CHAPTER XII.

The Meeting of the Legislature of 1872. Extracts from the Governor's Message. Corruptionists Hunting up and Investigating Charges of Corruption. The Blue Scrip Transaction. Colored Members Denouncing Corruption. Impeachment of Governor Reed. The First Articles of Impeachment. The Senate Takes Order, and Day Assumes the Office of Governor. The Assembly Withdraws Articles Fifth and Sixth and Presents Others. The Assembly Asking for Further Time to Prosecute the Impeachment. The High Court of Impeachment Refuses to Grant Further Time, and Adjourns. The Contri

tion of the Conspirators.

The Legislature met on the second day of January, 1872, and the Assembly, after electing its officers, informed the Senate of its organization, and the Senate sent the same information to the Assembly. Hamilton Jay, who was then clerk for S. B. Conover, State Treasurer, was elected chief clerk of the Assembly. Mr. Jay was a fresh carpet-bagger from the North, who had not tasted to any great extent the pap of the State, and he had not been in the State long enough to register. The leading carpet-baggers from all parts of the State were on hand in full force, and it was evident that something important regarding the interests of the ring was to be accomplished.

F. A. Dockray, who, from the first, had been Osborn's most active agent in all the efforts to override or remove Governor Reed, and who had been rewarded with the appointment of collector of the port of Jacksonville, came fresh from Washington and made demand for the appointment of Attorney-General, then temporarily held by J. B. C. Drew, a non-resident carpetbagger, from Wisconsin. Drew demanded that his nomination for the position should be sent to the Senate. Dennis demanded the removal of all the county officers of Alachua and the appointment of W. K. Cessna as County Judge, with other corruptionists for the balance. W. J. Purman demanded the removal of all the county officers of Jackson county and the

appointment of non-residents. All these demands were made upon the Governor under threat of impeachment if not complied with; and when Dennis repeated his demand and presented his alternative, the Governor is reported to so far have forgotten his church fealty as to reply: "Impeach and be d-d. I ask no favors of you or any of Osborn's corrupt crowd." These four combined immediately planned the suspension of Governor Reed, the installation of Lieutenant-Governor Day, the issue of two millions more of railroad bonds to Littlefield, one quarter of which was to be divided among members of the Legislature and the remainder distributed among the conspirators. Dockray and Drew furnished the evidence for the committee sitting in secret, made the report, based upon unsworn and unfounded testimony. Cessna, the tool of Dennis, from Alachua county, was the willing instrument to introduce the resolution, and Stearns, the Surveyor. General and Speaker; Jenkins, the clerk of the House and afterwards defaulting Collector of Internal Revenue; Purman, the United States Assessor of Internal Revenue; Wentworth, United States Marshal, then a defaulter for money used in the previous attempt to depose the Governor, holding seats and having control of the Senate under Osborn, were relied upon after suspending the Governor, to present a trial or even an examination of the testimony.

When the plan was all ready for execution the committee met, received the testimony and report prepared by Dockray and adopted them. Stearns called together all the more ignorant and prejudiced of the colored Assemblymen, pledging them to vote the next morning for a resolution of impeachment, assuring them that it would be proved that the Governor had appropriated the public funds, etc. Gillist, a Southern loyalist, from Putnam county, holding from Governor Reed the appointment of County Judge, was secured by promise of the position of Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; Dukes, Democratic Assemblyman, from Columbia, was enlisted by the promise of a large share of the new bonds, of which, as chairman of the Railroad Committee, he had recommended the issue.

At nine o'clock at night twenty-four Republican Assemblymen were sworn by Stearns to vote for a resolution of impeachment, to be reported at the opening of the session next morning.

This done, ex-Governor Walker was waited upon by Stearns with a proposition that if he could furnish seventeen Democratic members to vote for a resolution of impeachment, the Governor would be suspended the next day. Governor Walker immedi

ately secured a caucus of the Democrats, and induced them to rescind a resolution already adopted, pledging that they would abstain from further attempts to embarrass the Governor, and agree to vote for a resolution of impeachment the next morning. The first advice the Governor had of the consummation was from a Democratic member from Orange County who went to the executive office at nine o'clock and informed him that at eleven o'clock the night before he had been called from his bed to meet Governor Walker in caucus, and that he had induced the majority to "go back" on their previous action and vote a resolution of impeachment, and while he was thus engaged, he was summoned by the Sergeant-at-Arms under a call of the House to vote on a question of impeachment. Being thus advised that he would be immediately suspended, with no chance for investigation or trial, the Governor immediately asked friendly Senators an adjournment of the Senate until Monday, that being Friday, which was accorded, and the Governor immediately prepared to vacate the Executive office and return to his farm at Jacksonville to await results. The first signal of war against the administration was the following resolution, offered by one of the leading members of the ring from Alachua County, W. K. Cessna :

WHEREAS, There are many and grave charges afloat as to the mal-appropriation of the proceeds of the bonds issued by the State to aid in the construction of the J., P. & M. Railroad, and that the charter creating the company in charge of said road has not been complied with, either in spirit or letter; and that gross frauds have been committed upon the State; therefore,

Resolved, first, That a committee of five be appointed by the Speaker, whose duty it shall be to thoroughly and vigorously investigate the acts and doings of the J., P. & M. Railroad Company, and also that of the State officials in connection therewith, in every particular where the State is a party in interest, with a view to a speedy and vigorous prosecution of all offenders.

Resolved, second, That the said committee shall, with their report, recommend such measures for the action of the Legislature as will correct existing evils, and prevent loss to the State, and guard, as far as may be, against similar rascalites in the future.

Resolved, third, That the said committee shall have power to send for persons and papers, to employ assistance, and to do in the premises whatever else may be found necessary to a complete and successful elucidation and exhibition of the case, reporting daily all expenses incurred to this Assembly.

Resolved fourth, That the said committee shall report their progress weekly.

These resolutions were subsequently referred to a committee appointed at the last regular session to investigate the acts and doings of the said company.

The two Houses met in joint session on the second day of the session to receive the Governor's annual message. The Governor came forward at the appointed time and delivered his message, which was pronounced by all to be very able and interesting. He said:

GENTLEMEN of the Legislature:

For the last time during my official term have I the honor to meet you in session, to deliver my annual address as Chief Executive of the State; and while, since you last assembled, the State has passed a season of severe trial by flood and storm, yet, on the whole, it has kept a steady pace onward in population and in civil, political and industrial development.

Among the reconstructed States of the South none started upon a more truly conservative basis than Florida, and none have progressed more successfully in the scale of social, political and industrial improvement.

Florida, upon the whole, may be said to have been distinguished among the Southern States for general peace and quiet and obedience to law, notwithstanding reports to the contrary which have prevailed, much to the detriment of the State.

Still disturbances, breaches of the peace, infractions of the law, and scenes of fatal and disgraceful violence have occurred in many localities within our borders. This I have attempted to correct by the exercise of all the power vested in me by the Constitution, and by the use of all the means bestowed for that purpose by the Legislature. But at times all efforts have failed, and all the means at my command have seemed to be ineffective.

It is true that these same localities, being, to all intents, border sections, have from time immemorial been the resorts of lawless and reckless men, and in some of them, as in earlier periods of the existence of the Western and Southwestern