The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-07-27
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Occurrences Of Interest In Various
Parts of the State.
A Sensational Report Current.

y sensational Report SuTfeHt.
A Darlington special to the Charlotte
Observer of Saturday, gives the fol-
lowing strange story:
Il don't know what went with the
money" confessed the attorney for
Robert Keith Dargan, the man whom
coroners jury pronounced a suicide
on July l1th. I'VE have not been able
to discover much but debts. 1t does
not seem that he had Sl00 when he
died"
This whole section Of South Carolina
is under intense excitement over the
report that the supposed suicide is not
dead at all and that the alleged awful
tragedy of July 10th was farce. They
say that man who was connected
with the Independent Cotton Oil Com
pany and who is now in France. car
ried the money away with him. The
Company was capitalized at s1.000,000
and was supposed to be worth more.
1t was tremendous concern. The i'm
posing sign. hung above the first stair
landing to it's Offices. read:
General Offices the Darlington Oil
Company. Anson Oil and Ice Company,
Chesterfield County Oil Company, the
Marion Oil Mill Company. Manning Oil
and Illuminating Company, Farmers
Cotton Oil Company. Robert Keith
Dargan. General Manager
Mr.. Dargan has been general mana
ger for years. The bylaws, adopted
by the directors. gave him virtually IN
limited power. and nobody knew much
about the business except himself. At
each successive meeting Of the direc-
tors, even at their late meeting in June.
they adopted resolutions affirming and
re-affirming their complete confidence
in Dargan. The stockholders thought
the big combination immensely pros
porous on account of the handsome
dividends they Observation-Disclosures. 1t
is said, which invaded the capital
stock.
This history. together with the re-
port that Dargan went to Paris two
years ago and had a waXen image made
of himself. and another that his broth
er. Pegram, had been for several years
studying hypnotism and occult arts
in the North; the fact that the coro-
ner did not 60 in with his jury to view
the corpse and the rumor that he said
after the burial that he could not swear
that Dargan was dead: that W F. Dar-
gan ordered out of the mansion two
men who had come with the jury to see
the body: that the grave was bricked
and cemented; that there was gener-
al effort to avoid publicity on the night
of the tragedy, and other rumors and
n rnnn,lnt
stitute the basis for the widespread
suspicion that it was a put-up Joh.
So frantic has gossip grown that tel
ephone message went abroad that the
grave had been opened and found
empty.
The coroner tells me that ca the
night of the 10th. when he got to the
Office where the deed was done. he
found the front door and partition door
locked. In the back room were Pegram
Dargan. DR.. Edwards and the dead
man, The dead mans jaws were tied
with a towel to prevent his mouth from
falling open. He was sitting IN an
easy chair with his feet upon a DooN
case DR.. Edwards said that he was
dead when first examined by him.
Both W. F. ard Pegram Dargan asked
the coroner if he recognized the corpse.
and Re replied that he did. and that II
WAS Robert Keith Dargan. They told
him that they did not want crowd
to collect or any publicity, and he
agreed that they might remove the
corpse to the mansion. When they
were taking it up to bear it to the car
riage at the door. the coroner offered
to assist them. but Pegram objected.
The coroner thrust an arm under. the
body anyhow while they were lifting II
into the carriage 1t had not yet. he
said. grown cold. This was the last
time the coroner saw the dead man.
IF had the authority" he said. i
would have the grave opened. It's
the shortest way to stop all this talk.