The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-05-13
No Preliminary HEARING.
Col. CASTOR and Mr.. Scruggs Give
a Bond of $400 Each.
THUS ENDS THE SCANDAL,
For the Time, at Least--The Amdav-
its Attached to the Warrants Specify
the Instances.


another column, Messrs. CASTOR and
scruggs were arrested Friday, but at
that time the afidsvits could
not be given in the case, so
the following from the Columbia
Register Of the sth explains itself in
the matter of the Beckroge trunk scan
dal:
The warrants against Colonel CASTOR
and Mr.. Scruggs were sworn out yes
terday morning before Magistrate
Smith by Mr.. L. J. Williams. Both
are charged with official misconduct un-
der the common law.
The warrants were put in the hands
of Constable Hsrtin to serve, but before
he could do so Colonel CASTOR appeared
at Judge Smiths Office and was admit
ted to bail in the sum fof S4O0. Major
B. B. Evans and Gen. John Gary Watts
signed the bond. There was no preliIni-
nary hearing. Colonel CASTOR had gone
to the Office early in the morning e9-
pecting the warrant to be there, but it
was not, and he waited.
About 5 o'clock in the afternoon
Mr.. Scruggs came in and was released
on q bond Of S40O, signed by James E.
Payne and W. G. Scruggs, Of Green
vile.
The warrant in the case of Mr..
Scruggs charges that con or about the
first day of March, 1897, one Seth W.
Scruggs did commit official misconduct
by taking and carrying away from tho
contraband room in the State Dispen-
sary four boxes of cigars and four canH
of peaches and other articles, the prop
erty of the State, while engaged in the
discharge of his duties as clerk and
bookkeeper Of the State Board Of Con-
troll in said State Dispensary, with IN
tent to defraud the State of South Caro-
lima, as fully set forth in the affidavit
hereto attached"
The affidavit was made before Magis.
trate Smith by Mr.. L. j. Williams, and
is as follows:
Personally appeared before me L. J.
Williams, who, after being duly sworn,
says: That he Is q member Of the State
Board Of Control; that Seth W. Scruggs
of the county and State aforesaid, was
duly elected clerk of the State Board Of
Control on the - day Of April, 1895,
and at that time entered upon the du-
ties of said Office and continued in the
discharge Of the same until the 7th day
of May, 1897, when his successor was
duly elected; that during the time he
was clerk of the said board, his duties
were defined and prescribed by said
board, which were to act as bookkeeper
of said board, to have the custody and
zf oil m,
the control of the said board, to keep
the minutes of the board and to dis
charge all other duties appertaining to
clerk of the Board.
That he is informed by q number OF
persons who have made af6davits, and
believes that Seth w. Scruggs, while
so acting as bookkeeper and clerk of
the said Board of Control did, on or
about the first of March A. D. 1897,
procure key for room in the State
Dispensary, in which all liquors and
other property seized and forfeited to
the State are kept, and which was in
keeping and control Of the State Com
missioner, but under the general con-
troll of the Board, and with the said key
did enter the said room, without the
knowledge or consent of the State Com
missioner and the State Board of Con-
troll, and take therefrom and carry
away four boxes of cigars and four cans
of peaches, property of the State OF
South Carolina, which had been forfeit
ed to it, of the value of 81, and did ap-
propriate the same to his own use, with
intent thereby to defraud the State and
damage the public and in grave viola
ton Of his said duties as clerk and
bookkeeper.
That he is informed by the persons
who made afidavits as aforesaid that
the said Seth w. Scruggs, while acting
as such bookkeeper and clerk of the
Board of Control as aforesaid, did, on
divers occasions, between the - day
of April, 1896, and the 7th day of May,
1897, enter the said contraband room
with KEY then in his possession, other
than the one in the possession Of the
State Commissioner, claiming that the
said kew was one provided for the use
of the State Board of Control, when, in
fact, so far rs he knows, the board had
no such key, and had not authorized him
to provide such key for the said hoard,
and that with such false key the said
Seth w. Suggs did open and enter the
contraband room aforesaid and did take
therefrom one box of cigars and four
cans of peaches of the value of 81, the
property of the State of South Carolina,
with the intent to defraud the State of
South Carolina, by appropriating the
said articles to his own use, in gross
violation of his duties as such clerk and
bookkeeper to the damage Of the public
and to the evil example of all others in
like cases offending.
That is he informed by the persons
aforesaid that Seth w. Scruggs, while
acting as such clerk and bookkeepe-
and holding said Office, between the
day of April A. D. 1896, and the
sth day of May 1897, on-divers occa-
sions procured key and entered the
said contraband room, which was under
control of the Commissioner, subject to
the general control of the State Board,
and did take and carry away therefrom
cigars and other articles of personal
property of the value of 5000, the prop
erty of the State of South C0rolina with
intent to defraud the State, by appro-
priating them to his own use, and to the
damage and injury of the public and by
such acts was guilty of gross official
misconduct: that all the acts herein