The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-09-16
MORE LIGHT STILL.
MAT SECRETARY OF STATE TOMP-
kINs SAYS ABOUT THE SCANDAL

KlNS SAYS ABOUT THE SCANDAL.
ooroborstes Commissioners MIxson In Some
ofHts Statements and DIsclalms All Re-
sponsibllity for the Rascality In the Dis
pensary Matter.
Secretary OF State Tompkins return
ed to the city yesterday afternoon.
He at once wrote the following nd
dress.
To the Public:
In Governor Evans eFusion, pub
lished in the newspapers Of this date,
while he doesn't charge me in the be-
ginning with having anything to DO
with the whiskey rebates, he uses the
following language, by which sup
pose he intends to include Inc. The
latter sentence can be constructed IN
no other way, viz; Shortly after
wards, Mr.. Scruggs, the bookkeeper,
reported to me that from letters he had
received and opened in Mixson's alb.
sence in the course of business, and
other suspicious circumstances, he
was satisfied that Mixson was dealing
with certain whiskey houses exclusive
ly and was obtaining rebates in con-
sideration thereof. | replied to him
that he WAS State officer, as well as
Mixson and Tompkins, and that If ne
saw anything going wrong that it was
his duty to inform me and to secure
fhe evidence to convict THEM. Mr..
Scruggs reported to me that he was
satisfied he could secure the evidence
& to convict THESE MEN if / would
allow him to leave the State" Fur
zkher on he says: "But to return to
be- efforts of Mr.. Scruggs to catch the
9uilty PARTIES. Mr.. Scruggs pro.
ceeded to Cincinnati. and returned
with evidence, as he assured me, to
convict Mixson with having received
rebates from the Live Oak Distilling
company"
On the morning of Feb. II, last,
Mr.. Scrugys sent for me before l had
gotten out of bed. I Immediately got
up and went to his house. He told
me then that he had been to Cincin-
natfand had found that the Live Oak
Distilling company had paid young
aGxson q large amount of money. He
said he wanted to see Col. Mixson,
but wished to do so before he went to
the Office. He also asked me not to
say anything about the matter to any
body else. As soon as | got my
breakfast I went to the dispensary
md told Mixson that Scruggs wished
see him at his house. After l had
en my dinner and about dark in
AFTERNOON, l went to see MiXson
bby my advice he went with me to
yl1e governors mansion, and in my
presence he told the governor all
Scruggs had said. Governor Evans
statement that asked him what to do,
is false. l did not do anything of the
Akind, but expressly told him when l
hot up to leave that Mixson, under my
kyice, bad come to tell him as Cover.
and chairman of the State board
Rntrol, of the matter, and that if
Id not told him that would have
p myself. That I did not think,
be circumstances, l could af-
Akeep secret of that kind.
left he asked us to say moth
natter, as he wished to see
Ruld report it to him.
ke went to Washington
ame back he told me he
etor Tillman and he
should resign and
Inn to do so. I went
ls0n and commenced to talk to
hiM on the subject and he stopped me
and said: 81 have already told Gov
ernor Evans that he could get my re-
sigpation whenever he wished it."
I heard nothing more of it for sew
eral days, when Mixson told me that
several of his friends and Governor
Evans had told him not 10 resign;
that he had been guilty of no wrong
and he ought not to resign. In day
or two I happened to be in the COVER
nor's Office and he told me he had ad.
vised Mixson not to resign. and said
"All right" Mixson had told me his
friends advised him not to resign. 1t
must be borne in mind that when this
happened there had not been a meet
ing of the State board OF control for
more than a year. Governor Evans
had performed absolutely all the du-
ties of the whole board of control, and
conceived it to be my duty ''de
jure" member of the State board of
control to report the matter to him as
the governor of the State and as the
chairman of the State board of con.
troll. II there had been a meeting of
the whole board would have report
ed it to them. After l put him in pos
session of the facts l had nothing more
to do with it except TO see Mixscn to
get him to resign, when 1 was met
with the statement that he had already
told the governor he would resign
whenever he wanted him to.
Further the governor says: The
meeting of the legislature came, and l
determined in the absence of proof
against Mixson to drop the matter,
but to take away from HIM any
chance of temptation, and recon-
mended that the entire control be tax
en- from his hands and from the hands
of the State house officers and placed
in the hands of a board consisting of
FIVE members elected by the general
assembly. This offended Secretary
Tompkius, who stated that in view of
the charges made it would look like
kicking him out by reason thereof"
The whole statement is untrue.
Scruggs made his statement to me on
the 18th day of February and Mix
son informed Gov. Evans of it the
same night. The legislature had