Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1909-09-16
GRAFT CASES
Called and Eleven Men Are In
dicted by Jury
FOR ALLEGED FRAUDS

In the Management of the State Dis
pensary-SOme Damaging Testi-
mOny Brought Out-Joseph B.
Wylie, Former Member Of Board,
and Three Whiskey Men Testify.
The State says the dispensary graft
cases have been brought into court
Men once given commission of of
flee by the State of South Carolina
now stand accused of crimes and of
fenses against the State. Bribery,
conspiracy to defraud and other Sc
rious crimes are alleged.
Not all of the indictments have
been handed out, but the prosecution
appears to have considered we'll its
case and to have made a move to
get a conviction In the cases In which
the State has the most conclusive
evidence. The indictments were
handed to the grand jury In the
morning by Solicitor w. H. Cobb,
representing the State of South Caro-
lima. Attorney General Lyon, who
has been at work on these cases for
three years, is assisted by Mr.. w.
F. Stevenson OF Cheraw, former
speaker OF the house or representa-
tives, and by Mr.. r. l.. Abney, gen.
eral counsel for the Southern rail-
way In South Carolina, and a lawyer
OF recognized ability and force.
The grand jury at $3.50 p. m.
heard the witnesses and shortly
thereafter returned a true bill In
each case. The witnesses were Joe
B. Willie and Henry Hamuels of
Chester, J. A. Valentine Schmidt of
st. Louis, ]. G. Thorpe of Aiken, T.
w. Collins of Columbia and Jno.
T. Early of Cincinnati
Wylie is a former director of the
State dispensary and is alleged to
have turned States evidence, al
though, of course, the proceedings
before the grand jury were in Sc
cret session, Henry Samuels, now
mayor Of Chester. and close friend of
Wylie's; Schmidt is bookke eeper for
the Anheuser Busch concern. long
represented in this State by Jas. l..
Farnum; Farley for years sold to
the State dispensary the products of
the Fleischmann Company of Gin
cinnati, and Thorpe and Collins were
bookkeepers at the State dispensary.
The Persons Indicted.
The persons under indictment are:
Jas. Farnum, who is alleged to have
made thousands OF dollars unlawful
ly selling beer and liquor to the
State of South Carolina; John Black,
a former shipping clerk and later
director of the dispensary; L. w.
Boyken, former dispensary inspec-
tor and later member of the dis
pensary board; Joe. +. Wylie, who
was a member of the dispensary
board; Jno. Bell Towill, a director
of the dispensary: w. o. Tatum,
dispensary commissioner; Jodle NJ.
Rawlinson. dispensary director.
and the following liquor statesmen:
Jno. T. Farley, NJ. A. Goodman. II.
Lee Solomons and Dennis Wei.kopf.
The indictments in brief are as
follows:
First. State against James S.
Farnum. bribery. the bribe being al
legged to have been given to Joseph
B. Wylie In the sum of $1.575.
Second. the State against James
S. Farnum, bribery the bribe alleg-
ed to have been given to Joseph b.
Wylle In the sum of $1.125.
Third, the State against James
S. Farnum, J. NJ. Rawlinson. Joseph
b. Wylie and John Black. being
conspiracy to cheat and defraud the
State of South Carolina out of $4,-
500.
Fourth. the State against John
Black. accepting bribe and rebate
Fifth, the State against N A.
Goodman. John T. Fairey. Dennis
Welskopf. l.. Whit Boykin. John
Bell Towill and w. o. Tatum, in
dictment for conspiracy to defraud
the State of South Carolina out OF
s22.500 in the label deal"
Sixth. the State against f. A..
Goodman, James s. Farnum. John c..
Farley, II. Lee Solomons, J. b.
Wylie, John Black and J. NJ. Raw
linson, indictment for conspiracy to
defraud the tSate of South Carolina
and to accept and to pay rebates
in the sum of $133 900.
The Label Deal.
In the renowned label case" il
Is charged that in March. 1905. l..
Whit Boykin and John Bell Towill,
members of the board of directors.
and w. o. Tatum bought $4,000
worth of labels, which purchase, II
is alleged. was illegal. fraudulent
and unlawful, and at a greatly ex-
cessive price, to wit: $22.500 In
excess of the value whereby the
State was defrauded as the result
7 ont of the sum of $22,50O
Dennis Weiskopf. NJ. NJ. Goodman,
L. Whit Boykin. L. w. Wowill and
William o. Tatum alleged to have
been in this conspiracy and to have
benefited financially theretrom
Weiskopf. who printed the labels
/ was the proprietor of a glass and
box factory. and the label transac.
tion was something new for him, Il
Is alleged.
/ Scale of Rebates.