Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-18
Attorney With Whom Detective
Says He Dickered for Par
don Enters Denial.
WAS TOO INTOXICATED
TO KNOW, HE ADMITS
Carolina Investigation Com
mittee Resumes Its Probe
at Columbia.

COLUMBIA. S. c., July 18.-Sweep
ing denials were made today by Sam
uel j. Nichols, the Spartanburg attor
ney. that he had any intention of Of
fering a bribe to Governor Cole l..
Blease for a pardon for Gus Deford,
a notorious yeggman. Nichols denied
other charges made against him in
the testimony of Detective E. S Reed,
of the Burns agency, before the South
Carolina legislative committee inves
tigating the dispensary system and
charges of graft on the part of Gov
ernor Blease. The committee held
special session here today to take
Nichols testimony, following the SEN
sational disclosures of Detective Reed
and Thomas z. Fielder, the Atlanta
attorney, before the committee at Au
gusta last Saturday
Nichols declared on the witness
stand that he was in such an intoxi
Gated condition at the timeN of the In
terviews between himself and Detec-
tive Reed posing as Horace n. Por-
ter a Chicago lawyer, that he. knew
little of those interviews, as recorded
by the dictagraph. He deeianaae Ahak
some of the statements sby him were
too ridiculous TO be taken seriously.
He fatty denied some of the testi-
mony as reported by the dictagraph.
intention of offering to bride the gov
ernor and denied that he had done a
big pardon business" with the gov
ernor He denied the statement that
he was delegate to the Democratic
national convention at Baltimore, and
that he was instructed for Harmon,
but said that if he said this it was
while under the influence of Scotch
whisky
Nichols declared that the dictagraph
testimony. taken in Spartanburg, Bal
timore and Washington hotels, had
been destroyed by transcribing stenog
raphers He denied that he had tele
graphed Reed to come to Spartanburg
to close the pardon deal. He declared
that telegram introduced as having
been received by Samuel J Nichols
purporting to be from Reed, to the eff
feet that he had sent New York
draft for 100000 for closing the pardon
deal, was false.
The committee was in session three
hours hearing Nichols testimony.
Chairman Carlisle announced that he
had requested Detective Reed to APP
pear here today, but that he had fail
ed to come The hearing was attend
ed by a large crowd. anxious to hear
another chapter of the latest sensa.
ton in South Carolina politics and
government affairs
Nichols is represented by eight lead
ing attorneys of the state. chief among
whom is his father Judge George w.
Nichols. of Spartanburg.
The refusal OF E. s. Reed. the Burns
detective, to appear before the commit
tee today or on any future day In South
Carolina. has taken away considerable
interest in the hearing. and 1t Is like
ly that the committees findings at
present will be Of little Importance. T.
B Fielder and the detective say they
will appear before the committee in
any city Of North Carolina, Georgia, or
other nearby state, but that they will
not come into this state while Blease
is governor They say that there are
henchmen of the governor who would
gladly kill them and that these would
Immediately be pardoned by Governor
Blease. Members of the committee and
Sam j. Nichols and his array of coun-
sci arrived in this city this morning.