The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1910-06-22
BIG CROWD GREETED HlM AT COURT
HODSE LAST FRIDAY NIGHT.
Charges Noel With Official Bribery
Nhiskey. WOmen. Offices aud Money
Used to Secure Percy's Success.

senator Ile0s III bllD0 spoke at the
: court house here last night. while
stopping over in the city en- Eroute
from his home at Poplarville to
Johnston Station. where he had an
engagement to speak at a big
farmers picnic near that place to-
day. Though but short notice had
been given of his stopoyer and ac-
ceptance of an invitation to speak
here a large crowd greeted the
Senator when he appeared at the
court house at $3.50 o'clock. Stir
ring music was furnished by the
Woodmen's Cornet Band, which
Brookhaven friends had engaged
for the occasion.
The speaker was introduced by
B. T. Hobbs, editor of The Leader
of this place. in a short speech, in
which he declared that he had much
personal knowledge about the char
acter and workings Of the late Sc
cret ballot senatorial caucus at
jackson and the tactics and means
resorted to to defeat Vardaman.
and that it was evident that there
had been conspiracy and desper-
ate concerted effort by Percyites
from the time the alleged bribery
by Dulaney was exposed, to over
whelm Bilbo with denunciation and
cover him with obloquy as the only
means of saving DuIaney and Percy.
Senator Bilbo's speech was
punctuated with applause. He
dealt mainly with matters relating
to the senatorial caucus, and his
speech was along the same general
lines as his recent speech at
Riverside Park in Pike county.
He declared unequiyocally that
in the effort to defeat Vardaman
there were five agencies employed.
namely, whiskey, women, guberna-
torial patronage, the promise of
Republican pie and money.
He made the direct charge that
on a certain night during the early
stages of the caucus, Gov. Noel
had invited him to the mansion.
and to has establishment proposed
to recommend certain important
Legislation which the Governor
knew he (Bilbo) favored, if he.
would agree to vote and use his
influence against Vardaman. He
also charged the Governor with
making visits by night to the Ed
wards House and slipping in a pri-
vate way to attend secret confer
ences of the opposition steering
committee while the Senatorial
contest was on, instead of going
openly and boldly to the opposition
councils, it he felt called upon to
do so. lie was specially severe on
the Governor, for. as the speaker
alleged, seeking to prejudice the
bribery charges in Dulaney's favor
before and during his visit to
Washington, and in this connection
contrasted the conduct of Mississip-.
pi's Governor with that of Gov.
Deneen in the Illinois senatorial
bribery case. where every effort.
was being made by the Governor
and State authorities to expose and
bring the bribe givers to justice.
He went at length into the way
he had been treated by Percy's par
tisans in the Senate in their effort
to discredit and expel him. In
their vehement denunciation of the
bribery charges in connection with
their election he declared Senators
Percy and Lorimer had adopted the
same tactics and predicted, when
the whole truth is uncovered, the.
Mississippi and illinois facts will
be very similar. N. o. Times
Democrat Special.
Senator Biibo will speak at the
Masonic and Woodmen's Picnic at
Topisaw next Friday, gath, and at
Felder's Camp Ground on Saturday
Senator Bilbo's story of the secret
ballot caucus conspiracy to defeat
Vardaman is true and you ought to-
hear him.