The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-15
WATSON TALKS HARSHLY.
BLEASE BITTERLY DENOUNCED
BY FORMER FRIEND.
Watson Gives His Version of Blease.
King-Watson Episode at Gov
ernOr'S Mansion.

The following statement from O.
NJ. Watson concerning the King
Watson-Blease episode has been
made public:
I have tried to keep out Of the
papers as much as possible with ref
ence to the King-Watson affair at
the governors mansion, of which
there has been so much said, but the
governor has not seen fit to let up
on either Mr.. King or myself, and
l notice his statement in the Herald
and News, of Newberry of Friday,
August 2nd, and I cannot help but
answer same.
Who Watson Is.
The question has been asked,
who is o. M. Watson?" Olin M.
Watson is son of the late O. A.
Watson, who shed some of the best
blood ever spilled upon Virginia soil
in defense of his country. Olin NJ.
Watson is a son of widow Watson,
who lives on Buncombe street,
and who is sister of Capt. J. B..
Humbert, of Laurens county. Olin
NJ. Watson is nephew of Capt. Joe
B. Humbert, of Laurens county; the
late Emory Watson, who was pas
tor of the Methodist conference was
my uncle. E. o. Watson, pastor of
Washington Street church, Columbia,
S. c., is my cousin. G. P. Watson,
Pastor of the First Methodist church,
Gaffney, S. c., is also my cousin. l
could give name after name of good
high class citizens of South Carolina
who are closely connected with me
and am willing to measure blood with
Cole L. Blease, and I defy him to
give his record of kin folks and him.
self, and let the good people of South
Carolina see who has the better
blood running through their veins.
Let the people Judge who is the hobo,
Olin NJ. Watson or the slanderer,
CRATER, liar and thief, Cole L. ,Blease
and I dare the said Cole L. Blease to
tell me to my face just the words
that 1 have repeated, and which will
give me great pleasure to tell him
face to face.
In Good Standing in Lodges.
He has tried, or his friends, to
make capital by making the lying
statement that I was not in good
standing in the lodges to which I be-
long. I am a member in good stand
ing with all dues paid, of Walden
Lodge, A. F. M. No. 274; am secre-
tsry of said lodge. I am also Sach-
EN- of Tallulah Tribe No. 33, I. O. R.
NJ, with all dues paid up. I am al
so Worthy Patron of the order OF
Eastern Star. I am also Assistant
Chief Hay-maker of Tallulah Tribe,
No. 1914. I am also past N. G. OF
Mountain Lodge, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows.
Incident at Governors Mansion.
The facts are these, as to what
happened at the governors man
sion: Mr.. J. N. King and myself, who
had been strong friends of Governor
Blease, went to his mansion about 2
o'clock on Sunday, found Mr.. Blease
in his night robe with Sam ]. Mich
OILS and another elderly gentleman,
in the room and quart bottle OF
whiskey on a table with the contents
mostly gone. Neither Mr.. King nor
myself were under the influence OF
whiskey while in the mansion; nelth-
er did we take drink while there,
nor did we say anything that the
governor could take offense at. In
fact, he ordered us out of the man
sion because Mr.. King had asked
him for a respite of thirty days for
an old negro who had been sentenced
to be executed. This request seemed
to enrage him, and he ordered US
out of the mansion. AS we went out
Mrs. Blease was standing at the
front door of the mansion. Mr.
King introduced me to Mrs. Blease.
She talked to US several minutes and
asked US to return at any time that
we saw fit, she not knowing that
Mr.. Blease had ordered us from the
mansion. After leaving the mansion
l stopped, and not being fully salts
fed told Mr.. King 1 would go back
and see what Cole meant by the man
ner in which he had talked to US,
that 1 could not see how he could in
suit us after We had been such
strong friends and supporters of him
and he being a brother in some OF
the orders to which I belonged. l
went back and told him 1 would like
to talk to him. Mr.. King refused to
go. He (Mr. Blease) asked me what