Newspaper Page Text
(fciuli) (County flctos.
THIS IS
STRICTLY A WHITE MAH’S PAPER.
t. n. oKoI'BT w. w. n.KMiNO.
GROUBY & FLEMING,
EDITORS A PROPRIETORS.
Blakely, Ga„ July 14,1871.
To the Patrons of the News.
As the business ol the office has been j
increasing for the past year, its duties hav- \
ing become too onerous for one, and having
an opportunity of securing a partner to our
liking, wo have sold a one-half interest in
the News to.our friend and old fellow citi
sen, Judge W. W. Fleming, who conduct
ed it during our “flight.” Me is entirely
too well and favorably known to the peo- j
pie of this section to need one word of
praise or commendation at our hands. He ,
is himself a practical printer, and hence ,
will be of more than ordinary service as a
copartner in the concern. (
Judge Fleming's interest in the News
dates from the commencement of the pres
ent subscriptions! year, 10th March. All
debts due the concern up to that date are
due the undersigned individually; those
wade since, to the present firm.
As Judge Fleming nnd ouvself natural j
)y differ in our views in some public and
individual matters —he being a church
member and we a “ worldlian ” —we have
agreed that articles written by us, in which
we differ, shall be published over the ini
tial letter of tho writer ; and where the
article is irreconcilable, the same is not to j
be published at all.
Hoping that this new arrangement will
prove mutually beneficial to proprietors and
patrons, we remain, friend *,
Yours Very Respectfully,
K. 11. GROUBY.
Blakely, Ga., July 14, 1871.
t
The foregoing sufficiently explains the ,
stains of the News as amattorof property. (
In commencing our career as an editor de |
facto of tho News, our readers may look ,
for something like a declaration of princi- |
pics from us. IVc shall write as the spirit |
moves us. Our observation has been that (
he who makes the most promises is apt to ,
tell the most lies. We shall therefore b ’ ,
particular to avoid promising more than s
we can reasonably expect to perform. Our a
first effoit shall be to make tho News a
paying institution to its proprietors, and at
the same time advance the interests of its
patrons. To this end we shall bring to
bear all tho energy wo possess, aided bv an
experience of several years in the printing
business previous to embavking in other
pursuits. For success, we shall rely upon
fair dealing with an intelligent public, and
insist upon the same treatment at their .
hands. We shall always have a word oft
praise for the meritorious, but shall not j
fear to deal out just ceusure to what we
may deetu reprehensible, hurt whom it
may.
[n polities, the News, under the joint
editorship of Mr. (Jrouby and ourself, shall |
be as uncompromisingly democratic as it
lias becu in the past. Believing, aswedo, 1
that this is, “and of right ought to be," a
white man’s government, ours shall be a
white man’s paper. Yet, in advancing our ;
ideas as to the rightful supremacy of the !
white race iu our government, wo shall be
careful to accord to the black man every
right nnd privilege granted him by our
laws. Hoping that our intercourse with
our readers, and with the press at large,,
mav be pleasant, we make our bow.
W. W. FLEMING.
Latest News.
Since our last issue, tho cotton market
has slightly advanced. Latest dates, how
ever, show a dull market at quotations.
New York, June 11, Cotton dull; Mid- j
dling Uplands 21o; Futures for October i
sold at 191 ; for November,at 18J. I S
Violent storms are reported iu various v
parts of tho Northern States. j u
Telegrams from New York, on the llth,! a
report great apprehension in that city iu i c
relation to an expected fight between the i
Protestaut and Catholic Irish, which it is »
feared would take place ou the 12th inst., I
on the occasion of a grand parade to be got- i
ten up by the Orangemeu, or Prrtestauis. ]
The negro Kuklux are rampant in Rob
eson couuty, North Carolina. A gang of |
negro out-laws fired upon a sheriff's posse
on the 10th iust., killing three and wound- j
ing several others. The whole county is
aroused, and a company is being raised to
exterminate the outlaws.
