The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1906-06-20
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, June 20, 1906.
The Dispensay Investigation

OF Mr. l.. w. bOyK1n, former MEM
ber of the board, whose name was
brought into the investigation few
days ago in the evidence of Mr.. L. W.
Parker. Thursday Mr.. Cantey ad-
mitted in very frank manner that
he had represented FGsman & Co., of
Cincinnati, the makers of the Con-
gress Hall liquor. Mr.. Cantey testi-
fed that his duties were merely to
see that advertising matter was kept
fresh on bill boards, and for this he
received a salary of $500 a month.
Mr.. Cohen's testimony was pro-
duced to show that the dispensary,
while buying Anheuser Busch beer
from J. S. Farnum, required Cohen to
order it from Columbia, although it
cost him $2.12 per case more and did
not save the state anything. He is
not now required to order from the
state dispensary direct, but from the
agency at Savannah and he saves the
additional cost.
Ex-Constable M N. Bahr of Char
ton, testified in substance to seeing
big rolls of big Ebills, aggregating
probably $4,000, tossed on a table at
the Columbia hotel on one occasion,
by whiskey drummer for members
of the board of control present, but
says he did not stay long enough to
see who got the money. He said L.
J. Williams, DudleyHaselden, Chris
Robinson and probably M. R. Cooper,
of the purchasing board then in Office,
being present. He also testified to
being in a bar in Augusta when a
whiskey drummer threw down big
roll, with $500 to $500 in it, in front
of chairman H. H. Evans, Chris Rob-
inson and III. Williams, saying
there was no use to go..home, to stay
and enjoy the carnival going on in
Augusta at the..time, that there was
plenty of money to give them all a
good time. But he could not give the
name of the drummer, and did not
remember who picked up the roll.
F. H. Weston established by a
question to witness that all these
matters occurred before the present
board took charge. He said these
things occurred when Messrs. Miles,
Cooper and Williams were on the
board. The Augusta affair occurred
at another time.
Chairman Hay read a telegram from
Kohn, Belt &sCo., of Baltimore, say
ing they had never done any business
with the dispensary. This is the firm
which Mr.. Bristo of Greenville, in his
testimony said he thought Hamburger
the drummer, represented. If he did
it is evident he did not tell the truth
when he saidshis firm had to pay sew
eral thousand dallars in order to get a
big order. AS to who this Ham berger
is, what firm he represents, if any,
remains a matter as yet unsolved.
In addition to the telegram the afida-
Wit of Mr.. M. H. Mobley, clerk of the
board, that the books of the dispen-
sary showed no dealings either with
Kohn, Belt &xCo., or with Hamburger
was read.
An affidavit by Mr.. Brevard Miller
was read. He is well known in Co.
lumbia, having been an alderman and
connected with cotton mills and the
glass factory. He is now living in
Birmingham, Ala. He declared that
the controlling interests of the Caro-
lima Glass company decided to give
H. H. Evans and L. J. Williams a
block of this stock in return for which
the Carolina. Glass company was to
be given--all, ora part, of the state
dispensary glass business. I was not
at all in accord with the policy of the
incorporators, and that I could not
prevent this gift Of stock, or such ac-
tions as would naturally follow. I
withdrew from the company and my
interests were taken over by other
parties.
Messrs. John J. Seibles, w. G..
Childs and B. F. Taylor presented to
the committee a sworn statement
specially denying each and every
ore of these allegations. The denial
was unqualified. It was further as
serted that Mr.. Miller never severed
his connection with the company be-
cause of these alleged transactions,
but because his services were un-
satisfactory to the management.
Mr.. Douthit, also, testified. He
said Nathan Meyer of Raskam, Ger
stley & Co., had complained that he
was not getting orders. That later
Meyer had seen Mr.. Dukes, a member