The Manning times. [volume], December 19, 1906, Image 1

About The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current

Image provided by: University of South Carolina; Columbia, SC

                
VOL. xxi. MANNING. S. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1906. NO. [2.
DEATH OF MOSES
o W at One Time Known
As the Robber Governor
OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
He Gained Great Notoriety in Recon
strudtion Days as a Member of
the Tbieving Gang Which Plun
dered the State's Finances.
Dies of Asphxia:ion.
Former GoveInor Franklin J. Moses
of South Carolina was found dead in
bed at his lodgiug housa at Winthrop
Beach, Mass., Wedneqtiay', death be
ing caused 'y asp -ziation. When
his robm was b 'en into gas w'e
found escaping from a small stove
which. was used to heat the place
Mr. M-oes was 60 years of - age. H3
had resided in Winthrop for several
years and ocossionally had acted as
moderator at its town meeting.
Mr. Moses had a varied career and
although once was wealthy, it Is said
that he died in comparative poverty.
He was governor of South Carolina in
1872.
MOSES' OFFICIAL IJFE.
Franklin J. Mosas. Jr., was the son
of Franklin J. Moses, of Sumter. a
circuit judge under the white govern
ment in 1865, and chief justice of the
supreme court under the negro gov
ernment for eight years. The younger
Moses was in the South Carolina col
lege, from which he was honorably
discharged in the janlor class. He
was on the staff of Gov. F. W. Pickens
in'1861, and raised the Confederate
flag over Fort Sumter when it was
surrendered to the Confederates on
April 12, 1861.
Just after the war ,he was a Demo
crat and attend ed one Demoorattc
State convention in Columbia. On
the Institution of the Reconstruction
measures he joined the R publican
party. He was a delegate to the con
stitutional convention in 1868, ard
was a member of the legslature in
the same year-being elected speaker
of.the house of representatives. He
also held the offie of afjatant and in
spector general. He was elected gov- I
ernor in November, 1872. and held t
that office for two years.
FRAUDS nT OFFICE.
As aijatant general and also speak
er of the house of representatives
from 1868 to 1872, he defrauded the
State out of $70,000 in buying arms
for the militia. As speaker he re
ceived numerous bribes for officially
aiding different schemes by his rulings
an'd committee appointments. He
thus received large sums from the Re
publican Printing company and some
money also from John J. Patterson,
who was- United States senator. He
.Issued fraudulent pay certificates ag
gregat-ing over $1,000,000. Ag gcv
ernor he received bribes for approving
certain acts of the general assembly,
which were desired by the corrupt
ring. He was believed to have sold
many pardons and also to have re
ceived money for attempting to pro
cure decisions of the supreme court,
of which his father was chief justice.
On the solicitation of o'ne Thos. C.
Andrews, senator .fioin Otargeburg,
he appointed John L. Humbert treas
urer of that county. Andrews con
trolled the treasurer and bad the lat
ter to supply Moses with money to
the amount of abcut $10 000. Hum
bert and Moses were Indicted on the
charge at having consphmed to defraud
the State out of $16.200 of pubhec
funds.
Humbert was arrested and a war
rant of arrest was served on Mos*
while governor by the Orangeburg
sheriff. He refused to be arrested,
and called out the negro militia in
Columbia to guard his residence and
the executive cff ice. The indictment
was afterwards quashed on the
ground that the governor could not
be indicted but must be Impeached.
Er4ECTED CIECUIT .TUDGE.
He was elected judga of the circuit
court in December. 1875, but the su
preme court decidedttne election void.
In 1877 he was Indicted for various
frauds. as speaker, as adjutant gen
eral and as governor, but was never
brought to trial-a general amnesty
having been granted the several
thieves Indicted for their conduct be
tween 1868 and 1875.
Moses was a confessed bankrupt in
1874-his liabilities being $225,000
and his assets $67,000. He led a very
fast life.
The following sketch of the life of
Franklin J. Moses Is taken from Mr.
John S. Reynolds' book, "Reconstruc
tion in South Carolina."
Moses made himself notorious, nft
only In this State, but in the other
States of the Union. The opinion~s
expressed of num by the Republican
minority that sought the eleotion of
Tomiinson were more than justifled
by his course In the executive office
the white people's estimate of his
character was shown to have been
more than fair to him. That Moses,
as a member of the house of. reprne
sentatives, a.nd more especially as
speaker of that body, had been fr~
quently bribed, nobody burt the blind
esi partiznns or the active part:'ei.
pants in his corrupt transactions evei
affected to deny. In the executive
office he justified every charge whicl
before his accession bad been made
against him-this by pursuing
course which frcm first to last ~as
flagrantly dishonest and which was ii
other respcts a disgrace to him anc
an outrage upon the waole people-:
course which made him infamous i
the eyes of every fair minded man ?
-the country,
"Moses entered the governor's of fic
without money--all that he had pre
viously gotteni having been spent I
his fast life some features of wio
*were grossly Immoral.
LIVED IN EXFENSIVE STYLE.
