The times and democrat. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, March 28, 1911, Image 1
PUBLISHED THREE TT
DID IN TRAP
Iao7 Persons Are Crashed and Boraed
in a New York Factory
DEATH tElB HliAVY
They An; Caught Without Means of
Escape, Many Jump from Ninth
. ami Tunth Stories ?-Mres Are
Crushei! Out on Paveirieht Before
Horrified Spectators.
*> .C. : ":
One hundred and ^orty-elght .per
sons?nire-tentha of them girls from
the East Side? rtere crushed to death
on the pavements, smothered by
smoke or shrivelled crisp Saturday
afternoon in the worst fire New York
has known since the steamer federal
Slocum nas burned off North Broth
ers Island, in 1904.
Nearly all, if not all, of the vic
tims were employed by the Triangle
Waist Company, on the eighth, ninth
and tenth floors of a ten-story lofi
building, at No. 23 Washington
Place, on the western fringe of the
down-town wholesale clothing, fui
and millinery district.
The partners of the firm, Isaac
Harris and Mac Blanck, escaped from
the office on the tenth floor, carrying
. with theai over an adjoining roof
Blanch's two young daughters and a
governess. There was not an outside
fire escape on the building.
How the fire started will perhaps
never be known. A corner on the
eighth floor was its point of origin
and the three upper floors only were
swept. Cn the ninth' floor, fiftv bod
ies were found, sixty-three or more
were crushed to death by "jumping,
and more than thirty clogged the ele
vator shafts. The loss to property
will not exceed $,100,000.
Pedestrians going home, through
Washington Place to Washington
Square, at ten minues to five, were
scattered by the whiz of something
rushing tiirough the air before them;
there was a terrible thud on the
pavement and a body flattened on the
flags. Wayfarers on the opposite sldb
of the titreet shaded their eyes
against the setting sun and saw the
windows of the three upper floors oi
the building black with girls crowd
ing to tht) sills. There were no Art
escapes!
No Other Alternative.
"Don't jump; don't jump!" yelled
the crowd, but the girls had no alter
native. The pressure of the mad
dened hundreds behind them and the
urging of their own fears were too
strong. They began to fall to the
sidewalk, in a terrible rain of flesh
and blood.
Four alarms were rung within 1!\
minutes. Before the'engines coulu
respond, before the nets could b?
stretched or the ladders raised, five
girls had fallen from the eighth and
^nfnth floors so heavily that they
broke through the glhss and hron
roofs of the Gub-cellars and crashen
through ':he very streets into the
vaults below. In an hour the fire
vas out; in half an hour it had done
its worst. Probably the deat>: list
was full in 20 minutes.
The building standB on a corner,
with exposure on two sides, but the
only fire escape was In the rear, op
ening Into a light and air shaft. In
all, there were seven exits?the sin
gle fire escape, two freight elevators,
at the rear; two passenger elevators
in front, and two stairways. All of
them proved almost useless and prac
tically s.ll who escaped either
climbed to the roof and scrambled
thence to the roof of the building oc
cupied by the American Book Com
pany, or fled in the first rush for
safety before the crush and the
smoke grew too thick.
The buildings stand tonight with
shell intac t and barely scarred?rath
er only smudged. The tiling between
the floors are sound, and it is im
possible tor one, who did not see it,
to imagine how the flames in so short
a time could have caused such havoc.
Seven huadred persons were em
ployed by the shirt waist company.
They sat in rows at their whirring
machines, the tables before th^m
piled with flimsy cloth, the floor lit
tered with lint, the air itself full ot
flying inflammable dust.
Died in Their Seats.
The first rush of flame was almost
an explosion. Operators died In their
chairs, their lungs seared by inhaling
flame. Others were crowded into the
elevator shafts, after the cars had
made their last trip. Still others were
pushed of? the inadequate interior
fire escape
In such a horrible stream did the
bodies overflow from the windows,
that the fire nets, stretched by the
first company to arrive, were soon
gorged beyond capacity. Twelve
bodies dropped into one net, tearing
it to pieces, then fell to the pave
ment.
