The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-10-18

U. OuZlS HIS SlN Cu W tllC PuDiiS no
first installment Of lispensary revela-
tions. containing about 10000 words.
He addresses himself "tO the State
Board of Control" AS a preface he
says:
Gas I have by avote Of majority of
your members been denied the hearing
to which I had a right in which had
been promised by your chairman, l
intend making my defense in the pub
lie prints. At the same time | will go
further and show the characters OF the
men by whom was so summarlly de-
posed, and of their fellow conspirators.
I am deposed because [ violated an
order of the Board of Control-an order
which the two honorable members OF
the board assert was modified to per
init the very action which was alleged
as the reason for my removal. | will
show how members of the board violate
the dispensary law and how employees
at the dispensary, who are pets OF the
majority faction Of the board, violate
the boards orders and are not even re-
primanded for their misconduct. AS
the majority faction seems anxious to
wash dirty linen, | will first prove that
mine is clean, and then give them some
dirty linen OF their own to clean"
Then he proceeds to argue that this
action in selling contraband liquor,
while against a resolution OF the board,
had been in reality made null by. sub,
sequent action, and was so considered
by at least two members Of the board.
"The majority faction, which is plot
ting to get absolute control OF the dis
pensaly, filling all positions with its
henchman, had decided to remove all
employees who we're not Subservlent to
it. They did not intend to fully and
fairly investigate the conduct OF such
employees, but preferred one-slded
testimony. At the September meeting
of the board, Messrs. Haselden and
Williams were appointed to investl-
gate the contraband room and its ac-
counts. MIR. Haselden wanted Mr..
Williams to meet him in Columbia on
Wednesday following the adjournment
of the September meeting of the board.
Mr.. Williams said he had important
engagements up to and including
Wednesday, but would meet Mr..
Haselden in Columbia any day after
Wednesday, They parted with the
understanding that Mr.. Haselden was
to notify Mr.. Williams when to come
to Columbia to go to work on the IN
yestigation, which he never did, but
returned to Columbia before Wednes-
day and gave to the newspapers a
Springs. Mr.. Williams saw that state
ment in the papers and continued to
wait for notification when to come to
Columbia. The next thing he saw was
statement that he had been supplanted
on the committee by Ir. Robinson,
without notice to him.
s'It was then two Of a kind and MIR.
Haselden was atliberty to proceed with
his One-sided investigation. Neither L
nor Mr.. Douthit were asked Tor any
explanation of the charges cOncOcted
by the one-sided process.
.On the night of the Goth OF 21st Of
September, r. G. Robinson, who had
loosened his tongue with liquor, told
me in front Of Higgins store, on Main
street, that Haselden had set a trap for
Douthit. and had caught him in it..
After asking him several times what
the trap was, he said it was in selling
contraband liquor at the State dispen-
the shipping clerks book as required
by the resolutions of the board at the
last board meeting. Was the trap the
addition of the words, through the
regular channels?' Probably at the
time of that conversation Dir. Robin
son did not know that Chief Constable
Haseldcn wanted my scalp also and,
therefore, spoke as q strong friend,
which he always claimed to be, espc-
cially since 1896. | and my relatives
worked for and carried Edgefield coun-
ty for him as the candidate for State
Superintendent OF Education. But
when Boss Haseldcn popped the whip
over his back he forgot his friendship
and sense Of obligations to me, and
also forgot his statement to ne after.
hearing my explanation OF my sale OF
that bottle OF gin, that he did not see
how | could have done otherwise than
obey the instructions OF the commits
sioner.
Il have shown that there was no just
cause for my suspension. But | WAS
not suspended for wha. did, though
that was alleged rs the cause. | was
suspended because a political clique
wanted me removed from the dispcn-
sary. They are bound together by Il
community of interest, their prcdomi-
nant feeling being a thirst for revenge
and desire to get complete control OF
the dispcnsary for use us a political
machine and more venal aims, which
can be understood from the charges
and specifications which will make.
When Haselden and Robinson, the in
yestigating committee, were in C0lum-
bia they left the work of conducting
the Investigation as to the contraband,
which committee was appointed to
do, to BoOkkeepcr Mobley and Inspector
Moody and spent their time caucusing
with Chairman Miles and the conspira-
tors. A caucus was held in the office
of State officer, and it was decided to
suspend me without giving me amy
notice Or asking Inc for any cXplana-
tion of the charges against me. This
determination was talked around Co.
lumbia nearly an hour before ] was
notified of my suspension; a friend OF
mine heard it at the upper end OF Main
street and walked down town to Il tele-
phone and told me that the gang had
fixed to make it hot for me and to do
me.
"The day after my temporary sus-
pension Chairman Miles gave the news
papers an interview which contained Il
lie and Il slanderous insinuatiOn, whose
absolute faisity he could have easily
Informed himself of. He said: 4 did
not know until this morning that Com
missioner Douthit had been doing the