Part 9, Note 33

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Colorado Citizen, September 19, 1878 (first Johnson quote), September 26, 1878 (first cited Citizen editorial), October 10, 1878 (Middlebrook quote), October 31, 1878 (second Johnson quote and second Citizen editorial), January 30, 1879. In Colorado County, Johnson got 1583, Saunders 964, and Middlebrook 939 votes; across the two-county district Saunders got 2081, Johnson 1927, and Middlebrook 1808 (see Colorado Citizen, November 21, 1878, November 28, 1878). Middlebrook won the Democratic nomination over Daniel Washington Jackson and Rowan Green. Jackson actually won the primary but, having some leanings toward the relatively new Greenback Party, refused to take an oath to support all Democratic candidates and was bypassed for the nomination (see Colorado Citizen, May 24, 1878, September 5, 1878, September 12, 1878, September 26, 1878). Shortly after his defeat, Middlebrook asked the governor for a job with the penitentiary. His request was supported by letters from George M. McCormick and Wells Thompson. He got the job, though not until nearly a year later (see Letter of Ibzan W. Middlebrook, November 18, 1878, Letter of Wells Thompson, November 19, 1878, Letter of George M. McCormick, November 21, 1878, Governor's Papers (RG 301), Oran M. Roberts, Archives and Records Division, Texas State Library, Austin; Colorado Citizen, October 16, 1879).