v-'
. VOL LIV: WINNSBORO. S, C., WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 16, 1899. NO. 1
1 -?-^r,AnTH.TAVI< T ATT ? T\ 1 AT rp T \T 17 Ti i TOri\
Severe hurricane
k Millions in Property and Hundred;
IS of Lives Lost.
PORTO RICO SUFFERS MOST
H fc Number of Towns Wrecket
H ^American Soldiers Killed.
Other Islands Suffer
|f Severely.
H dispatch from San Juan, Port*
8 Mko, says a hnrricance broke over th<
Isouth coast of Porto Kico on Tuesday
Bnorning and swept northeast. Ther<
Has no abatement for nine hours, th<
8 ^katest damage being done between $
10 o'clock a. m.
BHBkt San Juan four natives wer<
9 wned in the harbor. eighty house;
9 B demolished and hundreds were un
H Bred. T! mage to property is es
9 Bated at ,000; commissary store:
Kthe value of $50,000 were destroyed
H bA dispatch by cable from Ponce sayKe
town was almost destroyed. AI
? l
rmost all the frame buildings are down
the bridge is swept away, and there i:
. no communication between the port anc
the city proper. The damage to th<
j port is estimated at $250,000. Two na
j tives are known to have been drowned
The records and property of the custou
house are ruined, and all the vessel:
are ashore.
At Albenito very Jattle remainstanding
except the cathedral and the
barracks. Four natives perished anc
^ * three United States soldiers werebadlv
injured. As the town is without food
government relief hr,s been dispatchec
thither. Elcayey was levelled to th<
ground. 200 houses being demolished
! Two United States soldiers were in
jured there and many cavalry horse:
killed.
At Oatano the entire plant of th<
I Standard Oil company was ruined. Th<
loss on the property is $200,000. A
Bayamon a majority of the houses wer<
destroyed and the rest were flooded
Two hundred cattle were killed, and th<
^ railway seriously damaged. The villag<
of Carolina was literally razed. At Ca
gas four persons were killed.
A courier who has just arrived fron
Humaco, capital of the province o:
that name, on the eastern coast of th<
i island, reports awful destruction there
The loss of property is estimated ai
$500,000, but this is the least item ii
' the disaster. The courier brought.ai
official report from Capt. Eben Swift o:
Fifth United States cavalry, who says
"Humaco was totally destroyed by th<
hurricane. Forty-sis bodies have beei
f ' recovered, and there are many more ir
1 - 3-1-? - -rvfj-rrrtt^c r>? T" TAnn (
ft il6 ueon.^ JLJi^Uli V4 **vv^ V
V injured; two fatally. Sergt. King o
I the Eleventh infantry was injured
North, a discharged private, is missing
ft At the port of Humaco IS bodies hav<
jni been recovered. Eight hundred peo?I<
S are starving here."
- Three persons were killed at Las Pie
H&as and five at Junco. Couriers fron
^^^he other districts are anxiously expect
r' ed at the palace. The steamer Slocum
ft Capt. Thomas, en route from Mayague;
r to San Juan, was caught in the storm
i but her passengers and crew wer<
f saved through the heroism of Mr. Sin
-C?TVia onffpp fTfm i<
f iiiSL Ulli^CA. JLUV. W-WN, v _.
rained, and the loss will reach millions
Very great injury has been done als<
to the orange crop, ^'o definite returns
' have yet bet:n received from the south
era section of the island apart froa
Ponce. It is certain, however, that th<
food supplies in the stricken districthave
been destroyed and in these quar
ters the quantity of government store:
on hand is small. Relief wagons wil
be sent out in various directions. Gen
Geo. W. Davis, the governor gene al
has cabled to the war department ai
1 r ? ?
appear iur itssisuiu^c.
HELP NEEDED.
The secretary of war Thursday re
ceived the following report from Gen
Davis, commanding at Puerto Rico, 01
the cyclone of last Tuesday:
San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 9.
