The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1915-07-16
JOHN ARMSTRONG SAYS
HE GAVE BILBO 500.
Letter Substantiates What Has Appeared
in These Columns as TO Keeping
BiIb0 "fiitched" to Vardamzn.
Jackson. Miss. July 5, 1915.

Mr.. B. F. Jones, fernando, Miss.
Dear Sir:-1n reply to your letter |
regarding the Bilbo matter, will state |
| that |, with number OF Senator Var |
daman's personal friends. met IN the |
law office of MIR. Doty and by private |
subscription made up purse of about |
| $500 to be used to secure proper rooms |
| for Vardaman headquarters. including
telephone and telegraph service. I
personally subscribed to this fund
and stayed at these headquarters day
and night for about two weeks.
Bilbo came to me one day at our
headquarters and asked me how much
money we had to spend.
| replied to him that the above fund
was all we had and that it would take
every dollar of it ard more too to pay
the necessary expenses of these head
quarters during the caucus.
He stated to me that his salary as
state senator was small and that the
other side was offering him rec room
with bath and meals ard money to
spend if he would come over and help
them and if | would get him 500 he
would ramain with Us in the fight. stat
ing to me that he controlled seven
votes.
consulted my friends regarding this
matter and we decided to give him tna
500.
personally handed this 500 to him
in the presence of another gentleman.
| can prove every word | say if he
denies it. only told few very close
friends of mine of the occurrence,
have always been such a great adj
mirer of Senator Vardsman that y
deemed it my sacred duty to him to
make known these facts in order to
protect him against being entangled in
/ the present gubernatOrial race.
, also made trip to Winona and told
, Dr. Ward as had always looked upon
him as our leader, making known these
, facts to him in order to keep his skirts
clear.
have tried to be loyal to my friends
in this matter and do no one any harm.
A short time back | was cartooned in
The Issue in very compromising man.
!, ner as major Drummer Armstrong,
y under the caption Double Crossed,
. for no reason on earth only that | am
Il too honest and honorable to support the
Y man at its head.
e At this time l prepared an article
which | fully intended giving to the
. press so my friends would see which of
the two of US was double crossed
gave him money and quit him cold.
He took money from both sides,
20 On second consideration decided no
!. to put this article in the paper at tn,
= time because l did not want to give
n him an opportunity to howl persecution
:; | still have confidence in the citizen
h ship of Mississippi, and fully believe
:. that rs per cent of Senator Vardaman'
- | frso Io or fo tb;,ly nr
~ will never elect a man of this callibr,
u to the highest office within the gift o
AZ the people.
L regret that have been dragged
IN into this matter.
can prove every Inference | hav
made, but will not dvulge the name
of my good friends who are acquainte
with the circumstances unless Bib
ID denies the charge.
~ am a hard working private ctize
O. of Mississippi. | am not candidat
t. for any Office and hope | never will be
n. | am not seeking any newspaper nc
torfety, but merely stating facts an
it is immaterial with me whether tn
people believe what state or not.
am not loser either way.
But the state will be the loser
~ they doubt what say.
t. With very best wishes, am
X Yours very truly,
IT, JnO. w. Armstrong.
:" 9The Sentinel has already noted in il
columns the fact that Mr.. John Arm
strong of Jackson had stated that Bib
demanded of him and other friends {
Senator Vardaman during The sitting {
the "secret caucas" 500. as conditio
,le of staying ''hitched" to Vardaman. B,
nd low is Mr.. Armstong's letter to Mr..
M F. Jones of fernando, one of the :se'
Ir. eral hundred who wrote him about Il
er matter. stating over his own signatul
~ RI hot ha uaya RilhO tha mopay