University of South Carolina Libraries
FARNUM, "BEER KIN Judge Prince Imposes F Action Great Vi Columbia, Jan. 5.?James S. Far-, num, agent in this State for the An- ! heuser-Busch Brewing company and other liquor houses which did business with the late State dispensary, to-day pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the State, and paid a fine of $5,000. . The end of the case was a great surprise and came without previous intimation. This morning Attorney General Lyon appeared in the Richland county court of general sessions * " with Solicitor Cobb, and presented a new indictment against Farnum, charging him with conspiracy with TrwmrkVi R Wvlio frtrmprlv mpmhpr of the State dispensary board, to defraud the State. The grand jury at once retired and Wyiie was examined as a witness. In a short while the grand jury returned with a true bill. Farnum and his attorneys then came into court and other proceedinge were interrupted while the attorney general announced that Farnum desired to plead guilty and * he would accept the plea. Farnum stood up, and Judge Prince asked for the written plea, which Farnum signed. Judge Prince at once imposed sentence, saying that in view of the plea he would be lenient, but not as lenient as Farnum might wish. The judge said- he knew Farnum's i humilation was punishment, though his moral guilt was not so great as that of the officers of the State who had participated in the conspiracy and accepted bribes. He would therefore impose a sentence of $5,000 fine or one year's imprisonment on the chain gang or in the penitentiary. Farnum's attorney produced a certificate of deposit for $5,000, which was accepted as payment and then the judge amended the sentence, so as to eliminate the alternative of imprisonment. Other Cases Dropped. Attorney General Lyon will, in view of Farnum's plea, nol pros the other cases against Farnum, five in all, two for bribery of State dispensary officials and three for conspiracy?all based on similar testimony. At the last term of court Farnum was acquitted on a charge of conspiracy based on practically the same set of facts. A Complete Surprise. The sensational compromise of the cases against Farnum was entirely unexpected until the very moment when he and his attorneys, B. A. Hagood and T. M. Mordecai, of Charleston, and District Attorney Ernest F. ? Cochran, of Anderson, appeared in court with him, and took seats within the bar, while Attorney General Lyon sat near the solicitor, awaiting an opportunity to break in upon the trial of the Medlin murder case. Mr. Farnum was looking the picture of k health. If the trial through which he passed last summer mutely, not going on the stand, and the cases still left against him, worried him at all they . have not caused him to lose an ounce of flesh, apparently. Feels Humilation. When congratulated by a friend ; to-day on having an end of the prose* cution against him he said: "Well, I don't know whether the situation calls for congratulations or not. I don't like to plead guilty even with the privilege of paying a fine. A fellow does not like to have a thing liket hat chalked up against him." T Signing the Plea. ( When the Medlin trial was suspended for the purpose of receiving Fart\1aa tvrollrA/1 nni Df 1V UUUI D pica, raiuuui ttainvu vjuiwi; over to the railing behind which Clerk Walker stood, and at the direction of Attorney Hagood signed a ; statement attached to the indictment, to the effect that "James S. 1 Farnum appears in person and pleads guilty to the within indictment, this 5th day of January, 1910." Passing Sentence. ] * Addressing Farnum, Judge Prince 1 said that while he knew the humilation he had undergone was punishment for him, he still should be pun- 1 ished and punished severely, but he 1 would take into consideration his 1 plea in this case. 1 Judge Prince referred to Farnum's failure to testify at the former trial, saying that his silence indicated his ! determination not to commit per- i jury. "In this instance," said the judge, "you have come up like a man and admitted your guilt. These matters i v appeal to the court; and besides you . are not a State officer; you are a private citizen and did not have the responsibility that rested on these gen- 1 tlemen, who had to discharge duties < devolving upon them by law in the conduct of the State dispensary. These things all appeal to me to be lenient, but not so lenient as your counsel would like me to be; I can not see it just as they would see It, . - - - '1 ^PLEADS GUILTY. ine of $5,000--Farnum,j ictory for Lyon. but I 2m going to take into considera tion your plea. The sentence is tha you be fined $5,000 or be confined a hard labor on the public works o Richland county or in the State peni Lentiarv for a period of one year." 12 * cn iiiriu r auiciiuvu* When the judge had finished Mr Hagood said that the defendant woult immediately pay his fine. "In that case," said Judge Prince "I will amend the sentence before