Hurricane of extreme violence passec
over Puerto Rico yesterday. The prin
cipal military loss at San Juan one tern
poiary company barrack wholly de
stroyed, some quartermaster property
i damaged. No personal injuries yet re
V ported, but all wires are down. No in
fn oViinninc lipri? s&Vfi two Smal
JU-J.J w 5
local schooners sunk, tvro sailor:
drowned. San Juan lights temporarily
disabled. Cable reports from Ponce
say all shipping is ashore. Custon
house here badly damaged and good:
stored therein. Messengers from t^<
I interior posts tell of barracks unroofec
?^and personal and public property dam
^ aged. The losses by the inhabitants i:
very great and extreme suffering mus
result. The last hurricane as s<;vere a:
this was in 1S7G, owing to loss o:
houses, fruit and provision there wa:
^ a famine. I would suggest public no
tice in the United States to the effec
i that contributions of food, clothing anc
money for the destitute will be receive<
[ with the greatest gratitude and will b<
' applied strictly to relief of destitute
Have appointed a board to supervisi
destitution. There are many thousand:
of families who are entirely homeles:
' and very great distress must follow
Davis, Commanding.
31 ANY T.IVES LOST.
The governor of the Leeward islands
Sir Francis Fleming, confirms the dis
patch from St. Thomas, Danish Wcs
Bftfelndies, to the Associated Press an
- ^ j
_j^^ruouncing tne ue\u^L<n.ivu vauo^u. uj *,u<
| hurricane at the island of Montserrat
says 74 deaths are already known. IL
adds that 21 persons were killed at th<
^ a n VorK
^ The hurricane was not so severe a
Antigua. One death is reported there
but many persons have been rendere<
homeless. The other presidencies o
the Leeward islands have not reporte*
the damage done.
As later advices come in from Mont
serrat, it is seen that the first report
conveyed only a faiat idea of the suffer
ings of the people and their deplorabL
condition. The administration appeal
for help.
In the Island of St. Croix, the larges
of the Virgin islands, the destructioi
was appalling. It was chiefly wrough
at the west end, where the smalle
houses are a tangled mass of wreckage
Thirty persons were killed and the in
habitants arc in great distress.
1 RELIEF FOR THE SUFFERERS.
' The war department at Washington
Friday took prompt measures for the
relief of the hurricane sufferers in Puerto
' Kico. When press dispatches and Geo.
Davis' advices made known the extent
of the disaster steps were immediately
taken to s*end supplies, and the trans
x "\T ~ T>L nrnd TM1 f in
pOrt xUCT XICl&ULL V> UD |/mv A** i
readiness to sail from New York Monday.
She wiil*carry rations and other
j necessaries. Secretary of War Koot
Friday afternoon sent an appeal to the
mayors of all cities of more than 150. 000
population asking them 10 call
upon the public spirited and humane
people of their city for supplies of food.
In the absence of any appropriation the
department must rely upon private con>
tributions, and it is expected that the
j appeal of Secretary lloot will meet with
, a prompt and liberal response.
^ WORSE AND "WORSE.
A dispatch from Ponce says: A hur2
ricane struck here at S o'clock Tuesday
> morning \nd lasted until 3 p. m. The
rivers overflowed, flooding the town.
? It is estimated that 200 persons were
> mi A J ?
3 drowned, me tcwu auu pun. ait" luiai |
- wrecks. It is believed the damage done
- will amount to over $500,000. No
5 news has been received from the inte.
rior since the storm broke.
s The island of Montserrat, D. W. I.,
- was complete!}- devastated by a hurri,
cane Monday. All the churches, es>
tates and villages were destroyed and
1 nearly 100 jersons were killed. In adi
ditii-i- many were injured and rendered
- hoiiidvss, and'terrible distress exists
. amt-nsr the sufferers.
1" DEVASTATION IN GT7ADAL0UPE.
