The log cabin Democrat., 1908-02-06
JAMES THOMAS EXHONERATED
Charges Against Eminent Divine
 Fail.
Man on Whom Prosecutors Depend to Prove Them Backs Down and Pays
 $I ,ooo to Get Out of It.

SI ooo to Get Out of It.
 Dr. James Thomas, educational commissioner of Hendrix College and other Methodist institutions, has been absolutely exhonerted of the charges which have been plac. ed against him by certain preach CTS in his church during the past four or five years.
 The man upon whom the per secutors of Dr. Thomas depended to accomplish his downfall has completely backed down, signed a lie bill" to his former affidavit and paid SIooo ill cash.
 This signal victory of Dr. Thomas was learned with univer- sal rejoicing in this city, where the distinguished minister is we'll known. The story, in part, of Dr. Thomas vindication is taken from the Little Rock Gazette of last Thursday, as follows:
 At conference at San Antonio, Tex, Tuesday morning before Rev. James Thomas, his attorneys, Thomas $. Buzbee and Thomas M. Mehaffy and G. w. Hester, bank CT of Devine, Tex, and his at- torney w. M. Davis of San Antonio a compromise was arranged in the $50, ,ooo damage suit for libel brought by Rev. MT. Thomas against Hester Id the Hot Springs Circuit Court, by which MT. He's ter paid SI ,ooo to MT. Thomas to have the suit withdrawn. MT. Hester also made affidavit retract ing the statement made by him, which was the cause of the suit, in which he charged Rev. MT. Thomas with being one Otto Brock, a rascal, whom he had known at Carrizo Springs, Tex, years ago.
 The conference was brought about at the request of MT. Hester's s attorney. Last Monday night MT. Thomas and his attorneys were preparing to leave San Antonio for home after spending four or five days in Texas taking deposi- tions to be used in the suit against Hester. MT. Davis came to them and asked them to stay over until next morning, stating that he and MT. Hester were ready to arrange a settlement if 1t could be done. Rev. MT. Thomas and his attorneys had secured the dispositions of some IS witnesses and had very strong case, but as MT. Thomas stated that he was not after He's ter's money, but simply his own vindication, the matter was set tied by the payment of SI ,ooo and a retraction of the statement made by Hester.
 MT. Thomas has also secured a voluntary affidavit from the Rev. l. K. Waller of Madill, Okla, the only other man who ever identified him as Otto Brock, in which MT. Waller states that he IS now satis fled that MT. Thomas is not Otto Brock. This, with the testimony of fifteen witnesses, all of whom knew Otto Brock and all of whom swore that Rev. James Thomas was not Otto Brock, it is thought is enough to completely exhonerate Rev. MT. Thomas from the charge which was brought against him by members of the Methodist church more than five years ago, and which has never until now been entirely disproved. The charges against Rev. MT. Thomas have caused a great disturbance in Methodism here intermittently for five years and have resulted in the temporary suspension of one J. $. Hawkins, a Methodist minister, and caused much bitter feeling be- tween MT. Thomas friends and those who have been foremost in pushing the investigation of charges against him.
 Hester's Break at Malvern.
 The suit was brought last Nov ember at Malvern, in Hot Spring county, while the Arkansas Meth odist conference was i'll session there. MT. Hester had come to Malvern at the time of the com ference, at the request of the Meth odist laymen and ministers, who were attempting to have the mat ter brought before the conference, and had there reinterated the chare made at a previous time that Rev. MT. Thomas was Otto Brock.
 Those at the head of the prose cution of the charges against MT. Thomas were: J. s. Hawkins of Little Rock, Rev. MT. Pipkin of the Arkansas conference, and Rev.