Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-16

While II was not stated on the stand
1t is thought that possibly other de
! tectives employed by Burns operated
| in South Carolina, gathering evidence
and Burns himself said this will b,
laid before the grand juries Of the
state at the proper time.
| What has been produced here Il
simply the first part. Burns himself
said yesterday that he proposed to fol
ow up the South Carolina situation tt
| the end.
Col. Fielder announced on the stand
that the reason the committee had re-
cessed today was to get the 80. K.
telegram referred to. which, he sait
would show that Blease had granted
| the pardon Of Deford, as arranged by
Porter" with Nichols.
Detective on Stand.
The committee took up the testi-
mony at o'clock this afternoon and
the first witness sworn was E. F
Reed, who testified that he was in the
employ of the Burns Detective Agency
and had been detailed to look into the
South Carolina situation, being as
signed to that section Of the state west
of Columbia; that he posed as Henry
n. Porter" a Chicago attorney, and
that he had transaction with Samuel
Nichols, q Spartanburg attorney. Sen.
ator Clifton raised an objection to the
introduction of this testimony unless
Mr.. Nichols was present, but the COM
mittee, by a vote Of 3 to 2, decided tc
proceed.
Col. Fielder announced that II Mr.
Nichols wished at any time to come
to Augusta and deny any Of the state
ments in the dictagraph testimony he
would be very glad to meet the com
mittee here with him and go over the
later. Reed, or Porter" stated the
same thing and his testimony then
continued.
"Porter" stated that he had been in
structed to pick the worst criminal In
the penitentiary as his client, in order
to carry out the scheme Of buying a
pardon from the governor, and, ac-
cordingly he sought the notorius
yeggman, Gus Deford, alias James
johnson. alias Edward Howard, alias
G. M. Deford, who had served a
five-year sentence in the Federal pris-
on and is now serving ten-year SEN
tence in the South Carolina Feniten-
tiary for dynamiting the safe OF the
Enoree Manufacturing Company. In
Spartanburg; that he carried letter
of introduction from Nichols to Capt.
Sondly, of the penitentiary, and had
an interview with Deford repre-
senting to him that he wished to get
him pardoned. and finally Deford
consented to let him act as his attor-
ney.
He said that following the interview
with the convict he returned to Spar
tanburg and had a talk with Nichols.
he having previously represented to
Nichols that he was settling an estate
in which Deford was the beneficiary,
but that for the convict to. get the
benefit of the terms Of the will he
would have to have his citizenship re
stored. Reed said that Sam Nichols
told him that he thought there would
be no trouble in working 1t and that
he could get a pardon for Deford
from the governor.
"Mr. Porter" told Of going to Allan
ia and getting a letter of credit on the
Bank Of Commerce, in Spartanburg,
from Col. Felder's bank In Atlanta,
and said that he knew Mr.. Hendricks,
the assistant cashier Of the Bank OF
Commerce, in Spartanburg. He said
that he gave Nichols check OF $500
on the Bank Of Commerce, as expen-
ses. and 1t was deposited to NicholPs
credit there, being endorsed by
Nichols. He said that he had sent
him another check for $500 and a
telegram received today advised him
that the check had been paid.
Porter" testified that he had con-
ference with Nichols in Room 4S OF
the Hotel Finch, in Spartanburg. on
June %, in which dictagraph was In
stalled and the adjoining room occu-
pied by a stenographer named S. Teile-
baum. of Atlanta. with the transmit
nh fn and
the five-hour conversation between
him and Nichols was duly recorded
by the dictagraph.
Conversation pietasraphed.
He said that in Washington, D. c.,
on June 26, at the New Willard Hotel,
in Room 541, he again had a confer
ence with Nichols, which was "dicta-
graphed," the adjoining room being oc-
cupied by George w. Reik, the steno-.
grapher who, with the transmltter OF
the dictagraph to his ear, duly re-
corded the whole conversation. He
said that at this meeting Nichols was
accompanied by the county recorder
of Spartanburg, Mr.. Pasly. but that the
latter only remained in the room five
or ten minutes.
Porter" said that Nichols, who was
en- route to the Baltimore Convention,
wanted him to come on over there and
meet Senators Tillman and Smith,
from South Carolina, and he went,
meeting Senator Smith and the South
Carolina delegation.
Several kilograms, alleged to nave
passed between Porter" and Nicnolls
about this time, were offered In evil
dence and concerned the progress OF
the effort which Nichols was alleged
to be making to get pardon for De-
ford. Porter" testified that he got the
original indictment Of Deford from
Sam Nichols in Spartanburg and they
were offered in evidence.
Thomas B. Fielder then took the
stand to read the photographer
conversations which, it is alleged, had
occurred between Nichols and "Por-
ter" in Spartanburg, Washington and
Baltimore,
Before beginning the reading Fielder
was questioned by the committee con-
cerning several of the charges which
Governor Blease had made against
him and he denounced as IAN unmiti-
gated lie'' the statement Of Hub
Evans, that he (Felder) had once met
him in Newberry, or that he had ever
attempted a frame with Hub
Evans, Towill and Boykin. Fielder said
that the only time he had seen Towil
was once when the latter came to him
in Washington, seeking employment as
travelling salesman in South Carolina
| for Armour & Co. He denounced al
of the charges which Hub" Evans and
the governor of South Carolina have
brought against him as malicious anC
| infamous lies"
Col. Fielder produced the draft of the
81, 900 which he had turned over tc
Reed, and which the latter had depos.
tied in the Bank Of Commerce, in Spar
| tanburg.
Letters as Evidence.
Several letters purporting to bear or
the pardon record of Governor Blease
were read by Fielder at the Afternoon
| session of the committee. Mr.. Fielder
said that the various cases referred tt
were now, being investigated by the
Burns Detective Agency, and that the
facts and data would be placed in th'
hands of the committee in few days
The first letter put in evidence wa!
written on the letter paper of Lyon 4
Lyon, attorneys at law, Of Dubuque
| Iowa.
| Mr.. Columbia, S. C.,-Deal
Sir: Your favor of the 18th addressed
to Miss Dently at hand and turned
over to me to answer, for the reason
that she prefers to have any CORE
| spOndence regarding her brothers sit