The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-01-13

! of the charges. He would preferred
to have had clean-cut conviction on
! the evidence; but" said Mr.. Lyon,
there was always the element Of un-
certainty"
with as much money as he has
made unlawfully out of the State of
South Carolina, this man could al
ways have found at least one crook
who for a price would have tied the
jury's hands, and when his attorneys,
even after their technical victory in
the first case, showed a willingness
to offer a plea of guilty. thought
it was just as impressive for Far
mum to say that he was guilty as for
a jury to say the same thing over
his denial, and there was more of a
chance Of the jury generating him.
Il do not feel that the State of
South Carolina has lost anything in
this plea of guilty." said Mr.. Lyon.
Il was taking chances, but | have
had recorded in the court records of
this State the word guilty opposite
the name of J. S. Farnum. Of course
1 proved him guilty before. The evil
dence shows it, but the verdict Of
jury of 12 men set all at naught Off
cially. Therefore, 1 feel thet if the
former trial with it's farcial denoue
ment and this plea of guilty are bal
anced, the State has achieved vic
tory"
The strategical advantages gained
by Mr.. Lyon in securing this confess
sion are declared to be vastly stronger
than the mere fine of 5000, and that
is said to be the largest fine on record
in this State.
In the first place, this is a blow to
the organization of the defendants.
These trials are not yet over. But
one man has been put on trial, and
he has pleaded guilty. Another trial
was started and was interfered with
by some smart practice on the part
of jurors getting newspapers thrown
into their rooms. Mr.. Lyon thinks
he had a dead cinch" on this case,
provided the jury will stand by the
oath and bring in a verdict in accord
ance with the evidence.
Another strategical advantage is
that J. S. Farnum, with the many
thousands of dollars he has "accumu-
lated" from the business" of the
State dispensary, will not now have
the personal interest in the defense
of the grating former ofice-holders
that he had before, and their convic-
ton seems all the more sure. In fact
there is an intimation from the Office
of. the attorney general that Farnum
in addition to pleading guilty has
made a clean breast of the whole
business.
Farnum's admitting that he paid
graft in specific case also proves the
general rule laid down that no firm
could get business out of the State of
South Carolina without paying for it.
And this will strengthen immeasur-
ably the position taken by the COM
mission in settling claims. With Jim
Farnum a self confessed briber and
CRATER, the houses, which had de-
pended upon his craftiness, ingenu-
ity and daring to pull them out of
compromising situation, are now at
sea, and it may not be long before
the restitution money" will flow into
the State as was never dreamed Of
when this fight was started.
Mr.. Lyon stated that he regretted
that there appeared to be no way by
law to make this man Farnum dis
gorge what he had taken in unlawful
ly, but the effect was the same. The
"winding-up commission" had caused
many claims to be scaled and some
abrogated entirely because of the ap-
parent rascality in the process and
the deficiency in the grades Of liquor
sold. But it was not until yesterday
that there has been presented in open
court a plea of guilty from one who
paid the graft.
This corroborates the plea of guilty
on the part of Wylie, and it is said
that the confessions heretofore by
others than Wylie are substantiated
and that all outstanding indictments
and prosecutions for restitution are
helped one hundredfold.
Mr.. Lyon declared that Farnum's
plea of guilty was only one of hun
dred circumstances to prove that Joe
B. Wylie had not lied.
4 II