The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-08-07

world, In great headlines, the f1lthiest
article that has appeared in the South
Carolina papers In many years. This
is but another evidence of their unfair
ness and meanness. Shame upon a |
press that would publish such thing,
even though 1t be true-but this is
truly in keeping with the paper which
the editor of The State recently read
upon the Ethics of fJournalism"-and
1t is pity that a city, composed of
such proud people, should have such
a person for it's mayor.
AS to his statement about the
Southern Railway-that is absolutely
and maliciously false. | never made
such statement to him or anyone
else in my life, and when he speaks
of the son of South Cardinals grand
old hero, Wade Hampton, as common
drunkard, he speaks falsely and plac-
es himself beneath the notice of any
man with pure white blood in his
veins. MIR. McDuffie Hampton and my
self were on the campaign together
two years ago; we were friends; L
treated him kindly and politely, as
treat all gentlemen. The statement
that | handled money for the Southern
| Railway and took vouchers from Mr.
| Hampton for the same is as foul a
| lie as was ever spoken or written by
| a human being. | have never handled
a dollar of South Railway money in
my life and | have never delivered
dollar or any other sum of money to
Mr.. Hampton during the entire cam
paign, and | have never so stated to
any man-in fact, did not even loan
him any amount of money.
LAS to Grace's statement that he
supported me. He told me himself that
he did not support me in the first pri-
mary, and | was informed by those
who had charge Of affairs for me in
| Charleston that he was against me and
| for Mcleod, but that he claimed to be
for me in the second race. If he was
for mo and worked for me in the first
primary, he must have had very little
influence, for | only received six hun
dred and siXty-three votes in the en-
tire county of Charleston
"As to appointing him on my staff. |
have already said that that was done
at the resuest of Mr.. Rocssler. | did
not want Grace on the staff, but
wanted Mr.. Roessler. Mr.. Roessler in
sisted that | appoint Grace, which
did
'As to showing him the II. b. letter
When 1t was given to me, some weeks
after my Inauguration, along with the
other letters, | Immediately locked it
up in my safe and soon thereafter
transferred it to a strong box in the
Palmetto National Bank, where it is
now, along with the others, and has
been except when it was presented to
the grand jury and dispensary COM
mission, and shown for publication. |
never consulted Grace about it or men
toned 1t to him in my life and this is
but another case of the false fabrica-
tions Of diseased mind, malicious
heart or mind diseased from vindic-
tiVeness and desire to do injury to
those 1t hates. He has never seen the
II. B. letter while it has been in my
possession, and do not believe he has
ever seen the originaI at all
AS to his charge that there was
carousing at Wrights Hotel the night
before my inauguration, | herewith
submit statements which / think will
prove to the public conclusively that
he is deliberate and designing falsi-
fer, and that the proof of this is ad-
ditional evidence of his lies in the
other instance.
State Of South Carolina. County of
Richland. Personally came Robert
Courtney Wright, who, being duly
sworn, says that for ten years he was
chief clerk and manager of Wright's
Hotel in the city of Columbia; that he
remembers very well indeed the night
before the Inauguration of governor
| Cole l.. Blease; that the said Blease
arrived at the hotel about l 1 o'clock at
night, accompanied by his physician,
DR.. w. G. Houseal, and members of his
family; that the said Blease was a des-
perately Ill man and was taken imme-
diately to his room in the hotel and
put in bed, and chat only a very few of
his most intimate friends were allowed
to enter his room; that everything was
kept quiet ard DR.. Houseal, being very
apprehensive of said Blease's cond-
ton, remained in the room with him
during the entire night; that he has
noticed in this mornings State the fol-
| lowig statement made by John p.
| Grace:
81 recall a scene at Wright's Hotel
the night before his inauguration 1t
was the first real insight / had ever
had into Blease and the atmosphere in
which he moved, and | think / can say
that without exception it is about the
nastiest recollection of my life. 1t was
a grand carouse
The above statement is absolutely
and infamously false. On the contrary,
the room where the said Blease was,
was guarded in order that no noise
might be made, for we all feared that
the result Of his trip from his home in
Newberry would prove fatal. There
was no carOuse in the hotel during
that night: If there was IL was not