University of South Carolina Libraries
*t i DEADLY EXPLOSION] Occurs on Battleship Georgia From Loose Powder. I ! EIGHT MEN ARE KILLED Fourteen Were More or Less Seriously l Injured ? Accident Happened in One of the Turrets During Target Practice. ,1 i With eight of her officers and crew dead, and fourteen others dying or suffering from terrible burns received in an explosion of powder in the afcersuperimposed turret, the battleship Georgia steamed slowly up Boston harbor, from the target practice j grounds, in Cape Cod bay, la:e Monday afternoon, and landed the dead and In- I jured men at the Charlestown navy J yard. With the arrival of the Georgia j there became known the details of the j most terrible naval catastrophe that has ever taken place along the coast of New England. The accident occurred shortly before noon, while the Georgia's crew were at target practice off Provincetown, in Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as yet unexplained, two bags of powder oe- | came ignited, and in the terrific flash J that followed the entire turret crew, consisting of three officers and eighteen men, were enveloped in fire, and received horrible burns, one officer and five men dying before the ship reached port. Four other men received minor injuries, whose names were not given out, and who were not taken off the ship. Those kHled were: Caspar Goodrich, lieutenant, died at hospital after being removed from ship; William F. Pair, ordinary seaman, also died at the naval hospital; William J. Thatcher, chief turret captain; Faulkner Goldthwaite, midshipman; W. J. Burke, G. G. Hamilton; W. H. Thomas, George E. Miller, ordinary seamen. The explosion occurred in the after turret, where the men, under command of Lieutenant Caspar Goodrich, son of Rear Admiral Goodrich, com- , mandant of the New York navy yard, and Midshipmen Goldthwaite and John / T. Cruse were operating the eight-inch ' guns. The guns in the forward turrets had finished eight rounds of practice, and the guns of the after turret had fired one round, two cases, as me oig impound bags of powder are called, had ( just been sent through the ammunition hoist, and were in the arms of the loader, whose name was withheld by , , the ship's officers. The loader stood at the breach of , Tone of the eight-inch guns, ready to insert the charge. At this instant the . turret was seen to be smoky and two . men. who stood near the loader, saw V 9 % J a black spot on the bag, indicating that the- charge iad Ignited and was smouldering. The loader discovered the . spot at the same instant, and threw himself forward on his face, at the . same time shouting a warning to his ( turret mates. The other men, who had seen the shot, were Erich and Hansen, and they also threw them- . selves on the floor of the turret. Before : the other men in the turret could un- j derstand what caused the loader's cry . v ? of warning, there was a blinding flash, ] as the burnine nowder exnloded . Flames, smoke and nauseous gases fill- < ed the little superstructure in which j more than a score of men were con- . fined. As the powder was not confin- < ed, there was no report, nor did the < vessel suffer any injury, but every ncok and cranny of the turret was filled with flames. The leader, who was, of course, near- | est the powder, was terribly burned, as was every other man in the turret, with the exception of Elrich and Han- i sen, who, although scorchsd, escaped ] with injuries much less severe that the t , others. ] When the smoke of the burning powder had cleared away the shpmates cf the unfortunate men rushed to their assistance, and the suffering sailors l were lifted out of the fire-blackened turret, and were quickly conveyed to the ship's hospital, where their burns i were dressed by the surgeons. In the meantime Lieutenant Good rich and Seaman Maleeck had been ' rescued hv a lannrh that wjij return, t ing from ail inspection of the target, i The surgical staff of the Georgia ] was soon reinforced by the surgeons 1 of the other vessels in the fleet, who 1 had been informed of the accident and I summoned to the scene. ] ? THOMPSON GETS PROMOTION. K tr> r " Popular Railroad Man Now Assistant to President Finley. j. S. B. Thompson, for many years 1 general agent of the executive department of the Southern railway, and ! one of the best known and most pop- J ular railroad men, has been promoted 1 by President