The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-12
GIVEN TWO YEARS
SEMINOLE AGENT CONVICTED
AND IMPRISONED.
Agents Who Operated in This State
Are Likely to be Prosecuted If
They Can Be Reached.

They Can Be Reached.
Much interest is felt over the
State in a special dispatch sent from
Monroe, N. c., to the Charlotte OBJ
server to the effect that T. c. Whed-
bee, an ex-agent of the Seminole
Securities Company was convicted in
Monroe on Saturday of obtaining
note from w. C. Heath in payment
of Seminole stock under false pre-
lenses, and had been sentenced to
two years for the offense.
The Columbia Record says so far
no such such criminal proceeding has
been instituted in this State, but
this has not been on account OF lack
of evidence, and it is not unlikely
that the result of the North Caro-
lima case will inspire number OF
similar criminal cases in this State.
There are two strong difficulties in
the way of such a course at present.
One is that practically all Of the
agents who operated in this State are
in the West, and will be very difficult
to locate, though there are a few
still living in South Carolina.
The other is that the stockholders
organization, which was formed in
Columbia short time after the
crash came and which appointed a
president and board of directors,
is practically defunct, the court plac-
ing the practical management of the
company in the hands of receivers.
This organization requested the at
torney general to institute criminal
proceedings.
The receivers, it is understood,
have much valuable information and
evidence on which to base criminal
proceedings, and they would cheer
fully go after the agents and Of
ficers of the concern in this way,
but they are given no authority to
employ council for such work. A
circuit judge was applied to for a
special order authorizing such a
course, but declined to grant the
order, 1t is stated.
1t is hardly likely that individual
stockholders would feel justified in
going to the expense of prosecuting
the agents, particularly If they had
f. employ a detective 10 hunt TO-
the alleged criminals. and it is pos
sible that another meeting of the
stockholders may be held so as to
raise funds for the prosecution
which could be done 90 much more
economically by concentration and
organization.
Following Is the special from
Monroe: "The jury returned a ver-
die of guilty at o'clock this evening
in the case Of the State VS.. T. C..
Whedbee, charged with false pre-
tense in obtaining a note from Major
w. C.. Heath for stock in the Semi
mole Security Company. The judge
sentenced Whedbee to two years in
the States prison. The defendant
took an appeal to the Supreme
Court.
"Thus ended one of the most i'm
portant cases from legal stand
point th"t has ever been tried in
Union county. The trial of the case
consumed three days. Major Heath
claimed that Whedbee represented to
him that 100000 in securities had
been deposited with Insurance Com
missioner Young for the protection
Of the stockholders of the company.
The defendant further represented
to Mr.. Heath that the company was
being organized on very econorni-
cal basis; that Gen. Wiley Jones and
Mr.. w. A. Clark, Of Columbia, the
promoters of the enterprise, were
working without .salries, paying
only $25 office rent and buying sta
tionery from hand to mouth.