The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-08
BICYCLE CASES AGAIN.
PRELIMINARY BEING HELD BE-
FORE MAGISTRATES HARRY.
Charlie Hollis, Robert Wyatt, White,
And Bud Taylor and Dick Young,
Colored, Charged With Conspiracy
To Steal Wheels.
From The Daily Item, June 5.

Florence, came up for preliminary
hearing before Magistrate Hardy this
morning The defendants. Charlie
Hollis Robert Wyatt. Richard or Dick
Young and Bud Taylor are represent
ed by Messrs. j. Il. Mcneil and j.
Willard Ragsdale of Florence. and
Senator Clifton. of Sumter. Mr.. l.. d.
Jennings Is representing the State
A great deal of interest centres in
this case. for last December and jan
uary there was a systematic stealing
OF wheels in Sumter. Quite a num-
ber were lost, among them wheels be-
longing TO Messrs. l.. ID. Jennings, w.
b. Boyle, r. ID. Epps, Bruce Lyman.
n. j. Bland, Frank Conyers, Louis
Lyons and Murray aGss. These wheels
we're found in Florence and some of
them were In the possession Of the
defendants. Wyatt and Hollis or had
been sold by them. Only one did not
80 through their hands.
Mr.. II. ID. Epps was the first wit
ness. He testified that ne was using
a wheel that belonged to Mr.. l.. d.
jennings, and to It's being stolen from
him, and to his Identifying the whe.l
In Florence in Hollis & wyatts shor.
III. l.. Tisdale testified that he is a
bicycle dealer and to selling Mr.. Jen-
nings a wheel for $92.50 about three
weeks before II was stolen. He saw
the wheel in Hollis & wyatt's shop in
Florence. Wyatt told him that he
had bought 1t from Richard Young
or Spann for $3.50. Mr.. wyatt's
partner, Hollis changed that to s1250.
The lamp and bell had been taken
from the wheel when he found It In
Florence.
Mr.. Tisdale asked Wyatt & Hollis
how many wheels they had bought
from Young and was told about fifty,
but they afterwards corrected that 10
say eighteen.
Mr.. Tisdale also found wheels be-
longing to l.. ID. Jennings. w. b.
Boyle. r.. ID. Epps. Bruce Lynum,
Frank Conyers. r. ]. Bland and Mr..
Scott Rumph--the last one was not
sold by defendants. He found one
ior Murray Gass and one for Louis
Lyons. Found only one In their shop
mir. Jennings whc.l.
He asked Mr. Wyatt why a., had
bought 50 many from oac man, didn't
he know they were stolen? Wyatt adj
mitted that he knew they were stolen.
but said they were on the mar
.ket and II he did not buy them
some one else would. lie said the
reason he did not prosecute the negro
was that they could not bind him
down to one number. The people who
had the wheels said they were bought
from defendants. and defendants said
they got them from the negro. Mr.
Wyatt said the negro took the wheels
there. that one was expressed from
Orangeburg.
Messrs. Wyatt & Hollis told him
that II he would come next morning
that they would help him look the
wheels mp. Next morning. however.
Wyatt refused To- let him look over
the books, but offered TO look the
wheels up ir he would leave them the
numbers. Taylor was working for
defendants, Hollis & Wyatt. Some
changes had been made i'm the wheels.
The mud guards had been taken from
Frank Conyer's wheel. Mr.. Tisdalo
saw this wheel a half hour before il
was stolen. Mr. Wyatt offered to- pay
the money and get the wheels back
rather than 10 have any disturbance
In the trade. Mr.. wyatt amended
this by saying that If the owners
would pay what the wheels cost them
he would pay tho profit. by this ,hc
defendants would not lose anything.
on cross examination Mr.. Tisda,c
said he had been in the bicycle bust
ness for four years Usually when n.
sells a now wheel hc has To take an
old ono In exchange. but never buys
them outright. lie reported what hc
said about looking at tho books. They
told him that they had sold wheel %
Mr.. Commander after ne tTlsd,lo,
had found the wheel wyatt dld not
assist in getting the wheels. but Mr..
Giichrist told where tho whcc's wcro.
Mr. Hanna would not allow him 10
look az the number ON the wheel un-
til ne had Identified the wheel. m,
asked Mr.. Wyatt t. go wi,h him after
ho had identified them o. see If a.,