W. W. Finley to the po- : sition of assistant to the president. ' BACKS UP ORCHARD. Witness Dewey, in Haywoccr Trial, Makes a Confession "to Help Along Justice"?Two Arrests for Perjury. _. Sensation followed sensation quickly In the Haywood trial at Boise, when the state commenced its rebuttal evidence. Shortly after court adjourned for the day information was sworn to and a warrant for perjury issued In a magistrate's court against Dr. I. L. McGee, a physician of Wallace, Idaho, who was one of the witnesses for the defense. The crowded court room, somewhat bored by legal commonplace, sprang to strained attention at the close of the afternoon session, when William Dewey, a witness for the state in rebuttal, confessed to active, armed participation in the destruction of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mills at Wardner on April 29, 1899, when two men were killed and a mob of a thousand men participated in the riot. Hary Orchard commenced his series of crimes at Wardner. He confessed to lighting one of the fuses that started the explosion, and he swore that William F. Davis, known among his fellows as "Big Bill," led the mob. Dewey swore that not only did "Big Bill" accompany the mob to Wardner, but that he served out guns and ammunition to the union men gathered in the union hall at Burke before they went to Wardner, and was cne of the j leaders of the column that advanced j on the concentrator before the work of destruction commenced. Eight year; have now elapsed since that day of rioting. From that time, no eye-witness except Orchard has been found to tell the story or incriminate himself until Dewey, now a resident of Goldfield, Col., made his confession. With eyes downcast and fingers nervously picking the braiding around the rim of a gray sombrero, Dewey told it all. Repeatedly, he was requested to raise his voice, and with a quick glance at counsel, he replied only to sink back into a most inaudible tone. Under the provocation of a sneering cross-examination by E. F. Richardson, he rallied, and even became combative, but throughout the recital he gave evidence of a certain remorse. Under the same cross-examination he told why he had come to Boise to confess at this time after eight years of silence. "What promise of immunity from punishment was given you before you decided to make the confession of * crime?" "What induced you to make thi3 jtatfmpnt nnw after all these years?" Were some of Richardson's questions. "None," was the laconic reply to the first two questions, but to the last the witness said: "I read Orchard's confession." "You saw how well he was treated here, and decided to get a little of it?" sneered Richardson. "It was nothing of that kind," responded Dewey quickly. "I though; I ought to help along with the doing of justice." Another warrant charging perjury against a witnefes, who has testified for the defense, was issued Monday morning. C. W. Aller, formerly a telegraph operator and ticket agent at the Florence and Cripple Creek railroad, at Cripple Creek, is charged with the offense. Both Aller and McGee will be given an opportunity to furbish bonds and the preliminary hearing will be set to take place within the next ^fsw lays. BISHOP NINETY YEARS OLD. Is Patriarch Prelate of Methodist Episcopal Denomination. The Right Rev. Dr. Thomas Bownan, senior bishop of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, of Orange, N. f., celebrated his ninetieth birthday | Monday. FOUR DAGOES ON TRIAL. Members of "Black Hand" Arraigned : for Kidnaping and Murder. The jury which' will try three men j and a woman for the murder of little i Walter Lamana was completed at i Hahnville, Louisiana, Monday. Many ' talesmen were excused because they | objected to bringing a verdict which | might mean the hanging of the woman ! prisoner. Owing to the fact that this j trial is expected to furnish an example j which will check Italian blackmailing, i great care was exercised to secure the j most intelligent class of jurymen. _ j MAYOR DEFIES UNCLE SAM. Squabble Over Control of Highways In Suburbs of Washington. Uncle Sam and the authorities of the Maryland suburb. Glen Echo, are fighting over the control of the village's roads. The question is whether the town authorities can hold up auto- i mobiles speeded by diplomats. Mayor Garrett has defied the government. DNBOHHnaHBHfliHBHHMMMBMMnHHHHI BY BIG MAJORITY