Sharp-eyed Kingstree Man Broke Up Sordid Scam in 1908

 

In March 1908, a sharp-eyed, unidentified Kingstree man and a gutsy young woman, also from Kingstree, played instrumental roles in the arrest of another man whose fraudulent scheme enticed "young girls over the state to ruin," as one newspaper of the time delicately described it.

Headline in Sumter's Watchman and Southron newspaper on April 1, 1908.

The Kingstree man became suspicious when he read a Want Ad in The State newspaper on Saturday, March 14. The ad read: "Wanted–three girls to learn the show business; experience unnecessary; expenses paid while learning; enclose stamped envelope for reply. Address Predro, care The State."

He decided to answer the ad, using the name "Miss Annie Dow," to see if he would get a reply. On March 17, he wrote. "Dear Sir, I see your advertisement in The State for three girls to learn the show business. I would be glad to engage with you as I have always had an inclination for that line of work and think I have some talent if developed. Am 17 years of age and neat in appearance. Please write me full particulars about the work you would expect of me and how long it would be until I would receive some compensation. Hoping to hear from you soon."

Four days later, he received an answer to his letter, written on Columbia Inn stationery. It was signed "Wallace Amusement Co." Annie Dow was instructed to come to Columbia so that she could be assessed to determine if the company could use her. She was told that girls the company hired were required to work only one hour each night and could receive from $16 to $200 per week, plus expenses. The letter then stated in "suggestive" language that only girls with good figures were wanted.

"If you care to join us,' the letter continued, "you will have to come to Columbia, Thursday, March 26, and put up at the Columbia Inn, then our stage manager will meet you there Thursday night, March 26, and see you and if satisfactory will employ you, and you will be in a position to become a successful actress with an income that will give you a mark in your hometown."

Miss Dow was instructed to reply by postcard with these words on it. "Meet me at appointed place and hour." If she was accepted, the letter added, her railroad fare would be refunded, but she would be responsible for her own expenses if she was not acceptable. The letter concluded, "But if you will talk to our agent and treat him as you should, we have no doubt but what you will 'make good.'"

The letter was written in pencil on four pages of ordinary stationery. Written in ink on the top of the first page was "Charles Van Burean, Manager, Wallace Amusement Co., is the man you are to meet in Columbia, S.C. Don't forget." Also written in ink was the number 6335. On the bottom of the last page, another sentence in ink said, "Register at the hotel as you wrote to us, that is Miss Annie Dow, so our agent will know you."

The day after receiving the letter, the gentleman in Kingstree mailed it to the editor of The State, with a  personal letter explaining how he had obtained it. The editor was annoyed that someone might be using his newspaper to instigate what was likely to be a vicious fraud. He immediately decided to investigate the matter.

The first step in the investigation was to contact Post Office Inspector Gregory and get him to come to Columbia. An employee of The State was also dispatched to Kingstree to find a girl who could pose as Miss Annie Dow. This young woman would keep the appointment in Columbia, giving Inspector Gregory a chance to determine who was behind the scheme.

He found a young woman he thought would be able to handle the situation, and she arrived in Columbia at 12:25 p.m. on the Atlantic Coast Line train from Florence. She went immediately to the Columbia Inn and registered as "Miss Annie Dow, S.C." The desk clerk, who had been briefed by the postal inspector, assigned her to Room 16. A connecting door linked it to Room 15, where Inspector Gregory, a reporter from The State and another man were stationed so they could overhear "Miss Dow's" interaction with the target of the investigation.

With the trap set, there was nothing left to do but wait. Around 5 p.m., the desk clerk informed Inspector Gregory that it was likely that George A. Bristow, a young man who worked at the Union Station lunch counter, was the man in question. The clerk said Bristow had been stopping by the hotel every night for almost two weeks. He had told the night clerk that he was expecting a visit from a Mrs. Dow, a wealthy young widow, who had offered him a position to travel with her, looking after her invalid son. 

Another hour passed before someone knocked on the door of the room in which the Inspector and the reporter waited. One of the hotel porters entered and whispered to Inspector Gregory that a man had entered the hotel and asked for Miss Dow in Room 16. The porter then slipped out, and a few minutes later someone came up the stairs whistling.

He went into Room 14, where he stayed for about 10 minutes before going back downstairs. He then sent a note to the young lady in Room 16. It read: Miss Dow: If you are the young lady who wishes to see the advance agent of the Wallace Amusement Co., I have been instructed to see you, and as not to attract attention, will you be ready in a few minutes to take a car ride around the belt, and I shall be pleased to to explain the business to you. If I have made a mistake, please pardon me. Mr. Van Burean has gone to Atlanta to join the show, and I have full instructions to act. Please let me know by the porter. Respectfully, Geo. A Bristow.

