The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-07-01

and stocks placed without paving e
if practicable" )" It was
agreed that the interl st should COM
mence to run from the 1st ofJanuary,
1898. The reason FOR this is set forth
in the message from Governor Till
man to the General Assembly. Mr..
Rhind had contract with the bond
SYNDICATE whereby he was to be paid
one and one-half per cent as commls
sion for his labors. After the bonds
had been paid for and Mr. Rhind's COM
mission was due some members OF the
syndicate thought Rhind was getting
too much under his contract with them
and refused to allow the commission
paid. I was employed by Mr.. Rhlnd
to proceed to Baltimore to take lega!
steps to collect his commisson. L did
so and associated with me major K:
NJ. Nenable. The case has been tried
in the lower Court and a judgment
has been rendered in favor OF Mr.:
Rhind. An appeal has been taken and
will not be heard for several months.
As stated by Mr.. Rhind in his testl-
monv, the amount of my fee las not
been agreed upon. When was elect
ed Governor l retired from the man
aeement of the case and turned tower
to Major Venable and Mr.. Baetger,
and they have examined me as a wit.
ness, as well as Governor Tillman and
others. Ny testimony, SIS well as Gov,
ernor Tillman's is a matter Of record
in the Court and l have the record
here for your inspection.
l have never concealed anything as
10 nv connection with this matter and
shall not attempt to do so. l, as Gov.
ernor of South Carolina, cannot afford
to notice every anonymous scriboler
in newspapers, nor every cowardi5y
cur that barkS at me, but as canol'
date for the Senate. however, l deem
it lust to you as we'll as to myself to
give TO YOU the facts Of this matter
The attempt has been made to create
the impression that Governor IllIman
and Treasurer Bates, who conducted
tae sale of said bonds, aud I: who as
sisted them as far as | could, have
been paid consideration by Mr..
Rhind or bv the syndicate who took
the bonds for allowing them to pay
for the bonds we were so anxious to
get rid of. This came, lam Informed
from the pen Of one A. B. Williams,
whose letters were published in the
New York Times, but not over his own
signature. Mr.. Williamsis well known
to YOU as the late editor OF the Green
vile News and any reference to him
is unnecessary. The substance of his
insinuations, which have beon pub,
lished in full in the State papers, is tc
the effect that the Richmond broker
told them (the syndicate) he under
stood, presumably from Mr.. Rhlnd,
that the bulk Of the sum was to be
divided among parties in South Coro
lima, who had political influence.
The New York broker who was IN
close association with Mr.. Rhind and
whose opportunities for knowledge
were best of all, replied that they
would better not investigate that; thai
it was to 60 to the people, who woalt
better not be known" This statement
is based substantially upon the testi
mcny of T. E. Hambleton, member
of the syndicate which purchased the
bond, and the man who is trying tc
keep from paying Mr.. Rhind's com
mission.
The Richmond broker referred to i:
Major John Shelton Williams. Or
page 206 of his sworn testimony il:
said case he says, ''that Golden Rhind
never informed him as to who his as
sociates were and that he could MOI
have informed any person as to whe
they were, as he did not know him
self" The New York broker referred
to is B. A. Lancaster, who on Page 22l
of his sworn testimony referring te
Mr.. Rhnd, said substantially thai
he did not know who the parties II
South Carolina were to whom MIR
Rhind expected to make the payment
that he had never given him the
names of either the lawyers or any
one else employed by him as to who
was TO have the amount he was to re
ceive."
R. c. Davidson, president of tht
Trust Company, and manager OF tn
syndicate, says substantially in hi!
testimony, Page 259: '.At one OF the
meetings, I cannot remember the date
T. E. Hambleton asked Mr.. Lancastel
in my presence for information as tt
whom the II per cent commission wa!
to sbe paid. and whether any OF tht
money was for political purposes o.
influence. Mr.. Lancaster's reply wa:
that the whole II per cent commission
was to be paid to Mr.. Rhind and thai
if any portion of if did not 60 to him
Mr.. Rhind, he did not know where !
went"
Mr.. Eambletcn evidently knew
Governor Tillrnan and believed that i
would not be safe for him to intimate
that any one could influence him o.
that he could be bought, Here is wha
heswears:
Q. "Tllman states that you com
planned of having made so little be
cause of Rhind's commission.
A. Il never mentioned Rhind o.
Rhind's commission from the fact tha
had been put on guard by Lancaste,
and Williamson referring tothis thing
that a certain amount of money or
this two million dollars of bonds wa:
to be paid to Mr.. Rhind and it woule
not do for me to investigate it; that
knew enough about politics to under
stand that certain people had a pull
and intimated to me that that was go
ing to parties, the powers that be and
for that reason was particularly eau
tious not to mention such a thing tc
Tillman less it might cause him to ly
up"
Let me 60 little further, l spoke
about the expenses incurred in this
thing and that somebody was drawing
commission. I recollect saying thai
very well, and he CTil-man) said we
had no business paying the commits
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