When :he first breath of flame
curled over the edge of a pile of
6hirting, on the eighth floor, five
minutes before quitting time, hun
dreds were in line before the casn
ier"s window.
In the office buildings across
Washington Place, scores of men,
detained beyond office hours, worked
at their desks. One of them said a
girl rushei to a window and threw up
the sash, Hehind her danced a seeth
ing curtain of yellow flame. Sue
climbed to the sill, stood in black
outline against the light, hesitating;
therrwith a last touch of futile thritt,
slipped her chatelaine bag over her
&LE S A WEEK,
wrist and jumped. Her body went
whirling downward, thrcugh the wo
ven wire glass of a canopy, to the
flagging below. Her sisters who fol
! lowed, flamed through the air like
i rockets. Their path could be fol
lowed, but their screams hardly
heard.
It was 85 feet from eighth floor
to the ground, about 95 feet from
the ninth floor, 115 feet from Lhe
cornice of the roof. The upward rush
of the draught and tb* crackle of
the flames drowned their cries.
Six girls fought their way to a
window on the ninth floor, over the
bodies of fallen fellow f/orkers,. ana
crawled out in single file on an eight
inch stone ledge running the length
of the building. More than a hun
dred feet above the sidewalk they
crawled along their perilous path
way to an electric-feed wire spanning
Washington placef The'v leader's
I paused for their companions to catch
up and the six grabbed t ie wire sim
ultaneously. It snapped and they
crashed down to death.
A 17-year-old girl huirg ^or three
minutes by her finger tips to the sill
of a tenth floor window. A tongue
of flame licked at her finders and she
dropped into a life-net, held by fire
men. Two women fell into the net at
almost the same moment. The strings
parted and the three wt-re added toj
the death list. One gin threw herj
pocketbook, then her hat, then her
fan from the tenth story window. A
moment later her body came hurlln~
after them, to death.
At a ninth floor window a man anS
a woman appeared. The man em-1
braced the woman and kissed her. I
Then he hurled her to the street and
jumped. Both were killed. Five girls j
smashed a pane of glass dropped in
8 struggling tangle and were crushed |
into a shapeless mass. A girl on tho
eighth floor leaped for a fireman's
ladder, which reached only to sixth
floor. She missed, struck the edge of
a life-net and was picked up with her
back broken.
From one window a girl of about'
13 years, a woman, a man and twoj
women, with their arms about one|
another, threw themselves to the I
ground in rapid succession. The!
little girl was whirled to. the New
York Hospital. She screamed as the
driver and a policeman lifted hei
into the hallway. A 6urgeon came
out, gave one look at her face and
touched her wrist.
"She is dead," he said.
One girl jumped into a horse
blanket, held by firemen and police
men. The blanket ripped like cheese
cloth and her body was mangled al
most beyond recognition. Another
dropped into a tarpaulin, held by
three men. Her weight tore it from
their grasp and she struck the street, |
breaking almost every bone in her;
body. Almost at the same time a!
man somersaulted down upon the
shoulder of a policeman holding the
tarpaulin. He glanced off, struck
the sidewalk and was pick-d up dead.
Effort to Check Stampede.
Within the building a man on the
eighth floor stationed himself at the
door of one of the elevator* and with
? club kept back the girls, who had
stampeded to the wire cage. Thirty
were admitted to the car at a time.
They were rushed down ?s fast as
possible.
The calls for ambulances were fol
lowed by successive appeals for po
lice, until 100 patrolmen arrived to
cope with a crowd numbering tens of
thousands. A hundred mounted po
licemen had to charg-3 the crowd re
peatedly to keep it back.
Led by Fire Chief Crokir, a squad
I of firemen gained access to the build
! Ing at 7 o'clock. Two searchlights
I from buildings opposite lighted the
'way of'the firemen. Fifty roasted
j bodies were found on the ninth floor.
' They lay in every possible position,
[ some so mangled that recognition j
was Impossible.
Women with their hair burned
away, with here* and there a limbj
burned entirely off and the charred!
stump visible, were lifted tenderly
from the debris, wrapped in oilcloth;
and lowered by pulleys to the street.
Across the street there rested on j
the sidewalk a hundred pine coffins,
into which were placed the bodies.
