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Mt. Zion to Lose State Aid. In a circular letter recently sent out by State Superintendent of Education Swearingen, atten: tion is called to the fact that "A high schcol district, in order to receive state aid, must levy for school maintenance a special tax of not less than four mills. This new law went into effect March 15. Up to the present time Mt. Zion has received from the State High School fund the sum of $600 per year. This has enabled the school authorities to abolish all tuition fees. School District No. 14 has a special tax of only 3 mills. It will be readily seen that unless the people of the district vote enough additional mills to con form to the new law, the dis trict will lose all State aid. This will mean that Mt. Zion must re duce its teaching force by at least two teachers, or reduce the school term from nine months to-seven months, or must return to thel charging of tuition for all High School pupiIs. This charge, be-' fore it was abolished, was $2.50 per month for all high school pupils, or $22.50 for the section of nine months. These charges, if put into operation again, would amount to a considerable sum for the patrons who have two or more children in the high school department. The work being done by the sbhool at the present time is: given recognition by schools and colleges all over the State. The enrollment of high school pupils is higher than that of any other school in the state in Droportion: to the size of the town.. Are the people of the town and district willing o see the work of the school crippled? We have just secured an all day and all night electric current, we are soon to enjoy the benefits of water and sewerage; are we willing to ad vertise to the world that we are to decrease our teaching force when the number of pupils is constantly increasing, or that we have reduced our school term from nine monts -to seven or eight; that we are charging our high school pupils tuition fees? At the present time four school districts in the county h?ve a higher special tax than we have. Columbia has recently voteda special levy of five mills for school purposes. All the towns around us of any size have .a higher special tax than we have, and have better school buildings. Shall we lag behind? Are weI willing to lose S600 for school purposes by refusing to increase: our special tax enough to meet the demands of the law? If we increase our special tax by one mill we can secure $600 or per haps $700 from the State and in crease our teaching force by the addition of another teacher in order to care for the increasing: number of pupils.I What say ther patrons of the school and the voters of the dis trict? The following letter from the department of education explains the situation ss to our school: The General Assembly at its recent session amended the High school law in several respects. The Governor affixed his signa ture March 15th. 1. A high school may be es tablished by trusteess without the trouble of an election or a pe tition. 2. A high school to receive State aid must have at least 251 high school pupils and two high zchod te: 3hers and not fewer than three elementary teache'rs. One-teachier high schools receiv ing state aid this year are to be tranferred to the Rural Graded class after June 30, 1916. All such schools should apply in August for aid for next year. Such applications should be sent to the State Superintendent of. Education. 7. The limit of 2,500 popula tion has been removed. Towns above this population are eligible for State aid. If such towns ac cept this aid, their high schools are open to high sthool pupils: from that county or an adjoining county, without tuition. 4. A high school district in order to receive State aid must: levy for school mnaintenan~ce a* special tax of not less than four mills. This may be levied as a~ general school tax, a high school tax, or both. 5. No longer will State appro priations to high schools be made on a basis of teaching force. A two-teacher high school is limi ted to $500,. a three-teacher high school to $600. and a high school of four cr more teachers to $700. . 