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B VOL. ML WINNSBORO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1897. NO. 10. iS . / } Bjh FATE OF A CONVICT, Wgk JfOR TWENTY LONG YEARS HE WAS B?' UNDER GROUND. Strange and Awful Story of a Man Who Was Sent 'o the Siloes When He Was Only Eleven Scars of Age. Ryder Hillard is the Rip Van Win- j " kle of Atlanta, just at present, says L the Journal. After spending twenty two years of his life in prison, eighteen of which was spent under trnnnd. h? h?s mma forth into the Pgunligbt, a middle aged man with werything to learn over again. Eis ft a strange, wierd story, of youthful crime and painful penalty. In the year 1873 he and three other boys were caught in the act of setting fire to a store building and arrested by the police. Hillard was a boy, of 9 -noo-aa 'fVici-i ojid Viio <*nmnfiTiinns were all under 15. The plot had been formed for the older boys to fire the buildf ing while Hillard was to assist in watching an alley. They paid him a few cents to keep guard, but he vras not sharp enough to elude the vigi larce of the police. They stole a march on him, captured him before he could give the alarm, and the * , other three -were caught red handed B in the act of incendiarism. The boys were all bouzd ever to su perior court and sent to jiiJ. The f trials "were put off from time to time ' - so that it was two years before they were carried before court. On trial they were all'convicted and on account of their extreme vouth were ? *? nr:n?J5 ? o OCJuli up iur JU1C. 1111 liiru tvcu IUOU ?* boy of 11 years of age, small for his age and as black as the ace of spades. He had been all his life a street waif i and there was nobody to take any fc particular interest in his welfare. He m was sent to Bade coal mines alonsr with other prisoners, and on account I" of his diminutive size, he was not put to work in the mines, but was given job? about tbe superintendent's house - t- rr i? t >1 _ 1 ior two years, ne aia an sorts 01 chores, looked after his master's horse and made himself quite useful. But all that didn't save him from the inexorable enforcement of the law. When 13 years of age he was sent L down into the mines with his pick v and shovel and set to wnrk- with the r?- - other According to his Htst&zZat he never saw the sunlight for 18 long weary years. He was as W much lost to sieht as if he had been r encased in a coffin, and buried instead of clad in the stripes and confirmed in the bowels of the earth. At first the boy had a hard time of it Being so small the big, rough miners, all under life sentences for various horrible crimes, treated him very badly. P But he kept up a cheerful heart, and f bore all their tyranny in such an un' complaining manner that they became attached to*'thekid" as he became known. Ryder says that twelve tons is the regular task of a miner, and if he is physically able to dig tha^ much he must do so or a whipping awaits him kat the end of the long gloomy day. If o n tt m/Mia fKon 4oclr V| A IS mo ^vm c?ujr luuxg wuau vuo wwa ??v *w gfe pre mised pay at the rate of $1 a ton k exfra for it. Ryder says he strove BLliarci to make his task, and after he Bached the point where he could get R; the regular task, he tried to make HWomething extra, as he had not lost the desire for earning: money. At last one day he managed to take out V 13 tons, and was paid $1 extra. Bat that was tne last time he received any * extra compensation. He found ihat it was the rule that when a convict took out more than the regulation task, his task was raised to that limit without extra compensation, and as MA J "1 'J 1\A 1WAO ?A JLTC uau uuicu uuc ?o iuu& iic f*cw AO quired to take out IS after that as long as he remain in the mines. Ryder says, in his broken lingo, that P the miners were forced to set up and SL get their breakfast at 4 o'clock, and ^ then, since the mine has been extend(f ed so far they were made to march 12 or IS miles along the tunnels said ram ifinations of the mines, and by 5:30 or 6 o'clock they were hard at work, and kept at it until 7 o'clock in the morning. Morning and evening were only ro.uiu.vc terms tu iulclu, lur it* v*aa aiways dark, save wbere the fitful glare of the lanterns glimmered dimly alocg those vast subterranean passages. They only knew that night had come A by the order to knock off, and they Hfr were only advised that another sun B was about to rise upon the bright world outside by the rough command to rise from their couches and get their B breakfast. He says that sometimes in R his dreams at first, he would fancy Pthat he was again playing about the streets and alleys of Atlanta, but when he would awake and feel tha shackles and open his eyes in the dark cavern, he would lie there and cry until it seemed sometimes as if his heart would break. But gradually his impressions of lifsintbe open air became blurred and indistinct, and he lost all count of time. There was no winter nor summer there, and it was about as hot one b time of the year, and about as cold at one season, as it was at another. Fim nally he gre w to be a stout, heavy built j W young fellow, and could take out his j snare 01 coal witn ?s rauca ease as any of the others. Oae oy one his three companions died and pass9d out of the circumscribed sphere of their existence, and at last he felt Jiimself Lall alone in that dark dungeon. Sometimes, he says, there would be a cavein. If the obstruction was not too bad the bosses would set the other convicts at work resurrecting the fctilies of their dead comrades. If the ^ xave-m was a bad one he says that they would sometimes leave the bodies where they lay entombed in these murky recesses. HiliUrd^as such a faithful worker and gave such little trouble that finally he was- recommanded to Governor Atkioson as a fit subject for executive clemency, and his pardon was signed and forwarded to the superintendent. | Hilliard says that his old comrades wept as they bade him good-bye. He i:itu oeen virtually orougai up among them, and they had grown very fond of him in their cheerless and monotonous existence there. At first he could not reaLzs what had happened. Then , it dawned on him that he was free. [His shackles were removed and he could hardly wait to change his stipes for a new suit, for fear that it should turn out to be but a dream after all. At last he was cleaned up and dressed' in a plain suit of clothes and carried outside. His sensation cannot be imagined bv one who has lived all his life la the