As fast as this was done, the coffins
were carried away, in any kind of a
vehicle that could be pressed into
service, to the morgue, at Bellevue!
Hospital, and the Charities Morgue,1
opened for the first time since the
General Slocum disaster.
One hundred and six b odies had j
been taken from the building and
twenty injured had been conveyed to'
St. Vincent's Hospital, at 10 o'clock.
Of these three died soon after admit
tance. Others were not expected to
live through the night. Three of five
women taken to Rellevue Hospital
died soon after admitted there.
Many Rescued by Students.
On the tenth floor of the building
adjoining the burned structure, is
the law department of the New York
University. Here twenty odd stu
dents were listening to a lecture by
Frank H. Sommer, former sheriff of
Essex County. He saw the smoke
and saw the girls trapped on the roof.
He led bis class to the roof of the
University quarters, where they
found two ladders. Two boys bore
these down two flights of the roof of
an intervening building, swarmed
out of the windows and raised them
to the roof of the burning building.
Forty girls were brought town to
safety.
Just how many trips were made
by the elevator men will perhaps nev
er be ascertained. The various re
ports of heroism at the elevators dif
fer. .
City officials announced tonight
that the usual rigid regulations
which follows such disasters will be
OBANGEBI
KILELD IN WRECK
"DIXIE FLYER" GOES THROUGH I
TRESTLE INTO RIVER.
More Than a Dozen Also Injured in
One of Worst Railroad Disasters
Known in the South.
In one of the worst railroad disas
ters known in the South Atlantic
States, eight persons were killed and
more than a dozen injured, when
train No. 97, known as the "Dixie
Flyer," on the Atlantic Coast Line,
and running between Chicago and
Jacksonville, went through a trestle
over the Alapapa river, eighteen
miles east of Tlfton, Ga., early Satur
day morning. Saturday night but
one body, that of John T. Watson,
of Wyoming* remained In the river.
Had it not been for the wreck,
Watson would have been a bride
groom Sunday. His sweetheart, MIbs
Elise Shippey, of PaBadena, Cal., who
was on the train with him, and to;
whom he was to have been married
In Jacksonville Sunday, remained at!
the wreck throughout the day andi
night, watching the efforts of the
rescuing party to recover Watson's
body.
The revised list o'l the dead and in
jured is given as follows: Dead:
0. F. Bonmwart, Henderson, Ky.;
W.'W. Culpepper, Tifton, O.a.; Mrs.
W. D. Fletcher, Rowland, 111.; John
T. Watson, Landa, Wyo.; J. P. Wood
ward, express messenger, Waycross,
Ga.; C. J. Parnell, conductor, Savan
nah; Lucius Ellis, fireman, and Al
bert Simmons, porter, both colored,
of Waycross, Ga.
Injured: J. E> Powell, baggage
master, Jacksonville; J. P. Klein,
wife and child, St. Louis; father and
mother bruised and child scalded,
Peter Geriofs, Holland, Mich.,
bruised; Nie Vanderme^on, Grand
Rapids, Mich., bruised about the head
and knees; Mrs. O. F. Bonmhart,
Henderson, Ky.; W. T. Perkins, Cat
tlettsburg, Ky., bruised; J. E. Greene,
engineer, Waycross, Ga., bruised. >
The cars plunged into the river,
without a moment's warning to the
sleeping passengers, when an axle on
the engine suddenly snapped when
midway of the trestle. The locomo
tive never left ."-e track, but the ten
der was derailed and the tank tum
bled to the bed of the Btream. The
trestle is about a half mile long, but
the river was low and at the point of
the accident was not more than 50
yards across. The express and bag
gage care, two day coaches and one
Pullman were piled in an indescrib
able mass in the centre of the stream,
but few of the passengers were car
ried beneath the water.
J. P. Woodward, the express mes
senger, was killed and Baggaeemas
ter J. E. Powell was probably fatally
hurt, by timbers driven through the
car.
The firet-class coach, a new steel
car, was driven through the sleeper.
In this car Bomwart, of Henderson,
Ky., was instantly killed, while his
wife, beside him, escaped with slight
Injuries.
