The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-07-17

South Carolina. Five thousand dollars
for sam j. Nichols. attorney of Spar
tanburg and friend of Gov. Blease
Five thousand dollars for G.. p. Sims
attorney Of Spartanburg. f. :. Reed
chief lieutenant of William j. Burns
the famous detective, swore that these
amounts were to be paid to the three
prsons named for the pardon OF Gus
DeFord, one of the most notorious
prisoners in the South Carolina peni-
tentiary. who was convicted in Spar
tanburg county in 1902 on the charge
of blowing the safe of the Enoree
Manufacturing company. when over
$4,000 was secured. and sentenced To
serve term of ten years. Detective
Reed was on the stand before the leg
islative committee for several hours
this afternoon and he gave his testj-
mony. supporting it with thousands
of words of dictagraph records. The
final act of the alleged gigantic par
don deal was to have been reached
today with the 30. X" telegram from
sam j. Nichols to the effect that the
pardon had been granted rhe te,e-
gram was not received
T. II. Fielder placed in evidence his
draft for $4,000 drawn on the Fourth
National bank. Augusta. to be de-
posted i'm the Bank of Commerce of
Spartanburg for financing The deaf
whereby evidence was to bt' secured
that Gov. Blease had been guilty Of
selling pardons. r.. S. Reed. ore Of
the best detectives i'm the United
States and head of the Burrs forces.
was selected To carry out the work
under the name of Henry n. Porter.
attorney. of Chicago. ILL.,"
Direct testimony was given that
Sam j. Nichols had been given a
check for $500 as a retainer fee to
secure the pardon for DeFord and
that the check was on deposit in the
Bank of Commerce In Spartanburg
Direct testimony was given by Reed
and Fielder that an additional check
for $500 had been placed at the dis
posal Of Nichols for work in buying "A
pardon for DeFord. Direct testimony
was given that there Is $4,000 on de-
posit in a Chicago bank to he paid
to Sam j. Nichols upon the word
that DeFord had been released from
the State penitentiary.
These checks. Fielder said, will be
placed in evidence before the commit
tee.
Over $4,000 words in testimony
from the dictagraph was placed in evil
dence with reference to the pardon
deal. with the conversation between
Sam j. Nichols and Henry y. Por-
ter" the detective. were given. This
Testimony was taken by expert steno-
graphers. The principal statement
taken in Washington hotel was by
the private secretary OF Postmaster
General Hitchcock. Should the case
ever be brought to court. these steno-
graphers will be put up as witnesses.
The testimony was sworn to by De-
tective Henry n. Porter"
The dictagraph testimony further
touched how Sam Nichols secured "A
charter for the Piedmont Northern
railway. According to the testimony.
he had row with Gov. Blease and
threatened to desert him unless he
signed the bill The testimony was
that Nichols said that the singing Of
the bill meant $4,000 a year To him.
According To the testimony, Nichols
told Blease that his hatred for Lewis
w. Parker and "Smyth" or the money
paid by the Southern railway WIS
Keeping him from signing the bill
Gov. Bleasc signed the bill ana the
dictagraph relates a stormy scene.
This conversation setting out those
statements was between sam i.
Nichols ana Henry y. Porter" the
detective
There wa, intense interest in the
nearing that WAS scheduled To- begin
IN TN" Richmond county court hou.c
TINS morning. several hundred spo.-
at"rS were present and interest ran
high for All were expecting some
hr'Ii'nr testimony. Tho committee
eathcrcd at 10 o'clook. II was found
th"i certain developments were pond
'ns ana that 10 was ucccssa'N to post
pom" tho h'arug until $3.50 o.,lo,h
his Nt,ruuou.
Fielder '..IuI.d rb, 0tuc-- -rud
i"t e'N"ri h'"r- tNi- t''ruD"r Iud
"D'd 'N''rpt fr"m th' dIru.tr,fh