light of day.. The sunlight was so trying on his eyes, long accustomed to darkness, that he could not see and the glare caused him great pain. It was neces sarj to procure him a pair of dark glasses, and even with these he could cot go abroad in the August sun, for it was during the latter part of August that he was released. He was given transportation to Atlanta, but he had long forgotten ail the usages of outdoor life, aod he was as ignorant as a child of how to conduct himself. Arrive! in the city he asked a policeman the way to Decatur stieet, for that was about the locality he could remember. But when he reached that street he was unable to recognize any of the landmarks. Everything was so changed that he was at a loss. VtA rrrof Kt? O ff-AmOTl I'UJaiijr XXV YY AO avvvvvw vj Ck TT VU^ViU. I who became interested in him, and to ! her he told his story. She took him home with her to her cabin on Butler street, and kept him for a day or tven. Bat he had grown sick at heart. He had not a relative nor friend in the whole wide world, and he did not know how io do anything. At last he mide an effort to get back to the mines, bat was told that he would not be received there as they only worked convicts. His new friend interested herself in him, and finally he secured work ia a coal yard and is now employed there in loading wagons and trucks, his instincts directing inrn to the kind of vocation that came nearest to the employment in which ha had been engaged for 22 years. He was compelled to learn how to talk ordinary street language again, as his dialect was unintelligible when he first left t&e mines. He still has trou ble with his eyes on bright days, and his vision is very dim in the middle of the day, but he is hard at work, quiet and obedient, and his long schooling in the mines has humbled him until there is not a better hand in the yards hp is arrmlntftd. COTTON MARKET COMBINATION. ' Some Words of Wisdom from the State About Them. Complaints come frorr? many towns and cities of the State that combina tions exist in their cotton markets by which the price of the staple is depressed, to the injury at once of the farmers and the merchants. The latter feel as strongly on the suKj jet as the former, for when the raisers of cotton fitid that they cannot get fall prices in such a town they take their cotton, whenever possible, to another where the bidding is free?*nd thus their trade is lost to the community where the offense is given. It is to the interest of everybody except the mills and the cotton buyers that full prices shall be secured. The I xiiguer mo paw iu auj m<u?i xuu more money there is to spend in purchases of goods, and the more cotton is attracted to it; and of course the larger the sales of cotton the larger still the aggregate of purchases. So the farmers and merchants are together in this matter, and it is natural that the latter should resent any combination which may contracfc their | market for selling and baying. That A? "NT C* TXT. IS UIO LO&&VU Uic uigibunuu ui ?un berry have resolvad to put a cotton ! buyer of their o *n in the field, to ensure the farmers against imposition and themselves against loss of trada. It would pay them indeed, to bay cotton at the price for which ihey could sell it, for their profits would accrue on the increased sales of goods. We do not positively know whether the price of cottoz in Columbia is as high as it ought to be, and therefore we make no charges. Bat we do kno^ that the receipts have not increased as they should have doae in conseq uance of the establishment of three cotton 1 < V* j-vtm Avfwa rl a *v? o n ^ LULLLd) >YXIU bUCU CAU? uvlumuu, uu?* we" are sure they would have increased very largely if the scale of prices had increased in conseq lenca of the expected mill competion. We are informed that cotton is being shipped by the thousand bales to Wilmington from a point in this county only a few miles from Columbia. Therefore wa advise our merchants to look into this matter and find out for themselves if anything is wrong in the cotton market here; and if they do find that there is not full competi tior ve suggest the Newbarry plan for _ieir consideration. The prosperity of thecotton mills of Columbia is dear to The State; it has had a good deal to do with their establishment. Bat they can alford to pay as good prices for cotton as any mills in the South. Sj with the cotton buyers unconnected with the local mills. We wish them profi i in their business. Nevertheless, it is to the interest of this community generally that cotton shall sell here at the top 3 iL.l A U ? Ui tue LUiTKOb aua iii^g LUG ictoipia shall be increased. Let the merchants examine into the methods and prices of our cotton market?State. Declines to be Fooled. In response to a telegram from the Journal of Atlanta as to the attitude of tne Cuban j mta towards the new Spanish cabinet, Thomas Estrada Palma, hsad of the Cuban revolutionary bureau, telegraphs that papar as follows: Inasmuch as the Cabins are now more than ever firmly resolved to accept nothing short of absolute independence, the offer of the new i Spanish ministry to grait autonomy can have no effect in terminating the war. We are satisfied that the hour of our complete freedom is at hand, and this offer only confirms us in the hftlief that Snairi Irnows that sha has lost Cuba. We care not whether there is a liberal or a conservative ministry. We did not listen to Caaovas when he offered autonomy; we will not listen to Sagasta. We have constituted ourselves a nation, and will be acknowledged as such by Spain, whether under a liberal or a conservative ministry, or uader a Republican or ma/wyvma rr?a Iot? V>>vtl.LL<aO ICgllUO, UClVJlb nc laj uuuu our arms, We are confident of speedy success. We are fuily prepared for the most aggressiva campaign of the cvar. Spain played her best cards first and lost What Campos and Weyler, with more than forty generals and over 200,000 men, failed to do, no other general can accomplish. I refhct the unanimous opinion of all our generals and our government wheu Ls^y that the only solution is our ihdep^ucfe&ce. (Signed.) Thomas Estrada Palma." Afraid or Boactlon. The New York Pest, the stauachest of Republican journals, warns the Hanna brawlers who are working the prosperity boom so tremendously just now, of the dangers tiiat the boomerang argument may produce next year upon tt>e congressional elections, when with good crops abroad, the prica of wheat declines, wool does not rise ^s it