The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, August 16, 1905, Image 1
ra? SCSTEB WITCfiMAK, Xltabllshed April. 1S?0,
"Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou Aims \ at oe tny Country s thy God's and Truth's.'
THE TBDfi SOUTHRON. Eetablisbed Jone, 1 SQ
Coseli?ate? Aug. 2, ISSI.
SUMTER. S. C.. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 16. 1905.
New Series-Vol. XXV. No. 4
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216 MSPEISfiRV SGftNDAL
REVELATIONS OP THE SPARTAN
BURG rSTESTIGATIOy.
Witness Testifies to Bribery and
Corruption in the Conduct of the
Local Dispensaries.
Sparenburg, Aug. 8.-The lid was
lifted here today off the dispensary.
A decided aroma has come from the
pot Today's work was brief, not over
two hours, hut it was eventfuL
It was. not until 5 o'clock that the
dispensary investigation committee
met. Chairman J. T. Hay and Mr.
Th os. B. Fraser arrived on the after?
noon train. Every one was anxiously
waiting to get down to work. There
were all sorts of rumors about the in?
vestigation going to pieces, because of
the combined force of a concurrent
resolution. The issue was raised, but
it was brushed aside, and the lid
raised, at least as to a few things in
Spartanburg county.
John P. Morris was the only wit?
ness this afternoon. He was on the
stand for more than an hour, and was
a willing witness and seemed to know
what he' was talking about, and his
easy-going, don't-care-accent sort of
manner was rather to his credit Mr.
Morris brought out these conditions:
First that the county board of con?
trol for Spartanburg county levied a
regular assessment on the dispenser
for his election or re-election.
Second, that the average price paid
Chas. O. Smith, chairman of the
county board, was $450, and" that
Morris was expected to pay a similar
/amount
Third, that he was asked for and
paid a contribution to the Spartan?
burg Journal for its support of the
dispensary. He knew nothing of the
details of the transaction, whether it
was for advertising space or other?
wise. He paid his share. He under?
stood that the original price was $300,
but that more was raised, and that
Dispenser Husemann raised $2S5 for
this fund in Columbia from dispen?
sary officials and liquor houses.
Fourth, that many months after
the commission was appointed Mr.
Cole L. Blease, a member of the com?
mission, came here and settled a
claim between Moris, the dispenser,
and the Atlanta Brewing Company,
and gave the receipts. That he un?
dertook to help Morris obtain the re?
turn of the money he had contributed
to the Journal fund, and that he
wished to get and examine copies of
letters from the brewing company,
and that he suggested that the wit?
nesses had told Merrs. Lyon and
Christensen, of the subcommittee,
more than was necessary. Morris
said Mr. Blease did not represent
Mr. Dunwoody, of the Atlanta Brew?
ing Company. ?
Fifth, Mr. Jeff Dunwoody, of At?
lanta, writes that he thinks he can fix
it so Mr. Moris will be elected beer
dispenser on condition that he handle
his beer, and that he has taken the
matter up with the proper parties and
had spoken to one member of the
State board of control.
Sixth, that Mr. Herbert H. Evans
suggested to the witness and Mr. Ma?
haffey, a former member of the
House, to put up $200 or $300 on the
election of Legislators in favor of the
dispensary, and he would make it
good.
Seventh, Mr. Morris further testi?
fied that Mahaffey told him that Mr.
Evans kept hhs room stocked with li?
quors and put $20 bills in his pocket
during the pendency of elections. Mr.
Morris was a bit reserved on this and
wanted Mr. Mahaffey heard on this
$20 bill incident, as others will no
doubt have something to say on this.
When the commission met in th?
Court House,; Marshal Schumpert got
orders. Chairman Hay and Messrs.
