The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-07-25
NICHOLS WAS DRUNK.
This Was His Excuse for Dictagraph
Testimony.

Charleston whiskey situation and the
defense as put up by Sam J. Nichols,
the Spartanburg attorney, to the
charge of a pardon deal, were the
features of the sessions yesterday OF
the committee of the general assem-
bly, of South Carolina that is inyesti-
eating the affairs of the old State
dispensary.
The committee made a ruling yes
terday that will have an important
bearing on all witnesses to be sum-
moned in the future with reference
to the alleged system of collecting a
s'protection fund" from the blind IT,
gers of Charleston. Witnesses in the
future will be required to give tes-
timony or be ruled in contempt. The
testimony under the ruling of the
committee will not be used in GRIM
inal cases against the witnesses.
AS a result of the testimony yes
terday, Ben H. Stothart, chief consta-
Bile of Charleston county, is charged
with receiving monthly sum from
J.. P. B. O'Neill, confessed wholesale
and retail whiskey dealer. O'Nelll
made the direct charge that he paid
this fund for 'protection' from the
constables. He charged that he col
lected the fund from several retail
dealers and that they were given the
necessary protection. The method by
which this fund went to Stothart is
shown in the verbatim testimony of
O'Neill.
The committee, while not making
an official statement, has indicated
that every wholesale whiskey dealer
in Charleston, charged with accepting
the protection fund from the retail
dealers, will be summoned and forced
to give testimony or they will be
held in contempt. No witnesses will
be allowed to refuse to give testi-
mony on the ground that "it might
incriminate him"
'If 1 made that statement it was
liquor talk"
This statement is the substance in
part of the defense of Sam ]. Nichols,
the Spartanburg attorney, against the
charges by the Burns detectives that
he had framed up a deal whereby Gus
DeFord, the most notorious prisoner
in the penitentiary, was to receive a
pardon from the governor of South
Carolina for $4,000 or more.
Nichols appeared yesterday before
the legislative committee that is pro-
bing into the affairs of the old State
dispensary and gave his version of
the dictagraph testimony as present
ed before the committee in Augusta
by e. S. Reed, the chief lieutenant OF
w. J. Burns, the detective of interna-
tional prominence.
He said that he was drunk when
he made many of the statements
and that he did not remember much
of the conversation with Henry N.
Porter, the Chicago attorney" who
was trying to secure pardon for
Johnson, alias Gus DeFord.
Nichols said that he was acting
as associate counsel with Henry N.
Porter in trying to secure a pardon
and that whatever action he took was
as an attorney and that he only ex-
pected an attorneys fee for his SER
vices.
He admitted that the conferences
with Henry N. Porter in the Finch
hotel at Spartanburg; in the New
Willard hotel in Washington and the
Altamont hotel in Spartanburg,| as
recorded by the dictagraph testi
mony, which was presented in Au-
gusta.
He made the positive statements
that he was drunk and that he did
not remember his conversation after
a certain stage at all of the confer
ences.
He admitted that he had been en-
ployed by Henry N. Porter, the Chi
cago lawyer, to secure a pardon for
Gus DeFord, and that 1000 was to
be paid as a fee.
He admitted that he went to Barn
well with the express purpose of
looking over the situation with ref
erence to the attitude of the COVER
nor
He admitted that C. P. Sims was
to be a party to the deal and that
Sims was to receive a part OF the
'fee.'
He admitted that the petition had
been prepared and was being clrcu-
lated in Spartanburg county for the
pardon of Gus DeFord.
He stated to the committee that
=, holiovod that tho ease of DeFOrd