The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-28
GRAFTERS WILL BE TRIED.

GhAtIEkS WILL BE TRIED.
Columbia, Aug. 24.-"Nothing in
it" is the answer from authoritative
source to the rumor current over the
State that the dispensary criminal
cases against dispensary officials and
their alleged allies, whiskey drum
mers, have been postponed. This has
not been done either for mysterious"
reasons or for good cause. 1t has not
been done at all. On the contrary
Attorney General Lyon and his as
sociates from Atlanta and Attorney
B. L. Abney are extremely busy
getting ready to prosecute with the
greatest vigor and at the opening
OF the court the first Monday in next
month.
Now, all those under indictment,
and there are eight Of them, will
not be tried at this term. and It Is
not given out which will be tried
and which left over for subse-
quent term, If indeed the prosecu-
don has fisally decided this itself.
Anyway both sides are busy in pre-
paration. The officials under charge
of conspiracy to defraud the State
and two liquor men, J. 8. Farnum
and M. A. Goodman, have all employ
ed prominent lawyers, who have good
rQnnfQfinnc Drsv, -:,1 -
the court, and these are busy throw
| ing up breastwOrks in anticipation Of
the onslaught of the State. which will
turn loose several batteries Of heavy
artillery. The prosecution has not
been firing it's best ammunition in the
dispensary investigation; on the con-
trary 1t has been saving up for this
| occasion. The whole State therefore,
| Is looking on with keen delight for
the noise Of the battle. Not only is
there the usual nautral interest in a
scrap, but the result will be watched
with still deeper interest from a
political standpoint. Not that the
participants in this affair are playing
politics. as the men under Indictment
nave industriously been trying to in.
duce people over the State to believe;
but 1t Is certain that in case of the
success of this prosecution one candi.
date for governor will be the result
and possibly two. Greenville people
say that Mr.. Avery Patton of the
commission is willing to sacrifice
himself on the gubernatorial altar of
his country, and that Attorney Gen.
eral Lyon will make the race has been
| talked all along.
In addition to Farnum apd Good
man, the dispensary officials charged
with conspiracy are ex-Directors
John Black. Joseph b. Wylie, Joe
ID. Rawlinson, John Bell Towill. L.
w. Boykin and ex-Commissioner
Iatum. These have employed a fine
array of lawyers. Mr.. i. Moultrie
Nordecai represents Farnum; Howell
nd Gruber of WaIterboro will appear
Tor their eX-townsman John Black.
Arthur CASTOR, Samuel McFadden, J.
II. Marion, all of Chester, and Nelson
and Nelson of Columbia for Wylie;
r. Fl. Weston and G. d. Bellinger and
X. II. Welsh. all of Columbia. for
RawlinsOn; Nelson and Nelson OF
Columbia and Osborne and Lawrence
OF savannah for Goodman; G.. ID. Bel
linger and r. II. Welsh for Tatum,
and the same assisted by f. l.. Asbill
of Batesburg for Towill; Messrs. Bel
linger and Welsh, Col. George John
stone and Nelson and Nelson for Boy
kin.
Some Of the men about to be
tried are sorry now that they did not
insist on trials earlier. They say they
wanted to make a fight for trial at
once from the beginning, but that
their attorneys would not hear to this
Some are threatening to break over
and talk regardless of the advice OF
their counsel