:vJ0rK . - / - -
i .>lR; v? < ? . - ; . V-jvH: W- ' *
' ' ' ' *
The Fort Mill Trites.
'. mammmsasz ?. i =?=
v BtUblialfd 1891. FOET MILL, S. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1921. .? ?? ? -J
H MUST PAY TAXES.
Otherwise Fort Mill Citizens Cannot
Vote in Town Election.
Citizens of Fort Mill wlnfwish
to participate in the town election
to be held here early in January.
1922. fnr m m?vnr iinH ?iv
aldermen, to hold office during
i&e years 1922-1923, will not be
able to do so unless they have
paid all State and county taxes
due and collectible between October
15 and December 31, under a
decision of the supreme court ol'
South Carolina handed down last
Wednesday declaring null and
void the election held *>ome time
ago in which it was proposed to
annex a portion of Chester county
to York county. The vote in
me annexation election was 147
for and G6 against annexTition,
but on the showing of the opponents
of annexation before the
Chester county board of canvassers
of citizens having voted illegally
in the election, in that they
had not paid their taxes in the
time prescribed by law to enable
them to vote, the board declared
the election without effect.1' An
appeal was taken to the State
board of canvassers and thence
to Judge Ernest Moore, both of
whom sustained the ruling of the
county board. Now the supreme
court says the decree of Judge
Moore was correct.
While the opinion of the supreme
court will perhaps have
the effect of causing some citizens
to waive their right to take
part in the municipal election in
Fort Mill in January, as it is not
anticipated that every citizen who
is otherwise eligible to vote in the
election will have paid his taxes
by January 1, it is not expected
that ft ho vote will he materially
decreased. Usually there
is more interest in town elections
in Fort Mill than in any other
election held here and if early
talk is an index to the amount ot
interest to be displayed in the
forthcoming election it will not
be an exception in this particular
to most of it predecessors of recent
years.
In addition to the payment of
* all State und county taxes due
and collectible before January 1
it also will be necessary for Fort
Mill citizens who wish to vote in
the town election in January to
present to the election managers
both county ami town registration
certificates. The State lawprovides
that county registration
certificates to be honored must
have been issued at least one
month prior to the election at
which the holder undertakes to
vote and the law governing tinissuance
of town registration certificates
specifies that the registration
books be open for a period
of 20 duys. closing ten days
before the election for which the
: r: i \'.. )..*.?
ut.riitlimit*!* are i??ucu. *>u
has yet been fixed, so far as The
Times is informed, for the town
election, but if precedent, if not
the law, is followed, it will be
held during the early part of Jan.
uary, necessitating the opening
of the town registration hooks
not lateiMhan December 10.
Mrs. Jennie Brittain Lewis Dead.
Fort. Mill friends of Mrs. Jennie
Britain Lewis, who lived here
.a few years ago with her son,
Frank Lewis, and her daughter.
Miss Mary Lewis, were pained
Monday to hear ol her death last
Friday in Fort Worth. Texas,
where she was visiting relatives, j
At the time Mrs. Lewis lived in
Fort Mill her son was secretary j
and treasurer of tin- Fort Mill
Manufacturing company. The j
family moved here from Tazewell. ,
Va.. and had many friends in the
7 community. Recently the home of
the family has been in (Ireenville.
The remains of Mrs. Lewis were
taken to her old home in Virginia
for interment.
Buried in Fort Mill.
The hotly of George \V. Plyler,
a former citizen of Fort Mill, who
died in Rock Hill laisi Wednes-.
day, waa brought to Fort Mill
and interred in the city cemetery
Thursday afternoon. Mr. l'lvlm
had been ilf for some time, lie
was the father of Mrs. Klmore
Gordon of Fort Mill and had other
relatives living in this com unity.
i
A * 1M A K,
NEARING COMPLETION.
New St. John's Church Soon to
Be in Use.
After mouths of more or less
vexatious deft v. there is now the
prospect that the congregation of
St. .John's Methodist church will
l?e able to worship for the first
time in their'new anil eommodious
ehnreli edifice on Sunday.
November 27. For some time the
building lias been practically
eonipleted except for the installation
of tIk* hcatiup plant and the
window lights. Work on the
beating plant lias been rushed for
lie last ten days, however, and
there now remains to finish this
part of the contract only the installation
of the boiler, which is
expected to arrive and be placed
in position within the not three
ii tour days. The window lights
have been shipped from Atlanta,
according; to a letter received the
early part of the week by an oflii
i r of the church, aipl the work
of'puttin?r them in will consume
only a day or two. Apparently
.1 iI will he in readiness for the
inorninjr service at the church on
the last Sunday in the mouth.
