T?? LEDGER. THCKLOW * S. CARTER, editor; and manager. ?bck7ription $i60pep tear Theodore II. Price ie out in another statement in which be aaya that the cotten croo will umount to 13,500,000 bules. His object in spreading this aort of talk is plain. Naturally, it may lead the fariuesrs to sell, and imy rush to market will force the price lown to a lower Jiguro. Being on the bear, or selling aide, Mr Priio would stand to win a few million dollars extra, and aa the price falls hisprotita will increase. Sui \ has j uned him for the time being, and the farmers havo no hope of driving the market up to a point where the product can he raised at a narrow margin of profi t. T ii u government estimate plated the total crop at 12,162, Ui'U bales. The farmers said it was too high, but certainly thoy should not accept the advice of a speculator who u talking that way to increuso his fortune. ? Greenville News. The quarterly report of Chief Constable Humet for the quarter ending Nov ."0, shows $1,038,738 spent by the people in the local dispensaries during tho months of Sept. Oct. and Nov., an increase iu salts over the same mouths last year of $172,002.79. I NUMMARY FOR THE YEAR. Total cost of constabulary for year $ G4,3S8 26 Total value of seizures foryoar 31,07191 Total salts of State dispensaries 2,990,918 30 'Total sales of local dispensaries 3,374,780 43 -?.?.? Crime in the State. Decrease in Number of Murders, Bui au Jucrease in Percentage of Acquittals. The attorney general bus received all of the reports from the J olicitors and has completed a table, showing the totals as to the convictioes and acquittals in tuis state during the year. For the year 1904 there were presented 1,S91 cases, of which 909 were dismissed or there were 1 no bills brought in bv the grand jury. Of the remainder 950 were found not guilty and 924 guilty. The year 1993 there was a similar I number of cases, the total number ( being 1,515. Of the murder cases in 1904 there were 202 for murder and ^ manslaughter presented during the >ear and of those 2G no bills * ( were returned, 99 were acquitted, 79 found guilty of either manslaughter or murder and the other ^ two appealed to the supreme court. The dispensary cases presented in 1904 were 150, of which 26 no bills were returned, 27 not guilty ' and 77 guilty. . ? For 1903 there were 222 mur. der trials, of which 20 no bills were found, TOO acquitted and 102 convicted. For 1903 there were 109 dis- ? pensary eases, of which 65 were . dismissed, 2,*> were acquitted and / 89 convicted. iucute the youth at all haz- | is our advice. If parents t will not send their children to ( school let a Inw bo enacted to make thorn do it, and every child will in the coming years sing the i piaise nnd proclaim the blessings < of their benefactors."?Jackson- ( ville Metropolis. 1 Happenings in the State. R< Ah Chronicle*! by the Alert Cor- Aj respondents of The Columbia Stat*. FATAL N*OKO FESTIVAL. Th Winnsboro, Jan. 5.?Atanegro no festival at Monticello, in thiacoun- co ty, Sam Hell killed Ben Perry and broke Dave l'eay's jawbone. Of VVylie Suba was shot in the baok W by parties unknown. Dr. Scott co does not think be will die. Anoth- th' er negro whose name Is unknown yo had his skull cracked. ba ? tei WILL OF THE LATE COL. Jd'CALL. 8e Bennettsville, jan.4.?The will ** of the 'ate Senator C S MoCall was C01 probated here today. Senator ('? McCall left most of his estate to m< his three sisters and two biothers and to bis nephews. Two of his ^ beqaests are notable. He left the ta* Thornwell orphanage the sum of f5,000. Another noble bequest was that to Mr William Boyer of this county. Mr Boyer's house and farm was mortgaged to Sena- rei tor McCall but the will when c?' opened showed tliat the mortgage had been canceled. Mr Boyer co( Inst hntk nf llin ?rm? I - IU? VTOIBI J C?1 ago in the premature explosion of ftBa a cannon during a political celebration in Bennettaville. * ' , . ^ , nu As Viewed in Tokio. ph0' vie Japanese Officials Do KotLook /or ftni Early Conclusion of Peace. 0i0 to Tokio, Jan. -A, Evening.,?The qU, weight of opiniou in Japanese th< official circles seems to be against pn a belief in the early conclusion of wj| peace, nnd doubt is expressed that the fall of Port Arthur will mater- t,a^ lally affect the situation. thi Cne of several officials who dis- paj cussed the question with the cor- 28 respondent of the Associated Press all today voiced the sentiment of the 8jg majority when ho said: "We are confronting a situation which continues to be purely mil- y0 itary. The present problem is created b y Gen. Kuropatkm's army and by the Russian second , Pacific squadron. We are devet- ^ ing all attention to them. (^u "We anticipate that the Rue ho. sians will renew more determined- las ly than ever their effort to drive Ev Field Marshal Oyama back and ho< that they will strive to gain su- ho premaco at sea. We are preparing hei to defeat these objects. Ca "The situation makea talk of 8h peace