The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-06
BY R. NJ. Larner.


the passage by the Senate of a pri-
waite claim involving $500.
1t was nearly O'Clock in the morn
ing and the Senate had been engaged
in a sharp political discussion over
the Philippine tariff bill. There was
a cessation of hostilities pending a
compromise between the House and
Senate over South Carolina war
claim which had been left out of the
general deficiency bill which Senator
TiIman declared should be restored,
otherwise he threatened to hold up all
other legislation and force an extra
session of Congress.
While Senator Tillman and the Re-
publican leaders were pleading with
Uncle Joe" Cannon to allow the
South Carolina claim to go back into
the bill, Senator Bacon asked unani-
nous consent for the consideration of
a small bill covering, as he stated,
half dozen lines Senator Bacon
said that the bill was for the relief
of Mcclure and Willbanks, livery
stable keepers at TaccOa. The claim
amounted to 800, the value Of horse
hired by internal revenue officers and
killed by Illicit distillers in August,
1900
This bill passed the House some
time ago at the instance of Represen-
tative Carter Tate. He was very anx-
jous to have it .concurred in by the
Senate so he got Senator Clay IN
terested in the bill. Twice during the
day Senator Clay sought unanimous
consent to pass the bill, but Senator
Lodge was constrained to object be-
cause of his zeal in behalf OF the
Philippine tariff bill. About midnight
Senator Clay was taken i'll and was
obliged to return to his hotel. He left
the Tate bill in charge of Senator
Bacon, and the latter selected favor
able opportunity to secure its pas
sage.
When Senator Bacon called the
bill up Representative Tate was
in the Chamber, and he view
ed with alarm the demand made by
Senator Platt of Connecticut for the
reading of the report This report was
quite lengthy, including the report of
the Committee on Claims of the House
of Representatives and the official
correspondence on the subject by the
Secretary of the Treasury. the Com
mission of internal Revenue, Messrs.
Mcclure and Wilbanks, and sworn
statement of r. S. Henderson, a deputy
collector of internal revenue in Pick
ems county Georgia.
The reading OF the sworn statement
of Mr.. Henderson occasioned much
nerriment among the senators, even
at that late hour, not only because of
its construction, but the circumstan-
tial details set forth in the communi-
cation The letter of Messrs. Mcclure
and Willbanks was also the occasion
of considerable mirth. They both fol-
low
"Toccoa, Ga, Feb. %. 1901.-Dear Sir:
From our letter head you will see that
we are in the livery business, and as
such hired to Capt. Henderson, deputy
collector OF internal revenue United
States, a two-horse buggy to make a
trip into South Carolina, in Oconee
county, to capture moonshiners and
vioators of the internal revenue laws,
and while on that trip, in July, 1900,
the moonshiners attacked him while
i'm the buggy and killed one of the
horses dead and shot a hole through
the other horses ear and tried TO get
the captain, but failed. The horse was
worth about 500, as it was a good sea-
son for our business.
1--WE have been informed by the rev.
euue officers on that side of the river
that they have forwarded a claim for
our loss to the government; but as we
have been so far unable to learn any
thing of the claim or its Whereabouts,
and believing the same has been for
warded through the regular channel to
the Court of Claims, would kindly ask
you to inquire at that office If such
claim has been received.
The claim was said to be forwarded
from the state of South Carolina. I
hope you will not think us presump-
tious in writing to you about this
claim, but have been advised that if
we have a friend in Washington. to
lay the matter before him, and have
therefore called on you. Yours, very
truly. Mcclure and Willbanks."
Hon. F. c. Tate. M. c., Ninth Con-
gressional district, Georgia.
IT ask that this claim be paid
IF. c. Tate,
Member of Congress, Georgia
State of Georgia, County of Fulton:
r. S. Henderson of Jasper, Pickens
county, Georgia, states on oath that
during the month of August, 1900, he
was deputy collector of internal rev.
enue in the district of Georgia; that
he was at that time assigned to duty
as raiding deputy, with headquar-
tiers at Toccoa, Ga that he made a
raid for Illicit distillers in Rabun coun-
ty, Georgia, and Oconee county South
Carolina; that he was accompanied by
Revenue Agent c. B. White and Depu-
ty United States Marshal Mckinney
and Posseman John Chapman, all of
South Carolna that he was also ac-
companied on the raid by Deputy
United States Marshal T. r. Glenn of
Georgia, but Mr.. Glenn was not with
him at the time of the shooting mere
matter referred to- that on the 9TH of
August, 1900. the raiding party de-
county. South Carolina; that these dis
tilleries We're not more than three
quarters of mile apart; that one of
these illicit distilleries was supposed
TO be the property of w. w. Wooten
and the other was supposed to be the
property of one Compton; tl!at at
Compton's distillery (the last destroy
ed the raiding party found two pack
ages containing approximately thirty
gallons of whisky; that this whisky
was loaded into the hack and the aid
ing party started out with it, it being
the intention to take the whisky to the
railroad; that between u quarter and a
half mile from the distillery, and while
the party was going into the public
road they were fired on from ambush:
that the first Volley killed the off,
horse hitched to the buggy which affi-
ant was driving; that affiant and his
party, after the ambushing party was
lepulsed, resumed their Journey, leav-
ing the dead horse in the road that
about half a mile farther on they were
fired on from ambush the second time.
a..