MANESS & ARMFIELD
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
CONCORD, N.C.

July 9, 1919.

Mr. T. W. Bickett,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Bickett:

Yours of the 8th inst. received. I think I have thoroughly sifted the allegations made in letter sent me. The facts are as follows. Ritchie went to a district or state organizer of the Moose Order by the name of Adcock. I presume he led Adcock to believe that he was a Moose. Anyhow Adcock gave him a ritual and credentials to organize a lodge in Cabarrus County. Ritchie did so and made about One Thousand dollars out of it. As a matter of fact, for so Ritchie told me himself, Ritchie was not a member of the Order. He obtained three or four hundred members here, promising a magnificent local home, stating that the money was ready as soon as a site could be selected. Also promised a railway connection with the Norfolk Southern and street car line from Kannapolis to Concord. He was discharged or deprived of his credentials as an organizer by the head camp. He was not formally expelled by the local order but did not pay his dues and automatically thereby lost his membership. He, without authority, subscribed Three Hundred Dollars to the Red Cross for the local order, stating to someone afterwards he would pay it out of his commissions. The subscription was never paid. He obtained from R. F. Litaker, the secretary of the lodge, a check for One Hundred and fifty dollars to pay his expenses to Moose Heart, without the lodge having authorized him to receive or Litaker to issue the check. Litaker, under charge of this and failure to attend and explain further matters connected with his trust, was discharged as secretary. A subsequent charge against Litaker is that he has received Eighteen Dollars since his discharge and failed to turn it over. I do not know what representation Ritchie made, if made, as to his "Richmond County Land." He looked at the tract of land I am interested in in Richmond County and I gave him personally a verbal option on it for thirty days, which expired on the 23rd of June. He had plat of the land from me. He of course paid nothing for the verbal option. He has at Concord represented both publicly and privately a number of time that he was a government agent but was vague in his statement as to his power and refused to show any credentials. As to Litaker I advise you that a thoroughly reliable attorney of this Bar says that there is no doubt that he could be convicted of embezzlement of about Sixteen Hundred Dollars from Ritchie Hardware Company. I have heard but do not know with what justification that similar charges have been made by Kannapolis employers for whom he worked. I advise you that all Cabarrus County irrespective of politics approved your denunciation of Ritchie, and I saw an editorial in the Labor Leader, published in Winston, strongly approving the article. I know that you have wonderful resources as to language but feel that there are no words in Websters Dictionary at least too strong to use about him.

Command me if I can be of further service.

Very truly yours,

Frank Armfield

Ritchie tried to vote here, last election, but upon challenge was not allowed to because of failure to pay his poll tax. He made no return of taxes and could be successfully prosecuted for this