The Forrest City times., 1908-03-13
STATEMENT OF MRS. WILDER
Reintes the Charges of Dedication
 Against Her Deceased Husband.

l public speech made by MT Eugene Williams on the 7th day of March. at Colt. Arkansas, that my beloved hus- band, Henry Wilder, at the time of his death, was defaulter to the city of Forrest City: and,
 Whereas: Said statement is with out foundation in fact, and is abso- | lutely untrue and false, and in justice to his two living children, and to my self as his widow, and out of respect for his memory, make the following statement, that the public may know the facts.
 For more than q month prior to my husbands death, he was confined to his room and bed the greater portion of the time, and was unable to attend To any character of business. The fines charged against him by the re- eorder of the city for January, 1907. amounted to sll4.00, and the fines, etc, charged to him for February, 1907, amounted to sl04.o NIT. Wilder was unable to attend the meeting of the council on the first Tuesday in February, if such meeting was held. and died on the 2ith day of February, l907 At the time of his death he had i'll his possession city scrip amounting to sl43.W, and the city was due him s550o, and there was outstanding fines due him from merchants in Forrest City who had assumed the payment of lines. more than sufficient to cover the balance of 5000. At the time of his death l was totally ignorant of how his account stood with the city. and got Mr. S. H. Mann. attornev. to make the settlement for me he saw to the collection of the ouI 3nd- ing lines, and the scrip on hand was turned over to him, and he made the settlement with the city and on May |2l, 1907 paid to the city treasurer $2lS,00, and took the treasurer's re- ceipt, No. l02, in full settlement. No one was called on to pay any sum for MT. Wilder, and did not pay any for him except such funds as he had on hand belonging to the city, and what was due him on fines for which he was charged, and any delay that oc- cured in the settlement was because l wished correct statement and the | settlement made in the proper manner, n n6 al i,, ,snb ,lxz outstanding fines.
 All of this is true, and l can sub- | stantiate it. Being woman it would Ill become me to enter into . quarrel with any person, especially a man, and shrink from this conspicuous ness and publicity. But I cannot be content to allow this infamous slan- der to go unchallenged, and the name of my dead husband and the father of my children, 10 be besmirched and dragged in the mire for the sake of dirty politics, and know my friends will not blame me, but on the.con- trary will agree with me that too much cannot be said of Mr. Williams | for such cowardly act. We'll he knows he would not have made such | accusations had MT. Wilder been liv- ing. MT. Williams motive in making this accusation was to throw a shadow or stain through MT. Stevens relation ship to Mir Wilder, upon Mr. Stevens, who is running in opposition to his father for sheriff, but when the truth is known, think the darkest shadow will fall on M,. Eugene Williams him sell, for using a dead mans name to carry out his political point, and in doing so cast shadow of shame upon the entire family of Mir. Wilder, who, he thinks, have no one to look to for protection in such matters But want to say to MT. Williams that am amply able To protect myself and children for the sake of his memory, and will do so, and demand a cor rection of this accusation he has made, and an apology to myself and children, and that publicly, as he made the false charges publicly. If he has anything against MT. Stevens let him say it either to or about him, but he must let my dead rest, or tell the truth and the whole truth.
 Respectfully submitted,
 MRS. MARY WILDER
 Insofar as the above statement re- lates To matters that l had attended La fnr Mrs IiIdnr il ic f r,,1