With the completion of the ne\y
church building for St. John s
conprcpation. the Methodists of
Fort Mill will have what is considered
by many one of the most
modern and complete places of
worship in the upper section of
the State. Kspeeial care was taken
by the architect in desipninp
the building; to provide for the
yrowinp Sunday school needs of
the church. There are rooms for
she various advanced, intermediate
and primary classes and the
nrraiipcuicut is such that the
departmental idea in Sunday
school work will be carried out
as is found in few churches outside
the larpe cities.
No special program has been
arranged to mark the use of the
church for the first time on November
27. but later on with the
laying of th?? cornerstone of the
building special services in celebration
of the event will be carried
out. The pastor of St. John's
is the Rev. YV. R. Bouknight and
to his untiring work and* energy
much of llie credit for the erection
of the new church building
is given.
GRADED SCHOOL NOTES.
%
Last Friday, Armistice day.
wus observed by the school. Aooui
;UH) of the pupils and the teachers
attended the county fair in
nock IIill in a body ami most of
them marched in the parade.
.diss ha ill teen Armstrong has
charge of the second section of
the tirst grade in the absence of
t I . 1**1. . I*. * I I
M l.s.N r.UM'i liOIUS, WHO is Spclltling
several days at lier home in
?liven ville.
The members of the football
.earn have received invitations to
a banquet to he given in the
sehool auditorium by tjie girls
composing the basketball team.
Among other things in store for
the hoys is the presentation of.
the high sehool letter to all who
piaveil in tis many as four games
this seaotl.
There will be no sehool on the
I'ridav following Thanksgiving,
as the sehool will be closed for
four days, from November 24 to
November 27, inclusive. The lost
day will be made up during the
spring term.
1'atrous and other friends of
the school are invited to visit the
class rooms and observe the work
being done. Ity dropping in at
odd times one may set* what is
being done by any class. Such visits
would not only help the
school hut would give a better
idea of the work the children art;
doing ami are expected to do.
Mrs. T. (Jrier Moffatt of Chester
was a guest of her mother,
Mrs. Augusta Culp. for two or
three days the early part of the
\\ t ek.
The llev. K. 11. Yiser of Laurel
Hill. N. C.. to whom a call was
nccntly extended by the Fort j
Mill Presbyterian church, has in-1
funnel Col. T. U. Spratt, clerk
of the church's session, that he
accepts the call and will be ready
to take charge of the pastoral
work about December 1.
PUPILS ON HONOR ROLL.
List of Fort Mill Boys and Oirls
' Who Win Distinction.
More pupils than is ordinarily
the case got on the honor roll of
ilie h'ort Mill graded school for
the first quarter of the present
session. In furnishing The Times
with a copy of the houot* roll, the
superintendent, f'apt. K. M. Mack,
explained thai urst honor, or
highly distinguished, is given to
those pupils who make a percentage
of from 95 to 100 and have
perfect attendance marks?that
is no tardies or absences; second
honor is given to those who make
a percentage above 90 and diave
no more than two tardies ami
two absences during the time covered
by the report. The honor
roll for the first quarter follows:
Primary First tirade ? First
honor, Jennie Louise Bradford,
Euiilie Louise Meacham, Sarah
Lee, Frances Mae Mills, Helen
Phillips, Wiliua lli-eves. Lest ina
Potis. Inez Long, Boyd Griffin,
Fred Harris. David Kodgers, A.
Y Williamson. Jr.. Andy Morrison.
intermediate First Grade ?
First honor, Margaret Baker,
Randolph Robert son.
Advanced hirst Grade?First
honor. Kutli Miller. Harry Doster,
Fiirman Merritt, Erwin Hunter,
Ona 1 >ti 1 ia. Lunc Smith, Odell
Walker. Lillie May Archie, Edna
May Erw in ; second honor, Frank
Hancock. Inez McCaiueron, Lois
Staines, Anna Sainlcrs, Knox DuI
in.
Second (Iradc ? First honor,
Inez Armstrong. Fditli Oatcs.