She got the porter to tell Bristow that she could not go out with him. If he wished to see her, he would have to come to her room. After the porter delivered the message, Bristow asked the hotel manager for permission to call upon the young lady in her room. The manager, who had consulted with inspector Gregory on how to handle this, said that it was against hotel policy for gentlemen to visit young ladies in their rooms, but if this was strictly a business call, he would allow it this once. But he also cautioned him that he should not stay long.

Bristow went upstairs and knocked on the door. When she opened it, he asked, "Is this Miss Dow?" to which she replied that she was. He first apologized that Mr. Van Burean was not available, as he had been called away, and then again asked Miss Dow to go for a ride with him, saying that the hotel manager had ordered him not to stay long, and he needed more time to explain the job to her.

She again declined, and Bristow began to tell her about the advantages she would have as a girl in the show business. He told her that the Wallace Amusement Company was playing at the Bijou Theatre in Atlanta, even as they were speaking. She had never heard of the play he said they were performing, and he proceeded to explain that 40 of the 60 people in it were chorus girls.

He then told her that these girls wore very short dresses, and then prefacing his remarks with, "Now, Miss Dow, I hope you won't be offended," he told her that they also wore tights. He said this fact made it hard for them to secure girls, but added that no lady should object to wearing tights if she expected to learn the show business. He said his wife had been part of the show for years and appeared on stage every night in tights.

Bristow told Miss Dow he liked her appearance and felt that she would be exactly right for the show business, but added that he would have to call Mr. Van Burean in Atlanta to get his opinion. He said he would go downstairs to make the call and let Miss Dow know what Mr. Van Burean said.

However, just as he was preparing to leave the room, he was confronted by Inspector Gregory and his assistant with one of them appearing in the hall and the other coming through the connecting door. Bristow was completely surprised, "acting as if the earth had opened up and these men had appeared out of its center."

Realizing that the men had heard his every word, he admitted his connection to the scheme, but he insisted that Mr. Van Burean was the one behind it, that he was merely acting as Van Burean's agent. As Inspector Gregory questioned him at length, Bristow gave details on how he met Van Burean and how they worked together. He said he had written the letter to Miss Dow, but that Van Burean had dictated most of it to him. He had also answered other replies to the advertisement in the same way.

He had arranged to meet two of the girls at the Congaree Hotel on the evening of March 22. He said Van Burean was supposed to meet the girls but that at the last minute Van Burean called him and asked him to go in his place. He registered at the hotel and waited all night, but the girls never appeared. He had not been back there and didn't know if Van Burean had ever met them there or not.

Bristow insisted that Miss Dow was the only one of the girls he had met. He also insisted that Van Burean had met several, including one in Brookland and one on Blanding Street. He gave the Inspector the names of several girls from the factory district that he wanted to get in the company, but added that he had left it to Van Burean to make all the arrangements with them.

Inspector Gregory took Bristow to the police station at 1:30 a.m. and had sworn out a warrant for his arrest by noon the next day. Bristow was charged with using the U.S. Mail to carry out a fraudulent scheme. Gregory spent the rest of Friday following up leads Bristow had given him, including interviewing several Columbia girls who had answered the ad. Gregory also visited a number of places, including several houses of ill repute, which Bristow said he and Van Burean had visited. At each place, Gregory was able to confirm that Bristow had come and gone alone. As the day wore on, it became more and more evident that Mr. Van Burean did not exist, and that Bristow was the sole operator of the scheme.

If the story ended here, it would be interesting, but as Paul Harvey used to say, "Now, for the rest of the story."

Bristow had requested that his brother be notified of his arrest, and on Saturday morning, the brother, a minister in Williamston, arrived in Columbia. He quickly released a statement to the press. In the statement, Louis J. Bristow–yes, the same Louis Bristow who owned The County Record and lived in Kingstree from April 1897 until November 1898–took The State to task for not taking into consideration the full story about George Bristow. In his statement, Louis Bristow noted, "My brother, George A. Bristow, is of unsound mind and has been since childhood." He added that George Bristow had, for years, disappeared for long periods of time without anyone in the family knowing where he was. In fact, no one in the family had heard from him for several months prior to his arrest. Bristow noted also that his brother had signed up for the military during the Spanish American War but was unable to fulfill his duties. He had later enlisted for service in the Philippines but ended up in a hospital in Japan. From there he was transferred to the hospital at the Presidio in California. He had continued to disappear from time to time after his discharge from that hospital.

