Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-25
Friday, May rs, 1905.
REACHES EVEN THE MINISTER'S.
Investigating Committee Shows Up
More Corruption.
News.

Greenville News.
COLUMBIA. May 2S.-(SpecialD-I
know / wish / had never seen dis
pensary. because 1t Is the greatest
curse We have ever had on the state.
am sorry ever got my hands stain
ed with 1t. Well, have never known
a man that had anything to do with
it that the people did not think less of
him."
This was the summary Of T. tP.
Thackston today, OF the dispensary.
He had been the beneficiary of the dis
pensary. He had made money as
beer dispenser and this was his volun-
tary outburst of damnation of the sys-
TEN.
Then today a man, ]. ID. Alsbrook
of Manning, who has lived a decent
life I'm his community and has pros
pered, writhed and squirmed on the
! stand when charged with petty pecu-
lations. 1t was pitiable to see this
man lodging and insisting that he
could not remember; that he could not
deny nor could he affirm that he had
| asked for pap because he was dis
penser. To the very last he could not
| recollect and then finally Mr.. Lyon
pulled on him three letters; types, per-
| haps, Of other dispensers.
In one he wrote to utter strangers:
| Besides II you want the goods sold
communicate with the county dispens-
er OF each county and let him know
what he may expect, IL anything, for
| special courtesies. 1t is an old prov
erb, as true as Holy writ: whose bread
! eat, whose song / sing the county
| dispensary order what they want, and
/ call rfyho hnx hNV1k 80 he tea
Is sufficient-and this Is given conf
dentially." Again in November, he
wrote: But would like to hear from
you at once, before placing my order
for the Christmas holidays"
| And most reliable Of all, Dispenser
Alsbrook wrote the Duffy people
plainly: I'VE can handle the goods al
right II the proper quid pro and quo
is forth coming. The case Of goods
was received today in good order, and
we desire to express to you many
| thanks for thus remembering us dur
ing the Christmas holidays"
| He could not remember these let
ters. They are types Of the produc-
tion Of the system. Because of his
faulty memory the records and papers
are to be turned over to the solicitor
| with view to his prosecution as the
| committee is tired and sick OF quib-
| bling and lodging.
| In letter from the Augusta Brew
cry the president Of that corporation
wrote Mr. Chas Marcy, the Columbia
BILE symptom Of dispensary affairs; rel
ative to gift the brewery desired to
make Mr.. Marcy and transferred by
him: 1--WE think you are rather gener-
Gus to your pastor and we certainly
do not object to the transfer of the
suit OF clothes as advised, he being a
minister and you politician, perhaps
he Is more In need Of cloak to cover
waywardness."
This letter was only used to show
how far-reaching the system Is.
But the star witness today was ]. p.
Thackston Of Spartanburg, former
beer dispenser at Spartanburg. When
the committee was In Spartanburg
they worked Brother Thackston for
all they could and he swore that never
a cent did he give any one for his job,
never a cent did he get, and butter
could melt in his mouth. But Chris
tensen and Lyon and Mr.. Klingenberg
| got the dots on Mr.. Thackston. and to-
day he told different story, because
he knew the men behind the work had
the documents on him. He 'fessed mp
to getting $3.50 from the Augusta
Brewery with which to buy his job
from the Spartanburg county board
and then that he kept the money he
got to buy his job on this. The sub
committee had doubts, but the check
and letter were conclusive that he
| got $3.50 from the Brewery, on the
representation that he needed the
money to buy his position and the
br awery folks knew the tricks. They
expected to pay $500 hence this let
| ter: -...... a--..--.p- 20
Yours of the 26th inst. received
and regret to see this squeezing game
going on. We thought three plunks
would cover the bill, one each, how
ever when you told me 1t would take
five, / was ready to swallow the pill.
Now II you are able to sell as many
as twelve cars Of beer the first year,
and we get your trade the second
to the one half plunk. We are ready
to put up when you are ready"
| According to the dispensary CLOS
sary a plunk means one hundred dol
/ lars.
Thackston utterly denied this sew
eral months ago and now Solicitor
Sease will handle the case. He takes
the position that the $3.50 was sent
Mr.. Becker and by Mr. Becker given
him and that was his justification for
saying he got no money. He still
insists that he used the fund himself,
but added that he asked the brewery
to help him with cash In hi5 second
election.
| Messrs. Christensen and Lyon are
making good. very good and this beer
situation to which most folks have
paid but little heed they will show Is
rank and that the methods In this
branch apply along the whole line.
| One of the cleanest and best beer dis
pensers In the state Is Charles Marcy
and his testimony was unimportant
except that Ii showed that different
prices are paid by different beer dis
pensers for the same beer. The brew
cry wrote Mr.. Marcy: Our net price
wish to make the price uniform to the
state dispensary in billing the beer
We will charge your shipments with
| $3.50 but allow you a rebate Of SO
cents per barrel. Others taking less
than car load shipment will pay more,
| hence prefer to make the prices uni
form and allow you the rebate"
| The same company wrote Mr..
Thackston: "The price Of the beer
will be $5.75 F. o. B. Augusta in car
lots or less"
1t appeared that Mr.. Marcy re-
ceived checks for the so cents per
barrel. and that he simply paid for
the beer at the billed price, and paid
the state SO a barrel royalty. 1t made
no difference to the state at what
price the beer was billed the bill was
paid by the beer dispenser and the
| royalty paid at the fixed rate Of SO
per barrel.
The committee is having a stumpy
| tine to get data, houses with debts in
the tens of thousands say they had
rather sacrifice their claims than open
their correspondence and books but
the scrap heap seems to have some
thing in 1t.