gflje S>mitf)firt& 3HrralJ?.
??ioc oni DOLLAk p?e T*Ah. ''TRUE TO 01'RSKLVES, OUE COUNTRY AND OUR GOD." aiNOLX oofiis rivi cim,
VOL. 27. SMITHFIELD. N. C.. FRIDAY. OCTOBER 23, 1908. NO. 84
PAPERS WEREWITHHELD1
(
Mr. Langdon, Post-Master at
Benson, Does Not Deny This. J
Telegram From Washington Says Lang
don Appointed Post-Master at Ben
son December 16, 1904. Luclan
Norrls Gets His raper.
The Smithfield Jourual, the i
Republican organ iu Johnston
county, in its issue of October
20tb, tries to throw off the Ben
son Post-ottice scandal as a tri
vial affair by saying tbatj it
"proves a boomerang for the
Democrats," etc. This is doue
for political effect, but every fair
minded man?be tie Democrat or
Republican?knows tnat it is a
serious matter for a post-master
to withhold United States m-iil,
whether it be Democratic news
papers or Republican circulars.
The Jourual has juggled tfce '
facte to suit the Republican view
of the matter, and tries to make
it appear that it is a ' 'Democrat
ic trick," that "the wuole mat
ter was engineered by prominent 1
Democratic politicians in the
county," but intelligent people 1
will not be tl us fooled.
Mr. Langdou learning that 1
the matter would be reported to !
the Postoffice Department at '
Washington, hurries to Smith- 1
field and makes a statement re- '
garding the matter, whicL ap- 1
pears in the Journal of October 1
10th, iu whicn he says: "On Oc- 1
tober 13th a colored girl came !
to my office for some dead news- 1
papers and 1, being busy, my 1
clerk waited on her; through '
mistake he gave her some of the
North Carolinians that were ad
dressed to individuals receiving
mail at my office. Just as soon
as 1 found out the mistake I im- 1
mediately sent my clerK after the 1
papers and on *.?<< way he met a
colored boy who told him that 1
J. W. Holmes had bought the |
papers from her, so he came and
informed me of the fact and I at 1
once went to Mr. Holmes and in
formed him of the mistake. He
told me that J. T. Ellington had
the papers and that J. T. Elling
ton gave him the money to go I
and buy the papers and he did I
so." '
Mr. Langdon came out of his 1
office door into the lobby of the 1
post office and spoke to a gentle
man before the colored girls re- 1
ferred to bad gotten out of the '
front door of the post office and
no doubt saw them with the 1
bundle of papers. Did heBtopt hem )
and ask w hat papers they had? '
He doesn't say that he did, and
be didn't "find out the mistake" '
until the next morning when the
matter was the talk of the town. '
If John Holmes hadn't bought ?
those papers, would Mr. Lang 1
don have "found out the mistake" 1
The truth of the business is that
it was not Mr. Langdon who bad
just "found out" for he had 1
knowledge of the matter since 1
about September 17th when the \
first batch of North Carolinians '
arrived at the post office iu tien
son, but it was the people?Dem
ocrats, if you please?who had 1
"found out," and Mr Langdon 1
doubtless "saw the handwriting 1
on the wall," and knew the mean
ing thereof.
Mr. Langdon, in his statement,
does not deny withholding Mr. 1
Lucian Morris' paper, uor that 1
the same was thereafter sold, 1
although bis clerk is saddled with 1
the selling. In his statement, 1
however, he says "1 was deliver- 1
ing those papers all tdat I could 1
and as fast as 1 could, and those 1
I could not deliver." "As fast
as I could!" then please tell the
public how long it takes you to '
put a newspaper in a box in your '
office. Twenty-seven or thirty- 1
seven days? It appears that 1
there was a copy of the "North '
Carolinian" addressed to Mr. )
Lucian Norris, Benson, N. C.,
who rents box 42 in the Beu- {
eon poet office, in your office from
about September 17th until Oc- 1
tober 13th?twenty six days? 1
and was not delivered. If your
clerk made a mistake in selling I
the copy of September 17th, who,
made the miatake to hi 1
copies of 8?ptomb?r Otto 1
t>er 1st and 8th? Mr Norris
swore that he never received a
copy of the North Caroliniau
up to October 13th, aud the
copy of September 17th in the
only one of Mr. Norris' North;
Uaroliuians that Mary Sanders
bought, and which Mr. J. W. 1
Holmes later bought from her.