Louis Bristow

Bristow wrote that he had been allowed to see his brother and that George Bristow was unaware of the seriousness of the charges he was facing. Louis Bristow had called in Dr. L.A. Griffith, who had treated his brother in the past, to assess his condition. 

Louis Bristow and attorneys for George Bristow met with the prosecutor, Ernest F. Cochran prior to trial, presenting him Army records and certificates from two physicians who had treated George Bristow in the past. After looking over the information, Cochran agreed to a continuance until October 1908 so that George Bristow's mental capacity could be thoroughly investigated. Cochran made no promises about the course the government would ultimately pursue, but Bristow was released on bond.

I could find no reports of a trial ever taking place. However, George Bristow continued to have problems throughout his life. In early August 1914, a man believed to be George Bristow was found delirious in Front Royal, VA. Bristow, at that time a linotype operator in Baltimore, was missing.

And in 1922, the Greensboro, NC, Daily News printed a plea from his wife, Della. Bristow had disappeared from home two weeks before, and she was searching for him. The short article noted that Bristow often "wanders from home," and noted that he might be found at a newspaper office or printing office as he worked as a printer.

He died of pneumonia in Greensboro on November 18, 1924, at age 48.

The Hangman's Tree and a Short History of Andrews

These posts are generally confined to Kingstree and its history. However, I recently ran across this interesting article on Andrews. Written by Martha W. Millard, this story was published in the News & Courier on September 4, 1939, as part of what would become the paper's long-running "Do You Know Your South Carolina?" feature. Edwin Harper, who had lived much of his life in Kingstree, also played an important role in the early days of Andrews, as did Col. Philip F. Wiehrs, father of Paul Wiehrs. Paul lived for many years in Kingstree, as well. Here is Mrs. Millard's article:

Martha Watson Millard was a long-time teacher in Andrews.

She was married to the principal of Andrews High School, James E. Millard.

Source: WikiTree

"Andrews, situated at the intersection of highways 511 and 521 on the Seaboard Air Line railway, was incorporated in 1909. The surrounding community is rich in history and tradition.

"Prior to 1886, the community center was located at Harper's Crossroads about a mile northeast of the present site of Andrews. In 1886, the Georgetown and Western Railroad, operating between Georgetown and Lane, opened regular service. The original Harper's station was where West Andrews is now, and several business establishments soon were opened, the first by Edwin Harper, followed by L.J. Hutson, Daniel Bruorton, W.S. Camlin, and L.A. Rogerson. The post office was in Harper's store with Edwin Harper as the first postmaster.

Edwin Harper

Source: Findagrave.com

"In September 1909, through the work of Walter H. Andrews and his associates, the town of Rosemary was incorporated separately from Harper's. Gill G. Davis was the first mayor. The tract, two miles long and one mile wide, was bought from Edwin Harper, and a map was made of the town as it was planned by these men, which still is used today. The name Rosemary was adopted at the suggestion of Mr. Andrews, who was a lover of the Rosemary pine, indigenous to this section of the country. Two years later, the two towns voted to join, both names were discarded, and the names Andrews and West Andrews were adopted. The post office was moved to Andrews with Tom Blakeley as postmaster.

Walter Henry Andrews, for whom the Town of Andrews is named.

Source: Findagrave.com

"Serving as mayor during the last 30 years have been J.L. Grant, C.J. Levy, Dr. D.S. Porter, W.H. Andrews, Dr. J.H. Porter, and the present mayor, C.T. Bell, who has served since 1931.

"The rapid growth of the town was due in some measure to Seaboard shops and the machine shops of the Atlantic Coast Lumber Corporation. In less than 20 years the population has reached 2,000 people. The moving of the Seaboard shops in 1929 and the closing of the mill in 1932 caused a decrease in population to approximately 1,600. The last census, however, gave a population of 1,763, showing some growth.

"The outstanding occupations of the section are farming and the handling of forest products. There are great possibilities for the future as the location is on the dividing line of the coastal plain and lower pine belt, where soil is fertile and particularly well adapted to the growth of agricultural products.

"Among those who have helped to make history for Andrews are Edwin Harper, from whom the land was bought for the site of the town; his son, S. Paul Harper, who put on a resettlement campaign; the late Walter H. Andrews, founder of the town and a leader in political affairs of the country, and Colonel Philip F. Wiehrs, who at the time of his death was commanding officer of the 178th Field Artillery, South Carolina National Guard. Dr. John H. Porter, a native of the county has been a practicing physician in Andrews for 16 years, serving as mayor for two years and a the present time serving his fifth consecutive term in the Legislature as representative from Georgetown County.

