The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-07-18

70 pay tH0lE ueDbe In either gold or
silver the plain people be allowed the
same privilege; bns while the Herald
was willing for the railroads to pay
in gold, silver, greenbacks or Nation
al Bank Bills, it wanted to require
the plain everyday working man to
pay in gold.
In speaking OF my brother Walter
McLaurin. whose lips are closed In
death and who is not here to speak
for himself, the Herald says: "A
delta planter and lessee Of convicts
exhibited to us letters from certain
lawyer calling for the payments Of q
thousand dollars due the estate Of the
late warden for services claimed in
securing convicts for this planter. !"
Whether it was so intended by the
Herald or not, the people believe that
this charge that Walter McLaurin
while warden was bribed to lease con-
victs. Walter MoLaurin was warden
for less than year. He took the
warden's Office about the first Of the
year of 1897. During the overflow
that year he went to the delta to get
the States property and convicts out
of danger Of the overflow, and while
there, in swimming bayous on horse
back and travelling in skiff, which
several times overturned, ard other
exposures, Le lost his health, and on
the 21st OF December, 1897, because Of
the condition Of his health, resigned
as warden. On the same day the
Board OF Control by unanimous vote
spread upon the minutes this resolu.
tion:
Resolved, that whereas Hon.
Walter McLaurin has for sometime
served this Board as warden, aud
whereas he has this day, by resigna-
ton. dissolved his connection with
us, and has served the Board and
State with efficiency and zeal, the
comforts of the convicts having been
augmented, the death rate decreased,
and the escapes lessened, q larger
crop made than in any previous year,
all the Board of Control of Mississippi
dc. hereby express our regret because
of his resignation, and recognize the
fact that faithful officer has been
lost to the State. and wish him success
and happiness in any walk of life he
may choose
After his resignation he reassu med
the practice of law, and in the fall of
1898, about year after he had re-
signed the wardenship, he was en-
ployed by Capt. Randolph. CT Wash
ington county, to represent him as
his attorney to contract with the
Board Of Control to rent his planta-
tion for the year of 1899. This was
in the latter part of November. or
sometime in December, 1898, and
Walter McLaurin died on the 2lst day
of the next month, January, 1899.
There was no such thing as securing
the convicts for planters, or for any
body else. Plantations were rented
or worked on shares by the Board of
Control. under the entire manage
ment of the Board.
The Herald says: ''If we deal in
common reports, column could be
filled with scaly transactions in the
Ia "a Wo1knr NoT.orv;,,,c xroxdocrb;xo
Fortunately, slanderous reports against
the dead, inspired by mslace towards
the living, always receive the con-
domination which they deserve from
all good men.
The Herald says it's Correspondent
demonstrated from the Revenue
Agents report that during the Nc
Laurin administration the state was
defrauded. by graft or negligence, of
nearly $40. 900 in cotton seed held out
by the convict lessee of this sum Fl.
j. McLaurin, one of the Senator 8
brothers. was charged with over
81, 900. = There were no convict les
sees. The land was cultivated by the
convicts under the management Of the
Board Of Control, and the cotton,
cotton seed, and other crops were in
possession of the board Of control
until they were divided and the lessons
Of the land received their share from
the board Of control, and not the
board Of control from the lessons; so
that cotton SEED could not have been
held out by the men whose plantations
were worked. The board Of control
was composed of Capt. Joe Evans,
Hon. Jno. D. McInnis, Gov. M. NJ.
Evans, Attorney General Wiley n.
Nash and myself. Gen. Nash and
! had very little time to get away
from Jackson, to look after the plan
tations, but Capt. Joe Evans and Jno.
p. Mclnnis and Gov. M. NJ. Evans,
three diligent, competent, watchful
and attentive business men, looked
after the nrnnartv most nf tha time