"He very soon indicated his dete
amnon to live in most expensil
etyle. He bought for $40,000 the
residence then known as the Prestoif
m ansioL-bavir g for a long time been
the home of John S. Preston, a
wealthy and prominent cltizsn. This
buildiog with its grounds and with
others erected on them has in recent
years been used as the Presbyterian
College for Women.
"Moses had this mansion elegantly
furnished and the building and
grounds he always kept in first 'class
condition. His style of living was
most ertravagant- He had a hand
some carriage drawn by a pair of
beautiful horses-the whole turnout
caculated to give the impression that
It belonged to some rich man fond of
making a display of his wealth. Away
from ho.e-on the frequent trips
which he made to Washington and
New York-he spent money even
more lavishly (and more disreputably)
iban he did at home. He had the
reputation of spcnfiai thirty to forLy
thousand doliars on his sala y c1
$3 500. These estimates might have
been excessive because made by peo.
p'e who ware unsecusto-med to such a
display of wealth as Mosesgav. tgsm
The general opinion was that in his
,wo ;ears in te gove:nor's offie be
=rst have spenat not less than $50,000
for his living expenses. He expende d
aige sums otherwise. In M ay, 1874,
it was publicly stated that his debts
imounted to more than $225,000 and
is assets to $67,000. These figuree
were afterwards verified when be fil d
bis petition as a voluntary back-upt.
[he corrupt means which he employ
)d to get money made him famous as
the robber gcvernor.'
HIS SOURCES OF REVENUE.
"Tao frauds by which Moses pro
mred the money that he spent chief
y in 'rioutous living' have been
tated by himself or by those who
oined him in his schemes. He receiv
d a large share of the money paid by
osephus Woodruff and A. 0. Jones
o have their priziting bills passed. For
ihe approval of one printing appro
riation (December 21, 1872.) Aoses
eceived $20,000. For a like service
.n relation to the act of December 19
873, he received $10.500, and on diff
arent days in that month several sums
ggregatirg about $5,000. Moses him
;elf admitted under oath that on a
ingle occasion he bad received from
oodruff $15,000, which was used to
nake the first payment in the pur
hase of the Preston mansion.
"It was commonly reported that
Mses exacted money of numbers of
its appointees among the county offi
ials, and that he sold many pardons
or actual money. Certain it is that
whenever his official station gave him
pportunity he used it corruptly In
is interest. His conduct became so
razen, his villanies were so much ad
ertised the country over that it was
)ain to the Republican leaders in
outh CaroliE a that unless they should
eally 'turn over a new leaf' they must
iot expect the countenance of the na
ional party or the help of the nation
a government."
Killed by Railroads.
The railroads in South Carolina
luring the year juast passed killed 198
rsons and injured 1,148. This in
lades passengars, employes and tres
~asers, the figures being obtain~ed
~rom' the annual reports to the rail
oad commission.
The Southern Railway's mileage in
~hs State is greater than that of any
ther system and naturally the larg
st number of deaths was on that sys
loi. The report for that system is
nder three heads, as follows:
-Atlanta and Charlotte, killed 20;
nj 2red 147.
Southern Railway, Carolina divi
don, killed 67; Injured 251.
Southern Ritlway in South Caro
na, killed 13; injured 295.
The reports from the other roads
hich had casualties are as follows:
Atlantic Coast Line, killed 25; in
ured 209; Charleston and Western
arlina, tilled 6; injaured 99. Colum-.
o1a, Newberry and Laurens, injured
2. Lancaster and Chester, kulled 1.
Northwestern of South Carolina, in
juredi1.
The other small roads report none
injured or killed.
Daring Robbery. '
One of the most daring robberies of
recent times in Russia was committed
at the Petersburger International
bank Wednesday afternoon, when a
number of robbers escaped with $14,
00, the entire cash of the bank.
Half a dczrn armed men sudienly ap
peared at the counter and ordered the
clerks to throw up theIr hands and
shot the policeman on duty. They
thE n rifled the cash drawers and ran
ofi'. A force of Corsacks pursued the
robbers and captured five of them, but
the rest got away with the money.
First Tea Crop Sold.
At Charleston last week marketing
was begun of the first crop of Ameri
can tea grown on a commercial scale.
Twelve thousand pounds have been
raised on a plantation in Colleton
county, a few miles from Charleston.
For several years tea has been mar
keted froni Pinehurst, the govern
ment exp-'imental garden at Sum
merville, but the product marketed
today is th.. first of a purely commer
cial venture. The output next year
promises to be very large.
Wounded Man Dies.
Former Uzited States Senator Ar
thur Brown, of Utah, who was shot
in his apartments at the Hotel
Rleigh in Washington Saturday at
ternoon by Mrs. Anna M. Bradley, of
Salt Lake City, dIed at midnight
Thursday, at the Emerger cy Has
pitl. Mrs. Bradley was arraigned it
polica court on the charge of murder
Her attorners set up the defense mal
sh was justilled under the "unwrit
ten law" in shooting Mr. Brown.
Masonic Orphanage.
The grand lodge of Masons in ses
sian In Charleston decided to build
Masonic orphanage. The trustees wil
have this year $10,000 for this pur
Dooe. They are J. R. yohnson, Gec
SS. Mower, G. T. Bryan, C. F. Sawye
and the grand mister ex- officio.