Col. Philip F. Wiehrs

Source: Findagrave.com

"One of the interesting historical spots near Andrews is the chapel of ease to Prince George, Winyah. It is said to be the first Episcopal chapel erected in the United States. This chapel is on highway 511, five miles from town.

From the directions given above and from other historical sources, it appears

that Gourdine's Chapel, pictured here, is on the spot of the original Chapel of Ease,

which likely served both Episcopalians and French Huguenots.

"Highway 511 was at one time a stage road. It was used first by the Huguenots who migrated from Charleston, crossing the Santee River at Murray's Ferry, which crossing was later moved to Lenud's, and crossing Black River at Potato Ferry. The road was used during the Revolution by Francis Marion and his swamp foxes.

The Hangman's Tree still stands on what is now known as Saints Delight Road.

A limb once hung over the roadway, and it was upon that limb that tradition says British 

soldiers and Tories were hanged during the American Revolution and at least two Yankees 

during the Civil War. A number of years ago, an 18-wheeler broke the limb from the tree.

"Another spot of interest is "Hangman's Tree," about 10 miles from Andrews on the Anderson Road leading from Georgetown to Lenud's Ferry. This tree is said to have been used for hangings during Reconstruction days."

P.S.:  Boatloads of appreciation to Rod McCants and Wendell Voiselle who helped me pull this one together.

Happy Vistas No More

Kingstree was once known for its colorful gardens surrounding well-kept homes. In the April 27, 1952, issue of The News & Courier, Carrie Sparks Douglass wrote about three of these gardens, under the headline, "Kingstree Gardens Show Happy Vistas." Until the last few weeks, all of the houses were still standing, although the gardens that once attracted many out-of-town and out-of state visitors had either been destroyed or neglected for one reason or another. But within the last few weeks, one of the homes mentioned in this article fell to the wrecking ball (or in this case, track hoe). Here is Mrs. Douglass' article:

The home built in 19389 by LeRoy and Lizzie Epps on Longstreet, called The Pasture,

has been torn down after years of no occupants and a fire last August.

"Adding their share of color and harmony to the Carolina Lowcountry during the "azalea season" are many lovely gardens of Kingstree home owners.

"Three active garden clubs with full memberships serve to create and sustain lasting interest in the beautification of home grounds and community plots. Vari-hued azaleas and camellias and purple wisteria offset by delicate white spirea and the spreading branches of redbud and white dogwood make every street in the town a vista of unexplored beauty.

"While numbers of Kingstree gardens merit especial mention for outstanding plots and arrangements of color harmony in landscaping and planting, space permits only a glimpse into a few, open to the public throughout the season.

The Hinson house on West Academy Street as it looks today.

"When Mrs. L.L. Hinson built her duplex home 15 years ago, the site she selected was a dense pine thicket on the Academy Street Extension, measuring a frontage of 85 feet, with a depth of more than three times that. Workmen cut out only those pines that were necessary in order to make space for the attractive cream, stucco-type home, and Mrs. Hinson began laying out a garden spot that affords delight to her family and friends and the public.

"'A duplex house with two front entrances,' said Mrs. Hinson on a recent visit to her garden, 'made it difficult to plan a formal lay-out.'

"She seems to have found an excellent solution to her problem by using a semi-circular border across the front, landscaping each side for a perfect balance of plant arrangement and seasonal color.

"For the wide beds that border the entire garden, Mrs. Hinson followed a plan of ligustrum, spirea, pink and white dogwoods, interspersed with other evergreen and blooming shrubs for the background and hundreds of azaleas. 

"Edging plants for her colorful borders are white candytuft, blue thrift, and baby blue eyes, and elsewhere in the borders are narcissus, day lilies and tulips, along with Japanese magnolias, nandinas, flowering quince and others that furnish their share of color and charm in their respective blooming seasons. Mrs. Hinson has clumps of foxglove and Sweet Williams in her borders and finds that both do well in the excellent shade provided by the tall pines and high evergreens.

"Several years ago, when her garden was young, Mrs. Hinson planted a climbing Talisman rose in her front yard, just beyond the steps, close to a young pine tree. She was amazed to find one day that the rose had far out-distanced the young pine, and was reaching wildly above it. The climbing Talisman on the young pine caused many a passerby to halt and take a second look. 

"At present, Mrs. Hinson is extending the back of her garden to include an additional area which she plans to have follow the same general landscaping of the present outline. An arch of trailing clematis will join the new garden to the one already developed, and the same verdant lawn of centipede and winter grasses will extend into the newly-developed part.

"In Mrs. Hinson's solarium are window boxes of begonias, coleus, and geraniums which she enjoys indoors in the winter and moves into the yard for the summer.