Thos. B. Fraser. IX A. Spivey, Arthur
Gaston and Cole L. Blease sat inside
the clerk's railing, and outside, with
a satchel of papers in front of them
sat Fraser Lyon and Neils Christen?
sen, Jr., of the sub-committee on local
dispensa.?L s. ;,nd had their innings.
and as they say in base ball parlance,
they had made good. They presented
only one witness, but what a mess he
made of the Spartanburg board. The
committee may or may not intend so,
but the thought will be that it is such
a disease that is polluting the whole
body politic. '
It is true that but the one side is
being heard, and it is always well to
wait until the case is closed before
rendering the verdict, but if dispen?
sers' jobs are bought and sold here,
why not elsewhere? The work of the
Christensen-Lyon sub-committee is
being splendidly handled. They did
team work here today, and Mr. Lyon
handled the presentation of the Mor?
ris testimony, and withstood in a
manly way the little technical points
presented by Mr. Chas. P. Sims, who I
represents C. O. Smith, the alleged
offending chairman of the county
board of control.
When the meeting was called to
order Mr. Fraser Lyon arose and
begged to read the two following let?
ters:
\f Mr. Henry's Letter.
Mr. J. Fraser Lyon, Abbeville, S.
C.-Slr: I am very sorry that I did
not see you when you were in Spar?
tanburg. I was around the hotel two
or three times and hoped to see you,
but did not Mr. Walker telephoned
me one day from Cedar Spring to
get you to telephone him when you
came to the office and this led me to
t-xpect you would come, so I missed
seeing you. On the last day you
and Mr. Christensen were here I wai
told that a man w*?-~ had been de?
filed for dispenser bo.-, made an ab?
surd statement to your committee
r<'iaiive to my newspaper The story
r- told only possessed a sufficient
element of truch ts taus'-, an igno;
ant mind to give it a venal character,
which it does not posess at all. To?
day I looked up Mr. Motte and asked
him to take a statement from me rel?
ative to the matter, which he did,
and he told me that he would for?
ward it to you. I know in justice to
me, you will give consideration in
connection with the outrageous story
referred- to, and I hope/you will
have your committee do so. You
will find that statement full, free and
frank and clearly justifying my ac?
tion in the matter. However, if there
are any inquiries that you wish made,
and you will forward them to Mr.
Motte, I shall be glad to answer them.
I am sorry that I did not have an
opportunity before your committe?
as I am sure it would have been dif?
ferent from the story told you.
With best wishes, I am yours truly,
Charles H. Henry.
To this he replied:
MR. LYON'S REPLY.
April 28, 1905.
To Mr. Charles H. Henry, Spartan?
burg, S. C.-Dear Sir: Your letter of
the 27th instant received and I repe?
at once. I will say that affidavits
taken while in Spartanburg will be
presented to the whole commission at
its next meeting for such action as
may be decided upon at that time.
Mr. Christensen and I are simply
gathering up such information as we
can obtain and are trying to put no
construction upon it whatsoever. This
information is not for publication at
present and will not be given to the
papers until the committee is fully
aware of it. As for myself, I will say
that I shall insist that ali persons in?
terested in the dispensary investiga?
tion or affected by 'it, be given a full
hearing and an opportunity to ex?
plain or rebut any charges that may
be made. I am sure that I voice the
attitude of the whole commission j
when I say this. We shall not white
I
wash nor persecute, but shall en?
deavor to be fair and impartial in all
matters relating to the investigation. 1
I will show your letter to the other
members of the commission and will
ask that you be allowed a hearing
when the matter is reached. Yours
truly,
J. Fraser Lyon.
After consultation, on motion of
Mr. Thomas Fraser, the reply of Mr
Lyon was approved, and Mr. Gaston
suggested that Messrs. Christensen
and Lyon go ahead in their own way.
Mr. Lyon wanted Mr. Henry invited
to hear any testimony as to himself,
but it was suggested that this might
be done later, and there the matter
rested. After it had been decided to
wait to invite Mr. Henry until bis
nam? was brought out ?he committee
asked Mr. Lyon and Mr. Christensen
io proceed.-News and Courier.