futile." lioi Japanese Count of Prisoners. trB mi Tokio Jan. 4.?The prisoners captured at Port Arthur numbered 25,000. Tho total of inhabitants of the stronghold is 35,t06. The lick and wounded numbered twen:y thousand. j Col. Uadke, war correspondent Oi0 )f The Tageblatt, who has return)d from Mukden, says Port Arhur's defense practieallv sared. ^ ien. Kuropatkin's army and that ^ he Japanese hare lost in the attack nore men than the whole Russian . drc garrison numbered. ion of Prof. Baios, of Columbia Poc Accidentally Killed. ?a wh: Columbia Jan. 3.?Tree limbs * 0 iwept by high winds brushed a *ou irick from the top of Prof. C W. 01 dain's residence at tho South Carolina College this afternoon * ind tho tiii?ui I kinifoiiv Vkl u?n U1V OIA" fears old boy, tienry, playing in * be flowor garden, on the bead ?'c' ind crushed hie skull The boy ?' lied that night. ers ? Mrs Lily Richards, ^formerly Wi issislant, has been elected matron par >f Winthrop College vice Mrs wo Jochran, resigned. Mr? Shumate Est las been elected assistant matron. co\ *? :duc9 the Cotton Acreage. jpeal of the National Cotton V Aaaociation. " Fort Worth, Texan, Jan 5.? e following self explanatory tice ban boon mailed to every unty Judge in the boutb: National Cotton Association, fice of the Secretary, Fort orth, Texan, January 3.~~In mpliance with the resolution of e national executive oommittee. J u are requested to call farmers, nkers, merchants and others inested in the cotton industry to. ther on Wednesday, January , 1904, at 10 a. m., at the *W* unty seat, to aleot rice presi- JC uts, who will hold precinct setings at each school house in ni county, on Saturday, Jan. ?3 , at 2 p m., for the purpose of :ing definite action on reducing ti 3 cotton acreage this year. At 3ae meetings, hare all farmer* to will sign this agreement: 44 We, the undersigned farmers, lidiag in votiog precinct No ?, inty ?, hereby pledge ourves to reduce the acreage of tton to be planted by me in Of 2f per cent below the lount that we planted in 1004." . These who will not eign, take lS sir naases, addresses and the qw mber of acres they will plant & s year. Have a committee ap- St in ed at the precinct meeting to it every farmer, landlord, ten. t, white or black, in their pre (*T ct, who aro not at the meeting, r secure their acreage. This re- 1 est is sent to every county in 3 cotton States and nnlese )inpt action is taken the acteage II not be reduced. Teens has begun, but it will ;e your support to avail any ng. Qive notice to all newspers. Mail written report Jan. , giving name and aereage of who sign and those who do not n. Oswald Wilson, tional Secretary, Forth Worth. >ung Man Killed in Door of Disreputable Houee. Shot through the heart, Osoar reton, aeon of Police Offieer ireton.fell dead within the three Id of a yile aen en Ceurt street t night at 8:20 o'eloek. Leila ans, in? woman wno keeps tbe use, says that Otto lummy, a rse trader, said to bare oome re seme time ago from North ml relina, committed the deed, and 111 eriff Gilreath and Chief of Fos Becknell began a sesrsh for ? man immediately after the gedy. They captured him abeet dnight.?Greenville News, 4th it. The Grasp of a Terrible Storm. few York, Jan 4.?Not in ser? .1 years has New York been visi by a storm of such proportions that which commenced jester* Y and continued until early this irning. 9 inches of soow fell, -alyzing traffic, and the marked >p in the temperature brought JT ? ;old suffering to the city's >r. The blizzard caused seven A iths in New York and vicinity, ile many persons, overoome by .11 -J * A -S com, aroppeu to toe street, ae of th?m receiving fracttrred >ee. Cotton Fire in Georgetown. Georgetown, January 4.--At 4 lods for the les ock as much as e are going to : ranges in stock irt of building e at present. This will be ar : : SUCH as we have a to make such in order to n 7e mean busine we ask is for our stock an convinced th ) Cut it (1 r before the st get the best one moi THANK] ARONAGE A] RE, -IImIIi Ran III^IIIU Mill Lan( J -TOUT GAIN SEE] ILP TO BE GIVEN i XKKXKKK 5xt 30 days 1 slaughter L Left on dry Shoes, etc. utting prices for the trade by giving thei ist money. Also to . jiossible by the 1st repair our building by moving dry goo and groceries where i immense job to ha1 I A LARGE STOCf t present and think t inducements to the lake the goods walk ss in what we say you to come and d cut prices and you Lat what we say is tr iff ml Ue tar ock is greatly redtic : advantage, for rem nth is a very short til [NGr EVERY ONE SD HOPING FOR ' i Youri? to wei iLinir It Miwiinl imii^ vv iiiuituill jflSTER S. C 4 \ KER!?Pf WAY. we are Brices goods, next month ii the best reduce our of Jan., as and make ds in lower >dry goods re to move ( ' * 1 it best ; public abou. and all inspect l will be ue. m9 I1,rttos ;ed and teinber me. FOR PAST MORE, WE rre, I ile Co.- ] r -'iDO ! ofe/Tr)y cabbie, tdeiaofa's hucccmIou. the I \ iwid cur? hoatler, Augusta ? / '.-^un "ijq type of |m(9