It is not expected to have the
tracks cleared and the trestle re
paired for traffic before Sunday
night. ?
WATERY GRAVES FOR MANY.
Passengers and Crew Go Down When
Vessel Turns Turtle.
The British Columbia Shipping
Company's little wooden steamer,
iSochelt, .built for passenger service
on an inland lake, turned turtle in a
furious gale off Beeched Head, Van
couver Island, late Saturday and went
down with all on board, twenty-two
passengers and the crew of four men.
Thirteen passengers had landed at
William Head just before the steam
er went out to destruction. Most of
the passengers were railroad laborers,
bound for a Canadian northern con
struction camp, but a few were resi
dents of Sooke.
Henry Charles, an Indian, of
Rocky Point, was gathering wood on
Beecher Bay at f>:30 p. m. Saturday
and saw the vessel, three miles off
Beecher Head, when the gale struck
her. She leaned over and swung
around as though she intended to run
across the strait to Port Crescent, on
the American side. The tiny craft
had partly turned broadside to the
wind when she righted, then went
over and lay on her side.
The Indian watched the steamer
ten minutes and at the end of that
time the vessel was swallowed up by
the sea, leaving not a trace on the
surface. Capt. J. B. James com
manded the vessel. Beecher Head is
west of Beecher Bay, in the Strait of
Fuga, twenty-five miles from Vic
toria.
instituted at once.
"The calamity is just what T have
been predicting," said one. "There
was no outside fire-escape on the
building. This large death toll is
due to neglect."
The police say that today's fire is
the sixth or seventh in the building
within twelve months, all of which,
they say, occurred in the shirt waist
factory. The others were trifling.
The factory, incidentally, is said to
be the first in which operators struck
during the widespread shirt waist
strike settled several months ago.
By today's fire the total shirt waist
operators who have perished in New
York is nearly 200. Not many weeks
ago 25 girls met death under some
what similar circumstances in New
ark, N. J. ?
JSG, S. C. f TJliSDAY. M.
WHO THEY ARE
Aiiornsy-Giiieral .Lyon Gives Names oi
Those Given Immunity.
HIS REASONS FOR SAME
In Response to Gov. Blease's Request
for Certain Iniformation Attorney
General States That Atlanta Law
Firm Empowered Only to Offer Im
munity.
Giving the list of those who were
promised immunity, because of hay
ing either turned State's evidence or
given certain evidence, or giving up
certain information, a defence of the
granting of Immunity and much other
interesting data that the general pub
lic had heretofore been unacquainted
with, Attorney General J. Frazer Ly
on Friday afternoon sent to Governor
Cole L. Blease a letter, In reply to the
one sent to the Attorney General by
Governor Blease on the day the dis
pensary commission was dismissed.
The lettsr was "released for publi
ca'don" by Governor Blease, upon At
torney General's- Lyon's statement
that the newspaper men would have
to get permission of the Governor for
the letter to be published.
The letter given out by Attorney
General Lyon this afternoon is the
first public statement he has made
since the whole dispensary situation
was revived by Governor Blease t>
calling for an investigation, except
Mr. Lyon's request to the Legislature
for an investigation. Upon other mat
ters, Mr. Lyon has no statements to
make at this time.
Attorney General's Letter.
The following is the letter In full:
"Columbia, S. C, March 23, 1911.
"Governor C. L. Blease, Columbia,
S. C.?Dear Sir: " Replying to you.
letter of the 14th Instant, I will say:
"M. A. Goodman was indicted by
the grand jury of Richland county.
Upon his giving me certain evidence
3howing the guilt of former dispen
sary officials, and furnishing me in
formation as to how. other evidence of
similar nature could be obtained, nol
pros was, or will be in due time, en
tered upon Indictments against him.
"J. T. Early and J. B. Wylie testi
fied as witnesses for the State in sev
eral cases. Their testimony has large
ly appeared In public prints, un ac
count of this, I shall not press In
dictments agalnBt them and have
agreed to institute no further pro
ceedings against them In behalf ot
the State. .
"Henry Samuels testified before the
dispensary commission, and in the
Criminal Court as a State's witness.