Spartanburg, August '. ?.-/"< he ?ii
received a bad jar to.lay. lt is let?
ting some of the bad smell out the
forms of the dispensary committe just
now ?n Spartanburg. lt is a sorry an!
a disgusting state ot' affairs.to say the
least . Tlv sub-committee charged
with the investigation of the affaii
of the dispensary is making good da
by day. Messrs. Lyon and Christer.
sen are showing cold facts that eve
surprised the natives. The evidenc
is cumulative and it is for the evi
dence to speak. The sub-committe
kept up a Gatling gun fusillade c
witnesses until it tired out every on<
and it made it well-nigh, impossible t
present the evidence the brief remain
ing time. The session continued fror
10 o'clock until 6 o'clock, with on
hour for dinner. The evidence wi]
show the facts to many good peo
pie, and they will wonder what wi!
be the next phase of possible dispen
sa ry graft.
This session is to inquire into th
conduct of sub-dspensaries, and th?
special committee is not charged witl
handling any other lids, if they ar<
movable. Today's session develops i
I whole pot pourri of mess, but it ma:
be well to stick a memory pin her<
and there. This is what the evi
dence tries to, or does, show, and no
my observations:
First. That the positions connect?e
with the dispensary here were barter?
ed and sold for money, borrowec
money or endorsements.
Second. That even $50 clerkships
were bartered, and H. H. Cunning?
ham was paid $50 cash by the chair?
man of the county board . to with?
draw his application for a $50 clerk?
ship.
Third. That the then chairman ol
the county board of control sold
liquor and travelled frrom town tc
town, and that he sold liquor by tell?
ing dispensers he would have them
removed by a friend on the State
board if they did not patronize him.
Fourth. That during the session ol
the legislature satchels full liquor
were taken from the rooms of candi?
dates for membership of the board
by Mr. Mahaffey, a member of the
house.
Fifth. That all dispensers here have
received case upon case of compli?
mentary liquor from houses selling
to the dispensary, and that most often
these complimentary liquors hav.;
been put on the shelf, and the liquor
sold for personal gain, without ac?
counting to the State or county.
Sixth. That the Millard Company.
Richland Distillery, and Bluthenthal
& Bickart made a proctice until re?
cently of packing one or two extra
bottles of liquor fn each case, and
these cases were complimentary to
the dispenser; that they were sold as
regular stock goods and no account
made of such sale to the State o.*
county, but this was to the gain of
the dispenser.
Seventh. That, in addition to grat?
uitous liquor, the dispensers received
free umbrellas, smoking sets, foun?
tain pens, match boxes, wines, and
even suits of clothes.
Eighth. That at least one dispen?
ser here is charged with the habit
of changing the labels of liquor and
selling as two X goods that which
was- sent him as one X goods, and
that this same dispenser has accumu?
lated thousands within his few years
of service.
Ninth. It was developed that the
Richland Distilling Company, an 1
Bluthethal & Bickart have been pay?
ing 25 cents for empty cases which
originally contained their goods. This
is supposed to have been a method of
boosting the sales. One witness testi?
fied that Rock Castle cases were paid
for at 25 cents each, without bottles,
and that they were not returned. It
was shown that these empty cases,
other than those sold to the shipping
houses were sold locally to drug
houses for not more than five cents
and often for less.
Tenth. That dispensers have writ?
ten to liquor houses for gratuitous
liquor to help them make up short?
ages.
Eleventh. That empty cases were
run in the stock account and were
counted as stock on hand, when they
were entirely empty.
Twelfth. That two members of the
county board of control signed certi
cates that they had actually witness?
ed the checking of the stocks in dis?
pensaries, signed and approved the
expense accounts and breakage ac?
counts, and left them with dispensers
to use as they saw fit. Several of these
ces lificates on which the dispensers
were to make up their accounts were
exhibited, signed in hlank. with ?>?i
cial approval to stock taking, expenses
..?i. ! the ?ike. that were to happen
months ahead.
Thirteenth. That ir. Spartanburg
Mr. Blackwood, in particular, was
.used a buffet t<? bull ?le- market.