should, and there are strikes and men everywhere out of employment. THE PRICE OF COTTON.' MR A B. SHEPPER30N SUBMITS AN EXPLANATION { Why the Great S tap .e Does Not Keep Company With the Starp Advance In Wheat, Corn. Provisions and Other Commodities, Mr. Alfred B. Shepperson writes as follows, concerning the prices of cotton, in the Textile American* In view of the fact that the supply of cotton in the markets and mills of V,?o fr.y months bsen LUU wyiiu uao I.VA smaller than for several years, many persons have been surprised that the great staole has not kept company with the sharp advance which has occurred in wheat, corn, provisions, etc., or responded to the better feeling and moderate advance in this country in cotton goods. Not only ha3 cotton failed to advance, but since the first Qon*amVw?r' if. has actus'lv de YV Ct/Xk. XU .?? ? ^ v clined in New York li cents a p^und. The situation admits of ready expla nation. From July 1 to September 1, middling cotton has been selling at about 8 cents in New York, rarely fall iog more than 18 of a cent below this price, and going several times 1 4 to 5 16 cents above it. Iq the meantime cotton goods were generally extremely dull and the pricas about as low as ever recorded. Print cloths sold lor weeks at 2 716 3. per yard, with cotton at 8c. per pound, and they sold at the same price and not any lower in March, 1895. when middling cotton sold in New York for 5 9 16 cents per pound, being the lowest prica for near ly fifty years. Between July 1 and September 1, and for some time pre vicus, the price of cotton was considerably above the parity of yarns and goods. Those mills which were under Itt'nfi.anf nr wms and Tin WUKittVH AW* J provided with the cotton from wnic'i to manufacture them were compelled to buy cotton at the relatively high prices, but they did not buy beyond actual requirements.. Many of our mills ran on short time and some of them actually suspended operations because they couad not be kept running: at a profit. Tie cotton crop of 1895 96 was a small one, being only about 7.150,000i)ales, and the crop of J isqk 97 was nnlv a moderate one and! hence without large consumption anywhere. the stocks of cotton in the markets and mills had become by July 1 comparatively s nail, and it was evident that the supplies would grow smaller each week until our new crop began to be marketed. In the meantime, the indications pointed to a considerably larger cotton crop than the previous season and some extravagantly large estimates of its s*z? were quite extensively published. Weather conditions in Texas during August and in " ? J. 1 T otner sections m ospwsmjrr nave caused cotton to mature and open iapidly and hencs the receipts have been very liberal and on a scale which has convinced many persons that the crop will be a very large one. As a matter of fact the September receipts cannot be safely taken as a criterion by which to estimate the extent of a crop, as the September receipts of some of the largest crops have been very moderate. L\rge receipts in Soptember indicate early maturing of crop and only this I * 1_ 1 _ _ ^ m l'ne iavoraoie crop auyuuuus (jrcvwus to September 1 and the liberal receipts since then have ci'issd American and E iropean spinners to buy as sparingly as passible in the hope of low prices j when stocks increased. Tiie course of j the market has j astified tneir expectations. In fact, this was the only outcame of the situation unless some serious disaster to the crop should occur previous to September 10, and none has happened. Cotton was too high for eoods, and as goods could not be forced up to the parity of cotton, the price of the raw material had to decline. The market for spot cctson here during the weekending September 3 was purely artificial. Oa August 30 the price was advanced 3 16 of a cent, while the sales for the day were only 20 bales. The next day there was a decline of 1 4lZ. on sales of 37 bales, and by Sep tember 3 the price had declined 3-8 j additional, making a decline from Tuesday to Friday of 5 8s. per pound. Since then prices have steadily declined, losing 7-8.5. more up to this date (September 23), when middling cotton _ ~ i. r* o i. o 1 A* ClOSwC. at o O i;., agtuuai. o x-?i. uii August 30. While it is true that the visible and invisible supply of CDtton was less at the beginning of the ne w season on the 1st inst.,;than for the past seven years, it is to be noted that the spinners in Europe are> not mere prosperous than they have been in this country. Latest advices fr.nn Manchester are that a reduction in wages of mill operatives or resort to "short hours1' are be "? * 1 - J / Al ing seriously considered mviawoi iae dullness and unprofitableness o' busi ness. Oar mills are fairly well at work now, but there have been no recent advances in goods, and prices are barely maintained. Print cloths are weaker; stocks accumulating. There seems no disposition at the South to hold cotton for Higher pric33, but, on the contrary, the weakness of the market here and in Europe is in no small maasure dua to free offer iocs of cotton by Southern dealers at constantly lower prices. Probably the prevalence ->i yellow fever at Naw Orleans and Mobile, and the possible contingency of the practical closing of these places as cotton markets in the near future, may have been one reason for the free offerings of cotton by Southern dealers, to which I have referred. At '.his particular time there seems to exist an earnest desire on the part of the South to pari with its cotton quickly, and without regard to declining prices, coincident with an indisposition on the part of American and European spinners to buy, except for their immediate wants. Despite; the printing of daily journals all over the country of an unsigned piece of advice to the public, "to buy cotton and hold it; it is the only cheap thing left"?it is evident that the speculative public Has gensraLiy laued. to taice tne advice, and those venturesome people who did buy 4'cotton futures" sold out so quickly upon ev;ry decliae that tneir investments proved a positive -source of weakaess to a market already contending with legitimate causes for depression. Since September 1, my advices indicate that the general condition of the crop has undoubtedly deteriorated and thp mit.lnrslr is fnr a small triaM than seemed, probable at that time. The injury may be exaggeraated, as ail inju ries to a cotton crop usually are, but the occurrence of unusually early frost would uadoubted'y reduce