Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-05-10
TUESDAY, MAY 10, 1910.

| would be arrested the next day at
noon. | told them that l would stay
and take my medicine. Maj T. c. Beck
ham, the magistrate, came I'm person
with the warrant, and was so full of
tears, for he was my fathers bosom
friend, that l saved him the sadness
and went to his office and surrendered.
Very quickly cash bond was raised.
/ almost feel glad for my troubles,
sometimes, because they showed me
how loyal were my friends.
Matters rocked along for some time.
and my friends heard that Solicitor
j. K. Henry would push the case to
the limit. Several of them went to
Chester to plead with him that had
made restitution of every dollar But
to one and all he turned a deaf ear.
:! feel no resentment toward Mr. Henry.
He did his duty, and | honor and res
pect him for 1t. A responsible clerk
in a Chester cotton mill had default
ed, and he had not been indicted, pend
ing an investigation to see now much
the shortage was. In the meantime the
clerk ran away. Therefore, there was
some criticism Of Mr.. Henry. and he
was not to blame for pushing my case.
for | was a public official.
MY friends yet urged me to leave
the country, agreeing to put up the
money forfeited In my bond, but l
would not leave. When the case came
to trial in Yorkville, l refused to fight
1t on technical or other grounds. al
though we might have kept II in the
courts for years. My friends were
amazed when l pleaded guilty, al
though, after disclosing the situation
to Mr.. Cherry, 1 never withheld the
facts.
Il was indicted for defaulting in the
sum Of $4,000. The audit company
which / had deceived for five years re-
ported the shortage $4,000. / know 1t
was but Sc, 100, and to taking this sum
for my own use l pleaded guilty. al
though l had sold my home and every
thing to pay the deficiency and did
not owe the city cent.
when | was sentenced, a great bur-
den rolled from my shoulders. l had
suffered, God only knows how, l had
suffered, In all those months Of wait
ing. The fear, the anxiety, the dread.
My health was. not good, my little
family needed me, and l saw my home
go with many a pang, but restitution
was a relief, and when the court pro-
nounced it's sentence, felt that l had
given enough to expiate my folly. l
never intended to take money which 1
could not restore. I felt that the day
would come wnen / could return 1t
and no one would be the wiser
And what hurt me was lying
statement, widely circulated, that had
intended suicide. l have denounced to
his teeth the man who would have
made me appear a coward. But the
enmities which bear are all forgotten.
so great has been the friendship show
cred upon me by the people Of Rock
Hill. 1 am going away, but just long
enough to get healing for my lungs,
unless my malady is too far run.
AT the state prison l was treated
with the greatest consideration by the
superintendent and other officials, and
thank them. But the sheriff Of York
county put me in a close cell and my
hemorrhages started. / believe would
now be dead but for the change to the
state prison. The sheriff might have
allowed me small liberties, opportuni-
ties to breathe fresh air."
Mr. May is very much saddened be-
cause his little daughter Is said to
show symptoms Of the same dread
malady manifested in his family for
now the third generation. His sister
Is in an almost dying condition In
Hendersonville. He says that his own
case is troublesome, but he hopes to
be healed.
The reference to the sheriff has
been taken by a good many readers
Of the above to be in the nature Of an
imputation on that officer; but upon
being asked yesterday as to whether
he had any comment to make, the sher-
if replied:
mo, nothing. 1t don't sound good
or feel good; but under the circum-
stances I feel sure that the public
will be able to correctly draw its own
conclusions"