5
; Villages in Suins^'and Valuable Crops
r Completely Destroyed.
| _ A dispatch from Fort de Franco,
4 Martonique, says the authorities of tha
Island of Guadaloupe are still without
' news from the interior owing to the in,
terruption of telegraph communication
5 as a result of the recent hurricane. But
4 other advices which have reached La
I Point-A-Pitre say the coffee and cocoa
? crops have been nearly totally destroy>
ed. At La Pointe A-Pitre seven persons
were injured and at Moule the damncrp
was considerable and several
I persons were killed and wounded, At
Petit canal and Port Louis several persons
were killed and a number injured,
j The villages of Grippen and Lamentin
j? have been entirely destroyed and the
> light-houses of Monroux and Fosciiloz
have been overturned.
't The town of St. Louis de Mane Gaj
lante has suffered considerably,
j Gov. Morachini arrived at Point-Ac
Pitre on the French cruiser Cecile and
. soon alterwaras ic;: xor oamtes.
? News which Lis r' iched The Associj
ated Press correspondent here from
j the British Antillles says the Island of
-i MoDicia has not suffered much from the
p hurricane; that St. Thomas and St.
Croix suffered lightly, that Antigua was
| seriously hit and that at Sc. Kitts 200
1 houses weie destroyed.
^ The hurricane passed over Puerto
Plata and appears to have ravaged the
north of the Dominican republic. All
j communication between Puerto Plata
and the interior, not including Santo
Domingo, is interrupted, and it is :mj
possible to obtain a correct account of
the damage done, although it is thought
I to be important. The railroad from
' Puerto Plata to San Domingo is no long3
er working.
Eventually the hurricane swept over
j Cape JEaitien with less violence and
5 correspondingly light damage.
Advices from La Poiot-A-Pitre, is1
land of Guadaloupe, says the cyclone
(innrmmi; damage in the interior of
3 ? O
5 that island, a number of coffee and
. cocoa estates being devastated. Le
5 Mourie, a suburb, was half destroyed.
J There were a number of fatalities.
At La Pointe-A-Pitre, Island ofGuadaloupe,
immense damage was wrought
j and according to a report not yet confirmed,
102 persons were killed.
When "Will it Turn Up.
A dispatch from "Washington under
. date of August 10 says the West India
i hurricane, which has been raging since
early in the week, has been lost for the
time being in the waters to the north of
1 the eastern extremity of Cuba, where
. the weather bureau officials report it
. this morning.
If it keeps in its present course the
j storm will reach Nassau, in the Baha.
mas, tomorrow morning. Its progress
- has been very slow, averaging about five
1 miles an hour, with a diameter anproxi
imating probably 500 miles.
Warnings have been sent to cities on
j the South Atlantic coast, on the northi
eru coast of Cuba and the Bahamas
3 advising that all shipping remain in
) their harbors until the storm has pass
i ed.
An Awful Death.
A dispatch from Walhalla to The
State says: On Saturday morning last
! persons came here for the burial outfit
of Waller Bynurn, who met with a
most violent death on ihc afternoon before.
Young Bynum lives just across
the river in Georgia and left his home
to go for a sister who was teaching a
few miles away. He rode one mule
" and led another, and in some way he
* was thrown from the mule, ODe of his
' feet hanging in the stirrup. He
* was dragged for a mile or more in that
3 condition by the mule. His body was
terribly mangled, his clothing was torn
off, the road being rough, narrow and
rocky. Before his body was found it
, was dragged across Chattooga river
- perhaps before Me was extinct,
t xoung ISynum was a very temperate
- young man?in fact a teetotlcr?and
e his death was a severe shock to his
, many friends and the neighboring corue
munities.
2
? TT.4 TTT?-t-T,
.cignting juu xioi vycawici.
t Dispatches from Manila; says details
, o? Gen. McArthurVadvance beyond San
3 Fernando show that the Americans
f covered five miles in the first five hours,
i and at 2 o'clock had advanced six miles
along the railway, stretching on each
- side of it for two miles and resting at
s night three miles from Angeles, which
- will be made the northern base of opers
ations, instead of San Fernando, where
s a garrison of 600 men has been left.
t.i_ . 1.: v.,oa o-,1 .in
i.ae casuajuus an; uemwu .jv uuu
t The Filipinos were surprised, expecting
i the American forces to move against
t Tico. They followed their usual tacr
tics of holding their trenches until they
. became too warm and then retreating
- in disorder. They are now falling back
| westward t )ward I'oric.