Georgia Senate Passes State Prohibition Measure. VOTE WAS 34 TO SEVEN Several Amendments Were Adopted Before Final Action ? Bill Was Immediately Ordered Sent t? the Hone* The Georgia state senate by a vote of 34 to 7 passed the Hardman prohibition. bill Saturday morning and whatever doubt of immediate state prohibition that may have existed was dispelled and the opponents of the bill j gave up the last vestige of the hope of defeating it. That the house is overwhelmingly in favor of the bill as passed by the senate is admitted as freely by the opponents of prohibition as by its advocates. Never since the assembling of the legislature has there been a miootinn .-if tKq oontimfnt nf the State. UU^OtlVU VI tuv w* v? vr ? , | and. even if there were enough representatives personally opposed to the bill to muster up a respectable opposition the hundred and twenty-odd dry counties of Georgia furnish a choice between supporting the bill and political suicide which leaves little room for debate. Governor Hoke Smith, though an advocate of local option, as brought out in his inaugural address, still stands pledged to sign a state prohibition bill should such a measure be sent to him by this legislature. This pledge was made to the people of Georgia at numerous times during the last campaign and was specifically renewed in the inaugural address. There can be no thought of a veto from the governor and one house having voted nearly five to one for prohibition and the other being declared against the sale of liquor by a majority almost as large, those who would defeat the pending bill are left with precious little ground on which to fight. The advocates of prohibition, on the other hand, were never more active and enthusiastic. They have whipped the state into a frenzy or proniDitioc fervor. They see victory, long sought, in sight and declare that no stone will be left unturned to make their conquest immediate and complete. When the vote was taken the galleries were crowded with interested spectators, and it was with difficulty that President Akin prevented cheering and order was preserved only by threats of the president to clear the galleries in case of applause. Those who composed the minority vote were Senators Brock of the fortyfourth, Felder of the twenty-second, Gordy of the twenty-fourth, Griffin of the twenty-first, Johnson of the twenty-third, Mattox of the fourth and Stephens of the first. Senators Flynt of the twenty-sixth and Weaver of the forty-first were absent and it was not necessary for President Akin to cast his ballot. Senator Felder made an effort soon after the opening of the senate to postpone the consideration of the bill until Tuesday, but his motion was lost by a vote of 30 to 11. several amendments to tne Dili were adopted. The first makes it prohibitory for whiskey or intoxicating liquors of any description to be kept for sale in dispensaries. The second merely adds strength to the requirement that before whiskey cap be secured for patients, that the attending physician must be reputable and actually in charge of the patient. The third amendment provides that grain alcohol may be sold to bacteriologists who are actually engaged in that class of work for scientific purposes. When the senator from the twentysecond saw that it was inevitable that the bill was to be considered, he moved immediately after its third reading that the previous question be now put, which motion was carried and the possibility of all debate was precluded. Senator Hardman made an effort to speak in order to explain some features of the bill, but the senators decided that the question needed no discussion, so decided to have the vote taken at once. After the bill was declared passed oy me president, senator Knignt moved that it be immediately sent to the house. The motion was carried. HEAVY FINE IS IMPOSED. Lumber Company Assessed $10,000 for Infraction of Peonage Law. The William Ritter Lumber company, charged with peonage and conspir- I acy to avoid the alien labor law, on trial in the United States court at Charleston, W. Vat> pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 counts in the indictment. The minimum fine of $1,000 on each count was imposed by Judge Dayton, v. *-, la 7-.- .