He was promised time and again a
position and asked t-? file an applica?
tion, and he now thinks this was done
simply to -;.?! the other fellow t.i r:us<>
his price to the county board, two bf
the members telling him plainly that
it was a matter of dollars and cents
to get the office, and after they got
the office that they could easily take
it back.
Fourteenth. That one of the. star
witnesses who is now absent, told
Mr. Blease, a member of the com?
mission, that for $100 he would not
be a witness, having previously made
a statement to the Christensen-Lyon
committee.
Fifteenth. That the dispensary is
selling fives, which means short meas?
ures. Fives in quarts means that
five quart bottles are sold for a gal?
lon, when the consumer thinks he is
buying a full quart. Witnesses test .
ifled that Hunter's Three Feathers,
Old Dixie, Hannis and other brand3
were fives.
Sixteenth. That until recently re?
quest books have not been used. The
plea in defense of the non-use being
that the dispensaries have not got?
ten the books and have not had the
time to fill them out.
Seventeenth. That the dispensers
have been advised to charge all break?
age to the county, and that the
county loses from its profit account
all breakage, and it is not divided be?
tween State and county.
Eighteenth. Tha't Dispenser Huse
man is alleged to have said that he>
paid as much as $600 for a vote and
then did not get it.
Nineteenth. That Charles O.
Smith was reappointed on the board
upon the recommendation of the del?
egation, although it had been called
to the attention of members of the
delegation, not all, that he was ask?
ing money for positions.
Twentieth. That the appointment
of the present members of the coun?
ty board was held up until after the
Morris election was over. The com?
mission had been issued long before
the election.
Twenty-first. That liquor agents
have been coming to the dispensaries
to urge the pushing of their goods.
Twenty-second. That goods that
were not ordered, other than intro?
ductory, were shipped to the dispen?
saries.
Twenty-third. That the tie-up of
the decision of the State supreme
court as to the force and effect of
the concurrent resolution, under
which the committee is working, is
most embarrasing and hurtful. Wit?
nesses, getting to believe that the
committee had no legal rights, are
disposed to refuse to answer ques?
tions, and the whole situation is
clouded and in doubt because of the
unsettled condition as to the status of
the law.
Twenty-fourth. That three of the
most important witnesses could not
be found in the city today. War?
rane* have been placed in the hands
of the sheriff for these recalcitrant
witnesses, and they are expected to?
morrow. Should they not appear,
statements are on hand from them,
but their evidence is desired.
Mr. Cole Blease grew quite mad
today about what he thought were
reflections on him and made a person?
al statement, and insisted that Messrs.
Christensen and Lyon were his politi?
cal enemies and were fighting hihi
politically, and insisted that any one
who suggested that he had not done
his full duty was a beautiful liar.
Twenty-sixth. That the committee
is getting pretty nearly an itemized
list of the contributors to the fund for
the Spartanburg Journal. Today it
was shown that the local dispensers
each contributed $25, and that the
clerks gave $5. Mr. Huseman, a beer
dispenser, is said to have gone to
Columbia to secure aid to this news?
paper fund. The evidence today indi?
cated that $400 was to have been
raised for this purpose, and that about
$300 has been raised. One of the
chief dispensers here insists that he
made a contract to use the space as
regular advertising space, and that
he had articles written for publication
in this space. The arrangement was
for a column a day.-August Kohr:
in News and Courier.
Spnrtanbu.-g. Aug. 10.-The evi
di/?ce today before th?.- dispensary in?
vestigating committee was cumulative
and damaging. Day by day the sub?
committee is reiterating the manner
in which dispensaries are run in
Spartanburg, and the interference ir
that there is a type. Then- ar; some
in far hotter condition, ami again
there are some as had. The Spartan?
burg testimony is to show to tin- peo?
ple "f the State tho abundant possi?
bilities "f the system. What was done
here until th?' committee get to
twisting tho lid can be done elsewhere.