Crops. —One of our plautcrs has recent
ly traveled through much of Miller, Baker
& Dougherty counties, aud from his report,
crops are much better in Early than any
of the others. He puts dow n Miller as
next to Early iu superiority of both corn
aud oouou crops It is uot to be inferred
from thi* that be means crops are good in
Early, hut that they are wretchedly poor
ut these other counties
The Fourth of July
Passed off in Blakely, as in most other ;
Southern towns, unhonored. It is a sad
thought that our condition at the South is
such, that it would look like mockery in
us to celebrate the nation’s freedom from
the despotic rule of a tyrant King, when
we are now the victims of a tyranny ten
fold more oppressive than was that against
which our fathers rebelled. We are of
I those who hope for better days—when wc
j shall be willing to celebrate, with loud huz
| zas, the day of our deliverance from Radi-,
; cal misrule, and the restoration of our Go
: vernment to the principles upon which it
was founded.
Professor Dozier 8 Examination and
Exhibition were a success —both teacher j
and pupil acquitting themselves with very .
great credit Although we had been pres-
I cut at most of the rehearsals for the exhi
bition, and knew that all could “ play well
their parts,” we take pleasure in stating
thut the pupils acquitted themselves be
yond our expectations; aad from the dem
onstrations of the audience, wo decide their
efforts to please were duly appreciated.
The attendance was both night and
day, and we have reason to believe all went
away satisfied with the entertainment pre
pared for both their mental and physical
natures,
|
House Stolen. — On the night of the
20th ult., Mr. Wm. P. Jeter, living about
four miles south of this place, had his best
horse stolen from his lot. Circumstantial
evidence goes to fasten the theft upon a ne- 1
gro noin hailing from Miller county. Just
after dark the negro hailed at Mr. Jeter’s
gate and wished to hire to hoe cotton. — :
Mr. Jeter contracted with him to com- ;
mence next morning. The darky then j
begged his supper, and went oft' to Pul- |
bin’s Mill, where ho said he had left his
clothing, promising to be on hand early j
next morning. The next morning Mr.
J.’s horse was gooe, hut the cotton hoer
did not come up. An examination of the j
tracks at tho gate nnd in the lot identified
tho thief and the would-be cotton hoer as
the same person. Mr. Jeter followed him
for several days, but failed to come up with j
him, losing the trail near Newton, Baker i
county, in the neighborhood of where the j
negro lived before freedom. The thief is J
well known in that vicinity as Zack Brin- j f
son, alias Zack Martin, alius Peter Jones, ,
and several other aliases, aud will no doubt , f
be picked up. J 1
- ♦
Our stomach-felt thunks are due to Col. r
B. II Robinson for a basket of most de- j
licious peaches; and to J. B. Mulligan,
Esq., for some us nice apples us we have
masticated in a long time. And also to .
Mrs. T. E. Speight, of Clay county, for ;
two cabbage heads large enough to do onr n
families for a week to come.
Still they come—since the foregoing was
i put in type. Mr. Walton Grimsley has giv
en us a real treat in the way of peaches, j
for which ho has our thanks. Professor
H. M. Wade will also accept our thanks
r e
for a nice basket of tomatoes.
I
Prolific Corn. —Mr. J. I>. McCul- t
lough has shown us three stalks of corn— e
or one stalk and two suckers—the pro- I
duct of one grain—bearing seveu good {
ears, and Mac reports plenty more of the h
“ same sort ” in the field from which this o
sample came. Some of our planters would n
do well to get seed from him. j k
* r
Our friend, Judge John Gilbert, says
that although the newspapers give doleful t
accounts of the condition of the cotton
crop, they don’t state the case half as bad
as it is at his place. The Judge is one of
our best fanners, and we therefore suppose r
the condition of his crop is equal to the
average of the county. Look out, then, s
for short cotton crops, and, we hope, long s
j prices.
Being unable, either of us, to attend the j
Sabbath School Celebration at Plattville,
wo made arrangements with a competent j
gentleman to represent us, and give us an
account ot the sayings and doings on that j
occasion. But as yet he has failed to give
an account of himself. From the character j
of the community in which the celebration
took place, we doubt not everything was
done up in good style. s
s
Some curiosity has been excited in our
town, during tire past few days, by a suit
of clothes being found hangingnn the hush
es hy the side of the road near the meeting
house branch. From appearance.the «-ar
ment-s belong to a freedninii, and are quite
too good to suppose he had thrown them
away. The query is, how eume they there?
