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I ' [ i ' f
tCfjc Cfjeram CJjronitk
"Tls Not in Mortals to Command Success, bulwe'll do More. Sempronloua, We'll Deserve It" ^
FOL 12. CHERAW, CHESTERFIELD C0UITY. S. 0.. MARCH 26. 1908. . SO 21
PRISON FOR WHISKEY DISTIL
LER.
A. K. Atkinson sentenced to Federal
Penitentiary in Atlanta.
Savannah, Ga., March 21.?A.
K. Atinson, a whiskey distiller
of this city, who came here from
North Carolina, was convicted in
the United States court today for
defrauding the government by
failing to pay the tax upon all his
product. The jury . had spent
two days on the case, having
many intricate points to d< cide.
When the court pronounced sentence
of a year and a day in the
/ federal penitentiary at Atlanta,
h e said that many offenses
against the revenue laws in Georgia
had been freed upon the
promise that they would never
trangress agaij^ but that Atkinson's
case was different because
of his standing and his intelligence
and because he should
have known better.
No Alternative Given by Judge
Emory Speer.
A. K. Atkinson', who was
convicted in the United States
court at Savannah Saturday of
/ -defrauding the government by
o V' ?
failing to pay tbe revenue tax
on all tbe liquor be distilled, is
a forme South Carolinian, hav
log been a resident .ofjpJlAfiML
for a number of years. Tbe
government officials say that Atkinson
has spent his life in the
whiskey business, having sue
cessively operated a barroom, a
blind tiger, an "original package
shop," and a blind tiger at
Cheraw; a barroom at Hamlet,
N. C., afier being driven out of
Cheraw through the alertness of
the dispeusary constables; a
barroom at Savannah, after
Hamlet was voted dry, and then
a distillery near Savannah. He
I ? lxrt nrtlinto t) num.
HH8 ueeu IU IUC uuuno ? number
of times and his proteges at
Cheraw were fined often and
heavily by the courts for violation
of the dispensary law.
Atkinson was also a noted
gambler and there was usually
a stiff poker game on hand
whenever he was around. He
was a great lover of horses and
frequently won large purses at
the State and county fairs in
South and North Carolina. He
is said to be a handsome man I
and a man of more than ordi
I
nary intelligence. He is mar*
ried and is a man of family. Although
he was 'investigated'' by
the dispensary constables on
frequent occasions and there
was never a lack ot proof as to
the nature of business he was
conducting at Cheraw, he always
managed to escape a jail
sentence and whatever fine was
imposed he was able to^ay.
The town officials of Chersw,
working in constables, finally
made it so warm for Atkinson
that he moved away.
Judge Emory Speer refused
to listen to the earnest appeals
of Atkinson's counsel, who
pleaded with him to sentence
their client to pay any (ine
which he might choose to im
pose but not 10 give him a penitentiary
sentence.
Atkinson was convicted on
one count and Judge Speer sentenced
him to serve a year and
one day in the penitentiary at
Atlanta and to pay a fine of
$100. He was taken in charge
by the marshal after eentence
was imposed, and, unless he is
needed as a witness in the case
against the government Storekeeper-Gauger
Jones, will be
taken to prison within a few
days.
Counsel for Atkinson made
an earnest plea for clemency.
First, Col. 0. M. Bernard of
North Carolina, who was associated
in the case, spoke. He re*
J j - ?:
larrcu iu mo puruuci o agcu
parents, a 68-year-old father
aod a 65,year old mother, and a
wife and two little children. His
father, counsel said, is a wounded
ex-Confederate soldier, and
he and others mentioned are
dependent upon the prisoner
for their support.
Money Was Lost in Distillery.
Mr. Bernard asserted that
Atkinson informed him that he
lost instead of made on his
t nterprise near 8avannah. He
BANK OF
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Paying Z
Interest?compo
pleaded to the judge to be as
lenient as rossible, to impose a
tine and let the property which
the governm nt seized cover
that, and then suspend the m l
nriHOTiment sentence so as to
save Atkinson from the stigma
of being a convict. Uounsel asked
the court to do this and allow
the prisoner to return to his
home and take care of his old
father aud mother and the
children.
Fred T. Saussy, Esq., also of
counsel for the defendant, spoke
a few words in behalf of his
client. He contended that the
evidence didn't show an aggravated
violation of the law. He
said the uncontradicted evidence
showed that Atkinson ran
the distillery from October,
1905, to February, 1907, and
yet the government charged
irregularities only between Octo
ber, 1900, and February, 191)7.
Mr. Saussy said the prisoner
practically lost everything he
iiad while he was engaged in
the business.
Pity of the Court.
"I confess to a very* earnest
and sincere pity for you, Mr.
Atkinson/' said the judge.
"While I am Convinced that
you have steadily and persistent
ly violated the lawjl have never
teen a man whofeore himself
more worthily dujing his trial,
and I am convinjed that you
have much exceijBace in your
character
"I wish it wey'a possibhs for
ine to impose a sentence upon
you which would,be very mild
in its penalties iD the suf
fering you would experience
therefrom. That, indeed has always
been my purpose. There
are huhdrens of man now, who
have been engaged in the viola
tion of this same .statute in another
lorm, whojtre at large on
parole in my dittrict, under
suspension of sentence, working
on their farms and making good
husbands, good fathers, and
good citizens, 'in fact, the
practice of illioit distillation,
which was so common at one
time, has almost entirely ceased
in this district,Mind I believe
that it is through'the result oi
i..'- ?
CHERAW
Bankers AssociaMctt1', '
sra Association ,' w '
** *
ist, Strongest
srfield County.
-third of fk|i million
ness and off jr every
ling it to youri advanti
\
ilar attention to our
APARTMENT
i
|. per cent. ;
unded quarterly.
1
I
the clement methods which ;be
court has felt at liberty tc
adopt.
A Government Distiller.
"Your case, however, is dif
ferent. You are a man ot fine
intelligence; you were a govern
ment distiller. You were carefully
instructed in every form
and method of carrying on the
1 business. You were sworn to
the performance of many ol
your duties. You are a skillful
distiller, and it must be true
that the operations of your still
have deprived the public treasury
of several thousand doll ire
?how much I do i.ot know.
"After a fair trial, in wh.ch
your counsel exerted every possible
expedient of law in your
, behalf, you have been convicted,
and I think fairly
prmvipf-ed "?('ninmhifl. Stflt?
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