The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-07-05

that Mr.. McLaurin gives some facts
which r absolutely news to me,
and which I had never even dream
ed of. He says that he frequent
ly called John Aull to take dicta-
ton for letters on this subject ad-
dressed to Capers," referring to Sc
curing money for a bolt from the
Democratic party, in order to lead
Blease into a trap. Mr.. McLaurin
states that I wrote the letters and
retained carbon copies, but that as
soon as I was out of sight he de-
stroyed the originals.
This is the first time I have ever
even heard of his writing any such
letters to Mr.. ,Capers. He seems to
think that I have a copy of some
such letter that he wrote to John G.
Capers in Washington. I know abb
solutely nothing of any such letter
OF letters, and have e said or
written that I did, and I have no
letter %purporting to be a copy of
any such letter. What made Mr..
McLaurin think I was charging him
with this is more than l can under
stand. He may have given me die
tation for letters to Capers, but /
nave no recollection of any letter to
Capers of any special significance,
and during my course with the
State warehouse system, as secre-
tary to Senator McLaurin, I never
tlieG to secure copies of any of his
letters and never mentioned to a
living soul any letter that he had
ever written to anybody.
I am sorry that Mr.. McLaurin felt
that he was using me while I was
his secretary as a tool to lead Blease
into a trap. If that was his game
he failed, because none of Mr.. Me-
L.aurin's letter were ever mentioned
by me to MI. Blease or anybody
else; and the Capers correspondence
need give him no further concern,
so far as I am affected, because I
can assure him that I have no copy
of any Of it, % any recollection
of any of it. His letter in the Co.
lumbia State this morning is the
first I ever heard of it.
I was present in the Evans build
ing, in Washington, at a conference
he had. with John G. Capers, in
which I took absolutely no part; and
how little that conference met with
my approval is shown by the fact
that Immediately upon my return
from Washington severed ny con-
nection with the State warehouse
system on the very day that I was
given a balance sheet upon my
books by State Auditor Wideman
w. Bradley and Mr.. Walton, special
accountant, who were checking up
the system, by appointment of Gov
ernor Manning, upon request OF
Senator McLaurin, who had asked
the governor to hvae the entire rec
ords checked up by official account
ants, following : some statement
which the governor had made in the
public prints in regard to the man.
agement of the system.
Mr.. Capers may save himself the
trouble of searching any files in an
effort to find any letter a copy of
which I may have.
Mr.. McLaurin says that in order
to win the support of the Blease
faction to his warehouse measure
during the extra session of 1914 he
agreed to, make me his secretary.
His letter in this mornings State is
the first I had ever heard of that.
Governor Blease called the extra ses
sion mainly for the purpose of get
ting a warehouse measure through.
When it came to him he promptly
signed it. Later Senator McLaurin
came to me and offered me the po-
sition of his secretary. I told him
I was inclined to accept it., but
would have to consult Governor
Blease, under whom I then held the
position of secretary to the govern