The Tupelo journal., 1913-10-24


him to assist me in procuring the evil
dence against the governor; also a let
ter from w. c. Blount to a young man
by the name of Coulter for the same
purpose. This was after Mr.. Blount
had called up Mr.. Peacock over the
long distance phone to know whether
l was all right.
On arriving at Memphis l called at
the office of Boyce & Company. and
was told by a member of the firm that
they had received the letters of au-
thority from the editor of The Pitch
rork, and from G.. G. Smith and would
be glad of an opportunity to bring out
something that would squelch the gov
ernor. Here l expected to get all of
the compiled evidence to prove the
story; but / was surprised to be in
formed that Mr.. Boyce in person had
made a trip to England, and had failed
to get any evidence whatever, and
that he had called upon the woman
named IN the story as the governors
paramour and was unable to get any
evidence, and that he was now inter-
viewing all the steamboat, railroad en-
ployes and hotels where the governor
was supposed to have passed over or
stopped, with the view of getting the
dope, and they agreed would be con-
sistent to let me use the evidence he
now might have at hand. Boyce &
Company's Office, through Mr.. Wilkin.
son., was kind enough to offer to con-
tribute towards my expenses in secur
ing evidence, or in going to Omaha.
Nebraska, to confer with a mar by the
name of C. R. King, who, many people
said, had letters which would clnch
the story. l wrote to Mr.. King at nee
and have his letter under date of Sep
TENDER %. stating that he has no in
formation whatever.
Having procured the name and adj
dress of the I'M said to have made
the trip with the governor from w. C.
Blount, | called to see her, and found
her in company with her sister, and
was informed by her that the story
had no foundation; that she did not
have a speaking acquaintance with the
governor, vas the statement of both
herself and her sister. l also learned
that they had been examined by a
commissioner and had testified to that
effect, and that w. c. Blount and c.. R.
Boyce and several others had visited
the house on several occasions and she
and her sister had been urged by them
to make the statement and furnish let
tiers; that she had declined because of
inability to do so. A very casual ex-
animation of her disclosed the story to
be an impossibility, as numerous people
saw her and knew that she was in the
limited States at the time the governor
was abroad, and she freely admitted
this.
All trails thus far had ended in q
blind alley. But l took after the story
in earnest. had an emissary inter.
view the governor and ask him about
the details of his trip. ascertainee
what railroad he travelled on from
Jackson to New York; what ship he
made the trip on from New York tt
Liverpool; what hotel he stopped al
while in England; what ship he return
ed on and what train be travelled on
from New York to Jackson. I learned
from the diagram of the Pullman com.
pany, furnished me by a friend. that
on his trip over from New York tt
Jackson he travelled occupying the
same section with a distinguished
planter from Mississippi, occupying the
berth adjoining him on the same side
was a distinguished lawyer from Ten.
nessee who boarded the train at Mem.
phis; occupying the berth opposite
him across the aisle was a disting.
uished and reputable citizen of Jack.
son. Mississippi. and his wife and child.
l found that the railroad conductors
who had handled the governor as
passenger from Jackson to New York,
the Pullman conductors who had
handled him and the Pullman porters
had all made a~f1dayits that the COVER
nor was not accompanied by any wom-
an. but vas accompanied on his way to
New York by a well known and dlgni-
fed gentleman. / found from the log
of the ship on which he crossed the
water that he roomed with a disting-
uished citizen of the United States who
was above ieproach, who had also come
back on the same ship with the gov
ernor, but had occupied a different
room. He had made an affidavit and
sent it to the governor covering the
entire trip going and coming, that there