Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-08-22
{ say; ssa;y;it is a lie!" Mr. Brooker

[ .say5it is lie!" Mr. Brooker,
who was sitting nearby, jumped
up, stepping forward, and said I:
'Now, sir" but as he took one
step forward Senator Tillman
caught him oD one shoulder and
Mr. Wharton Oh the other and
pressed him down. A dozen men
rushed up on the stand aad Chair
man Rainsford told everyone to be
quiet and sit down. Four or five
out in the crowd cried for "Der-
ham," and $50 it, Derham % "Let
him fight it out" and the like. |
Senator Sheppard was the first
to speak, and he said that it was
always characteristic of Edgefeld
people to show fair: play, and he
hoped such would be the case
now, and he begged every one to
sit down and listen.
Then Mr. Derham went on to say
his heart was too full to speak,
and then he broke down and be-
gan to cry, and tears trickled
down his cheeks. Turning
around he said he thanked God he
had never dealt in such stencil
and filth as this man. He wanted
to tell these people and the people
of the State that he had been a
faithful servant of the people and
would slander no one, and then
took his seat. Many went up and
shook Derham's hand. He was
still nervous aud showed his feel
ing.
Mr. Brooker was then presented
and, stepping up to the table, was as
quiet and collected as a man can
be. He entered into his usual
argument, that Derham had
absented himself from his Office
beyond excuse; that the tax books
throughout the State, in many in
stances, were in mess; that be
had been stopped, more by Derham
than anyone else in prosecuting
hie expert work in collecting back
taxes. He said that he never
courted fight, but he never ran
from trouble, and he wanted it
understood once aud for all that
he was not to be intimidated by
Mr. Derham or anyone else.
On twenty-one stands, he bad
called Mr. Derham a gentleman
and so regarded him, but Derbam
had published a card about him,
which he denounced as slander.
In that card he was charged with
''pocketing' $S6 46 and overdraw-
ing his account. This was not
true, and at Yorkville he denounc-
ed the card and these statements
as ISLANDERS and false, and
this was, ho urged, the start
ing point Of the trouble. Had
Dernam not published this vile
slander he would never have said
anything about him. AS to the
circular it was prepared under the
heat of the campaign, but after
thinking about the matter he had
withdrawn the circular and not
given it ciniculation. Mr. BROKER
said he had nothing to apologize
for, but was sorry if he had hurt
anyone's feelings. He insisted
that he had confined himself to the
records. If Derham was not
satisfied let him say 30 here or
elsewhere, and be can take the
next best thing, and he, would
try and satisfy him. He said he
thought he and Derham were
about even, as he had at Yorkvllle
denounced the newspaper card Of
Derham, and if Derham was satif-
ed it was all right.
Mr. Brokers time was then up.
Mr. Derham; said nothing further
and soon afterwards both left the
stand.
There was nothing further said
or done about the matter and the
hope is, and the appearances are.
that the storm has blown over.
Mr. Derham seems to have said
abort all he wanted, and Mr. Brook
or said things are about even and
quits.
Mr. W. D. Evans and Mr. J. ID.
Wharton had a good-natured Cross
fire about Mr. Wharton's services
as a member of the board of direc-
tors of the Penitentiary under the
Neal administration. Mr. Evans
alleged that Wharton was no
more likely to be success as a
commissioner than as q Peniten-
tiary director, and Mr. Wharton
said there was no record, proof,
nor was it a fact that he had even
mismanaged the institution, nor
kad he mada any mistakes. and