The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-12-06
GOVERNOR BLEASE
SUSPENDS GOODMAN
Magistrate of MountviIle
Suspended.
GENERAL MESS
OVER TIE AFFAIR
Result OF Two Trials Of Rural Police
man Madden for Selling a Pistol BE-
lon@iiSy 70 The County in One OF
Which he was Convicted and i'm the
Other was Acquitted.


Other WAS Acquitted.
In the News and Courier of Sunday.
under Columbia date line appeared
the following:
Governor Blease has suspended j.
NJ. Goodman, magistrate at Mountville.
in Laurens County, on the strength
of aflidavits from w. C. Hipp Doc
Brown and Ross ID. Young, county
treasurer of Laurcns, that Magistrate
Goodman failed to remit all of the mon
ey from two fines to the county treas
urcr, as required by law On the fill
ing of the afldavits which contain
tie above alterations. Magistrate
Goodman was suspended from office
and forbidden to perform any of the
duties of such officer. Copies of let
ter addressed to Goodman were filed
today in the Office of the Secretary
of state, reading as follows:
1T having been shown to me by ar-
fidavits Of w. c. Hipp, Doc Brown and
Ross ID. Young, county treasurer of
the county of Laurens, (copies of said
affidavits having heretofore been serv
ed upon you,) that you have been gull
ty of misconduct and neglect of duty
as magistrate, in that you did on or
about April A, 1911, collect fine of
$50 from one Johnnie Jones, and that
on or about July, 1911, did collect a
line OF $40 from one Doc Brown. and
that you have only made return to the
said treasurer of $40 Of the money col
lected from Johnnie Jones and SIS of
the money collected from Doc Brown.
in violation Of the statutes and in
open violation of the law, which re-
Quires that you shall turn over all
amounts collected by you to the county
treasurer of your county;
Now, in view of your violation of
your oath of office and of misconduct
and neglect of duty, as above set forth
you are hereby suspended from the
ONCE of magistrate, and are forbidden
to perform any Of the duties as such
officer. This action is taken in ac-
cordance with Section 9S2, Volume 1.
Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1902.
Copy Of this order has been filed
with the Secretary Of State and clerk
of Court of the county of Laurens.
Cole l.. Blcase, Governor.
W. f. C.
This action of the governor is the
outcome OF state OF affairs that has
existed for The past few weeks around
Mountville and which grew out OF the
trial of Rural Policeman Madden for
disposing of a pistol hchad taken from
prisoner. Mr. Madden was first
tried before Magistrate Goodman. the
dcposcd officer, and found guilty. In
this trial Mr. Earle Bryson went on
the stand and swore that he had
bought the pistol from the rural 20
liceman. Mr.. Madden states that be-
cause he did not think that lie could
get fair trial at this time, he rcrus-
ed to put up any evidence to cellar him
self. Instead he later asked for a new
''''i ''iih a. 'htlSt Ol venue. I ms
was granted and Mn Madden went be-
for Magistrate Campbell last Non
day. At this trial Mr. Madden put his
son on the stand and he testified that
ne it was who had sold the pistol. Mr.
Madden was thcrcupon acquitted Mr.
Bryson still contends that the pistol
was sold to him by the rural police
man himself
TO all outside appearances the trial
last Monday ended the case. but
wheels had begun to turn elsewhere
Mr.. Madden had laid his case before
Gov. Blease, submitting at the same
time aiIidaYits mentioned in the above
dispatch to the effect that Magistrate
Goodman had received certain fines
and had failed to turn them over to
the proper authorities On receiving
these aflidavits, according to Mr..
Goodman, Gov. Blcase wrote him and
called on him to send in his resigna-
ton. Instead of doing this, Mr. Good
man prepared aIidavits to show that
the charges made AGAINST him were
not true. He carried these to Column
bia himself last Tuesday and appeared
before Gov. Bleasc with them Ac-