The garments consist of coat, pants, shirt
and hat.
Shot. —A negro woman ou Mr. Ben
May’s plantation, in this county, was acci
dentally shot iu the face, by the careless
ness of u negro boy, on Tuesday evening
last. The wouud is said to be a painful
but not dangerous one.
* ♦ ♦
i See iccdlog matter on fourth page
Liberal Pickings
j We find the following parrgraph in the
| Savannah Price Current of Thursday last.
f In speaking of cotton it says:
“To our receipts on the 17th inat, we
1 add 2500 bales, which is the number of
> bales that have been exported of pickings,
i wastage, sampling, etc., since the first of
September, 1870, and had not been ac
counted for in our receipts.”
That is what might be termed liberal
f pickings, indeed. In one season, and that
5 I not yet closed, the handlers of cotton at
. j Savannah say they have made, clear, 2500
bales, worth at. the lowest calculation 850
per bale, or 8125,000 — Macon Telegraph.
. To this article in the Telegraph, the Sa
vannah Republican takes exceptions, and
characterizes it as an illiberal insinuation
I against the Savannah cotton merchants.
We cannot but agree with the Telegraph
that “pickings,” (if that is the name—we
thirdi a harsher name would be just as ap
propriate) must have been on a very liber
al 9cale, on receipts of 710,000 bales. Let
’ us figure whittle : Allowing three quarters
of a pound for each bale for wastage, sam
pling, &c., we would have 1065 bales of
500 lbs. each on receipts of 710,000 bales.
• Thrce-quui ters of a pound to the bale is
I the basis of calculation suggested by the
t Republican as being about right. Iu this
wc will grant he is very nearly correct.
I But when he assumes that this will amount
to near 2500 bales, we differ with him. We
don’t want him to make calculations for us.
Allowing one pound to the hale for
&e., we have 1420 hales on 710,000 bales
i reeeivpd. Whence then comes the 1080
j or 1435 hales over this reasonable calcula
tion '! Planters and country merchants
would like to know. We don’t want to
; j 9
! use hard words, and say Savannah is curs
ed with a set of cotton thieves, but the ]
i matter needs a good deal of explaining. j
Whew! —The Early County News must 1
I be getting “ loil.” It actually notifies its 1
j readers that no paper will be issued from i
that office during the week embracing the I
! 4th of .Toly. Some time ago we had occa- !
sion to allude to the United States flag. .
. and spoke of it as the fiag of bUr country ; !
whereupon the News flew at us like an old j
setting hen, and cackled out that wc (the I
| Sun) might claim it.for our flag, but the j
j News would never have anything to do !
j with the “dirty dish-rag.” We simply |
) refer to these facts in order to show the j
! News that it is sometimes a little inconsis- j
: tent, notwithstanding its usual straight-fur- !
ward Democratic course. If it has no re
spect for the “ dirty dish rag,” bow can it.
respect the National holiday of tho United i
States ? The News lias certainly repent
ed.—Bainbridje Sun.
Hays must certainly have been very hard
run for something to fill up his Bullhead
Proclamation paper with, and still harder
up for a lick it us when he penned the
above. It Inis always been our rule—as
it is with nearly all country papers—to is
sue but fifty numbers to a volume, and the
only reason that we skip 4th of July week
is that it occurs iu the middle of the year,
when all hands most need rest, and not at
all for the respect or honor wo have for the
day or the “ditty dish-rag.” As to our
being “loil,” we’ll simply say, that had we
ever been, or were we uow, “ loil ” in the-*
way Hays has been, wo’tl long before this
time had a plenty of money to have retir
ed from the newspaper business. Hays !
hasn’t made less thau 87,000 by bis “loil
ty, ” fiom the Bulihead government alone, !
besides what he has received from others j
of the “ ring,” which is undoubtedly as j
much more. Hays, you can worship and
kiss the “ dish-rag,” but wo never will
not for 814,000, at least. We may have
our price, but it’s uot quite so low, as poor
as we are. G.
