The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-12-21

referring to a press dispatch sent
out from Jackson regarding an edito-
rial signed by Ex-Governor Vardaman
in The Issue, in which "The Short and
Ugly Word" Is applied to Editor j. S.
McNeily of the Vicksburg Herald, the
press dispatch going further and stat
ing that the next move is up to-
Capt. McNeily and that "a tragic ter
mination" is feared, Capt. McNeily
makes editorial reply in the Vicks-
burg Herald as follows:
Mention of "a tragic termination
recalls one, which illustrated the
Vardaman idea of putting the next
move up to- the other man. In that
case by terrific arraignment and
abuse he provoked attack on himself,
backed by a truly gun man friend,
at his office. The report from an old
file, of twenty or more years ago is
quoted:
From what we can learn Of the
tragic affair it was the result Of a
joke. 1t seems that in the last issue
of Puck there was a caricature about
the Doodle aldermen of Chicago, and
it is alleged that Stoddard and Up
shur cut it out and madethe names
appear as aldermen at Greenwood
and placarded the streets with the
same. Vardaman, who edits a paper,
came out in a redhot article against
the slanderers of the city fathers. 1t
didn't take long after the paper was
in circulation before hostilities COM
menced. Several shots were ex-
changed, which resulted in the killing
of Stoddard and the fatal wounding
of Money. No one else was hurt
"'No one else was hurt One man
paid for his joke with his life, and
Vardaman's friend was badly, not
MORALLY as reported, wounded. The
editor who wrote a killing article
in reply to joke escaped to make
many other displays of his talent for
terrific arraignment and abuse Much
as We dislike to go against general
opinion we propose to carry the
matter further in the public prints,
before acting on this suggestion OF
giving it tragic termination un-
der terms which, as reported, fell
little short of assassination. In the
first place, this Vardaman CORE
spondent tout to the contrary, the
next move is NOT up to Capt. ]. S
McNeily' For cause deemed ample
and with personal knowledge that II
was justified by the fact, he first ap
piled the short and ugly word tc
James K. Vardaman, and with circum
stance; also chronic and self-convict
ed CRATER by the warrant OF specific
record evidence saying, your are an
other does not, even under the black
guards code in which Vardaman Ia ;
proficient, put the nexa move up II
this writer. 'Uncorcking all the bot
ties of his wrath he said of The Her
aid editor:
NO man ever had at his back
more enthusiastic and unscrupulou
press than were the hired organs o
the Percy faction for the last tw
years. the leader of his forces in thi
state was one J. S. McNeily, edito
of The Vicksburg Herald. A man G
rare ability, with a large fund of If
formation and fertile imagination
who never lost an opportunity to Ii
on and SANDER Governor Vardaman
ITO this blanket charge of lynn
and SANDER we have this to say
That by the rule of a long practic
of newspaper editing, any man, whit
or black, good or bad, has only
make his accusation or complain
against anything from our pei
SPECIFIC, and it will either be r.
tracted or specifically shown to b
: based upon substantial fact. No on