The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-08-12
DENIES CHARGE
Govern9r Blease Say, He Was Noi Rude
10 Young Laa:1 at Bell0n

10 Young Lac ! al BeltoE
SAYS THE EDITOR LIED
Editor Willis CONS Back With Az
fidavits Substa1 iiating What He
Published Abom the Matter, and
Intimates that ,he Governor anil
Not the Editor did the Lying.
There is now q row on between
the Editor of the G3elton Times, who
is Hon. J.. Archie Willis, a. member
OF the Legislature from Laurens
county, and Cove nor Bleese. The
trouble was start I'D by an article,
which appeared in the Times on Fri
day morning, August 4, charging
that Governor Bile ase had been rude
to Miss aTy ]. Rogers, ticket agent
of the Southern railway at Bolton,
while buying a Gicket to Columbia
from Bolton. The following is an
extract from the &rticle published in
The Times:
Article from The Times.
The Blue Ridg:, railways train
comes into Belton in the afternoon
at 5:25, just 10 minutes before tho
train coming from Columbia gets in
to the station hare. At $3.50 the
Anderson trolley car comes in. Both
the Blue Ridge ,ailway .lain and
the Anderson trc .leys bring a great
er or smaller nu% aber of people who
want to buy thei: tickets and board
the train from Columbia going to-
wards Greenville and when the num-
ber is unusually arge, as it was Sat
urday afternoon, Miss Rogers, the
ticket agent had difficulty in selling
tickets to all wlo apply for them.
The train going to Columbia from
Greenville gets fere at $40 in the
afternoon, and p lssengers who come
over on the Blue Ridge have 55 min
utes in which to buy their tickets.
Saturday af ernoon when the
Blue Ridge trai,a pulled in at 5:25
and the trolley car followed at $3.50,
something like a hundred people, men
and women rus ed into the station
to get tickets TO- points UP the road.
There were mum ,ers Of ladies stand
ing around ava lting their turn to
get a ticket for some point north of
Belton. A tai, black-haired man
walked up to ahe window, handed
Miss Rogers, thu accommodating tick
ct agent, two Mileage books that
were nearly use up and asked for
a ticket to Colu nbia. There was not
enough mileage in the two books
so he asked ne, to tear the mileage
out Of both bo, ks, subtract 1t from
the number Of miles to Columbia
and he would ay the difference In
cash. Miss Roi.e .ers very kindly ask
ed him If he wouldn't wait until she
had sold the tickets for those ladies
and gentlemen who were going to
catch the north bound train. She ex-
planned to him chat he had until g.
20 to get his ii ket.
'Instead of ;iving place to those
who ought eel :ainly to have been
given place at he window, the man
straigthened himself, and in a most
Insulting marntr r informed Miss Rog-
ers that she nc lst not know who she
was talking to. He further inform
ed her that 4 am Cole Blease, the
governor of Sc 18th Carolina; I've got
a right to bu, a ticket any time l
call for it, an, you've got to sell 1t
to me- He took occasion to tell her
that If he didl't have to, he would
never had ridden on her old South
ern road He also informed Miss
Rogers that - was going to write
her up to he, Superintendent.
MIR. James G. Harris, of Bolton,
one of Govern ,r Blease's friends and
supporters, W, ote and asked him II
the article wss a true statement or
the case, and he governor replied IN
e most positiIe manner that the ar
ticle was not true. Here is what
Governor Bles Sc wrote Mr.. Harris in
reply:
Blease Denies Charge.
Aug. 5, 1911.
"Mr. James {. Harris, Belton, S. G.
Dear sir: Your letter of the 4th
just received In reply beg to state
that on my way home on Saturday,
July 30, l walked up to the ticket
office window at Bolton, laid down
two mileage book covers, with some
strips left, bit not enough to bring
me through o Columbia. I did not
know at whit time either train ar
rived at Belt>n, but was of the opin-
ion that / made close connection
When 1 presented the milegae books
I asked the young lady for ticket
tc Columbia. She replied, I have not
time to wal. on YOU now I said,
Well, I wan to go to Columbia and
want a ii i-ket.' She said, i have
not got time to compute this mil
cage and make the calculation |
smiled and said, Very we'll. l will
nd co