The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-01-02
A STRANGE STORY
About the R ,bbery OF the Kings.
tree OispensarY.

About the K )bberY or me hinSs.
tree DispensarY.
THE DISPENSER HELD UP
BY Four Masked Men and Robbed
OF Eighteen Hundred DOL
lars. He Had No
Bond
The Kingstree correspondent Of The
State says early Thursday morning, as
business people we're entering upon
their duties for the day, it vas whisper
ed around that the dispenssry had
again been robbed and that Dispenser
F. NJ Player had been held up" and
relieved of over 81, 800 in cash j Ist be-
fore daylight. Mr.. Player, it appears,
had related full partinulars to Mr.. R.
R. Suits, town marshal. Mr.. Suits
says he and Mr.. Lemon were in the dis
pensary Wednesday night with Mr..
Player until nearly midnight, counting
up Mondays sales of liquor; that he
vent to bed about midnight, and was
aroused by Mr.. Player about5 o'clock
the morning, who stated that he had
been robbed, and gave the following
particulars: Player stated that he
heard some one calling him from the
outside, at the back door Of the dispen.
sary; that be opened the door and was
Immediately covered by two guns, in
hands Of masked men, vino demanded
his money or his life, and, being IN
armed and uuprepared for any such
emergency, he was poWerless, and offer
ed no resistance, simply saying: Gen
tlemens, / is in your power" Two
others, making four men in all, then
came forward and entered the dispen-
sary, and took all the contents of the
safe and two bags Of liquors, aud de.
liberately walked of, telling MIR.
Player to be careful aod not give any
alarm for at least 80 minutes. or his
life would be in danger. As soon as
Player thought they had left he ran to
Suits house, which is directly in front
of the dispensary.
Mr.. Suits says that after being
aroused he distinctly heard the buggies
going across Black river bridge, which
is on the west side of Kingstree, nearly
half a mile distant from the dispen-
tary. Mr.. Suits says he went on to
awake Mr.. b. 0. Britton, the county
jailer and also clerk of the board of
control Of this county. Suits recited
everything to him, and then went on
to arouse MIR. Lemon, whom he found
drunk in bed, and being unable to
arouse him, he then went back home,
and be and Mr.. Player stayed there
until daylight, when Mr.. Britton came
and ordered dispenssry locked up.
Mr.. Player has always been looked
upon as straight man, and the busi-
ness people all seem to have confidence
in him. he had not deposited any
money for about two weeks, and up to
short time ego he had been deposit
ing his money in the safe Of Messrs.
Heller & Co., which made it perfectly
safe. The county treasurer states that
Mr.. Players bond expired about the
18th of December, and he promptly
notified H. 0. Britton, clerk of the
board, and Mr.. Britton states that he
promptly noui6ed the State board of
control, that Mr.. Player was without
bond, and they paid no attention. The
county board, knowing Mr.. Player to
be without bond, quietly let him go on
acting dispenser, in the full discharge
of his duties. To say the least Of this,
it amounts to almost criminal careless
ness, and the sentiment Of the people
demand at lest the prompt removal
of the board, as by this act alone they
have shown their un6tness for filling
any such important business position.
Mr.. Suits says that he is confident
that he knows the four men who robbed
the dispensary; that he has no proof,
but that one of the men wore peculiar
kind of macintosh coat that gave him
dead away. If this wholesale robbery
is allowed to pass unnoticed as mas been
done in the case of every other robbery
connected with the dispenssry here, the
people will vote to put it out of town.
The graded school is almost wholly run
by the profits of the dispensary at this
place, and if the town were to lose this
MONEY y it would cause the school to 30
closed one year or longer
Capt. W. Fl. Kennedy, mayor Of
Kiugstree. has tried time after time to
get Mr.. Player to deposit the dispen-
ssry money, as the law requires, once
week, with the county treasury, but
without avail, as it seems that he de-
posted when he pleased. Mayor Ken
nedy further states that he appealed to
Mr.. Britton, who is manager for the
board, to help him to get Player to de-
posit the money, but was given no sat.
isfacsion. The county treasurer, K D.
Rollins states that he also advised Mr..
Player to be more regular in deposit
ing money. MIR. Player had deposited
only s2S5 during the month of Decem-
Der. 1t is not knoHn how much the
shortage will aggregate, probably 81 800
or may be as much as SO 900. Player
has been dispenser about year and in
that time has had three robberiss, the
last time being complete cleaning up.
Every dispenser who has been connect
ed with it here has been robbed.