THE PENITENTIARY.
Report of the Investigating Committee
in Fuil.
FINANCES BADLY MANAGED.
Tl-.o Trpa+ment of Convicts Al*
most Beyond Reproach, the
Condition and Management
of the State
Farms Commended.
The Penitentiary investigating committee
has filed its report with Governor
McSweeney. It is a most interesting
public document and summarizes
the work of the committee as much as
possible. The report brings out in a
concise manner tile mismanagement in
a business way that has been found at
- - J iL . V
this State lnstiiuuon ana me iaiuu ui
previous examioations, with limited
scope of inquiry, perhaps, but which,
like the directors, made no caieful researches.
but took things on faith cr
inquired only into the charges made.
The committee merely summarizes the
evidence as taken and published, which
was ail it was expected to do under
the resolution of the General Assembly.
The report of the committee to Governor
McSweeney roads as follows:
To the Hon. M. L>. McSweeney,
Governor: The General Assembly of
this State at its last session passed a
concurrent resuiuuuu w a^uiai uwiu
mittev of two Senators and three liepreffentatives.
"for the purpose of investigating
the affairs of the Penitentiary,"
with inductions to report to you. Th j
undersigned were appointed as said
committee, and organized by electing
W. F. Stevenson chairman. It selected
John Taylor as expert bookkeeper and
Miss M. F. Gibbes as stenographer.
Meetings were held from time to time,
as it was expedient to do so, as is shown
by the record herewith submitted.
Much testimony was taken bearing on
the condition and management of the
Penitentiary.
The matters examined were embraced
under three heads: 1. The treatment
- # * ?TU J _
of the convicts. ine conuiuuu
and management of the farms and the
disposition of farm products. 3. The
general financial affairs of the Penitentiary
proper and the use and disposition
made of the assets of the Penitentiary
proper including accounts due to the
same.
1. As to the treatment of the convicts,
we find that Mr. Xeal has always
been an advocate of humanity and that
wherever the treatment of convicts
came under his personal supervision
there is no doubt of their kind and humane
treatment. One instance of very
severe whipping is reported as being
given by one subordinate, Mr. J. J.
Cooley, which Mr. Xeal is not responsible.
\Ve wish to commend the methods
used by Mr. Millei, manager of the
Lexington farm, in this particular: His
management has reduced the necessity
for whipping to a minimum, and yet
he gets excellent results. While we
know that the convict must be controlled,
we feel that the dictates of
hnmanitv reauire that the unfortunate
who is without character of legal standing,
and without friends or hope of redress
should be treated with all the
consideration which strict discipline
will allow. "We are glad to be able to
report that Mr. Meal has always shown
his desire to do his full duty by the
convicts from a humanitarian standpoint.
2. We find the farming property in
fine condition, well stocked and cultivated;
large crops are.made, and valuable
improvements in the way of buildings
and dykes and ditching and clearing
have been made during his administration.
The superintendent deserves
commendation for the energetic and
skilful management of the affairs and
improvements made on the property,
both on the farms and at the Penitentiary
itself. The DeSaussure and Keid
farms have been paid for under the administration
of Mr. Neal. We are not
prepared to say that the farming business,
however, is profitable. There has
been, for instance, for the year of 1S9S
an average of 13S hands used on the
Pieid and DeSaussure farms. The evidence
is that they will pay $50 per year
per head when hired out, making $<3,950
net from iheir hire. The total products
from these farms forlS9Sas reported
by the board was $41,013.95. The cash
returned from the farm produce, DeSaussure
and Keid farms, pages 24 and
11, is $12,735.55, and 99 bales of cotton
on hand January 1,1899; there was
possibly on hand at that time under a
liberal estimate, $7,000 worth of other
produce, making a total of $22,210.53
accounted for, and leaving a balance of
$18,803.40. which must have been consumed.
