The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-07

COLUMBUS, S. c., Sept Gone of the
biggest state scandals that has occurred
| since the days of negro rule in South
Carolina, was sprung last night by Gov
ernor Evans. If his statement is cor
rect, the dipensary system seems to have
been a gold mine to those in charge of it.
Governor Evans, it seems, has been in
| possession of the information he has given
| for a long time. 1t was entirely unex-
pected and it appears that the governor s
! exposure was due to the fact that he
had been goaded for not denying a charge
made on the stump in his campaign for
! the senate that he said that Tillman had
| lined his pockets with liquor rebates.
! This thing had acted so strongly upon
! the former friends of Evans and Tillman
/ that defeat threatened the former in the
race for the senate.
! The election comes off Friday. Evans
! held off until / o'clock this morning, when
! he came out with a denial of the state
ment. He explains that he held back the
denial upon bad advice, and then proceeds
| to make his revelations.
| Commissioner MiXson and the commits
sioner's son, an official court stenograph-
! er, are to be the objects of his ire. The
| governor asserts that presents were sent
Mixson by whisky houses, and that Mix
sons son had also accepted valuable
presents. He had called Mxson up, he
says, when it was first discovered, and
warned him that the dispensary would
be killed If any scandal was ever connect
ed with it's management.
Then he says: Shortly afterwards, Mr.
Scruggs, the bookkeeper, reported to me
that from letters he had received and
opned in Mixsons absence in the course
OF business and other
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
he was satisfied that Mixson was dealing
| with certain whisky houses exclusively
and was obtaining rebates in consideration
! thereof. [ replied to him that he was a
state officer as well as MiXson and Temp
kins, and that if he saw anything going
wrong that it was his duty to inform me
and to secure the evidence to convict
them. Mr. Scruggs reported to me that
he was satisfied that he could secure the
evidence to convict these men if 1 would
allow him to leave the state. / replied
to him that he could go whenever and
wherever he pleased on such a mission
After telling of his discovery that Mix
son was paying higher prices to one
house than other houses offered the goods,
he proceeds to tell of visit of Mixson s
son to Cincinnati, where he was enter
tanned by whisky people. Then he pro-
ceedS thus:
But to return to the efforts of Mr..
Scruggs to catch the guilty parties Mr.
Scruggs proceeded to Cincinnati and re-
turned with evidence, as he assured me,
to convict Mixson of having received re-
bates from the Live Oak Distilling COM
pany. Upon his return, he saw Mixson
and Secretary Tomp1ins before he did me
and they Immediately came up to the
mansion and stated to me that Scruggs
had been to Cincinnati and had
RETURNED WITH EVIDENCE
that Mixson's son had received thousands
of dollars from PEBBLES & Co., and the
Live Oak Distilling company and asked
me what to do. l told them if Scruggs
had told them that he had evidence TO
substantial it, the best thing to be done
was to see Mixson's son and get him to
tell the truth. They left with this de-
! termination and the next morning Mr..
Tompkins came to my Office and wrote
on slip of paper that the boy had con-
fessed everything and had gotten the
money. Mixson soon called upon me and
stated that the boy had confessed but
/ that he QlixsoO was as innocent as
lamb. He produced q letter from the
boy, in which he confessed and deplored
the fact that he had brought disgrace
upon his father and family, and had left
nome never to return. was moved with
sympathy for them and told Mixson to
see the boy and not let him run away
That If Mixson was innocent the boy had
been overreached by whisky drummers.
was called to New York on business for
the state and stopped in Washington and
told everything to Senator Tillman. Till
man suggested that Mixson should re-
sign. l returned and told Mr.. Tompkins
what Senator Tillman had said and we
agreed upon that policy, but thought it
best to wait until further developments
M1xSon came to me afterwards and stated
mat ne was innocent and his friends
had told him not to resign. / replied to
him that the board of control could only
REMOVE HIM FOR CAUSE,
and that if he could show his innocence
that we could not remove him. / saw Mr.
Tompkins and he agreed with me in this
and stated to me that Mixson's friends
mad advised him not to resign | told Mr.
Norton that feared that something was
at no r
wanted him to stand by me in my action
If the issue came. He replied that he
would do so. Mr.. Scruggs has never
handed me the written evidence but the
require 1t. The meeting of the legiSla-
ture came and ] determined in the alb
sence of proof direct against Mixson, to
drop the matter, but to take away from
him any chance of temptation, and re-
commended that the entire control be ia
ken from his hands and from the hands
of state house officers and placed in the
handS OF board consisting of five mem
bers elected by the general assembly"
Governor Evans says further: IT may
have made mistake in not giving this
expose sooner, but I have been deceived
by these people and badly advisd by my
friends, who assured me that the public
took no stock in their statements. | may
be criticised for not replying sooner but
l have injured NO one save myself. It is
with great reluctance thai ] do this now,
because l know how it will be used by
the enemies of
THE DIsPENSARY LAW
and the reform movement But in JUS
tice to my friends, who required it. and
the public, who are attempted to be de-
ceived. 1 make this statement. The par
ties connected with this matter are not
interested in this primary, but have an
other tribunal to which they can and
must appeal"
Tonight Commissioner Mixson and his
son make statements. The latter ac-
knowledges that he collected for his
brother s740.50 in whisky rebates from the
Live Oak Distilling company, but that
their father knew nothing of 1t.
Colonel Mixson, in his card, accuses
the governors brother Of a disposition to
enter into the business of which his son
is accused, and declares that several of
the governors statements are false. Mix
son, in his card, also says:
Now, since Governor Evans accuses