" " PORT MIIX, 8. of H BO P?r V?
J. H. COLTHARP DEAD.
Estoomad Fort mil Township
Citisen Passes to Reward.
Josiah Hartwell Coltharp, perhaps
the oldest citizen of Port
Mill township, a man well known
and highly esteemed throughout
the community, a sucessfut farmer
and a veteran of the War Between
the States, died at his home
a few miles north of Port Mill
Priday. The burial was in Flint
Hill cemetery Saturday morning,
following services at Philadelphia
Methodist church conducted by
his pastor, the Rev. W. R. Bauknight,
assisted by the Rev. ,J. R.
Smith, pastor of Flint Hill Baptist
church, and the Rev. G-over
C. Epps.
Mr. Colt harp was born 87 years
ago on a form on the banks of
Sugar creek in the section of Fort
Mill township then known as
"Little York" and spent all of
his long life in this community.
He volunteered for service in the
Confederate army shortly after
the beginning of hostilities in
1861 and was assigned to Company
B, 6th South Carolina regiment.
of which company the late
Col. John M. White was first captain
and to which many Fort Mill
citizens belonged. He served
from Bull Run to Appomattox as
a faithful soldier, devoted to the
principles of the Confederacy.
Mr. Coltharp participated in a
. number of the major engagements
,of ftl war and at Malvern Hill
he Wah severely wounded but recovered
and continued his service
in the army. He was a man of
Mlllendid IAIISa anil a
memory. One of the delights of
many readers of The Times years
ago was the contributions he furnished
its columns, in which he
frequently told of incidents of the
war which came under his obftervatiofi.
* ^ ,
Mr. Ooltharp was partially paralvr.ed
about 20 years ago and
with the passing of the years he
1 found it more and more difficult
to get about and for several
months-he had been unable to
leave his home, but through all.
the suffering he underwent and
with the fact well known to him
that his days were numbered, he
was cheerful to the last and his
optimism never failed him.
Mr. Coltharp was a master Ma*on
and for 44 ye^rs had been a
member of Catawba lodge. No.
56. A. F. M. He had also been a
member of the Methodist church
for many years and was a man j
of (rreat piety.
Mr. Ooltharp was ' twice married.
first on December 21. 1865.
to Mrs. JaPe Paris, who died in
* /February. 1874. Three sons survive
this marriage, Marcel I us Col,
tharp of Turnersville, Texas.
Sylvester L. Ooltharp and Wm.
Ooltharp of Fort Mill - township.
His second wife was Miss Betty
Harper. Of this marriage Mrs.
.T. D. Gibson is the surviving
child. , j
Revolver Invented by Youth.
lu the brain of 14 year old
Sanmel Colt was born the revolver,
that, until the invention of
the automatic pistol, was the
nuAt deadly small arm known to
man. Colt ran away from home
.and shipped on boaard a merchant
vessel bound for the East
v Indies. He had a good deal of
idle time on his hands once^ the
snip was well at sea, and a long
period of calm weather followed 1
its movements.
He began to seek an outlet for
his active imagination and me- ;
chanical urge and attempted various
things to aid sailing, but.
without any great success. He I
then took to planning a pistol that |
would shoot several times by being
loaded only once. He had
only bits of wood and a jackknife
to work with, but before
the voyage was over he had cut
out a model for a revolver very
similar to the pattern still in use.
Once at home he again went
to work in his father's factory,
but the revolver idea was still in
his head, and he worked at it
from time to time until he was
21. At this point his experiments
had so far advanced that he asked
for and obtained patents in
America and European countries, j
A stock company was then organ,
iced and the revolved put on the !
ig. ?*rkat. |
BOUND FOR LIBERIA!
Story of Sharpen Defrauding- 1
Unsuspecting Negroes.
One of a party of men sitting
on the bandstand in Confederate :
park a few afternoons ago told a
joke about a negro preacher ad- !
vising hiR people to move to Liberia
and grow up with the country.
Then another member of the
party said he could tell a gtory |
of an attempted exodus of negroes
from this^section to Liberia 1
in the spring of 1888 that was no I
joke, especially to the neproes
*u 1?? - '- "
iiiruintrivrK. , 1
"Two men. one white, th'? other
a mulatto, carae to thin section
in .January or February of 1888."
said the speaker, "and aroused
great interest among the negroes
of rural communities over the 1
possibilities of wealth and contentment
offered their race in Liberia.
