The Weekly Floridian

Jacksonville Correspondence.

Jenkins and Knight Patch up a Truce between Busy Bee and Simon—"Antidote" Influence over Simon, Stickney and Dennis—Spending the Night at an Innocent Game of Keno—Boisterous Conduct and the Police Threatened—The $100,000 Steal of ("Slippery Bill") W. H. Gleason and others—Full Exposure in "Savannah News" a Year Since—Not Brought to Justice, and the Reason Why Asked of Republicans—The Kind of Men who are Running the Carpet-bag Machine—Will Honest Men Follow such Leaders? &c., &c.

JACKSONVILLE, September 5, 1880.

Peace and quietness once more reign in our city. The disgruntled crowd of Republican leaders have scattered for a time, but are expected to meet here again very soon. Jenkins and Knight have patched up a truce between the valiant candidates. I regret, however, to say that Simon put his foot into it very bad before leaving Jacksonville. He got off his famous Cuban (written) speech at the meeting on Wednesday night, which he expected to drag in all our Cuban friends here and at Key West to the support of the Republican ticket. It was an abortion, fell still-born, but he felt so good over his effort that he (Simon, Dennis and Stickney) partook too largely of "antidote," and about midnight were in a condition for a regular bender, and they had it. In the course of their carousals they entered one of our keno shops and spent the balance of the night there enjoying the "little game," acting in such a boisterous manner as to disgust the inmates of the place, and came near causing the proprietor to call in the services of the city police to eject them. Simon, in particular, was very noisy and unruly, and was perhaps the most offensive and boisterous. Parties present who witnessed the conduct say it was beyond anything they had ever seen in a place of that kind and endured.

Now kind and gentle readers, would you have thought for a moment that any man aspiring to the high position of Governor of the State of Florida would stoop so low, so demean himself, first, to get in a condition that of itself should disqualify him from receiving the support of all moral citizens at the coming election, but in addition to that deliberately walk into a public gambling house, sit down at a table and take a hand in the game and keep it up until near daylight the next morning? Can it be possible that any good citizens will cast their vote for such a man to rule over this State for the next four years? Is it a man of this character we are willing to intrust the affairs of State with? I think not! What surprises me is that Simon B. Conover should be so weak as to commit so great a folly, particularly at this time when asking the suffrages of the people of whom he should have the good sense to know that ninety nine out of every one hundred men of character in the State would condemn and will not support by their ballots.

And will it not surprise all to know that a United States District Attorney, who is only removed but one as next to the judge in the suppression of crime and the conviction of men engaged in crime, would knowingly, wilfully and deliberately walk into a gambling house, sit down at a table and take part in a game which he knows is carried on contrary to and in defiance of law, and in a surreptitious manner to evade the eyes of the officers of the law to prevent prosecution under the very law that he, by his oath, is bound to protect. Will our country readers believe this condition of things in the candidate for Governor and in a United States District Attorney holding an office under the Federal government? I know they will doubt the fact, but it is capable of abundant proof, if necessary, by those who were in the gambling room when the party entered and were witnesses to all that took place during the whole night, even up to the time of their departure in the small hours of the following day.

We will only speak of two of the three, as the other party is so much at home in such places his presence is not to be wondered at, and as reputation with him rests lightly on his shoulders, would be proof against exposure.

Some folks will be very much surprised when the vote is counted on the Republican ticket in this State. I have every reason to know there is a little underground work going on—manipulating—by parties on the Republican side. The cream of the joke is that it is among themselves, and so long as "dog is willing to eat dog," let them do so. One thing is certain, while engaged in the family fight they are not cheating the Democracy, and we like the woman in the "fight between her husband and the bear," look on with perfect indifference. I hear considerable talk around town in regard to the revival of the old society known as the "Sons of Malta" by Simon on his recent visit here, and that at a preliminary meeting the night before Simon's "Cuba address," a few parties effected an organization by the election of officers and that a lodge is to be started here and also one in "Key West" in order to rope in the Cubans. Leib is an old member of this order and I will put him on the track, and if it proves true I will give your readers some rich and rare fun. I will have him attend the meetings and give a full report of their proceedings. Simon is said to be G. R. J. A. of the institution. I don't know what that means, but of course one of the head devils of the secret society. Leib will tell me. Now let us resurrect a little—let us go back a year or so and show our Northern friends who have recently settled in our State the kind of men they will be supporting if they cast their ballots for Bisbee and Conover or any one on the State ticket on the Republican side.

In the land office at Washington should be found a document of 41 pages that fastens upon one W. H. Gleason (commonly known as Slippery Bill) and his partners fraud in land warrants to the amount of over $100,000 dollars, and yet all of the forgers are at large and the hand of justice has not been raised by the Republican administration to bring these rascals to an account before our courts. About a year since a letter in the Savannah News gave a partial detail of the whole transaction, giving the names of the principals in the crime and I now ask how so great and serious a crime could be smothered and the principals go free, unless it be by the connivance and consent of the officials of the Republican administration in Washington. I have not space in this letter to go into full particulars but will do so at some future time if necessary. Mr. W. H. Gleason (or Slippery Bill) was here in this State before and at the time of the Republican convention—took an active part in the nomination of both Bisbee and Conover, and if I am not mistaken a delegate from Dade county, a spot I am informed he has not seen for over a year and dare not go there if he desired. Yet men of this character are the men who are running the politics of this State—controlling conventions and leading the masses. I want all new comers to our State to know the character of their leaders and if knowing them are willing to follow (not blindly, for their eyes are opened to their character) men who, if they had their just dues, would be peeping through the grates of a State prison.

I must do J. C. Gibbs, (since deceased) the colored man who was Secretary of State at the time of this fraud, the justice to say the evidence does not positively implicate him and no participation in the moneys received for these fraudulent land warrants was traced to him. These warrants were sold in St. Louis, Mo., and we would like any Republican paper in the State to deny the truth of these charges, and, if possible, explain them away during this campaign. Why has W. H. Gleason and his pals been suffered to go unwhipped of justice after robbing the United States of thousands, while a poor negro who may take a chicken to keep from starving is convicted of stealing and graces the chain gang adorned with manacles, while a big thief is permitted to "adorn" Republican convention and assist in the nomination of a candidate for honest people to support? Is it not time to speak out plainly and give our new immigrants facts in regard to the Bisbee and Conover party in this State, and let them know the true character of the man they are following? "A man is known by the company he keeps."