tha yield fa? more than the shedding and [rust, concerning which complaints / / 1 are now being made. Cotton is not dear at present pric?s. It has not been so low since May, 1895, the season of the great depression in cottoa. I think that spinners can now manufacture it at a fair piofit. It may lnmer end thenmsnects for an im &v, mediate improvement are not encour aging, but from its present price it would jump leaps and bounds should unusually early frosts occur. The spinner who buys at present prices and in case of further decline, fellows the market down, will probably not have cause to regret such action, for he vrill have obtained his supplies of a raw material (which loses nothing of I its value bv being kept) at a price far below the average for many years. Those who wait for lower prices in their anxiety to secure their cotton at the very "bottom" may find their plans upset by sudden and severe frosts and be compelled to pay well for their cotton?and experience. The ? * J T t.? crop is lar irom cemg secureu. xus extent aad its quality will largely depend upon the weather during the next six or seven weeks. Frosts will reduce the yield and frosts and rain will in j are the qaality. The present receipts are excellent, both as to quality and staple, and spinners need not be afraid to buy it and put it away, for there are far worse investments than * - J _i._ ? actual cottcn or gooa graae ana siapi.3 jat present prices. Those who entertain the idea that cotton will fall to the low prices of the season of 1891 95 are hugging a vain delusion. Tho conditions are essentially different, and I never expect again to see middling: cotton sell in New York for 5 916c., which was the prise in November, 1891, and in March, 1895. It is Wsjll to remember that in April, 1895, it had advaneed nearly 112 cents, and in May advanced 3 8 cents more, making an advance of nearly 2 cents in two months. - ; Exactly this stite or tilings may occur again if prices are forced too low during tne present depression. Dispensary Figures. Commissioner Vance takes issue with the assertion ia the State Thurs day morning that 4,the surpius in the dispensary's treasury is made up of unsold whiskey" and the b*nk books of the institution show that statement is incorrect. 01 course, a large part of the dispensary's assets is represented by the stock on hand, bat it is by no means suffering from a lack of cash. On the 30:h of September, tie dispensary nad to its credit in cold cisn. in state treasury the comfortable sum of $69,873.21, while it also had on deposit on that date in the Carolina National ' t~\ < :-.-,1 DiUK x/naug lug jui.au cu. dajs of October, there was paid into the dispensary $18,107.17. Tnese cash assets make a total of $89,531.81 Since the 30sh of Septembar the dispensary has paid out $33,000 in round h *urds, which ridicules the $8,500.43 it has turned over to the state treasury to finAnciailv Dav uo the accured profits which went to the credit of the general fund of the state treasury at the time the legislature declared the profits of the dispensary afterward earned should be devoted to educational purposes. Tnat sho W3 that the dispensary still has on hiad as a cash balaace the tidy amount of ?56,531 83. Ail the liquor bought by the state bo&rU of control has been paid for,- except ?~ tn?aa navlnaHs arhlf?h hflw not bWU U1 bJLUWU Vi?AAVMMW || MftVM . yet been received. Commissioner Vance says tiie cash balance on hand is sufficient to pay for tnose two or three carloads aad all tne liquor wnich tae state bjarl will buy at itus meeting. Hd says the cash receipts of the dispansary last week were $22,000 and that they will at least reacn that su;n this week. He laughs at the gloomy predictions of tne ritate as to the financial future of the dispensary. He says the editor of Tae State nas a Derfect rieht to indulge in such speculations if he wants to, but t?>at trie outcome will prove the editor o. Toe State was incorrect in those speculations, lor the dispensary will continue to make money.?Record. Dlahon'Bt BAnk OfQsar. " . William E. Breese, president, W. PT Pnonlonrl /?aQhioi? qyiH _T f! inson, a director, of the defunct First National Bank of Ash9ville, N. C., were arrested there Thursday morning on indictments from the United States court in session at Greensboro charging them with embezzlement and conspiracy. Thirty thousand dollars bail was required in each case, which was given. They have all been under five thousand dollars bonds since July 31 for violating the national banking act. Since then National Bank Examiner Maxey has bsenin'Ashville and has made some startling discoveries. One of these discoveries is alleged to be the fact that $350,000 of "accommodation notes," singed by insolvent persons and filled out by the officials, and some forged papers, are in the bank. Some of the insolvent nntos Vtaii Viaon voHic/?rmntWl in nthfiP banks. C. B. Leonard, the man who ia supposed to nave secured the note signers, comprising jinitors, street car motormen, plasterers, carpenters and others of no financial standing, has fled to Mexico. ;A Most Revoltiog Crlms. An angry crowd gathered about the court house and jail in "export, Ky., Thursday, upon the announcement of a shocking assault by eleven men upon the young wife of a switchman recent ? ? rr?._ _ :rc ly married, xue saerin was uungcu to clear the corridors, and threats of vengeance were mads. Thomas Gleason and his wife started out the Alexander pike to visit a friend Wednesday night, when two man with revolvers, and representing themselves to be officers, separated husband and wife and dragged the shrieking woman into a field, where eleven men Viah TUa wAnft 1 r-rr frv>? fViic >igi. JLJLXN? U^U.C*IUjr lUl HU1W crim9 in Kentucky i3 death. The men were given a preliminary hearing before Judge Bennett, who held ten of them for the grand jury without bail. The elevanth has not yet been identified. 