The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1899-08-26
"Whoso Mother-iu-Law Helped state
Onlciul out or imprisonment"

field Tor the teachers attending county
institutes. Quite batch Of these qucs-
tions were submitted 10 the editor Of
this dcpartr.rnt The following very
interesting sketch answers this par
ticuIar question. 1t was written by
jackson Boy" for The Common
we alth, in 1890, and republished by Mr..
Wilson in his Current Comment in July,
1897.
Richard 5. Graves was ele ted State
treasurer in November, is4l. lie
skipped in February, 1885
1.-THE quiet l.t,lo city OF jackson was stirred
| from center to circumference when II was made
known that Treasurer Graves was short IN his
accounts, and that the governor had appointed
! a committee to examine his books The treas
urer was at once put under arrest and the COM
mttee set to work to investigate the accounts
OF his Office. As II was not deemed eNpedirnt to
connne him in prison during the examination,
number Of citizens we're appointed to guard him.
| I'm ths ante 6elum days there stood on the
corner in the rear OF what is now known as the
| government building at Jackson, famous
| boarding establishment known as the Dickson
| House; kept By the widow OF General David
| Dickson, a man Ia his day OF considerable pOllu-
| cal influence but not more renowned through
| the length and breadth of the state than his
| widow, II was the rendezvous ot all the hlgh
political cockalorumi OF whatever cast who
| gathered at Jackson in those days, either
dancing attendance upon the supreme court or
attracted hither By the sessions OF the legisla-
| ture or Of some political gathering, for Jackson
was mi hty place in those times for these con-
cayes, where each man came To grind an AK for
| himself or some dearly beloved. These were the
| days OF Seargent s. Prentiss and ShOckO Jones
| and Hiram G.. Runnels and host OF those brill
| liant lights that shed halo over the fair
fame OF Mississippi, 1t was such characters as
| those mentioned who were to be found at this
celebrated hosiery.
| "To this house Graves was carried on the
morning of the escape, aud where he had rooms
| for himself and family. The night previous
| Graves, worn with care and weary with the
| burdens that he had heaped upon himself, was
conveyed by his guards to his ROOM and with
windows fastened was left with his family with
| the guard Of citizens at his door. 1t was the
last ght for years that he was to spend with
his devoted wife The next m rning about
O'Clock one OF the guards knocked at the door
with request that Mr.. Graves would dress
| himself and come out The summons was an
| swered by his wife, who stated that her husband
| was in a deep sleep, and pleaded that he might
not be disturbed. soon thereafter the mother
OF Mrs. Graves passed the guards ana entered
the room, bearing in her hands a cup Of coffee,
and wearing on her head an old-tashiOncd SUE
bonnet. Remaining IN the room short time
| she passed out
zone Of the guards at the door was Mr.. James
Kerr, man whose deyo ion to duty was not to
be exceeded by any one.
After The advent of the mOtler-in-law the
/ npf a
might not be right, and rising, lie approached
the door and knocking called for Graves. Again
the pleading voice OF the wife was heard be-
seeching f more rest for the weary husband,
but the guard was not to be put oil, and push
ing the door open, he approached the bed and
| throw the spread from of the recumDent form
of the treasurer.
Great Scott What a sight was then and
there presented to these yigilants Of the honor
Of their beloved State and o. .ar welfare.
"The much abused motherin-aw had per
formed her duty WE'LL and while she occupied
the bed the husband OF her daughter had put on
her gown and sunbOnnet, and taking the empty
cup in his hand had passed tile guards anu
mounting horse hiched behind the garden
and forever bidding adieu to his guards, in
vestigatmg committee and the governor, HE'D
himself away as fast as the nimbe steed lie
strobe could carry him.
"What the thoughts OF Graves were that beau
tiruI morning as his steel bore him away from
his home, his friends and his devoted wife can
Only be conjectured. 1t may have been as MS
horse breathing hard from the rapid flight and
the familiar scenes one by one passed from his
sight forever that the injunction unheeded-
1.-THE way OF tine transgreSsOr is hard"-cOnlin-
| ually fitted across his mind and filled it with
gloomy forebodn.s as to his future. There
were no railroads or eegraph wires bearing
| swift messages across the country III those days,
| and Graves made his way out OF the State and
| went to Canada
"In 1852 Governor Henry $. Foote received a
letter from Graves stating that ii permitted to
return he would refund to the State the amount
of his detalcation. Now grown Old, ana with
the increased burdens of years resting on his
shoulders his mind and heart turned to the land
| of his nativity, and longing desire to be once
more with his friends and abide among the
familiar scenes OF his childhood so took possess
sion OF his very nature that he earnestly plead
to be permitted Oncs more to return and spend
the evening of his eyrntfu life at his old home.
| He was at that time at Toronto, Canada. Gov
ernor FOote sent a gentleman by the name OF
| Hugh L. French to Canada and had him arrest
ed. Having no extraditon treaty bearing on
the subject at the time with the English govern
ment, the authorities GeledSeu MN duu MI
| French returned home.
at was said that the friends of the treasurer,
when it was first whispered that his accounts
were not correct, made an effort to replace the
funds in the treasury before The committee was
| appointed to make the investigation.
mir. shelton, who had been president of that
famous bank at the county seat OF Rankin and
known as the Brandon Bank it was said, had
| ~ "a
to meet them at the Parish bridge on the pike
leadln. to Brandon, and receive the money to
! cover the defalcatiou. TWAS presumed that the
friends becoming frightened failed to meet the
appointment and Mr.. Shelton, in his despair,
rode up the river about half mile, and hitch
ing his horse and pulling of his hat and coat,
| forever buried his cares and SORROWS in the
swiftly flowing waters of the beautiful Pearl
| river. 1t is said that there is in the vaults OF
the treasury at Washington brown wooden
box, IS inches long, foot wide and inches
deep which contains paper TO the nominal value
| of several hundred thousand dollars Every bit
of it came from the dead letter office OF the post
office department The oldest notes are dated
back as far as 1912. One package contained
S54 900 and another 5000. The $1,000 package
was sent from Brandon to Jackson in 1910 and
the letter accompanying it shows that 1t was
| sent in consequent OF repeated demands. Neither
the men VINO sent it nor the ones to whom it
| was sent could be found.
at may have been that this sum was part
| of the funds for the relief of Treasurer Graves,
but 1t came too late and those sending it fear
ing an exposure determined to lose it further
than run any risk in the matter"
Interesting Souvenirs.
The editor of this department is the
recipient of two tokens of kindly re-
membrance from Mrs. Annie Walter
| Fearn, NJ. D., who with her husband,
DR.. Burrus Fearn, have recently re-
turned from China, and made brief
| r;s;ts e., Nay,o Cit,- IaolFspu and Me-