The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-04-20
THAT OVERLOAD OF LIQUOR.
Many of the Firms Who Sold the
Liquor to the Dispensary Quite
Willing to Take it Back.

Columbia, April lI.-Whether 1t is
because they are afraid Of the credit
Of the dispensary or because they ap-
preciate the justice Of the demand for
the return Of the liquors bought by
the old board Of control, or that they
expect to do other business with the
new board or that they are thankful
to quit doing business with the dis
pensary did not appear on the face
Of the offers today. The fact, how
ever, remains that the board, and per-
haps others, were surprised to hear
the willingness with which the liquor
firms agreed to take back their liquor
under the demand Of the new board
that they receive the liquor for which
they say there is no sale, or show
valid and proper contracts. The new
board says there is fully 100000
worth of high-priced and unstable
liquor on hand, bought by the old
board, for which they have no use.
Nh. J. E. Mcdonald, representing
the new board, has written a number
of firms that the new board wishes to
return this liquor, but if the state is
required to retain the liquor it is all
well and good.
Today humber Of the firms,
through their counseA asked that they
might have the liquor returned. Some
of them said they wished to have the
freight money, but Catherwood SEEM
ed willing to pay his own freight,
from what is reported Of the board
meeting.
Mr.. G. H. Charles, the former clerk
Of the old board Of directors, made a
statement to the board today in which
he said that there was no absolute sys-
tenn Of ordering liquor, and that no
special form of contract~vas used in
ordering liquor. The old board, he
said, ordered considerable liquor in
November, 1904, for the Christmas
traffic.
''In that year," Mr.. Charles ex-
planned, "the investigating commit
tee had the books so much and inter
fered in other ways so often that 1t
was impossible to do business regular
". That was one reason why I pull
ed out. On December II, last, the
board, at my request, adopted reso-
luton not allowing any goods to come
in except on the approval of the COM
missioner, he being in better position
to gauge the needs Of the dispen-
sary."
= Mr.. Charles went on to explain the
houses we're not notified of the estl-
mates made up, as these were not con-
sidered contracts, but merely agree
ments to buy as the dispensary needed
exceptsin the case Of CERTAIN So, S2.5o
and So goods, which Chairman Evans
afterward Informed him were bought
outright for the new bottling system.
He said that this great blanket or
der was made by Messrs. Evans and
Towill, while Director Boykin was IN
the north.
No decision was reached about the
: legality of the purchases. In fact, At
torney Mcdonald has not yet made his
report, and has evidently not reached
a conclusion himself. The meeting
was adjourned at 2:30 until tomorrow
in order to allow for the examination
Of other witnesses.
No member of the old board was
present at the hearing today, although
the members had been formally IN
vited. Mr.. Towill was the only mem
Der Of the old board in the city, and
he was not at the state dispensary
during the day.
A great many liquor firms and their
statesmen and lawyers were present.
Among those represented were: 5.
Grabfelder & Co., Of Louisville, who
was also represented by the vice pres
ident Of the company, Mr.. Gratz;
Jack Cranston and H. W. Catherwood,
Of H. & H. W. Catherwood; NJ. A.
Goodman, Ullman & Co.; I. Trager,
of I. TRACER & Co., of Cincinnati;
Cook & Bernheimer; J. S. Farnum
W. Boyd Evans and W. c. johnson;
Charles Smith, Of the Fleishmann
company, and Mr.. Roger, Of the Bell
Roy Distilling company.
The board adopted the following