The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-02-26

4
of the county funds and keep his
accounts.
About this time some of the
Representatives of the Commercial
Bank did what will sound to many
who read it like an incredible
thing, and out of this has grown
the suandaI abort Mr.. Linton al
ready referred to. In short, not
to mince words, Mr., Linton was
approached by representatives of
the Commercial and told if he
would repudiate his agreement
with the Brookhaven Bank &
Trust Co., and keep the county
money in the Commercial Bank,
as the political managers of that
institution have by one shift or
another managed to get every Lin
coin county treasurer to do for
the last sixteen years, that bank
would not only make his bond and
keep his accounts, but would give
him a big cash bonus or bribe in
advance for the account, which, if
he had accepted, would have laid
him liable to impeachment and
a term in the penitentisry.
Being poor man, physically
helpless and with a wife and five
dependent children, and the prop
osition being very urgently and
plausibly pressed by his would
be seducers, Mr.. Linton was half
tempted at one time to yield, and
they proceeded to fix up his bond
and got so far as to secure his sig
nature to it with those of repre-
sentatives of the Commercial
Bank and file it with the Chan
Gerry Clerk; but Mr.. Linton de-
cided before the final step was
taken TO seek legal advice, to con-
suit his good wife, and to heed
the still small voice of that inward
monitor who never fails to warn
when evil temptations like this
are lurking near-and then it was
all over with the proposition of
his tempters, and his personal and
official integrity were preserved.
When the offer was first made
to pay me cash down to place the
county money in the Commercial
Bank said Mr.. Linton, in dis
cussing the matter with che edi-
tor of The Leader, who has en-
deavored to obtain all of the main
facts bearing on the subject,
"$1,350 was brought out to my
house by Mr.. DaSiel and tender
ed to me. $1,000 of this sum was
in the form of four checks on the
Commercial Bank and $500 of it
was in paper bills. I told Mr..
Daniel that / could not accept it,
but he pressed it on me and left
it in my hands. That night | kept
the money under my pillow, and
II I.did not sleep any. 1t was a
great temptation to a man in my
circumstances, especially as those
who had been trying to get me to
give the Commercial Bank the
treasurer's account had repre-
sented that there was nothing
wrong in what was proposed.
Next morning | talked the matter
over with my wife and we decid-
ed it must GO back, and | got my
brother Cecil to 90 to town for me
and gave him the envelope con-
tanning the money and the checks
and told him to deliver it to Mr..
Daniel and tell him l could not ac-
cept it. That same day Mr..
Becker, cashier of the CONNER
cial Bank, and Mr.. Daniel, came
out to my house together in a
surrey. They seemed to be much
surprised and disappointed that |
hadn't kept the money, and | was
urged to reconsider, but | again
refused, and they left. The first
time | was in Brookhaven after
that, Mr.. Daniel and Mr.. Becker
came to me in Mr.. Daniels ware
room and pressed the proposition
again and offered to raise the
amount from ST $50 in cash to
81, ,75O, if | would keep the coun-
ty money in the Commercial Bank.
/ refused that. 1t was then ex-
planned by Mr.. Becker that if |
would consent to let the CONNER
ciaI Bank attend to the Office for
me, that they could work it out so
the county would get every cent
properly belonging to it, and |
could make $500 clear every year,
besides the $1,000 allowed me by
law, or $4,000 during my four
year term. / decided against ac-
cepting this, too, not only be-
cause | bad decided in my own
mind that / would be doing
wrong, but because / had learned
it was against the law and told
them it was all off. After that,
just before I was to take charge of
the Office, one of the other county
officers came to ME, whether or
not he was sent / can't say, and
proposed that | divide the money
equally between the Commercial
and Bank of Brookhaven, but 1t
was no use; the question was set
tied with me. =
Mr.. Linton was asked if, at any
time, any representative of the
Brookhaven Bank & Trust Go.
had ever made any such PROPOSE
tion to him as the one coming
from the representatives of the
Commercial, because The Leader
was not playing any favorites, but
trying to get the facts.