It can be dono elsewhere, win thor it
is or not. Other dispensers received
the extra bottles ?>!' liquor. !:: huh ?
drers ol" cases they received compH- j
mentary liquor, and how few did not
put the stuff in stock, sell and pocket
the proceeds, is yet to be heard- The
system permitted it, just as did very
many other things that the people are
just finding out. Witness after wit?
ness is testifying to the pickings of
local dispensers in extra bottles,
samples, presents and the like. The
changing of labels is more serious.
Today the evidence emphasized and
hammered down a series of already
developed matters.
First of all, Mr. Toland, a former
dispenser, with apparent reticence,
but candor, told of his actual payment
of $275 and a gold watch to secure
a dispensary job. Toland testified
that, as instructed, he gave the money
to Dispenser Huseman, who was to
'act as the intermediary. He gave the
money to Husemann to give to Smith,
who was chairnian of the * county
board, as advised, and to this he
stuck. He had given an affidavit that
he had not given Smith any money
for an office, and he urged that this
was technically correct, as the money
had been given to Husemann to give
Smith and Smith did get it from
Husemann. The watch was a direct
gift.
Second. Toland said that he bid
as high as $450 forr a beer dispen?
sary, but he did not get the position
for his candidate.
Third. Mr. D. M. Miles developed
into an unexpected witness. He went
on the stand to clear his record, which
is entirely good, and to refute certain
charges about his using liquor in an
election. It was while on the stand
he threw some sidelights on the
dispensary management of ten years
ago. For instance, he said that he
voluntarily quit the board of control,
to which he had been twice unani?
mously elected, because the general
impression was that it was not an
honest place, and for fear that some
people might suspect him of dishon?
esty he thought it best to quit.
He went on to say: I saw things
I could not afford to say anything
about, because I could not say wheth?
er they were so or not. Then he
went on to say that he saw things he
supposed were not right, but did
not know it. He was satisfied there
were then some honest as well as
some dishonest people about the dis?
pensary. When pressed for specific
information he would always fail
back, and say that he was prepared
to answer any legal questa . but he
would not volunteer any evidence for
fear of doing some one a possible in?
jury. He went on to say that if the
dispensary had been run by the same
kind of men as it was in his day, it
would not be in the trouble it now
was. Of one thing Mr. Miles was
positive, and that he willingly testi
led. and that was that some one in tho
dispensary in his day and time sup?
plied liquor to blind tigers and he
doubted very much if the money for
it over went to\he State. He thought
that the board was all right, but he
said that in his day and time on tho
board the outside influences wore bad,
and that orders were worked for by
outsiders, but he was free to say thar
things were not to his liking in tho
dispensary itself, and he quit and
came home to be elected county su?
pervisor, which office he now holds.
Third. There was another scene
between Messrs. Christensen and Lyon
and Mr. Blease. In connection with
Mr. Toland's testimony, it was devel?
oped that Mr. Toland has sworn that
Mr. Elease, a member of the investi?
gating committee, had told him that
the committee was just going around
smoothing matters over and uphold?
ing the dispensary law. That Mr.
Blease had asked him why in the
dickens he (Toland) had not gone off
and had nothing to say about the
matter. That he told Toland that
he was not obliged to testify, and
that the general tendency of the in?
vestigating committee was to smooth
matters over and uphold the dispen?
sary.
Mr. Blease reiterated that he hal
never done anything t<> interfere with
the work of the committee, that he is
doing, all he can to help it along and
that he has never offered advice or
money to impede the work of the
committee. He asked the people
whether they would believe Mr.
Toland or himself on the issue inv Iv
ed.
Fourth. Messrs. Christensen and
Lynn, of the sub-committee, unequiv?
ocally announced thir they intend.'1,
to present any and everything they
could find that would throw arly
light on the dispensary situation In
the State.
Fifth. The genera] committee after
a conference, regarding a protest
from .Mr. Sim--, decided that tl*** in
? i
vestigalion was ? ? bo wide >;>> :?. that
Ln formation and facts were wanted
and that the orthodox rules of testis
mony were not to be enforced.