0 wing to the excited state of feeling and the insecurity .of the Newport jail, the men were ordered to be taken to Mayesville for safe keeping. Carious Accident. A rtimiAllfl AAAl^Anf A/l/ill I rcttucr UUI iUUO auoiucuu va^vuuwm Tuesday morning at about S o'clock at the South Carolina and Georgia railroad company's yards in Charleston in which two colored men were nearly drowned. A large wooden water tank used by the road, suddenly burst into a hundred pieces, submerging two colored men. Jrznes Smtils and John Benson. The t^o men were seated beneath the tank when the crash came and in an instant they were thrown to t'n? cr^ntinfi bv a dei^e of water and splintered timber. A patrol wagon removed them to the Infirmary where they were soon revived. ONLY TRUE DEMOCRACY - *'jS *? IS THAT WHICH ADHERES- TO THE CHICAGO PLATFORM. Henry George Accepts tn? i>emocratic Kcmlnatlon for Mayor oi Greater Sew Yoik at a Monster Demonstration Held lc His House. Henry George accepted the Democratic nomination for znavor of Greater New York at Copper Union Tuesday night. It was in the same hall and before many of the same people that he accepted the nomination eleven years ago. In 1896 he received 68, 000 votes. The gathering was the greatest outpouring of the people seen in New York during the present campaign. The doors were opened at 7:15, and in less than two minutes every seat in the big hall was occupied and the aisles as far as the police permitted were crowded. Hun dreds were turned away during the next fifteen minutes, ami by 8 o'clock several thousand, unable to gain admissaion assembled outside and held open air meetings in the plaza, which were addressed by local speakers. Henry George's app jaranco before the meeting was the signal for an outburst of cheeriogr that lasted three minutes. Jerome O'JSMil of the Central Labor Union presided. In his address the chairman mentioned the Chicago platform, whereupon the entire audience rose to its feet as one man, hats and - J ! L * ^ J i.1 " - nanasercmeis were wavea 111 me air and the cheering continuei for several minutes. The secretary then read the following-telegram from C. A. Walsh, secretary of the national committee and members of tne committee from Iowa. ''There is no democracy save the democracy of the Chicago platform. The local organization that refuses to recognize majority rule as binding on the democrats of this country cannot be the regular democratic organization. Whoaver his the charge and keeping of the principles of the Chicago platform is and must of necessity be tbe regular democracy. In New York city that clarge seems to rest -with the organization supporting Henry Giorge, and as I see the situation at this distance, were I in New York 1 should vote and work for his election. A telegram was also read from Senator B3dj'. R. Tillman, encouraging the movement for the election of Henry George, and promising that he would work and vote for the recognition of the organization in the national commmittee. Charles O'Connor Hennessey, in making trie nomination 01 Mr. worge, said simply: "I have no speech to make, bat I nominate for mayor of the Greater New York Henry George." This was followed by a frantic outburst of cheering, and the nomination wa3 made by acclamation. William M. Speer then moved that an executive committee of five be appointed by the chair, with power to add to their number, to select the re maining candidates on the ticket and to carry on the campaign. t The only restriction placed upon trie caatrman in the naming o( the ^committee was that the name3 should be 'acceptable' to Mr. George. Tae resolution was adopted. The platform ha3 the following to say in regard to th9 national platform: "We, democrats of Greater New York, in mass meeting assembled, do reaffirm our adherence to the creed of aa-m att oaf ^A?fn iv?0 rvl U^iU /ULaUJ <*0 OCb 1KJA, iiU ALL bUU *V*UJ adopted by the national convention of the democratic party in Chicago, July 9,1S96. We declare our allegiance to the principles enunciated in that d)cument, pronouncing them the formal expression of the spirit cf true demcc racy; and we point in corroboration of this belie! to the fact that the mere promulgation of the doctrines drove from the democratic party those who for corrupt, mercenary or ambitious ends had striven to make it more of a menace to the rights and liberties of the people than the defender." Tt. Hpr>l?r3s thArft is no regular demo cratic candidate for mayor except Henry George, and ''sends greetings to the gallant leader of the democratic party, William Jennings Bryan." Continuing, it says: "We declare the true purpose of government to be the maintenanca of that sacred right of property which gives to every one opportunity to employ his labor and security that he shall en j oj its fruits; to prevent me strong iroui upprcsamg the weak and the unscrupulous from robbing the honest; and to do for the equal benefit of all such things as can be better done by organized society than by individuals; and we aim at the abolition of all laws which give to any class of citizens advantages, either judicial, financial, industrial or political, that are not equally shared by all others." Municipal ownership of city railways, gas and electric lighting plants, ferries, telephones ani telegraphs is favored. The platform demands: the compulsorv reduction of the pnea of gas" to $1 or les3 par 1,000 feet and of street car fares to "ajast and reasonable point." The plau'orm hints at the single tax by declaring "the resumption of diverted wealth, through wise, equitable and scientific taxation." The platform demands the repeal of the Raines excise law, and continues: "Deploring with full hearts the massacre at Hazelton, Pa , of a score of workingmen who were shot down for eirtirrMsinor t.hfiiv natural ri?ht to use the public highways for an orderly procession, we call the attention of the people of New York to the fact that the execrable perversion of law by which that bloody deed was given a hollow semblance of legality exists equally in this city. "We denouncelhe interference with the people's rights by the mandatory i order of a court, issued after an exparte .bearing, and the disregard of | which results in the denial to the citiI Z9n who has asserted his historic rights opportunity to detena mmseii Dsrore a jury of nis peers. Whether exercised by a federal or a state court, government by injunction is hateful, unAmerican and in flagrant violation of the principles of individual liberty which our forefathers de.'