Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-02-11
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1908.

pers. such as New York, Philadelphia,
Washington. Baltimore, Pittsburg, Bos-
ton, Buffalo, Boston, Cleveland, Cincin-
natl, Chicago, ST. Louis, Detroit. New
Orleans. Nashville, Tenn, or cities Of
that size. and 81 for each article placed
In your local papers, or in any city or
town papers which are not classed as
big papers. You should have no trouble
in landing much of this matter 1t Is
good news. The smaller papers in the
district you cover while they would not
probably pay you space rates for the
stories. would be glad to use them, and
you could duplicate the same story TO q
number of them"
- Union special Of February Z, to the
News and Courier: Court Of common
pleas was adjourned this morning
While three jury cases have been tried
this week, only one verdict was rem
dered, the other two being mistrials.
The action that was OF most interest
was that of w. r. Gillian against AL
Ian Nicholson, editor and publisher OF
Progress, in which Gillian asked for
$4,000 damages against Nicholson bas
ing this demand on an article published
In Progress during the summer Of 1906,
which article Gillian alleged to be IL
bellouS and slanderous 1t will be re-
called, perhaps, that considerable eX-
citement was caused in June, 1906, by
rumors and newspapers stories to the
effect that an old negro named Nose
Hughes had been foully murdered and
his body hidden in the waters Of Tiger
river, in Green Hill township. this
county. In the trial just had the
plaintiff proved that an article had been
published in Progress, wherein his
name and that of Douglass English,
a young white man Of the same neigh
borhood, were prominently connected
with the murder Of the old negro. The
article alleged that a negro man was
said to have stated he saw w. r. Gil
liam shoot Nose, and in the same ar
ticle 1t was stated that the negro who
was said to have made the statement
had been seen and denied having said
anything of the kind. There was no
denial Of the publication, but Mr.. Mich
olson took the position that the story
was told in the way Of news, that he
had no malice against the plaintiff
whom he did not even know, and he in
troduced evidence to show that the ru-
NOR connecting these men with the al
eyed murder was widely circulated be-
fore II ever appeared In his paper He
also offered proof that he had gone to
the expense Of hiring an automobile
and sending two men to the neighbor-
ascertain the correctness Of the story.
Considerable evidence was introduced.
also, for the purpose Of showing Gil
liam's connection with the supposed
murder. After full argument, and
clear charge by Judge Gary, the case
was given to the jury about o'clock
last evening. This morning the fore
man reported that, after being out all
night, there was no hope Of an agree
ment, so a mistrial was ordered, this
being the second trial with the same
result. 1t Is stated, on apparently good
authority, that the jury stood seven to
five in favor Of giving the plaintif
some damages,
- Anderson special Of February 8 to
the News and Courier: A shrewd
swindler, with novel scheme, no less
than that of selling divorces to wom-
en- whose matrimonial ventures have
been unsuccessful, has been operating
recently in Anderson County, and ap-
parently with much success. He has
disappeared at present, two OF his VIC
Tins having made things too warm
for him here, but he has taken q
goodly pile Of Anderson money along
with him, If reports be true. The
swindler In question, man of So or
60 years Of age, and who claimed to
have a knowledge Of the law, drifted
into Anderson. He visited the various
cotton mills and learned through gqs-
sip and otherwise which women In the
villages were disappointed with their
husbands, and the names Of those
women who would pay for and accept
divorces. His. game progressed nicely
and many women, tired Of their hus-
bands, or because their husbands had
deserted them, fell victims to the slick
talk Of the lawyer" He collected con-
siderable money in Anderson, some In
Williamson arr some In PelZer. His
operations We. confined chiefly to
cotton mill villat'es. Here was the
game: He ould fin at the name Of
a woman who might be willing to pay
for divorce from her husband, be-
cause Of one pretext or another, WOULD
visit that woman; explain to her that
it was not necessary for her married
rang it with the courts so that she
might be made a single wQman again.
Then he would make contract with
the woman that upon the payment Of
IS he would prepare for her execution
affidavits sustaining complaint
against her husband, upon which
complaint the divorce proceedings
should be made. The mans under.
standing with his clients was that he
should take the complaints before g
there procure the divorce DEGREES,
Upon his return with the DEGREES, he
was to receive an additional payment
Of SIS, making his services worth In
each case $40. After getting up all Of
the complaints he would disappear
for a few days-he would leave this
part Of the country, and would visit
mill villages elsewhere to continue his
nefarious work. After an absence Of
several days, he would turn up at the
desired decree and would deliver them
upon the payment of the remaining
SIS in each case. The scheme was
very cleverly worked out, the de-
crees, which were prepared by the
swindler in Anderson, being signed
by special judge" and no county
being given.