The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-01
GRACE TELLS ALL OF IT.
SPEAKS OF THINGS TOLD HIM
CONFIDENTIALLY BY BLEASE.
Says McDuffie Hampton's Campaign
Expenses Were Paid by South
ern Railway Through Blease.


ern Railway Through Blease.
Glenn Springs, July 30.-John P.
Grace, mayor of Charleston, in a
public statement issued last night,
said if Cole L. Blease would release
him from any confidence surrounding
conversations they have had, he
would tell things about Blease which
would nauseate the white people of
South Carolina.
Blease, in statement issued in
Columbia to-day, said there had never
been any condolences between himself
and Grace, and invited the mayor to
go ahead and tell everything he knew
and Mayor Grace has told.
In his room at the Glenn Springs
hotel tonight, Mr.. Grace dictated
to newspaper men statement Of A.
900 words, which, in it's entirety,
would hardly pass muster with the
United States postal authorities.
Were it published in full Mr.. Grace
would have quite fulfilled his prom
ise to "nauseate the white people of
South Carolina" 1t is, beyond ques-
ton, the "yellowest" public revela-
ton ever made in direct connection
with the name of a chief magistrate
of a Southern State, and, in certain
of it's features, overshadoWs anything
in the same connection which had yet
been made public, or which was Of
fered for public use.
Mr.. Grace's statement purports to
reveal conversations between himself
and the governor, while they were
political allies, and, more or less
friendly" toward each other, which
bear in high coloring upon the pri-
vate life of the governor.
Further, Mr. Grace goes over in de-
tail a conversation he says he had
with the governor, in which Blease
says the people were fooled in be-
lieving they had elected McDuftie
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 Blease for the pur-
pose by the Southern Railway Com
pany and sent the company the
vouchers signed by Hampton. This
compaign occurred two years ago.
In part Mr.. Grace's statement-all
of which he intended should be made
public-is as follows:
81 read Gov. Blcase's release to
me, if l may 80 call it, under which 1
now feel at liberty to make the state
ments to which I referred in my in
terview last night. I notice he says
L have never made confidante of
John P. Grace in any manner, shape
nor FORM This only confirms what
l said to the effect that l did not re-
gard the conversation as confidential,
and it removes the last scruple that
might have in the matter.
An Unprintable Review.
l, therefore, now state that during
a conversation in Charleston, while
Gov. Blease was in very conVivial
mood, he saw fit to direct his
thoughts along the line of some of his
experiences in matters so delicate
that 1 will expect the public to Judge
of their meaning"
Here Mr.. Grace relates an imprint
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
little bridge in or near the town of
Newberry at the time, and was wear
ing I" new suit of Clothes
I'm the twinkle of an eye she push
ed him over in the creek, new clothes
and ALL
Mr.. Grace said the governor told
this as if it was a great joke on him
self.
"He laughed very heartily when
telling this story and said: Didn't I
cut pretty figure in my new suit of
clothes, down in the creek and the
colored girl up on the bridge, run
ming away and laughing at me?'
LAS l said in my interview yester-
day." Mr.. Grace went on to say, lit
seems to me that a man who, with
such vaunted audacity undertook to
occupy this role should at least be-
gin by being able to show that he had