i is entered." Mr. Hagood then turned over a cer tificate of deposit from the People's National bank, of Charleston, for $5, 000. It was dated yesterday. The next step was to submit ai order, which had already been type written, discharging Farnum and his sureties from further liability in th< remaining three cases against Far num. This order sets forth that thes* cases are nol prossed by consert o: the attorney general. The order fol lows: State of South Carolina, County o Richland.?In the Court of Genera Sessions. The State vs. James S. Farnum bribery. The State vs. James S. Farnum, ei al., conspiracy (two cases). The attorney general having statec that it is his intention to nol pros th< remaining indictments pending ii this court against James S. Farnun and also having stated that it is his intention to nol pros, so far as the defendant, James S. Farnum, is con cerned, those cases pending in this court wherein the defendant James S. Farnum is indicted with others foi conspiracy: Now, on motion of B. A. Hagood attorpey for James S. Farnum, it is ordered, That the said James S. Far num and the sureties on the severa recognizances given by him for his appearance to meet the charges con tained in the said cases, are discharg ed rrom rurtner iiaDiiuy mereon ant the said James S. Farnum is herebj allowed to go hence without lay. GEO. E. PRINCE. Presiding Judge. January 5, 1910. Not a State's Witness. The agreement under which th< cases against Farnum are to be no prossed applies to all cases in whict he is a defendant, both those in Richland and in Chester, for bribery anc conspiracy. In the other cases pend ing against State dispensary officiah Farnum cannot be made to testify however, as he has constitutional immunity on the ground that his testimony might tend to incriminate him It is understood that Farnum hat positively refused to testify against his former friends, just as he refused to take the stand and perjure himself by denying that he had giver bribes or rebates. His plea of guilty hpwever, is a complete admission ol the allegations of corruption brought against the State dispensary system Other Dispensary Cases. The other trials will be called al the coming term of court in Chestei against the dispensary officials. Mr. Lyon Gives His Reasons. The announcement that Jim Farnum had pleaded guilty caused quite a sensation in Columbia. There was much discussion, pro and con. Some expressed the wish that, so long as a record of "guilty" was entered, there might have been a measure of punishment in keeping with the debauching of a State and the bringing of a commonwealth into disrepute by suet methods of graft as that- admitted Attorney General Lyon, when asked if he were pleased with the outcome of the case, said that he was not satisfied, but that he had been forced to consent to the best available terms. He had been approached, before Jim Farnum's trial last September, and had declined to consider any proposition except an unconditional plea of "guilty," and throwing one's safety upon the mercy of the court. Ho hnrt folt ro Hiiro of hla ground? the facts as to Farnum's guilt were 30 impressive upon his own consciousness that he could not see how a jury of intelligent men could fail to find the man guilty. But the public now knows. The facts were presented. Wylie swore to having received a bribe; a bank cashier swore to having marked the money of large denomination which Wylie received so that the cashier could learn if Wylie were grafting?as rumored; the books ol several banking institutions traced the voucher back to Charleston, and the entire case was conclusive, but the jury took refuge under the poor excuse of the evidence of an accomplice not being trustworthy. Mr. Lyon said that the supreme court library is full of decisions to show that such a conclusion was a farce. When, therefore, he had met defeat at the hands of a jury of this m ! mail's peers, and the attitude of t | prosecution in the future came t i Mr. Lyon reluctantly accepted a i ! newed offer to plead guilty to o I! of the charges. He would preferr j to have had a clean-cut conviction ! the evidence; "but." said Mr. Lyc "there was always the element of u certainty." t "With as much money as he h t made unlawfully out of the State f South Carolina, this man could ; ways have found at least one cn> who for a price would have tied t jury's hands, and when his attorne: even after their technical victory " the first case, showed a willingnc to oner a piea 01 guuiy, 1 uiuug it was just as impressive for Fz ' num to say that he was guilty as f a jury to say the same thing ov his denial, and there was more of chance of the jury exonerating hii 3 "I do not feel that the State South Carolina has lost anything this plea of 'guilty,' " said Mr. Lyc 1 "I was taking chances, but I ha had recorded in the court records 3 this State the word 'guilty' opposi 3 the name of J. S. Farnum. Of cour I proved him guilty before. The ei 5 dence shows it, but the verdict of ^ jury of 12 men set all at naught ol cially. Therefore, I feel that if t former trial with its farcial denou f ment and this plea of guilty are bi * anced, the State has achieved a vl tory." The strategical advantages gain by Mr. Lyon in securing this conft t sion are declared to be vastly strong than the mere fine of $5,000, and th * is said to be the largest fine on reco ' in this State. 