Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1904 — WHO HAS LIED? [ARTICLE]

WHO HAS LIED?

You may pick an old, dirty., greasy, filthy rag from the gutter, where it has laid and been kicked about and spat upon by every passer-by for a long time, and attach it to the tail of a kite, and if the kite is big enough the rag will soar to the breezes. The republican majority in Jasper county is about 600. Comment is unnecessary. The result of the county election is again to be deplored by all good, moral citizens. While many republicans voted with us in an earnest desire to bring about a better state of affairs, for which the democrats of Jasper county feel gratified, yet there were not enough, and it seems nothing short of an earthquake will suffice to open the eyes of some taxpayers. Well, the man who boasts that he never scratches a local ticket has uo right to complain about high taxes nor anything else that is caused by his own narrowness. —< Considering the great republican gains made in every county in Indiana, the democratic chairman and workers here did exceedingly well in holding the plurality down as well as they did. Two years ago there were 1310 democratic votes cast in Jasper county for the head of the ticket, and 1018 republican votes, and the republican plurality was 608. This year there were 1341 democratic votes cast and 2136 republican votes, a gain of 31 democrats and 218 republicans, a net republican gain of 187. Their plurality is this year 705. James H. Chapman, trustee of the McCoy bank matters stooped to use his position as such trustee for political purposes and to place The Democrat man before the public ns a falsifier, and made affidavit that some $15,000 was all the indebtedness of S. R. Nichols to the McCoys that had come to his notice, and that $12,740.56 of this is secured by mortgage. He neglected to add that he really did list notes and overdrafts of Nichols’ for over $28,000 in his reports, and that they were each and all appraised as of no value by the appraisers, or that the “mortgage” is the eighth one covering the land of Nichols, all in force and effect so far as disclosed by the records in the recorder's office. If one tells you that certain notes are secured by mortgage, you infer, as you have a right to, that they are first mortgage notes, and not No. Bon the list of mortgages. It would seem that Mr. Chapman had used his position to deceive and mislead not only the people of the couuty but the bank creditors as well. Mr. Chapman is a money-loaner and sometimes shaves notes,it is said. Perhaps he would be willing to pay full face for the notes he says are “secured by mortgage.”

Liars can make charges and irresponsible judgment-proof nincompoops can make libellous and false affidavits, but that doesn’t change facts or alter public records. The lying statements of the Rensselaer Republican of Saturday, re-inforced by “affidavits’ of one “Doc” Nichols, the alleged treasurer of Jasper county, and one James H. Chapman regarding a little three-line item in The Democrat stating the report of said Chapman as assignee of the McCoy bank, filed in the circuit

court here showed notes of Nichols’ to the McCoys amounting to over $28,000 (with over drafts) was false, scandalous and many other bad things, and that in publishing same we had falsified the records, etc., was of a matter that could easily be proven or disproven by an examination of said records. Practically the same statement was published in these colums when the report or schedule of noteswas filed by said assignee; it made again last June,when was the appraisers filed their report on the value of said notes and overdrafts, holding them to be without one penny’s value, and in saying that they were of value and that no one, either Jasper couuty or the bank creditors would lose a dollar through any sums owed by Nichols, the Republican man in effect charged the appraisers with perjury in taking an oath to appraise all the McCoy property at its true cash value, for this was appraised as of no value whatever. These notes were listed by Chapman, as stated by The Democrat; were appraised by appraisers D. H. Yeoman and R. B. Harris, and every statement concerning them was substantially as published in this paper.

Our former statements concerning them was never disputed, and if untrue it could easily have been refuted months ago. The fact is that nothing is ever too filthy and rotten in his party fdr Marshall to swallow, and the word truth is not found in his lexicon. Chapman says, through Marshall, that most of these notes were paid by giving others in renewal, but they were not canceled by the bank nor taken up by Nichols. Perhaps. The Democrat did not say Nichols owed the McCoys the sums represented by the notes and overdrafts, it simply stated that the report showed the notes and overdrafts of Nichols for that sum. We repeat the statement and stand ready to prove it by the report itself. But what do you think of the ability of a trustee who hunts out notes, representing thousands of dollars, files them with his schedule of assets and has the appraisers appraise them? We will now make the statement a little broader, and say, regarding the records in the recorder’s office which Nichols says bears out his affidavit and were falsified by us: As a matter of fact the records in the recorder’s office shows that there are eight mortgages on Nichols’ land, amounting in the aggregate to $35,697.02, and there is not one shown to be paid nor has one of them been released. Mortgage Record 38, at page 301, shows mortgage to A. McCoy <fc Co’s,, bank’ two notes dated Sept. 6, $6,374.28 each. This entry is made in the McCoy gage"lt is agreed and understood that this mortgage shall be junior to said mortgages dated Sept. 5, 1901, executed bv this mortgagor, amounting in the aggregate to $10,200, four of said mortgages amounting to $7,200 and payable to Warren S. Goodell, one mortgage for sl,* 200 payable to Mattie L. Getty and one mortgage for SI,BOO payable to Ruth Hastings.” The Goodell et al mortgages are recorded in Mortgage Record 39, commencing at page 273 and ending on page 293. They are dated Sept. 5, 1901, and were recorded Sept. 7, 1901. The McCoy mortgage is dated Sept. 6, 1901, and was recorded Sept. 9, 1901. Record 44, Page 161, mortgage executed Jan. 25, 1904, to A. McCoy & Co’s bank on two notes I of $6,374.28 each, and assigned on j Page 163, same record by A Mc- | Coy & Co. by Thomas J. McCoy on same date, to E. L. Hollingsworth. NOT A WORD IS SAID SO FAR AS WE | COULD FIND ABOUT THE LATTER MORTGAGE BEING A RENEWAL OF THE FORMER M’COY MORTGAGE.