It was, they said, the negro's
paradise, where little effort
had to be put forth to earn a livelihood.
There the government
was in the hands of the negroc.t 1
and no white man was allowed in
the eountrv. Cotton, fruits and 1
vegetables were the ehief prod-,
irets of the country and these^
coidd be grown in abundance and
marketed at a good profit with
a minimum of labor. Everybody
in Liberia took life easy and had
plenty of time to sleep and otherwise
enjoy life to its fullest.
"Many negroes in the rural '
sections of Lancaster county and
Union county, N. C., believed the 1
stories told them by the white <
man and the mulatto of the won- '
derful country in Africa, and
when they were advised to sell
everything they had except their
clothing and get ready to leave
Fort Mill and Pineville. N. C? on
a certain day in the spring of j
1888 for Liberia at $5 per head
several hundred took the advice
of the. at rangers. An excursion
train, they were told, would pass
through to take them over the
X:rst lap of the journey to their
new home. There must have been
at least 500 negroes who paid the .
swindlers $5 each and came to
Fort Mill and Pineville to board
the truin.
"One, two. three, four days
passed and the train failed to arrive.
Then the negroes became
restive unit smicrht eruinsiel nf nit.
izens of Fort Mill and Pineville. i
They were told that there wan*
nothing to the trip to Liberia, j
that they were the victims of (
swindlers. Finally the negroes
saw the light and begun to disperse.
Some went back to their
old homes, while still others remained
around Fort Mill and
Pineville. I^fforts were'made to j
catch the white man aud mulatto ,
v ho had defrauded them, but
nothing was heard of either."
Program for Baptist Church.
The following special program
has been prepared for the observannce
of "Christian Education
day" at the Fort Mill Baptist
church by the Sunday school at
10 a. ny, Sunday, .June 26:
Song, "Higher Ground," by the
Sunday school.
Prayer.
Song. "All the Way My Savior
Leads Me," school; classes assemble.
Class period; reassemble.
Report of secretary.
Soil IT 44H? l.aa.lalU U? " V!?
? v livaurui ?ur, Ui
1<>4, school.
Prayer for God's blessing ou
the program.
"Discussion of " Christian Education,"
I)r. ,J. W. H. Dyches.
"What is Todayt" 12 primary
children. 4 "The
Chickens," Maria Culp.
(Tells how to get an education.)
"The Boy and the Swan."
Owen Patterson.
Duet, 44Mv Father Planned it
All."
"This is Your Honor." Lula
Parks. ?
Song. 44.Jesus Expects You,"
No. 231, by the Sunday school.
Services at 11 o'clock.
The board of directors of the
Fitst National bank of Fort Mill
meeting a few days ago declared
the usual semi-annual dividend
of 4 per cent, payable from the
profits of the business of the last
six mouths, and dividend checks
will be mailed to the stockholders
by the cashier, W. T. Barron, on
June 30.
'
NEWS OF YORK COUNTY.
Ouxtent Items of Interest Found
in the Yorkville Enquirer.
' Kvery merchant in this town
insists that notwithstanding the
injustice of it, they are selling
goods at far below replacement
value, regardless of original'cost,
"f followed the market" said a
well-known and successful merchant
to the reporter Saturday,"and
1 do nOt speculate. If wholesale
nrinpH itnwn m?' nn/KiB
with the hank without interest.
The sinking fund is to he secured
hy satisfactory bond. The bonds,
which hear ony 5 per cent interest.
are worth only 85 on the open
market. This sale will permit the
expenditure of the full $50,000
on the roads of Broad River I
township.
Rain Sunday Might.
Rain which had been threatening
for several days finally
came to the Port Mill community
Sunday evening to relieye the
suffering vegetation and break
the drought which had existed
for five weeks. Cotton had not
begun to deteriorate fob lack of
rain, but early plantings of corn
and vegetable gardens were show4ing
the effects of the hot, dry
days of the last few weeks and
most of the pasture grasses had
dried up. Living conditions for
those whose homes are near the
streets of the town and the public
roads of the country were also
greatly improved hy the rain,
which settled the dust for a few
days.
Value of the Dollar.