*'1 NEW LAWS OF TEXAS Passed by Last Legislature Now Effective?Revolution in Statutes is Practically Created. With midnight Thursday night a j large number of state laws passed by the last legislature went into effect i I in the state of Texas. The operation of these new laws practically creates I a revolution in the laws of the state, I and the number of new ones is far greater than that passed by any legislature in the state's history. Laws are now in effect, some very curious ones, providing the following: Permitting medical colleges to deal in human bodies; prohibiting insolvent corporations from doing business ; prohibiting cock fighting; making it | a misdemeanor to drink liquor on j trains; prohibiting issuing of free I passes or franks of any sort; against lobbying; compelling a man to support his family; creating an eight-hour day for telegraphers and full train crews; abolishing negro school trustees; providing for licensing of barbers and requiring insurance companies to invest 75 per cent of their earnings in this state. This last has practically driven the companies from Texas. All who sell pistols are taxed 50 per cent of the gross earnings on all their business. Brokerage houses, exchanges j and bucket shops are closed, as the ! law does not permit wire service, and railroads are required to furnish sufficien: equipment. The list shows but a few of several hundred laws passed. Under the new laws a condition is j created without parallel. Provisions for liquor license application makes ten days' notice required while the law is now in effect, thereby annulling all li quor licenses and making saloons sell at their own risk for the next ten days. The habitual writing of liquor prescriptions by physicians is also made punishable. SAVED BY "UNWRITTEN LAW." Mother and Son Acquitted for Killing Betrayer of Daughter and Sister. The jury at LaPlata, Md. in the cases of Mrs. Bowie and her son, Henry, charged with the murder of Hubert Posey, who had ruined the young daughter of Mrs. Bowie, under the promise of marriage, returned a verdict of acquittal Friday afternoon after being out less than five minutes. Congressman Sydney E. Mudd, of counsel for the defense, in his address to the jury, disclaimed belief in the insanity cf Mrs. Bowie or her son, j but he declared that, under the circumstances, they should not be held !i-i. 11 ? 1 ~ 11? rtsponsiuie meuuuiy vn lcsanjr iui their part in the tragedy. Touching the unwritten law, Congressman Mudd said: "The family in this land of ours i is the nucleus and the nursery of the j commonwealth. The protection of the sanctity of the family ties, the chastity of our women, the development and maintenance of a salutory and exalted respect for the honor of meaner, j the sister and the daughter becomes, j therefore, a natural and essential feature of the law of this land, fti nearly every state of this country there will be found an exemplification and rec- j ognition of this fact and an adoption | of this doctrine. It is in this sense that I confidently claim the protection of what I have called the 'unwritten law' as an adequate defense for these j defendants." AUTOS TO THE WOODS. Alabama Legislator Would Bar Them j from Public Roads. In the Alabama house of representa- j +'1\Tf Qon/loro o I Ci V Co JL' I iua> , *Ui. uauu^io, a. m^44ivv/i I from one of the coun:ry counties, in- , troduced a bill to prevent automobiles running on the public roads in the ; state. As there are several thousand ! machines in the state, it is wondered where they would run. A METHODIST CATHEDRAL. I Southern Church Plans Great Struc- ' ture at Washington. The Methodist Episcopal Church., i South, has undertaken to build in , Washington a national church which | shall be in effect a cathedral of the denomination. It is said that a commodious site has already been purchased by. the Methodists. The building is tc i cost $275,000, of which amount the local Mount Vernon church is to raise $75,000 and the denomination at large ! i the remainder. | MONEY OF STATE DIVERTED. Serious Charges Against Insane Asy- j lum Officials in Alabama. j Following the sensational charges j preferred against the Bryce insane hospital at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Hugh M. i Harton of Birmingham, has additional ; adidavits, .charging that the state ap- < propriation of $300,000 annually is '< wasted or misapplied. < Harton was one of those making af- ! fdavits to the effect that the patients s of the hospital are inhumanly treated, i . * - ' 4 --737 * ' \"'Tjt ' WfmfhMM Fourteen