The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-07-06
PERSONAL
DIFFICULTY
OCCURS BETWEEN Mr.. a. J. NIGH
OILS AND Mr.. w. p. WoRLEY.
Politics And Personal ViIification At
The Bottom OF It.. "A Statement
From Mr.. Nichols.

ing III IAlC SOuAl A1OAOC AAOAheJf AZ
which Mr.. w. P. Worley, independent
candidate for Circuit Court Clerk made
some very serious charges against Mr..
A. J. Nichols, the democratic nominee
for the office, the two engaged in a
personal difficulty in the Maury Ma
tional Bank Tuesday morning. 1t was
freely predicted after the speaking
Monday that Mr. Nichols could not do
otherwise than take some personal
recognition of the charges and pro-
tect his personal character from Will
fication, so the difficulty caused little
surprise.
Both Mr. Worley and Mr. Nichols
make practically the same statement
of the difficulty. 1t appears from
their statement that Mr.. Nichols was
in the bank for the purpose of trans
acting some business with Mr.. c. A.
Parker, and his brother, Mr.. R. E.
Nichols was also in the bank having
made a deposit and was talking with
Mr. H. B. Cochran at one of the win
dows, when Mr. Worley came in to
make a deposit. Mr.. Worley had fin
ished his business and as he had turned
to leave he thought Mr. A. j. Nichols
called him or addressed some remark
to him, so he turned and the two met
near the desk in front of the railing.
Mr.. Nichols then told Mr. Worley that
every charge made against him in his
speech Monday was an infamous lie.
Mr.. Worley replied by calling Mr..
Nichols a vile name a name which
Mr.. R. E. Nichols said he thought was
as vile an insult to himself as to his
brother Mr. A. J. Nichols says that
at the insult, he ran his hand in his
front pants pocket for his knife, but
the thought flashed over him that he
did not not want to kill any one or
do any one serious injury, so he
dropped his knife back in his pocket
and started in with his fist. Mr.. Wor-
ley struck at or pushed Mr. Nichols
about this time, and at about the
same time Mr. R. E. Nichols, brother
like, abbed Mr. Worley by the Shout
ders take a broth ar's part in the diff
ficulty. Monte Fariss, who was stand
ing near, grabbed NJ A. J. Nichols,
so Mr. Worley and Mr. r z. Nichols
really did most of the fighting Mr.
A. J. Nichols finally got loose from
Monte, and snatched an inkwell from
the desk rushed to where Mr.. r. E.
Nichols and Mr. Worely were strug-
Cling and struck Mr.. Worley two blows
in the top of the head before friends
could separate the combatants.
The only injuries inflicted were the
cuts on Mr.. Worley's head from the
ink-well
Mr.. Morley was seen by a Herald |
man after the difficulty and asked if |
he had any statement to make, and he |
said none except the statement of
how the difficulty occurred which he
then made
Mr. Nichols stated that since the !
speaking on Monday he had made it
point to avoid Mr.. Worley, because he
realized that he would just have to
tell him what he thought of him, if
they did meet That he went into the
bank on private business with Mr..
Parker and had no idea Mr. Worley
would be there until he saw him come
in.
Il am not a fighting man" he said
and haven't had difficulty since was
a school boy, and would give $500 if
could have avoided the trouble this
But | don't love Office well
enough, and value character. and the
life I have led among the good people
Of Columbia for the past twenty years
too highly to stand supinelyby and have
it traduced and villified / don't deal
in SANDER myself and | won't stand
by and allow any man, whether my
political opponent or otherwise to
SANDER me, and every time it is done
and l hear of it, l will resent it as /
did today
During the recent primary | had
hundreds of voters come to and ask
me what it was that Willard Worley
had done, which had caused the PEG
pie to turn so strongly against him.
steadfastly declined to discuss the
matter. though urged to do so by many
Of my friends. l did not think it was
fair to bring an opponents private
character into a political campaign,
and use his personal transgressions as
4 means of my political preferment,
and | told my friends So In spite of
his consideration on my part, in the
very first speech he makes in his in
dependent race he takes pains, not only
o tradHce my private character, but
o accuse me of slandering him in the
0c,t 7 |