Tn 1914 the American dollar
vfis warth 100 cents. In 1917 its
purchasing power was about 4ft
cents. Today it is worth about
TO cents when one huvs a suit of
clothes and 90 cents at the grocery
store. Its purchasing power
is 80 cents at the butcher shop j
and in the purchase of all other
commodities it has increased al- !
most 40 cents in value. It is still .
a depreciated dollar, in paying ;
rent and fuel bills. The man who
saved a dollar in war times actu- 1
allv saved $2. for today it has a '
purchasing value almost double
that of war times.
City Water Pore.
Samples of Port Mill city water
sent to a Columbia chemist for
analysis on June 18 by Dr. J. B.
Elliott, chairman of the local
board of health, yesterday were
reported by the chemist to be
free of bacteria of any kind,
which means, that the water ia
pure and that it may be used for
domestic purposes without fear
of harmful effects.
t 4
r.? e>~ r,,vv"
po dowji. 1 cannot afford to have
a reputable merchant to underBell
ine at a profit for himself
and I do not do it.*"
Charlie Starnes dead and Sam
Anderson so badly wounded there
was no reasonable certainty he
would recover are the net results
of a pistol fight just across Fishing
creek, two miles east of Yorkville,
Monday night. Mooney
Ijowrv, a negro woman to whom
both were paying attention, was
the cause of the trouble. Coroner
McCorkle went to the scene Tues- I
day morning accompanied by
Sheriff Quinn. Magistrate Black
and Policeman McCarter.
Although the Yorkville Enquirer
has no reliable statistics as
to the cotton acreage in ^ork
county this year as compared
with last year, it is certain of the
fact that this acreage is very
much reduced. There has been a
reduction in the acreage put to
crops of all kinds. In other words
there is not as much land under
cultivation this year as there was
fast, year; but there is probably
more corn in proportion to cotton
tnan tnere has even been in the
history of the county
The Planters' Bank of Sharon
gets the $50,000 worth of Broad
River township bonds let at competitive
bidding at the office of
John R. Hart, Esq., in Yorkville
at. noon Tuesday. That was the
understanding at the hour at.
which it was necessary to close
the forma of the Yorkville Enquirer.
The offer of the Planters'
bank was to take the bonds
at par, with the understanding
that the proceeds are to remain
on deposit with the bank during
th^ process of disbursement and
that the sinking fund is to remain
ARAGON BESTS LOCALS.
Overtime Sum With 'Fort Mill
Ooos to Book Hill Team.
With both teams playing at top
apeed throughout the entire 13
itmings it took to decide the contest,
lovers of baseball Saturday
'afternoon witnessed the best exhibition
seen on the local grounds
this season when Fort Mill lost to
At agon mil Is of Kock Hill, 7 to 6.
At the close of the ninth inning
each team had registered six
times and from then on neither
team was able to put across a
counter until Blair for Aragon
drove out a three-bagger iir the
13th and a moment later scored
on a bunt laid down by Ellison.
Each team got one in the first
inning and there was no more
scoring until the fourth, when
Fort Mill got a running start on
f:ve hits which netted four runs
and incidentally sent Blair from
the box to the outfield, to be succeeded
on the mound by Baker,
V hose work proved that he is a
pitcher of no mean ability.
In the fifth inning two singles
and an equal number of doubles
put the visitors within hailing
distance of the locals with three
additional runs, to which another
Was added in the sixth, tieing the
core.
Then in the seventh Doc Kirabrell
got busy and laced out one
good for two bases, later scoring
on A. Ferguson's and Bratton's
singles. Here Fort Mill kicked
in so far as further sQoring was
concerned. Not so with Aragon.
In the eighth Ellison got to second
on a clean drive and from
that station scored on Mason's
single.
With interest reunning high
and the partisans of the two
teams urging their favorites to
bold their opponents, the game
progresed from round to round
without either team pittmig a
man across until Blair and Ellison
put the locals in the hole for
keeps in the 13th.
. A. Ferguson pitched a good
ir ii inn Iai* l?at?* \f*ll
n><IUV 1U1 X Ul mill, UUI I'UUIU 1IU1
keep his hits scattered as did Baker
for Aragon. \V. Ferguson
and Kenneth Nims proved the
handy men for Fort Mill with the
stick. In the 11th Kenneth drove
out. a hit good for three bags
which probably would .have settled
the contest in Fort Mill's favor
had he not failed to touch
first base in his anxiety to get
around. Rogers at third made a
star catch of a line drive.
Fort Mill and Aragon play
their next game in Rock Hill
Saturday afternoon.
ghyes view of crime
Sheriff Hunter Thinks Prisoners
Too Well Treated.