After Mr. Langdou "found out
the mistake" he was able to find
Mr. Norris'box, for Mr. Norris
got bis copy of the North Car
olinian last week, October lor.h,
as appears from his affidavit,
and quite a number of gentle
men?Democrats aud Republi
cans?got copies of the North
Carolinian from the Benson post
office last week, who had nor
theretofore gotten a copy of
that paper, although tb?ir pa
pers had been sett, to the Menson
post office each and every wn?k
beginning with September 17th.
In his statement and affidavit
published in the Journal, Mr.
Langdon tries to befog the real
issue a9 to whether be is guilty of
withholding U. S. mail from pat
rons of the Benson post office,
who wore entitled to same, and
thereafter selling same, by say
ing that John Holmes had lied
in two particulars; let, by say-;
ing that J. VV. Holmes'affi lavit
"is false and untrue for itie rea
son that P. Hawley retired from
the post office at Benson on Oc
tober 11th, 1904, or twenty-six
Jays before the date sworn to by
said Holmes," as the time when
he saw P. Hawley burn a box full
of newspapers. While Mr. Holmes
cen't be positive about the ex
*at date, yet he says t tat it was ,
in the campaign of 1004, and he
thinks it was two days after the
election. While it is true that
the post office at Benson was
under investigation from Octo
ber 11th, 11)04, yet the Govern
ment records show that P. Haw
ley was removed and B. D. Lang
dod appointed as postmaster ?t
Benson December lGtb, 1004,
as will appear by the telegram
of the First Assistant Postman
ter General co Hon. E. W. Pou,
of October 20th.
It is a matter of common J
knowledge aronnd Benson that
Mr. Hawley's bondsmen (Mr. | I
Benjamin Hudson and others)
placed Mr. I. B. Hudson in the i
post office. Mr. Hawley, with
his assistance, continued to run
the office until Mr. Langdoutook
charge about Dec. 20th, 1904
2nd. By saving "that the affi J
lavit of said Holmes is false and i
untrue in the particular thai
when deponent first demanded
the papers of Holmes, be claimed
uot to have them, that they were
in the hands of J. T. Ellington."
\lr. Holmes states most positive
ly that he never said that Sheriff
Ellington had the papers, but did
sty mat the papers belong d to
I. T. Ellington, that Ellington's
money paid for them and that
they were Ellington's property
In this he is corroborated by Mr.
I>. J. Hill and Mr.. E JP ? Britt,
men of good character and disin
terested citizen of Benson, as ap
pears by their affidavits set out
in a statement of Mr J. W.
Holmes published in this issue.
1 he fact that Mr. Morris was
not a subscriber tc the North
Carolinian does not affect the
matter. Neither was he a sub
scriber to I he Journal of Oct.
i)th, marked exactly the same as
the North Carolinian (a Demo
cratic paper) and sent to the
same Benson Post-office and fail
ad to get the North Carolinian,
although Mary P. Sanders
bought from the post-office
?t Benson a copy of the Norvh
Carolinian of Sept. 17th, with
the name of Lucien Norris on it.
Has Mr. Holmes done any
wrong? No! A few office hold
ing Republicans may think so,
but the great mass of unbiased
citizens of Johnston County, af
ter reading and investigating the
(acts, and reading the affidavits1
on both sides will never say so.
Those who know John Holmes
know him to be a young man of
bigh character, sober, honest
and upright, aud who would not
stoop co dirty methods in poli. !
tics, or in business, aud no , "a
professional Democrat of a Jow
type," as The Journal would
present him. He is a stalwart
(Costinned on paga 0)
WHAT WAS HIS REASON?
Chairman Richardson Makes
Reply to Chairman Standi.
Was Chairman Standi Ignorant of the
Law When He Declared That Men
Who Registered Last May
Must Re-register.
To The Editor:
My attention has been culled
to an article, headed "Notice to
All Voters," which appeared in
the last issue (Oct 20th) of the
Smithtield Journal, the official
organ of the Republican party in
this County. The article ap
pears over the signature of Re
publican Comity Chairman, J
C. Stancil. Alsv>, I am informed
that this same article has been
printed in circular form and is
being sent out broadcast to the
voters of the County. In this
article the Republican Chairman
tells the people that "if they re
gistered in May for the prohibi
tion election then they are not
registered for the November elec
tion," and further adds that
"there is a Democratic scheme to
disfranchise thousand of vot
ers "
How long. Oh how long will
this Republican Chairman and
his Radical cohorts and political
henchmen continue their ef
forts to mislead and misdirect
honest people by misrepresenta
tion and falsehood? Ilow long
will this office seekiug Radical
Chairman continue to presume
that our people are too ignoraut
to interpret his motive for such
misrepresentation?
