The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-08

q ~
Dickinson. former witness, that he
J had been locked up In tho clerks Of
fee with ]. II. Ashworth and the can
wasting board. Witness said lie had
Il received the letter read by Mr.. RI. C.
\ stuart When on tho stand on Il former
4 occasion concerning the alleged move
ment to change the returns of Russell
county.
4! That Telegram.
Il am very sorry l did not keep a
copy of my reply" he declared ut was
not intended as any declaration on
pure elections, and it was written hur-
! riedly.
My recollection is that replied that
j was sorry the letter had not been
received sooner but did not state. as
remember. that a different action
4 would have been taken II 1t had been
received sooner. l was not a member of
/ the board, and could not have con-
trolled It's action.
The substance OF my reply was that
had | received the letter at the time
! Mr.. Stuart intended me to receive 1t,
| should have made his wishes known
to the canvassing board, the members
of which had gone home when the
letter came"
Did you see the alleged telegram
concerning this election purportins to
have been sent to Mr.. Clark as 1t was
printed in the papers?"
i Yes, sir; I saw what was printed
In the papers. and never saw or heard
OF 1t before"
Here witness gave good deal OF
testimony concerning distances and
connections between the points In
vclved in the alleged telegram to Mr..
| Clark, and was turned over to Captain
Bullitt. who asked him only few un-
material questions.
Did Not Tnmper With 1t.
/ Mr.. ]. II. Ashworth was recalled by
Mr.. Irvine.
State to the committee whether or
not you were given the certificate OF
returns OF Russell at Lebanon in No
/ vemDer, 1902"
THE letter containing the returns
4 was given to me as was leaving for.
1.-THE train, and was asked to mail 1t, for
K fear that 1t might be tempered with
in the post-ofilce at Lebanon. I mailed
the letter at Bristol on the 18th. It
was sealed, and I knew nothing per-
sonally OF its contents. 1t was stated
that the postmaster at Lebanon was a
i Hitter partisan, and in view Of disturb
ances raised by Republicans that day,
lit was safer to mail 1t elsewhere"
Did you tamper with the letter or
open it?"
why, certainly not. The records
here will show that the letter came as
1T had been mailed to the Secretary OF
tho Commonwealth."
/ Witness again denied that he was
ff ~.
enc at any time while he was In Leb-
anon.
He was briefly cross-examined by
Captain Bullitt, but nothing now was
| brought out.
Could Not Find 1t.
MI. Wilson was recalled. and asked
| testimony of Mr.. Dickinson that he
| had been locked in the clerks office
I, with the canvassing board, and he de-
clared that he had not. and he had
conferred with his friends In the office
| of nj, c. Clark, treasurer and that the
door was never locked.
George L. Davis, of Bristol. who
was Judge Rhea's private secretary
during the latter's two terms In Con
gress. testified that he was In charge
of Democratic headquarters in Bristol
1
had kept certain copies OF all letters
and kilograms sent out during the
lcampaign, and though he had made o
! Thorough search of all tho papers In
Judge Rhea's and his own office. he
1 had been unable to find anything APP
proXimating the message testified to
by Mr.. stuart, alleged to have been
\ sent by Judge Rhea to NJ. G. Clark.
| Witness had never heard OF the tele-
gram alleged to have been sent by
4 Judge Rhea to M G. Clark, and lie de-
clared that II such message had been
written In Judge Rhea's headquarters
he would have submitted It to Judge
Rhea, and knowing the latter as he
did. lie was sure it would never have
been sent s.4 655
MIR. Davis testified as to the sending
out OF Democrats from Bristol to look
after the interests OF the Democratic
party, and declared that It was cur
rently reported that the Republicans
had spent 100000 to capture the cleo
ton,
Captain Bullltt questioned the wit
ness at some length. though he failed
to shake him on any material point.
Stone Consulted Him.
Judge l,hea stated that upon think
ing over tho matter he had recal cd
that Mr., j, a. stone had consulted him
about sending a telegram to Nj. G.
Clark, as district chairman. to see ].
1 f. Ashworth, though he could not recall
that sucn n message had ever been
sent. In that conversation Buchanan
I county was not mentioned, and he had
never made any Improper suggestions
as to Buchanan orr any other county,
He said nothing would ever have
4 been done about buchanan county OK
cept for the fact that " was reported
~ that one OF the slemp boys was on his