Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-11


days; the probability is that the quar-.
antine will be raised this fall.
THE sELToN INCIDENT.
Governor Denies Charge and Editor
Submits Affidavits.
Correspondence Columbia State.
Belton, Aug. 9.-In its issue of Fri.
day morning, August 4. the Beltor
Times carried an article, giving ar
account of an incident that occurred
In the Southern railway station here
Saturday afternoon, July 20. The in.
cident caused no little amount of com.
ment here in Belton. One Of Gov
Blease's adherents, James G. Harris
wrote the governor, asking him IL the
article was true, and the governor re-
piled under date of August 5, denying
the charges which the editor Of The
Times had brought against him, and
further called the editor Of the Times
a liar. Numbers Of people offered tc
substantiate the article, and the editor
Of the paper has secured sworn affi.
davits to prove its truth.
j. Archie Willis of Laurens county
a member Of the state legislature from
Laurens county, Is the owner of the
Times. He came to Bolton from Laur-
ems yesterday, and when shown the
article, published in the Anderson In.
telligencer, which included Governor
Blease's letter to his friend, Mr.. Har-
ris, he proceeded to get the proofs
that the article published in last Fri.
days Times was true in every respect
He secured the sworn affidavits OF
people who witnessed the conduct OF
the governor that his papers article
was absolutely true, and he wrote Gov
Blease letter yesterday afternoon
inclosing affidavits.
Letter to Governor.
The letter follows:
"Belton, s. c., Aug. 8, 1911.
Hon. Cole L. Blease, governor OF
South Carolina, Columbia, 8. c..
Dear Sir: / have just read copy
Of your letter to James G. Harris
published in this mornings Anderson
IntelligenccI, in which you accuse the
editor of the Belton Times with hay
ing lied in the published account OF
your ungentlemanly conduct in the
railway station here on Saturday af-
ternoon, July 20. AS to the remain
Ing contents Of your letter, you have
Cdllcu 81 SIdte
dirty scurrilous little editors that II
must appear to you the joke has
grown rather stale.
THE facts in the article referred to
were published precisely as stated by
the young lady of whom you bought
your ticket, and / am inclosing you
herewith her sworn affidavit to the eff
feet that the article was true In every
respect. l am going to the further
trouble to accommodate your excel
lency, and am inclosing you also the
sworn affidavit Of James M. Alexan-
der, the well known superintendent OF
the PelZer mills, who witnessed the
incident, that the incident happened
exactly as reported in the Bolton
Times. So with this evidence in your
hands, 1t must appear very plain to
you that you must go further than ac-
cuslng the editor of the Times with
having lied. If you want to prove
the young lady has lodged against
you. You must do that which no gen.
tleman having the high sense Of hon.
or which you claim to have would do
and must accuse the young lady with
having perjured herself. At the same
time, my dear sir, you must prove the
sworn statement Of the gentleman
who witnessed 1t, and who has made
sworn affidavit that the article pub
lished in the Belton Times was a true
account of what happened, to be lie
also.
And, now, my dear sir, out of re-
spect for the governorship Of my state
a member Of whose general assembly
/ have the honor to be, / refrain from
telling you what l know you are, and
put 1t up to your constituency to judge
as to whether or not you are the one
who has lied about the matter.
Very respectfully,
(Signed) -. Archie Willis.
Publisher the Belton Times"
Inclosed with the letter Mr.. Willis
included the affidavit of Miss Rogers,
the ticket agent, and also the affida-
Wit of James M. Alexander, superin-
tendent Of the Pelzer mills.
The Governors Conduct.
The following affidavit was sent the
Belton Times by Mr.. Alexander from
Pelzer yesterday afternoon:
1.-The controversy between Gov.
Cole Blease and Miss Rogers, as print
ed in the Belton Times, is correct.
was present trying to get ticket for
the train going to Greenville and
heard the conversation. Would not
have known the man II he had not
said, I am Cole Blease, governor of
South Carolina etc.
(Signed) Jas. M. Alexander"
Sworn to before me this the 8th
day Of August, 1911.
(SeaD u. H. Merritt,
Notary Public South Carolina"
The following extract from the ar
A. IT,. To IaQ
the governor has denied, but which
true account Of what really happen
ed:
THE Blue Ridge railways train
comes into Belton in the afternoon at
5.25 just ten minutes before the train
coming from Columbia gets into the
station here. At $50 the Anderson
trolley car comes in. Both the Blue
Ridge railways train and the Ander-
son trolley bring a greater or smaller
number Of people who want to buy
tickets and board the train going from
Columbia to Greenville, and when the
number Is unusually large, as 1t was
Saturday afternoon, Miss Rogers, the
ticket agent, has difficulty in selling
tickets to all who apply for them. The
train going from Greenville to Colum-
bia gets here at $40 in the afternoon
and passengers who come over the
Blue Ridge have fifty-five minutes in
which to buy their tickets.
Saturday afternoon when the Blue
Ridge train pulled in at 5.25 and the
Anderson trolley followed at $50,
like 100 people rushed into
the station to get tickets for points up
the road There were numbers Of
ladies standing around waiting their
turn to get a ticket for some point
north of Bolton. A tall, black haired
man walked up to the window, hand
ed Miss Rogers. the accommodating
agent, two mileage books, that were
nearly used up and asked for ticket
to Columbia. There was not enough
in the two books combined to
buy the ticket, so he asked her to tear
the mileage out Of both books, sub
tract it from the number Of miles to
and he would pay her the
difference in cash. Miss Rogers very
kindly asked him If he wouldn't walt
until she had sold the tickets for those
ladies' and gentlemen who were walt
ing to catch the northbound tram.
She explained to him that he had un-
til $40 TO buy his ticket.
Instead Of giving place to those
til, -