The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, October 13, 1897, Image 1
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.