Now. this crop cost, therefore,
the hire of convicts, $0,930; accounts
paid for the two farms $20,000.39; rent
of land, estimating it at one-fourth of
the crop, $10,253.48, and produce consumed
in the making, $18,803.40. The
crops cost, therefore. $50,076.27; the
value of the crop, ?41,013.95, leaving
a deficit of $15,062.32. From this
should be deduoted the value of permanent
improvements, claimed as being
made during the year, (see Exhibit A.)
SI,000, leaving an apparent deficit of
$14,0()2.32. To this should be added
the interest on the equipment, which is
valued by the directors at 825,000. on
page 21 of the report of 1SD7, which at
(I ner cent would be 81,500, making a
total deficit of S15,562.32. From this,
of course should be deducted the corn
and oats and bacon furnished to tue
Penitentiary itself, which at a liberal
estimate from the testimony before us,
could not exceed $5,000 from the crop
of 131*3, which would necessarily leave
a loss of $10,502.32 from farming oper
ations on those two farms.
3. As to the general financial affairs
of the Penitentiary proper and the use
am] disoosition made of the assets, etc.,
w? are constrained to report that the investigation
has brought forth a state of
affairs which is not creditable. Ij the
first place it will be found by a close examination
of the testimony taken that
the directors knew too little of the affairs
of the institution, and were too
subservient to the will of the superintendent.
The fact that there were
about $4,<J0U of Kagsdale notes in the
bank with the Penitentiary's endorse
ruent representing convict hire for two
I years on Mr. Xeal's place, while the dij
rectors thought the hire had been paid,
shows that their knowledge of the affairs
of the institution wis entirely superficial.
The fact that they paid him
$10 a month stable rent for six years
and two months for allowing Penitentiary
horses to stand in his stables,
where they were kept purely for his
convenience, and now profess not to
know they were paying it, is another evidence
of the somnolenee of their facul
ties when approving accounts.
They either knew that such was the
case, or they did not know it. If they
knew they were payiDg it, they were
deliberately yielding to Mr. Neal's desire
for money, to which he was not
entitled, and were therefore culpable,
or, if they didn't know it, they were
approving and payiDg an item monthly
for several years which was wrong and
Eever found out. Either supposition
is sufficiently humiliating. We would
Dote here that we know of no law authorizing
the directors to keep a lot of
horses and carriages for the use of the
sunerintendent's family, and we regard
it as an unwarranted extravagance. The
evidence here is that the bookkeeper
had to use his horse on penitentiary
business, for which the State fed him
in part, while the horses for whose
stable rent we were paying handsomely
were being used by the superintendent's
family. The evidence is that
there was stable ro<5m for these horses
at the penitentiary. The custom of
entertaining largely at the penitentiary
grew up also under Mr. Xeal. Crowds
ate there free at the bounty of the
S:ate, making the taxpayers their iotel
keepers, and exercising a thrifty instinct
to get all they could at the pub
lie credit. Unfortunately the board of
directors set the example by boarding
themselves there thus adding to the
pay allowed by-law the further provision
of hotel bills. In justice to the
board, however we will say that after
this investigation was begun and that
matter was brought out they decided to
discontinue that practice and pay their
nam This is as it should be.
The lavish entertainment there, though,
was such as should not be tolerated
again. Politicians, contractors, State
constables, and personal friends all
found a welcome and good cheer there.
' The result has been that the institution
came to be considered as a place where
any accomodation desired could be had,
and as a result we find many things to
report as wrong. We find that he has
given away many articles produced by
the penitentiary to prominent men,
such as a bookcase to Congressmen
Latimer, furniture to D. H. Tompkins,
secretary of State, and T. J. Cunningham-and
S. P.J. Garris, directors, and
Senator Tillman, who also got a carload
of brick, whioh he says Xeal gave him.
but which Neal says he sold him.
Most of these articles Neal now professes
to be ready to pay for, although
he had never charged himself with
them up to the institution of this investigation.
