Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-01

spent the night there. On Monday
they came back to Kingstree. Phelps
having suffered a slight stroke Of par
alysis, and put up at the hotel. Mean
while the Rev. Mr.. Hurt of the Baptist
church. who had performed the cere-
mony and to whose congregation the
young lady belonged. received infOrma-
ton that Phelps could not lawfully con-
tract marriage. as he then had wife
living in North Carolina. Mr.. Hurt
promptly began an investigation. which
uncovered facts sufficient to warrant
MIN in going To Phelps and charging
him with having practiced a gross
fraud, both on the minister and the in
nocent girl. Phelps admitted that he
had been married, but was divorced at
Greensboro, n. G.. When the minister.
however, offered to wire the clerk Of
court at Greensboro for proof of this
statement, Phelps objected. saying the
clerk Of court might be dead and please
to wait until ne was recovered from
his attack, when he would straighten
the matter. Investigation further dis
closed the fact the Phelps had told 9TH
er parties here that he was married.
These facts unfortunately only came to
knowledge on Monday morning, after
the ceremony had been performed.
The father Of the young lady was COM
municated with, and came at once to
the hotel and laid the facts before his
daughter. The poor girl is, Of course,
crushed and mortified. as are also her
parents. She returned home with her
mother about sundown, and on the ad-
vice Of the solicitor her father swore
out a warrant. charging Phelps with
bigamy, and he Is at present under the
| supervision Of Sheriff Graham. The
sheriff this morning wired the clerk OF
court at Greensboro to know II Phelps
had been divorced there, as he claims.
II he can not set himself straight be-
fore the preliminary, which will be held
later, he will have to face a Williams
| burg jury on charge Of bigamy."
Anderson Daily Mail: Bishop Guer-
ry of the Episcopal church paid his an
nual visit to Anderson last Sunday,
and in conversing with some friends
while here he told Of the plan laid to
expose tine grating in Pittsburg, which
Is now being aired in the courts. The
man who planned the exposure and
who directed the accumulation Of eyi-
dence before the exposure Is friend
of Bishop Guerry. His name is Daniel
and he Is a brother Of the former pres
ident Of st. Andrews Brotherhood.
Bishop Guerry said that Mr.. Daniel
was sure that grating was going on
L
Gil Of Pittsburg, and he decided to
make an exposure. He decided to ac-
cumulate the evidence In a systematic
way, and in such a way that there
could be no flaw. Stenographers were
| placed behind closed doors and took
down the conversations Of the aldermen
| when opportunities were presented.
And in one instance a flashlight photo
graph was made Of an alderman while
| he was reaching over to receive some
graft money. When Mr.. Daniel and
| his small band Of assistants had gath
cred what they deemed sufficient evil
enced, they secured warrants against
the grafters. The city was thrown into
confusion. The public was not aware
that evidence was being collected for
the indictments. In fact, few besides
the bankers who gave the graft and the
aldermen VINO received the graft mon
ey were aware that graft was going on.
| The issuance of the warrants natural
| ly, then, caused lot Of excitement and
surprise. At first the councilmen treat
ed the matter with contempt. They
| tried to put on the face Of martyrs. The
| idea of any one accusing them Of graft
ing. They held their heads high. and
defied the law to show its hands. They
| retained this way Of acting until Dan
| lei and his associates showed their
| hand. Then there was a rush to see
who could first confess. The evidence
| had been so well secured, that there
| was no chance to be acquitted IL trial
resulted. While collecting his evidence
Mr.. Daniel came across a trail which
led to the door Of one Of his best
| friends. They had been friends for
| life time. Mr. Daniels daughter had
recently waited with this mans daugh-
ter in a wedding. The two families
! were the best of friends. This would
have caused some men to turn back,
to have quit the trail. But Mr.. Daniel
was not Of that class. He had entered
the game to a finish, and he went ahead
collecting his evidence. 1t was sad
blow to him, and he says that he stag
gered when he found that his friend
was in the web of graft. The result
OF Mr.. Daniels work is that some for
ty-one or forty-two cOuncilmen have
| confessed to grating, and many of
| them nave been sent to penitentiaries.
Other sentences are to follow.