The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-09-06
STATEMENT BY
IREDELL MEARES
AS TO THE RECENT ASSAULT
MADE UPON HIM BY W. J.
BELLAMY, ESQ.

The public is aware OF the recent as
sault made upon me, upon the streets
of Wilmington, by William ]. Bellamy,
accompanied by his friends. L deem 1t
proper, in justice to myself and to my
friends. to make this statement. 1t has
been delayed that 1t might be made
calmly and dispassionauely:
AS TO THE ASSAULT
On Monday morning while passing
the store of DR.. Green, without the
slightest expectation Of an assault or
of anybody being Immediately around
me, someone rapidly approaching,
slightly in the rear, caused me to turn
my head. At the moment, I saw Will
liam j. Bellamy approaching me, with
in a few feet, with right hand uplifted,
holding wha at the moment appeared
to me to be a stick or a club. and. as I
turned my head slightly around, the
blow was struck. My side at the mo-
ment was toward Bethany. He was
slightly in the rear. The blow struck
was on the back left-hand side of my
head and cut the scalp about an inch.
The blow staggered me for an instant,
when, turning upon my assailant, L
found I was being assaulted by more
than one person. I did not hear him
say one word previous to the blow.
He did not accOst or. address Inc. In the
scufhe that ensued, M Greenabaum,
whom I do not know sufficiently even
to recognize on sight, joined in the at
tack. In the melee n blow. at least,
was dealt me in the back. 1 received
another blow in the right temple-that
itnn yN-0 G
struck by Greenabaum. / saw in front
of me Jack Be1lamy. At the moment,
he exclaimed: Hit him again, Billy"
I started toward him, when Mr.. Lane,
an officer, stepped in front Of me, TAX
ing me by the shoulders n
Inc the peace. ] was aware during the
light that I was assailed by several
persons, and then denounced the whole
gang as towards. I was carried in the
drug store and treated by DR.. Zachary.
w. J.. Bellamy. Jack Bellamy n
Alex Greenabaum conspired together
to make this attack without notice or
intimatiOn to me, and Informed certain
of their friends of their purpose, who
were present to witness it. w. J.. Bel
1amy made the ~pretense, after finding
out by telephone to my office that /
was not in the office, Of going there to
see me: but he did not have, as reported
his whip in hand. but did nave said CO.
conspirators in waiting. They then
went down to the corner of the street
to await my coming from nome, of
which they had been informed.
AS TO BELLAMY'S CARD.
w. J.. Bellamy, in a card to the
papers uses this language:
GAS honor and integrity and a clear
conscience are paramount to anything
else in this world, I deem that the only
way to vindicate myself was by a pub
lie horsewhipping. I didn't care to fght
him as 1 deemed him unworthy OF my
touch. and thought a horsewhfpping
was the proper way to show the PUBIC
what kind of a man he is"
He did not horsewhtp me, nor did he
attempt to do so. He struck me, an
unwarned and unarmed nan a blow
from behind, on the head. with the
butt-end of the whip. In the scuff1e
that ensued he was assisted and pro-
tected by his brother, Jack" Bellamy
n by Greenabaum.
AS TO STATEMENT TO MIR.
SPRINGER.
W. J. Bellamy says IN his card:
Last week he went to Mr.. j. c..
Springer and told him that his brother,
Mr.. w. E. Springer, had better go OFF
my bond as city attorney, on the
ground thai 1 might make default"
10lS SidlSlIlcIl Ii III ~
torney for the U. S. Fidelity & Guar
anty Company, I spoke to Mr.. ]. G.
Springer about a bond which had been
applied for to that company to be given
to him and which did not appear upon
the record furnished me. MY inquiry
was to learn whether the bond had
ever been issued. I explained TO him
nv reasons for asking. The statement
that I made to him was substantially
this:
fW. ]. Bellamy has acted as agent
for the U. S. Fidelity & Guaranty Com
pany, of Baltimore, under authority to
execute security bonds in certain cases,
and this had sent to me a
claim which showed on their books an
Indebtedness due by W. ]. Bellamy or
S636.67 less his commissions of twenty
per cent. The company. unable to get
a settlement out of him. sent the claim
to Mr.. A. J. Marshall, attorney, of this
city, who, being unable to get a settle
ment, returned it, saying he did "
care to institute a suit. because of his
relations to other members of the
family The sent me the ac-
count, suggesting to me to inform w.
J. Bellamy that he was liable to cr1m1-
nal prosecution. I notified W. J. Bel
lamy OF the claim being in my hands
and demanded a settlement. He tele-
graphed the company, asking them to
take the claim out of my hands, and
they declined to do 1t. The following
week the company sent a special agent
here, who investigated the cour records
and found some t~wenty-seven bonds
had been issued by ". j. Bellamy, at
dates from. July 26. 1900. to July 26. 1901.
upon which he collected premiums and
neither remitted the money nor reported
the issue of the bonds. On the Hollow
ing Wednesday. after my letter was
written to W. J. sBellamy, and after
the special agent was here, w. }. Bel
lamy made up a statement n TOR
warded a check for s526.40 to he home
office, with a statement Of h bonds he
had issued and premiums collected,
claiming that to be in full settlement.
This statement. the first he had made
within ten months, was louno TO De
~euhsfantiaIly correct. The special
agent exhibited to me a letter contain
ing the resignation Of W. j. Bellamy.
The special agent had informed me, De,
fore his resignation, that ne woulo
@-1 him hT1T QfrRr-