6. The State Board of Educa tion is empowered to establish not more than five teacher-train RANIDOM R[ECOLuECTIONS OF FAIRFIfLD COUNITY (BY W. J. ELLIOTT.) South Carolina has always had a place on the map since the coun ty was first settled and Fairfield county was always in evidence in all matters of war and peace. The Mexican war called a goodly number of Fairfield county men to the struggle, though I do not remember even having heard that any Fairfield county men were at the Alamp. (Can some student of history tell us?) I've seen the Butler-Dickinson-Gladden medal, which was presented to Mexican veterans from our old county. General Gladden. of Mexican fame, was a brother of Mrs. Powell, mother of J. W. Powell, now of Columbia. One old vet eran of two wars, a native and life long resident of our county was Richard Jackson Gladney. He had one of the above men tioned medals and was proud of it. Mr. Gladney told me on a certain occasion that while he was in Cherubusko, Mexico, he was boiling some soup for Gen. Maxcy Gregg who vas confined because of a wound and that the Mexicans were at the time shell ing the town during an earth quake. He said they were up' stairs in a stone or cement build ing and that between the shells and the earthquake he would "sware pint blank" the jarring "shuck" the soui off the riddle and broke the stitches in Maxcy: Gregg's wound. He was very fond of talking of Maxey Gregg. Mr. Gladney was a soldier in the "Uncivil" war and was a goodi fighter. 'It was told of him that he was very fond of one of the Jeters from Union county and was always apprehensive that some disaster would befall Jeter. So on a certain night while the Yankees were shelling our men he ran outand said, "Men, great God, look at that shell; I woNider where Jeter is"-and yelled out, "Look out Jeter. here comes a shell." At a reunion of the Mexican veterans in Washington, D. C. Tom Mackey, who was a Mexican veteran, met Mr. Jack Gladney and inquired of him: "Now Mr. Gladney what branch of the ser vice did you occupy in the Mexi can wa.r?" Mr. Gladney replied, "Only a private Judge Mackey.I fought through the Mexican war and through the Confederate war as a private.", Taking Mr. Glad ney by the. arm, Judge Mackey said, "Come with me to the ros trum," Calling the assembly of veterans to order Tom Mackey addressed them: "Fellow com rades of the Mexican war, allow me to present to you Richard Jackson Gladney, of Fairfield county, South Carolina, the onily surviving private of the Mexican war." Old man Jack had not learned the art of acquiring a post between army title. There was quite a number of Sherman's men killed near Jack Gladney's house and they lie buried in the pines near the road. Three pines were known as the "Yankee pines" for a lcng time. Mr. Gladney was in no way con-! nected with their death, so far as I know. Three of Sherman's men lie buried beyond the three-' mile post near the home of Hugh S. Wylie and I know who killed1 them. I have also been informed! as to who was in pursuit of the men killed near Jack Gladney's place. But after a lapse of so many years I presume its best! that the names be kept from the public. When Sherman's army was camped in Fairfield county some of his men were having a dance with negro women on the Adger place where Mr. Samuel Cath cart's present residence is locat ed. The music was going at a great pace and all was merry. Walter J. Keller. who was a: Confederate scout, in company with one or more of his comrades fed their horses from the troughs of the Yankke wagon in the camp: at Adger. These scouts wore Yankee overcoats and it was hard to distinguish them from the regular Yankees. They wit nessed the dance from the out side, as they could not venture ing courses in connection with approved high schools. Not: more than one such can b~e mamn tained in any one county, and not more than $1,000 can be used in any one training course. If any of these amendments in any way touch your high school, you are advised to open corres-1 iondence at once with the State Department of Education. Yours respectfully, J. E. SwEARINGEN, near the light. Waiting around; on the outskirts of the camp till toward morning they saw a Yan kee come from his tent undress- L ed. Slipping up to the fellow Kellar told him to keep quiet or he would be a mead man. Of: course the comma'd was obeyed. On this cold February night Kellar mounted this 4nan on a Yankee horse without' allowing him to dress and by breakfast time turned him over to Wade Hampton who was at the time in I Chester. The town was full of men and women, when Gen. Hampton -came out and arrested the man for appearing in com pany in that undressed condition, understanding *full well why he was not dressed. The Yankee re- I plied, "General, your men would not give me any chance to dress." The fact of this man's appear ance in this guise at Chester is recorded in history and Walter Keller told me he was the man who captured the Yankee on the Adger place. In fact, he told me of the incident