Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-07-23
GOV. BLEASE
MAKES REPLY.
CONTINUED from First page.)

victed at the February, 1907 term of
| court of Oconee county, OF receiving
stolen goods, and sentenced to three
years on the county chaingang.
Petition is signed by eight of the
jurors who tried the case by the
clerk Of court, county treasurer, coun-
ty auditor, judge of probate and other
officials of Oconee county, and by
many of the leading citizens, includ-
:; ing ex-senator E. L. Herndon, VIM. j.
Stribbling. w. o. White, master; JAS
Seaborn, Boon B. Morse, r. T. Jaynes,
M. c. Long, F. r. Lucas Mayor
George l. Wilson, and many, many
others.
And a petition from the county Of
Charleston, signed by the Rev DR..
VIM. A. c. Mueller, A. w. Winters,
A. ]. w. Goss, Otto Tiederman, F. w.
| Wagner & Co., VIM. M. Byrd, and
hundred or more Of the most promi-
nent citizens Of the city Of Charleston,
and personal letter from DR.. Mueller.
begging that the boy might be allowed
to come home in order that he might
see his old mother, who was believed
to be upon her death bed.
Upon this pardon was granted
March 2, 1911"
| This pardon was especially asked
for by Rev. DR.. VIM. A. c. Mueller,
L pdSlOT Ol lH6 81. Mdlluc"
Lutheran church, Of the city Of Char
lesion. At the time the pardon was
granted, Raben had served all but
about thirty days of three year sem
tence. l released him that he might
60 home and see his old mother who
| was believed to be upon her death
| bed.
The accusation that Rabens gave
$4,000 to save himself from imprison-
ment for thirty days, when he had al
ready served nearly three years, Is not
only a wilful falsehood, but unreason
able. I submit herewith affidavits
from Rabens, and from DR.. Mueller
denying this charge Of Felder's.
leave it to the people Of South Caro-
lima, IL they prefer to believe Thomas
B. Fielder, a fugitive from the justice
| of the state of South Carolina, a man
filled with venom and spite, a corrup-
| zionist and coward, in preference to
DR.. Mueller, a Christian minister,
| whose whole life has been one Of de-
voted service to the Prince Of Peace
and Mercy. who has been and is now
doing so much for the faith Of the
great Lutheran denominations of this
state.
Charleston, S. c.. July II, 1912.
No. 96 Radcliff street.
Whom 1t may concern:-In order
| that justice may be done, was re-
quested by many friends to make the
following statement, which I cheerful
ly do, relative to the H. Rudolph Ra-
bens pardon: During Gov. Martin F.
Ansers administration l wrote q per-
sonal letter in behalf Of the case, to
which I received no reply, and also
signed the petition which was a large
one and signed by men Of prominence
1fHa "Q e. Cn and nQnv
others. Subsequently. when Cole L.
Blease became governor Of South
Carolina, I wrote him a personal let
ter, March /, 1911, which appeared
shortly afterwards in the News and
Courier, on March 4, 1911, received a
letter from Gov. Blease, which quote
verbatim:
"The governor Is in receipt of your
letter of the 1st instant, and has given
| 1t very careful consideration. In re-
ply, he directed me to state that he
has compiled with your request.
Yours very truly,
Alex Rowland, Secretary.
II. Rudolph Rabens had only % days
to serve when pardoned. Last Monday,
July Is, his parents stated to me as
their pastor that neither they, their
son, or any of their friends paid or Of
fered to pay one cent Of money. I be-
lieve their and his statement He only
had twenty-eight more days to serve,
and I consider 1t foolish to think that
he paid $4,000 or any amount to keep
from serving his sentence out.
VIM. A. Mueller.
Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 18th day Of July. 1912.
(SeaD ]. D. Holling, Notary Public,
S. c.
The State of South Carolina, county Of
Charleston.
Personally appeared before me H.
Rudolph Rabens. who being duly sworn
says:
That in the News and Courier of
July 13, 1912. there appeared a state
ment of one of the detectives Of w. ].
Burns that two thousand ($2.000) dol
lars had been paid to Gov. Cole L.
Blease for his pardon.
That, in Justice to Gov Blease and
himself, he desires to state that he had
only twenty eight (2S) days to serve
before the expiration Of the term Of
his sentence.
He further states that neither he nor
his friends or relatives paid anything
in any shape or form for the pardon
extended him. H. Rudolph Rabens.
Sworn to before me this 18th day of
July, A. D., 1912. T. G. Disher.
SeaD Notary Public for s C.
The "T. B."
Fielder claims that the letters held
by me. known as the "T. B." letters.
were forged, during the years 1904 and
1905, by F. H. Krauss, at the time en-
ployed by Felder's law firm as clerk.
These are the letters that / spoke of
early in this statement-the documents
that are keeping Fielder away from
South Carolina
The letters I hold have been submit
ted to several gentlemen Of Columbia,
and to some who live in the state Of
Georgia, who are familiar with Felder's
handwriting, and they have stated that
they would go on the stand and swear
that the letters were written by T. b.
Fielder. I have also two letters written
by Felder-one from England and one
from a point in the United States to
woman, and the writing Of these let
ters compared with those Of the ''T. B.
letters, shows that the letters hold
were written by Fielder. Furthermore,
have testimony that the company re-
ferred to in the "T. B." letters, which
was to control the liquor situation In
South Carolina through H. H. Evans,
was actually chartered in the state Of
Alabama
Why should Krauss write about a
matter which he would naturally know
nothing about and have no interest in?
Besides, the subject Of these letters
was the same subject-matter about
which he wrote L. w. Boykin, John
Bell Towill and H. H. Evans. who have
made sworn testimony before this same
committee, which committee did not
even think it necessary to make Fielder
say why he was over here in Newberry,
Columbia and Augusta talking about
the formation Of this conspiracy COM
pany.
do not know Krauss and never
heard of him until few days ago. If
he did, in 1904 and 1905, forge these
letters, he was man Of great prophet
ic power to foresee that six years af-
forwards would need letters to show
the rascality of Thomas B. Fielder. Fel-
der insists that these letters are for
geries, and that they were written by
Krauss, Notwithstanding the fact. that,
according to his own claims, he has
never seen said letters. shall be glad
81 nf thair eyanninanp99