The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-12
g.. s O., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER % *
CASE SENT TO HIGHER COURT.
II. Nj. Elliott Given Preliminary Be-
fore Recorder for Larceny of EIec-
trio Fluid.

c'ty' was up De1Ore the recorder
Saturday afternoon for trying to de-
fraud the Sumter Ice, Light and
Power company of it's just dues,
though when, how much of, or how
he withdrew the intangible element,
Mr.. e. II. Moses was unable to state.
The case was not only novel in it's
way, but it was peculiar in that while
he knew that the electric fluid was
withdra "n. Mr.. Moses could not say
how, though circumstantial evidence
showed that a Jumper" had been
attached to the wires.
Mr.. John II. Clifton represented
the defendant and Mr.. r. d. Lee,
, Jr., represented the State in the
case which was only a preliminary,
for the Recorder, after having heard
the testimony sent the case to the
higher court.
The case was begun shortly after
o'clock and continued until after
6 o'clock
Mr.. E. II. Moses was the first for
the State. He told of how his sus-
picions were aroused by the falling
, off OF the amount of the current used
by the occupants of the house and
how after the defendant had been in
the house for several months, he
had been to the house to test the
meter and to see if he could find any
thing wrong with 1t. He stated that
he found the brother of the de-
fendant at the house and that upon
testing he found that the meter
worked but not with the current that
would have been expected Of it. He
| then cut off the current at the switch
just in front of the meter and then
found that the lights would burn
| when the current was disconnected.
| He asked to be allowed to go in the
garret of the house to see If he could
| find anything wrong but the defend
ants brother refused to allow him
| to do SO. The next day he went back
to the house and found the defend
ant at home. He was allowed to go
into the garret Of the house where
he found that some one had tamper-
ed with the wires, the insulating be-
ing cut off them. A few days later
the defendant called on him at his
! place of business and confessed to
having put the Jumper" on the wire.
put up a hard luck story, ard begged
him to let him off, assuring him that
he would not tamper with the wires
any more and would pay him for any
amount of electricity that was reason
! able. Mr.. Moses told him that he
would consider the matter and let
him know about it later. Mr..
Edward McCallum testified that he
had rented the house to the de-
fendant and that the defendant had
always paid him the rent. Mr.. Will
lie Brooks Stuckey was then put on
| the stand to prove the fact that the
defendant was the man who had al
ways paid the bills for the use Of the
electricity and that he had read the
meter in February and collected
1885 as the amount due for cleo
trlclty. This was TO show that the
defendant afterwards tampered with
the wires, the amount Of electricity
less than the amount for the min
imum charges
MT Lee then made his presentation
stating that it had been shown that
the wire had been tampered with and
part of the electricity used in an
unlawful manner by the defendant
VINO should be sent to the higher
court for trial. Mr.. Clifton stated in
ms argument that the witnesses had
not shown that there had been any
contract between the parties and
that they showed that Mr.. Nettles,
the former tenant Of the house. had
Kept a large boarding house. whereas
IL Hau peen SHOWN that only the de-
fendant and his brother and wife.
and one or two others for part Of
the time, had been the tenants Of
the house since, and that it was per-
fectly natural for the amount or cleo
trlcity consumed to be decreased.
The witnesses for the State had not
proved that in any case on record
had 1t been shown that the defend
ant had used any Of the electricity.
either lawfully or unlawfully He
asked that the case be dropped on
TINS count If for no other reason.
However, the Recorder after
thinking over the case. and taking
the evidence into consideration. de-
al InN