The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1899-02-09

for the Jackson News, and manufac'
ture the statements upon which they
predicate their assaults, are T.. B.
Wilson, who refused to vote the
ticket in 1896 because of the free sill
yer platform, and Ex-Governor Lowry,
who was so eulogized by Senator
Murray Smith in the speech here
which they say was the opening oil
the campaign. / here exhibit the
manuscript for one Of the articles
written by Ex-Governor Lowry for the
News, in his own handwriting and on
his own letter heads, and even the
News had not gone so far at that time
that it would print it without cutting
some Of 1T out.
Senator Murray Smith was selected
to make the opening speech OF the
campaign. The selection was an apt
one. There have been very few apt
things done by them in their TRADES
of abuse and vilification, but the Sc
lection of Mr.. Smith to open the
campaign for them was exceedingly
apt. Their principal causes OF Of
Tense against me are that / am be-
lever in and an advocate Of free sill
yer; that / desire the Y. & M. V. Il.
R. Co. to be made to pay their lawful
taxes like other people, and that l
appointed new set Of men to COM
pose the levee board. Mr.. Smith is
opposed to free silver; he is attorney
for the Y. & M. v. R. r. Co., and he
is an exponent of the old levee board
ring. So you can see the aptness Of
his selection to open the campaign.
The occasion was advertised and 1T
was heralded that Mr.. Smith would
pass through Jackson on the morn
ing train-the 9 o'clock train. Ex-
Gov. Lowry met him and held con-
sultation with him at the depot, and
boarded the train and rode with him
to the State street crossing, about
half mile, E. s. Wilson went on to
Meridian, and the campaign was
opened with Mr.. Smiths speech.
SMITH CHARGED WITH AN ATTEMPT TO
sUBoRN PERJURY.
BEFORE proceeding further let me
read you paper that recently came
into my possession, and give you
some facts connected with it, and let
these speak for the character of their
campaign as well as the character Of
the man selected to open it, When
l speak Of their campaign / have no
reference to those gentlemen who
signed the invitation to Mr.. Smith to
speak here. 1 do not think that the
signers of that invitation expected
Mr.. Smith to pervert an invitation
from Democrats into an occasion for
the abuse of Democratic admins
tration.
I have son-in-law living in Vicks
burg, Mr.. Robert L. MeLaurin. On
Monday evening, the 26th day Of De-
cember, 1898, three days before Mr..
Smith was to speak here, negro
named George Sutton came to Bob
McLaurin, in Vicksburg, with this
typewriter paper, which | now
read:
STATE OF MIssIssuPPI-Sharke Co.
Personally appeared before me, the
undersigned, justice of the peace in
and for the county of Warren and
State of Mississippi, George Sutton,
who, being duly sworn, deposes and
says: That he is the father of Jerry
Sutton, and that the said Jerry SUIT
ton was convicted of manslaughteri in
the Circuit court of Sharkey county,
and sentenced to the penitentiary for
term of years.
Affiant further states that shortly
after Hon. A. ]. McLaurin was inau-
gurated Governor of Mississippi that
he published petition for the par
don of his son, and presumably went
to Jackson and presented the same to
the Governor; that the Governor did
not give him any decided answer and
he left the Governors office; that
during the conversation had by the
affiant with the Governor in his Office,
that affiant recollects that Mr.. Wal
ter McLaurin either came into the
office in Jackson, Miss, or was in the
Governors office, and, shortly after
leaving the Governors Office and
near the capitol, he was met by the
said Walter McLaurin and was asked
IL l6 U6SlTcO w nave HIS SUI par
doned, and he answered of course he
did, and that said Walter McLaurin
then answered him, that if he would
pay him $25 cash and SIS after his
son was pardoned that his son would
be pardoned.
Affiant further states that after the
lapse of some four or five weeks he
went to Jackson to see about the
pardon of his son, and again met Mr..
Walter McLaurin, and that Mr.. Wal
ter McLaurin told him that if he
would pay the 500 to his bro Ger,
Mr.. H. j. McLaurin, at Rolling Fork,
that it would be the same thing as II
he had paid it to him, and that as
soon as the money was paid his son
would be pardoned.
Affiant went home and hauled cot
ton to Rolling Fork and delivered
the same to the said H. j. McLaurin
to the amount of $110, and shortly
thereafter his son was pardoned,