The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-03-28

Coi7mbia RaiIroad Purchased by the
State's Moasey- Radical Railroad Rascal
lay by tho Observation-Disclosures tia
Leading Spirit In tho Conspiracy.
The Joint Investigating Committee
have presented the sixth chapter ia the
Chronicles of Fraud, relating to tte pur-
chase OF the States interest 10 the Green
vile and Columbia Railroad and meas
ures of legislation in connection there
with, procured by bribery and corrup-
tion. 1t will explain the fight Of Kimp-
ton, who Is wanted moro than ever since
these revelations were made public:
In tho progress of their report the COM
mittee have had occasion here and there
TO refer to the facts connected with the
career Of John j Patterson, now United
States Senator for South Carolina. This
it was impossible to avoid, and ct the
same time make fair and truthful re-
port of the transactions to which NC have
referred. In this, and several reports to
follow, twill be necessary to refer more
particularly to him and the frauds per-
petrated by him than wo have done here
tofore.
Since the day of the coming Of this
man to South Carolina there has been
perpetrated upon the people of the State
series OF frauds, great and small, many
OF which We have already made the sub
ject OF comment. and all Of which mark
out together al ere challenging conpari-
son for its infsmy With snY period ia tho
history of modern times. In each case
the familiar footprints of this n IN are
to be seen and measured, and most to 5e
found in the forefront Of the NOTED
army OF plunderers rs "the yeare of good
stealing in South Carolina" have come
and gone. Your committee propose TO
refer to several of the latter class, mostly
to be singled out and held up to view for
their exceptional enormity and the bold
and brazen efrontery with which they
we're perpetrated.
1t will be remembered that the frst
noteworthy achievement of Patterson
was contract for the completion of the
Blue Ridge Railroad, which YVES annulled
by the payment to him of $4,000, overy
cent of watch came from the public treas.
ury. Upon his portion of thia fund he
organized o ring, composed of public off,
cials, tbs object of which VGs TO obtain
Po555e5sion oi tine Greenyiile and Colum-
bia railroad Company. In this ring
were included John J. Patterson, George
W. Waterman, representing the interests
T.
Treasurer, Reuben Tomlinson, State Au.
ditor, John L. Neagle, Comptroller Gen.
eral, +. L. Cardozo, Secretary of State.
Q. 2, Leslie, Land Commissioner, II. II.
Kimpton, Financial Agent, Joseph
Crewe, Chairman Committee on Roads,
and Representative Timothy Hurley.
AT that time the State owned large
amounts of stoek in various railroad com.
panies in the State, which had boon &C.
quired in consideration of public boun-
ties conferred upon the corporations, and
also othey property of various descrip-
tions which for the moment was not pro.
ductiye Of income.
Tho most direct method Of ACQUIRING
the controlli I intercsta was to procure
legislation to authorizes the sale Of the
stock held by the State in the Greenville
and Columbia Railroad Company, and 70
this end tho act was passed creating the
Sinking Fund Commission" composed
of Governor Scott. A!tc.::::ss;y G5po.ni
Chamberlain. Comptroller Neagie, the
chairman of the Committee of Ways and
Meau5 in tho House, and the chaiyman
OF the Committee on F;onnce in tbs Sem
ate, and authorizing them to aell all un-
productive property belonging to the
State.
Osiensibly, the purpose of this act wau
to dispose. of the damaged grsnits and
the State House g-nunde. The roal pur.
pose was consummated by the ssle of
II ,698 shares of stock in the Greenville
and Columbia Railroad Company, which
cost the State go psr ohare, aggregatinR
@A33, $780, At &22.75 per share, agesaQat.
ing $59,669.60. This was followed, of
course, by sacrifice of the interest of
the State in all other railroad corpora
tions, and the accumulation of fund,
all of which, in groas violation of the
letter OF the act, was transferred te sha
Financial agent, and lost. The evidence
Hereto ar;FS:ideu is conclusive, that this
act WAS passed by bribery, the means for
which was furniahed by III. III. Kimpion.
The stock was sold without advertise
nent on the day elter che bill was paused
and approved, and without any action of
tho commlsslonere, either authorizing its
sale, or limiting che prices at which it
should be- sold, and was paid for by
Kimpton's receipt ~ Financial Agent in
New York for the amount of'fha bid.
No s.onsy passed, and the fund trans.
ferred to Kimpton's books was ''sunkn
beyond recovery In the devioua processes
OF. hyypothecation and general bend
sWindling. : i
After q ,rainrity es .h:s stock III tho
company was obtained by this arrange.
ment, and by purchase from private par.
ties, and the ring thuo placed in control
of its affairs, the acheme which ysasItha
objective point OF the operation wao
brought into play in the chspe of aabill
relating TO the Greonville and Columbia
Railroad Company" prepared by Attor.
Bey General Chamberlain, and on the
4 18th day NJ February, 1871, introduced
Timothy Hurley, one of N:e ring, for
the purpose of authorizing q further issue
Of bonds, end giving them q ,g,lne in the
market. TO conceal the real purpose,
tho bill included soveral, impyecsicable
provisions Antilofjaing thef eSsApsiorf OF
the road in several directions. and {, con-
solidation With the Blue Ridge, Road1
npon eartain and tbetitie wa
changed 80 SO to read, dan act to promots
the consolidation of the Grcanville and
Coluinbla Railroad Company and tho
Blue Ridge RailSvad Company Thin.
was also passed By bribery, with money
furnished by H. 81, Kimpton. It is wor-
thy TO remark, that although Governor
Scott approved the bill, yet ho yns SO
conscious of its questipsabie character
thas he deemed it neGeGaaYy to commune
cate TO tho General ANenbiy his reasons
for approving itrensons ~hieh were ut
terly illogical and fallacfous ON their face,
and which have since been proved to be-