1 EpidemIc of Diphtheria.
bOwing to an epidemic of diptheri
In several parts of Long Island a ver
large numusr of schools have bee
closed. A number of deaths are ri
QUEER MISTAKE.
A Supposed Dead Man Writes to
Augusta, Ga., and
DENIES BEING DEAD.
A Mysterious Case of Mistaken Identi
ty. Forty P-ople Identified a Body
Found N-:ar Augusta to Be
Rev. A. E. Rojshn Who
Tu--ns Up Alive.
A que0.r ,%ass of mistaken Identity
has recently occurred in Augusta,
Ga., and the Herald says the an
aouncemna tst Rev. A. E. Rojthn,
the nan E app -ed to be mouldering in
hi ave In a 'araway .kennsylvania
bome, Is alive And eojoying a normal
degree of health will be greeted with
surprise akin to a shock; but such is
apparently the case and the fact will
pace on record one of the most weird,
mncanny and mysterious occurrences
un ever orJginated in Augusta, and
will furnish 1bundant literary mater
ial for those unusual stories univer
ally accredited to the vivid imagina
ion and versatile pen of the novelist.
There are many cases of mistaken
dentity on record, but there are few
natanc3s if any, of over forty people
dentifying a corpse and all being mis
uaken.
The name of.the unknown stranger
who died so mysteriously and so pa
hetically In the woods near Craig's
"aosiug on Sunday afternoon, Octo
,)3r the 28th, and who so closely re
iembled Esv. A. E. Rojabn, an Apos
ilic minister, that he was declared
io be the preacher by over forty peo
ple, will probably never be known.
Who he was, as to where he came
rom, and why he refused to disclose
3is identity, Is an impenetrable' mys
ery that will be discussed until time
azses it from the public mind.
Undertaker R. E. Elliott received
Wednssday the following letter writ
eon by a nan whose funeraL was held
ieveral weeks ago.
EOJAEN NOT DEAD,
Valdosta, Ga., DLC. 9,1906.
Dear Friend:
I received a letter from my mother
tt Dallastown, Pa., that I should pay
he $100 you charged. her to send a
lead man, by name Bruce W. Bakey,
r some other dead man to Dalla3
wn, Pa., and used my name to get.
er to send $100.
I am only 29 years old and this man
was about 50 years old and had nat
ral teeth. I have false teeth and
an't see how they could say it was
e. This was a terrible shock to my
>rother and sister. It was a man they
id not know at all. So I was going
io come over there myself to Augus
a; may be there yet and If -you want
o have a ho me in Heaven, Jesus says
luke 6:31, "As you would that men
should do to you do ye also unto them
ikewise.'
Please send me the man's address
f the house where the man died. I
would like to have his charts, papers
ed Biile if he had any. I can't un
erand that the man did not tell his
ame at the house where he died, but
the good Lord knows all about lt. If
you send me his papers or the things
he left at the house where he died, 1
may find out where his relations live
nd if I can find out them it will heir
us. Yours in Jesus name and for His
gory, A. E. Ro3AHxN
P,. S.--Brother McCaw, a street
preacher, told me if it was Bruce W.
Bukey, his father lives in Los Ange
les, Cal.
STORY OF THE sTRAN2GEE.
The autumn occurrence that has re
cently caused such startling develop
ments reads like a genuine romance.
The affair at'the time it occurred at
tracted considera ble attention.
It will be remembered that on Sun
day evening, October the 28th, Coro
ner Elliott was summoned to the coun
try to inves'gate a mysterious death.
A ragged, unknown and disconsolate
tramp died In the woods in the Craig's
Crossing vicinity, his deathbed the
fallen autumn leaves and the roof
above him the foliage on the thousand
tinted trees. His name he refused to
tell and the suggestion of coming to
this city for medical treatment filsd
his eyes with terror. That h3 was not
profesionally a tramp was evidenced
by his difering his last nickel in pay
ment for a cup of coffee that some
kind-hearted woman brought him.
Coroner Ellott, who is also at the
head of an undertaking es tablishment,
brought the body with its secret for
ever locked In Its bosom to his plact
of business and held It for Identifica
tion.
THE IDENTIICATION.
When the circumstances surround
ig the death beceme known several
people called by the undertaking es
tabishment and viewed the remains.
Several stated that it looked like a
street preacher by the name of Ry
jahn. Later It was positively Identi
fied as Rev. A. E. Rojahn b) Rev. J
H. Benson of Langley, and forty oth
er citizens of that plece. In substan
tiation of the identification, Mr- Ben
son brought several letters written in
red ink by Mr. .dojahn. The where
abouts of the man's family was ascer
tained through Informatiori of Mr
R jbn and were notified of the death;
8100 was immediately sent to defray
expenses of sending the body to Dal.
lastown, Pa.
Before sending the body to Dallas.
- town and after keeping It one week
,funeral service was held at the under
taking parlors by Mr. Benson and at
. tended by 40 people intimately ao
quainted with Rev. A. E. R-JRhn
he casket was open and every peisor
viewed the body.
