The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-10-27

given with great detail and minute
moss. A carpenter named Sherlock
also gave the strongest testimony
Tho defendants produced n number
Of relatives nnd nll tho loading bus.
noss mon Of Pittsburg, who pro-
nounced tho signature forgery
Tho physician sworc that tho plain,
tiff and his Witnesses could not pos
sibly hnyo boon with his father at
tho timo thoy said they woro. Other
proof was brought of tho most posi-
two character. Nevertheless the
jury found for John Patterson.
Tho other parties appealed. Pcnd~
ing this appeal Patterson came to
South Carolina, and began that ca.
rocr which has mndo him doubly i'll
famous.
COMPRISING HIMSELF A sCoUNDREL.
And now comes the strangest part
of tho whole story. In 1870, Pat
torson, with Col. A. X. McLurc, then
II lawyer, and now oditor of tho
brilliant Philadelphia Times, and j.
Y. Croswell, were Interested in somc
railroad speculations in South
Carolina (rho Blue RilsoN and they
met in Columbia ut Nickcrson's
lIotol. Colonel Mcclure had been
Pattorson's lawyer in tho forgery
case, md although his cliunt was
successful, Mcclure had strong
suspicion that thcro had been ras-
cality on Pattcrsons part So much
so, that after the trial, he approach
OF Patterson, and. telling him that
tho jury Ind vindicntcl him Of tho
chnrSc of forgery, added that he did
not like tho aspects Of the ease, and
Patterson must compromise with
his sisters. This Patterson promised
to do, but Of course, broke his
word. Colonel Mcclure thought,
however, that tho compromise had
been made, aud gavo himself no
further trouble about it. On the visit
to Columbia, Patterson alluded to
tho trial, and there, in the presence
Of Mr.. Croswoll, boustod 10 Me,
ClWo TINT ho had brihcd Captain
Patterson and John Sherlock to
commit perjury in the suit. In one
conversation, ho stated to Colonel
Mcclure (as tho Colonel subsequent
~ sworo) "thtt it required him and
tho Witness, W. II. Patterson, two
weeks of careful study to determine
'chich of'Me t'ro or three lies coui1
he most successfully swo,w IN this
case" And ho Thought she had
fixed it up damned cunmingly by tho
lies they had adopted On another
occasion, in the presence of Mcclure
and Croswoll, he oponol lottor
containing Il protested note drawn
by Sherlock, with his endorsement.
Colonel Mcclure testified subso-
quently as follows: : II said, Colo
nel, is not that the price Of Mr..
Sherlocks testimony i'll your case
His answer was, Yes it damned
cheap, only ono hundred and sixty
or eighty dollars, l forget which. "
This umhlushing villainy disgustcd
Colonel Mcclure, and no sooner did
no got back to pennsylvania than
he went to Dauphin county, had his
namo erased us counsel for patter-
son in tho case, and then made "
lengthy statement under oath. part
OF which is quoted above. The case
was still on tho docket in 1873.
Such is Il brief biography Of Pat
terson. His crimes committed in
South Carolina arc not given, be-
cause they arc too notorious. Ho
got possession OF tho Bl,.o Ridge
Eailroad, with Col. Tom Scott and
others, and swindled them and stole
everything it had, amounting, it
, is charged, to hundreds ot thousands
OF dollars. Thou he bought up the
Legislature on several occasions,
both to pass bills, and to secure his
election as senator lle has svs-
tematically stolen from youth, and
not y hun ,r,dth part OF his villMnes
are publicly known
! Thus is tho man who is now under
indictment III tho State courts, and
who should DO brough to the peni-
/ tentiary, either OF this State or
Pennsylvania, tor no has committed
countless crimes in both States. He
is y disgrace to the nation and the
ago.