The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1914-03-06
and NV let the Governor do Nj, worst. ,

tne proposition squart dhu nat tnat II
l would have tine case against Bilbo
nolle pressed that they would pass the
bills TO pay the Burns Detectice Agen,
cy, confirm all my appointments and do
many other things mentioned at the
time, all of which was fatty rejected
by me, stating that I never have and
never will traffic in any legislation,
nor traffic in in any case pending in
any criminal court.
Again, you say in your letter that
after the passage of the resolution con-
graduating Gore on being exonerated,
a resolution was drawn in a spirit of
levity to ~exonerate Hobbs and Bilbo,
and that when l heard of it I became
very uneasy. In reply to this l want
to say that | never had any uneasiness
about the Legislature of the State of
Mississippi passing a resolution exon
Grating BiIbo and Hobbs.
Hobbs himself confessed on the wit
ness stand under oath that he left Jack.
son and went one hundred miles to So
licit a bride from a private citizen and
did earnestly solicit the said bride and
that he failed to get it and got on the
train and went back the second time
and solicited a bride. He also admitted
under oath that he went to Vicksburg
and solicited a bride and he also ad.
mitted that he tried to get the party
whom he was soliciting to put it in the
form of a note, and while such men
as Middleton, sheriff Of this county,
who is a gentleman from the crown of
his head to the sole of his feet, were
listening at the conversation urged him
to put it in the form Of a note, so il
anything should get out about it that
it could be called a legitimate transac-
ton, and when Hobbs testified further
on the witness stand under cross.exam'
nation that if Castleman had let him
have the $4,000 and taken his note fol
it that he would have changed his vote
from no to y on the new county bill
Disregarding all the testimony that was
offered by the State and take his owl
statement for it. I again repeat, !
: have never been uneasy about a Missis
sippi Legislature passing any resolution
generating him or his partner in crime
You further state in your letter tina
Mr.. Davis, former commissary clerk a
parchman Farm, was before the Legis
~Ilative committee and said that he KEEP
a record of all weights of the cottol
raised and ginned on the place, an'
t that the books in which these weigh
had been kept had disappeared 500
after some of the Governors detective
r appeared at Parchman. In reply to thi
= I Just refer you to the testimony Of MI
= Davis himself, taken before Mr.. Neel.
Powers, q special commissioner, a
o Parchman Farm, where he testified tina
$ he had no such papers, and that he ha
n sent all the books and papers pertainin
e to the subject to Mr.. Yerger, at JACK
e son, and exhibited Mr.. Yerger's lette
requesting them; and I also refer yo
to Mr.. Yerger's written statement I
me that the books had been turne
over to your committee. And also lie
G ter from Mr.. Majors to me that the
o never had the books, and that the
never were turned over to them.
O. I now want to say that I began tn
is penitentiary investigation and foun
le that the penitentiary was yielding n
revenue to the State. I turned TIL
a matter up, and some of the parties r.
sponsible for it have been %convicte
n and sent to the penitentiary. I hav
If been fought at every turn of the roa
IS in this matter, not only by the CROOK
who were turned up and convicted, an
ID their immediate friends, but by your b.
e. loved Lieutenant Governor, who is d.
III ing all within his power to embarra'
lie the administration.
I find that the circulation of pref
dicial statements, like that published
as your paper, is misleading and calcula
ed to destroy public confidence in ii
administration and in me and rend'
me powerless to cope with strong inf
%ences that have been robbing the Stat
The Burns Detective Agency rendere
r. honest and faithful service to the Stat
is of Mississippi, and with their aid
stopped this leakage in penitentiary a
n. fairs, and instead of the penitential
), being a burden to the State it is yiel,
70 ing q revenue of over $400, 900 per a
#. nun.
Va 1t is true that a great many membe
IS. of the Legislature have helped me ar
4. aided me materially in bringing abo'
a. these results. Some members of Il
Legislature have not aided me, but ha,
il criticised and belittled my work ar
II are doing all within their power to pr
v. went me from being successful in Il
a. fight. They have tried to render n
"a powerless to have any funds vii
which to fight. They have hobnobbt
Ia with the parties who are being SUI
NJ by the State, and it looks as thout
are trying to find something
IN prevent the state from recovering. b
! 7 hope you viii take al honest, co
II scientious view Of this yourself, al
il if you think that the people Of y
as State of Mississippi who are payir
=. the taxes have had a good thing dol