others the manner in which he
acted in the row with Mr. McAden lie
took up square razor strop and riei
to strike me with it, / do not know IL
he succeeded or not, but / punished him
BuTTitt. and the BARRIERS interfered.
| wish it to be distinctly understood
that politics had nothing to do with the
fight. | had no objection to Pearson's
going fully into the election at Black
Mountain. but it was brought ON by per-
sonal illusions to which | had a right t.
object
MIR. PEARSONFS STATEMENT.
In response to d request for a state
ment of his side of the matter. Mr..
Pearson dictated the following to The
Citizen this afternoon at $50:
II am informed by message from
The Asheville Citizen over the telephone
that Mr.. j. III. Martin publishes in this
edition a statement i'm regard to a per
sonal encounter between hin and my
self this morning. I'm the contested cleo
tion case between Pearson and Crawford
four witnesses swere than Martin stuff
ed the ballot box at Black Mountain al
the last election, and my brief contains
a recital of that testimony and also an
admission from Mr.. Martin that in Mr..
Harrison's administration the said Mar
tin was arrested for making sn asault
upon the White 4aouse through a win
dow in the night time. This information
was ELECTED by my attorney in Washing
ton in the exercise of his duty to his
client. who is simply exercising his pub
lie right.
II have not spoken to Mr.. Martin IN
six months, and this morning when ne
approached me ] was in the arm chair
of the barber at the Battery Park hotel
and had ON the BARRIERS robe, whem Mr.
Martin accosted me and insulted me
with such language Hnat without regard
to my fnprepared position | jumped
from the chair and struck him with The
only weapon in reach. which was simply
the leather strop with a wooden handle
lying before me.
Mr. Martin threw his right arm
around me, and ON account of the bar
beers robe rendered my left arm useless.
struck him with such force and with
such frequency with my right hand rs
/ could until some unknown man who
was with Mr.. Martin jumped in between
us.
Il desire to add i'm conclusion that bal
lot box thieves and White House bur
glars may take away my life, but not my
liberty"