Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-05-10
"BEG YOUR PARDON"
I Did Not Mean to Disobey You, Judg
Goff.


The fact that Liquor Commissioner
Nixon and Constables Davis and Lafar
had been ordered to show cause why
they should not be ruled for con-
tempt in disobeying the injunction Of
Judge Golf in the case of the dispensa-
ry, was stated in Wednesdays En-
QUIRER, In view of all the loud talk
and bluster on the subject by Governor
Evans, it was thought that the dispen-
sary officials intended to make clean
breast of the matter, refuse to purge
themselves of contempt, let the judge
send them to Jail, and carry the case
up to the supreme court on writ of
habeas corpus, in order to get speedy
decision on the merits involved. But
the matter has not turned out that
way.
After concluding the hearing of the
dispensary injunction case last Tues
day, Judge Golf called up the con-
tempt cases against Nixon, Lafar and
Davis. The cases against Lafar and
Davis were for seizing liquors in trans
it from one State to the other, and the
case against Nixon was based on the
following circular issued by him to
State constables, shortly after the tenn
porary injunction was issued:
Sir: Enclosed you will find three kinds
of certificates to be used only as follows:
One to bring goods into the State, one to
carry goods out of the State, and the other
to ship goods from point to point in the
State. The latter ones will be used by
every one who does any shipping in the
State, including the shipping from the
State dispensary to the county dispensa-
ries and elsewhere, and by the State con-
stables in shipping to the commission
properly filled in and you will be par
ticularly vigilant to catch any packages
going from place to place in this State,
not bearing the proper certificate and in
taking packages shipped into or out Of
the State, unless properly stamped. You
will also find twelve of the certificates
for your own use. Send into me any 9TH
ers you may have on hand.
In his return to the rule Commis-
sioner Nixon said that he had no
authority whatever over State consta-
bles that it was merely his duty to
receive and send out liquors from the
State dispensary; that the circulars,
although issued after he had been
served with the injunction, had been
prepared some time before: "tbat in
sending out the circular letters afore-
said, he did not intend to defy the
authority of the court in any way, nor
to commit any contempt by disobeying
the order of Injunction, and has not
willfully and Intentionally disobeyed
any order of this honorable court, and
disavows any purpose whatsoever in
sending out the circular letter to the
two constables to do so, and avows
that he is ready and willing at all
times to respect and obey its orders
and intends TO do So"
Constables Davis and Lafar both set
forth that they did not know of Judge
Goff"s injunction until after they had
seized the packages Of liquor IN VIOLA
ton of it, and then both of them de-
termined not to make any more seiz-
ures until the question of their right to
do to so had been determined under
the law. They denied any purpose
whatsoever to commit any contempt
of court and declared that they were
willing at all times to obey and respect
its orders.
The replies of the constables and the
commissioner being entirely satisfacto-
ry to Judge Golf, all three of the de-
PENDANTS were dismissed without any
punishment. In view of all the cir
cumstance, however, the returns crea-
ted not little amusement.