The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-01-09
DISPENSARV BOARD
WAS NOT EXAMINED
THE COMMITTEE FOR SOME REASON
IS FIGHTING FOR TIME.
May Want Additional Powerful the
Meeting Yesterday All Of the Mem
hers of the Board were PreSeut.
Mr.. TOwill'S Declaration.

The State, 4th.
The dispensaty investigating
commission yesterday examined but
one witness-R. B. Lewis. dispen-
ser at Ridgeway. Senator Chris
tensen had the marshal to see if
the witnesses summoned had arriv-
ed and it was found that all of the
Spartanburg witnesses were not
present, 50 it was deemed advisable
to defer the examination of Capt.
J. R. Fant Of that city until this
morning.
Mr.. Christensen ran briefly over
the correspondence picked up in
dispensaries in Greenville and sta
ted that the dispensers in that city
had received the usual amount Of
correspondence, such as that show
ed up in other counties. In addi-
ton to this the committee found
letters asking for financial support
for the Vidette, a weekly paper. a
! sample of these letters being print
ed elsewhere.
The one witness examined told a
story of DISPENSER whose scintil-
lating genius played the Richland
distillery to a standstill. R. B.
Lewis testified that on the 18th of
November, 1904, he was elected
j; dispenser at Ridgewav. He took
charge on the 1st of December fol-
lowing. Between the time Of his
election and the time he took charge
his predecessor. Hollis, had order
ed and received a stock Of $1,000
or $4,000. The dispensary never
carried a stock of over $4,000. He
had never placed an order for more
than S1.4oo worth Of liquor at one
time.
When Lewis took charge of the
dispensary he found that all OF
these goods had been received in a
fortnight-invoiced at over $4,000.
All of the shipping cases had been
opened and the former dispenser
had removed therefrom one or two
extra bottles, the number sent to
the. dispensers personally in ship
ments of Peaceful Valley. Old Tom
gin and Old Rabbit. This was
about. the time that the Richland
distillery was paying rs cents each
for all empty cases returned. A
great many Of the cases were re-
turned by the former dispenser.
Lewis got on the train at once
and reported Hollis shrewd trick to
the commissioner. All that could
be done was to return the liquor.
|! He sent back all of the large ship
ment-)11inus the bottles which
Hollis had taken out as per instruc-
tons, and even these did not pre-
vent the stock remaining from
checking up properly, for the
scheme was to put 50 bottles in
case when 48 were ordered and the
two extra were to 60 to the dlspen-
ser for his personal use.
Commissioner Tatun had eS~
plained to him that the authorities
at the state dispensary did not
know that Hollis would go out of
his office and that it was not an
unusual matter to ship $1,000 worth
of liquor to one dispensary in IS
davs. He admitted, however. that
it was a matter sufficient to attract
the attention of the authorities at
the state dispensary, as he had nev-
er heard Of the Ridgeway dlspen-
sarv receiving that amount OF IL
ouor before or since. Hollis is still
around Ridgewav and has not been
reportcd bv the grand jury. which
is said to be waiting on the dlspen-
sarv investigating committee to t3n-
ish its work.
in regard 70 the Grcc1vilIc sit