The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-14
STATEMENT FROM BRocKMAN
Giving His Side OF the Case and Answer
ing Charges.

Giving His Side OF the Case and Answer
ing Charges.
To The Editor Of Tho Post.
Houston. Texas, December 10. I notice
In today's Herald. under the heading
Chief Blackburn Talks" that he is r.
ported among other things as saying; ut
Is well known to the people Of Houston
ihai there has been an organized gang
Of crooks operating 10 this city for sew
eral months past aud that there has been
great deal OF buncolng aud gaming
going on"
In reply TO this, desire ia state that
every one IN Houston who knows anything
Of he matter. knows that Chief Black
burn must have known OF this condition
all the time aud It is the merest twnddle
for him Ia say that he has been power
less 10 break up such violations Of the
law as buncong and gaming The trouhlS
has been that no real effort has been made
10y Mr. Blackburn or his force to correct
this evil. II Mr., Blackburn had spens
mere Of his official life Mt home attending
to his business and less in jnnketlng trips
TO conventions and hunting trips and
olher places and had sincerely tired or
ueslfed 70 break M the above evils, b.
would nave found no difficulty In doing
SO, and as Illustration Of his | know
tAe people Of Houston viii r~l9ember that
TOUR or hVo NearS ago when the then cn.ei
o. police ordered the gamblers n uuit they
did 70 10 short order and remained quit
untH The said CHIEF So'tened up. This
SHOWS that he instant this element knows
that the effort is sincere they heed It,
ana ] am certain the experience Of other
CUES VIII bear ont this Illustration The
TACT Is, that such n 5 Hte Of affairs could
not exist for any considerable length Ok
Tine without some sort Of connlvAncp Of
Lne Pouee. ~ mas been openly limited tine
ANA again that there was a revenue"
reason for the failure of the department
t. hatc these evils
The only excuse Mr.. Blackburn seems
10 NJ no-f 10 gye Is that myself. prn
clpallY. ana other lawyers. whom he do,s
not blame have defended persons arrested
LOT tnesc ouensps. nnd th1' Tho "oiirss
turn thera loose or DELAY their trials II
seems IN he his idea that an attorney who
defendS an accused person is necessarily
that persons friend and that such defense
constitutes an Interference with his bust
ness.
And he is not satisfied with his insin.
nations towards me- bur takes n fling al
the. courts and iuries as my alleged acces-
sories don't presume that any sensible
hr fairminded person viii he misled nv
such d'msy stun. Suppose the sheriff
should claim that the trials and defense
him constitutes m Interference with his
business. would that he any rchson why
lawyers should qplt defending people VI
that justice should not he administered
10y the courtSN0 yet this would b. the
logical sequence Of his claims were they
adopted
the custom Of the polLac department 10
make arrests without warrants This is alb.
sout'ly false, ms the records Of his ofhcp
show.
lie says that the killing of Yesterday
was the result ~ advice he clslms | gavc
SSlG freatGher' and one would imagine from
MS EXAMINATIONS that he was present and
knew such advice to have been given. /
here state most emp1ltcnlly, that gave
no such advice. hut that on the contrary
very word said 10 Preacher nj tho time
was an endeayor 60 dlssuade him from any
such idea and any statement TO tho con
nary is rank falsehood and wilful con
tortion Of an effort on my part to mid the
ofhcers In getting along with Preacher
without trouble Mr. Blackburn says that
the advice, gave Preacher caused this
and Is on a par With nany others that
understand have been lnsiduously and ln-
dpsirlonsly set In circulation by Mr..
Blackburn and others, who have private
grievances against me and who are zeal
Ous ~ nv professional success ana who
think that now they have the uuhlir e7r
through this calamity that people can ba
led "a believe any fnlsehood they ran con
irlye 10 set anoat = me contrary. had
which was To have M trouble with the
police. whether they arrested him with or
wlthout warrant. This killing would not
have occurred. and on. the other hand. II
B
to procure variants for the arrest Of thoss
whom they knowtn I've here before ares
ing them, unless the facts warranted thr
have been spared this shock This wss
the substance Of nv advice 50 much talked
about aud so Wiley mlsrepresented. Il
the personal eU17lty Of Chief BlnckhuEs
aud Mr. Thompson. both NJ whom 7 am
suing for aiding In the attempted illegsi
extraditIon Of Charles Jessup to the. state
~ Arkansas as q fugitive from Justice
from snid state. when they both knew he
was here IN Houston all the time and also
knew that he could not have been fugi-
live from Arkansas. because the alleged
ofPnse II any, was committed right hero
i'm Houston. ns they we'll know. and also
who makes the eomnlslnt against me RaG
who IL one OF the alleged witnesses 10 the
alleged asvlce alleged to have been given
ing FOR the murder Of John Vaughn aud
N which he Is guilty II the testimony OF
| Mr.. and Mrs. Grant and OF DR.. BrumbY
| aud OF Lee himself IN his sworn statement
and also 10 silt the purposes Of others
| FOR Ike snd other causes. however. which
| s'o,ai connection with legitimate utiga-
! ton Then Mr.. Blackburn wants meet
| ing ~ the people 10 take action. on pre-
| waiting iawlessRess. hone he Will get H..
| I'm. when the Investigation Is made. N
made hy those not Influenced by Black
| hurn. n viii show that such a state Of ar
l fairs has maFHTl NJ. FallIe Term or
| ofScs has never before existed under any
| sdmlhistrsiio IN this city and MI BLACK
| burn and his gang will he found 10 he the
| nsyeens NJ fault
| lie crlticises ne for defending persons
whom he arrests as he SAYS for hu1coine
| Tverv LAWYER knows that there Is no snch
/ cNenss known IN the law. and Mt. Black
hrrn 40 Knows. ~ he kHeEs ANYTHING.
! have time and again told the officers that
such persons be really true that they Wsula