The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-15
GOV. BLEASE DARES !. ENEMIES TO FIGHT
fNuTES INVESTIGATING COM MTTEE TO MEET HIM AT COLUMBIA AND SHOOT
 IT OUT.
FIELDER WOULD OBLIGE HIM
Provided Governor Consented to Cross Boundary Line-Blease Also
 Challenges Judge Jones.

Augusta, Ga, July 15.-Gov. Cole
 l.. Blease of South Carolina is fight ing mad because of the charges of
 graft, ranging from traffic in par dons to rake-offs from blind tigers,
 brought against him by witnesses who testified before the South Caro- lima Legislative committee, which
 has now concluded it's sessions here.
 The Governor openly threatens to kill any man who tells him to his face that the charges are true.
 Blease is especially bitter against Attorney Thomas B. Fielder of Alt lanta, who obtained s the evidence against the Governor. Blease also includes in his denuneiation Judge
 Ira B. Jones, who is a candidate for Governor, and the members of the South Carolina Investigating commit tee. The members of the committee
 he called gutter snipes."
 "If they will come to me- he con-
 tinued, T will call them something
 that will make any man in South Carolina fight"
 The Governor invited any member
 of the committee who did not like
 what he said to meet him on the
 streets of Columbia and shoot it out with him. Of MT. Fielder he said:s T will give any man $1.000 who will get Tom Fielder two feet on this side
 of the Savannah River and let me be present.
 Of Judge Jones he said: sHe's got mixed blood in him, and I can't get him to admit 1t. During the war he and his people were in the bullrushes
 like Moses. and we couldn't pull 'em out'' I
 The Governor in denouncing the committee for meeting in Georgia in- stead of South Carolina spoke of Georgia as ga State that can't raise
 anything but watermelon and call- l ed Gov Brown of Georgia "a man who did not have sense enough even 1 to raise a watermelon
 Referring to his pardon record, | testimony as to which played an im- portant part in the investigation at Augusta he said: "They say that I | have pardoned a great many people. I have and by the living God, pro- 1 pose to pardon more"
 That dirty set of sneaks, said he, 1 ffhave gone over to Augusta to take | the testimony of one who's a thief and knows it, and the Attorney Gen. eral of South Carolina knows that l the witness refer to is the greatest
 grafter that ever come into the State. l His statements at Augusta are false, and the cewandly little puppy knows f it, and that's why he is afraid to i come to South Carolina.
 l 'sIt is against the law to send cf1al- tlenges in South Carolina, but if any of that committee will come to me and tell me he believes what that | witness said, you won't need any dueling law and Charlie Smith will be your Governor" Charles A. Smith 1 isVHikutenaf7t Governor of the State.
 eff I was as black as they tried to paint me at Augusta" he con tinued, would have the face to come here and stand before you and shake the hands of honest people of | this county 14ss4szssass. 4.Ass.ses,.s, ; fThe statements of that committee are not hurting me. They are trying to besmirch the Governor of your State-to hurt the name of South i Carolina" -
 | Gov. Blease said:
 | q pardoned John Black because they wanted to make him the scape- | ed up petition Judge to try him who knew no more about law than a
 boar shoat does about a psalm book, and it was Ira B. Jones who fixed up
 this little Judge.
 .I defied the Supreme Court, and Judge Jones got mad and ran down | off the bench and called to his wife to bring him his biggest razor. and he shaved the feathers off his legs and jumped into the ring.
 The charges furnished by Fielder, Jones, and that committee are false, and I will shoot it out with any man who comes to my face and asserts that they are true.9
 Before leaving for his home in At lanta Col. Thomas B. Fielder gave out the following interview: @ Tn my Judgment we have made very fair progress in the investiga- ttion, and hope a little later on to furnish few more grains of sand to l the committee from the mountains of evidence establishing conclusively the charges. of fraud and corruption that I have lodged against the vagabond Governor of South Carolina If there is any crime that he has not committed I think that it can be attributed to lack of opportunity or inadyertence on his part.
 T notice that his fraudulency has become very pugilistically inclined,
 threatening to lick severally or col | lectfvely the members of the inyesti- gating committee. If he will cross the boundary line of any of the .neighboring States I will contract to take him f1rst'' Paris-Prince Troubetskoy's tama wolves are expensive. One of ther bit the Princes butler The h,l+1ar