The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-31
PAYNE HAS STATES PROPERTY
COURT SAYS HE DID NOT OWN THE
LABORATORY HE CLAIMED.

4
CAN Upon Him to Return Property
Taken From the Capitoi-The Sit
nation the Outcome of Payne's Eff
forts to stand in with Both NeS-
hit and stevens.
Atlanta. Ca, Dec. 8o.-(SpeciaD.-Dr
George f. Payne. the erstwhile state
chemist. who received his walking papers
al the hands Of Col. o. b. stevens, COM
missioner of agriculture. when he succeed
ed Hon. r, r. Nesbitt in that Office, was
to-day again knocked out of the box so
10 speak
DIR. Payne has been having rocky ro3a
to travel since il was discovered, aboui
the time of the June primary that he was
trying to play the favorite with both Col
Nesbiti and Mr.. Stevens. the rival cand-
dates for the commissionership of agri-
4 culture. in order to hold his job whichever
might be successful. And it seems thar
his troubles are by no means settled yet.
The doctor thought he had pretty good
dose of tine bitter when Col Nesbitt, who
had appointed him to an office from which
he had drawn $4,000. called him "trai-
tor for playing into the hands Of his
opponent, Mr. Stevens; but it now looks
as II he will be lucky if ne gets off with
out a criminal prosecution at the hands
of the latter.
Payne's tribulations since the June pri-
mary have been worse than the boils that
made Jobs life miserable. Just a short
while before Mr. Stevens came into office
he thought he had things fixed to retain
his place There was no other applicant
for IT, and he was ourwardiy serene. II
looked as if his 5000 job would have
TO stay with him or go a-begging. lie
fsncied that the new commissioner re.
garded him as a political ally, despite the
debt of gratitude he owed the outgoing
Official
There Came an Explosion.
But just when things looked rosiest for
Payne, an explosion occurred in the chem
lists office The clearing away of the
smoke of this explosion showed him up
in rather an unenviable light. The out
going commissioner, who called his chem
list traitor, wanted to eXpel him from
office instanter, but could not do so with
out Gripping the public service.
The incoming commissioner said in eff
feet that man who would go back on
one friend would play the Behedict Ar
mold to another. Therefore, he began look
ing around for some one to take his place
No one had applied for it, and no one
ever did, except Payne. In the end, the
new commissioner put the JOB on a waiter
and carrying il out in town. offered it 20
Prof. John M. McCandless, who, after a
lengthy elaboration, accepted.
While the job was being carried about
over town. looking for some one to take
II, Payne heard what was going on, and
he Immediately prepared to save the frag-
ments," as it were. one night he sent
three or four dray loads of apparatus away
from the capitol. Nobody knew that he
was carrying his stuff away. and no one
Z yet knows where he stored it. All that
4 IS known-and this came out at the in
vestigaton of the legislature made by re-
quest of Commissioner Stevens-is that
the state laboratory and storeroom looked
like cyclone had struck it, and thar
considerable of the states property was
missing, when Payne finally turned over
the keys upon demand of the commissioner
Il OF agriculture.
He Claimed the Laboratory.
Payne claimed that the laboratory which
still remained in the capitol was his prop
erty lie said nothing about what he had
t9kAn away by night until others made
the discovery Then he became defiant.
and employed a lawyer to secure an in
e junction to prevent the state from using
the fra gments he had left behind.
Pending Nthe hearing of this Injunction
a he applied to the legislature for payment
for what he claimed was his property A
committee of investigation was created,
and after much labor reported against
Payne. Payne refused to see the legisla-
tive committee TO explain anything, and
THIS committee, in the absence of any
thing explanatory. found that Payne had
f been carrying off the states property.
a Valuable apparatus that vouchers showed
a had been bought and paid for by the state.
4 was missing from the laboratory, and the
4 committee nor anybody else was able to
discover what had become of it.
Court Decides Against Him.
To-day the decision of the court in the
injunction case handed down This
decision, which was prepared by Judge J.
Fl. Lumpkin, after careful thought and
consideration, conforms with what the
new commissioner of agriculture and the
legislative committee have said 1t shows
that Payne did not own the laboratory
which he claimed, because The state had
8 paid him for it. and practically leaves the
8 commissioner of agriculture 10 alternative
but TO compel Payne 90 return to the cap
II itol what he carried away.
Commissioner Stevens is not here this
3 week. and 1t is not known what specific
methods he will employ. But since there
Is undoubted evidence that Payne took
x away apparatus that belonged 10 the state.
a and never brought to the capitol other
( things that the state paid for in connec-
+ ton with the laboratory, it seems that il
will be incumbent upon the Commissioner
of Agriculture, as the custodian of this
n property, to adopt summary measures If
Fl DR.. Payne persists in his refusal to make
4 discovery and disgorse whatever he has
taken that does not lawfully belong to
him.
Commissioner Stevens will be here next
hs
further developn.p hts in the case. and
these Developments may be dramatic ia
detail If past events, political and other
wise, count for aught