The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-02-16
NUMBER AZ
BILE in the upper body.

recommend the sale OF Lne Oakiey
convict farm. This place has
never been a source of profit to
the State, but this is chiefly due
to the fact that it has been used
as a hospital for the sick and
cripple prisoners, who could
hardly be expected to perform
the manual labor necessary to
produce profitable lcrops each
year. A portion of the land at
Oakley is as fertile as can be
found outside of the Delta, and
the entire tract is admirably
adapted for stock raising pur.
poses.
Concerning the E. E. Jackson
matter, the committee will also
have something to say. Jackson
vas formerly a sergeant On the
Oakley place, and occasionally
hired the convicts to adjoining
farmers when they could not be
employed to advantage or profit
on the State lands. For this
action he had the permission of
the board of control, but some of
the members discovered that Mr..
Jackson's accounts were not as
explicit as they ought to be, and.
in response toa very strong in
timition. his RESIGNATION was
rendered. No direct charge of
irregularity or dishonesty was
brought against Mr.. Jackson, the
worst that has been publicly said
about him being to the effect that
he is an unusually shrewd busi-
ness man, and if the attempt to
place criminality at his door has
been made in has not resulted in
Indictment by the Kinds county
grand jury, although two grand
jury sessions have been held
since the board of control closed
the incident by &C 'er ting lis
resignation.
Hon. J. c. Kincannon, q men,
ber of the prison board of coz
troll, several molths ago assisted
or negotiated the sale of some
lands for Jackson, and great
-hullaballoo has been MAJ e ovtr
this matter by some of the mem,
bers Of the investigating COM
mittee.
Mr.. Kincannon acted as an in
d,vidl a in the transact'o on, what
ever it was. 1t is not known
what commission he received,
nor does it appear just now that
it is anybody's business, since he
did not buy lands of the State or
sell lands belonging to the State.
Publications have been made
of the matter, however, in Mem
phis and New Orleans morning
papers that are very likely to re-
suit in some action being taken
against those publications more
on account of the headlines used
than the insinuative subject mat
ter, the inspiration of the latter
not being difficult to trace.
Mr.. Kincannon doSen't know
exactly what the committee is
trying to charge him with, but
whatever it is, if any dishonesty
or official misconduct is charged,
he is ready promptly to denounce
it as false, this purpose being
plainly shown by the following
card issued last night bearing his
signature:
CARD TO THE PUBLIC
''To the Public: In regard to
the publication in Sundays Com
mercial Appeal referring to my
purchase of certain lands in the
Delta, l take occasion to say that
the charges and insinuations are
so vague and indefinite that |
cannot make a specific reply, but
| hasten to say that any intima-
tion that have been guilty of
the slightest official misconduct,
or any violation of either the
spirit or letter of the law, is un-
qualifiedly false. | court the
fullest possible investigation of
my official career.
y. C. KINCANNON."
Mr.. Kincannon will not say
that he intends to take
action, although able lawyers
have informed him that excell-
ent grounds exist. He has been
quite indignant, however, since
the publication was made, and
expresses a willingness to go be-
fore the penitentiary committee
at any time and give testimony
on any subject they may care to
question him about.
There has been a great deal Of
of the action Of the
peritentiary committee in hold
ing its sessions behind closed
doors. No other legislative COM
mittees follow this course of pro-
cedure, and it is stated today
that a resolution will be offered
in the house within the next day
or SO directing the committee to
hold open sessions.
The patty who ga ire Sl.50 for the
Tupslo Journ al will p case rep - to me
as have lost the ticket anu do not re-