Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-25
Friday, August rs, 1905.
not believe much in the handling

nave 0een quite number OI suoTt-
ages settled, notably that Of Richard
son Of Greenville, and that there mao
been more following up" than here
tofore.
~ Mr.. Garter stated that II a bid went
to the state streasureris Office by mail
and was serit to. fhe state sdispensary
thats II weht into the waste basket
or at all events that II was not con-
sidered. He explained that under the
law bids are sent to the treasurer's
office by express and the advertise
ments so stated and that the board
would not consider bid sent In by
nPeri The ,estiimoAy shosea that although
| the intent or the Mower act of 1902
Is understood to be that the dispen-
sary should hold its stock down TO
$500, 900, that 1t has practically twice
that much on hand. Mr.. Tatum
| links the dispensary could easily
operate on such a size stock IL IL dis
cards case goods and orders frequent
ly standard bulk goods.
Wednesdays Proceedings.
Col. F. N. Nixon and Commissioners
Tatum were the principal witnesses on
Wednesday, and the testimony Of both
was quite interesting, Some OF 1t was
real spicy.
Col. Nixon was superintendent of the
dispensary under D. II. Traxler and ne
succeeded Traxler as commissioner In
1 February 1895, eighteen months ffter
1 the establishment OF the dispensary.
Col. Nixon went into details as TO
how he had been offered bribe after
bribe as inducements to him personally
to buy from houses represented by the
offerers of the bribes. He said that
l Secretary Hubbel OF the then existing
whisky trust offered him $266.60 per
car on all the goods he would purchase
1 from the Mill Creek Distilling compa-
ny, and told OF the circumstances.
| He told at length Of an offer that he
| claims to have been made by Gam j..
Lanahan, Of William Lanahan q Sons,
of Baltimore, also at the present time
a director OF the Richland Distilling
company. He didn't recall the time,
but ne had been In ONCE some time. to-
| ward the end OF his IL months incum-
bency. Mr.. Lanahan had come Into
his office, which was q big room with
Just seven foot partition dividing his
office from the bookkeeper's, and asked
| for q private conversation. Col Mix
on told him that It would be impossible
| In there as the bookkeeper could hear
/ all that passed. Mr. Lanahan came
back that evening at o'clock and the
bookkeeper was still In his once.
Col Nixon had kept on at his work
i until 8 o'clock, when he started home
and Mr.. Lanahan walked part OF the
way home with him. On the way Mr.
Lanahan had said: S2-E 4itel
NOW. colonel, want to make you
a business proposition. II you won't get
mad" Lanahan then continued to ask
| him how much business he had given
/ Chas, H. Ross OF Baltimore. l@i
He replied that he was buying $40O,-
900 year from that firm. Lanahan
had then told him that he was getting
the whisky as cheap as Il could be had
lanywhere else In the world and u ne
would transfer the account to Lanahan
at the same figures there would be
something In Mixon's pocket out OF the
transaction When Nixon had declined
Lanahan had urged that It would be
to the interests OF his wife and chill
i dren to accept the proposition, and
that II would be a good thing In his
old age, that he was being paid q very
i good salary but that that would DO
him no good in his old age, whereas
II Nixon would accept the commits
sions he would have to pay anyway
to some other man to. get the trade he
would turn over to Nixon the sum or
$30,000 a year and at the end OF two
years he would have enough to retire
comfortably upon. ~, !,
said that he would have to pay any
other agent 10 per cent anyway.
When asked by Mr.. CASTOR III that
were not a strong temptation. Col,
/ Nixon stated "he reasoned pretty
| well; he put 1t to me strong. Col
Nixon stated that when he had several
/ times refused to entertain the propo-
sition and when he, had reached the
door of Lanahan's hotel the latter had
said, "I hope this won't influence you
against u.s." and Nixon had replied:
$50 help me God I have bought only
20 barrels from you and Will never
buy another" And he had bought no
more from the time In which he had
been approached. In this outrageous
manner" In the language Of Mr.. Gas
IT developed that Nixon. up to q
short time ago was the local represent
ltative Of j. w, Kelly & Co., distillers.
of Chattanooga, and Mr.. Castor asked
him a leading question about certain
letters he had received from the house
advising him to see certain parties.
Nixon admitted the receipt OF the let
the committee, holding that they rela-
tied to his private business. The COM
mittee threatened to punish him Tor
contempt II he should persist In his re-
fusal. He begged to be allowed to think
over the matter until the next morning
saving that he desired to get legal ad-
lyice in the meantime. He gave his
word Of honor as q man and Mason
THAT the letters would not be disturb
ed pending his final conclusion. AT
tier mature deliberation the committee
decided to grant the indulgence asked
for. f+G .fA,
Commissioner - Tatum gave the
names Of the whisky concerns that
had been furnishing extra bottles 10
dispensers, and said that the DISPENSE
nv was still buying from the concerns.
In answer to questions Mr. Tatum
told of several dispensers who owed
lthe state various amounts that had
not been settled. He told Of the case
of Inspector Brown, who recently
"Iost'' $4,000 between Charleston and
lColumbia. The commissioner and the
salaried clerks in his office had chip
ped In and made the amount good. be,
cause they felt that the Inspector nao
actually lost the money.
about a trip that Mr.. Tatum and Mr.
Boykin made to Cincinnati In the
spring. They had gone there for the
purpose Of buying q bottling plant
worth $780, Mr.. Boykin had Dougnt
about $4,000 worth OF labels Tne
hotel bills of both had been paid py
parties unknown; but nothing was
thought of II It the time for Mr. ia,
tum though, ne bills had been settled
by Mr.. Boykin and MT. boykin
Thought they had been settled Dy MT
The testimony of the day showed
that L. w. Boykin. at present mem
her of the state board OF dispensary
directors, was formerly dispensary
inspector. He gave up his poslsloh
as inspector to become the Soutn Car-
| oIina representative of Lanahan & son
and was elected to the board. OF ols-
nensary directors while In the en-
| nloy of the Lanahans.
| .... Yesterdays Proceedings.
The following summary of yester-
dav,s proceedings is from the CO.
lumbia State Of this morning:
. The investigation into the affairs OF
the dispensaryl system continues to
nroduce startling testimony. Great
latitude Is taken and the relevancy OF
much of the evidence Is not easily
seen. but the members of the commit
tee evidently see where 1t applies to
the task In hand and they are working
assi6uouslv to bring out all that they