Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-19
THE FRAME-UP AT THE FINCH
Dictagraph of the Bait to Catch
Governor.
RECORD OF PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE
Detective Sought to Tempt Lawyer With Plausible
Story of Opportunity for Big Fee and Lawyer
Uses all His Wiles to Stretch the Fee as Far as
Possible.

fOSS1DlG.
Although the last issue Of The En-
ouirer was pretty well filled with tes-
timony submitted to the investigating
committee at Augusta, tie story was
not complete. 1t developed after the
adiournmen that for the evident pur-
post of producing a better effect Mr'
Fielder had submitted the last part OF
his story gfirst, and the first part was
not submitted to the committee until
after it had adjourned. The part OF
the record published by the committee
related to the alleged pardon negotia-
tions after they had begun to reach
white heat, when the eagerness for the
big fact that was offered was natural
ly growing stronger and stronger. For
a more complete understanding OF such
an unusual case 1t Is obviously proper
that the reader should have more OF
especially the beginning, and we mere
with reproduce the dictagraph record
giving the developments Of an alleged
conference of five hours in the Finch
was as follows:
Dietasraph Record.
The following pages comprise tran
script of nv notes taken stenographi-
cally by means Of the dictagraph, OF
conversation between Samuel ]. Mich
OILS and Henry N. Porter, at Spartan
burg, S. c., on Saturday, June %, 1917,
beginning at about 1910 p. m. Said
conversation taking place in the room
occupied by said Porter, being room
No. 46, Finch hotel, and occupying
room No. 4S Finch hotel:
Mr.. Porter: How do you do, Mr..
Nichols? Come in.
Mr.. Nichols: Good evening, Mr.. Por-
ter; I'm going to Washington tonight,
and I haven't got much time.
Mr.. Porter: How long will you be
there?
Mr.. Nichols: suppose I'll be there
about a week, I'm going to that con-
vention.
Mr.. Porter: I was just thinking
maybe you could get away for a day
or two and meet me, say in Chicago?
Mr.. Nichols: It's going to be awful
for me to get away, Mr.. Porter, we are
Just as DuSy as we Cdn pc.
Mr.. Porter: I presume 1t would be
the better way for me to perhaps drop
down here, If It Is so that / could. I'm
pretty we'll tied up though, and
don't know about that.
Mr.. Nichols: Yes, we are about In
the same fix, we're awful busy, just as
busy as we can be. If the convention
should break up in time to let me get
away, I'll be fxed, II might he possible
for me to go from there, because l
want to get back a day or two before
our court begins; our court begins
about that time and we have court
three weeks, and / have got lots OF
business and. Of course, I'd like to get
back here a day or two before court so
I could kinder go over things. I was
just thinking could leave the conven-
ton up there and we are personal
friends, know him very we'll and have
known him for several years, and I am
instructed for Wilson, but our conven-
tion has passed resolutions endorsing
him, so have got to go there and vote
for Wilson, but after Wilson's out, /
have no instructions at all, and then
I can vote for Harmon, II want to.
Mr.. Porter: 1t doesn't take but
day and night.
+.
could leave the convention on the 25th,
it might be that could be back here
on the 9th or 2Sth-I believe I could
get back by the 1st or End, couldn't 1?
What did you want me to go to Chi
cago for, Mr.. Porter?
Mr.. Porter: Why to save me a trip
down here, and we could talk matters
over there. That is, If you give me
any encouragement along those lines
and from what you said the other night
/ believe
As to Securing Pardon.
Mr.. Nichols: Oh, believe we can
get the matter through, as far as that s
concerned. l know this that Blease
has never refused to do anything have
told him to do since he has been gov
ernor and he refers everything to
me. Lots of people go there and he
refers 1t to me, He always asks my
opinion, and he acts on that opinion,
and he does that all over the country
here; he isn't going to do anything
without consulting me about it, one
way or the other and II 1 ask him to
do ii I'm satisfied he will do 1t. Only
one thing in the way about it, I have
heard incidentally from other lawyers
that Blease has told them that he
wouldn't consider anything during his
campaign; that he didn't have time
to look into the matter, he didn't
think, and wouldn't grant any other
pardons until after the election. But
/ believe, even with that, II L insist or
it. it will be granted. Blease is this
kind of fellow-there's no doubt about
tiff he takes a notion to act, he's q
fellow that will act, he don't care
durn about that.
Mr.. Porter: I believe he's mar
that is thoroughly independent
Mr.. Nichols: Oh, yes. he's abso.
lutely independent, he's man of hi:
own convictions. But even If he dom
consider it before the election, even II
ii is late, 1t Is better late than never
The fight that they are making or
Blease right now is on his pardon
record, that's the great reason they
are fighting him. It's like Ben Till
man says-theres been an accumula-
tion for the last fifty years, and gov.
ernors have been afraid to pardon
them, because people talked about i
our records show that plainly
Blease got in there. and he went ant
did what he thought was right abou
it-he got in there and put them tt
sleep. When are you going to Chi
cago, Mr.. Porter?
Mr. Porter: I'm going tonight.
thought, perhaps, If we had few
hours together. we could get every
thing Strengthened up, but as long as
you are going away. I don't think +
would be well to go into 1t.
Mr. Nichols: / don't think so eth
er. I've got great many things thi'
afternoon to do.
Mr. Porter: OF course. I'm gOins
to be liberal in the matter; there's M
doubt about the money, and if yOl
think it's worth while. knowing all th'
circumstances and the way you arr
situated and the way the governo
feels in this matter, 1 think we coult
make it worth while all-round.
Mr.. Nichols: Well, I'll tell you, !
was rather fortunate. I think, tina
you hunted me up. because there i
absolutely no chance in the world Il
get him out, and-well, there's M
chance 10 get him out unless we cal
get him out. and If we fail he vii
have to stay there, that's just the sit
uation. and as far as I'm PERSONAL!
cOncerned-of course. I'll go owe
there and see If we can handle II. thu
only thing / know it's going to b'
awful hard to do anything until afte
the election.
Mr.. Nichols. Blease might put 1t vi
to me in this way: There's been 9th
er people that have been after me TO