The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-03-20
CHARGES DENIED
WITNESSES FAIL TO SUSTAIN Gov
ERKOR BLEASE
OLD BOARD ALL Right

Evans, Wylie. Rawlinson, Towin ant
and Attorney General Unfounded
Farnum Appear Before Legislative
Committee and Declare Governor
| Insinusticns Against Ansel Boart
The legislative dispensary lnvesti
eating committee resumed their ses
sions Thursday. Jas. S. Farnum sale
no agreement had been made witt
the Attorney General prior to hi:
pleading guilty as to what his hne
would be as far as he knew; denied
paying any more than the $4,000
hne, and said any statement that ne
paid more than this sum was untrue;
said he paid no sum for immunity a:
had been insinuated; said the $4,000
fine was all he paid; knew nothing
about the compromises in any other
criminal cases, and knew nothing
about the Ansel board, Blease board
or attorney general receiving any
other moneys than they were legally
entitled to.
Towiu Called to Stand.
The committee declined to excuse
.Iohn Bell Towill from testifying and
called him to the stand IS the next
witness. He was a member OF the
dispensary board Of control in 1904
1905. He said there waE an 1ldict-
ment pending against him; that be
had offered no consideration to the
Attorney General, the Ansel or the
Blease commission. Had never had
any negotiations with Attorney Gen
eral Lyon. Knew OF no one VINO
could throw any light on the charges.
Asked as to the charges that Eel
der had been favored with purchases
and had paid rebates contained in
the Governors message. Towill said
all he knew OF this was that H. II.
Evans told him that he and Fielder
had a disagreement over the business
consideration in the awarding o. the
contracts for liquor. Gould not re-
member the exact conversation, or
whether Evans had said that Fielder
paid him rebates, but he understood
that it was disagreement over
something connected with the mat
ter
He said that H. H. Evans had told
him tTowill) that Fielder was inter-
ested in, or rather controlled the IL
ouor house OF Sydney Lucas OF
Nashville, Tenn, from which the dis
pensary board, Of which he was a
member, bought a good deal OF IL
ouor. Said that this conversation
took place at the time the Ansel
commission was Investigating the
dispensary affairs and was in the
Columbia Hotel. Repeated his state
ment that be wouldn't say Evans told
him that Fielder paid rebates. but
that he and Fielder had fallen out
over the business consideration.
Said that Evans said Fielder wanted
to hog the whole thing.
As powiu Figured 1t.
Pressed as to what he understood
by Evans's statement that FIELDER
wanted to hog the whole thing, To-
will lodged a direct answer. Said
there was q general disturbance
about the matter, but finally admit
ted under close questioning by Sena-
tor Carlisle that he understood Eel
der was not getting enough OF orders
and II. H. Evans was not getting
enough Of money out Of 1t. Evans
usually took care Of himself" added
the witness. Mr.. Evans never at
any time told NE he got cent out
OF the dispensary," said Towil.
why, then. do you say that Evans
usually took care OF himself, and
what do you mean BY that" asked
Senator Carlisle, and Towill hesitat-
eded and was evidently "put to" to
answer the question. He said he
didn't want to be unjust to Mr. Ev-
ans In explaining why be said this
and the question was not pressed.
Towill testified that while he was
member OF the dispensary board
at every award for whiskey twice and
thrice the amount ordered would be
shipped every time. while was
member Of the board very few II any
purchases were made but that few
DAYS after the yards would be food
ed with carload after carload, ne
said. The last Few weeks OF our
term not one-ffth Of the Th1sSey
shipDed to the State dispensary was
ordered" he continued. He stated,
however, that the whiskey, while II
was not ordered, was taken in and
kept.
cat the first meeting Of our board
after We were tleCbSV, OfSA w W.
loads of whiskey were shipped to the
State dispensary which were not or
dered and that shipment and the one
made the last meeting We had were
the largest shipments in the history
OF the dispensary," were part OF the
matters related OF the doings OF the
hoard Of which he was a member 01
John Bell Towill in his testimony
He said that the whiskey was Kept
H. H. Evans was chairman OF the
board, and in reply to a question o!
Mr.. Carlisle, If Evans appeared tc
have money at that time, the Wltnes:
said he was always genial and READY
10 entertain his friends.
Doesn't Think State Lost.
"I don't think the State was los
or under the old dispensaTy system
1.-ou- uhofh hp- me State