New-York tribune., 1902-10-25
LENTZ REFUTES CHARGES
THE ESSEX COUNTY CANDIDATE To,
SHERIFF TALKS OF HIS LIFE

In the course of recent speech at New...
Major Carl Lentz took the opportunity to rsnI, !.
the expressions of dissatisfaction in some auar,
with his nomination Sheriff of Essex Cor.
and to refute the charges talked about against b,
His statement practically sketches his whole a.
reer He begins with the time when at the 60
Of sixteen. he landed in New-York poor and ,r,srs
less and gained a livelihood selling papers IT,
the Civil War broke out and Lentz Joined a eavaI
regiment. serving from July. 1851. to Decembe-
1854 At tine battle OF Cedar Creek he lost his arr
besides being shot through the breast. Sick an5
friendless. for years he lived in WashIngtoD
in a garrett on his pension of so month Suhsa
quently he graduated from Columbia Universt,
and from its law school. and then went to Newark
The Majors speech continues:
came to Newark in 1878 with $50 in my Docka,
alone and stranger | was unable to rent an OF.
ice. being unable to Obtain ere9it until one day
/ went into the Essex County National Bank az
which bank at that time Mr. Abner s. Reeves
M4 @ you & Nj Harry Crp was the
paying teller; afterwaTd he was its president. and
he died right here among you L made applca-
tion TO a gentleman who was there and ne informed
me that if L could not give the security / could
buiIding T was going away disappointed " wbss sas
old Mr. Abner S. Reeves-and L dare say there
good many people in this audience who win
remember him-called me back. He said to me.
Young man, did you lose your arm in the army
turned 10 o the se0temar who had refused me is lie
Office and he said: III the Essex County Bang
country's service during the for three months
rent why he says. 1T is time | left the Essex
three or four months lived in that Office. slept
In tt-it was my home all mad;
me and came to me generously. l was successful
at the bar. Then, gentlemen. even at that time
interested in the political matters of the ma
tion and of the State. made speeches and helped
financially to my ability the cause OF the Republi
the Republican party virtually had disappeared
from the face of this State. and this county. and
I was then asked to accept the charmanship Of
the county committee; l became the chairman Of
the county committee BY the votes of the com.
mittee / undertook the duties or that office with
determination to do my duty to the best Of my
ability There was no hope of gain. no hope Of re-
ward-there wasn't dollar In us treasury-and
gentlemen ii was uphill work My business was
neglected, and the result was that ! went inB
debt and that owed money 10 people which wha
borrowed the money and paid every man dolss
for dollar. I have since paid that borrowed money
back L owe no man dollar; have wronged 40
man out of a dollar, and there is no man who it
is intimated that i have wronged that has ever
made complaint against me, or VIII make CON-
plaint against me, that have Wronged him IN any
way whatsoever.
this county. and the Governor of the state Of New
gerseyShe men men CoVerno[ % 0I trS 5ee b & OF New
point me. When ii was about 10 be announced
that I would be appointed Prosecutor ther earose
opposition. and was accused OF having not been
able to pay money over at the time When II was
Of the State OF New-Jersey and the Supreme Court
of the State of New-Jersey said that had COM
OF NewJersey in its opinion fled stated that still
was proper man TO remain member OF the bar
of New-JerSey.
But the time to appoint Prosecutor had passed,
and the Governor had appointed some one else.
found fault bore two years OF the hardest
time of nv life in waiting for the decision of the
Supreme Court. Hardly with money sufficient TO
keep my family and myself might say even
sometimes unable TO pay the rent to my landlord.
Judge Kirkpatrick. as he will tell you, relying upon
his leniency TO allow me in the future TO pay up,
I stood waiting for the decision of the Supreme
that bleached the hairs of my wife, that caused
TO
not BY force of arms but by the votes Of the peo-
pie Of this county. remained chairman of the Re-
publican County Committee; and, defy any man.
my political life where / have taken dollar from
shape or manner for the purpose of furthering the
ends Of any against the interest Of the pe0-
pie Of this city and this county.
I here tonight Just poor as / was when
thirty years ago I came TO Newark to start in life
am charged with forcing myself on the county
convention its nominee simply desire 20 say
as all who present in that convention know,
that il is insult 10 the gentlemen who com
posed that convention 10 even suggest such q
thing as that. They were the representative men
OF this county. They rendered me the nOmlna-
tion without the slightest solicitation on my part;
have never spoken TO any man OF II. and no one
knew what my position would be until after the
nomination rendered.