The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-01-21
ROY LETTER SUBJECT
OF STRICT ENQUIRE
SENSATION SPRUNG BY DIS
PENSARY COMMISSION.
Letter From Liquor Man Proposing
Method Of Collecting Claims
Against State Dispensary.
Columbia Record, 10Th.

Another sensation has broken loos
IN connection with The dispcnsary
Mr.. ". ID. Roy, president of tho Bel
roy Dlstilling company, of Louisville
which is Il creditor Of the lispcn
sary IN the sum Of $4,000 or NOR,
addressed to other creditors, abou
the middle Of December, Il letter !,
wnlch he Offered to take charge o,
The collection Of claims Of this char.
acter, saying, in explanation, that ul.
innate settlement would be- hastrncd
ny concentration of the c,aim. Tic
enclosed with his letter Il blank
agreement. to be signed Lv the adj
drcSscc, maxim" Roy and the Nalion-
al loan and Exchange Bank. Of tais
city, attorneys for he claimant. for
the purposes Of roIlrctinn. and AL
l"W'A% Roy n,lI thr bank named =
commission Of six per cent. on all
moneys collected by them from thc
o'Sp"nSary. In his letter Mr.. Row
mentioned Mr.. w. d. Melton, Of tn,
Columbia bar, as being associated
with him, and also intimated that ne
mad behind him tho prestige and in
1lnon'o OF other prominent Colum-
blanS-ncwSpapcr men and bank Of
tioials.
! Copies Of this letter camo into the
possession of Mr.. w. +. Stevenson,
attorney for the state diSp,nSarv
commission, and ne promptly com
mun1rat"d with The commission.
which thcrrup"I decided to invcsii
%atr Having by legislative author-
1tN the powers ni' court. the COM
mission summoned all hands before
It and yesterday afternoon at i
" "'"'"rk commenced IN inquiSition
winch is still in progress.
BY Mr.. Roy'S own admission and
thr testimony Of others. II was show,
al In" outset that the proposition of
Mr.. Roy t" the creditors was made
without the knowledge or conscn. of
the National Loan and E.xchanr.
Bank. MIR. Roy explained that there
was nnihin" wrong in thiS. as he
named tn" bark only in order tina,
ne might use it for a depository in
which I" place the funds aS he
might be able to collect them from
thc diSprnSary.
AIR. Roy ais" rXoncratrl Mr.. Mel
ton, saying There had never been any
thing improper in his association with
tn" diStillin~ interests. and that in
fact Il radical difference on n TECH
meal matter with one of the LiSprn-
Sary creditors had caused Mr.. Mel
ton I" withdraw from The case rntirc
y some time awn.
II developed that the newspaper
man whose name was involved was
COL August kohn, of the NrwS and
Courier, viii" is also Il director of the
Loan and Exrhange Bank. It was
shown that Mr.. Kohn'S connection
with the matter consisted only in rec
"mmcnding his friend. Mr.. Melton,
I" Mr.. Roy as an able attorney, and
III asking Mr.. Roy to make the Ma
rional Loan and Exchange Bank his
depository.
MIR. Roy'S letter contained an init
nation that there was an alternative
method of collection. To the com
mission he explained that this rcrc::-
red I" Il scheme devised by Mr.. Y
M"nltrir Morlrcai. of ;hr Charles,
toH bar. who had some plan for "ct,
ting the money through Mr.. Steven.
son, the commissions attorney.
Mr.. Stevenson brands as n lie oul
Of the whole cloth any intimatiol
from anybody that he is associate ct
with Mr. Mordecai in any matter,
and so far Mr.. Roy has not brought
forward any evidence to prove Sucl
associations on Mr.. Stevenson 5 part
The diSpcnsary commission : ac
1NltN IN the matter is due to an in
ference. that il is said can be draw,
from Mr.. R"y's letter. to the ctlcc
that the commission has b1rN uulul,
rcGHrdtul e. the welfare ur rrrta;,
banks. nj The expense "r the di>pcn
Sary's creditors. and thai it could b,
induced by improper Influence TO pa,
claims a"ajnS, The institution ON In,
part of liquor houses. |, happen
that DR.. W. j. Murray, The chairman
of the commission. is a director o
the Loan and Exchange Bank an,
that several other members Of tn
commission are bankers also.