The Green Forest tribune., 1903-09-12
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT IT.
Gov. Davis and Judge Wood Dis
 cuSS the Bismarl "Incident.V

Gov. Davis and Judge Wood Dis
 CuSs the Bisnarl< "Incident.v
 Gov. Davis gives out the fol- lowing as his version ofthe Bis mark 'incident:" ;"
 "During my speech I called the attention of the crowd to the fact that on the day before, at Arka- delphia, I had asked Judge Wood to explain the relationship be- tween himself, John R. Dos Passes and his law partners, a firm of lawyers in New York City, with regard to a mining deal be- tween them in Marion county, in this state, and requested him to explain if they were not interest ed jointly in this deal, and that he on that occasion had not done so. 1 stated also that John R. Dos Passes recently had pend- ing before the supreme court of our state suit on the Holford bonds, the suit amounting to more than S2,O00,00O. Judge Wood in his reply said he was not now interested with the law firm of John R. Dos Passes in this mining deal. l was sitting at the edge of small platform some eight feet square, taking notes preparatory to my rejoinder, and in as polite language as I could command 1 asked Judge Wood to please tell the audience if he was not now in partnership with John R. Dos Passos in this mining deal, when did he cease to be in part nership with him and when had he severed this connection {? This enraged him very much and while 1 was sitting and paying no attention to what he did he rush. ed upon me and showed me, my chair tipped over and 1 fell from the platform. Several of my friends, however, caught me. Any statement that he knocked me from the platform or struck me at all is false. The assault was absolutely unjustifiable and unprovoked. l was simply pin hing Judge Wood down too strong on the facts to be comfortable. The sheriff immediately arrested him and he was fined before a justice of the peace, so 1 am told. The crowd was absolutely unan- imous in their condemnation of his conduct, and but for my personal pleas to them to desist 1 fear that some of them would have done him personal vio- lence." :"
 Replying to the above Judge Wood gave the following state- ment to the press:
 "Governor Davis letter bears the impression of falsehood on it's face. He says he had just asked me certain questions and then says in the same breath in the next sentence 'and while I was sitting paying no attention to what he did he rushed upon me and showed me- The truth is, I had answered his question and he was disputing my word, and 1 told him not to do that, pointing my finger at him. 1 was stand ing close to him and he said, Don't put your finger in my face,' and told me to get farther away from him. He started at this juncture to rise from his chair and I struck at his nose and he lodged back and I think my blow landed on his breast, don't know just where. At any rate, he stumbled off the plat form and immediately we were surrounded by our respective friends. The statement that he was pinning me down on the facts too strong to be comfortable, if true, gives the lie to the other statement just made by him above.
 'He says he was sitting paying no attention to what I did. The truth is, he was looking right at