Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-01-21
THE RELATIVES s
Of HEYS NJ 'MATH
HAVE STATEMENT.

Wednesday in Statesboro, is reporte,
as resting as well as possible with ex
cellent chances for his recovery.
Relatives of McMath have engaged
counsel at Statesboro. Judge H. B
Strange and J. R. Roach, who will as.
sist the solicitor general in prosecuting
the cases.
Three charges are made against Pau
Simmons, one of assault with intent tC
lnurder, the other two being misde-
meanors, while his brother is charged
with being an accessory before the
fact and his father with a misdemea-
ncr. The misdemeanor charges result
ing from the alleged carrying of weap
ons by the men, Bond in the case ol
the two brothers has been fixed at ST.
900 each and that of the father at $1O0
All have been released.
Statement is Made.
A statement from r. L. McMath, faith
er, and G. w. Riley, father-in-law OF
Mr.. McMath, was given to the Savan-
nah Morning News of yesterday, which
explains the affair according to the rel
atives of Mr.. McMath. The statement
is:
We have just read the interview
given out by Mr.. r. Simmons relative
to the shooting of our son, H. E. Nc
Math, at Statesboro, on the 17th We
are reluctant to make any statement
for publication in connection with this
occurrence, but for fear that the public
may get the wrong impression as to
the true facts of the case, and our son
being unable to make a statement, we
desire to make the following statement
in his behalf.
We wish to deny emphatically that
he has ever made any statement re-
flecting upon Mr.. Simmons daughter
and we deny that this was the real
cause of the shooting.
When our son located in Statesboro
and began the operation of the oil mill
he was approached by Mr.. R. Sim
mons and the following conversation
occurred:
Mr.. Simmons asked him. young
nan, where are you from?" He re-
piled. from Americus, Ca" MIR. Sim
mons then said, do you think you can
make a living in Statesboro?" To
which he replied, Il hope so, am 60
ing to attend to my business, and do
the best l can" Mr.. Simmons then re
piled, 81 advise you to go back, as
am satisfied you cannot do anything
here"
Mr. Simmons later approached him.
in the early part of the fall of 1915
stating that he was going to give Mr.
McMath his ginning, for which Nj
McMath thanked him. But Mr. Sim
mons requested that he credit him up
with the cotton seed at the rate OF
$4,000 per ton when he was only pay
ing others at the rate of $500 to $4,000
per ton, to which Mr. McMath replied
that he could not comply with this re-
h.o lot ~ 3rrcf e.,
it, and that he had no idea that the
market would ever reach $4,000 per
ton. At the same time requesting Mr.
McMath to direct all of his laborers to
90 their trading at his store, to which
request Mr.. McMath replied that he
could not do this, because he paid his
men in money, and that they had a
right to trade where they pleased, ana
that he could not undertake to direct
them in this respect.
Later, during the fall of 1916, Mr..
Simmons was in the cotton business,
and buying cotton ginned at Mr. Nc
Maths oil mill, and he complained to
some of his customers that the cotton
was gin-cut, and advised them to take
their cotton to some other place to be
ginned, and tried to buy it at one and
one-half cent less than the market
price. When the customers of the gin
made complaint to Mr.. McMath he then
told them that if they would bring the
cotton back to him that was claimed to
be gin-cut. that he would give them the
market price for middling cotton, al
though he was not in the cotton buying
business. Eight or nine bales which
Mr. Simmons turned down because he
claimed it was gin-cut, and endeavored
to buy at lower price than the mar
ket price was purchased by Mr.. Nc
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