Troy Cant lien, Fentou Rogers,
lamia Taylor, Marion Wilson, Gilniore
Pitman; second honor,
Frank Carothcrs. Sadie Stamper,
Flizubeth Bradford. Marion liarkey.
Murray Culp, .Johnson Wilkerson.
Keheeea Wright, Beady
Wilson, Andrew Kite, Jasper
Kimhrell. Johnnie Spinks. Anne
Nims.
Third (irade ?First honor. Delhi
Mae Woods, Gilbert Gross.
Harriett Carol hers. Maria Culp.
Jennie Lon Garrison, Margaret
Wilson. James Allen Ferguson;
second honor, Fvelyu Robinson,
Korhclle Patterson, Ftllel Miller,
i leveland Lytic. Nora Lee Raily,
Carl Lamherth. Kugene Patterson.
Fourth Grade?First honor.
Mildred Medlin, lona Montgomery;
second honor, Charlie Carlei.
licni rice Ferguson. Sarah
Barber. Floyd Pitman, Mary
Startles. John McGuirt, Pearl
lloneycutt, Louise Wilson. Kthel
Wright. Howard Patterson.
Fifth Grade -hirst honor. Helen
Ferguson, Annie MeGinnis; second
honor. Fmiua liailes, Eliuer
Low cry. Alyra Kimhrell. Julia
MeCorkle. Keiivon Young. Allje
I bad lord. Lula Parks, Willie
llomycutt. Melvin Carter.
Sixth Grade?Second honor,
Mary Garrison.
Seventh Grade First honor
Owen Patterson. Faulkner Parks.
Ray Hunter; second honor. Myrtle
Reeves.
Fight h Grade?Second honor.
Ilattie Parks. Cora Massev, Willie
Bradford.
Ninth Grade?Nannie Lee Phillips.
Fllen Crane. Dudley Crook
Toiitli ItiMiJo Sit ?'i?ti.-ii l'nrks
Klmore Alt xander.
Urges Corn as Fuel.
Secretjiry Wallace of the department
of agriculture urges
farmers in the corn belt of the
Central West to burn corn instead
of coal, lb' says it will pay
both farmers and other people
living in country towns to make
the substitution. Corn at 10 cents
a bushel will equal in heating
value coal at $ "> a ton. The better
grade of coal, however, is selling
for $10 a ton.
A Thanksgiving service will be
hehl at Pleasant Valley Baptist
church Thudsday evening, November
2-1, at 7 o'clock. A sermon
will he preached by the pastor,
the Rev. J. W. 11. Dychcsand
a box will be there for the reception
of gifts of clothing, fruit
vegetables, money, etc., for the
Connie Maxwell orphanage at
Greenwood. There also will be
special music for the services
which the public is cordially invited
to attend.
GASOLINE IN WELL.
Wator at Palmetto Hotel Rendered
Unfit for Use.
A mystery that remains unexplained
after three days was discovered
in Fort Mill Monday
morning when W. F. Harris, proprietor
of the Palmetto hotel,
went to the well on the hotel
premises to draw a bucket of water
and found that in some way
gasoline had entered the well in
targe quantities, making the water
unfit for use. Mr. Harris
drew from the well several buckets
of the gasoline and water
which he poured into a large
pan and then applied a match to
the admixture. It burned freely
for several minutes.
Whence came the gasoline was
a questioned asked by many, but
the question remains unanswered.
There is a small gasoline tank
buried in the ground in the rear
of the office of the Fort Mill Telephone
exchange, about ">0 feet
from the well, but the owner of
the tank. S. L. Meacbam. says he
does not think that, even should
his tank have sprung a leak,
enough gasoline is escaping to 1
seep through the ground to the
hotel well.
The next nearest buried gasoline
tank to the well is that at
the grocery of H. ('. Ferguson, 011
Main street, 200 feet away. Mr.
Ferguson is said to have stated
that he is confident his tank does
not leak, and there is the question
whether, if it does, the gasoline
trickles through the earth in
as large quantities as was discov- *
ored in the well. 1
Gasoline in the well at the Pal- (
met to hotel was not discovered
for the first dime Monday morn- 1
ing. however. Two years ago the
fluid got into the well is some <
mysterious way. Then there was J
a buried gasoline tank at a garage
about r>l) feet away. The ?
owner said the tank leaked and i
it has since been taken up. The 1
water at that time remained impregnated
with gasoline but a <
few days and the incident was
forgotten. Now it is recalled by
tl.P riMimutumiiwiik of * ? 1
% ?/ i > ui iiuvv vita ^unuiiun in '
the well. (
WILL DO OWN PAVING.