As stated in The Herald some timi
ago, the family refused to accept thi
body, but very little attention wa
y given the mitten until the receipt C
0 the letter Wednesday. The letter wa
- written in red ink and the handwrit
tugreaveals the faot that it was wril
ten by the same person who wrote the
letters to Mr. Benscn.
That a mistake has been made and
an unknown body shipped to Mr. Ro
Jahn is :ertain.
Mr. Elliott states that while he is
not legally responsible for the money,
in consideration of the fact that a
mistake was made, he will refund all
but actual expenses.
A BIG PROJECT.
PLANS OF SOUTH CAROLINA PUB
LIC SERVICE CORPOR ITION. C
Electric Railway to Connect the 1
Coast with Crangeburg and
the Piedmont.
The Charleston News and 0 ourier
says after having been quiescent for a
several months the Augusta-Charles- "
ton Electric mirage has again arisen,
and this time it has somewhat more
definite outlines than formerly, r
though, of course, it Is not yet possi
ble to say positively whether or not
the road will be built. Judging from d
the tone of recent utterances in the a
rewspapers the project has by to 0
news been abandoned, and at pres
ent the outlook for an electric Ane to
Augusta from this city is bright. It
is not now, nor has It ever been, the d
ntention of the promoters of the en
terprise to construct a trolley line, 1
but theyshave all along contended for a
in electric line, and it is still their In 0
bantion of the parties interested to b
make the line an electric railway. 8
Mr. Lawrenc. M. Pinckney is one r
>f the corporators of the. South Caro
ina Public Service Corporation. He s
as been in New York during the d
past few days, only returning yester- I
!ay, and found a number of letters on
us dask relative to the line. The
ugusta Chronicle, in speaking of s
he proposed line has the following to 11
"In connection with the long talk- t,
id of electric lins from Augusta h
brough Columbia to Charleaton h,
>acked by Northern capitalists, and h
or which the surveys are well und.r
ay, Mayor Allen' who returued from 31
;he R.vers and Harbors Congress Sun- 01
lay, found awaiting him on his 8
lesk a communication from Orange 2
rg, S. C., stating that the construe- u
Aon company in charge is anxious for 10
tatitics regarding the growth of Au- t
usta for the past several years. ti
"These were compiled by City As- of
essor John M. Weigle, showing a re N
arkable increase since the census of 8c
900. These inquiries are considered ec
ood ground to believe that W
he men behind the movement I
tend pushing forward from now on t
with Increased.vigor. It is believed 0
he opening of this route from Au- i'
Mta t the sea will work wonders In
.n hastening the commercial develop- V
nent of this city and all sections f
ihrough which the line passes" .
This line has been spoken of fra- '
luenty before, and will, no doubt, be y
tructed, and from the present I
irend of things it would seem that it a
will be built shortly. A number ct As
arveys have been made and the sue ~
~ess of electric lines In the upper ~
art of the State will no doubt, en- a
~ouage the promoters to begin work- ~
ng uv the plans again.
The South Carolina Public Service e
Jorporaton proposes to build an elec- t
brie railway frcm Obarleston- to p
Jolumbia and Augusta, via Orange t1
urg, and to the milling towns north I
f Columbia as far as Charlotte.
The Augusta-Aiken line and the fl
AndersonBelton line, and numerous C
ther ele ctric lines In the State, are
n good condition, and popular favor '
seems to rest on electric lines, a
The South CO.Alna Public Service C
orporation will bn granted a commis i
sion in the near faiture. At present e
it is not organixed with a president, t
secretary and officer3, though it is a
a well-known concern and is doing all '
In its power to build electric lines r
through the State. Charleston Is to I
the terminus cf the lines and the 1
success of the Augusta-Charleston
project will mean a great deal to this I
city.
Child Badly Burned.
At Columbia the little eleven year
old daighter of Fire Chief May was
painfully and very seriously burned
early Wednesday morning and har
ather was also painfully burned.
he little girl was standing before an
open fire when her clothes caught,
te flames q lickly spreading over the
idi Immable material. Mr. May
rusned into the room, grabbing his
daughter In his arms and set to work
to extingusli the flames. Mr. May
was burned while thus occupied.
Drowned in a Washtub.
The little five-year-old daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ellis, who live 10
miles south of Greenwood, was drown
ed Wednesday morning in a washtub.
The little child climbed up in a
wheelbarrow standing by the tub and
fell In the tub of water. She was
there 20 minutes before being discov
ered. Dr. Ward the nearest physician
was telephoned for, but the little
child was dead before he could get
there.
Barkeeper Killed.
The Italian quarter of New York
was shocked Wednesday by the most
revolting murder of years. Salvatora
Sterlozza, a saloon keeper, Is the vic
tim. The assassin drew a circle on
the glass door of his saloon as a tar
get and then called the barkeeper. As
Sterlozza's body covered the target,
the assassin fired with a shotgun
loaded with slugs, minie balls and
shot. The rf-an s chest and head
were litecrally blown to piece~s.
Killed a idorse.
One of the state constables shot and
killed a horde in Charleston on Tues
day that was drawing a wagon load
of contraband liquor. The constable
had ordered the driver to stop, and he
refused. The horse belonged to Sot
tile Brothers, notorious blirnd tigers.
