The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-08-29
i DRAMA IN THREE AcTsl
THE BLUE RIDGE, VALIDATING AND
SETTLEMENT BILLS.

THE BLUE RIDGE, VALIDATING AND
SETTLEMENT BILLS.
"A. XCrou,ing Piece of Rascahty-How
Kimpton, Patterson and Chamberlain
Passed their Swindling Measures by
Bribing the Legislature-s7a,soo Paid
FOR Votes.
The report of the Joint Committee on
Fiands on the Blue Ridge Railroad scrip,
the Validating act and the Financial
Settlement, with the testimony of the
witnesses, is now published for the first
time.s It is as follows: -
= - The Report
10TH, Honorable The Senate and House Of
Representatives
Your committee, having already e1-
hibited john J. Patterson as the chief
originator and participator in various
schemes ofpublic plunder and personal
bribery, viz, first, in his election as Uni
: TED States Senator; second, in the fraud
nient pay certificates third, the Green
vile and Columbia Railroad swindle,
and, fourth, the impeachment acts, now
propose to uncover and reveal his crown
ing work in fraud and infamy under the
above captions. These several measures,
viz. the Blue Ridge Railroad Scrip bill,
the Validating bill and the Financial
Settlement bill, following each other so
closely in point of time, having been
: originated, matnred and engineered by
Patterson and the Ring, and passed
through the Legislature by the same
means, it is impossible to separate them
in this report, hence the subjects are
combined, and may be aptly designated
Il Drama of Fraud in three acts. =
9n the Sd day of February, 1872, A.
&. Singleton introduced in the House of
Representatiyes ga bill to relieve the
State of South Carolina of all liability
for its guaranty of the bonds of the Blue
Ridge Railroad Company by providing
for the securing and destruction of the
sanie.o On the Sth day of the same
month John B. Dennis, by unanimous
consent, introduced ga bill relating to
the bonds OF the State of South Carolina" !"
better known as the Validating Act.
He also, at the same time, introduced
a bill relating to the Financial Agent
OF the State in the city of New York"
commonly called the Financial Settle
rrsnt Bill" !" It will be seen how inno-
cent the titles of these bills appear, and
(. yet how full each is of dangerous mis-
chiets to the State as executed by the
parties. The first on its face represent
ing plausible scheme to relieve the
State from It's guaranty of the large sum
of s, ,000, 600 Of the bonds Of the Blue
Ridge Railroad Company by the issue Of
scrip, cstensibly to pay the honest debt
: OF said, company, but in. fact TO be con-
yerted into private and personal cor
I rupt fraud. The second appeared to be
merely an act to ,7alidate the irregular
issue OF certain bonds, but was intended
tosyalidate the illegal use and disposition
Of Sc, ,000, 600 of State bonds by 81. II.
: Kirnpton, and then fasten such debt
Z upon the State. The third simply en-
powered the notorious Financial Board
60 make settlement with n. 81. Kimp-
7; ton, Financial Agent, but really afford
ing the desired opportunity of covering
up and cancelling the large amounts
paid ont by Kimpton from sales of bonds
illegally made, to be divided out in COM
missions among the "Ring," and in car
rying the purchase of the Greenville and
Columbia Railroad for the same Ring.
= The most cursory examination of the
: Journals of the General Assembly, and
the testimony annexed to this report,
: must satisfy all that these three measures
were adroitly and deliberately concocted
BY the same persons for their joint per-
sonai benefit, and by combination forced
through the General Assembly by the
. most shameless and 'barefaced bribery of
Senator'S and members. For the eyi-
( dence of many members of the House
sets forth, with particularly, that Patter-
sop, Worthipgton, Neagle, Kimpton,
Scott. Parker and Chamberlain aided
these nefarions measures by counsel and
advice, by the solicitation Of votes and
the actual purchase of numerous voters
Z with large sums of money, these persons
having full knowledge and consciousness
5 ofthe stealage and corruption intended
to he perpetrated through and by such
? legislation.
The same persuasion, arguments and
bribery were used upon Senators. Sem
ator G. P. Leslie also figured conspicu-
ouslY in the Senate as an advocate OF
these bills; was stakeholder; got the
money and ran away to New York; was
: followed by duped and indignant Sena-
Z tors, hut failed to respond with the thrice
stolen cash.
s ssphus Woodruff swears that Leslie
informed him that Kimpton had deposit
ted $4,000 in the Central National
Bank for Woodruf, to be divided among
: ak Senators; also of another deposit of
500 900, in the Carolina Nationi. Bank,
to be divided between Leslie and Senator
: Owens.
* The witness drew the money and de-
liyered it to Leslie. The deposit Of the
said sums of money is proven by cashiers
ofsaid banks.
~ In tracing the history of these meas
ures. it seems that after the passage of
the bills Patterson and Kimpton quar-
relied about the division or details, as
stated in the testimony of Judge I. j.
Mackey, and for an adjustment and set
tlement of such little differences the fol-
lowing order WIS given by Patterson to
Parker, then treasurer:
VICE PRESIDENTS OFFICE,
G. g. G. RAILROAD Co.,
COLUMBIA, s. c., March 4, 1872.
Z Hon. Niles G.. Parker, State Treasurer,
South Carolina:
q Please deliver to II. II. Kimpton "rey-
epue bond scrip" due the Blue Ridge
Railroad Company according to act pass
ed March 2, 1872, amounting to one
hundred and fourteen thousand two hun
dred and fifty dollars at par, upon the
following conditions: That .forty-two
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven
dollars of said scrip, at par, is to be used
for paying the expenses of passing