Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-29
DISPENSARY GRAFT MATTER.
RichIand Sessions Is investigating the
Famous Label Case.

DIsPENsARY GRAFT MATTER.
RichIand Sessions Is Investigating the
Famous Label Case.
The trial Of another one of the So
called dispensary graft cases was
commenced in the Richland general
sessions last Tuesday before Judge
Wilson and jury. The indictment is
against L. w. Boykin of KershaW
county, and John Bell Towill of Lex
ington county, both members of the
former state dispensary board of con-
troll; w. o. Tatum Of Orangeburg
county, formerly commissioner of the
state dispensary; M. A. Goodman, a
whisky salesman, and Dennis Weis-
kopf of Cincinnati, a business man of
that city.
It is alleged that Boykin, Towill and
Tatum, representing the state dispen-
sary, through Goodman and Weiskopf
purchased from Nivison- Weiskopf
company of Cincinnati, on May g.
1905, a supply of labels for the dispen-
sary, for which the charge made was
s35, 1000, of which amount it Is alleged
that $4,000 was graft" that was re-
turned to the representatives Of the
state for their personal use.
The technical charge is conspiracy
to defraud the state. The large supply
of labels, it was alleged, was sufficient
to last the state dispensary for ten
years, but the state dispensary system
was abolished by the legislature In
1907. The prosecution Of the case is
being conducted by Attorney General
]. Fraser Lyon, who was instrumental
in unearthing the case. The defend
ants are represented by distinguish
ed array Of attorneys.
Not a great deal was done during
Tuesday, beyond getting the case fair
" started, and much of Wednesday
was consumed in word sparring and
legal repartee, especially with regard
to the admission of testimony.
w. H. Cogswell Of the Walker
Evans -Cogswell company of Charles
ton, was placed on the stand shortly
before the close of the morning ses-
sion.
Question by Mr.. Lyon: AT what
price was your company, willing to
furnish in September, 1905, labels sim
liar to the samples shown you by Mr,
Christensen"
Answer. ."$s,1S5, for a lot of 21,-
000, ,000."
was there a profit in it for you at
that price?"
Yes, SIR
How much?"
About $4,000"
1T is alleged that the defendants
paid the Nivison- Weiskopf company,
of Cincinnati something over $4,000
for 21,000,000 labels similar to the
samples"
The principal witness for the pros
ecution Wednesday was State Senator
Neils Christensen of Beaufort, who
was a member Of the legislative COM
mittee appointed in 1905 to investigate
the state dispensary, and who, with
Attorney General Lyon, then a mem
Der Of the house of representatives,
constituted the subcommittee which
dug up much of the evidence concern
ing the conduct Of the state dispensa-
nv. Mr.. Christensen identified vouch-
ers found at that time in the dispen-
sary's records, and also put in evidence
certain of the labels themselves. AS
member of the investigating commit
tee. he had obtained from other
houses bids on similar labels in order
to ascertain whether the price paid
Nivison- Weiskopf were eXtortionate.
Much lower bids, it was then stated,
were obtained from concerns in CO.
lumbia, Louisville and Charleston.
The trial will last several days. The
indictment against Dennis Weiskopf
of Cincinnati, also for conspiracy to
defraud the state, will likely be mol
pressed after he has testified In the
present case. There is also an indict-
ment standing against Weiskopf
charging perjury in his testimony be-
fore the investigating committee when
he sWore he had not paid rebates to
anyone connected with the state dis
pensary.
Mr.. Christensen has been a member
of the senate since 1904 and was
member of the legislative committee
appointed to make an investigation OF
the affairs of the old state dispensary
during 1905 and 1906. The sub-com-
mittee, composed of Mr.. Christensen
and Mr.. Lyon, had in charge the in
vestigation into excessive prices for
liquors and other dispensary supplies
The effort of the prosecution. con-
Quoted by Attorney General Lyon in
examining Christensen, was to prove
that certain labels which were placed
in evidence were some of the Identical
labels purchased by the defendants
from the Nivison- Weiskopf company
at a price for the total lot of about
$4,000. y.
In the progress of the label case"
the trial of w. o. Tatum, L. w.
Boykin and John Bell Towill-consid-
cradle evidence was brought out yes
terday. The defense objected to near
ly every particle of the testimony OF
the witnesses for the state. The case
will necessarily go over into next week.
John T. Farley, a representative or
a liquor house, yesterday testified that
in the spring of 1905 he talked with
L. w. Boykin and ]. B. Towill, dispen-
nnrnhQSp
labels, suggesting that If they gave
the order to Mr.. Weiskopf Of Cincin-
natl it would mean money in Earley's
pocket; that subsequently Commits
sioners Tatum and Boykin went to
Cincinnati in company with M. A.
Goodman and Farley met then at the
Grand Central depot; that together
they subsequently went to the office OF
Nivison, Weiskopf & Co., to discuss
the matter of labels with them, that
the agreement to give the big job of
lithographing to the firm was made;
that subsequently Farley received as
one third of the net profit Of the deal
a check for $6,534; that Goodman told
him that he had paid Boykin $4,000,
Tatum $4,000, something to Towill and
something to w. ]. McCartha, anoth-
er dispensary employe. When court
adjourned last night, Judge Wilson
had under advisement whether or not
to let Farley answer the question if he
had ever paid Boykin any money In
liquor transactions.
Other evidence submitted yesterday
was that of A. E. Gonzales, president
of the State company, to the effect
that he had in October, 1905, offered to
duplicate the label order for $7,700 and
in that he would have included the
usual 10 per cent charged by the trade
as the work would have been done
elsewhere. The offer of the Walker,
Evans & Cogswell company was $9,165
which included $4,000 profit. The dis
pensary paid $35,677 for the work.
Senator Christensen went on the stand
yesterday to make statement about
the per diem and mileage he received
at different times. These were the only