The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-06-09
LYON AND FIELDER BUSY,
DISPENSARY COMMISSION HAS
MUCH WORK BEFORE IT.
Investigations Will be Resumed OH
Tuesday, and all Claims Will be
Settled-Interest i'm the Final Sit
ting is Intense and Some LcOk for
Startling Revelations.

winding up commission has a great
deal of work before it when it resum-
es the dispensary investigation on
Tuesday. This sitting will be the last.
| according to the announcement of
the commission, and all claims will be
settled at this time. There is on de-
| posit in the banks of the State and in
the State treasury 100000 of the dis
pensary fund. There are claims
which will aggregate nearly this
| amount But the commission will
probably have evidence before it that
will cause scaling of some of these
Attorney General Lyon and Col.
Fielder, and Mr.. Malvern Hill, Of the
firm Of Anderson, Fielder, Rountree
& Wilson, Of Atlanta. have been away
for nearly month getting informa-
ton to be used at the session Of the
commission beginning Tuesday. Just
what evidence these gentlemen will
have it not known, now, but, if they
secured anything on their trip, it
would be in the nature of affidavits
from those who have some facts to
give in connection with the dispen-
sary dealings. One o fthe men visited
was c. H. Dudley, who was summon
ed to appear at the last session of the
| commission, but was too i'll to come
here. The commission empowered
Attorney Generally Lyon and Col.
Fielder to make the trip North in or
der to get any information which
| might aid in closing up the accounts
of the claimants. They were also CIV
en- authority to examine books of the
| whiskey firms. This was in order to
save the expense Of having books sent
here when an examination could be
made in the Office of the concerns.
This matter of books was what
caused so much trouble at the last
| session of the commission. The COM
mission issued a mandate that all
| books and papers dealing with the
dispensary matter and all letters from
and to those connected with the dis
pensary in this State should be
| brought here by each of the claimants
In order to give the commission a
working basis for auditing and set
ting the claims. This mandate was
f,,11 oh
ants who appeared here during the
week beginning May II. The reason
given was that it would require a
carload to bring all the books deal
ing with the dispensary purchases and
| business in this State, which some Of
| the firms engaged in. The commits
sion has set Tuesday, June s, for the
final itting. and the same mandate
is emphasized with additional man
dates to some of the firms to produce
certain witnesses.
The commission has emphatically
stated that these books and witnesses
will be required or the claims will be
adjudicated without hearing. How
ever, the commission would rather
have the witnesses and the books here
before making it's finding in any of
the claims.
The commission at it's last session
partially heard several cases, bdt no
action was taken. The E. A. Saunders
claim was the most thoroughly aired
at the time. Mr.. M. A. Chambers.
secretary and treasurer Of the COM
pany, was put on the stand and was
shown the Nelson-Goodman letter,
which set forth that commissions
were paid for business in this State.
OF this Mr.. Chambers had disclaimed
all knowledge until the letter was
shown him.
There is much interest in what the
commission is going to do at the final
sitting. How much the claims will be
scaled and what testimony will be
brought out are matters which the
general public has been considering.
There has been very little said by
those in touch with the situation
since the May session, but the fact
that the Attorney General and Col.
Fielder have been working to secure
evidence since that time shows that
the States agents have not been nod
ding. Some peOple saw there will he
startling revelations at the missions
meeing; others say that the session
will be tame and business-like. There
is no way of telling exactly what move
the commission or its attorneys will
make.