The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-08-17
DENIES BELToN CHARGES.
Owner of Times Submits Affidav-
its of Witnesses


its of Witnesses.
Bolton, Aug. 8. - Special: In its
issue of Friday morning, Aug. 4,
the Belton Times carried an arti-
Gle, giving an account OF an Incl
dent that occurred in the Southern
Railway station here Saturday af-
ternoon, July 20. The incident
caused no little amount of comment
mere in Bolton, and some of the
people who saw and heard what
had transpired state that the article
which the Times published was
true TO the letter. One of Gov
ernor Blea.1e's adherents, one Jas.
q. Harris, wrote the Governor. ask
Ing him il the article was true,
and the Governor replied under
cate or August 5, bitterly 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 who state that the article
was true offered to substantiate
the article, and the editor of the
paper has secured sworn affidavit
which tend to prove that the Gov
ernor, in denying the truth of the
artlcle, made a gross misstatement
of facts.
J. Archie Willis, of Laurens
county, and member of the State
legislature from Laurens county,
Is the owner of the Times. He
came to Bolton from Laurens yester-
DAY and when shown the article,
published in the Anderson Intelli-
gencer, which included Governor
Blease's letter to his friend, Mr..
Harris, he proceeded to get the
proofs that the article published
In last Fridays Times was true in
every respect. He secured the
sworn affidavit of people who wit
messed the alleged misconduct of
the Governor, that his papers ar
tlcle was absolutely true, and he
wrote Governor Blease a letter yes
teruay afternoon, enclosing affidav-
its for the Excellency's informa-
ton.
MIR. Willis Letter.
Belten, S. c., August 8, 1911.
lion. Cole l.. Blease, Governor
or South Carolina, Columbia. S. C.
Dear Sir: have just read
copy OF your letter to Mr.. James
q. Harris, published in this morn
lngs Anderson Intelligencer. in
which you accuse the editor of the
belton Times with having lied in
the published account of your un-
sentlemanly conduct in the rail
way station here, on Saturday after
noon, July 20. AS to the remain
ing contents of your letter. you
nave called SO many editors in this
state dirty scurrilous little edi-
Tors that it must appear to you
that the joke has grown rather
stale
The facts in the article refsr-
Itch
stated by the young lady of wbom
you bought your ticket, ana om,
enclosing you herewith. iner sworn
at1ldaVit to the effect that the arti-
Gle was true in every resnect 7
am going to the further trouble
10 accommodate = your Exceilencv
anu enclosing you also the
sworn afSp.avit of Mr.. James NJ.
Alexander, the well known super
lntendent of the Pelzer Mills, who
witnessed the incident, that the in
c1dent happened exactly as reported
In the Bolton Times So, with this
evidence in your hands, it must
appear very plain to you that you
must go further than accusing
the editor of the Times with hav-
ing lied, If you want to prove your
self innocent of the charge which
iduy lOuSeu against
you. You must do that which no
gentleman having the high sense
of honor which you claim to have,
would do, and must accure the
young lady with having perjured
herseIf. At the same time, my
dear sir, you must prove the sworn
statement of the gentlemen who
witnessed 1t, and who has made
sworn aft 'davit, that the article
published in the Belton Times was
true account of what happened,
to be a lie also.
And, now, my dear sir, out of
respect for the Governorship of
my State, a member of whose Gen
eral Assembly | have the honor to
be, | refrain from telling you
what L know you are, and put it
up to your constituency to Judge
as to whether or not you are the
one who has lied about the matter.
Very Respectfully,
: (Signed) u. Archie Willis.
Publisher the Bolton Times"
Enclosed with the letter Mr.. Will
lis included the sworn affidavit of
Miss Rogers, the ticket agent, and
also the sworn affidavit of Mr..
James NJ. Alexander, the well
known superintendent of the Pelzer
Mills, and who, by the way, is n
notary public himself, having been
commissioned by Governor Blease.
Mr.. AleXandeP's Affidavit.
The following affidavit was sent
the Bolton Times byM r Alexander,
from Pelzer yesterday afternoon,
and as he was AN eye witness to
the incident ,and is a man of un-
spotted reputation, one whom every
man respects, it carries with 1t
an immense amount of weight:
"Belton Times, Belton, s C.:
The controversy between Governor
Cole Blease and Miss Rogers, as
printed in the Belton Times is cor
rect. j was present trying to get