I have, therefore, agreed to discon
tinue prosecution against him.
"I. W. Bernhelm and others were
Indicted in Chester and It was agreed
that he, as witness, should give bond
In the sum of $5,000 or deposit, In
lieu thereof $5,000 in cash, and if he
shall not duly appear, the cash to be
forfeited, otherwise to be turned over
to the State dispensary commission.
Five thousand dollars has been de
posited with the Clerk of Court at
Chester.
"I. W. Bernheim and B. Bernheim
paid the State dispensary commission
at one time $530,000, and at another
$34,000, for overcharges on liquors
sold the dispensary. Taking into
consideration all the circumstances, 1
have agreed to nol pros as to I. W,
, Bernheim.
"Upon indictments against D. Wei
skopf nol pros will be entered, upon
his testifying the truth, as a witness
in behalf of the State, with reference
' to sale of large quantities of labels
sold by Nivison Weiskopf to the State
j dispensary.
"J. S. Farnum was indicted, tried
and acquitted. Thereafter, he plead
guilty and was fined $5,000. Upor
? other indictments against him no'
pros was, or will be, entered.
At to Col. Dudley.
"C. W. Dudley, in addition to giv
ing evidence to the State dispensarj
commission, testified in Chester ii
the case against John Black and oth
, ers, as a State's witness, and I hav<
agreed not to prosecute him.
"B. M. Wilson has furnished infor
, mation concerning certain transac
1 tions between the Richland Disti'lerj
Company and the former State dis
pensz.ry and has agreed to testify ir
regard thereto, and I have agreed
that I will not prosecute him for, oi
on account of. his connection witt
, the transactions about which he tes
tified.
"G. H. Charles Rave informalioi
generally as to dispensary transac
tions: testified before the grand jurj
in the case against H. H. Evans ant
was employed as a detective. On ac
count of the above it was not my pur
pose to prosecute him, even though i
should have been determined that ar
action would probably lie agains
him. I am informed that Mr. Charle:
has recently died.
"W. D. Roy testified as a witness
for the Siate in the case against Johr
Black, et al, and before the granc
jury, besides giving assistance it
working up the cases. It is mv pur
po?e not to prosecute him.
"I cannot recall anyone else win
has agreed to turn State's evidence
or whom I have agreed not to prose
cute. But if I find that any name Lai
been in any manner overlooked,
will advise you upon the ascertain
ment thereof. I cannot say definitel:
but am of the impression that amonj
those whom I have agred not to pros
MICK 28, 1911.
lecute the following were suggested by
j Mr. Felder, as persons who would
J give evidence for the State in sucn
[actions as might be instituted: W
I D. Roy, B. M. Wilson, D. Weiskopff.
T. T. Early, C. W. Dudley and M. A.
j Goodman.
On His Own Responsibility,
i "I am unable to make the definite
i statement that Mr. Felder suggested
j that the persons above should not be
I prosecuted, for the reason that I, as
j Attorney General, have exercised this
power upon my own responsibility,
and in accordance with my own judg
ment.
"Referring to that part of your let
ter, which asks what civil actions
i were settled or compromised and the
terms thereof, will say: That the
civil actions instituted were in charge
of Messrs. Anderson, Felder, Roun
tree and Wilson, Mr. W. F. Steven
son and Mr. B. L. Abney, Messrs. Ao
ney and Stevenson having active
charge and management thereof. Mr.
j Stevenson has furnished me the fol
i lowing list of civil actions, which
I have been compromise The actions
were compromised for the payment
of money, the amount of which Is
stated opposite the names of the de
fendants given below:
Gallagher & Burton, $11,395.94;
Lanahan & Sons, $14,083.46; Grab
felder & Co., $15,297.17; Roskam
Gerstley Company, $3,066.37; Freid-,
man-Keiler Company, $1,585; Meyei
Pitts & Co., $3,437.50; Jack Crans
ton Company, $802.21; American!
Bonding Company, $500.
"In several of the above cases the
defendants had presented claims
against the State, which were disal
lowed. Such amounts are in addi
tion to the amount of moneys to i
which reference is above made.