Mr. Garris also got a
carload of brickbats and some pigs and
turnips, for which Mr. Neal does not
think he should pay. Mr. Garris had
been anxiou? to settle the pig bill, but
could not get it made out, and the
other items were presents and they
contend were worthless. We do
not think it wise, though, for directors
to be accepting even valueless presents
from the '.penitentiary. If Mr. Neal
had paid for these things when he gave
them away it is a questionable practice
for an officer to be making presents
to public men, but when he fails
to pay for them and takes the State's
property and giyes it to public men he
does two wrongs, he misappropriates
public property and attempts, apparently,
to control the influence of public
men by the use of it. Further than
that, he has allowed the governors of
the State during his administration all
to get such things as they desired from
the penitentiary, and has neither presented
the bills for them nor placed
them in the assets and on the regular
books. A list of their accounts which
he should have presented and collected
or published in the list of accounts due
is hereto attached. He has himself,
also, taken supplies to a large amount
at a very low price and has never paid
for thenn, an account of them being
- ? TIT ! _ J
also set torch in this report, we nnu
also that there has been a rale that the
superintendent shall be furnished with
wood and coal free. This is not warranted
by law, and is merely another
device to increase the salary of the superintendent
contrary to law. Again,
the governors have been allowed the
use of convicts, tools and stock to cultivate
land near the city, and this has
not been charged to them. This is excused
by Mr. Neal on the plea that the
governor is ex officio chairman of the
board of directors and has in consequence
always "otten what he asked
for. If that is correct, it is time that
the governor should be taken off the
board. Wc do not refer in speaking of
the cultivating of land to the patch
around the governors mansion, which
is public property and properly culti
vated by convicts, but to independent
farms outside. A^ain, the board had a
steam laundry established in the penitentiery
and operated by the convicts.
Mr. Xeal and Governor PJllerbe have
both had their family washing done
there ever since free, until the termination
of Mr. Xeal's term of office.
Xow, while it is disagreeable to refer
to these matters, we deem it our duty
to call them to the attention of the general
assembly. If the governor's salary
is too small it should be increased by the
general assembly, not supplemented by
the penitentiary. If not too small the
governor should De satisfied therewith.
The same remarks apply to the other
officers mentioned. It should be a
pleasure to those gentlemen who have
received these things from the State to
make reparation, and the lesson should
be learned once for all that a public officer,
because he is a public officer, has
f-nrrtnerfcv of the
LIU illUIS Il.i-iu wv vu? t x j
State than the humblest citizen, and
when he attempts to give it away to
prominent men the inference properly
deducible is that he is bartering it for
their influence, and they should be
above suspicion and keep themselves
?0 by declining such presents. Any
other course breeds distrust in the people
in their rulers, and when that thoroughly
permeates the masses respect
for law and order perishes and it become
a question of who can get the
most out of the government, and high
office is sought not from motives of
patriotism, but of plunder. We think
the!3penitentiary authorities should
! proceed at once to ascertain the valuo
of the a sets thu'i given away and presents
bills for them to the parties who
received them, many of whom have
professed willingness and desire to pay
for them, and if possible save all such
items. This'; should by no means prevent
their holding the bond of the superintendent
liable for such things as
are not settled for. He has misappropriated
the assets and should account
for them. There is another matter
which deserves attention in our general
remarks. The managements, it seems,
has been receiving favors and granting
them in return. It should pay for all
assistance it gets and then charge for
all matters rendered. The case of-Hon
J. W. Ashley is in point. He furnished
transportation for the officials, making
no charge; in return his horse was
boarded at the penitentiary during the
session of 1S98 of the legislature'.
"While this may he very convenient, it
is not business. If Mr. Ashley's favors
were worth receiving they should be
worth paying for, and likewise the board
of the horse is worth paying for." This
free and easy "method of balancing one
against the other will render it impossible
to ascertain at any given time the
liabilities of the penitentiary. No one..
will be able to ascertain what the unreturned
favors received at the hands
of the friends of the superin
tenctent are wortn, nor waen tne institution
will be called upon to board man
or horse in return. It amounts to a reciprocity
treaty between the superintendent
and his friends, which may involve
the institution in endless liability
and expense. It should be stopped.
