The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-12
HERE'S THE EVIDENCE.
ALL ABOUT THOSE BECKROGE CI.
CARS AND PEACHES

Mr.. scruggs Got Some, But Says He Was
Only Following the Custom oms Dam
aging Testimony Regarding Dispensary
Officials
Although all of the testimony in
the Beckroge trunk matter has not
been taken, still there is enough to
show what became of the contents
The testimony on this point is some.
what conflicting, but it is very evident
that people in the Dispensary got the
contents of the trunk. Mr.. Scruges
acknowledges taking some of the ci
ears and peaches, but pleads that he
bad no idea of doing anything wrong,
as it had been a custom for the ofticl,
ais to appropriate such things to their
own use ever since he had been con-
nected with the Dispensary. But the
evidence can best speak for itself,
and the public may form its own
conclusions. All of tie witnesses
were sworn by Judge Townsend and
all signed their testimony in his pres
ence. The following is a synopsis OF
the testimony:
CLERK sCRUGGs
was the first witness. lie testified that ne
sold the Beckroge trunk to Mr.. Garris and
that it was to be paid for on MIR. Garris next
visit to Columbia. With the day upon which
Commissioner Castor, Mr. Garris and de-
ponent went to the contrabrand room to de.
liver the trunk was the first time he had any
knowledge of the contents of the trunk to
the best of his recollection: but one thing ne
is positive about-that up to that time he
had never taken any part of the contents OF
the trunk, and at that time all he saw in the
trunk were few partially filled boxes Of
cigars and two or three cans of peaches, but
scattered on the floor were six or eight emp.
ty cigar boxes; that on that day in thepres'
ence of CASTOR and Garris deponent took o
handful of these cigars. Garris took hand
full and CASTOR took handful and he joking
ly twitted Judge CASTOR with the remark that
he could now account for the cigars which
he (Gaston) and Harry had been smoking
for several weeks; that cigars which depon-
ent took he carried into the State Board
room and gave Mr.. Williams and Mr.. Dout'
hit some of them, and told them he had got.
ten them out of the contraband room and
would get them some more, which he in
tended to do before the adjournment of the
Board and before they left the city, but in
the multiplicity of his duties it escaped his
attention. That few days after this he
went into the Board room, and got the key OF
the contraband room which belonged TO the
State Board of Control, and which was in the
custody of deponent as clerk ofthe Board, and
with Charles Lynch, cleI k in his office, and
got four boxes Of cigars partially filled, as he
remembers, and four cans Of peaches, and
instructed Lynch to take them into the OF.
flee, and the boys in the Office could eat the
peaches, and he would divide the cigars with
them; that these four boxes of cigars and
cans of peaches were utterly yalueless to the
State, as the cigars were very cheap cigars,
and he does not believe they could have
been disposed of for any consideration; that
deponent also discovered several bottles oi
domestic wine the day he took Lynch in fol-
cigars and peaches and humorously remarked
ave will get that wine, too, before some one
takes it," but as matter of fact, did not
move to take it at the time of making the re-
mark, as it was not seriously made, and he
did not take the wine, and Commissioner
CASTOR told him he had taken charge Of the
wine; that he seldom entered the contraband
room, and never unless upon urgent business
As Colonel Jones and the Attorney General
office will bear him, out there was a great
deal Of trouble with contraband seizures
made by the constables, as many threaten
ing letters were received from parties about
liquors shipped to them for personal use
that Colonel CASTOR did not attend to these
matters as promptly as Chairman Jones
thought he should and Colonel Jones told
him he and deponent would have to take
this matter in hand, and with the Attorney
General, would have to look after the return
of contraband liquors, and the only occa.
sions on which he went into the contraband
room was to refer to the records supposed to
be contained in the receiving contraband
book; that on several occasions, with the
consent of Chairman Jones, he purchased
demijohns of corn whiskey which had been
seized and forfeited to the State, and paid
therefor at the rate Of $3.50 per gallon
which the records in his Office will show
whilst the price the State Board paid for
some goods was from $l.3O to 81 95 per gal
lon; that further than herein stated, he has
never taken single article from the contra
band room; that in taking these four boxes
of cigars and cans of peaches he was only
following out custom which has been in
vogue ever since his connection with the
State Dispensary; that on divers occasions
such articles as brandy peaches, brandy
cherries, cigars and other articles other than
wines and whiskies have been placed i'll the
custody of the Commissioner and he has Of
ten given him some of such articles and also
given them to others; and to show that de-
ponent did not suppose he was committing
an act which would make him liable to cen.
sure, he gave to two members of the Board
some of these very cigars and told them
where he had gotten them; that he did say tt
Mr.. Lynch to say nothing to MIR. Blakeley,
because Blakeley was his mortal enemy, fol-
some reason he knows not why and he did
not wish any distortion of the facts, and this
was the reason he told him to say nothing tc
Blakeley about cigars or peaches; that he
had no objection to MIR. Blakeley knowing
he had taken the cigars and peaches TO the
clerks in his office, provided friendly and
legitimate construction upon what he did
was placed thereon; that when F. NJ. Mixsor
was Commissioner in 1895, Mr.. Blakeley
checked up all contraband, and he as well D.:
deponent on divers occasions has been the
recipient of these little courtesies through
the good offices of Commissioner Mixson.
COLONEL GAsToN.
Colonel Castor, in his deposition, says:
That sometime in November last he was ap
pointed pro tenn. Commissioner, and contin
ued to act as such until his retirement recent
ly. While acting remember that large
dr,nrnmer,a 4 trunk came to the QisnnnSarJ