The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-11-11


bank Of Savannah was sworn, but
as it was late and be was i'll, his tes-
timony will be taken tomorrow.
The Jury.
Columbia State.
Chester, Nov. THE graft cases
which have been pending in the
courts of this State for two years
were called to trial here today. After
the grotesque verdict OF a Richland
Jury in the Farnun case year ago
when the defendant was acquitted and
later pleaded guilty to almost the
identical charge, the attorney general
decided to go to trial in some other
county with the remaining cases.
Chester county was selected because
the principal in the conspiracy charge,
Joe B. Wylie, is said to have got the
graft money in Chester as an outcome
of his part of the alleged conspiracy.
Had the cases been tried here year
ago public sentiment doubtless would
have forced a verdict, but there are
said to have been at work here agen-
cies whose presence can be sensed
rather than explained, and the State,
with all of it's mass of evidence and
confessions, may have an uphill
fight.
The Defendants.
The defendants are John Black,
Jodie NJ. Rawlinson and H. Lee Solo,
mons. The original indictment named
also Morton A. Goodman, Jno. T.
Farley, Joe 3. Wylie and James S.
Farnun. These four will not be tried
at this term.
After the attorney general, Mr.. Ly-
on, had read the indictments this
morning A. L. Castor of the Chester
bar endeavored to get Mr.. Lyon to tell
why these four were not under trial.
Mr.. Lyon said that was a matter be-
longing to him, and in this he was
sustained by the court.
The indictment charges the defend
ants with having conspired to defraud
the State of South Caroline and with
having taken $4,000 which belonged
to the State of South Carolina.
The presiding judge is Ernest Moore,
of Lancaster, representing Judge
Klugh, who is i'll.
The Counsel
The attorney general, Mr.. Lyon, is
assisted in the prosecution by W. F.
Stevenson and B. L. Abney. Solicitor
Henry is i'll and is represented by j.
c.. Mcclure, of Chester.
, The attorneys for the defendants
are as follows: For Rawlinson, Wes-
ton & Aycock and r. H. Welch, of Co.
lumbia; for John Black, John NJ.
Wise, of Chester, and NJ. P. Howell, of
Waterboro, and Nelson, Nelson &
Gettys, of Columbia for H. Lee Solo
mons, A. L. CASTOR, Of Chester, for
mer State dispensary leader in the
legislature and member OF the in
vestigating committee.
May Consume Week.
The hearing of the case promises
to last a week. There were no dila-
tory motions today, no questioning the
venue, no plea of former Jeopardy for
Black, but the case was entered upon
at once. However, the defense has
contested every inch of ground in ad-
mitting into evidence extracts from
ee bid book, purchase book, minute
book, invoice book and check book of
the dispensary board under which this
particular graft is alleged.
Judge Moore polled the jury and
the attorneys on both sides and Sc
cured unanimous consent to go on
with the trial Tuesday, which is gen.
eral election day and holiday.
The Defendants.
Of the defendants, Jodie NJ. Raw
linson is a farmer of Richland county,
John Black is a native of Colleton
county, was shipping clerk at the dis
pensary, later represented whiskey
house and after that was elected on
the board. This board in February,
1907, was removed from Office by Gov.
Ansel on motion Of Mr.. Lyon, and the
supreme court of the State sustained
the attorney general. Lee Solomons is
now a business man Of Estill, Hamp-
ton county He represented in 1906
the Big Springs Distilling company
of Savannah, Strauss, Pritz & Co., of
Cincinnati.
Witnesses.
Among the witnesses here to testify
are Jno r Farley, who then repre-
sented Fleischmann & Co.; ". D. Roy,