Another unbusinesslike feature of the
management is the contract of the institution
with the knitting mill company
in the penitentiary. They give the
mill a 25 horse power motor and pay the
electrical company for 25 horse power <
and are to charge the mill only what j
nnuror if- Thev have not settled
in five yeara and haven't oven put .in
a meter to be able to tell how much !
power has been used. Now, the mill
company wants to settle at 10 horse 1
power. The directors don't know what
i was used and have paid for 25 horse
power. This is unbusinesslike and
negligent, in our opinion. Now, as to ;
Mr. Neal's financial transactions and
his moral obliquity in the matter. In :
the first place, in the face of the plain j
spirit of the law he arranged as soon as :
he became superintendent to have his !
kinsman and creditor, J. Belton Watson,
take charge of his plantation in !
Anderson county and procured for him .
convicts to work it and agreed that the
net proceeds, after paying for the con- i
vict labor and the farm expenses, should .
be applied to his debt to Watson, and 1
he was thus to get advantage of all I
profits made by the convict labor, indirectly
hiring them to himself. The law j
enjoins upon him the dutv of watching '
those who hire convicts preventing op- :
pression .and enforcing the rule that .
they shall be humanely treated, care- "
fully attested by physicians and not
required to labor more than ten hours a ;
day, nor on Sundays and holidays.
Sections otib" and yuy, \ 01. nev.
Stats, of 1893.
The plain intent of the law is that
he shall hire them to himself, dircctly
or indirectly, or be personally interested
in the amount of work done. The
net proceeds being his, the tendency
would be to give Watson the best labor,
work it over time and report as much
lost time as possible. Having run un
der this contract for the years 1893, 1
1894, 1895, he had his debt reduced as ,
a result from $17,000 to $14,000 (See ;
exhibit H). Then he took a contract i
from Watson (Ex. H) whereby exclu- '
sive control was returned to him, but
the convicts were hired to Mr. Watson 1
(See Ex. G), and no bond was taken ;
from Watson. This was plainly done j
to mislead the board of directors as he | ;
frankly admits that they would not j
have hired the^ to him. Thus he be- ;
came the master, the contractor iu fact,
with Watson as a stalking horse. All j
the profits inured to his benefit. In- ]
stead of paying the State for the con- ]
vict hire for 1896 he took a worthless '
noto of his foreman, one llagsdale, and
if oc onnoriTit^n^Ant nf the <
AU
penitentiary, borrowed money on it and
returned it as cash received. The ?
note has never been paid and the bank ]
threatens the penitentiary xith suit for 1
it. T'-.e same thing occurred in 1S97
with another Ragsdale note and in 1898
no pretence of payment has been i
made. The net proceeds of the farming ]
operations for 1896 and 1S97 were paid 1
to Mr. Watson on Mr. Neal's debt to
him, except $1,465.85, for which Mr. <
"V"r - 1 liT*. ~ ?.A/?Ainf r%a eilrtrtr. 1
x>eai gave yratsuu a ictcipu ?.->
intendent, and which was not turned ]
into the treasury, but which is covered i
by one of the R<igsda!e notes. The <
State has been left out for the entire >
three years and in 1808 neither Watson ]
nor the State has been paid anything. <
In November, 1895, Mr. Xeal collected l
of W. Q. Hammond $500 on convict i
hire, which he kept and used. In Pe- i
cember, 1895, he collected from Cooley
& Fowler $500 convict hire, which he <
also used. In February, 1897, he col- 1
lectedfrom these two firms over $13,
000 and deposited to his own credit ana ]
used $539.:)5 of the same. He collect- i
ed from J. J. Fretwell $3S7.17 for oats i
(Ex. M) and failed to pay it in. He
gave a check to the bookkeeper for $172 f
to balance his account for cash in hand :
and there was nothing in bank to pay it ;
and it has not been paid. He took a i
note of TV. TV. llussel for $600 for his
own accommodation and endorsed it as j
superintendent of the penitentiary and |
placed it in bank, and it has never been (
paid the bank is after the penitentiary J
for the money, and Mr. Neal admits <
that he is liable therefor. He collected '
$740 stable rent, which was unauthor- ]
ized, but which he claims was allowed
by the board of directors, which they <
deny, and which appears to have been
approved in the prison pay roll. He i
has gotten supplies from the penitent ia- '
ry for which he has not paid, amount- <
ing to $63S.29. His family washing ]
1 ? ~ t- Vsvsxv-t J o-n/3 Via OTA f O Ofl Tm
nab JUUL L'CCU L'cliU 1U1 auu 11V u V/U.A.