1 In the first place, this is a blow 1 the organization of the defendan 5 These trials are not yet over. B ' one man has been put on trial, ai he has pleaded guilty. Another tri 5 was started and was interfered wi 5 by some smart practice on the pa of jurors getting newspapers thro\ into their rooms. Mr. Lyon thin ' he had a "dead cinch" on this cas 5 provided the jury will stand by t oath and bring in a verdict in accor ' ance with the evidence. 5 Another strategical advantage that J. S. Farnum, with the ma: thousands of dollars he has "accum * lated" from the "business" of t 7 State dispensary, will not now ha the personal interest in the defen of the grafting former office-holde that he had before, and their conv: tion seems all the more sure. In fa there is an intimation from the offi i of the attorney general that Farnu 1 in addition to pleading guilty h t maae a ciean Dreasi 01 me win. - business. I Farnum's admitting that he' pa - graft in a specific case also proves t 5 general rule laid down that no fli , could get business out of the State - South Carolina without paying for - And this will strengthen immeasu . ably the position taken by the coi } mission in settling claims. With Ji t Farnum a self confessed briber ai I grafted, the houses, which had d - pended upon his craftiness, ingen i ity and daring to pull them out of , compromising situation, are now I sea, and it may not be long befo t the "restitution money" will flow in . the State as was never dreamed when this fight was started. Mr. Lyon stated that he regrett . that there appeared to be no way 1 law to make this man Farnum di gorge what he had taken in unlawfi ly, but the effect was the same. T1 " "winding-up commission" had caus' J many claims to be scaled and sor 5 abrogated entirely because of the a 5 parent rascality in the process ai L the deficiency in the grades of liqu 5 sold. But it was not until yesterdi that there has been presented in op< ? court a plea of guilty from one w] ' paid the graft. 1 This corroborates the plea of guil on the part of Wylie, and it is sa 1 that the confessions heretofore 1 ) others than Wylie are substantial : and that all outstanding indictmen ^ and prosecutions for restitution a helped one hundredfold. Mr. Lyon declared that Farnum ' plea of guilty was only one of a hu dred circumstances to prove that Ji 1 B. Wylie had not lied. i ? 1 I "LQMBAKir jlmprovcd Saw Mills [ VARIABLE FRICTION FEED. " mnd'keliable. Best material and workmanship, ligh 1 running, requires little power; simpk easy to .andle. Are made in seven i sizes and are good, substantial monej making machines down to the smalles i size. Write for catalog showing Er gines, Boilers and all Saw Mill supplief Lombard Iron Works & Supply Co, <4 AUCUSTA, CA. CHICHESTER S PILU . TIIE DIAMOND BRAND. A Ladle*! Aik yonrDractUtfor A AyTi y~ |M Chl^heatert Diamond Braid/A AUmrA Pill* In Red sr.d Uold metslilc\V ??*?* M*led with Bloc Ribbon. Xj W ^ wl Tske bo other. Bor of roar \ I ~~ ft SnWht A?kforCm^ires.TEB I ? Jf DIAMOND BRAND PILLS, tat I A~ f9 yon known*?Brtt.S?fart.Alo?yi Relist ,| SOLO BY DRUGQISTS EVERVWRES |l J. H. DIXON I ed | Machinist and Engineer a >n I General Repair Shop. n- I We repair all kinds of ma chinery and carry a full line of as I p*Pe? piPe Fittings, Valves, In icetnrs. Lnhrir.at.ora. Oilers, etc. E Bring your engine and have the al- cylinder bored. Make it run like ok new and give you more power. Bring your cotton gins and press parts and have them reiS' paired before the busy season, in A stitch in time saves nine. We ?ss repair saw mills, grist mills, cane mills; in fact we run a hospital for sick and disorderir" ed machinery. Bring it in and or have it cured. Gas engines and er automobile engine cylinders a bored, and new pistons and rings made that won't leak. m- Gives you more power and betof ter efficiency. We repair and in charge storage batteries. Call in when in trouble and see what we can do. ve of SHOP AT COTTON MILL ;te se - ?