Sixth. That most of the tardy wit-?
neses have appeared before the com*
mittee, and only one witness refuses
to answer the summons of the com-,
mittee. The committee has an afn*
davit from him.
Seventh. Jesse Mahaffey, the mem*
ber of the house, who is quoted as;
having said that Herbert H. Evans
gave him all the whiskey he wanted?
stuffed $20 bills in his pockets white
he (Evans)was a candidats for re*
election on the board, utterly denied
any and all such charrges. He in??
sisted that Mr. Evans was generous
and open-hearted, but he has no$
given him whiskey nor had he ever
given him any money in one way or
another, and the report must hav3?
started from a joke, because he made
no such statements seriously.
Eigth. That Jeff Dunwoody i%
credited with telling Toland that he.
was paid $100 for writing a letter to,
Mr. H. H. Evans for one of the re*
presentatives of Bluthenthal an^
Bickart.
Ninth. That members of the coun?
ty board of control made a habit ot
borrowing money from dispensers an^
of not returning the money.
Tenth. That the members of th^
board of control would get all thQ
free liquor they wanted, and that they
had a practice of suggesting that they
would like certain presents and of:
getting them in the end, from a
"jinie" to a shot gun.
Eleventh. That one of the Lanforcl
family held the positions of bottle;
buyer and a drayage manager of th$
dispensary at one and the same time,.
Twelfth. That Mr. Cathcart waa
another of the Blackwood type of
boosters for the county board, in
that he was induced to file his appli
cation simply to force the market
price of jobs up.
Thirteenth. That two clerks in one
of the dispensaries here kept tab and
found that the chief dispenser con?
sumed more than $30.worth of liquor
a month.
Fourteenth. That one of the clerks
when he left the dispensary was pre?
sented with champagne as an evi?
dence of good will.
Fifteenth. That a tip seems to havs
gotten here and that in consequence*
the dispensers made wr.y with such
papers as they did not want to get
into the hands of the investigating
committee.
Sixteenth. That Mr. Huseman
went to Columbia with a letter or
authority, a sort of credential signed
by the dispensers here, which he was
to use in his canvass for funds foi>
the fight against prohibition in this
county, and to use for the Journal
campaign.
Seventeeth. That the charge that
Supervisor Miles used dispensary li?
quor, samples, in his campaign, feii
rather flat.
Eighteenth. That beer was used:
here for election purposes and that
a general bill was sent H. H. Evan^
for the beer because there was an,
intimation that the beer would bo
paid for.-August Kohn in News and.
Courier.
Spartanburg, August ll.-The first
public session of the dispensary in?
vestigating committee adjourned to?
night. Every one connected with tho
investigation was tired and worn out
and the broken threads will be taken
up in Columbia later on.
A number of additional witnesses
were summoned here, but it was
found unnecessary to call them and
Messrs. Christensen and Lyon agreed;
that time would probably he gained
by weeding the remaining witnesses,
down to a stand.
The day was largely devoted to ex?
planations and privileged statements
from those who had been assailed by
the evidence and there was every dis?
position to allow them to make
statement. Under this head Mr.
Charles O. Smith. Arch Cathcart, Dis?
{lensers Ferguson and McCarty an-1
Mr. Avant, who was a member of the
board, made their explanations.
The dispensers who took the stan-j
all admitted that they placed in stocks
the over supply of bottles that were
sent out by the Mallard Distilling
Company. the Richland Distill?
ing Company and Bluthenthal
& Bickert. all put the proceeds in th-,
cash drawer as other sales. Dispen?
ser Ferguson's position was that a-j
these goods were shipped r.? them by
the state dispensar} that they belong?
ed t'> the dispensers - * r -. 1 he could no
see where it was any wrong-doing Sn
-..?iin.; thee extra complimentary
bottles and taking the proceeds, where
rases were shipped out containing
.hose extra bottles by the State dis?
penser.
Continued on page 7.