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


Columbin Railroad. Purchased by tho
statc,s aIoney-Radical Railroad Rascal
ity By tho Observation-Disclosures tho
Lending Spirit In tho Conspiracy.
The Joint Investigating Committee
have presented the sixth chapter in the
Chronicles OF Fraud, relating to the prr-
chase of the States interest in the Green
vile and Colambia Railroad and mess-
ures of legislation in connection there
with, procured by bribery and eorrup-
tion. twill explain the fight Of Kimp-
ton, who is wanted more than ever since
these revelations were made public:
In the progress of their report the CON-
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 at the
same time make a. fair and truthful re-
port of the transaction, to which We have
referred. In this, and several reports to
follow, twill be necessary to refer more
particularly to him and the frauds per-
perated by him than We have done here
tofore. Se
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, maliy
of which we have already made the sub
iect of comment, ard all of. which mark
out together an era challenging compaEi-
son for its infamy with any period in the
history of modern times. In each case
the familiar footprints of this man are
to be seen and measured, and most to be
found in the forefront of the mottled
army of plunderers as "the years of good
stealing in South Carolina" have coEae
and gone. Your committee propose to
refer to several of tie latter class, mostly
to be singled out ard held up TO view TOR
their exceptional enormity and the bold
and trazen efrontery with which they
were perpetrated.
1t will be remembered that the first
noteworthy achievement of Patterson
was a CONTRACT for the completion of the
Blue Ridge Railroad, which was annulled
by the payment to him of $50, 900, every
cent of which came from tho public treis-
ury. Upon his portion of this fund ne
organized ? .ing, composed ofpublic oih-
cials, the object of which vas to obtain
possession of the Greenyille and Coluin-
bia Railroad Company. In this ring
were included John j.. Patterson, George
w. Waterman, representing the interests
Of Governor Scott, Miles G. Park0r,
Treasurer, Reuben Tomlinson, State Au-
ditor, John L. Ncagle, Comptroller Gem
: eral, F. l.. Caldozo, Secretary of State,
C.P. Leslie, Land Commissioner, 81. ld.
Kimpton, Financial Agent, Joseph
Crews, Chairman Committee on Roads,
and Representative Timothy Hurley.
s. At that time the State owned largo
amounts of stock in yarious railroad COM
panics in the State, which had been .,c-
quired in consideration of public boun-
ties conferred upon the corporations, and
also othe; property of various descrip-
tions which for the moment was not pro-
ductiYe of income.
The most direct method of securing
the controlling interests was to procure
legislation to authorize the sale of the
stock held by the State in the Greenville
and Columbia Railroad Company, and to
this end the act Has passed creating the
Sinking Fund Commission composed
OF Governor Scott Attorney General
Chamberlain, Comptroller Neagle, the
chairman Of the Committee of Ways and
Means in the House, and the chairman
of the Committee on Finance in the SEN
ate, and authorizing them to sell sll un-
productive property belonging to the
State.
Ostens;bly, the purpose of this act wal
to dispose of the damaged granite and
marble and other material lying around
the State House grounds. The real pur-
pose was consummated by the sale Of
2l,69S shares of stock in the Greenyille
and Columbia Railroad Company, which
cost the State $40 0Jpor share, aggregsting
$4S3, 1850, At SITS per share, agg,sgat-
ing $59,669.50. This Was followed, OF
course, by a sacrifice of the interest Of
the State in all other railroad corpora
tions, and the accumulation Of fund,
all of which, in gross violation of the
lettey of the act, was transferred to the
Financial Agent, and lost. The evidence
hereto appended is conclusive, that this
act was passed by bribery, the means for
which was furnished by II. 81. Kimpton.
The stock was sold without advertise
ment on the day after the bill WIS passed
and approved, and without any action OF
the commissioners, either authorizing it,
sale, or limiting the prices at which ii
should be sold, and was paid for by
Kimpton's receipt as Financial Agent in
New York for the amount Of the bid
No money passed, and the fund trans.
ferred to Kimpton's books was SUNK
beyond recovery in the devious procssse,
of hypothecation and general bond
sHindhng.
After q majority of the stock in the
company was obtained By this arrange
ment, and By purchase from private par.
ties, and the ring thus placed in control
of its affairs, the scheme which was the
objective point of the operation wal
brought into play in the shspe Of "bill
relating to the Greenyille and Columbia
Railroad Company" prepared by Attor.
ney General Chamberlain, and on the
18th day of February, 1871, introduced
: by Timothy Hurley, one of the ring, fol
the purpose of authorizing a further issue
of bonds, and giving them, q value in the
market. To conceal the real purpose
the bill included sereraly impracticsble
provisions authorizing the extension oi
the road in several directions, and con-
solidation with the Blue Ridge, Road
upon certain conditions, and the title wal
changed so as to read, "an act to promote
the consolidation of the Greenville and
Columbia Railroad Company and the
Blue Ridge Railroad Company" Thil
was also passed by bribery, with money
furnished by b. II. Kimpton. It is uor.
thy to remark, that although Governor
Scott approved the bill, yet he was SC
conscious of its questionable character
that he deemed it necessary to communi.
cate to the General Assembly his reasons
for approving it-reasons which were ut.