The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-02
STILES REPLIES
 TO PC. BOWMAN
TELLS ABOUT VISITS TO CON. CORDlA SOCIETY-JUDGE STILES SAYS HE HAS No REGRET AND NO APOLOGY.
To the Editor of The Age-Herald.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
 For my visit to the Concordia society, which is the sole basis of all of P. c. Bowman's charges, 1 have no regret and make no apology. The facts relating thereto are as follows:
 Last April Capt. Frank P. O'Brien asked me to prepare an amendment to the charter of the Concordia society so as to legally make it benevolent and charita- ble, well as a social, organization l knew Concordia society to be social and musical organization composed almost exclusively of German-AmericanS whom | knew to be good citizens, and l gladly agreed to lend my services. Some time later 1 attended a meeting of the society one Sunday afternoon, in company with Captain O Brien, at the invitation of the society, extended through Captain O Brien, for the purpose of presenting the amendment to the charter which l pre- pared.
 This meeting was attended by highly re- spected German-Americans with their wives and children, and 1 am reliably in- formed that the minister of the German Lutheran church is a member of the so- ciety and attends its meetings. At this meeting of the society 1 saw neither drinking nor card playing: on the con trary. the meeting was orderly and de- corous. in every particular, and I had no
 
 could be criticised was indulged there.
 In the latter part of May. or early in June 1 was again invited to attend an- other meeting of the Concordia society, on the following Sunday afternoon. Later in the week, C. P. Beddow, partner of r. G. Bowman, stated that he would like to attend the meeting of the Concordia society with me It was then agreed that we should go together. and we did go to- gether on the following Sunday after noon.
 Bowman specifically charges, in his ar ticle, That during the recent primary in which you were a candidate for the nom- nation Of sheriff, on Sunday, after you had gone to church with Bible under your arm. and after you had finished worshiping in the temple of the living God on that same Sunday you went to a place in the city of Birmingham where you rapped on the door and were ad- mitted, and where number of men were playing cards; that you invited these men from the card tables to the counter where intoxicating liqours were sold; that you invited them to drink at your ex- pense; that they did drink; and that you paid for the liquor.
 He then asks: twill Judge Stiles deny that on Sunday during the recent pri- maries. after he had been to church on Sunday, he went into place where men were playing cards and that he invited them from the card table to the counter. invited them to drink intoxicat- ing liquors. that they did drink, and that he. Judge Stiles, paid for such intoxi- eating liquor?"
 Fowmans original charges. as made at Bessemer and Ensley. 1 am reliably informed, were that I had gone direct from the church and Sunday school. with a Bible on my arm, to gambling hell. or dive; had knocked at the door, the wicket was raised and l was admitted; called the gamblers rom the card table to a drinking saloon and treated them to liquor As soon as I heard these state ments, I sought the first opportunity to say publicly that they were q lie, and as black as hell That statement l now repeat. His charges. as published and as heretofore made in his speeches. are materially different, and reveal a species of political acrobatism peculiarly Bow manesuue.
 His charges. however as now made convey. and are purposely intended to convey a wholly false impression and to do me a grave injustice It Is one of the tricks of the professional political buccaneer. These charges refer to the meeting of the Concordia society, which