The concrete paving which the 1
town council of Fort Mill author. 1
ized on the grounds of St. John's i
Methodist church, to be paid for (
from the town treasury, will not '
he done with the assent of A. O.
Jones, M. J. Adcoek and T. F. :
Lytic, members of council, who .
also are members of St. John's ]
church. Monday Mr. Jones stat- i
ed that while both the congrega- i
ion of St. John's and the three ;
members of council were grateful I
to the town for authorizing the
paving, that personally he and
the two other members of'council
thought it unwise that the 1
cost of the work be met by the '
town and that he was certain, as 1
chairman of the street committee 1
of council, that when the paving
was put down it would be paid !
for by the church itself. I
"1 thought at the time the res i
elation authorizing the paving t
came before council it would be f
best not to adopt it, but for res- i
sons that are harbly worth men- 1
tioning 1 did not oppose it." said i
Mr. Jones. "But now that I have
limed the matter over in my
mind a number of times, 1 have
reached the conclusion that th?
best thing for both town council
and the church is to decline to
llMVe flip wnplr ilnnu iiiwtpr flip 1
resolution. The paving from the (
street to St. John's church and t
around the building to the Sun- t
day school rooms will he done in
tine time, but it will he paid for 1
from church funds." I
Registration Board Coming. <
Arrangements have about been t
completed with the county board t
of registration to spend Friday, f
November 25, in Fort Mill for the i
issuance of certificates to citizens i
of the town who may wish to c
vote in the municipal election to t
he held in January and in other r
elections. c
mm m t
F. C. Rodger a, Jr., has accepted i
a position with the Hutchinson e
pharmacy. ___ ?
l
#
WOULD AMEND LAW.
Citizen Holds Magistrates Should
Issue Marriage Licenses.
"The marriage license law passed
by the Legislature about ten
years ago has done a great deal
of good in South Carolina, but
there is one defect in the law
which should be cured, in my
opinion." yesterday said a York
county citizen to The Times. "As
the law is written," he continued,
"it is necesary for couples'who
wish to be married to go either
before the judge of probate in
person or appear before a magistrate
to secure an affidavit setting
forth the fact, as he sees it,
that they are competent to enter
the marriage relation, ami then
forward t It is aflidavit to the
judge of probate before the license
is issued and returned either
to tile magistrate or the man
applying for the license. The latter
method frequently results in
delay, but after all it is tantamount
to the magistrate issuing
the license, which if that official
is able to issue indirectly by affidavit.
he ought to he able to issue
directly in the first instance.
"Take Fort Mill township as
an illustration of what I have in
mind. If an application is made
to the magistrate here for a marriage
license, of course he cannot
issue it, but he can affix bis official
signature to an affidavit ail
dr?ss i to tin* judge of probate
statin? that the license should be
granted, and that ends the inatter,
for the judge of probate seldom
refuses to honor such an affiilavit;
but it is a roundabout way
of transacting public business
which could be transacted more
expeditiously if the magistrate
were authorized to grant the license
without referring the toutte:
to the judge of probate, bcrt
Mill is uo more remote from the
court house of York county than
are hundreds of other cominttni
lies in .South Carolina from their
respective court houses and the
fhung I suggest would expedite
the publie business and at the
some lime remove a hardship
many worthy couples are subjected
to in securing their marriage
licenses by having to go long distances
to appear in person at the
offiee of the judge of probate or
wait until their application, after
being approved by the local magistrate.
is sent to the county official
and he approves it and forwards
the marriage license.
"Furthermore, the average
magistrate is a man of as good
judgment as the uverage judge of
probate in deciding who should
and who should not be married
anu there is no reason why bis
judgment should not be final in
law as it already is in fact."
Saw Brown Mountain Light.
The story in The Times of last
week telling of the mysterious1
light frequently seen in recent \
rears ou Brown mountain, N. C., I
was of peculiar interest to Miss '
Julia Boyd of Fort Mill, who saw 1
the 'light some time ago from the
na/./.a of a hotel at Blowing Hock,
j few miles from Brown iiiount
a in. Miss Boyd was spending a
>ummer vacation at mowing ivock
nit] having heard much of the
ight and the mystery surround- I
tig it, was watching for it one
jvening about 9 o'clock when it
uiddcly came into view and after
ipparcntly hanging suspended
ibove the mountain top for a few
iccou is disappeared.
