The record-union., 1896-09-07
A Sensation Sprung by Governor John
G. Evans.
Charges the State Commissioner
and His Son With Receiv-
ing Presents From Certain
Whisky Houses Who Furnish
the Liquor for the Dispensaries-
The Commissioner Retaliates
With Charges Against the Gov
ernOr.
ernOr.

COLUMBUS Is. CO, Sept. Gone OF
the biggest State scandals that has oc-
Cured since the days of negro rule IN
South Carolina was sprung last night
by Governor Evans. If his statement Is
correct, the dispensary system seems to
have been a gold mine to those in
charge of it, Governor Evans, it seems,
has been in possession of the informa-
ton he has given for a long time. 1t
was entirely unexpected, and it appears
that the Governors exposure was due
to the fact that he had been goaded for
not denying charge made on the
stump in his campaign for the Senate
that he had 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 1 o'clock this morning,
when he came out with denial OF the
statement. He explains that he held
back the denial upon bad advice, and
then proceeds to make his revelations
Commissioner Mixson and the Commis-
sioner's son, an official court Stenog-
rapher, are the objects Of his ire. The
Governor asserts that presents were
sent Mixson by whisky houses, and that
Mixson's son had always accepted val
liable presents. He had called Mixson
up, he says, when it was first discov
cred, and warned him that the dispen-
sary would be killed if any scandal was
ever connected with it's management.
Then he says: Shortly afterwards
Mr. Scruggs. the bookkeeper, reported
to me that from letters he had received
and opened in Mixsons absence in the
course of business, and other suspicious
circumstances, he was satisfied that
Mixson was dealing with certain
whisky mouses exclusively and was OBJ
tanning rebates in consideration thereof.
/ replied to him that he was a State
officer as we'll as Mixson, and that if he
saw anything going wrong it was his
duty to inform me and to secure evil
dence to convict them. Mr.. Scruggs re-
ported to me that he was satisfied that
he could secure the evidence to convict
these men if would allow him to leave
the State. I replied to him that he
could go whenever and wherever he
pleased on such mission
After telling of his discovery that
Mixson was paying higher prices to one
house than other houses offered the
goods, he proceeds to tell of a visit Of
Mixson's son to Cincinnati, where he
was entertained by whisky people Then
the proceeds thus:
But to return to the efforts of Mr..
Scruggs to catch the guilty parties.
Mr.. Scruggs proceeded to Cincinnati
and returned with evidence, as he as
sured me, to convict Mixson Of having
received rebates from the Live Oak Dis
tilling Company. Upon his return he
saw Mixson and Secretary Thompson
before he did me, and they Immediately
came 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 Peebels & Co. and the
Live Oak Distilling Company, and
asked me what to do. / told them if
Scruggs had told them that he had evil
dence to substantiate it the best thing
to be done was to see Mixson's son and
get him to tell the truth. They left with
this determination, and the next morn
ing Mr.. Tompkins came to my office
and wrote on a slip of paper that the
boy had confessed everything and had
got the money.
"Mixson soon called upon me and
stated that the boy had confessed, but
that he (Mixson was as innocent as a
lamb. He produced a 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
home never to return. 1 was moved
with sympathy for them, and told Mix
son to see the boy and not let him run
away; that If Mixson was innocent the
boy had been overreached by whisky
drummers.
Il was to New York on business for
the State, and stopped in Washington
and told everything to Senator Tillman.
Tillman suggested that Mixson should
resign. / returned and told Mr.. Tomp-
kins what Senator Tillman had said,
and we agreed upon that policy. but
thought it best to wait until further
developments. Mixson came to me after
ward and stated that he 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 Mix
sons friends had advised him not to re-
sign. l told Mr. Norton that 1 feared