~Killed in Chinxa.
SNews has been received In Ander
son of the murder by Chinese of the
ten-year-Old daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Royal, missionari In
hina. Mrs. Royal was before her mar
. rale a Mis Sullivan, nesr Pelzer.
KILLED HIMSELF.
& COLORED PRE'ACHER CUTS
BIS OWN THROAT.
Wus Pastor of a Methodist Church In
Crangeburg for Past
Two Years.
Rev. 0. P. Nelson, who had resided
n Orangeburg as Pastor of the A. X.
D. Church. for the past two years,
ommitted suicide on last Thursday
norning sometime between one and
wo o'clock by cutting his throat with
, razor, wbich was found In his right
and when his body was discovered by
is wife a short time after he com
aitted the terrible deed. Whin his
ody w:.s first found it was seated in
chair, but soon fell to the floor,
rhere it remained until Thursday
2orning when the Inquest was held.
he body was first discovered by the
rife of the dead nuan, who occupied
he parsonage with him and one child.
It seems that Nelson tried to com
11b suicide Wednesday morning by
rinking lauda:um, but t il ffort fail
d by'another colored preacner calling
a Nelson and finding him very drowsy
ad smelling the !u'nes of the drug.
a reply to some erqu'ry Nelson said
e had taken a dose of the deadi:
rug and thought he had taken toc
iuch. The visiting preacher sum
ioned Nelson's wife and she made
ad gave her husband some strong
,ff es in which melted butter had
men poured. This destroyed the
nect of the laudanum and Nelson
)used up, seeming to be much better.
'he vitiling minister then left. Nel.
)a remained in bed all day Wednes
my, and was attended by some of the
tembers of his church, who staid
Ith him until about tffelve o'clock
lednesday night, when he was con
dered out of danger, although the
Tect of the laudnum was still plainly
lsible. It was not suspected then
iat Nelson had attempted to take
is hfe. After the visitors had left
B got up and got his razor and cut
is throat as above stated.
The cause of the suicide was
me crooked financial transactions
i the part of Nelson. It is
6id that during the past sum
zer the trustees of the church acting
2der the advice of Nelson secured a
an on their property from one of
ie local building and loan associa
ons. The amount was $500 and the
Beers of the association state that
elson told them that the amount
cured was to retire a former Indebt
ness. The trustees of the church
6y that they know nothing of the
rmer mortgage but that it was
isir intention to secure only a loan
$150 to satisfy outstanding bills for
isrance and for parsonage furni.
ire, and that it was only recently
iat they discovered they had signed
r a $500 loan.
They state that just before going
conference, Nelson, In clbsing the
ar's work here, told them that the
debtedness was only $150 and that
e made the same statement at con
menoe. It is understood that.several
Ietings of the trustees have been
old since the matter became known
few days ago, and that when taxed
Ith the matter on Monday of last
reek Nelson stated that the differ
ace between the indebtedness and
be amount of the loan had been ap
ropriated by himself on account of
be church failing to pay his salary.
t was Intimated that Nelson might
e arrested and It Is presumed he pre
rred death to arrest and subsequent
zposure.
Nelson came here two years ago
rth testimoniala from prominent men
11 over the State. both wite and
olred, and on the strength of these
ras extended credit by various mer
hants In the city, and in mast cases
be bills were never paid Tnere was
so considerable friction between him
nd his congregation which probably
esulted in their not paying him in
nil, and as a result of this friction,
he conference last week transferred
Wlson to Mayesville, to which charge
ie was to have goe within the next
ew days. Nelson was prob~bly 55
rears of age, was well educated and
ad held some of the best appoint
nents In the gift of his church. He
had served as presiding elder before
oming here in various parts of the
state..
TJimes saave~ Changed.
When the Conneculcub people held
she negroes in slave~y it was against
ihe law to teach themz to read. But
when they sold themselves to the peo
le of the South they clanged some
what, and Miss Prudence Oradell,
who died seventy- five years ago. and
who was Imprisoned for teaching
olored girls to read and write, is now
about to be honored by Waterbury.
&. big granite boulder rough In struc
ure Is to be set up near her giava,
which Is the last resting place alho of
Eider Levi Kneeland who was ito
prisonedi for helning Miss Crandal1 In
:lefence of the custom of her time.
Much Ferii~z aru Used.
While the farmers In some sections
of the State may 'iave been hard hit
by the autumn storms the figures in
the State Treasurer's offloe on the
privilege or fertilizer tax show that
more fertilizer material was used this
year on the farms than in any other
year since the establishment of the
tax. The total received so far is
$161,738.41 against 5127.282.78 for
the same period last year. The tax
is 22 cents per ton and the entire
amount goes to Clemson College.
Postmastor Scntonced.
Judge Speer in the United State;
district court sentenced former Post
mester Gilbert Meeks, of Nicholas,
Ocifee county. Ga., to one year's Im
prisonment and to pay a flue of 82,06;
for embezzling that sum from the
postcffloe funds. The amount wal
made good by Meeks when the short
age was discovered.
Heard Eighteen Miles.
