The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-29
No. Letter From Mr.. cnmpbelI.

Wytheville, Va March 90, 1905.
Hon. Fl. G. Stuart. Richmond. Va;
/ Dear Sir.-At your request for a
statement from me of my recollection
of the conversations had between us
| with reference to the investigation of
Judge Rhea. both preceding and after
/ you were examined as witness in
this Investigation, give below a state
| ment of my recollection of said conver-
| sations.
a short time after the first meeting
in your. office. and the Rhea investiga-
! tion was being discussed byaus. You
stated that you had been wanting to
| talk with me about the Rhea investiga-
ton. as had. doubtless. Observed
| that YOU had been keeping away from
1T and giving no aid to Judge Rhea;s
continuation: that you wanted to ex-
cause of the fact Of our close relations.
coupled with the further fact that I
was OF counsel for Judge Rhea. You
then stated stated, a, that your position was
that Judge Rhea was fromtyour own
section and was nominated as your
immediate successor in Office. and for
in any attitude of seeming hostility to
him. but that. en- the other hanH you
were in possession of certain informa
ton which would clearly explain the
propriety of the attitude you had as
sumed of participation in the mat
ter In any way.
You explained that this nformati tion
was not such that you felt obligated
propose to do so, but that YOU were ap-
prehensive that some parties who had
opportunity for knowledge OF. the let
ter and telegram at the time they were
ma tion to the prosecution and thus
bring you Into the case as a witness
You then told me of the telegram. to
which you afterwards testified. and
q S-nIJ n 1,,,{tk
T.. Wilson and others in connecticut
with this telegram, and the substance
9h fhe Mr staisd Milson,s 1a reply thereto You
your office in Richmond copy of the
letter addressed to Wilson. as YOU
had either brought of had sent
80 sore you 3pres a. e9pY 9pr Of the letter
the purpose of reading it to friend
who had expressed Views similar to
those contained in the letter referred
to-, to; and 9, that yoa felt quite sure this
private papers in the Office, and that
you would like to find it. in order to
refer to It to refresh your memory
about the things under discussion. AZ
ter some search this letter was found
in your files and was read by you to
me.
You then suggested that might
aequaint acc Mr.. Irvine. who was to join
this. case with such Of this infor-
nation as ! might think proper in the
event that It became necessary. I had |,
to t leave Richmond for few days,
in the case. 1 Impaired to him hit1u the
substance Of the information given meE
by you, and there was no further dis
and me until about noon Of the day
on the evening upon which you tes-
lined; ! If O. ! onl,i Then MI; Irvine and had
read to us the letter addressed by YOU
70 B. T. Wilson and others. and You
gave us the substance of Mr.. Will
sonS reply reply to the letter, and told usle
your recollection OF the telegram upon
which this correspondence was based
n this conversation you told us that
: you had 70 state what You knew i
siad to say anything you could In
Ills favor, and said you could testify
is follows: - I
That you had never heard any un- I
'avorahle criticism of Judge Rhea's t
'ecord as a Judge which You regarded i
is just, though YOU had possibly heard {
he Jordan decision spoken of as ratherI
rratic.
That II was noonceivable to you q
md shrewdness In politics, would have Il
elk Garden on the telephone desk. or
would have. authorized any one to sign n
lis name to such telegram.
That from what you had heard FROM
he people OF Bristol, who We're In
CONSTANT association With Judge Rhea, r
IS to his dealings with them and his lin
'eishbors generally, his reputation In s
hese relations was that of good Il
itizen, Itt
These three statements of yours Ia a,
'orableSto Judge Rhea wero Impressed al
lpon my memory, both because they "a
we're In his favor and because of what fe
afterwards followed when n
'ou expressed the apprehension that lie
licited from you q grave doubt as to M
he propriety OF Judge Rheas appoint- n
lent based mainly upon the rep,lta-
ion Of the record made by him in