The people of Johnston County
are not half so ignoraut as this
Republican Chairman seems to
thiuk they are, and they are far
more houest than he seems to
^ive them credit for being. They
are not so blind to misrepresent
ation as this leader of the Repub
lican party in the county had
hoped they were Our people as
a rule are too honest, too can
did, too intelligent to permit
themselves to be deceived and
further mis'el by faUe state
ments and reports emanating
from unscrupulous and designing
politicians. They will not be
misled now. They know the
man, and they understand per
ft-ctly his motive in circulating
the article above referred to.
The article in question, to say
the least, is grossly misleading,
and was no doubt published aud
circulated in the hope of divert
ing the minds of the voters from
the paBt record and rascality of
the Republicau parSy.
Mr. Stancil knew, or ought to
have known, that no new regis
tration is required for those per
sons who were properly register
ed for the prohibition election
last May. tie could have at
least informed himself before at
tempting to subject the voters of
the County to unnecessary trou
ble and annoyance of calling
upon the registrars to ascertain
that no new registration is re
quired under the law for those
persons who registered in the
May election. Why didn't this
Republican Chairman deal hon
estly with the people? Why
raise this false alarm by pretend
ing to the voters in his article
that a new registration was nec
essary? The Law, passed by
the General Assembly of North
Carolina at its Extra Session of
1908, authorizing the holding of
the May election, is perfectly
plain, and reads as follows:
"That, on the last Tuesday in
May in the year of our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and
eight, an election shall be held in
the several election precincts in
each County of the State of
North Carolina to determiue
whether the provisions set forth
in" the iirst nine sections of
Chapter 7L, pages 83 85, Public
Laws of North Carolina, entitled
'An Act to Prohibit the Manu
facture and sale of Intoxicatine
Liquors in North Carolina,'
shall become effective.
"Said election shall be condu
ted and held u ider the sau<
rules aud regulation! and in tt
?ame manner an alesti >us fi
State offioart; utl, olhe
I
wise provided in this acts, the
general lawn regulating elections,
an set forth in Chapter ninety of
Uevisal of 1905, aud the amend
j inents thereto, shall be applica
ble to said election." Can any
j thing be plainer?
The May election was general
in that it wan held in every pre
cinct in every County in North
? Carolina. That election was
held under the General Election
! Law not out, to getber with
["Permanent Boll" books, to the
j Chairmen of the Boards of Elec- j
' tions iu the several counties of
' the State by our State officials.
I'he names of every person, both I
Democrats and Republicans
alike, who registered in the May
election were properly certified
by the several registrars to the
Clerks of the Court iu the vari
ous counties aud by them pro
perly transcribed to the "Per
manent Roll," as was their duty
to do.
This was done in JohLstou
County. These names were af
terwards certified by the Clerk of
the Court to the Secretary of
State as required by law, t*ud
every person whose name ap
pears on this "Permanent KoU"
will be entitled to vote in the
November election if otherwise!
qualified. This is the opinion of
some of the best informed law
yers iu our State. If those per
sons who registered iu the May
electiou were not to be recorded
on the "Permanent Iloll" whv
did our State officials who had
the benefit of the advice of the
Attorney.General send books for
that purpose to the Chairmeu of
the Hoards of Elections of the
several counties iu the State, to
gather with a copy of the Geu
eral Election Law last May? The
"Permanent Roll" book has
been open to the inspection of
the public in the olfice of the
Clerk of this County, and I am
informed that Chairmau Stancil
himself has several times recent
ly inspected this roll in the
Clerk's office.
Stancil must therefore have
known that the names of those
persons who registered for the
May election had been properly
carried forwar i to the "Permau
eut Roll" book, Democrats and
Republicans indiscriminately.
He must have known also that
every person thus registered and
otherwise qualified whose name
appears i?a this "Permanent
Roll" was entitled to vote, with
out subjecting such voter to the
trouble and annoyance ol any
further registration.