-ended. "We declare that this mass meeting was made necessary by the denial to tha -people of the right of self-government by men who, having seized the msjfhinprv of the Democratic nartv or ganization, believed themselves able to dictate to the citizens of Greater New York not only their rulers but the very political question with which they may occupy theii thoughts. We are here to demonstrate that what Democrats shall or shall not think ana speak | of is not to be determined on the Eag- j J lish race tracks nor in secret conclaves j of self-cor stituted bosses.5' It js said that Henry George vrrote! s the platform. While all this vrork was going en, \ lar. George was still absent form the hall. When he entered, accompanied c by Tom L Johnson, the sudience again arose, with more fervor than be- f fore, if that were possible, and for i several minutes there whs a wild hur- J s ricane of cheering. A. B. Cruikshank i ? of the United Democracy, then form- t ally tendered the nomination on be | f half of his organization to Mr. George, c Char]*? Frederick Adams, on behalf s of the D -ruonratic Alliance, then of e fered to Mr. G^or^e the nomination of t the organization, which he repre- \ sented. s James T. Garvey, of the people's f party, and John H- Crosby, of the j Manhattan Single Tax Club, also no '( tified Mr. Gaorge of his nomination by < their resnecH vfirmyaiiizitions. t The rising of Mr. George was the i signal for another outburst of cheer- t ing. t Mr. Georso said: ( "Felloe D 'raocrats, men who voted i last year for William Jenninss Bryan: s I accept your nomination. From now t until election closes, I am yours. Aye, i and after elec'ion, too. I am a Demo- i t /tii J i : V ursi. ^ uuunutsr'ius appmuse iuiu wr-ica *, of "Not of the Hill stripe.") i "l cannot divide into parts the ques t tions which I as a citizen have to deal i with. For the same reason that I op 1 pose this monstrous tariff in all its c forms, for the same reason that I c would vote wherever I could for the i utter abolition of that tariff, for that j same reason I am opposed to the in- c terference with individual liberty s which you see here in New York. I } am a democrat 111 me J enersoman sense, because I believe in the principles and stand for the philosophy of Thomas Jeffsrson. ''It was for that I voted at the last election. Because the Chicago platform represented the idea of giving to the great common people what belongs to them, that I stood for it, voted for it and was sorrier than I was ever before when it was defeated." Mr. George then declared that he had not sought the nomination; that it was repugnant to him; but he accepted it for the cause of Democracy. Mr. George spoke for 25 minutes. Immediately aCter the conclusion of his speech the meeting wa3 declared adjourned, ATTft* J< ji.auyuj.buo auuicuus uimucu uy cj c the press tables to the platform and t took turns in shaking the hand of Mr. i George. i t Coal Mine Calamity. t A heavy explosion of gas occurred i in No. 2 slope of the Parish Coal company at Plymouth Wednesday after- 1 noon, by which three men lost their i lives. The names of the victims are: c t tctj 1_ ; j on ? lSittiU JCiJ.UlUaUS, LLUUS.7, ageu. UJ, YY1U ower; GhorgeEldy, driver, aged 22, i single; Louis JRic hards, driver boss, i aged 32, married, wife aud two chii- i dren. The force of the explosion was s felt on the surface aud a rescuing par- ? ty was at once sent into the mine, but x tUey worked under great difficulties, I as the practice work was down aud s the ventilation poor. The place where I the men were at work was reached c aiboutr5 o'clock and their bodies taken i out. The body of Edmunds was badly i burned. He evidently received the ? ^<*11 f av<\]A?iAn H Ja f nrrt r J. U.1J. SJL bug JU4J UTT W companions had started to make their } escape when they were overcome by i the lire-damp. The cause of th9 acci- i dent i3 as yet a mystery. One theory is i that ths man came unexpectedly upon s a pocket of gas and set it on fire with \ their lamps. Another is that some t body carelessly lefc a door open which j sent the gas in large volumes into the < r+V?a non Tat ? YJ UV1U UUV UiVU II WAV MV TT v* I tie company officials will maka a < thorough, investigation. About forty I men were at work in the lower lifts I of the mine when the explosion oc- < curred. They all reached the surface, i though some of them had narrow es- J capss from the after-damp. < Seven Girls Burnt to Daath. ( One of the worst disasters that svar ' happeaed in South Dakota was the j burning of the girl's dormitory of the < State Industrial School at Piankinton, j in which seven girls lost their lives, j The burned structure was of wood, j three stories high, and was but recent- ; ly completed. The origin of the fire j is unknown. The watchman saw the ] flames bursting from the upper win- < dows while he was in a building some | distance away. There was no fire j fighting apparatus at the school, and ] the building being over a mile from j town, no aid could be rendered. In a | +ir?-io tViQ ontiyo onn?>Y was ftnvAl- , OilUA b HU..V, ?UU J oped in flames, and in less than twen- j ty minutes from the time the fire was , seen the building was destroyed. Nothing whatever was saved. There j were about treaty-five other persons , in school who essaped in their night ( clothes with the greatest difficulty. | Search for the bodies was commenced ] as soon as possible, and late Thursday afternoon all had been recovered and were immediately buried. Each was burned beyond recognition. The loss ( on the building is $25,000. ( 2?ew Building Blown Dowj. Two men are dead and ten injured as the result of the blowing: down of a bis: new hotel at Lindsay Park, Mich., , Wednesday afternoon. The structure ' had bsen all enclosed and partly ; plastered. About 40 men were at work j in and around the bailding when the crash came. All were buried in the ruins. After the rescues were com- ' pitted it was found that but two had , lost tneir lives?jfieree i^enaan 01 Charleyoix and an unknown, who is j still in the rains. The building was ' 440 feet long and the south end began to sway, the roof seemed to lift, and : j the whole immense structure careen- , ed and crashed, tin ruin following like a tidal wave to tin north end. It is asserted that she building was not properly braced, and workmen blame Charxes Hoeriz, the supervising carpenter, who is now out of town. The building is a total wreck and the loss will be many thousand of dollars. Be Er-joyed JUatrimony. Dr. William Six plead guilty Tuesday afternoon in the Sangamon circuit court at Spring field, IU., to the charge o:: bigamy and was given an indefinite sentence under the new law in Chester penitentiary. The com piamt wjls maae dy j ames jaorung, brother of Miss Katie Horung, of Berry, Ills., his iatest victim, whom, iie married last spring when he had 10 other undivorced wives living in various cities in Indiana, Missouri, Kan?-?oc oviH 'T'ovq c \ficc T-7rv. VAIOJU. yiliA n^A.4 Jrn \s > >?.?