Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-09-08
HARRIS REPLIES
TO JOSEPH BROWN CARD
Review of Stripping Case Is
Given in His Address at
Nashville
fsnecial Dispatch to Nc Journal

Z Nat T.. EtdEElS spoke 10 q BOOu duuASAiSC
OF Berrien county folk this morning,
and appeared to make a strong impress
I sion on the voters. He had many
| pledges of friendship and support.
The old Clark Howell machine may
/ round up all its interests and bring
/ pressure to bear which forces some of
its old connections to turn against me-
| said one speaker in introducing the gov
| ernor, but you will beat the whole
| combination. Their efforts to dig up
/ some one thing against you is indica-
ton of the desperate straits they have
| reached. They know you are the man
Dorsey must keep from a majority II
he would have a chance for the place
| and they are crying for men they have
| favored In the past to come 10 their
! aid. whether they want TO or not and
! throw a stone at the old governor. Your
! triumph IN defeating that combination
next Tuesday will be one worth hav-
ing"
| Governor Harris yesterday saw in an
Atlanta paper a card signed by his for
mer friend. Ex-Governor Joseph NJ.
Brown, denouncing MIN for his clemency
toward Edgar STRIPPING, set free short
| time ago. Governor Harris took up this
| matter in his addresses, expressing sor-
i row rather than anger that Governor
Brown should have been persuaded TO
| write an attack upon him and express
ing the belief that Mr.. Brown had Aor-
| got the circumstances surrounding he
/ case or that he had not been given the
full record upon which Governor Harris
acted.
Governor Harris, in his bonneville
address, went fully into the story of
/ Robert Edgar Stripping, his provoeation
| and his crime, his life as police chief
in Danville, his rearrest and the APP
/ pealS for clemenoy.
/ ! Governor Harris stirred his audience
to emotion as he reviewed the situation
/ of Stripping. the appeal at the prison
/ of the little child, and his promise TO
| set her~father free some time during
the gubernatOrial term.
IF you want a governor who will
l swear never to show mercy, a governor
| with heart of granite in his breast,
/ you must look further" he said, and
cheers greeted hiu.
] The governor took up the attacks by
his opponents.
My youngest opponent has now CIV
| en- me a certificate" he said. He ad-
mits that l am not too old for the office,
! the only charge they made until the last
/ few days. Dr. Hardman says he is in
/ favor of a four-year term. and that is
what 1 am asking for now. Mr.. Pottle,
/ in his address at Grays, said 1 had been
I a good governor. and should be re-elect-
I ed, and he has never taken that back.
In speaking of the card by former
T Governor Joseph NJ. Brown, attacking
/ him for pardoning Stripping, Governor
/ Harris said
Il wars greatly saddened to read in
7 the Atlanta paper this attack from
/ man whom l had been always accus-
toned to consider my friend. His ex-
/ cuse for cousenting to write this card
is that ] have been referring TO the
Stripping case in my speeches. Mr..
Brown is mistaken in this, as i have
. spoken of il but twice, L believe, and
then only when questioned by some one
. in the audience. / have then explained
the reasons which justified me in set
ting free this man and invited the ques-
toner to come TO my office, study the
record OF the case as / have studied it
and say then whether or not I did right.
And if 1 did make an error l erred on
the side OF mercy.
THE former governor must have for
gotten a part of the record of that case,
or else ne could not have made the state
ments he did. or perhaps, and / be-
/ lieve this is true, the record which came
before me contained many matters not
presented to Governor Brown when he
refused the pardon. l have said, and
I still think that Governor Brown was
right in declining TO issue the pardon at
! that time, as Stripping had not served a
l day in the penitentiary then. But when
/ [ set him free he had served six years
toward expiating his offense. He was
broken in health, the victim of a serious
I disease He was a nervous wreck, who
could not have lived long i'm confine-
ment
Governor Brown says that 1 am at
| tempting to assassinate the character OF
/ Cornett. the man slain by STRIPPING. The
record shows the character of this Cor
nett He was a man notorious for his
l amOurs, and he had boasted i'm crowd
of his running a member of Striplings
I family. Cornetts own relatives were
among those who urged pardon for
/ his slayer
1T is true that Stripping should rath-
I er have met the traducer of his women
I face to face. He took his gun and hunt
/ ed on the high road for him, but did not
! find him. and when at last he found him
/ in his house he shot him there. But he
/ has served six years in prison to pay
I for that
"In regard TO the letter which Cor
nett wrote TO Stripling'G wife. contain
/ ing the basest proposals, L believe that
/ had il reached the jury stripping woulc
/ have been set free. But unfortunately
/ the lawyer TO whom it was entrusted be-
\ came intoxicated and the case was not
properly defended. But all these mat
I tiers were discussed i'm my statement
accompanying the Communication of SEN
I tence. and / refer that published state
ment to any fair minded man"
At bonneville the governor was re-
4 ceived with a brass band and introduced
by a. J. Gibbs, clerk of the superior
/ court He spoke to an audience which
filled the court room and the stairways.
\ Several ladies were i'm the audience. 1t
I was his first visit to Clinch county,
\ which " ent strongly for him last year.
/ In driving through Bryan county an
I old man I'm the road asked for ride
/ and was taken into the car. When he
met Governor Harris he said frankly
/ he was for Dorsey. though he hadn't
/ fully made up his mind. After the gov
/ ernor's speech at Pembroke, the old man
came up and introduced four strapping
I big sons all farmers:
i've changed my mind. governor he
/ said. And here's five of US to make
/ tally in counting the Harris vote"
Governor Harris speaks this afternoon
at Triton and tomorrow at Sylvester.