The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1906-04-19

M'NAlR WAS DRUNK
THE RAILROAD COMMISSIONER
TRIED TO CLEAN sOUT THE
WHOLE EST
Members of Legislature Present and
Witnessed the Affair.-Criticise
the State Officer.

BrandonssA NJ iss., AprlI 16--N hlle
visiting the Rankin county state pen
itentiary farm. near here. in COM
paflxs with. six members of the house
Vi xeiresent atives and one state
senator Yesterday afternoon, S. D.
MeNair. chairman of the Mississippi
board OF railroad commissioners and
a member of the state board of con-
troll of all the state penitentiaries, be-
came involved in a personal diff
Guilty with Capt. j. p. Raney. the
sergeant in charge of the place. The
fight commenced while McNair was
sitting AT the dining table partaking
OF meal in Raney's home, and il
continued hotlv for several minutes.
Raney, who was acting solely for his
own protection, dragged McNair out
of the room TO an adjoining room,
where he threw him on the floor,
slapped his face and held him until
Representative Patterson came TO
mis- assistance Two convicts then
look McNair, still struggling and
dghting, put him out OF the house
and led him 10 a tree about 200 feet
away, where they held him in turn
antil he was placed in a hack for
sJackson.
n The representative were here TO
see some conyicts who had been sent
up from their respective counties. In
the party were Messrs. Patterson and
Carothers, OF Lee Errington and
=.
boy and Senator Boyd They ar
rived here from Jackson about ten
o'clock in the morning, some Of them
coming in hacks and others on horse
back McNair also came with them
and for about two hours no signs OF
trouble We're brewing.
All Of them repaired at noon TO
the residence OF Capt Raney, adj
joining the penitentiary, for dinner
It seems that there was not room for
all of them at the table, and Messrs.
McNair and Denton waited until the
others had left the table. Mr., Denton
aoticed that McNair was drinking
when the latter began TO talk in an
unusual loud and profane manner,
so much So as to trighten Capt.
Raney's dauehter-in-iaw. who was in
an adjoining room.
! Mr. Denton FASTENED out of 1he
t.pom 10 call for Capt. Raney and
others 10 quiet McNair. When Raney
was entering the dining room he met
McNafr and they clinched The
scuffiing and the noise in the house
attracted the representatives. who
were yet near and they rushed 70
the scene just as Raney was dragging
McNair into another room. He
threw the railroad commissioner on
bed and slapped his face twice. say
ing: Now McNair | don't Want TO
hurt YOU unless YOU force me to-
McNair, still utterins oaths, made a
desperate struggle to get loose. and
Patterson rushed at him and held his
arms. He made pass at Patterson
and then two convfcts Joined in and
McNair was led out OF the house be-
tween the two convicts. They took
nim TO place about 200 feet from
the house and attempted to place
him in a hack. bur MeNair Jumped
out They took hold of him again f
-and took a closed kniIe from his /
hand. He was finally persuaded 70 +
remain in the hack and the party
then drove back to Jackson.
The members of the Legislature F
were deeply humiliated at McNairs +
conduct and he was severely criti- +
cised. They stated that Raney only I
acted as he should have done in TAX I
ing care of McNair, who was very /
much under the influence of liquor.
The sensational incident on the /
Rankin county state farm will have I
an aftermath in the senate tomorrow
when Senator Yates Moore will in
troduce a measure giving the COVER I
nor the power to suspend any state
officer on the charge of drunkenness
until he can have an investigation by |
the proper authorities. Senator
Moore said tonight that he will en-
deavor to SO shape the bill as TO cover
anything that might have taken place
along that line recently.
When asked if any action would be
taken by the governor in the matter,
Gov. Vardaman replied to your cor
respondent that he would enforce the
provisions of the bill If it passed both
houses and became a law
Another phase of. the Rankin
county state farm incident occurred
when the president of the railroad
commission returned late Sunday I
afternoon to the state capitol build
ing from the. farm. As result the
Il T.