> MMW MV I rung, witii an unaccountable infatuation, stuck to 3ix to the last He is a veterinary surgeon, about 40 yearoj old and fairly good looking. THE CYLINDRICAL SALE SCfi Rr. j iam9 Very 3?nslbls Comments on It by the! Columbia State. | ' The INew Ufieans Times uemGcrat! >f recent date says. j The cylindrical ba'e of cotton -wasj3 m exhibition again all day yesterday J n the office of Mr. Parker, on Perdicoi' treet. The bale was examined by a rreat many people in the cily. It got he marble heart. There were cotton actors, merchants, steamship men, < :3tton press men, cotton mill men, 5 crewmeu, stevedores and maay oih- { interested in cotton who went in * here to inspect it, acd of the 500 peo- ' )le, at lez^st, whom M.r. Parker says ^ aw the cotton, not one of them in his ( >resence gave it a favorable opinion. Pne suggestion of this kind of cotton k jale takingthe place of the square has, ( >f course, "created a great deal of in- ; erest among local cotton people. If t ever becomes the style in tnis sec- ion of the country, as one of the cot- 1 on men said yesierday, it will not , \nlir nr. <. jt itr TClI'h } i fflA.tn- . ies, locil buyers, local compresses md scresrmen, 'out will close up all ,ne counu-y compresses, obviate the ! leeessity of having country buyers? 1 q feet, revolutionize the whole coltoa * )usiness and para)yz3 those brancaes 1 ndicated above. It is proposed that he backers aud promoters of the j ound bile buy tieir cotton direct t ;rom the consumer in the field; thus * ioiug away with ail middlemen. The : :otton men here say that the system vould result eventually in the "trust 3 >eople dictating terms to the producers ;f cotton. They might give probably i befter price than any one eisa for a , 7ear or two, but as soon as they got * :ontrol of the staple they would dieate price and terms to the farmer. ; sir. Yincint of the firm of Vincent & ; 2ayne, who was present, said that the . .A^.%f thot* f\T r>ntTnr\ nolino1 vould throw out or business all the 500 compresses of the south, and vould mean a revolution?not only a evolution in a busiaess sense, bat one n which the people of the country vould rise up iu arms against the ;iosing up of a Dosiness that now gives imployment to so many woiking dso>ie. The bale is not well pressed? lothing like the square bale, if ' id opted, it would do away with the " :ompress, the cotton factors, sere wmen, 1 !tc. The cotton men have not made , iny plans yet for a concerted action igainst the invader of the South'sgreat:st, interest but will do so. There 5 s plenty of time, tney say, bas somahing must and shall be don9 to avert 1 he threatened ruin to Southern plant- 3 J il 1^ s trs anu LUC pe'jpj.c wiiU9; uirorcou dentical with mem. 4*We do not know," says the Co- 1 umbia State, "that there would b3 , nuch lamentation by the producers of ' :oiton if the middlemen generally ' vera done away with. The staple has J las been made to support a great nany more people than it ought to * lave supported. It has been } lampled, and weighed, and bought, " md sold, and resampled, and esold, and resampled, and ex- f >orted, and resampled, and rebought ? md finally manufactured. Too many >eoDle have been making a living out , >f cotton, and the producer has had to )aj them All. Ifhecould s8ii direct o the consumer without deduction, , ictual or conventional, he would be nore likely to get the real value of his / >roduct. Large interests have grown ip about the handling of cotton, and , t would ba unpleasaut?and doubtless , c j irious to many people?to have the J mocession of middlemen done away ! vith; but, after all, that is the way of ' .4 1 J * 5 I lie wunu. *r iicio a {Jiui/ijo 10 C-Vjensive, invention gets to work to re- ( luce the cost, ana tne cylindrical bale machinery is as natural a sequencs of expensive and wasteful methods as the ( .ypesetting machine is. Six cents cot- * ;on cannot pay the toils that 12 cents jotion paid. Something must give way, ( somebody must go 10 the wall?the ( farmer or middleman. If the farmer ioes, there is no crop; so he is a neces- sity, he must stay. Tne iogic of cir jumstances forces the middleman out. < I?he cotton factor has already gone, ] in this pari of the country at least. * ^iher middleman between the grower md the -manufacturer must go, as the bringing of the mills to the cotton tes- J iifias. Tne foreign consumer must.roll ' all his middleman into one in order to meet on fairly equal terms the manu- j facturer on-tne-spot. The American Dotton company, with its cylindrical Dale, constitutes the middleman-rolled into one. It is a necessary develop- j inent of the times. The oniv question is whether this company, witu its su- j perior methods of packing, and its < readiness to pay mgner prices inan . i.he ordinary buyer offers, is likely to ; monopoliz j the cotton purchasing business and thereby control the price of the staple to the detriment of the proiucer. So far as Soulh Carolina is concerned, this is impossible. Half 1 the cotton crop of the State is bought by State mill?. This cotton does not need to be jacked in any special way. ; [t is manufactured in the same neigh 4m vsrlti/fth if ic? rtHAnrn an/3 yvnw. f UvllIUUU m nuiuu. X** givr? JUMUU jk/4l" * chased. There can be no such monopoly as would enable any one company, < however great, to dictate the price < here. Should the American Cotton company be the only outside buyer it would nave in the purchasing field against it some 75 South Carolina 1 mills. Whatever many bs the case in Texas and Louisiana, we in South Carolina are secure from oppression. So far from depressing the price 1 of cotton the establishment of the agencie cf American Cotton company would probabJy raise it in this State. As to other 1 States less favorably situated this may : be said: They can secure competition and competitive prices by inventing machinery which will rival that of the American Cotton company. We do not know what the patents are on the machinery for producing the Biss onette bale; but we are pretty sure that Yankee if not southern genius could circumvent them. If the round bale should come to have a monopoly somebody would bring out an octagonal or sexagonal bale, wound by Drocass somewhat different from the other, and thus would enter the field. No such rich thing as the round bale is alleged to be can long remain without competition. The demand must bring the supply. And when there is competition there wiil be full prices for cotton." MftrHftH In Fanr MiniltCS. A wedding at Wellington, Kai., recently broke