"The Act of 1910 authorized the
dispensary commission to make set
tlement of such claims.
Power to Offer Only.
"Answering your inquiry as to that
part of the contract entered into be
tween the State dispensary commis
sion and Anderson, Felder, Rountree
and Wilson, wherein it is provideo
I that Anderson, Felder, Rountree and
Wilson are clothed with full power,1
subject alone to the approval of the
Attorney General of the State, to of
fer any*of the parties involved im-j
munlty from prosecution, will say:
The power to offer immunity was
given this firm, but the power to
grant immunity, that Is, to refuse to
prosecute, or, in case of indictment,
to nol pros, was left as the law pro
vides, in the discretion of the Attor
ney General. In view of this power
of the Attorney General, this provis
ion was inserted in the contract.
Whether any person should not he
indicted, or if indicted, should have
the Indictment against him, remains
so far as the contract is concerned,
just as the law provides.
"The policy of the State to allow
Immunity under the circumstances
may be fairly Inferred from the Act
of 1906, providing for the Investiga
tion of the dispensary, wherein it is
provided that no testimony given o>
witnesses before the committee shall
be used against them In a criminal
prosecution. This provision of law
was perpetuated and became a pan.
of the law under which the State dis
j pensary commission was createu.
'Acts Df 1 907, page 835.) So it must
follow, Independently of the law giv
ing such power to the Attorney Gen
eral, that such of those whose names
are mentioned above, who testified
before the Investigating committee,
or the State dispenbary commission,
practically have Immunity undrv this
Act.
Attorney General Has Discretion.
"But aside from the manifest poli
cy of the Legislature, as contained in
the above mentioned Act, the Attor
ney General has discretion as to
when, how and against whom to pro
ceed In criminal cases. He has the
power to enter a nolle prosequl *y
virtue of his office, independently of
I the Court. (Ency. of Law, 23, pages
275 and 276. State vs. Howard, 15
Rich Law, 274. State vs. McKee, 1
Bailey, 651). The rule is laid down
in the McKee case that the prosecut
ing officer may enter a nolle prosequl
at any state of the proceedings until
the jury are charged; but he cannot
; do so afterwards, not at least in case
|of an indictment for a capital offence,
land if he is permitted to do so its ef
fect is the acquittal of the prisoner.
?jThe above rule is also recognized in
!I Archbold's Criminal Practice, vol
; ume 1, page 317.
"In Bishop on Criminal Procedure,
[second edition, Volume 1, Section
! 1,020, it is said: 'If the prosecutor
?|in the English practice wishes to
i: make use of one of the defendants
II as a witness, the Court will permit a
" verdict of acquittal to be taken at
i once in his case, and thus he will be
rendered competent. In our own
States the ready method in such cir
11 cumstances would ordinarily be for
? the prosecuting officer to enter a nol
' pros as to the defendant whose tes
l timony he wished to use.'
? "The following rule is laid down by
? I Bishop, Volume 1, Section 1,076: "In
I the United States, where prosecutions
i i are instiuted and carried on by a
: public prosecutor, who acts directly
I for the Government and protects its
interests, there is an evident proprl
> ety in considering it to be within the
II exclusive discretion of this officer to
determine whether or not an accom
plice should be permitted to turn
State's evidence, as it is sometimes
expressed with us, and whether, if he
does, he ia afterward entitled to be no
further prosecuted by reason of what
is thus done.'
"It is not easy to say what, in act,
is the practice on this point in all the
States, but it is believed that, in
most of them, the prosecuting officer
acts in such cases upon his own dis
continued on second page.)
GOES SCOTT FREE
JOHN BLACK GETS A FULL PAR
Q DON FROM BLEASE.
Before His Recent Commutation,
Black's Sentence Wns Five Tears
in the Penitentiary.
John Black, former chairman of
the State dispensary board of direc
tors, convicted of conspiracy to de
fraud the State, sentenced to five
years in the Penitentiary, |his sen
tence 'being later commuted to a fine
of $2,000, or five years, by Governor
Blease, was late Friday uncondition
ally pardoned by the Chief Executive.
