The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-29
WHO ARE THE PURCHASERS?


road case has elected very great interest
during the PROGRESS of the cause before
Judge Hudson last week. The facts
upon which the contest as to the validity
of the recent sale rests are clearly set
forth in the following statement by Mas
ter N. B. Barnwell in his report to the
court:
During the course of the bidding, and
when the said w. A. Courtenay had bid
the sum of two million three hundred
and ninety-three thousand and six hun
dred dollars, (s2,S6S,600) the Master
supposing that to be the highest bid,
directed the crier to cease crying, and
received from some one in the presence
of the said W. A. Courteuay paper
containing the following names: "W P.
Clyde, T. NJ. Logan, Jos. Bryan, w. A.
Montgomery" and having previously
written down the amount Of the bid last
mentioned, wrote down the names hand.
ed to him on the sale-book. And the
said Jos. Bryan handed to the Master
package of money.
Immediately thereupon, one
Cummings, who had been bidding on the
said properly for long while in opposi.
ton to the said w. A. Courtenay, de.
manded that the sale should proceed, and
claimed to have bid a higher amount
than tile amount bid by the said w. A.
COurtenay.
The Master, upon information given to
him by several impartial citizens present,
supported as it was by the general testi-
mony of the bystanders, becoming
entirely satisfied that the claim of said
Cummings was true, and that the
said w. A. Courtenay was not entitled
to be considered the highest bidder at the
price above.named, directed the sale to
be continued at once, and having imme.
diately crossed.out the names he had
entered on his books and the amount OF
the bid. returned the package Of money
to the said Jos. Bryan.
The entire episode did not take more
than one minute, except on the return
the package of money, the delay as to
that being due to the unwillingness of
the Master to pass about in the crowd q
package purporting to contain so large a
sum of money.
The said Jos. Bryan, w. P. Clyde and
T. NJ. Logan being at the place of sale,
claimed that inasmuch as they had pro.
duced the deposit money that the same
should be required of any other bidder
before his bid should be received, and
this demand. which was frequently re-
peated by the same persons during the
further progress of the bidding, the Mas
ter declining to accede to, the sale was
proceeded with. the property being put
up at the bid of Mr.. Courtenay, namely,
two million three hundred and ninety.
three thousand six hundred dollars,
which amount was at once raised by the
said - Cummings to, the sum of two
million three hundred and ninety-three
thousand seven hundred dollars, and
upon Mr.. Courtenay replying with
higher bid, he Mr.. Courtenay) continued
as before to bid on the property alter.
nately with the said Cummings until the
bid OF 50, 1868 400 was reached, when the
property was knocked down to the said
w. A Courtenay as already stated, and
upon the package of money being hand
ed to the Master, the said ". A Courte.
nay was publicly declared to be the pur-
chaser of the said property without pro-
test or objection on the part Of any one
present. Nor from that time forward
until a very few days prior to the 18th of
July was intimation given to the Master
of any claim of any person or persons
to be the purchasers of the said
railroad at any price less than the sum
of two million nine hundred and sixty
three thousand and four hundred dol.
lars.
Nor during the bidding was there any
intimation given that the bidding by
Mr.. Courtenay was at one time in any
different interest from what it was at any
other time. It was on his bid made in
open and frequent consultation with
Messrs. Clyde. Logan and Bryan that the
sale was at first stopped, and it was on
his bid made in like manner that the
property was finally knocked down to him
with their consent at two million nine
hundred and sixty.three thousand four
hundred dollars (S2.96S, ,40O.) The
package of money handed TO me at the
close Of the bidding was the same pack
age of money which had been handed to
me before by Mr.. Jos. Bryan. So much
vas the impr, ssion produced on the mind
OF the Master that the last bid was the
Did of the same persons us the one at
which the sale was temporarily stopped
that he was about to insert the same
names. and asked whether he should DO