He knew that Democrats and
Republicans alike registered for
the prohibition electiou last
May, and that it would be im
possible to disqualify any Repub
lican on this ground without
also disqualifying Democrats j
who registered for the May elec-1
tion.
Why then did this Republican
otfice-seekiug Chairman attempt
to mislead the people by this
false cry? Was he ignorant, or
did he knowingly and intention- |
ally misrepresent the law to the
voters of the County, hoping to
further poison the minds of the
people by incorporating in his
article the false and unwarrant
ed charge that "there is a Demo- ;
cratic scheme to disfranchise
thousands of voters?"
If he wa,s ignorant and knew
no better then he is to be pitieu,
and, in my opinion, is wholly in
competent to be at the head of
even a Republican organization
If he willfully misrepresented
the facts and misstated the law
xolely for political effect, then I ;
submit that he has not dealt ?
houebtly with the people of the
County, and he and his political
methods ought to be repudiated
by all good men. He can take
either horn of the dilemma, la
the meantime, let no honest
voter be deceived aud misled by
the article in question.
It is only the false alarm of a
political demagogue who sees de
feat staring him and his party in
the face. If you were properly
registered iu the May election
you will be eutitled to vote in the
Vovember election if otherwise
.titled, uhUmh pjrhapj Repub
,n Chairman Staucil aud his
itical bauckmen can succeed
ilafraackUUft yoa. Certainly
MR. HOLMES HAS A SAY!
1
Gives His Side of the Kenson J
Post-Office Affair.
c
Presents Affidavits to Prove His Every 1
Contention Made In Statement Last '
Week. Let the Public Judge
This Affair.
r
t
In The Smithtield Journal of c
this week on the first page in ^
large letters I see these words: c
"Another Lie Nailed." 5
Oue It I). Langdon, post s
master at Benson, under oath 8
says that I, J. W. Holmes,lied in t
my statement inasmuch as I H
stated to him when he came for
the papers the lirst time that ex- a
Sheriff Ellington had them. I e
want to say here auu uov, that s
that'stutement is false, us the fol- ?
lowingattidavitswillshow. Iftbere |<
had been no other person pres- ri
eut there might have beeu some t
doubt as to who was right, e
Langdon or myself. Hut it seems t
to me that the following affi- t
davits from two as good men as h
there are in Benson or any other ?
town settles that doubt so well 1
that a fool though he be a Kadi- b
eal may not be mistaken as <to o
who is correct. I arn very much [<
surprised at Mr. Langdon inak p
iug such a statement when he I
knew as is proven below there u
was no foundation for it what 1
ever. p
State of Noktii Carolina \ c
.Johnston County ?ftp j t
' I). J. Hill being duly sworn, ft'
deposes and says that he is a j
citizen of the town of Benson, j
Johnston county, N. C ; that he u
was in store of Holfnes & Stev
eus on tne 14th day of October,
1908 when K. 1). Langdon came ^
in and demanded of J. W. Holmes ?
certain papers which he (Holmes) j,
had bought from certain negro
women in the town of Benson ^
and that he heard what j,
Holmes said to Langdon and a
he knows that he (Holmes) Q
did not say that said papers
were in the hands of J T. Elling- ^
ton, but he did hear Holmes say S|
"that the papers belonged to ex- t[
Sheriff Ellington; that his (El- y
lington's) money paid for them r
and they were his property;" and t|
that Langdon could not get ?,
them
I). J. Hill. "
Sworn to before me this Oct. a
21, 1908, J. VI Bintt, J. P. p
State ok North Carolina I ^
Johnston County. | 11
L
E. P. Britt being duly sworn, k
deposes aud savs that he is a [
citizen of the County of John
ton, State of North Carolina;
that he was in the store of
Holmes <fc Stevens on the 14th
day of October, 1908, and heard
K. I). Langdon demand ot J. VV. p
Holmes certain papers which he
(Holmes) had bought of certain
colored women in the town of
Benson; that he heard what Mr. t
Holmes said to Mr. Langdon i
and that he knows that he did a
not say that the papers were in p
the bauds of J. T. Elliugton. He ft
did hear him say, however, that y
the papers belonged to ex-Sheriff h
Ellington, that his (Ellington's) d
money paid tor them and it was v
Ellingtou's property; and he n
(Holmes) had no right to dis- v
pose of it; and that he (Lang- o
don) could not get it
E. P. Bhitt, c
Sworn to before me this Oct. q
20, 1908. I
K. L. Hall, N. P. fi
READER, JUDGE FOR YOUR- *
SELF, WHO HAS LIED? ,
Now in regard to the editorial c
in Tbe Smitbfleld Journal in V
which the imported editor, Nich- li
ols, (who I am informed has been r
drunk on the streets of Smith
field,) calls me a professional
Democrat o! low type, I desire
======= i
no Democrat will attempt to de- r
prive any honest man of his vote ?