Black had not yet paid .his fine,
having been given until September 1,
and the proclamation Issued by Gov
ernor Blease Friday afternoon not
only relieves Black of the payment of
the fine, but restores the former qjs
pensary director to citizenship, and
removes the stigma which commuta
tion could not reach.
Friday night John Black is in Rich
mond, and it is probable that not un
til Saturday will he know of his par
don. His local counsel did not know
where to reach him in Richmond. His
wife is also out of the city, having
gone to Denmark, so that it is also
probable she does not tonight know
that her husband is again free from
the sentence of the Court.
The order giving John Black his
freedom Is formal, being such a proc
lamation as was issued when John
Black's sentence was commutated.
The pardon is as follows:
"Whereas, at a Court of General
Sessions and Common Pleas, begun
and holden in Chester County, at the
November term of court, 1910, before
Judge (Special) Ernest Moore, one
John Black was convicted of con
spiracy to defraud the State and was
"entenced to five years in the State
Penitentiary; now know ye that for
divers good causes and considera
tions, me hereunto moving, I have
thought fit to pardon and by these
presents do pardon the said John
Black.
"Given under my hand and seal,
etc.
"Cole L. Blease, Governor."
The pardon was signed late Friday
afternoon, shortly before the Gover
nor left the executive offices to go to
the Mansion. No reasons are as
signed In the pardon. *
BLEASE CUSSES A LITTLE.
Says Chief Justice Jones Can Do
What He Pleases.
"Ira B. Jones can mandamus, or
G-d-us, or do anything he
pleases. I am not going to appoint
Ernest Moore as special judge for the
Union county court. You can take
back these papers, for I will not read
them."
This is the way Governor Blease
expressed himself Saturday to R. E.
|Wylie, of Lancaster, who presented a
request for a commission for Ernest
Moore as special judge. This state
ment was made in the presence of
Senator Tillman and several other
visitors in the> office.
The statement means that another
special judge controversy has com
menced between the supreme court
and the governor, and that the gov
ernor will disregard the recommen
dations of the judicial department of
the government.
j The Union County Bar Association
petitioned Chief Justice Jones to ap
point Ernest Moore as special judRe
, for a special term of the civil court
to' commence in that county next
i Monday.
The following letter of recommen
i dation was addressed to Governor
? Blease by Chief Justice Jones, asking
\ that Ernest Moore be commissioned
\ as special judge:
I "Pursuant to section 2, 7"4, vol
; ume 1. code of laws, I have ordered
j a special term of common pleas for
I Union county for the trial of civil
cases not requiring a jury, for the
j week commencing March 27th.
"There being no circuit judge dis
engaged so as to hold the court, I
respectfully recommend that you is
sue a commission to Hon. Ernest
Moore of Lancaster, S. C. learned in
the law as spfcial jud:e to hold the
said court."
Ernest Moore is one of the best
known attorneys in the state and hai
served as special judge on several oc
casions. He heard the John BlacK
case and senten -ed the former dis
pensary official to five years in the
penientiary. .Mr. Moore .was not
nam-jd in the list of "eligibles" re
cently sent to the supreme court by
the governor.
Child Dies of Rabbles.
At Lancaster the six-year-old son
of Mr. Hutchinson doed Friday night
at the home of his father in the -cot
ton mill village of what physicians
believe to have been an attack of hy
drophobia. Ths boy was ill only
three days, during which time he ex
hibited the various symptoms of the
dread disease. He was bitten on the
lip by a mad doR in Cmden on the
3rd of last month. *
Robbed .Mrs. Hryan.
Mrs. William Jennings Bryan w_e
robbed at the Majectis Theatre New
York of a handsome seal hand bag,
containing $7f> and valuable souve
nirs ' llected by her and her hus
band in their recent travels, last Sat
urday afternoon. Mrs. Stephen B.
Ayres, wife of the Congressman,
whose guests Mr. and Mrs. Bryan
were in the Bronx, made the fact
public. ?
WO CENTS PEE COPY
HOLD UP MAIL
Bandits Loot Passenger Train on the St.
