The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-05-17
THE CLEMSON CONTEST.
Some New Facts That Shed New Light On
Mr.. Lee.
GreenviNe Mems.

GreenviNe Neans.
A variety of mialeading reports have
been set in circulation recently about the
Will ard the estate of the late Col. Thos.
G.. Clemson. Many of these originated
from the published letters of Mr.. Gideon
Lee, Col. Clemson's son-in-law, and their
general tenor has been the belittling of
the bequest made to the State on the
one hand, and the representation on the
other, that by that bequest Miss Floride
Lee, Col. Clemson's granddaughter, was
being cut off with pittance, the State in
case it accepted the bequest being placed
in the light of an usurper.
Certainly no man living could be
found better prepared to furnish the facts
about Col. Clemson's will than Col r. w
Simpson, the sole executor of the will
and the friend and adviser of the testator.
A representative of the 6reenuiHe
Mews had an opportunity for q brief
interview with Col. Simpson few days
ago aud quickly seized on the moment to
ask Colonel Simpson about the report
that AIirs Lee would get only small
share in the property left by the Clemson
will.
Col. Simpson said that the reports were
erroneous altogether, and needed but
plain statement of plain facts to contra
dict the whole batch of them. Miss
Floride Lee gets, he said, $4,000 in cash
under the will, and her share of the Fort
Hill place, valued at $4,000. Besides
this, she receives an amount decidedly
way of settlement by Mr.. Clemson, to the
descendants of Mr.. Clemson, which
amount is outside of, and has nothing to
do with Mr.. Clemaon's estate. This.sum,
SIS 5000, is in the hands of Col. Simpson in
State bonds, and is subject to the order
of her guardian. She gets also Col.
Clemson's handsome and costly family
silver, valued by the appraisers at 81 300,
in addition to the Calhoun silver, which
she already has; also the family pictures
and any one article she may select from
Col. Clemson's house, and certainly one.
third, and most probably one.half of the
tract of land owned by Col. Clemson in
Maryland, which was bargained for just
before Col. Clemson's death, for $4,000.
Further, she already has $1,000 in her
fathers hands, given her by Col. Glenn.
SOD, and on which eight or ten years
interest has accumulated. Col. Simpson
did not think these amounts inconsidera-
bly, by any means.
Asked if Col. Clemson had seen his
granddaughter during the later years of
his life, Col. Simpson said he had not.
Col. Clemson had time and again begged
Mr.. Lee to allow his daughter to come
down and visit him at Fort Hill, and
Col. Simpson himself had written to Mr..
Lee directly before Col. Clemson's death,
repeating the same request and emphasiz-
ing the wishes ofthe old gentleman. But
Mr.. Lee had in every case refused, and it
had been eleven years since Col. Clemson
had:seen his granddaughter. Col. Glenn
son was deeply fond of her, and earnestly
wished to see her before he died, aud Mr..
Lees continual refusal to allow her to
come grieved him sorely.
In answer to question whether Mr..
Lee knew the extent ofhis father-in- laws
wealth before he died, Col. Simpson said
that Mr.. Lee did not know that Col.
Clemson had any property outside of
Fort Hill.
As an evidence of the impression Mr..
Lee was under about Col. Clemson's cir.
cumstances, Col. Simpson said that short
| while before the death of Col. Clemson, q
| merchant in Pendleton bad received a
letter from Mr.. Lee telling him to let
| Col. Clemson have s1OO worth of supplies
and he would see the bill paid. He
evidently believed Col. Clemson very
near to, if not in actual poverty.
Referring to the published statement
| of Mr.. Lees that Col. Simpson had told
him the whole estate would be 100000,
Col. Simpson said that be did not tell
| Nh. Lee that. What he did tell him was
what he had told the representative of
the Greenuils News before, that the
investments in his hands would at very
low estimate amount to 100000 outside of
all other property.
Continuing, Col. Simpson said that he
had informed the representative of the
.Mews who visited Fort Hill, and it had
been published in the Neacs two days
before the time that Mr.. Lee alleged Col.
Simpson told him $4,000, that Col.
Clemson's investments would probably
realize "between $4,000 and s60,000."
This statement was in print and widely
circulated before the time when Mr.. Lee
charges that Col. Simpson informed him
they would amount to about $4,000.
In response to an inquiry whether OF
| MT Mr. lea was acting solely on his own