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

one occasion the governor while state
senator, received $500 for blocking Ger.
| tain railroad legislation; that on an
other occasion he received $3.50 for
| preventing a dispensary investigation;
that he received $4,000 for the pardon
of Rudolph Rabens, and that he re-
ceived much financial assistance In his
campaign of two years ago through the
| contributions of Charleston blind IT,
gers. These were the principal de-
| velopments of Friday. The sensation
al development of Saturday evening
was the publication of dictagraph rec
| ords showing the details of an agree
/ ment under which s. ]. Nichols, q
| Spartanburg lawyer, and close friend
of the governor, undertook to secure a
pardon for Gus DeFord, the notorious
safe cracker in consideration Of fee
Of $4,000, Of which Nichols was to
keep $4,000 himself, pay $4,000 to c. P.
Sims, and use the other $4,000 in the
| political interest Of the governor.
While the detectives appear to have
made very strong case in the matter
of Nichols. at least to the extent Of
showing that he was doing his best to
commercialize his standing and influ
ence with the governor, 1t has not been
shown that the governor Is a party to
any. actual wrong doing in that connec-
tion, and neither is there any conclu-
sive evidence that the governor receiv-
ed money for blocking railroad legisla
ton, for preventing dispensary in
vestigation, or for pardoning Rudolph
Rabens
According to Mr.. Fielder, the famous
"T. B." letters, are forgeries executed
by a clerk in his, Felder's Office. Mr.
Felder's law partner, Mr.. Rountree,
swears to this and goes on to say that
the forger was not prosecuted because
his wife was a relative Of Mr.. Round
| tree. There are a good many people
who will accept this as true, but there
are others who will take 1t as another
illustration of Mr.. Felder's smoothness.
AS to what the real facts are of course
we do not know; but somehow we can
not help thinking that II 1t be true that
this firm had knowingly kept an ex-
pert forger on its payroll for so long
previous to this development, the fell
low must no doubt have worked off
many a good job for his employers be-
fore going into business in this way on
his own account.
Much Of the evidence submitted at
Augusta seems to reflect more or less
seriously on some of the governors
| friends, and some of 1t suggests more
or less questionable conduct on the part
of the governor himself but none Of it Is
conclusive. Somebody has said that the
| governor received $3.50. and $500 for
senatorial activities, and somebody else
says that $4,000 was the amount the
governor received for pardoning Ra-
bens; but so far 1t is all mere asser-
ton. There is nothing in it that would
convict anybody before petit jury. In
all the dictagraph records involving
| Nichols there Is not a word to impli
cate anybody but Nichols himself. It
will be noted, that even in connection
with the signing of that Piedmont and
| Northern franchise bill, there Is no
intimation that the governor is to get
anything out Of it. 1t appears to be
merely a question Of being willing to
forego an inclination to spite supposed
enemies because Of a desire to oblige
supposed friend.
But from assertions made by Detec-
tive Burns, the end is not yet. The de-
tective says he has many other dicta-
graph records, telling Of the doings Of
others, and that he will not let up on
the matter until the whole truth has
come out. 1t is to be hoped that he
will do this very thing, and If he will
only expose all the folks who are found
to be guilty of wrongdoing, regardless
of where they stand in the present po-
| litical fight the result will be to the
great good Of the state.
In the meantime 1t Is to be hoped
that the people will keep their heads
| level and not be too quick to jump at
conclusions.