The theory that the light was
hat of a locomotive on the
'linchficld road winding its wuy
Itrough the mountains toward
lie Tennessee line was exploded
>y the fact that the light was to
>e seen only at intervals, Miss
tloyd said, adding that if it had
>ccr a locomotive headlight it
oull have been seen nightly as
he train passed through that seeio!..
Nor was the light a trick 1
>f mountaineers bent upon furnshing
the hotel guests and connry
side with a fake mystery, for
lamping parties on Brown mounain
made sure that no deceptive ,
net hods were being used to pro- j
luce it. In Miss Boyd's opinion,
he best explanation of the light
s that it is an electrical phenom- <
mon, as was stated in The Times' I
article.
fi.w rer xear.
CHEERS FOE WILSON.
Rock Hill Man Writes of Ovation
for Former President.
Writing from Washington Satincidents
of the . .Rhaoihrdl din
urday to the Rock Hill Record
of incidents of the parade held in
Washington last Friday in honor
of the unknown American soldier
who was that day buried in Arlington
cemetery, Eugene A.
Hutchison of Rock Hill, secretsp
\r 1A i
?? * uuKresHinail Stevenson,
makes the following interesting
observations:
44Yesterday was a big tiny for
Washington and it must have been
a big day for Woodrow Wilson
for the ovution he alone received
was wonderful. 1 atu inclosing
some clippings which speak for
themselves. Ami they are from
The Times. Hearst's paper.
"In the afternoon thousands
went to Wilson's resilience and
again he was given a demonstra
tion. The Washington Post, tincourt
crier for Harding and the
administration,' said this morning
that only 2.0(H) people went
around to see Wilson. They
missed it by 10.000 at least. The
world says there "were 20.000
persons standing bareheaded before
Wilson's residence to pay
tribute to the greatest soldier in
the world," and that "he burst
into tears" at the sight. 1 don't
think there were 20.(KM), but certainly
10.0(H) more than 2,000.
"The Post will not tell things
as they are and none of the Washington
papers, so far as I have
been able to see, have said a worn
about Marion, Ohio, the president's
own town, going Democratic
by a thousand majority
last Tuesday. Did you know it Y
"I wish you could have seen
the ovation given Wilson. The
sentiment is turning again to him
uud in my opinion, if lie had his
health, he would be the next president.
\ "The armuinent conference,
which opens today, is just an
omer name lor the League of
Nations. Old Man Woody has
hung something around their
necks that they can't shake off.
They might call the 'collar' hv a
different name, but it chokes just
the same."
Car of Other Days.
An interesting relic of the days
when the automobile industry
was in its infancy may been seen
in the rear of Starnes' garage on
Confederate street in the shape
of a Brush runabout. The cur
was built about 17 years ago and
was the second automobile to he
brought to Fort Mill for use locally.
Fifteen years ago it was a
familiar sight in Fort Mill chugging
along over the streets of the
town and nearby country roads
as best it could with its single cylinder
and other mechanism now
considered antiquated.
The car was owned by W. F.
Harris, who operated it in connection
with a livery stable lie
was then running here. Mr. Harris
got the car trom a Lancaster
man, to whom lie traded six
horses for it. A peculiarity of
the car was that sometimes it refused
to climb u hill in the ordinary
way, but having greater
motive power going backward
tllllll fdCU'IlI-il /will. I ..I......... I.-. -I'
. w? ?? uiti * um\i iinv a vn ur ur?
pcmied upon to buck up the
steepest hill in this section.
Football Season Ends.
The hurt Mill high school footlot
11 team played its last game of
the season last Thursday with
the high school team of Lancaster.
to which it lost, Id ?o 2. Hie
gam* was played on the local
gridiron. Fort" Mill should ha\e
scored 21 points, said the report
of the game written for The
Times. Several times the team
was within a few yards of Lancaster's
goal, hut the punch to
put across a touchdown was lacking.
The local team flashed a
clever piece of football when
three of the pla>ers. on a kickoff,
downed an op|H>neiit behind Ins
goal and got the two points credited
to Fort Mill.
William S. Belk left Monday
pvening on a business trip to Atlanta.
He was expected to return
yesterday. ?