who is justly entitled to vote. 1
Yours truly, c
C. VV. Richardson, v
Chairman Democratic County \
Executive Committee. t
N. C-, Oct. 21. a
? Sl*y, 1 prefer being called a
emocrat (and if he chooses "of
?w type") than to be allied with
be HIth of the Republican party
u Aorth Carolina. Ttio Psalm
st said that he had rather be a
loor-keeper in the house of God
ban to dwell in the tents of the
ilc * cau truthfully say
hat I had rather occupy the
uost humble position in' clean
auks of Democracy than to sit
iigb up in the corrupt councils
Radicalism. i deem it a?
ionor to be cussed by such a
rowd. lam glad they do not
?ut me in their class. If they
lid, 1 would feel like Tom Dixon
aid a few days Hgo of ex-Judge
?loutgomery: "1 would be asha
ued to shake bauds with my.
elf, even in the dark."
Now iu regard to the charge
tgaiust P. Hawley four years
igo: 1 never made a positive
tatement that it was two nays
ifter election that I saw P. Haw
ay destroy mail. I said it was
luring campa^u of 11904 and I
bought it was two days after
lection Mr. Brooks, who took
he statement, will sustain me in
his position. I believe now as
trongly as I ever did, that it
?as two dt*ys after election,
hey sav that I lied about that,
ocause P. Hawlev was removed
u the 11 of October, 11)04.
jvery patron of the Hensou
ost office knows this is not true,
t is true mat an investigation
egan in post-office about Oct.
1th, 190-4, but was not com
leted until sometime about the
loi-e of the year. It is also true
hat Mr. Hawley's bondsmen
uc a man in ihe office to look
Iter the business about Oct. 11,
904 It is also true that Mr!
lawley contiuued iu the office
util It. D. Langdon was ap
oiuted and took charge; and as
'eall know Mr. Hawlev was in
he oflice nearer all the time
'hile tne investigation was go
ig on than be was before it be
an, claiming all the time that
rheu the investigation was over
e would be exonerated and
rould continue to be post
mster.
Mr. R I). Langdon says that
e discovered his mistake and
mt his clerk. Carl Ryals, after
fie papers at once, i w,U ask
Ir. Langdon if his brother, Hen
v Langdon, did not iuform him
bat I had bought the papers be*
>re he discovered his mistake;
nd this was next day?8 or 9
clock?after the news was all
round town that be had im
roperly disposed of mail and
hat I had bought same. Then
, was that he sent Carl Rvals to
he negro house after the papers,
nowing at the same time that
had them in my pos?os,?ion.
J. W. Holmes.
IN COFFIN BUT NOT DEAD.
hyslclan Intervenes Just In Time and
Finds Mrs. Chapman Alive.
Ellis, Kan., October 20.?The
imely intervention of a physic
an who was not sausHed with
ppearance of the body to day
irevented the burial alive of
drs. Thomas Chapman, sixty
ears old, who was susposed to
ave died suddenly of heart
isease on Saturday. The body
.as prepared for burial, but was
ot embalmed. The funeral was
o have taken place at 2:30
'clock this afternoon.
A fe* minutes before the
oftin was sealed, a physician re
uosted permission to see the
>ody. An examination oon
irrned his suspicious that tbe
woman's body was made rigid
>y suspended animation. The
Yomau was removed from the
ofiin placed in bed and revived.
Vhile her heart is weak, it is l>e
ieved chat Mrs. Chapman will
ecover.
Would Mortgage ttaf Farm.
A farmer on Rural Route 2,
Umpire, Ga., W. A. Floyd by
lame, says: "Bucklen's Arnica
salve cured the two worst sores
ever saw: one ou my hand and
me on my log. It is worth its
veight in gold. I would not be
vithout it if 1 had to mortgage
hn f?rm to get it." ODly 2Ec,
it Hood Bros, drug store.