The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-11-02
SWORE TO
THE AFFIDAVIT"
f4&f WIN. FYsMnfH.
Finishing Twist Given McGulre
By TOnk Smith in a Letter
10 Governor Haskell


ilyernor l. n. Haskell Guthrie Okla
Dear Sir: On account of the many
statements in various
newspapers, and statements made III
public speeches over the First district
with regard 10 an AFFIDAVIT MAWG
DY ME IN 1904 for Mr. Horace SpcsdI
IN which Congressman Bird s. Nc
Guire is stated to have been pad III
about the year 1901, $26oo and another
sum Of $500, making a total OF Si6p0-
in return for which he was to Get
taxes on transient cattle IN the Osagc
nation lowered materially. etc, and
was also stated to have received Jan
other sum Of $4,000 about 1903 20 Lobby
against certain proposes quarantine
bills pending in the Oklahoma legisla-
ture, | address you this letter.
deer !. deplore the publicity That
has been given this matter,l and
deprecate the many misleading State
ments in which my name Is Il used.
Some of these statements are tlnfair
TO me others equally unfair to "a
The first statement that drew my
attention because of its untrutnfu-
ness was in the Oklahoman OF Sun
day. Oct. %. The Oklahoman tells
you of reading the affidavit made by
me in 1904 as if ] had recently made
a new affidavit The extract from the
article TO which | took exception is as
follows:
AN interesting bit of history in con.
lnection with the affidavit is that
Dennis Flynn had the same sworn
estimony last year with the
official feature showing It had been
formally sworn to, eliminated. Sew
eral days ago when Governor Haskell
went to POnca City to make a speech
he had a conference with Mr.. Smith
with tie result that the big cattleman
made a fresh affidavit and gave It to
Governor Haskell"
This article, as YOU know Governor
Is erroneous. Mr.. Louthan while you
were here, handed me the old aft.
davit made in 1904 and asked me to
swear to it. This, / refused 70 do. !,
! however, said that the DOCUMENT
BORE MY SIGNATURE, and nave
never denied that ! made the AFFI
DANIT IN 1904, and NOW STATE
THAT | DID MAKE SUCH AFFI.
DAVIT AND THAT IT IS TRUE IN
EVERY PARTICULAR, MIR. INQUIRE
RECEIVING THE MONEY EXACTLY
AS / STATED. The jurat official
lnotarial attestauon, was afterwards
detached frcm the document but IT,
the old statement, still bears my
signature. When the Oklahomau
printed a story that had made a
fresh affidavit ! wrote the following
letter (Which SOME or THE RE
PUBLICAN PAPERS HAVE DIS
ITORTED INTO MEANING THAT
HAVE REPUDIATED THE 1904 affi
da'dt, which have MOTT to Mr.. Joe
Norris at Guthrie:
| never made him any affidavit, and
he never asked me to make any. Mr.
j. O. Louthan. lawyer, came TO me
with a statement (the original 1904
affidavit With my signature but with
!, the notarial attestation detached
had made several years ago, and asked
me 10 verify the statement Qn other
words, to swear to it again and | re
fused to do so. Any affidavit they
have from me here at Ponca City q
meant any fresh affidavit made as
stated in the OSlahoman within Tho
last month"; is a forgery"
(Note-The parenthesis are notes OF
comments on the letter, and were no
in the letter 10 Mr. Norris)
This letter of mine to Mr. Norrl.
was distorted by the Republican pa
pers to mean that | challenged the
affidavit or statement, made in 1904
and alleged TO have again been attest
ed to before Mr. LOuthan a few day
iago. This was unfair to me and yon
/ meant, and mean, that ] gave you NJ
new affidavit, nor did / attest 10 an!
affidavit, old cr new. before Mr
l4outhan, aud ! SAID TT IS MY SIG
NATURE; I WILL NOT DENY NY
| SIGNATURE And he used this
without my knowledge that he was
notary as an attestation when Il wa
not such. / HAVE NEVER ATTACK
led THE ORIGINAL. 1904 AFFIDAVIT
with the notarial attestation detached
THAT AFFIDAVIT, OR STATE
| MENT. as Il may be called. IS TRUl
IN EVERY PARTICULAR.
/ have wanted to keep out OF thl
matter For that reason I refused &
re-swear 10 the old affidavit. ! hop
that this letter will straighten thing
out and that / VIII neither stand a
charging you with reading falls
statement by me, nor you as readin
: a false statement.
THE 1904 STATEMENT. THE GUS
lOF WHICH / GIVE IN BEGlNNIN'
lTHlS LETTER, CHARGING MT
|, INQUIRE WITH RECEIVINi
J MONEY. ETC, ETC IS TRUE; an
, 1 SWORE TO SUCH AN AFFlDAVl
IN 1904.
With much respect, | I'm
, (sgned) WM + SMITH,
Pnca City, Oct 30
The best cigars al Rentro's Dru
2 Store.