Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-02-02

rls enclosed with his letter to me.
MT. HELENA, Miss, Dec. 20.
DR.. Geo. G. Harris:
My Dear Father-I am Just now in
receipt of your letter asking some
questions in relation to the matter
mentioned in the Governors letter.
Some time ago-I do not recall the
exact date-I was in the postofice at
Mont Helena when the affidavit re-
ferred to came to me in large en-
yelope having in the corner the ad-
dress of Miller, Smith & Hirsh,
with request for immediate delivery.
delivered it to Sutton, and at his
request read it to him. He asked
some questions as to how he should
proceed. answered, saying it was
serious business and he had better
go slow, and said I did not wish
TO have anything to do with it. He
wanted to go at once and qualify to
the atfirmations of the paper. This
L discouraged.
On Christmas eve he came and
borrowed ST. so from me. He is one
OF a hundred or more who ask for
and get small loans for Christmas.
If Sutton has ever signed the docu-
ment L do not know it; up to now
supposed the matter had dropped.
l had nothing to do with the paper
or the signing of it, and I regret that
my name should have been used in
this connection.
Your affectionate son,
GEO. @. HARRIS, JR.
Mr. Murray Smith is member of
the firm of Miller, Smith & Hirsh
mentioned in this letter.
have trespassed somewhat upon
your patience, to show there is no
doubt of Mr.. Smiths connection
with this slandering paper.
Now few words as to this pardon.
was not in my Office when the petit
ton for pardon of Jerry Sutton was
received as the following from Mr..
Conan, private secretary, will show:
January 9, 1899.
Gov A. j. McLaurin, Jackson, Miss,
SIR
In response to your inquiry I can
say from my memory in connection
with the record kept by me in the Of
flee, that l absolutely know that you
were not in the office between the
oath and 29th of January, 1896, and
/ know from date of filing, written by
me, that Jerry Sutton's application
for pardon was received in the office
by me OF the 2Sth of January, 1896,
during your absence on account Of
sickness.
Respectfully,
j. ]. CONAN.
Walter hlcLauriu stated to me that
he does not remember George Sutton
and H. J. McLaurin, to whom
wrote about the matter, writes me, in
substance, that he defended Jerry
I, who was charged with muir
which rreed to pay
with Vt interest,
of them has been
unpaid, and when Georso oA----. It
employ him to assist his son to get 8
pardon he told him he owed him
more then than he Gould pay, and he
would do what h9 could to getas th
son pardon without fee.
The convict was one-legged ue-
gro, whose leg had been amputased
before arrest, and Capt. j. J. Evnis
presented an application to the board
of control to recommend him for par
don, on my promise to the father of
the convict, in the presence Of Capt.
Evans, to pardon him II the board
would recommend it, The board
recommended the pardon, as may be
seen on the minutes of tine hoard end
I thereupon pardoued him
AN IMPORTANT STATE ISSUE.
Now my fellow citizens, [ will I'M
cover one of the most important state
issues that we have to meet. 1t is
also one of the most dangerous, be-
cause there will be a concerted and
persistent effort throughout this
campaign opened here by Mr.. Smith
to cover it up under abuse by them
Of your chief executive.
The Illinois Central r. r. Co.
practically owns the Y. & NJ. V. R. R.
and the company, the Y. & NJ. V. r.
R. Co., owes more than a million
dollars of back taxes in this State
that will exempt them from the pay
ment Of these taxes. II they could
but create nucleus of such senti-
ment, and out of that elect major
ity Of the legislature while public at
tention was decoyed away to some
other subject, and at the same time
elect a Governor who would appoint
supreme judges in harmony with
such sentiment, it mighU serve their
purposes. Don't let them say now
! that 1 am rejecting upon the judic-
larry. We have an honorable judic-
larry, but honorable and able men
may have their minds trained to
think in certain channels.
REFERS TO JUDGE COOPER.
Just here allow me to digress: The
effort of Mr., Smith to prejudice the
friends of Judge Cooper, by a palpa-
Bile misconstruction of what l said at
Hazlehurst, is far fetched-about on
a par with his effort to prejudice the