Eighteen miles Is said to be the
longest distance at which a man'
voice has been heard. This occurret
In the Grand Canyon of Colorado
where one man shouting the nam
"Bob" at one and was plainly heart
at the other end, whioh is 18 mile
MAKE THEIR CORN
Darlington Farmers Enthused
Over the Williamson Plan.
THE CORN CONGRES8
Held at Darlington Thursday Was a Re
markable Gathering. Splendid Tes
timonv Given as to the success
to be Attained from the
Use of ThisiMethod.
The "Williamson Corn.Congress"
held its first session in the County
Court Housa at Darlington on Thurs
day, Dec. 13, 1906. It was a unique,
remarkable and interesting gathering.
Intelligent farmers who are inter
ested in furthering agriculture camea
together, rubbed elbows with, 'eir
neighbors, and discussed not onl) &he
Williamson theory of making ,rn,
out the practical results of following
that theory or method. It w-s a
proud day for Mr E. McIver Wiltam
son. It must have done him go-d to
have heard one intelligent farmer sfter
another get up and, as if at an 'ex
perience meeting," tell of his effois to
follow Mr. Williamson's method and
without a single discordant note. hear
of how pleased the speaker was with
the results of his efforts.
A short synopsis of what several
said Is given below, from which it
may readily be seen that under the
Williamson method the yield per acre
is from two to three times as great as
under the old plan.
PLAN IS LESs EXFESIVE.
Leaving out the qaestion of the cost
of fertilfzers, those who testilled to.
day declare that it Is much less ex
pensive to cultivate a crop of corn un
der the Williamson plan than Itis un
der the old plan. It is not the pur- t
pose of the correspondaht of The
News and Courier in this artiele to go
into details and tell how It is mucb
less expensive, as above asserted, but
he is basing .the assertion on the
statements made by t'e many Intelli
gent, practical farmers who spoke
Thursday, and who did tell how it Is
done. *
Then, too, many Cf those who
spoke declare that the increased value s
of their land, the result of the growth t
of vegetable matter left on It when
the Williamson plan is followed, is so
much greater than when the old plan
Is followed, that they 'believe that It
will pay for the fertilizers used. Sev- .x
ral remarked that they would not
exchange the fertilizing matter on
their soil for the price paid for the
fert'"-- . There is much that c
coui.. - ss to prove that under
Mr. Williamson's plan of making coin
the South need no longer look to the
West for that article. but the direct
testimony of-those who have experi
mented, not only one year, but for
several years, will possibly have more
weight with the reading public and
the farmers generally than could any
other way of presenting the facts.
Mr. WilliamsoL opened the meet.
ing today with a few remarks as to
the purpose of the gathering, and then
called Mr. Robert H. Rogers to the
chair to preside over the meeting. Mr.
A. J. Howard..was requested to serve
as secretary.
Mr. Williamson served the meeting
by playing the lawyer and cross-ex
amining those who testified.
GIVE THEIn E:![FERTENCE8.
Mr. B, H. Rogers repeated the re
suits of his experiments with the
"Williamson plan" as given inl The
News and Courier a few days ago, and
added that while there had been some
adverse criticism because of the use
of the word "sunt." Still he thinks
it very expressive, and a farmer has
but to look In his dictionary for the
meaning of the word.
He'quit planting corn for several
years because he could not "make
ends meet" with six to ten bushels to
the acre. .
He Is now planting under the WIl
llams plan and It is profitable, as he
Is making more than fifty bushels to
the acre.
Mr. J. B. Elwards, under the old
plan, made from eight to twelve bash
els per acre. He now makes fort to
fifty bushels on the same lands.
"My lands," he sail "are very
much Improved by the "Willia~.son
plan. The vegetable matter ler t on
the 1:,nd as a result of the plan fol
lowed is worth more than the fertli.z
er costs me."
Mr. James W. Goodson foricerly
made eight to fifte'en bushels per
acre, Under the "Williamson plan"
he and nis neighbors now make from
ffty to one hundred bushels per acre
with about 800 to 1,000 pounds of fer
tilzsr, or about 310 per acre. )i a
est he made on about three acres fif
tvtwo and a half bushels on one acre
by the Williamson plan, thirty bush
els under the old plan. The same con
ditions, same fertilizer and same
amount ? work were given eact,
Mr 4. Rogers, of Society Hill,
haSF . experimenting with the plan
i . .goout four years and from forty
bushels per acre the year he began he
Is now making about seventy bushels
per acre. He finds that the closer he
folows the "Williamson plan" the
better the results. He makes three
times more corn now than under the
old plan. This Is not a good year for
corn-too wet. But the plan is the
best In either wet or dry years.
Mr. Charlton Law has tried the
plan this year, and Is satisfied that it
Is all right. He has been making 15
bushels per acre formerly, but made
45 bushels this year.
F. W. Law followed the plan on 24
acres and made 40 bushels per acres.
On 40 acres last year, with 500 pounds
of fertilizer, he made a third less of
corn thaii he niade on 24 acres this
year, with 800 pounds of fertilnzers.
HAS SEEN A NEW LIGHT.
