Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-04-01

the committee for the following rea-
sons:
That the evidence taken is fatally
contradictory and wholly insufficient,
nearly all Of it being opinions of the
Witnesses, hearsny testimony, and,
where the witnesses spoke of their
own knowledge, they have been
positively contradictcd by those
whose names they would give rs wit
nesses to correboratc their statements.
AS to the charge Of b 'ackmailh.g"
IN the case Of the state vs.. Richard
Murphy, Indicted in 1873, charged
with wounding Policeman O'Kcif The
evidence i'll this case before the COM
mlttec was first, that of Harry May,
which has no weight, because of the
contradictory manner ir which it was
given.
3. Foley testified that he recciv we'd
SlOO from Murphy, the defendant in
this case, for the purpose of inAuenc-
ing the solicitors action in the case.
Murphy, The defendant, testified he
never gayo B. Foley or any other per
son any money or property whatso
ever to Influence the solicitor III this
case, and that the case never cost him
one cent, and that Col. r. w. Sey-
mour was his attorney, who defended
him without cost.
Hon. L. w. NJ. Nfackcy testified
that i'll 1873 Solicitor Buttz attempted
through him TO shlackmail County
Treasurer Gurncy and George /.
Cunningham, chairman board county
commissioners, by threatening TO
prosecute them if they did not pay
certain claims held by him against
said county.
Mr.. Cunningham, upon being sent
for, testified that Solicitor Bultz had
never attempted to i,lacls lsmail him Mt
any time or in any manner and that
Mackcy was mistaken in wha. he had
said.
General Gurncy being in the city,
| proposed to the committee that lie
he sent for and examined in regard to
he statement Of Mr.. Maclscy, and re-
grct to say | was overrulcd. regard
the contradiction Of Mr.. Cunningham
sufficient to destroy the testimony Of
Mr.. Mackcy.
Combining with 'fcllcrs' to escape
Justice"
The only testimony to sustain this
charge was given by w. a. Hoard,
who has been convicted three times bv
Solicitor Buttz of various oflenscs !.
and sentenced to the penitentiary.
Said Hoard admitted in his tostim ony
that he had sometime since willfully
and deliberately shot Solicitor Buttz
IN the breast and hip with pistol.
From the character of this witness
and the nature tfh his testimony, in
my opinion it is unworthy of belief.
al other testimony OH this charge
WAS rn'ror or hcnr>av.
Using his Office for selfish and cor
rupt purposes
The testimony OH this puin' Is sssp1te-
and defective, and IL only founded on
belief, and, therefore shpn!,l not he
considered, no Wines having ci,c,l Il,
single instance to Sustain this ch,rr..
therefore, ! l ask that the resolution
TO impcuch {. ". Eu,lz, solicitor, be
rejected. and that the committee lie
discharged from lur.l:cr consideration
OF The same.
(Signrd) THoMAs l.. MILLER,
Nlcmbcr Special Committee.
Mr.. Miller stated in his speech that
he, with the other members of the
committee, ntcrcd into this invcstiga-
ton with no favorable opinion Of the
solicitor. In tact, they were all
against him Mt the start. That Bultz
had made application to be present,
with his attorney, Hom. d. L. Cprbin,
during the examination ofwitnesses,
which was refused. The committee
did not allow him to produce witnesses,
nor cross examine any ofthc witnesses
brought ngninst him. In fact, they
did not intend lie sLoEi, know what
had been snid by the witnesses until
The house had impcachcd him. sIr.
Miller went OH to say that, notwith-
standing all this, the investigation, SO
lar ms obtaining any reliableor sub
stantial evidence against Mr.. Isuttz.
had been an utter failure; that his
sense OF honor and justice required
him to make the report he had sub
mitted.
The Hon. II. B. Elliott, who
thoroughly understood the character
Of ,hc evidence that had been taken
by the committee, showed to the
house thit there was nothing in the
testimony that would warrant the re-
port Of ilcssrs. IIaync and Sloan. In
addition TO The evidence taken by the
committee, he produced atti Iavits Of.