The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-10-19

he said it was all right. 1t will thus
be seen thought | was doing my duty
and simply carried out tho orders Of
the commissioner, my superior officer.
There Is q disagreement among the
INT IN bers of the board OF control as to
It's action with reference to Gales OF
contraband at the State dispensary.
Ali agree that the board passed u ruso.
tion forbidding such sales at the first
part Of tho Septe mber meeting. On
the last Gay OF that moeting, Commits
sioner Douthit appeared before the
| loard and stated reasons why, in his
Judgment, it would bo inadvisablo to
permit that rule to stand. After his
statement Mr.. Willicms introduced Il
resolution, which WAS passed, which
previous order and per mitted sacs Of
contraband at the State dispensary,
provided they wero entered on the
com NJ issioner's petty cash book, and
invoiced at the end Of the month to IL
Columbia dispenser and the cash re-
ceived for them turned over to that
dispenser. Messrs. BOykin and Will
liams, two members OF tho board, rs
sert such resolution was passed.
If the Williams resolution was meant
to accomplish any purpose at ali it was
meant to modify the rule forbidding
sales of contrabanG at tho State die
pensary, yet rs It appears on the
minutes of the board 1t is construed by
the majority faction to be mere re.
affirmation Of that rule. If that con.
struction be accepted as correct, the
board was guilty OF the absurdity Of
twice at one meeting passing u rcsolu-
tion permitting the commissioner to
Il IL, ,phi i1h
law its elf gave him the right to do
without any resolutions of the board
that is to send contraband to diapen-
ser for sale. AS recorded, the vii.
liams resolution permits salss Of con-
traband, through the regular chan
nels," which words Chairman Miles ad.
mits he told Clerk Webb to add to the
resolutions, claiming 1t was an amend
mcnt which had been adopted, but
which Mr.. Boykin, who was In the
chair whom the resolution was adopted, =,
denies was ever voted on by the board.
| do not believe that at first recorded,
the Williams resolution had those
words attached to it. The writing Of
those words in the minute book gives
evidence that 1t was not done at the
same time that the body of the Will
liams resolution vas pinned in that
record, because the slant of the words
" through regular channcls," indicate
that they wero written by a man sit
ting in different position from that
occupied when the other part of the
Williams resolution was written.
am satisfied that they we're added to
give color to the contention that the
board had not given perm ion for the
sales OF cOntraband, which tho ma jOrity
faction decided to make as an excuse
for my removal.
The majority faction, which is plot.
ting to get absolute control Of the dis
pensary, filling all positions with its
henchmen, had decided to remove all
employees who were not subservicnt to
1t. Thcv did not intend to fully and
fairly investigate the conduct of such
employees, but preferred one-sided tes
timony. At the September meeting of
tho board Mcssrs. Haselden and Will
liams were appointed to investigate
the contraband room and its accounts.
MIR. Haselden wanted Mr.. Williams TO
meet him In Columbia on Wedne sday
following the adjournment Of the
Williams said he had important en-
gagemonts up to and including We'd
nesday, but would meet Mr.. Haselden
In Colum bia the 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 investigation, which
he never did, but returned to Colum-
bia before Wednesday and gave to tho
newspapers q statement that he was
going to Harris Springs. MIR. Will
liams saw that statement in tho papers
and continued to wait for notifica-
tiOn when to como to Columbia. Tho
next thing he saw was q statement
that he had been supplanted on the
committee by Mr.. Robinson, without
notice to him.
1t was then two OF kind and Mr..
Hasolden was at libortv to proceed
with his One-sided investigation
Neither l nor Mr.. Douthlt were asked
for any explanation OF tho charges
concOcted by this one-sidcd process.
On the night OF the Goth or 2lst OF
September II. G.. Robinson, who had
loosened his tongue with liquor, told
me in front Of Huggins' store, on Main
street, that "Hasclden had set o trap
for Douthit and had caught him in It,"
After asking him several times what
tho trap was he said 1T was "in selling
contraband liquor at the State dispen
sary, and not having 1t entered upor
the shipping clerks book, as required
by the resolution of the board at the
last board meeting" Was the trap tn
addition of the words, Through tn
regular channels ?" Probably at tn
time Of that conversation Mr.. Robin
sen did not know that Chief Conspira
Tor Hasclden wanted my scalp also
and, therefore, spoke as o strong friend
which ho always claimed to be, es
pecially since 1896.
| and my relatives worked for AM
carried Edgefield County Tor him a
the candidate for State Superintendent
of Education. But whom Boss Hasel
den popped the whip over his back h
forgot his friendship and sense OF oh
legations to mo, and also forgot hi
statement to mo after hearing my OK
planation OF my sale OF that bottle o
gin, that he did not SEQ how [ cOul,
have dOno otherwise than obey tn
Instructions OF tho commissioner, espc
cialiy rs thero was q mlsunderstandin,
in the board as to tho orders given tn,
commissioner. He advised mo to ap
pear before the board and make M
statement, and said he did not see HOY