Nicholas Said.
The said Nicholas Said, the learned Af
rican, was in our town for several days
during the present week, canvassing for
sunscribers to his Autibiography, which he
says is now in press at the Constitution of
flee in Atlautu. Said was to lecture in the
Court House on Wednesday evening; hut ;
during the day he came in contact with j
some of our benzine establishments, and as i
is conimou with his race, got worsted in the
encounter, in consequence of which the
leotuve did not come off—greatly to the
disappointment of some. The said Nicho
las is a queer cuss touier. and is evidently .
pretty well educated ; has traveled exten
sively, and remembers much of what he
sees, hears and reads.
The stockholders of the Montgomery A
Etifaula Railroad, at their meetiog held in
Montgomery on Tuesday, unanimously rat
ified a contract entered into between the
Directory aud Messrs. Opdyke & Co. of
New York, the terms of which are as fol
lows :
1. The Company assigns to Messrs Op
dyke & Co., parlies of the second part, all
the assets and a majority of the stock of
the road (about 8550, 000 worth) without
reserve.
2. Messrs. Opdyke & Co. agree to fur
nish 8680,000 in cash, which sum it is
, thought will be amply sufficient to pay off
' all outstanding liabilities and complete the
‘ road to Eufaula.
♦
The I. O. B. B’s. hold regular commu- j
nications iu Blakely every Sunday 1
Meroer University.
The Board of Trustees of Mercer Uni
versity, we iearn from the Telegraph, held
a meeting in Macon on the 4th instant.
It was determined that the scholastic
year of Mercer University in Macon shall
commence on the first Wednesday in Octo
' her next, and close on the first Wednesday
|in July, 1872. The Board appointed a
| building committee to get up plans, speci
fications and ‘•stimates for the final build*
ing improves ents of the University, to be
reported to the Board. The Board ex
pects to expend a large amount of money,
perhaps one hundred thousaud dollars, in
buildings.
The Board, as well as others, were sur
prised at this meeting on receiving the re
signation of the President, Rev. Dr. 11. H.
Tucker. The kindest sentiments exist be
tween himself and the Board, and the part
ing was mutually painful. May prosperi
ty attend the gifted Doctor.
The Board elected unanimously Hon. J.
L. M. Curry, L. L. D., of Richmond, Va,
President of Mercer University. The Dr,
is a native Georgian, and a gifted and elo
! rjuent man.
| The price of tuition in the University
I was fixed at 8100 per annum.
A Real Luxury—We are indebted to
; Mr. Hunt, the inventor, for one of his pa
j tent fans and fly-drivers, the greatest in
j vention for warm weather and fly-time that
! mortal man ever originated. With this
j machine we can sit at our desk and keep
a delightful breeze stirring, keep off the
mosquitos and flies, aud write, all at the
same time. —Macon Telegraph.
We here are in a fly, mosquito, gnat and
flea country—and they buz like bumble
bees and bite like gallinippers. The truth
is, if there’s any place on earth where a
fly-driver is any more needed than here,
we’d like to hear of it. Could not Mr.
Hunt send us down one of his machines,
so we could introduce it here? We cau
sing “shoo, fly! don’t bodder me!” to
perfection, but the song ain’t worth a cuss
to make the “ critters git up and git ” i
no, not half a cusr. G.
A white “ boy ” shot and instantly kill
ed a “ young geutleman of color ” near Sa- j
vannah, on last Sunday a week. The ac
count given of the affair by the Savannah
papers is, that n party of young Africans
attacked a party of white boys, pelting
them with rocks, &c., and driving them
towards the city. The “ buekras ” gave
back for some time, but finally decided to
make a stand, one of the party drawing a
pistol and putting a stop to the advancing
colored troops by bringing one of them to
the ground. A coroner’s jury rendered a
verdict of justifiable homicide. Howl,
Phillips, Greely k Co., “ a man and bro
ther ” has gone up.
The movement to make General Ilan- i
cock the democratic candidate for the next j
Presidency gains strength with time. We
have yet to see or hear of the first demo
cratic paper that opposes his nomination.
