- Transcription
J. E. S. THORPE
GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT
Badin, N.C. Jan. 7th 1920
His Excellency T. W. Bickett,
Governor of North Carolina,
Raleigh, N.C.
My dear Governor Bickett:
I wish to thank you for your letter of the 6th inst. and note that you have received a letter from McAndrews enclosing one which he claims was sent to him by some one in Badin.
I hasten to assure you that the whole affair is entirely without foundation as McAndrews well knows. While he was employed here he took occasion to report several incidents to me and I endeavored to run each individual one down but invariably found them to be without foundation.
I do know that McAndrews made a number of enemies among his own race here, which unfortunately offset what good work he did. He is a capable fellow but possessed of a superlative amount of egotism, which I repeatedly warned him would invariably get him into trouble.
If he sent you the original letter he received from Badin I will appreciate it very much if you will have your stenographer send me same so that I may run the handwriting down, or in the event he did not send you the letter I will appreciate it if you will have your stenographer send McAndrews word to send me the original with the same idea in view.
In the past however I have found McAndrews to be a person who insists on getting into the limelight and no doubt he has written you with some such purpose in view. He certainly knows perfectly well that he can come in and out of this town and be as safe as he would in any other town, and he knows equally well that if he did receive the communication he alleges to have received from Badin that it carried no weight. At this juncture I might say that McAndrews is not a negro to be trusted with much responsibility or given much leeway as he has extremely radical ideas on some subjects, particularly the one of social equality for the races, and his advocacy of this and similar radical ideas was what prompted me to let him go.
However, in deference to your request I have issued instructions to our Chief of Police Early to afford McAndrews every protection if and when he comes to the negro village, and can assure you personally that full protection will be accorded him and that he need have no fear in visiting Badin.
With hearty greetings for a happy New Year to yourself and Mrs. Bickett from Mrs. Thorpe and myself, I beg to remain
Very sincerely yours,
J. E. S. Thorpe
GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT
JEST.HJS
