The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-09-22
ness and was threatened with nervous
apfOstration.

ness and was threatened with nervous
pfostration.
On account of my ill-health and tn,
4 rapidly increasing demands on IN,
time in consequence of the large volume
OF falfand winter business, was forced
\ to defer my trip until the followins
& February. Reaching Cincinnati ask et
4 the manager of the Live Oak Distillins
Il l'Company why his firm had discharged
Il Nh. White. He replied that Mr.. Whit,
a had not been listed as salaried en-
Il ployee Tor employer, diSremembel
"A iwhichl OF his firm. That he White
4 had represented TO them that he haC
1great influence with the Dispensar,
authorities in South Carolina ant
Ecould control the trade in the interest
4 OF any house he chose, and he had re
4 recommended the live Oak Distllline
i slsCompany as a house that sold the besj
4 grade OF whiskies for the money of any
Il house in the West. Upon that repre-
sentation they agreed to pay him com
4 mission or brokerage ON all whiskies
that he would sell aud stated to me
that they had done SO to the amount OF
jsbetween$l, 500 and 81, 900. They further
4 stated, AS a reason for subsequently,
deelaeing their trade "off with Mr.
1 isANhlte, that they could not afford to
itt'e,J peLDlOASINS0 w JOUu w ullS anU
/ dtxsQh; further stating that it was
fstrietly business agreement which thew
{ had with Mr.. White to pay him q
I rokerage on all the trade which his
Sstforts or influence brought to the firm;
fthat subsequently he was informed
Ithat Mr.sWbite's influence had come
3tg an end and that be entered into the
/ eRme agreement with w. T. Mixson-
llsSl ~ Mixson making the same repre-
sentations which Mr.. White had form
leefty made as to his ability to control
the trade.
told the manager that either he
lSSSas being imposed upon or else the
!SpuEohasing power of the Dispensary
tswas .prostituting his authority and sug-
]fi5est I'd that he discontinue this practice.
hesreplied that the Dispeusary au-
lsthorities were strangers to him and
sb9at was only business matter
lsssith5his firm; that the proposition
had peen made to them by these
Eparsies; to throw the trade into their
ishandstor reasonable commission and
as asbnsiness proposition it was agreed
10, sbptH questionable he would stop it.
Ibis is to the best of my recoilec
stlon the hesconversation which look place
between the manager of the Live Oak
Company and myself. The result of
my yinvestigation was | discovered that
the sum OF So, ,669.45 had been collected
by w. 7. Mixson and $500 so by James
Mixson, aggregating So, ,3599
Immediately returned to Columbia.
arriving here late at night. The next
morning sent for Secretary of State
Iompkins, is my neighbor, and re-
ported to him the facts in the case as
a member Of the board. | told him to
tell Colonel Mixson to call at my house.
COL Mixson came around and | told
him of my discovery and told bin that
the indications were to my mind that
he was party in it. This he solelnnly
swore was not the case. The next
morning | called on Governor Evans
and made verbal report to him Of my
investigation, and toldbim vas ready
20 mana II, 3 written statement Of it
whenever he wished me to do so. He
told me to keep the matter quiet just
then and thathe would see me and talk
over the matter, within few days
Several days after called again to see
the Governor. He then told me that
Colonel eTompkins and Commissioner
Mlxson had called to gee him on tho
nightof the morning after my return
from Cincinnati, and that they had
stated that w. L. Nilsson had con-
tessed everything and that no case
could be made against Commissioner
MlXson. remarked to Governor Evans
that L was ready to hand in my official
report whenever he desired it, and he
rep led that he would let me know
when he wanted it: that w. II. MiXsOn
had confessed and as there was no way
TO reach him through the law he did
not then see what good the report
could do.
1t was my intention to proceed to
Baltimore from Cincinnati to investi-
gate at that end OF the line, but de-
clded to first return to Columbia and
then proceed to Baltimore from here.
But as the investigation resulted as it
Gid dismissed the ideauf any further
prosecution Of the investigation, and
this was the end of the matter so far
as l was concerned.
Mr.. Barber asked Mr. Scruggs to turn
to that portion of his evidence, referr-
ing to amounts paid to Mixson's boys
and asked where he got his informa-
tion, from the booksp
Mr.. Scruggs: Yes, but have no GER
tilted copy. The amounts appeared
In the cash book Of the company
made a memorandum of dates, but
haven't them with me. The books
were for 1895 and 1896, the last pay
n cat being made in 1896. / didn't see
any receipts for the amounts. Manager
Yost talked to me and showed me the
books. He said it was simply busi-
ness proposition, but if it was wrong he
would stopit.
Mr. Barber asked him about those
letters previously referred to.
Mr.. Scruggs replied there were only
two.
Governor Evans: am positive
there is letter about Whites commits
sion. | told you to keep it,
MIR. Scruggs: No, that was only u
conversation.
Mr.. Barber: What facts led you to
suppose rebates we're being gotten in
Baltimore
Mr.. Scruggs just analogy. / sup
posed il they were being gotten in
Cincinnati the same thing was going
on in Baltimore.
Mr.. Barber: Did you find any facts
that would be conclusive on F. M.
Mixsoh
Mr.. Scruggs: No, that's just the
trouble. | saw nothing to show that
he knew his sons were getting commits
sions. | saw nothing against Colonel
Tompkins. There was only one suspi-
cious circumstance against him, which
[ remarked to Governor Evans, and
that was his intimacy with Mixson.
asked him why he stuck to Mixson
and he said he didn't believe he was
guilty.
Colonel Tompkins Well, is there
| anything suspicious about that?