Greek Joints in Roanoke, Va, Smashed. FIVE CENTS STARTED ROW While Riot Was in Progress Mayor and Other City Officials Were Stoned?Greeks Will Appeal to Their Government. Roanoke, Va., was quiet Sunday, after four hours' of rioting Saturday night, when a mob wrecked nine Greek restaurants, three Greek shoe shine parlors, and two Syrian shops. The riot was caused by a dispute about 5 cents between a Greek employed in the Belmont Greek restaurant, on Salem avenue, and an American, who went there to buy a sandwich. Nine places were wrecked on Salem avenue, three on Jefferson street, one on Nelson street and one on Rail- ? road avenue. Five men have been arJ 1/\/4npA/4 i "5 O 51 nnA A f IC&ICU ililU luuguu 1 u jaii ouu vuc vfc them has been released on $250 bail for his appearance at the hearing of the case in the police court next Thursday. None of the Greeks are under arrest. At all of the wrecked places the proprietors set to work Sunday morning cleaning out the debris so as to be ready to resume business. The Greeks have employed counsel to look after their interests, and have called the attention of the Greek consulate in this country to the affair. While the disturbance was in progress Mayor Joel H. Cutcliin, who was in the street begging the crowds to disperse, was struck on the legs and severely bruised by rocks thrown by unknown parties. Flying stones also struck Police Justice J. R. Bryan, Police Sergeant Overstreet and Policeman Manning, King and Evans, and Chief Engineer John Waggoner of the Central fire department. Waggoner is now on crutches. The fire department was out to throw water on the crowd, and when the hose was unwound there were cries of "cut the hose" and "shoot him." The mayor ordered the police to guard the hardware stores to prevent the mob from raiding those places in search of firearms. The larger restaurants, which were elaborately furnished with mirrors, had their interiors demolished. The only Greek places not wrecked were two large confectionery stores run by men not identified tfith the restauranti business. United States District Attorney Thomas L. Moore, when asked if he would take any action in the matter of the rioting, said that the case is not covered by the federal s:atutes, as no conspiracy is charged. The procedure would be for the benefit-of the offended Greeks to appeal to their government, which would then apply to the United States for proper protection, and the Washing;on government would refer the matter to the government of Virginia. James D. Johnston, counsel for the Greeks, made the following statement: "The Greeks nave connaence m me sense of fairness and justice of the people of Roanoke and believe they will be reimbursed for the damage they have sustained." In an official statement Mayor Joel H. Cutchin says the "regretable occasion of Saturday night, when nine Greek restaurants and three Greek shoe shine parlors, and one or two Syrian ?hops were attacked and wrecked by a mob of several hundred people, has brought the blush of shame to every good citizen of Roanoke." The mayor says the riot occurred soon after midnight, when the city was in semi-darkness, the police force of seven men scattered over the city without any facility for concentrating them at the scene and that the three officers nearest the point of attack were unable to cope with the crowd." SENATOR BACON HARD HIT In Failure of Exchange Bank at Macon, Ga.?Loses $20,0C0. United States Senator A. 0. Bacon was a heavy loser by the failure of the Exchange bank at Macon, Ga. It is said that Senator Bacon had $20,000 worth of stock in this institution, upon which he will probably never realize a cent. It is said, as a matter of fact, that the stockholders will be assessed on their stock in order to pay obligations of the defunct institution. TRIAL OF LYNCHERS BEGUN. Seventeen Men Arraigned in Court at Monroe, North Carolina. The trial of John Jones for lynching John W. Johnston in Anson county i year ago, was begun in the superior 30urt at Monroe, N. C., Monday. There ire seventen persons indicted for the irime, but the case cf Jones was seec;ed by the solicitor, as it is understood to be the plan to try each of the prisoners separately. _ n rTWO-CENT RATE TANGLE. & Judge Pritchard Ties Up State of Virw ginia?Officials Are Warned and ^ Newspapers Are Muzzled. A Richmond, Va., special says: The * corporation commission and any or all