All speak of him in complimentary terms.
As a matter of principle, we are opposed
to military men holding that position, but
if wc must have a matt of that profession,
let us have one endowed with good com
mon sense, and having at least a smatter
ing of Statesmanship to recotnmeud him
- ♦ ♦
We are pained to learn that Mrs. Ken
non, wife of our friend, Col. R. E. Kcn
dod, died near Fort Gaines on Monday
night last. Wc deeply sympathize with
the Colonel in his bereaveuieut. G.
* ♦ - ♦
Our “ Devil,” who has just returned
from Fort Gaines,reports “all quiet” there,
and Col. John L. Holland as just as “fat”
and “hot” as ever. Take more ice in it*
friend “John.” G.
The Siamese Twins.— The Raleigh
Telegram, of the 4th, says one of the Sia
mese Twius is lying at the point of death.
The other is in good health. Iu anticipa
tion of death, arrangements are made for
the immediate separation of the living from
the dead brother.
lion. Jefferson Davis has declined an In
vitation to deliver a public lecture before
the Mobile Franklin Society, giving as t
reason : “It surely would not be difficult,
with the freedom you allow in the selec
tion of a subject, to avoid any expression
which could fairly bo used to the injury of
my Southern friends; but it would hardly
be possible, under existing circumstances,
to prevent my words from being abused for
such a purpose.”
The Famine in Persia.— New York,
June 30.—Terrible accounts are still re
ceived of the tarnine in Persia At Tezd
about 500 children have been killed and
eaten by the starving Mohamedan popula
tion. So severe is this famine in certain
parts, that not only have the dates and su
gar of caravans been seized and eaten by
the starviog inhabitants of villages through
which they passed, but the pack mules
were greedily devoured as well.
Four George Washingtons, six Andrew
JacksoDs, five Henry Clays, and two James
K. Polks, all negroes, reside at present to
the Lousia'ia peniteatiary!
Brunswick and Albany Bail Road-
Work on the line of this Road between
Cutbbert and Eufaula was suddenly stop
ped some two or three weeks ago. The
Albany News gives the following as the
reason for the cousre adopted by the com
pany :
This sadden change of front, we are au
thentically informed, was caused by a com
bination of land owners aloug the line to
extort front the Company exorbitant dam
ages for (be right of way.
From Cotton Hill westward the work of
locating aud staking off had, necessarily,
to be very rapid, as contractors were wait
ing for work. Ilence the right of way
could not be secured in advance of the en
gineers.
Alter locating, auu when grading parties
were about to commence work, they were
met by the owners of the soil and lorbid
den to cut a tree or move a spade of dirt
till damages were assessed and paid. Enor
mous prices were demanded, and finally le
gal proceedings were instituted to stop the
work. Contractors, with large forces, were
idle and of course sustaining serious loss
everv hour,
Mr. 11. I. Kimball was in New York,
and therefore the unreasonable demand of
j the laud owners eould not be immediately
I responded to. Just, reasonable and fatr
i propositions were made by the officers in
' charge to allow the work to proceed and
j have commissioners forthwith to assess dnm
l ages, but the Shylucks, thinking they had
' the game dead, persisted in their demands
j for the “ pound of flesh,” and refused to
j wait for it till adjudged to them in the usu
! alway.
The result is the abandonment of that
section for the present, at least, and, it is
to be hoped, forever. Another line can
be found, and though it may cost more
money, we trust it will prove to be the in
terest of the Company to find aud adopt it.
Wc arc of opiniou that these avaricious
I land owners would be glad to “ change
\ front ” now if they had the opportunity.
Shylocks frequently lose all by dcuiaudiug
too much.
The Albany, Mobile and New Orleans
Rail Road.
Our railroad authorities have had this
new enterprise under advisement for a day
or two past, and while the result is not all
we desired, it is, perhaps, as favorable as
could be expected under all the circum- i
stances. It at least guarantees the practi- J
cal aid of one company to the work, and i
the moral support aud influence of the oth- ;
er, with a pretty fair assurance of a similar |
actiou eventually on the part of both.