before I read it in (I think) Butler and his caval ry, by Brooks. For a nuraber of years after the war it was not safe for Con federates of Tennessee and Ken tucky to return home. Some men from Tennessee stayed in I Fairfield county. Two men whose names I remember were Fitzger ald and Bishop. They spent a good part of' their time in wes tern Fairfield and the negroes were very much afraid of them. Fitzgerald married a Miss Hen derson, sister of Mr. Stuart Hen derson of Newberry county. Mr. stuart Henderson married Miss Ella Milling of the Salem section: I have been with them at their home near Blairs by the New berry side of the Ri;ver within the last six years. M&. Fitzger-' ald died A year ago. On my trip to Mr. Henderson's I met Fitz gerald's brother from Tennessee who told me that it was not an uncommon thing to hear three or four shots at night and when morning came to find two or three dead men in the neighborhood. The place was thickly settled and it was neighbor against neighbor. He explained to me that this con dition prevented his brother from coming home. So he married a congenial woman in a congenial clime. The visiting brother told me we had no conception of the condition in his state after the; war. f I don't know whe~ isbop was; from but he was, ~,nlNrom the same state. Hq a~ terror' to negroes. Some lo e(O'Neil negroes came to u nsboro to work for my mot and they regaled us at ni' wigbthe terrors of Bishop. We eieafraid to go to bed for fear we would dreamt of Bishop. Th~ negroes~ seemed to fear him pcially. He was killed by the ne oes near' or on the Furman place.~ He was expected along there ~nd .the negro who fired the shoL was in! the yard and took the advantage of an opening in the field from ambush. I remember the time of the trial. Col. Rion defended the negroes charged with the murder and I heard him say that word was sent him by Bishop's friends that they would kill any lawyer who undertook to defend the negro. I heard the Colonel explain, in this connection, why' he occupied the desk to the Judge's left. He stated that be cause of his seniority he was en titled to the seat of honor, on the right of the Judge. But owing to the fact that he carried his pistol in the left pocket of his coat s,kirt, he chose the position so he'could hold the left side of' his coat with the -left hand and draw and fire with the right, the position giving him the advan tage of having the Bishop crowd more at his front than his rear. Col. Rion had his own peculiar ideas about all matters. During a very exciting time in the court house yard in 1878 he said to me, "Elliott, where have you got your pistol?"Ireplied, "In my hip poc ket of course, Col". He said, "Look down this roll of law paper in my left hand, 'and therein what! appeared to be a judgment roll he nestled a 32 Smith and Wes son, sayinz, "I can pull my pistol without being suspected. You' may be shot while reaching to ward your hip pocket. I never was shot, I am thankful to say." Jno. T. Yates, sovereign clerk, W. 0. W., who makes his: headquarters at Omaha, mada3 an; address to the Charleston Wood men and their frie'nds on Mon day night. Blind tigei. and shipments of liquor going into Charleston con tinue to have the active attention~ of the constables. Police officers stay on guard at the express The F Fire Insu Safe 'an YOU NEE] See the Direc us at the Ass( There is no need few foreign concer Company is able to 1 Come in and talk we can protect yot H. E. KETCHI SECRETARY AND I TO1 1, M. D. C. Colvin, Stroth Blackstock; 4, F. A. Neil, M. Gadsden, Rockton; 8,]1 Rockton, R. F. D.; 10, F. I 12, E. M. McNaull, Win1nsI Wi nnsboro. OUR NEW S AREA1 The quality of the styl4 OUR GUARA ING BUT IT' Ketchin - - - - G 1| irmers' Mi irance Ass( OFFERS YOU d Cheap Pro ) US---WE NI tor in your Districi >ciation office. to become panic stricken ol as withdrawing from the Stat, :ake care of every Country ril it over with us. We can.o r property and save you mo N, T. L. J REASURER. FNSHIP DIRECTOR r; 2, Will Patrick, Woodward: Winnsboro; 5 and 6 R. C. R4 :. A. Finley, Ridgeway, R. F. ID [. Mann, Wallaceville; 11, C. B. oro; 13, Milo B. Martin, Stroti p' PRING G ERRIVING D. every article is gun ~s will be to youir 1 NTEE COSTS Y S WORTH A GR Mercanti OD THINGS TO WEAR'" unnuunnnnnuunv itual ociation tection ED YOU L or call on a account of a e for this Home e ;k in theCounty how you how ney. OHNSTON, PRESIDENT. So4 ;3, Neely Bandhead, mees, Longtown; 7, F. .; 9, B. RBehm Douglas, Jenkinsville ier; 14, S. C. Uathcr, '4.,..I" A ILY[ ranteed and iking. OU NOTH EAT DEAL Ie Co.