John P. Hunter, for 34 years
sheriff of Lancaster county, has
given to the press his view of the
ckime wave which ia now sweeping
over Bouth Carolina. In his
opinion the lenient treatment
accorded the inmates of prisons in
the State is responsible for much
of the crime. *
441 believe one cause of crime,"
said Sheriff Hunter. 4fis that
those who are criminally inclined
often hear of convicts being so
nicely treated. I believe all prisoners
and convicts should be
well fed, well treated and their
health well looked after; but
showing a sympathetic spirit,
with no outward evidence of condemnation,
has a tendency to eneonrage
rather than deter the
criminal class. When you see a
person who is penitent and grieved
over his violation of the lawthere
is hope of that person's
reformation. But when you see
a fellow who has committed crime
swaggering and smoking one
cigarette after another, and
seemingly unconscious of the disgrace
he has brought upon himself
and the trouble that he has
caused ma family and loved ones,
you can put it down that the
criminal will never reform. On
the contrary such a fellow will
work hard to lead astray other
men of good families in order to
bring them down to his level."
Sheriff Hunter concluded by
saying that "idleness and fast
living have a great deal to do
with so much violating the law."
Many Port Mill property owners
are faeing executions for nonpayment
of taxes.
v.
> ; * -, Sir
YET HAS CHIMNEY SWEEPS.
Charleston Maintains Old Eng.
liah Custom.
One of the quaint customs that
C'hralestou still retains is that of
having chimneys cleaned by littlp
negro sweeps, known to children
of that city for generations past
as "ro-ros," the name given because
of the peculiar cry the
sweep makes as he is preparing
to descend the chimney. 4,Ro-ro!
Ro-ro!" he croakR out iu a singsong,
melancholy voice. No wonder
he feels low-spirited, for
if in f\\r nn mouna o
v iM mj i?v iuvoii* (9 piro^oui
that is before him. When the
chimney becomes choked with
soot, as is often the case, there is
danger as well as discomfort for
the poor little sweep. More than
one has been suffocated.
In the old days, before and for
a number of years following the
Civil war, chimney sweeps were
quite numerous / in Charleston.
They could be seeen frequently
on the streets in little black
bands, looking like somber flocks
of crows, clothing in tatters and
covered with soot. But they are
a much rarer sight now, for better
ways have been learned for
keeping chimneys clean than in
sending little "ro-ros" down the
black funnels to be choked by the
soot or squeezed almost to death
in some narrow opening.
In the old days a gang of chimney
sweeps was hired by a licensed
contractor. He visited
the houses, made tyrrangerants
for the oleaning of the chimneys;
then when the work had been
done by the little sweeps made a
round of the houses to collect
what was due him. Some contractors
trusted to the sweeps
themselves to collect the money.
They were sent out in little
squads, so that one could keep
tab on the other. It was a common
sight to see them going
through^ the streets, each sweep
armed with a brush and scraper,
which he now and then displayed
by a flourish as he sang at the
top of his piping voice the dittv :
Got er chimbly to sweep*
Well, I's yer man!
I'll get out the sut
Ef ennybody can\
Chimney sweeps were un old
liiMiiuuoii o( London, Mini tU?
idea was borrowed of the mother
country by the people o'? Charles,
ton. The sweeps of London were
all white children, generally orphans.
The condition of the London
sweeps at one time became
so pitiable?ill fed. as they were,
wretchedly clad, and driven to
their tasks, often with blows, by
cruel masters?the atteiriou of
Parliament was o&U'hI to the mattor
by a mass meeting of the people.
A hill introduced by Lord
Lhaftsbury for the betterment of
the condition of the unfortunate i
children was pending for years
when the tragic death of two little
sweeps brought the bill to
spedy passage.
Ardrey*Coble Wedding1.
A marriage of much interest
in the Providence section of
Mecklenburg county and elsewhere
occurred Inst Tuesday evening
when Miss Ethel Ardery,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. P.
Ardery, became the bride of M.
A. Coble of Burlin'gton, N. C.
The marriage took place at the
home of the bride's parents, the
officiating minister being the Rev.
Mr. Houck, pastor of Harrison
Methodist church.
Mrs. Coble Is a popular and
cultured young lady who is a recent
graduate of the Woman's
college, Greensboro, N. C. During
I the last session she taught in the
high school at Burlington. Mr.
