From The News-Leader, Springfield, Washington County, Kentucky
April 9, 1896

ODDS AND END OF GOSSIP

IN TROUBLE -- Young Mr. E. T. Franks, who is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress down in the Second district, has got into trouble. A woman is camping on his trail, and she is a young and pretty woman, too. She is no other than Miss Cecilia M. Gilliland, the chief owner and manager of the Owensboro Tribune, the chief Republican paper in the Second district. Miss Gilliland has a red-hot card in her paper directed at Franks.  Says Miss Gilliland: “Since the very day that I obtained a majority of the stock of the Owensboro Tribune and become its manager there has been an insidious effort made to impair its influence, and by hint, innuendo and insinuation the impression was sought to be created that the influence of the paper was being gradually turned to the interest of Mr. Sebree and used to the prejudice of Mr. Franks, yet up to the present writing not a word has been altered to the disparagment of the latter. I have lately been able to trace these (to me) dangerous rumors to Mr. Franks himself, and this impression he has certainly set to work in Hancock county, as well as Daviess. Of course [missing word] has not been caculated to increase the obligation of The Tribune to him, and he may yet find that if he can stab this paper it can also stab him.
   She says some other things, too, all of which are doubtless soothing to young Mr. Franks.