The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-11-20
MIR. Winn Asks For
Explanation
Criticism of Mayor Jennings and
City Council for Action In
Respect to HaynswOrth
Editor Daily Item:

In your issue OF the 18th at a full
meeting of council, it was said, "Coun-
ell now feels that the public should
know why Mr.. Stillwell was perem-
toSly discharged" At the same
meeting it was said, "A letter from
Mr. ID. j. Winn dated October 26, in
which he makes complaint about o.
certain oak tree having been cut down
and sawed up and also about donation
of a certain piece Of land to straight
en- Purdy street was read to council
and received ass information" Now
as council has not seen At to tell the
public" what was in my letter. pro-
pose to tell the public thing or two
and ask them to decide which was
the greater sinner, Mr.. Stillwel, in
charging a few messages to the city
that he was sending to his wife, and
he said 1t was an error, or our Mayor,
Mr.. L. d. Jennings, in signing away
the land donated to the city for q
street and making a gift or Il to a
man who had refused to give or sell
l6 feet front on his land TO widen
Haynsworth where it crosses Purdy
street, and by doing SO it would have
Kept the street in true and by his re-
fusal to give or sell made 1t neces-
sary for me to donate some 81 feet
on the south side, move the resi-
dencc at a cost Of 500. council agree
ing to pay one-half. Before we could
arrange to move the house and geh
a place for the family to move to
while the house was being moved, the
war came on and cost Of removal rose
to $500. then wrote council asking
them to return me the land and we
would not widen the street until bet
ter times, and they returned me the
land. In the meantime understand
this man who refused to give or sell
a foot of land was going to council
and asking that I be compelled to
move my house so the street could be
opened. Now 1 am not going to ask
any favors of the public, but wish
them to say If have been treated
right in this matter. When Mr.. Jen-
nings signed away the city property
as free gift he knew he was shut
ting off from Purdy street nice lots
Of land, ] intended to put ON the
market for building purposes as soon
as could get the end OF Haynsworth
street widened to so feet as council
required and the street opened back
to Mr.. Mason's land giving same sex
800 feet of my land. BY his giving
away this strip of Haynsworth street
it now ends Haynsworth street at
Purdy. We all know it is better for
a street to run to the city limits IL pos
sible.
1 have lived here over 70 years
and always tried to do what could
for the good of the people and i'm
provement OF the city. / gave all the
sidewalk and the fine trees which are
being cut down on the west side Of
Purdy street. gave one-half OF
Purdy street from Calhoun street to
Haynsworth, also all of Calhoun
street from Purdy west beyond the
city limits SO feet wide and some L.
zoo feet long. Also Winn street ana
yet in the face of all this the mayor
deeds the city property to man who
refused TO sell or give 16 feet and
about so feet and shuts my land fronr
Purdy street by a board fence and
now the parties who farmed my field
at end of Haynsworth street have ito
go from Calhoun street through my
yard to pick and gather their cot
ton. perhaps Mr.. Jennings can tell
his reason to the public for his treat
ment Of me. He refused to sign the
deed council ordered him to make
returning the land to me and would
not sign 1t until my attorney had to
take il up the second time with coun-
Jcil. I may have offended him when
| he was speaking over South Carolina.
to put liquor back on city and 1 said
some hard things about any man
who was trying to put this curse on
our people again. don't know what
it is, and If Mr.. Jennings was not
representing the city would not say
anything to the public. But as he ia
using his official position to spite me.
think the public should know what
manner Of man they have at the head
of the city.
u. James Winn.