The Central Board actually subscribed a \
half million to the road, on the condition j
heretofore stated, viz: that three millions
shall be subscribed aud ten per ceut of the
amount paid in by the Ist December next.
The Atlantic aud Gulf Board also held j
a meeting, aud resolved to take half a mil
lion as soon as the affairs of the company
eould be put in a condition to justify the
subscription. The new road is so manifestly
necessary to the success of the Atlantic & 1
Gulf, that we have no doubt the friends of
the latter will forthwith bend their ener
gies in that direction, and soon place them
selves in a condition to extend to it their
active co-operation.
We understand that a movement will
soon be put on foot to ascertain the views
of the city of Savannah with reference to a
liberal subscription. We hope, though,
that the pulses of Mobile and New Orleans
will first be felt, having but little doubt
that our city will handsomely respond to
any interest they tnay manifest in the
work. — Savannah Republican , 20th ult.
Negro Ku-Klux.
AUGUSTA, July 3.— On Saturday last
25 armed negroes went to the plantation
ot Augus lied, in Barnwell county, S. C.,
about 12 miles below Augusta, on the Sa
vaunuh River. Arriving at Red’s resi
dence, the party fired a volley into it, kill
ing Thos. A. Lowe and seriously wound
ing Red and his wife and mother. After
disarming Red, the negroes returned to
Paul F. Hammond’s plantation, where the
deputy sheriff tried to arrest them, but
without success, as they refused to disarm
The uegroes, however, promised to go to
Aiken and stand an investigation. One
of the parties implicated was arrested here
this evening. llis version is that Red
and Lowe attempted to chastise a negro
for stealing from the premises of the for
mer; that the negro escaped from them,
and returned with an armed band who
did the shooting, byway of retaliation.
Tho affair causes uneasiness and alarm.
The party arrested in this city represents
himself as a school teacher, and says he
was on bis way to Aiken to deliver himself
up to the authorities.
Railroad Disasters.
Nashville, July 4.—A .train of two
coaches and a sleeping car hence at 8:20
yesterday on the Nashville and Northwest
ern Rail Road after the locomotive and
baggage car went over, went through the
bridge at Uarpcth river—ls killed and 22
wounded.
New York, July B.— Trains from New
ark aud New York collided, and the cars
are a burning mass. Seven bodies have
been taken from the ruius. It is supposed
there are many more amid the wreck. The
lists of passengers show no Southerners.
♦
Squirrel skins valuable. —Squir-
rels are so great a nuisance in California
that a bounty of 10 cents per head is paid
for their destruction. Mr. Frank Tracy
has killed and trapped 10,000 iu one sea
son, for which he got 81,000 bounty. He
sent the skins to Paris where they sold at
15 cents each, swelling his receipts to 82,-
500 for hie captures. The skins are said
to be more valuable than thr*e of the rat
or kid in the manufacture of gloves.
- The Weather and Crops.
The weather has been at welding heat
for the past ten days, and only occasional
showers of rain in some localities. We
hear complaints from two opposite direc
tions of the county in regard to the darn
| aging effect of the dry weather on the corn
1 crop. After so much raiD, two weeks of
dry weather tells seriously on that crop.
Cotton is aeported as doing well just now
in all parts of the county.
♦ » ♦
Rail Road Meeting at Morgan.
Morgan, Ga., July 1, 1871.
A meeting of a large number of the cit
izens of Calhouu County was held this day
at the Court House in 3lorgan for the pur
pose of considering the interests of Calhouu
County in the various lines of Rail Road
about to be constructed through the same,
when Elijah Padgett-, Esq., was requested
to act as Chairman, aud J. John Beck as
Secretary.
The object of the meeting was fully and
ably explained by Col. Thomas J. Dunn,
who was followed by appropriate remaiks
from Dr. Lewis A. Guild and Judge Jesse
H. Griffin, when, upon motion of Hon. G.
W. Colby, it was
Resolved, That a committee of four, con
sisting of John Colby, Thomas J. Dunn,
: Jesse H. Griflin and L. A. Guild, be ap-
I pointeil aud constituted as an Executive
j Committee for the purpose of correspond
| ing with the Presidents of the Albany &
i Mobile R. R. Company, and the Southwes-
I tern R. 11. Company, and advising tlicm
! selves fully of the means aud steps neces
sary to be taken to insure the location of
the contemplated Road byway of Morgan.
