The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-10-11
South Carolina Dispensary Takes q
Sensational Turn.

COLUMBIA, S. c., October "a bomb
could not have caused more of a sensa
ton, had it dropped in the dispensary
board of control meeting to-day, than
did the report OF the special committee
of that board appointed month ago to
investigate the management of the in
stitution, which is under the direct
charge Of Commissioner j. B. Douthit.
Mr.. Douthit was elected by the legisla-
ture to be member of the board OF
control and was then elected State
liquor commissioner.
Ten days ago the chairman OF the
board, on verbal reports made to him
by the investigating committee, re-
moved bookkeeper Outse. To-day the
board did not hesitate five minutes in
removing Commissioner Douthit. No
action has yet been taken as to prose-
cution. The commissioner was found
short 81, 1856 in the contraband depart
ment-that is goods to that amount
have been disposed of by him on his
own account. But the sensational fea-
ture is what the committee describes
as the preparation of "a fraud Oh the
people of South Carolina"
ID
Ky of the common zone NJ brand was
bottled off by the thousand of gallons
and labeled "three " and "four x"
the charges on the consumer being
cOrrespOndingly increased. Also case
goods Of the manufacture Of one house
and inferior, were labeled with the
name and guarantee of another firm OF
national reputation. This was done in
the case OF several firms that supplied
cease goods to the dispensary, the
dispensary doing the bOttling. There
was vast quantity of evidence and
affidavits.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Oct. .4.-Yesterday's
revelations in the dispepsaly board OF
control continue to be the subject OF
much interest. Commissioner DOuthit,
who was SO summarily removed from
ment until he has an opportunity to
he was expected to rcfutc in fifteen
minutes the statements and charges Of
the examining committee, when they
had been preparing their report for
three weeks. Two members of the
board of control, Williams and Boy
kin, support Douthit III his claim that
he should have had hearing and been
given time to prepare evidence.
that he has worked hard to manage the
dispensary decently and without refer
cnce to politics OF faction, and he feels
now like giving up hoping to make it
the success they had expected. ga
house divided against itself cannot
stand"
1t is not known how long the practice
Of putting fraudulent labels on the
liquor has been going on, but 1T has
certainly been in practice for months,
and in that time the whiskey drinkers
have paid for good deal Of quality
that they have not got. Liquor that
was worth 81 gallon has been selling
for SO and $3.50, and other grades IN
the same ratio.
The brands of a famous Baltimore
house, where case goods sell for S1S a
dozen, have been used on liquor worth
$40. Just what action the firm will
take is not known.
A member of the examining commit
tee says:
eve deemed it our duty to report
the facts to the board as they really
appear, but the conclusion cannot be
escaped that this scheme of changing
the labels on whisky shipped out could
have been for no other purpose than to
create way for collecting more money
for the goods sent out to local dlspen-
saries than the same we're invOlced Tor
to the commissioner; and further, to
create the impression on the members
Of the board that certain brands were
becoming popular"
Then a reference was made by the
committeeman to the proceedings or
the board last month. At that meet
ing Commissioner Douthit asked the
board to change the amount OF the
order of certain brand fixed on, and
to order more of that brand, rs that
whisky was becoming very popular
and it was hard to keep it III stock.
Now. the evidence submitted shows
that the whisky the commission asked
for in large quantities WAS the low
grade brand he was sending out with
high grade labels.
The inference of the committees
statement is that the commissioners had
Il double Oblect-Onc to collect more
money from the local dispensers than
he was accountable for to the State,
and the other that he was interested IN
heavy sales of a certain low grade
whisky.
Friends of the dispensary look on
these revelations as, very opportune.
Suspicion has ever rested on its man-
agement and when revelations are
made by reformcrs themselves, 1t
wcakens the system throughout the
State.
George Johnston and George Z.
Prince, from Ncwberry and Anderson
respectively, arrived in the city to-day.
They are able lawyers and came down
at tile request of eXCommissi0ncr Dou-
thit to attempt to gct.the board to give
him certificate of character. The
board has been wrangling all day, the
two friends of Douthit having fought
for reconsideration in vain. They,
have givcl up hoping for that and will
be satisfied il the majority can be per-
suadcd to say that he did not contcm-
plate fraud.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Oct. 5.-Thc attor-
ncys for State Liquor Commissioner }.
b. Douthit, who was removed from
office by the board of control to-day.
notified the board that Douthit would
refuse to give up the office till the
courts had passed on his case. Don-
thit was dismissed after being given
fifteen minutes to defend himself from
the charges of ''pcrpctlating 4 gross
fraud on the people of South Carolina,