s its members, agents or employees were notified Thursday by United States Marshal Treat of the injunction -T^| issued by Judge Pritchard of the fede;al circuit court, against any further attempt to enforce the two-cent rate law upon the railroads engaged in contes:ing it, and were forbidden to pub- , lish orders placing it into effect. The newspapers of Rcihmond are forbidden by injunction to publish the general order of the corporation com- M mission of April 2, promulgating the v||| twcKient rate. Judge McPherson of the federal j court a: DesMoines, Iowa, Thursday denied the application of the two stock-, ^ holders of the Iowa Central and the Minneapolis and St. Louis for a re- * straining order against the directors of these roads to prevent them from ^ putting into effect the 2-cent passesger rate law. The judge based his ac- as tlon on the ground that no injury by ^ the roads was shown; that the com- , plaint that the new rate would cut * down dividends was not proven; that ^ increased passenger travel might increase receipts, and that under rule M No. 94 of the supreme court the case ' '% was not properly brought, as no charge of bad faith on the part of the directors was alleged. At Omaha, Nebr., Judge Munger, in "M the federal court, refused the applica- tion of the Adams, Wells-Fargo, American, United States and Pacific Ex- ' 'M press companies for a restraining or- ?3 der preventing the Nebraska railroad; |I? nr*/l XTAKroolro cfMnnnv -Sjm ^uiiiuiiaoiuu a;iu buc avvva uv/. . TKfl general from putting in effect the neir -l laws reducing express rates in thfr v-Jj state 25 per cent. In an opinion handed down at Washington Thursday for the interstate / commerce commission by Commissioner Harlan, the ruling as laid down, that while a rate fixed by state stat- ,';J ufes or a state commission is natural, ;|a and properly entitled to respectful consideration, it has not greater sano* tity, as applied to interstate traffic?* |i than a rate established by a railroad ' t company, and this commission wculd^-g not hesitate, upon proper evidence ?. that a rate so established would be unjust, either to a carrier or to a shipper to refuse to accept it as a basis for fixing an interstate rate." ' The opinion in which the foregoing ||| announcement was made was in the rgH case of Hope Cotton Oil company V|S against the Texas and Pacific railroad' >j|j company, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern railway com- | pany. The complaint alleged that a point through rate of 67 cents per J!s| huudred pounds on cotton seed in -caploads, charged by defendants from points north of Shreveport via Texar- "jaB kana to Hope, Ark., was unreasonable and discriminatory, and that seven- $ teen and five-tenths cents per hundred pounds would be a fair rate. After the ; ;j| complaint was filed the defendants put into effect a joint through rate of 30 M cents per hundred pounds. The commission holds that the 30-cent rate is unreasonable, and it should not ex- > ceed 17 5-10, which is the sum of the ;J| local rates. The carriers are ordered co put the reduced rate in force on I before August 6. UP TO REV. AINESWORTH. M Savannah Mayor Anxious to Locate AL ' vl leged Blind Tiger. v Mayor George W. Tiedeman of Sa- - ^ vannah will take official cognizance of the statement made by Rev. W. N. Ainesworth before the senate temper- M ance committee, that he secured a ,'J| concoction of liquor from a Savannah blind tiger which showed that they ex ist. Mayor Tiedeman has written a letter to Mr. Ainesworth asking for Information about the place. PROBING REPORT ISSUED. -4 Harriman and His Operations Projected Into the Limlight. A repor: was made public at Wash- ^ ington Saturday by the interstate com- | merce commission of its inquiry into \ the railroad operations of Edward H. Harriman and ^ of the operations of, the so-called Harriman lines of railway which has been in progress for several months. No recommendations are made by the commission that either criminal or A civil proceedings be instituted a3 a result of Its inquiry. , J| THREE CHILDREN CREMATED. ' -41 Burgalrs Set Fire to Looted Store and Holocaust Resuts. Fire started by burglars who looted a small grocery store in Houston early Tuesday caused the death of three children of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Prages, who conducted the store and whose family occupied the upper floor