The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-05-11
THE BECKROGE TRUNK AND lis CONTENTS
FREE LIQUOR, CIGARS AND
PEACHES.


pirate Goods Under Seizure to
Their Own Use-Custom Makes
the Law in this Case.
The testimony in the matter of Beck
roge's trunk and its contents, which
had been seized by the dispensary au-
thorltles, Is quite voluminous and in
teresting so far as it has appeared.
The affidavits were taken by Judge c..
T. Townsend, the assistant attorney
general, and were signed in his pres
ence. The evidence to show what be-
came OF the contents OF the trunk ia
somewhat conflicting, but it is evident
that people in the disponsary got the
contents OF the trunk. Mr.. Scruggs
acknowledges taking some OF the ci-
gars add peaches, but pleads that he
had no idea OF doing anything wrong,
as it had been custom for the officials
TO appropriate such things to their own
use ever since he had been connected
with the dispensary Blu, the evidence
can best speak for itself, and the pub
lie may form it's own conclusions.
CLERK SCRUGGS TESTIFIES.
Mr.. Seth w. Scruggs, chief clerk of
the dispousary, aIIor oeing owurn,eaid
That to the bert of his recollection
Mr.. 9. w. Garr.s told him there was a
trunk In the contraband room he want
ed to buy. Deponent told him he did
not think the trunk could be used as
the lock was broken and L1ere was no
key to the trunk that he knew of, Mr..
Garris then suggested that he could
have another lock put on, and deponent
told him II he would 60 up town and
see Mr.. Husemann, perhaps he could
put u new lock on 1t, which he did;
that during the March meeting of the
Board OF Control Mr.. Garris came for
the trunk, and Commissioner CASTOR
and deponent went in the contraband
room and let him hate it, Mr.. Garris
insisted upon paying for the trunk at
that time, but depO,ent told him that
he did not know whist price to place on
the trunk and he wtuld have to obtain
the price of trunks from some dealer
in Columbia before price could be
fixed. Mr.. Garris still insisted upon
an agreement as p price so that bo
could pay for 1t. DSonent replied that
he had no intelllgeit idea OF the worth
of the trunk, and bad no time then to
ascertain the WORT of the trunk, as the
Boa was at that moment in session
and he had to getback to the meeting
to attend to businss; that he told Mr..
Garrls that he wdld send him the bill
for the trunk as son as the price was
fixed or that he puld pay for it on his
next visit to Columbia. He replied ~
will call In the mkt time / come to Co |
lumbia and pay fir =" that ne report
ed the sale of til trunk to the State
Board OF Control That the day upon
which Com missiher CASTOR, Mr.. Gar.
ris and deponen went to the contra
band room to deker the trunk was the |
first time he haaany knowledge of the !
contents OF the funk to the best OF his |
recollection; bJ one thing he is posi- |
tive about-thahp to that time he had |
never taken an!part Of the contents of |
the trunk. and that time all he saw |
In the trunk w{e few partially filled |
boxes OF cigarslnd two or three cans
of peaches, bu scattered on the floor
| were six or eipt empty cigar boxes
| that on that $y in the presence OF |
CASTOR and Gals the depOnent took a |
handful of theb cigars. Garris took a |
handful and GtOn took u handful and |
he jokingly tytted Judge CASTOR with
! the remark tlt he could now account |
for the cigarsy yhich he (Gaston) and
Harry had tbn smoking for several
weeks; thatcigars which deponent
took he carrH into the State Board
room and g& Mr.. Williams and Mr..
Douthit somof them, and told them
he had gotH them out of the contra
band room nd would got them some
more, wbiche intended to do before
the adj0urrent Of the Board and be-
f)re they y the city, but in the mul-
tiplicity offs duties 1t escaped his at
tention.
That o q days after this he went
into the bfd room. and got the key
of the cont ybaud room which belonged !
| to the SIC board OF control and
which wa N the custody OF deponept
as clerk ohe board, and with Charles
Lynch, ERIK In his office, and got |
four boxPf cigars partially filed, as |
he remeubrs, and four cans of peeckos,
and instIted Lynch to take them in
to the oif, and the boys In the Office |
could ogthe peaches, and he would |
divide teigars with them; that these |
four hoIof cigars and cans OF peaches |
were utfy valueless to the State, as |
the cig8were very CHEAP cigars, and |
no doeaot believe they could have |
been dibsed Of for any consideration;
, that dehent also discovered several |
: bottles domestic wine the day he |
took 1 ch In for cigars and peaches |
and h,brously remarked "We will |
, get th wine, too, before some one |
takes but as @ matter Of fact. did |
b not md to take 1t at the time OF max. |
, ing th bmark, as 1t was not seriously |
made,d he did not take the wine,
, and Qmissioner CASTOR told him he |
had tan charge of the wine; that he |
1 seldoHntered the contraband room,
l aud fdr unless upon urgent business. |
: saera ionel Jones and tho Attorney |
t~as d osA office will bear me out, there |
''"oanaSsest deal OF trouble with con-