Loras Mountain Road
EXPRESS CAR LOOTED
The Offlci.-Us of the Railway Say They
Have No Report of the Hold Vp
and Robbery?Twenty Thousand
Dollars Said to Have Been Carried
Away by the Robbers.
Five men held up St. Louis, Iron
Mountain and Southern railway train
No. 104 between Coffeyville and Len
apah, Okla., shortly after midnight
Frida}', and after looting the man
and express car escaped. The amount
of the robbery Is said to be $20.000.
For two hours the mashed men
held the passenger at a standstill on
the prairie about six miles south of
Coffeyville, while they blew open a
??afe in the express car. They escaped
in two automobiles, carrying with
them money and valuables which, it
is believed, will amount to {20,000.
The train left Little Rock at 8:30
a. m. Friday, bound for Kansas City.
It reached Lenapah, Okla., south of
Coffeyville at 10:30 Friday night,
half an hour late.
Just after the train left Lenapah
Engineer Lynch heard a sharp cry:
"Hands up!" Turning he saw a
masked man sitting on the tender,
pointing a revolver at him. "I'm
going to ride a little way with you,''
said the man. "Drive on."
The engineer obeyed. About foui
mile6 out of Lenapah the robber com
pelled the engineer to stop the train
near a dumb of trees. Five more
masked men came out of the wood,
and, taking positions on either side of
the train,began shooting in the air
and along the sides of the train.
Then While two of the bandit*
stood guard to prevent any passen
gers f:oin leaving, the four marched
the ei./inoor and fireman to the day
coaoh aid locked them in.
One man then took a position to
j guard the rear of the train and three
went into the express car, forced tht*
two express messengers to jump out
and stand where one of the side
guards could keep them covered.
After nearly an hour's work the
men had succeeded in inserting a,
charge of nitroglycerine into the
'through" safe in the express car.
They blew the safe to pieces an<I scat
I tered its contents over the floor of
j the car. They made no haste. They
I had chosen a strategic position in
which to stop the train. They were
at least three miles from any human
habitation.
After the three men had spent
nearly an hour over the packages
taken from the safe, the lights of
two automobiles were seen drawing
near from the direction of the Ok
lahoma line. As they came within
about two hundred yards of the tram
on the country road the automobiles
were stopped. Then lights were ex
; tlnguished and the bandits and auto
i mobiles disappeared,
i Passengers who had remained hud
' died in the coaches afraid to look
j out of the windows relaxed and th6
disorganized train crew got to their
j places. When the train reached this
jcity the sheriff was notified and with
;two deputies started on horseback
j southward in pursuit of the six bsn
idits.
Train No. 104 on the St. Louis,
I Iron Mountain and Southern railroad,
' said to have been held up near Cof
' feyville, Kan.. Friday night, reached
i Kansas City two hours and forty-five
j minutes late. Iron Mountain officials
: here denied any knowledge of a hold
-up. The train left Little Rock at
;8:30 a. m. Friday and was due ln>
Kansas City at 7:13 Saturday morn
? ing.
Superintendent George F. Tohnson,.
of the Pacific Express Company states
that the men who held up and robbed
lion Mountain train No. 104 in Okla
homa got no money from tne express
car and that all the booty secured
consisted of a few "sealed packages,'
the value of which is not great. "We
no longer use this route for througu
money shipments, and there was not
anything like $20,000 in the car as is
reported."
BLOW PROVES FATAL.
Hit by Stone Several Months Ago,
Dies of Effects. 1
From the effects of being struck in
the head with a rock several months
ago, while gathering hickory nuts,
Samuel Ilenson, Jr., 14 years of age,
and son of Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Den
son, died Thursday at his home on
FUeckley street, Anderson, S. C. Sev
eral young boys were around the tree
gathering the nuts which they would
knock down with rocks and stOcJCS.
One of the rocks hit young Benson.
Me was given treatment and seemed
to respond to it. A relapse came
a week or so ago, and his death fol
lowed. Young Benson was a bright
lad, and very popular among his play
mates. Of course, no blame is at
tached to any one, as the blow was
purely accidental. . ?
Might Alarm Him, However.
No. Constant Reader, the orders
just Issued from the war department
were not sent out for the sole pur
pose of reassuring Congressman Hob