The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-21
THOMPSON'S BOLD STAND
THINKS SUMMERELL'S RETEN-
TION A DISGRACE.
HAS ALWAYS OPPOSED A STAR CHAMBER
Director Gotten Says his Criticism Was not
Aimed at Mr.. TiIery but at the Peni-
tertiary Management. He Gives
Some Additional Factc
Some Additional Facts.

That the Bill-Day- Harmony resolution
passed by the penitentiary board of di-
rectors in secret session hast Wednes-
day did not set forth the real facts is
proven by the following letter received
yesterday from Mr.. B. I'll. Thompson, of
Beaufort county, one of the directors:
"Mr. Fred Merritt: When / was talk
ing with you at the Hotel Carrollton the
ether night in regard to the resolution
passed by the directors. of the peniten-
tiary / had not seen it, as / was not
present when it was passed. i will say
your printed account of Tuesday pro-
ceedings was true in regard to Capt.
Day. We had demanded report from
him and did not get it, and / and others
declared that without report sometime
soon we would resign and go home. We
got promise, but no report. As you
know, l voted against giving amy time
and you will remember, that when the
vote was taken in regard to secret meet
ings some time ago / opposed it and
would have fought it at this meeting had
| been present.
Il think the boards action as ito Sum-
merell a disgrace to North Carolina.
feel that l did my duty in opposing it
and am willing that the good people
should know where / stand at all times.
you will also remember that at our
first meeting l was in favor of taking
charge and making clean sweep, fill
ing every place with true Democrats.
AS things have thus happened and
lots Of FOL ialho Sl1Ins
meetings land the people have grounds
for this talk I'M my opimon), | would
like my district to know where l stood.
anything I have said You are at liberty
to do so, knowing it to be true.
.'Yours truly,
"B. H. THOMPSON"
In connection with this letter it is but
fair to Mr.. Thompson to say that his
absence from the board meeting, at the
time the resolution referred to was
adopted, was due to the fact that he went
to Cary the night before to visit rela-
tives and the board met before the train
bringing him back arrived here.
Mr.. r. r.. Gotten, the director who
submitted the report of the Tfllery farm
that called forth a reply from Mr.. j. r.
Tillely, made the following statement
by way of reply to Mr.. Tillery:
Il am very much surprised that Mr.
Tillery should feel called upon, mas
much as / did not use his name, to say
THAT the statements in my report are un-
true. / was not aiming my criticisms
at him anyway. but at the management
of the penitentiary. And as to that, [
thought, in view of the facts disclosed
| was quite mild.
s.There was not in the report the
slightest personal feeling. | was simply
acting as a State officer, trying to do
my duty by reporting things as ] found
them, let the responsibility be where it
might.
And in my report there were two or
three things that / might have men
toned and did not For instance, | find
the books ON the two Caledonia farms
showing that the 11llery brothers owe
the State over 1000 for corn bought
six months ago at cash prices. They
began buying this corn on March 2Sth
and the only credit on the account now
is $3.50 for hogs bought from them
by the State.
again it is well known fact that
the crops ON the Tillery farm are raised
on shares, while the State gets all of
those raised on the other farms. Well, |
found that twenty new haTTows had
been taken from the Caledonia farm to
the Tillery farm to cultivate the crops
there, to the neglect of those ON the
Caledonia farm.
1.-THE supervisors claim that in doing
this they were acting under instructions
Mr. Tillery. who was considered
to be acting for Supt. Day. And Mr..
TiIlery, it is well known, virtually OWNS
the TilleFy farm.
Il don't think such acts as these look
WELL"