"At Springbank Plantation, the home of Mrs. Howard S. Hadden, a most striking picture at this season is the swamp garden with many rustic bridges overhung with blooming wisteria and Cherokee roses.

"The swamp garden is at the foot of a driveway that winds through 20 acres in the home lot surrounding the massive Colonial home. Six acres are given to the water garden, which the late Howard S. Hadden began to develop almost as soon as he acquired possession of the property in 1931. Six additional acres under water provide a lake of good proportions.

"The six acres devoted to the water garden were drained and cleared of rubbish. Small islands were thrown up here and there and connected by rustic bridges, and paths were laid out, bordered in season by blooming azaleas, spider lilies, and every species of bulb and swamp plant. Tall, wisteria-covered black gum rise majestically from the bed of the lake.

"In developing the beauty of Springbank, 85,000 bulbs, 1,600 azaleas, every known variety of wild plant native to this section, and numbers of yuccas, hollies, and willows were planted. More have been added since, along with hundreds of prized camellias. Unusually large camellias border the winding driveway, which leads to the swamp garden.

The "noble live oaks" at Springbank are now beginning to show their great age.

"An off-axis effect was desired in laying out the walks and drives about the grounds, and this plan was closely followed, giving a most informal air to the beautifully-cared-for grounds. A fine resemblance to the lovely Brookgreen Gardens is noted in the many noble live oaks, covered with hanging moss, whose spreading branches form a canopy under which one catches a vista of acre upon acre of spacious lawns, with borders of thousands of azaleas, camellias, and other blooming shrubs. One particularly handsome old live oak is said by botanists to be over 600 years old. The late Mr. Haddon was proud of a magnificent holly tree which stands 45-feet high, and is said to be nearly a century old. The tree, almost perfect in symmetry, is a mass of red berries blooming in season.

"Quite a lovely spot in the Hadden gardens is the sunken garden at the left of the circular driveway, where 1,000 pansy plants in season give out a gorgeous blaze of color. The old English wall, just back of the formal garden spot, was made of brick brought from the 'Hell Hole' section of Berkeley County. Mrs. Hadden is an ardent gardener who is interested in continuing the work of beautification begun by her late husband and is delighted in having others enjoy their handiwork.

"The Pasture" as it looked in January 2020.

"Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy S. Epps chose to name their home 'The Pasture,' since several acres they have developed into one of the beauty spots of the state was formerly cattle-grazing pasture on the Florence Highway. The site proved an unusually good choice for a home and gardens, despite the fact that parts of the seven-and-a-half acre tract stood under water a good part of the time before proper drainage methods were employed.

The property still holds water after a heavy rain. This was taken on another day in January 2020.

"In planning her garden, Mrs. Epps finds the soil ideal for growing almost every kind of flower and shrub with little need for fertilizing. The native leaf mold, worked well into the rich black soil, also aids in holding moisture, and many sections of the several garden areas require little or no watering.

"In planning her garden, Mrs. Epps began with foundation planting around the house, which was built near the center of the acreage. A semi-circular graveled driveway winds around two acres of 'The Pasture,' where tall oak trees provide ideal shade for hundreds of azaleas, camellias, dogwoods, redbuds, Cherokee roses, and naturalized bulbs. Giant plants of red pyracanthas stand as sentinels on each side of the entrances.

"When Mr. and Mrs. Epps began their garden 15 years ago, uncleared portions of the grounds were set in young pines, and these have now grown more than 30 feet in height. Numbers of young azaleas have been added.

"Each year, Mr. and Mrs. Epps welcome visitors to their gardens from several states. 'The Pasture' is listed by the Garden Club of South Carolina. Mrs. Epps is membership chairman of the state garden club, and is an accredited judge of flower shows of the National Council of State Garden Clubs."

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With the exception of the first year of my life and the time I spent away at college, I have lived across the side street form "The Pasture." I well remember the colorful garden, filled with azaleas, dogwoods, and blooming bulbs. And I also remember the numbers of tourists who came, some in the winter when the camellias were in full bloom, but most in the spring and early summer. They would drive slowly through the property and some would stop on the street in front of our house to take photos of the garden.

It's a shame that these gardens and green spaces have disappeared from the area, especially as planners and scientists are discovering that green spaces, like parks and gardens, give residents a more positive outlook about their communities and also give tourists a higher opinion of the places they visit. Wouldn't it be wonderful if somehow the garden in "The Pasture" could be re-created, especially as there is currently no public green space on this side of Longstreet? It could become the centerpiece of this neighborhood, a way to tie our current town to its history as a tribute to what LeRoy and Lizzie Epps wanted for the property, and would certainly offer a lovely welcome to Kingstree for anyone coming into town along the US52 corridor.