Coble is a successful banker of
Burlington, where he and his bride
will make their home. They were
the recipients of many pres nts.
Monday evening, June 27, has
been set as the date when the
board of trustees of the Fort Mill
graded school will meet to elect
a superintendent of the school
for the next session, opening in
r?eptemoer. There are a number
of applicants for the position.
At the meeting Monday evening
it also is expected that a number
of grade teachers will be elected
to take the places of teachers
elected some time ago who are
understood to have stated that
they will not leturn to the school.
fei *
V* * V?ll I
| KILLED BY NEGRO.
| Former Fort Mill Oitixen MurI
dered at Home in Texas.
Sam W. Richardson, farmer,
I 56 years old, who moved from
| u:n ? ? - -
I* ??i mm (ownsnip to Ualdwell.
i Brazos county, Texas, 27 years
ago, was murdered at his home
' on Tuesday night, June 14, by a
negro burglar, who also struck
and seriously injured his daughter,
Miss Ella Richardson. Such
was the word received a few days
ago by Mrs. Ira G. Smythe of
Fort Mill, sister of Mr. Richardson,
from J. H. Richardson, another
brother of Mrs. Smythe's
who lives near Caldwell.
Mr. Richardson and his daughter
had retired for the night. At
11 o'clock they were awakened
by the negro, who had entered the
home to burglarize itif The negro
atncked Mr. Richardson with
a club or other blunt instrument,
felling him to the floor and inflicting
such injuries that he diet!
almost instantly. Then he turned
upon Miss Richardson, who had
attempted to defend her father.
Her skull was fractured, but it
was thought when the letter was'
written to Mrs. Smythe that she
would recover.
The negro was captured last
Wednesday morning by neighbors
of Mr. Richardson and it
was thought he would he lynched
but no word of what happened to
him has been received in Fort
Mill. . V
Mr. Richardson was a prosperous
farmer who had accumulated
I
I Iiinir |H ujjn I V MIIIM* II*moved
from Fort Mil to Texas.
TTiR wife, who was a Miss lamey.
died several years ago. Of his
immediately family he is survived
by one daughter and two sons
Army Needing Officers.
A war department circular just %
received at. Camp Jackson. Columbia.
announces thVr a special
examination will he lieid for second
leutenants of the rouf'ar
army, and the commanding general
of Camp Jackson has been instruotod
to convene a board of
officers for preliminary exainina- .
tions at the camp without referring
applications to higher headquarters.
The final examinations
will he on August 22, but the preliminaries
may be completed at
any time prior to that time when
an applicant presents himself.
Officers are needed in practically
every branch af the service,
but principally in the infantry,
field artillery, coast artillery,
quartermaster corps and several
ni hen Kmnchao
A bicycle which wan stolen from
D. O. Patterson several months
ago yesterday was recovered
when it was ridden into town by
a negro who said he bought it
from another negro in Kock Hill.
The negro was not arrested, as
his statement was believed.
Want Harding in Charlotte.
Kfforts are being made by eitizens
of Charlotte to have Cresi
dent Harding visit that city on
kthe occasion of the celebration on
May 20 next year of the signing
of the Mecklenburg declaration
of independence.
T. L. Kirkpatrick, president of
the Charlotte chamber of commerce,
has received u letter from
Senator Overman, who extended
the invitation to the president, in
which Mr. Harding is quoted as
saying that the date is too far in
the future for him to make even
a tentative promise that he will
accept, hut 44he suggests that I
ask you to bring the matter up
again a month or so before tbe
date fixed and that be wilt then.
Ko 1 tl /.n * ? *
UV ait urnri |IHMI 11)11 III iJIVi' 'IS U
definite answer."
Europe an Armed Camp.
Although Europe is ut peace,
there are 3 million men under
arms in France, Italy, Spain, Po
land, .Jugo-Slaviu. Czecho-Slo
vakia and in the Balkans. On
the other hand, Germany's military
burden has beeti lightened
to maintaining KM),(MM) soldiers.
Austria has 30,000, Bulgaria 33,000
and Hungury 35,000.
France and her allies have 2,
300,000. Of these France proper
keeps more thanr 800,000 under
the colors, Poland 6(MMKM). -Jugoslavia
200,000, ('/.echo-Slovakia
147.000. Rumania 160,000 and
Belgium 105,(KM).