The Brookhaven leader. [volume], November 07, 1887, BROOKHAVEN LEADER EXTRA, Image 2

About The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891

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BR0OK.RAYEN LEADER EXTRA.
^toohhavcn grader.
IS if it. 'f. Hobbs.
MONDAY, November 7, 1887.
Jim lliil on Col. <101111 liolls
Denson—Colored Mon, Uend.
A gentleman met Hon. Janies Hill,
tlie noted eoloredUepublicnu politician,
in Jackson a few days ago, and dur
ing a conversation, among other
things the campaign in Lincoln came
up and the Leauek’s article giving
Col. John liotts Denson's political
history was mentioned. In reply to
the enquiry as to who the colored
people should vote for in Tuesday’s
election, Hill answered substantially
as follows:
“ 1 cannot undertake to say who
should receive the support of the col
ored Republicans of Lincoln cuuty,
but I do say most positively that no
Republican ought to vote for Deason
for these reasons:
"1. He deserted the grand old lie.
publican party and went to the Dem
ocrats and helped to defeat our party
when, if In* hadn't played traitor, our
ticket would have been elected. Dea
son will do or say anything for office.
“2. When I was the nominee of the
Republican party for Congress Dea
son, though claiming to l»e a Republi
can and my friend, did everything in
his power to defeat me, just liecause
he wanted the nomination himself and
didn't get it. He has no use for a col
ored man except to help him get office.
He makes all kinds of fair promises,
but never keeps them. The truth is,
he doesn’t care how he gets votes, so
he gets them. Hundreds of colored
men in Lincoln county, likely, have
been imposed on by him with tail*
promises he never intended to keep.
Deason played me another mean trick
besides going back on me as the Re
publican nominee. When Henry
Blackman became a defaulter and was
turned out of the Brookhaven post
office, Deason and myself and several
others were on his bond. We got
Deason into the office to manage it as
Blackman’s successor and he held on
to it for several years and enjoyed its
benefits and myself and the other
parties on the bond with him had to
make good Blackman’s default with
out his assistance.
“3. Deason does all he can to break
down the Republican party till he
wants our vote, then claims to be a
good Republican. Last year he was
editor of the Brookhavdn Radiator, a
red-hot Democratic paper, and hit the
Republican party some of the hardest
licks he could. He is an enemy to
our party and the colored people. Re
spect for themselves demands that
colored voters of Lincoln county vote
against Deason. If there is no good
Republican in the race, the colored
men should give their vote to some
good Republican who is not running.
This will rebuke Denson for his re
peated treachery and show that the
colored men are true to principle.”
“ Are you in favor of hiring out the
convicts on railroads and farms?” was
next asked, to which Hill replied .
“ 1 am not. 1 would not be a friend
to the laboring man it I w ere not op
posed to the leasing system. When
convicts are hired out to build rail
roads and work on farms at 25 cents a
day. it runs down the wages of free
laboring men, convicts being required
to do work at 25 cents a day that oth
erwise honest men would get to do at
$1 and $1.5(1 per day. That is anoth
er thing against Denson, as 1 learn he
is in favor of hiring out tin- convicts.
If he was a friend to laboring men.
and colored men especially, he wonld
be opposed to the leasing system.
Colored convicts are taken out on
railroads and farms all kinds of weath
er and in many eases beaten to death.
In other cases their fingers and toes
are frozen off and their backs literally
cut to pieces with bullwhips.”
That Yazoo Defalcation.
We understand that Col. John Botts
Denson is very busy telliug it around
among those he can get to believe
him, that the statement of the I.i:ai>
ek that he was a defaulter iu Yazoo
county is a mere newspaper story,
trumpted up to injure him because he
is the most popular candidate for Rep
resentative, and that there is not a
grain of truth in it. Now, just to
show that it is true and thu tno such
i
man should not be permitted to rep
resent an honest and honorable peo
ple iu the legislative halls of the
State, we submit the following corres
pondence :
Yazoo CitivMiss., Oct. 6, 1887.
Fuiknd Hobbs :-^I have hail con
siderable trouble getting the infornm
tion yon want concerning Col. Den
son. His bond is not recorded, or
rather, the record is lost. 1 finally
stumbled up on a suit against John 15.
Denson and his sureties—Martin Stub
blefield, John Hart and Reuben Bull,
brought by Geo. B. Wilkewm, Judge,
for the use of Peter B. Cook, Treasu
rer Yazoo county. Judgment was
i rendered against the sureties on the
: 6th dav of June, 1X55, for the sum of
$1,158.99.
1 do not know why you wish the iu
I formation, but 1 do uot wink to be
known an haring furnuthed it, because
Col. Denson and myself have always
I been good friends, and but for tny
friendship being stronger for you than
for him, I would uot have furnished
it at all. If you want a certified copy
of the judgment you could get same
by writing to R. C. Pickett, Circuit
Clerk. Your friend,
The name of this correspondent,
who is one of the first men of Yazoo
City, is not given out of respect to
the request in his letter. Wishing to
obtain still further infonuation on
tin* stibji < t before \re made any refer
enee to it in print, and not knowing
the address of any of the bondsmen,
we made enquiry of Mr. Simon Stub
blefield, a well known and prominent
citizen of Deasonville, and a brother
of one of the bondsmen, and we give
his reply below :
De.vsonvili.k, Yazoo Co., Miss., >
October 20, 1887. ^
Mr. B. T. Hobbs, Brookhurtn, Miss. ;
Dear Sin—Your letter of enquiry
concerning Col. J. H. Deason was re
ceived last Saturday and answer de
layed until 1 could get the necessary
information wanted. Col. Deasou was
1 Treasurer of Yuzoo county (my bro
ther thinks) from 1850 to 1852, though
[ is is not positive as to the year or the
< amount lie defaulted for, but knows
that he was badly behind, My broth
! e.i, Martin Stubblefield, was one of
| Col. Denson's sureties, and feels the
effect of it yet. Yours truly,
S. 1’. STL'KBLFIKI.D.
It is needless to speak again of
' Denson's political treachery, which is
known to almost every man, woman
ami child in the county. No solf
I respecting Democrat or Republican
i can vote for him.
Have the people of Lincoln county
| forgotten the spirit of’75, that they
j will tolerate the pretensions of one
who in those dark days of carpet-bag
1 misrule and oppression was numbered
'among our oppressors and mocked at
our eomplaiuiugs, n ml whose every pol
itieal act since lias been steeped in
treachery ? Men of Lincoln, let us
■ rally once more around the Democrat
1 ic standard, rebuke the traitor and
! carry the banner to victory.
| We are going to mail a copy of this
Extra to every member of the next
Legislature. If Denson should by
j any manner of means blarney and tle
! reive enough Lincoln county voters
to get elected, won’t the law-makers
form u high opinion of the iutelli
: geuce and moral and political worth
of the people of Lincoln county ?
The Maguolia Gazette says Pike
county’s independent candidate for
Representative may cause bloodshed
at the polls to-morrow. The Demo
crats of that county have, resolved to
carry the day at all hazards.
The Lrader couldn’t resist the
temptatation of greeting the public
once more before the election and as
sist in hastening up the independents’
funeral obsequies.
Sessions is gaining ground ever,'
hour. Close up the ranks.