The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-04-20


mark, was in the city on business
Monday.
is. not required to meet the 5:05
train, No. "a, in the morning, and
knew nothing of the trunk of liquor
being received. When asked how it
was possible for a trunk to come as
baggage on this train he replied:
'"They could have it double checked,
or they could have it checked and
give the baggage master the check
and let him put it off at Bamberg."
Upon this evidence Mr.. Mayfield
asked the magistrate to bind over Mr..
Blume for trial in the circuit court,
and asked that Robert Miller and
Henry Glover be bound over as wit
nesses.
Train Crew Summoned.
At this juncture, message was
dispatched to the Southern Railway
demanding that the conductor, the
baggage master and the brakeman
put in appearance before the magis-
trate Monday morning to continue
the Investigation into the matter. The
railway officials replied asking that
the hearing be postponed until Tues
day morning, which was granted.
Tuesday morning at ten o'clock,
the magistrate reopened the prelimi
nary hearing, and Capt. Beatty, the
conductor, and Messrs. James Key
and A. o. Cook, baggage master and
brakeman, respectively, testified.
No BaAnberg Passengers.
Capt. Beatty testified that he had
no passengers on his train Saturday
morning for Bamberg. He had no
knowledge of the trunk in question
being on his train. He said it was
sometimes the custom to accept bag
gage not checked, where the passen
ger did not have time to have it
checked.
Two Negroes and White Man.
Mr.. Key testified that Saturday
morning, just before his train was
leaving the union station in Augusta,
two negroes and a white man came
up hurriedly to his car, and loaded
a trunk. The white man told him
that he was going to Bamberg, and
would be there to get the trunk. Mr..
Key said the man then climbed
aboard between the colored car and
the baggage coach, and he presumed
that he would be a passenger. He
said that he did not in any way han
die the trunk and did not know that
it contained liquor. The men placed
the trunk right in the doorway OF
his car, and he did not touch it until
the train stopped at Bamberg, when
he turned it out of the car on to the
truck here. He said that while,
strictly speaking, this was not in ac-
cordance with the rules of the rail-
road company it was customary un-
der certain circumstances to accept
baggage in this manner, and that h.
had repeatedly done so, and that this
was the first time any trouble
had arisen therefrom. The baggage
master could give no definite descrip-
ton of the white man loading the
trunk in Augusta, as he said he paid
no attention to him, and it was quite
dark. Neither were the negroes
known to him. He stated positively
that he received no pay whatsoever
for bringing the trunk to Bamberg.
Mr.. Key said that if the trunk weigh
ed in excess of 200 pounds, excess
baggage should have been charged,
but that he did not suspect that the
trunk was overweight, and had no
suspicious about it whatever; and
that. even if excess baggage should
have been charged. he had no means
of weighing the trunk
Mr.. Cook testified that he knew
nothing of the baggage transaction,
other than seeing the trunk unloaded
from the train in Bamberg.
Attorney Brigham, of Augusta, ac-
companied the trainmen to Bamberg
and represented them at the hearing
Tuesday. This concluded the pre-
liminary examination.