The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-01-23
THAT DISPENSARY AFFAIR
LIQUOR SALESMAN AND WHOLE
BOARD ARRESTED.
State Commission Probing the Matter
of Fraud and Results Expected
by This Investigation.

by This Investigation.
The dispensary winding up COM
mission has been having a breezy
time during the past few days and
sensations are still piling up.
The excitement started Wednes-
day on the reading of a letter from
Mr.. w. D. Roy, a representative Of
a large liquor concern, who had been
endeavoring to organize pool for
the collection of clainns from the
winding up commission for a percen-
tage. The letter of Roy came back
to the commission from one of the
liquor houses to which it was sent.
Roy was put on oath before the COM
mission and was requested to give
the names of the men to whom he
referred as being interested in the
scheme with him. He mentioned
the National Loan and Exchange
bank, Messrs. August Kohn, T. B.
Stackhouse and j. L. Minnaugh. P.
H. Nelson was attorney. Mr.. Kohn
made a statement to the effect that
he knew nothing about such a pool.
He had given Roy certain informa-
ton and had advised him to put his
business in the hands Of w. D. Mel
ton; but he had never dreamed of
using improper influences with the
commission. Statements from e.
w. Robertson, president, and G. NJ.
Berry, cashier of the National Loan
and Exchange bank, were to the ef-
feet that Roy had used the name Of
the bank ip the letters that he had
sent out to licuor houses without
authority. A letter was read from
Roy acknowledging the fact. AS the
upshot Of the days developments it
appeared that Roy alone was respon-
sible for the whole matter. He
seems to havAconceived the idea that
if he could make an arrangement
with the various concerns whereby
he could collect their claims for six
per cent. he would have nice thing
Of it. His plan seems to have
worked nicely until it developed that
the commission would pay no claims
until it had seen the books of the
claimants and then several of the
claimants began to kick out of the
traces and investigate Roy.
Yesterday it was made apparent
that the claiming whiskey houses are
divided into three warning camps.
One Of them is headed by TN. Nor
decai of Charleston, as attorney;
another by w. D. Roy Of Kentucky,
represented by Mr.. Nelson. another
by MIR. Geo. B. Lester, attorney Of
New York and Baltimore. MIR. Les
ter represents claims of about $780,
600, and they are correct according
to the audit company; but when the
commission refused yesterday to
consider the claims unless the claim
ants would show their books, Mr..
Lester took a train for Asheville, N.
c., to see Judge Pritchard.
Later on M. A. Goodman, the rep
resentative Of Ullman & Co., of Gin
cinnati, from whom the dispensary
has purchased hundreds Of thousands
of dollars worth of liquor, was ar
rested on a charge of conspiracy to
defraud the State and was required
to give bond in the sum Of $25, 900.
He was before the commission for
the purpose of collecting a SAC, ,000l
claim. His arrest seemed to be a
complete surprise to him. Mr.. Good
man denied the existence Of certain
documents which were lafterward
produced with letter which he at
first testified he had no recollection
of but which he admitted was gen.
uine, addressed to Mr.. Erhlich.
This letter was written in the sum-
mer of 1904. 1t directed Mr.. Erh-
Itch to see Major John Black and
have him see to having certain pur-
chases about to be made at the
August meeting of the board Of di-
rectors held up until he Goodman
could close contract with Ullman
& Co., and told the writer to have
Maj. Black, who was not then mem
Der of the board of directors, to see
Director L. w. Boykin, and discuss
with him the advisability of letting
Director John Bell Towill into the
scheme. The letter referred to a
commission, but Mr.. Goodman denied