The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-08-07
MAYOR JNO. P. GRACE
.ARRAIGNS GOV. v.BLEASE
Private Life and Public Acts
Barred.
BLEASE REPLIES BY
DECLARING 1T A LIE
After Securing Permission from the
Governor to Relate Some Inciden-
cies Occurring During Their Former
Friendship, MAJ! or Grace Gives
Startling Interview.

Glenn Springs, S. c., July 3O.-In his
room at the Glenn Springs Hotel to-
night, Mr.. Grace dictated TO newspaper
men statement Of 1000 words.
which, in it's entirety, would hardly
pass muster with the United States
postal authorities Were is published
in full Mr.. Grace would have quite
fulfilled his promise to "nauseate the
white people Of South Carolina" 1t
is. beyond question, the "yellowest"
public revelation ever made in direct
connection with the name of a chief
magistrate of Southern state, and,
In certain OF its features, overshad-
ows anything in the same connection
which had yet been made public, or
which was offered for public use.
Mr.. Grace's statement purports to
reveal conversations between himself
and the governor, while they were no
litical allies, and more or less friend
ly'' toward each other, which bear in
high coloring upon the private life of
the governor.
Further, Mr.. Grace goes over in de-
lall conversation he says he had
with the governor, in which Blease
says the people were fooled in be-
lieving the had elected McDuffie
Hampton railroad commissioner; that
he was elected on the money of the
Southern Railway Company, handled
by Blease; that Blease paid the ex-
penses OF Hampton's campaign out
of money given to Blease for the pur-
pose by the Southern Railway Com
pany and sent the company the vouch-
ers signed by Hampton. This cam
paign occurred two years ago.
In part Mr.. Graces statement-all
OF which he intended should be made
public-is as follows:
Il read Governor Blease's release to
me, If may so call 1t, under which |
now feel at liberty to make the state
ments to Which l referred in my in
terView last night. | notice he says
nave never made a confidante of
John p. Grace in any manner shape
nor form. This only confirms what
said to the effect that 1 did not re-
gard the conversation as confidential,
and 1t removes the last scruple that |
might have in the matter
An Unprintable Review.
Il, therefore, now state that during
conversation in Charleston, while
Governor Blease was in a very CO...
ViVial mood, he saw fit to direct his
thoughts along the line of some of his
experiences in matters so delicate that
VIII expect the public to Judge of
their meaning"
| Here Mr.. Grace relates an unprint
able review, which he says was re-
hearsed in conversation with Blease,
OF an attack by Blease on a "colored
girl in Newberry. The governor, ac-
cording to the story, was crossing a
little bridge in or near the town of
Newberry at the time, and was wear
ing new suit of clothes"
In the twinkle Of an eye she pushed
him over in the creek new clothes and
all"
Mr. Grace says the governor told
this as if it were great joke on him
self
He laughed very heartily. when
telling this story and said Didn't |
cut a pretty figure in my new suit
of clothes, down in the creek and The
colored girl up on the bridge, running
away and laughing at me?'
AS | said in my interview yester
day" Mr.. Grace went on to say, "It
seems to me that q man who, with
such vaunted audacity undertook to
occupy this role should at least be-
gin by being able to show that he had
lived life compatible with such
claims.
Governor Blease by all sorts Of OBJ
lique insinuations has created the i'm
preston that Judge Jones private life
in reference to the colored race. Is
not what 1t should be. am not In
position to say anything as to that,
either pro or con, but unless Gov
ernor Blease told me lie, which of
course, is not improbable, just by this
one episode his is certainly not what
1t should be and [ have heard many
rumors to the effect that there are
other more fragrant cases. The only
one, however, OF which 1 know is the