Resolved, That the faith and property
of the whole county is pledged to the sup
port of the action of this committee.
Which Resolutions were unanimously
adopted.
The meeting then adjourned, to be called
together at the instance of said Executive
and Corresponding Committee.
ELIJAH PADGETT, Ch’n.
J. John Beck, Sec’y.
Card from Mr- Dobbins—He tells Bis
Side of the Case.
Atlanta, June 26, 1871.
Editor Constitution : As there is some
excitement growing out of the fact of the
Gland Jury of this county at the lute teini
of the Superior Court undertaking to in
vestigate the acts of Colonel Foster Blod
geet, lute Superintendent of the Western
and Atlantic Railroad, and V. A. Gaskill,
Esq., touching a claim I held against said
railroad, I have thought it my duty to give
the facts in the case to the public.
The nature aud amount of the claim is
eoirectly stated in au account made by Col.
A. B. Culberson, my attorney in the case,
and published by Col. Blodgett in his card
of the 24th inst., amounting to 810 848 06.
1 agreed to settle the claim on the bus's of
the actual loss sustained, with interest,
Mr. Culberson ami myself examined the
amount of cotton destroyed, and the dam
ages otherwise sustained, and found that
they amounted to the above amount, viz:
810,848 06, including interest. For that
amount I agreed to take Foster Biodgi it’s
Superintendent note at 60 days for *7,000
which was dated, I tliiuk, on the 7th of
November, 1870, and was paid to me by
Mr. Gaskill in his check on J. 11. James,
on the 9th of January last. This note tor
si,ooo is all the note I ever saw or heard
ot until 1 was summoned to the grand jury
room to testify in the case, then, instead of
the $7,000 note, I saw one for $15,548 00
signed by Foster Blodgett, Superintendent,
payable to me or bearer. This note seems
to be founded on an account made out thus :
For damages for loss of Cotton
and for delays and injuries $lO 848 06
On account of failing todeliver 4,700 00
The last item in this account I deny ha.-
ing any hand in adding, and i am satisfied
Mr. Culberson is equally clear ot it. As
regards Mr. Gaskill being tny attorney, l
never considered him as such. If so, why
the necessity of giving him a special power
to sign iny name to a receipt to obtain a
warrant founded on a note held by me on
Foster Blodgett, Superintendent, geven me
in settlement of my claim against the Wes
tern and Atlantic Railroad.
In regard to uiy promising Mr. Gaskill
all he could get out of the claim over 87,-
000,1 may or may not have done so. My
memory in that particular dors not servo
me; but if I did, why did riot Mr Gaskill
inform me what he did get? Instead of
doiog so, he has kept me entirely in igno
rance. So far as tny knowledge went I
never knew he had received one cent above
the $7,000 he paid tne on the 9th of Jar
uary last. My understanding was that I
was compromising a claim against the State
with Mr. Gaskill as agent of the State, and
not with Mr. Gaskill as an individual or as
my attorney. How could I compromise a
claim with my own attorney ? He made
made no charge on me for services, tinrhad
he any promise of any. I did say to him
it the State was disposed to pay him any
thing I thought they could well afford to
do so, as the claim was settled at a very
low rate, viz : 7,000.
M. G. DOBBINS.
The above statement of Col. Dobbins is
correct in its leading features.
I was the counsel of Col. Dobbins. I
never recognized Col Gaskill as counsel of
my client. Ou the contrary I negotiated
with him as counsel for the State Road,
and when we agreed to the settlement ou
basis of Col. Dobbins’, and his counsel re
ceiving some thousand dollars, and Colonel
Gaskill said he must have eouosel fees, tny
reply was, “ I have no objection to that."
Gaskill having said in the communication
that when he went into Col. Blodgett’s of
fice he reserved the right to practice his
profession in addition to the salary he was
receiving as Seoretary of the Superintend
ent, A B Culberson.