all records in that state. Enoch Coles ot Perth, Kan., and Mrs. Mary Renfrew met in the morning through the agency of a friend, to whom Mr. Coles had intimated that he was locking for a wife, and they agreed in four minutes to marry. He is 72 and the bride 74. , PRINCE OF SWINDLERS. C! 3EAT PEOPLE OUT OF $400,000 IN \ LAST FOUR YEARS. c ws ?orger, Worthless Check Utterer and po > gus Dealer In lionde and Stocks?Henry Clews and John WaisamAker Among Els Victims?Some of his Transactions. The police say that Ammet C. Gibson, also known as George A. Sherilan, who was arrested ia New York Chursday and is now a prisoner at police headquarters, is the most accomplished bogus check and? hotel swiniler in the country. Gibson, according to the police, has rucceeded, by means of foreery, bogus ;hecks and dealings in stock and bonds md playing his wiles upon first-class lotel keepers, during the last four ?ears, in getting and spending in the leighborhood of $400,000. Among his victims, according to ?oJise Captain MeCluskey, are Henry 31ews and John Wanamaker. Thft nnliffl' hp?or? /trim. faints from different firstclass hotels a this city for many days back. Bo;u3 checks were laid down by Gibson a payment of board bills. The checks * ere honored in almost every case, iheir worthiessness only coming io ight when he had made himself scare. Complaints reached headquar;ers from, the police of cities both in ;he east and the west, and the police recognized Gibson's handiwork. Detectives were put on the Clews jise and they located Gibson at the Sctel Bartholdi. They did not find lim in when they went to the hotel VTa twtoo jr vwi vccv jr wag uu n?w^ lowever, found in the Grand hotel, rhe detectives saw a tall, slim, sharp* featured man, with blue eyes, a hie a forehead and blonde whiskers. He ?ras well dressed and very cool when ;he officers invited him to take a stroll a police headquarters, protesting that ;he police had made a mistake. At police heidqiarters he described limself as Emmes C- Gibson, unmarried, 39 years old, of the Bartholdi lotel, and a native of this country. CJ/\ Via trrrtj VTi/ta Avif fllA ULC OA U. .LLC YY AO ViUO piCOIU-ClXy SJL ItUV ^kron Street Riilway company of Akron, 0., a lawyer and one a upon a ;ime j udge in an Ohio to wn. Tiae specific complaint entered on ;he blotter against hfm was made by ;he auditor of the Imperial hotel. He illeges that Gibson was a guest at the lotel on August 6 of last year, and presented a worthless check for $620 in payment of a $265 board bill. Gibson "put down" the check and went iway with the balance in cash. He eras seen no more at the Imperial. . ''Gibson had an office in the Mills tmldincr tint lnn<r Raid rjantain ileCluskey. It was handsomely appointed. He talked about Ma connection with the Akron Street Railway company as a winning card to gain sonfidence. He won over even Mr. lenry Clews. In fact, his office was iextto Mr. Clew's. When he had vorked himself into Mr. Clew's good ?i graces, he calmly laid down with him i check for $1,000. Mr. Clews cashed t, only to discover how worthless it wan; bat Gibson had gone. A padlock vas put on his office door. '.'Gibson, mat Mr. Wanamaker in Philadelphia some time ago. 'and the - ' i iry goods man was attracted by him. jibson suggested a paper to be started ~ tad run by him in the interest of Mr. SVanamaker's store. 'Good idea,' Sir. Wanamaker said to Gibson, and a plant was purchased. The next thing Sir. Wanamaker knew, Gibson haa sold the plant for several thousand lollars and Philadelphia has not mown, him since, so far as I know. "T ho-era nrtt. tpc ovif. a HpfinitA idftft )f the amount of Gibson's swindles. I itn told that they will foot up more ;han.$400,000 in fours years, and he operated in both the east and west. "Among the hotels here at which Gibson stopped and presented his bo erus checks were the Netherlands, the Fifth Avenue and the Imperial. He beat the hotel Netherlands cut of an &80 board billon July 24 last He stopped one day at the Fifth avenue " * md a check was cashed for him. When he paid his bill he managed to *et a $9 rebate, and the Fifth avenue jaw him no more." Captain McCluskey enumerates imong the hotels which have suffered :"">m nafMnaw thft PArkap Eouse, Boston; the Hollenden, Cleve- ' land; The Stratford, Philadelphia; the Bristol Inn., Akron, 0., and the Cadilac and the Lincoln, Pittsburg. A wido w in Cleveland is said to have been defrauded out of $6,000 by Gibson. Among the papers found on him were papers instituted against him by thr German American Bank of Pitts burg. The Cab an Heroine Escapes. The baautiful young Cuban patriot, Sencrita Erangelina Cossio Cisneroe, heoriae of the sensational advent are with the Spanish governor of the Isle of Pines, has escaped from theCasa de Racogidas (house of scrapings), where she had been confined for several months on a charge of conspiracy against the crown of Spain and of an attempt upon the life of Governor Bsrez, governor of the Isle of Pines. According to the statements of the '? -l- J nuers or auenaaois, sue rnauo nor escape some time Wednesday night. At Thursday morning's roll call she was missing and when search was made for her the attendants found that one of the iron bars in the room in which she had been confined had been filed and bent outward. The bar could not have been moved exceDt bv a creat outlay of strength, ana all the circumstances go to prove the co operation of outsiders in her escape. The authorities have not yet secured any clue as to the whereabouts of Senorita Evangelina. Several of the employes of the estabishmeat have been arrested. A Kiss Causes a Strike. Because he kissed one of the fair English lassies employed in the dust ing department of l^e New Castie, Pa., tin plate works, Richard Kissinger was discharged. He is a member of the Patent Machine Tinners' Union, which is affiliated with the Federation of Labor. Stealing a kiss was not sufficient excuse. foV di<w*h?r<rino> a wnrlr man, the officials of the union said, and they demanded Kissinger's reinstatement. This was refused and a strike was ordered. About 200 men and boys are out The company does not claim the girl objected to the kissicg. Kissinger says the superintendent of the mili wapted to get rid of him and took this means of doinar it. The girl says he did net kiss her, but , even if he did, she said, the offense \ j was not serious enough to cause a sua- _ \ \ pension of work. Ihe strikers say \ they will not return until Kissinger is reinstated.