The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1899-07-19
THE COLEMAN CASE.
STRONG CIRCUMsTANTIALE EVIDENCE
THAT THE GOVERNOR Is TRAD
ING PARDONs FOR VOTES.
Brother Sidney Ought to Come to Lin
coin Again and Explain His
Explanation.


Explanation.
The Jackson News of recent date
contains long letter from Sidney L.
McLaurin in which he denies the cur
rent reports that Gov. McLaurin had
promised committee from Vicksburp
that he would pardon Harry Coleman,
and In which he also unjustly assails
the Post.
Sidney's opinion of the Post is i'm
material to us, and therefore we will
pass that.
There is every reason to believe, how
ever, that the governor did promise, or
assure, the last committee which visit
ted him in Harry Coleman's interest,
that he would pardon him at an early
date, and that Coleman's friends and
relatives all voted for the governor in
the recent primary in this county.
We had not intended to refer to the
Coleman pardon again, but Mr.. Sidney
McLaurin's letter is sufficient excuse
for so doing. The following is an ex-
tract from his letter to the jackson
News:
"On Thursday about IL o'clock 1
was informed that some of the Allen
supporters in Lincoln county had
printed and were circulating all over
the county the report that Gov. Nc
Laurin had promised committee of
gentlemen from Vicksburg that if they
would support him for Senator he
would pardon Harry Coleman. I had
seen several days before this that the
Vicksburg Post had charged that Gov.
McLaurin had signed, a written agree
ment to turn Coleman loose as soon as
the primaries are over, but the reputa-
tion of the Post is such / did not sup
pose any person would give credence
to it.
Having been at the governors man
sion when the committee visited the
governor and knowing that the report
is utterly false and circulated by de-
signing and dunscrupulous men to serve
their base and selfish purposes, felt
that it was my duty to 60 into Lincoln
county and denounce the reports as
untrue, which l did. l had not sup
posed this willful, malicious and base
slander was used with the approval of
any candidate who aspired to fill the
office once occupied by George, Wal
thall, Lamar and Davis, but in his
speech Mr.. Allen by way of insinuation
and innuendo took up the matter"
AS matter of fact, number of
Coleman's friends in the second ward
held meeting for the purpose of
securing the governors consent to the
pardon of Coleman as recommended
by the board of control, and in the
event the governor should fail to give
his consent, then Coleman's friends
had decided to vote against him for
Senator. A committee was sent to
Jackson by this meeting, but the COM
mittee returned, it is reported, with an
or indefinite promise.
Coleman's friends then determined
to hold big meeting at the Armory
Hall and to pass resolutions denounc-
ing the governor in most bitter terms
and pledging all of Coleman's friends
to use their best endeavors to defeat
the governor in his senatorial ambi-
tion.
We had the opportunity of reading
the resolutions which were to have
been presented to the big meeting here,
and they were more severe and caustic
than anything John Allen ever said
about the governor.
Before this meeting was held an
other committee apparently mutual
friends of the governor and of Cole
mani went to Jackson, interviewed the
governor and when they returned
made report which was so satisfac-
tory to COlemans friends here, that
the proposed big meeting was never
held. 1t was then that the innocent
local paragraph appeared in the Post
Ia paragraph which contained no
charge) as follows:
"The silence of the committee
(Messrs. M. j. Mulvihill, r. M. Kelly and
W. H. JOhnson) who have maintained
a satisfied silence since their return
from Jackson last Saturday night, is
is said by street report to be caused by
a signed agreement of the governor to
grant pardon to Harry Coleman after
the primaries"
We learn that Senator Kiger also
earnestly affirmed to Coleman s friends
here, before tue primary was held, that
he had assurances that Coleman would
be pardoned before the 18th of Septem-
ber, and so certain was he that the
pardon would be issued that he would
resign the senatorship if elected) if the
pardon was not Forthcoming.
Undoubtedly, promise either in
writing, or verbally, was made by the
governor to pardon Coleman: and un-
dOubtedly this promise rebOunded to
the governors advantage in this county,
because we learn reliably that Cole
mans friends all voted for the COVER
nor, some of them freely stating that
they voted for him against their con-
victions but because of his assurances
of pardon. Therefore, this understood
promise to pardon operated to the
governors advantage here.
But the governors brother goes to
Lincoln county, and vehemently de-
MES that a promise had been made to
Vicksburg committee to pardon Har-
ry Coleman, and that denial operates
to the governors political advantage
in Lincoln county.
Truly, the governor is a shrewd politi-
clan, and understands how to make
one circumstance cut both ways in
his behalf, as evidenced by his under
stood promise to pardon Coleman in
this county, and how his denial
Through Sidney of this promise,
helped him in Lincoln county.-Ficks-
burg Erening Post.
In the light of such strong circum-
stantial evidence as the above, If Cole
man is pardoned by Sept. 18th or any
other time before McLaurin goes out
of Office, he ought to be impeached, and
he will be, if the next Legislature is
composed of the right kind of Missis-
sippians.
Let it be remembered, too, in this
connection, that Coleman is one of the
Dinkins murderers, for whom the Gov
ernor pledged the people before his
election, he would not even consider a
petition for pardon.