- Remember the Place he ie" to get polish for the brass lc- work on your car. Top dressing for your top. e(* Compression grease in a denis sity that will snit you. i Automobile Oil to ts- that will please you by elimiut nating half the trouble you ad R are now having. Remember that the winning car in the New Yorkth to-Paris race run 21,000 irt miles without carbonizing, vn on this oil. We have oil for air cooled engines, too. ks Say, have you heard about our gasoline contract to auhe tomobiles? dig - . nv We also rebuild any kind of automobile and sell new he t0pSY6 The Delk Motor Co. irs Ic ict MWWBHBBMMWWBMWWMI im Why it Succeeds as ?? >le. Because it's for One Thing Only, ant Bamberg People Appreciate this. id h_ Nothing can be good for every Qe thing. m Doing one thing well brings sue of cess. it Doan's Kidney Pills do one thinj ir- onlyThey cure sick kidneys. [n" They cure backache, every kidne] im ill. ad Here is Bamberg evidence to provt le- it? R. M. Zelgler, Bamberg, S. C. u" says: "I am recommending Doan'i a Kidney Pills in the hope that othe: at persons afflicted with kidney com plaint will use them. I was botherec by attacks of backache for mort than a year. My kidneys were alsc of badly disordered and at times I hac considerable difficulty in passing th< . kidney secretions. Learning 01 Doan's Kidney Pills, I went to th< by Peoples Drug Co. and procured ? Is- supply. They have given me greai lj_ relief, since using rnem tne pan , has disappeared from my back, mj kidneys are performing their funced tions properly, and I feel better ii ae every way." P- For sale by all dealers. Price 5( ad cents. Foster-Mllburn Co., Buffalo or New York, sole agents for th? United States. ay an Remember the name?Doan's? ' and take no other. ao ' The McKay Snlky Stalk-Gotter We build the most satisfactory Cutter in America?Simple, Strong, Honest and Durable. No "rattletrap" trinkets to get out of order. A genuine pleasure to operate it. Competitive field tests invited. Our Cutter won the highest award at N. C. and S. C. state fairs over all Western cutters. te Has movable boxes which can be replaced at nominal cost. A Southern product, built for the Southern farmer. l?j Forty Cars Sold Last Season. r4 j G. M. Dickinson, Agent, > BAMBERG, S. C. -? Shoe & Harness Repairing % For first-class Shoe and Harness ) repairing of all kinds, call on me. 1 . make new harness of all kinds, \ bridles, halters, etc. Satisfaction f guaranteed. Shop on Main street. & HEYW00D JOHNSON >! s BAMBERG, 8. O. > t _ __ . - * v _ " | Let us have your next order for groceries M Ji We know we can please yon in both quality and price, J *t? for we keep right up with the best markets and when ? there is anything good in eatables to be had, we get it. * * Jj Our stock is always new and fresh, for we are constant- ? ly getting in new goods. No stale groceries are sent ? ? F out of this store. * J 3? OUR TOOTHSOME DELICACIES : ; J? will make you a regular patron of ours if you will try us ** once. Let us have your next order. You will find us ? & lit prompt and reliable, and if anything we send you does I J ? W not prove to be exactly right, let us know. We will be ? *$ glad to adjust anything to your satisfaction. Won't you ? tj. let us have a chance at serving you? . ^'1 t J. W. McCUE i\ 1 ttrruip Ar?nrrv orrnn n s j* inij yuiiiixi oxivfjr. j , fji 'Phone No. 32. Bamberg, 8. C. f "Safe as the Safest" 1 BANK OF DENMARK, : : Denmark, S. C. I||| Did 70a ever stop to think that the substantial wealth of the ft ^ majority of the rich people of the world has come through strict __ I habits of SAVING? After they had worked hard for a DOLLAR " I they did not squander it, nor let it lie idle. They KEPT THE I DOLLAR and made it WORK for them. . . Bp^Jel Our SAVINGS DEPARTMENT offers YOU this opportunity, ft^ S BY SAVING and by keeping every dollar you save AT WORK Bp /J earning more dollars, YOU CAN SECURE WEALTH FOR YOUR- I WE PAY FOUR PER CENT INTEREST ON SAVINGS DE- }?iS| POSITS! Interest computed quarterly. October is the month to I begin. Safety, Service and Protection is the pride of our cue- I Vwrncrs. m - ; v?j i ???i^? o The Small Depositor is Welcome at This Banklftfl A hundred small accounts make a bank stronger than a dozen large ones. This is one of our reasons for || urging the man of limited means to transact his busi- iV?iSa ness with as. Large accounts are welcome too, for it is our purpose >'' i to serve all classes, whether the business be small or Urge- ? -4 Wsi We Pay Pour per cent. Interest on Savings Deposits | j||j WE HAVE THE FINEST | 0URS ARE THE BE8T ft ' ' JT J . S MO A K,11 3 PHONE NO. 68 i t t BAMBERG, S. oJft i Watch This Space f A ; P. B. MURPHY. Manacerli S ? ft NeIt 0??' 'o Post Offlce == /np^HE Bell telephone system of America, Mr. Farmer? Y|||f I the greatest system in the world?is at your service. |? /fit You can have it in your home as soon as you want it. A ' You can talk to your neighbors, your friends in town, to your doctor, or to folks in New York, Chicago or any other <! in Northern or Southern city. Installing a telephone on your farm is the I I same as increasing your horse power without / making a large outlay for the horse. A tele- if 1 phone costs very little. I ; 1 m We would like to tell you about our plan for installing m rural telephones. Ask the nearest Bell telephone manager or write to us for descriptive booklet. A postal will do. ^ J I FARMERS' LINE DEPARTMENT I Southern Bell Telephone ril :1 I & Telegraph Co. i-wR!.-/.- . -..v;w. < - J ". ,