BWayne G. King says he mad1e about
60 bushels per sore, with $7.15 per
acre. His neighbor, R. S. Grant,
lover In Ohesterfleld C0anty, is a good
farmer, and has always been regarded
as a good "corn farmer." He used to
live in Marlboro County, and thcugb b
they knew over there better how to
gro* corn than anywhere else. Ho
adopted the "Williamson -plan" this
year and made 76 bushels per acre,
and under the old plan he has made
15 to 20 bushels per &cre. Same lands,
same conditions.
Lands are, under the new plan,
very much Improved.
Mr. Robert E. James says that.he
has followed the plan, and is pleased
with it, and satisflied it will be gen.
orally adc pted. His yield of corn Is
from two to three times greater than
under the old plan.
0. H. Ellis shmk that the plan is
so far superiorto the old plan thal.
no comparison can be made. He has
followed the plan for eleven years.
Leav'ng out the question of fertil.
4zers, the Williamson plan of making
3orn costs much less than the old
plan.
A. T. H3ward used hst year $150
vorth of fertilizer on 40 acres,, and a
made 250- bushels of corn. This year, C
)n 50 acres, with $400 worth of fer- 1
ilizer, he made 1.500 bushels of corn.
Mr. David B Coker talked of the
plan and of his experiments In pulling a
md not pulling fodder. Where the I
udder was pulled the yield was 42
)ushels per acre; where out and shock
. 45 bushels per acre; where fodder
lot pulled 49 buehels per acre.
He experimented with alfalfa and 'b
3rmuda gras. He paid $400 for an a
Lere in town and spent money in ad
lition for fences, work, fertilizer, etc.
ut thilnka this Is one of The best in- t
reatmentsahe has made this year.
He spvke of the zecessity for selce
ing seed and for using the same, not
mnly in corn, but in other plants. Mr.
oker exhibited quite an inting
t of specimens of his efforts in
Tease the yield of cotton and the t
ength of the staple. e
THE TELEPHONE GIRLS
ould be Remembered With (on 3
slderation if Not Gifts. e
p
If any one class of workers, says the i
olumbia Rccord, is more entitled to n
he kind thoughts and wishes of Q
I~S
'peace on earth" which come at the a
)aristmas time, it Is the young ladies t]
rho sit day after day for long hours y
,t the switch board-the hello girl. g
2he difulties she has to contend C
rith, the nervous strain put upon her, t
he trial of hr patience Is continual
y undergoing, no one can realize. If b
he public whom she serves realized a
a half they would give her more con
deration than they now are inclined t
o do, '7
When, many times, she is trying e
ier best to give what is asked for oi
omplaints are hissed at her over the y
vire, abuse and displeasure heaped n
pon her innocent head by the csto
ner she is doing her best to serve. Be. g
ause "Central" is the only one con- e
iected with the exchange that the t
instomer knows, he visits the displeas- 0
ire upon the girl who is only doing b
er little part the best she can. Ua i
ler the most favorable conditions the ;
iork she has to do is hard and it must
ometimes be almost unbaarable
Of course there are occasion when
ahe subscriber feels justified in being
wrathy, but thinking of It calmly,
what good wllt do toyell atocentral? 1
if you have any complaint to make1
you can at least make It in a gqIet
way And probably if everyone Lried
Lu these little way to lighten her heavy
burden there would be less cause f or
smplant of any kind. Simple kind
ness Is surely not much to give. And
now that the Christmas time is corr-,
Ig let us all wish her happiness and
in the coming year, do our share to
make the day easier for her.
A Rteal Tragedy.]
A sensational attempt at suicide
was made In a N~ew York saloon
Thursday by a man who describei
himsef as Rankin Duvall, an actor,
40 years of age. Duvall entered the
saloon and walking up to the lunch
counter picked up a long biaded cheese
knife and turning to the bartender
with a smile asked:
"May I use this?" --
"Certainly," replied the bartender,
thinking he was about to carve some
cheese for himself. Instead, to the
horror of the people in the saloon, he
unbuttoned his coat and vest and
pressing the point of the knife to his
abdomen and fell heavily to the flcor,
so that the big blade ripped his body,
Before any of the men close by could
spring upon him and wrest the knife
from him, he had thrust the weapon
twice more into the frightful wound.
Daval did not lose consciousness and
when asked why he had done such a
thing, repied: "Oh, I'm a crIminal;
that's all"
At the hospital where Duvall was
taken, it Is said he has only a slight
chance for recovery.
Prayr Raised the Daad.
At Boston before a class In the
fashionable E'nanuel church Thurs
day night, Rev. Eiwood -Worchester
gave an astonishing account of how by
prayer and "auto suggestion" he. had
revived a Pniladelphia woman who to
all purposes was dead. Seven doctors
had pronounced the woman dead. Her
heart had ceased beating and her ex
tremities were cold, yet he revived
her so she lived 24 hours and talked
with friends. Three hundred persons
in the class accepted the story with
out question.
Barn Burning society.
Three negroes were arrested in
Newberry, being suspected of having
burned the barn of Press N. Boczer
and one of the number- has confessed.
Investigationl leads to the belief that
there is an organization in that
county composed of negroes who or
dred the work to be done. There
was considerable excitement at first
but all is quite there now.
