The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-09-30
THE FARNUM TRIAL
A Vigorously Fought Contest
Last Week.
ENDS in VERDICT mot GUILTY"
j. B. Wylie Makes Confession That
he Gathered $4,000 in Graft
How Much on Each Grade.


one OF the hundred dollar bills ten
dered Henry Samuels, in payment of
araft September Is, 1906, and that
inns Dill was returned for deposit BY
q. Is. Wyhe, along with bills to the
amount Of $l,120, Robert Gage, cash
ier Oh the Commercial Bank, of Ches-
Ter, witness for the State i'm the Far
mum case, sprung the first sensation
OF the alleged graft trials i'm the Court
Oh Sessions Tuesday afternoon. The
otate announced before calling Mr..
dage TO the stand that it would con-
meet this testimony with the accused.
This transaction is in line with the
charge In the indictment that the de-
Iendant sent Samuels the draft for
$l,l23 to be paid to j. b. Wylie, who
was then member of the State board
OF control. The testimony Of Mr..
Gage was the most important of the
opening days happenings in the case
OF the State against James S. Farnum.
which was being tried.
The selection of the jury, contrary
to expectations was quickly accom-
Pllshed. The defendant, James S.
farnum, was In the Court room seated
near his attorney, just back of Messrs.
nelson. Cochran and Hammond, who
are conducting for him the active de-
fense. Mr.. Farnum appeared to be in
the best of spirits during the progress
OF the preliminary work of the trial,
and in the afternoon exhibited much
interest when the jurors were being
selected. and later when the first wit
nesses for the State were put OH the
stand.
MIR. Robert Gage testified again as
to the payment of the draft for 81 ,125,
and the State sought to trace this
instrument from the time it was pre-
sented at the Chester bank to the of
five of the accused at the Consumers
Beer BOttling Establishment. Wit
nesses were placed on the stand. who
testified that they had searched the
fles of this company upon which the
draft is alleged to have been drawn.
but that the alleged draft could nc:
be found up to Wednesday.
The defence used arguments OF
'>iS'' oiii WHY near llullllH
the State upon some of the questions
involved Is To the procedure and i'll
PRODUCTION OF evidence. This fight was
waged hard and slowly. and was very
technical at times. The separate
points were ruled upon by Judge
Memminger with precision, and owing
to the nterposition of numerous OBJ
Jections the case did not proceed very
rapidly during the morning hours.
A number of witnesses were en-
amined on minor connecting links in
the chain of evidence.
MIR. WylLe was made a star witness.
The witness stated in reply to Mr..
Abney that he was forty-one years Of
age, and was a member of the State
board of control in 1906, being elected
In February and commissioned in
March. The list of awards made IN
the various meetings of the bOar:l
were next introduced, Mr.. Wylie stat
ed that he as member of the board,
had dealings with the defendant as to
bids ard awards. Also that the de-
fendant at the time rz)rasented the
ArheuserBusch Brewing Company.
Mr.. Wyhe named other concerns
whom he said defendant represented.
These included Gallagher & Burton,
Richland Distilling Company, William
Lanahan & Sons, John +. Backem s.
Co., Big -Four Distilling Company,
and awards were found in the March
% minutes for the Anheuser Com
pany. Other dates were taken, in
cluding April IL, May 15, June Is,
ETC., and the awards were read. The
concerns alleged to have been repres-
snted by the defendant received
awards according to the record, and
the amounts were read to the jury by
Mr.. Wylie. When this was conclud-
ed, the same tedious process was gone
through as to the bids, after Mr.. Abb
ney had explained to the jury the
status under which the board acted.
The bids were found for the various
times and awards made.
The defendant was in the Court
room during the entire day. He again
manifested much interest in every
stage of the procedures. The board
Of directors referred to by Mr.. Wylie
is the last State dispensary board,
composed of Jodie M. Rawlinson,
chairman; John Black and j. B.
Wyiie.
On Thursday admitting upon the
witness stand that he himself had ac-
cepted various amounts of money to
influence his vote as member of the
State dispensary board of control.
Joseph B. Wylie directly connected
the sl,125 draft previously referred
to in the trial with the defendant,