Forty Drowz'ede
At St. Petersburg, Russia, forty
factory worJkers were drowned Wed
nesday morning while crossing the
Neva river on the ce on their way
to work. The ice collapsed when one
hundred men were In the center of
the stream. Sixty saved themnselves,
but the others were washed under
the Ic
TYPO MISSINC
Left Note Saying He Intended to
.Kill Himself.
RE MAY TURN UP.
Us Shirt and Note Book Was Feund ON
the Bank of the Canal. He
Was Recently Married
aid Was fn Bad
. Health.
The J0olumbia Bccord says much
uocern, is felt by relatives for the
afety of Louis F. Evans, a printer
mployed in the job department of
he, State Company, who disappeared
'hursday morning, leaving a note do
laring that by the time itshould be
ound, he would have ended his ife
y jumping from th.Congaree bridge
ito the river. His shirt and suspend
rs and the pad upon which the note
ad been written were found by a
larching party near the canal, which
arallels the river, bnd from the spot
racks as of a man running led to the
rater's edge, with ncne returning.
o far no steps have been taken .to
rag the canal, because ot certain in
ications that Evans may yet be alive
nd well, but In hiding.
Evans is a young man of twenty
ree or four, who came to Columbia
ighteen months or two years ago
rom Goldsboro, W. C., and has since
een employed continuously by the
tate Company. He is a member In
ood standing of Columbia loca, No
1, of the International Typographi
11 Union, and is regarded as a good
rinter. He is not known as a drink
g man. Abons two mouths ago he
iarred Miss A, Btutis enington
f 2015 Harlon street, who was for
)me time a popular member of the
iles force at the department store of
2e Jas. L. Tapp Company. Mr. and
[rs. Eyans made their home at 1417
'aylor street with Mr. Geo. D. Bad
iffe, stage manager of the Columbia
3eatre.
For some time Evans' health has
en failing and lately he has become
Idicted to the habit of using mor
ins, whica was prescribed for some
imporary relief by his physician.
his morning a small fire, which oo.
irred at the residence at about.6
clock, may have so aggravated
vans' nervous disorders that his
dnd became temporarily deranged.
Mr. Radcliffe is almost positive that.
vans was still'in the house when he
arted downtown at about 8 o'clcck
als morning, but others are of the
pinion that he left the city the night
fore. Shcrtly after Mr. RadcliOe
Ift the house a little white boy, Ben
)aniels, delivered to Mrs. Evans X
ote signed by Evans, declaring his
-tention of drowning himseif In the
anal or the river. Mrs. Evans noti
ed Mr. Badcliffe and the police and a
earehing party set cut to explore the
>ansof the river and the canaL. In
he seaiching party were Mr. Rid
liff, Coroner Walker, Officer., Star
ing of the S. P. C. A., Orderly Sor
~ent uathcart. Policeman Hutichin
on and several of Evans' printer
rlends. Dividing, the searchers
ihoroughly emmined the banks of the
sanal and the river.
About 150 yards below the long
trestle by which the C., IN. and L. i
road crosses the canal and the river,
Eessrs. Starling and Badoliffa found
ianging upon a bush near the canal
Evans' shirt and suspenders and his
pad and pencil, the pad bearing his
name. Presuscably this was the pad
de used in writing the sinister note to
Ers. Evans. From the bush, tracks
car apart, as if made by a man -run
ung, led down to the edge of the wa
er, which Is here about seven feet
eep, but there were no tracks re
urning.
Further -Investigations are being
made this afternoon. It Is knownthal
Evans has been broodidg over his
physical condition, and that the des
pondency resulting from this has been
leepened by worry over financial af
fairs and the excessive use of mor
pine, but Elvans' friends and the go
ice are not satisfihd with the oi
dence that helis dead. It is hoped
bhat his mind merely becmea tempo
rarily deranged and that he will
shortly turn up safe and sound.
Kied Their captainl.
A riot of negro troops, siilar to
the Brownsville affair, has happened
in the Philippines, according to a
letter received by Mrs. M. H. Jack
son, Keinons, -Ind., the mother of
Lieutenant Calvert, who was murder
ed by members of his company while
on duty. The letter says Calvert was
the victim of premeditated murier.
He tried toistop a drunken fight of
his men of the twenty-fourth infan
ry, negroes, when shot. The entire
company Is under arrest. An appeal
will be made to President Boosevelt
to have the guilty punished. No
members of the company will reveal
who did the fatal shooting.
Another Negro Mystery.
A remarkable phenomenon vouched
for by several people who have asen a
colored babe born in Ky., with the
-b -M" plainly marked on .
its foreheaa. The child belongs to
Pear Franklin, and her home has
been the macca of supertiticus and
curious colored beople since the child
was born. Those who have seen it
and belelve In signs have been pour
ing over dictionaries, trying to find ..a
combination of two words of which.
the birthmark might be initial that
would convey some m'essage tio the
world.
Heavily iIned.
Judge HoT in the ,United States
court In New York on Tuesday imi
posed fines of 880,000 and 370,0010 re
spectively on the American Sagar Be
fining comp~any and the B
Inonn&rgwa om&any