load of cotton seed to plant, which he i
should pay for. All these matters, taken
with his presents of State property i
to his friends and his having his super- <
intendent, Ragsdale, to furnish the I
cows to the penitentiary at a big profit,
which profit Mr. Neal got, his keeping
open house for his friends at the peni- :
tentiary at the State's expense, stamp ;
him as being utterly deficient in the
faculty of distinguishing between what
is his and what is therState's, accom- ,
panied with a remarkable faculty of
[Continued on Fourth Page-]
THE COTTON CROP.
In Poorer Condition Aug. I Than
at Same Date in Years.
I
BIG STATES SHOW LOSSES.
Georgia. Alabama and Texas
Crops Decline 6 Points During
Month. Corn, Wheat
and Other Crops.
The monthly report of the statistician
of the department of agriculture shows
the average condition of cotton on
August 1 to have been Si, as compared
with S7.S on July 1, 91.2 on August 1,
1S99, 86.9 at the corresponding date in
1897 and 85.8 the mean of the August
averages for the last ten years.
There was a decline during July
amounting to 5 points in North Carolina,
1 in South Carolina. 6 in Georgia,
Alabama and Texas. 4 in Tennessee and
2 in Missouri. On the other hand,
there was an improvement of 1 point in
Louisiana, 2 points in Virginia, Oklahoma
and Indian Territory, 3 points in
Florida and Mississippi and 4 points in
Arkansas.
The average of the different States
on August 1 were as follows:
VirginiaSS; North Carolina S3: South
Carolina 78; Georgia 70; Florida 03?
Alabama 82; Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas.
Louisiana 8t>; Texas 87; Tennessee
84; Oklahoma 80; Indian Territory
03.
The Texas report includes the condition
in the recently submerged region.
a special report on which is almost
ready for publication.
SO Q- onrinrr trlipaf ft?, fir fiats I
WiU WC/.V, .. <UW? w v J
90.8: barley 93.6; spring ryeS9.0; buckwheat
93.2; potatoes 93.0; timothy hay
36.7.
The average condition of corn improved
3.4 points during July, and on
August 1 it was 2.9 points higher than
at the corresponding date last year, 5.7
points higher than on August 1, 1899,
and 3.2 "points above the mean of August
1, 1897?arid 3.2 points above the
mean of the-'August averages for the
last ten vears. 'The averages in the
principal States t.re as follows: Ohio
" ~ - tii r\ 1 t r?n
yU; Indiana 'J4; Illinois m; lowa o.s:
Missouri 8S; Kansas 106;.Nebraska 99.
The average condition of spring wheat
declined 8.1 points during July, and on
August 1 it was 12 9 points lower than
oh the corresponding date last year,
3.1 lower than on August 1, 1S97, and 3
points lower than the mean of the August
averages for the last ten years.
The condition in the principal States is
is follows: Minnesota 90; Iowa 89;
Nebraska 66; South Dakota S4; North
Dakota S6; Washington' S5; Oregon 81.
The average condition of oats im
proved U.S points during duiy, anu on
August 1 it was 6.6 points higher than
at the corresponding date last year, 4 S
points higher than on August 1, 185J7,
and S.3 points above the mean of the
August averages for the last ten years,
rhe averages in the principal States
are as follows: New York 90; Pennsylvania
98: Ohio and Minnesota 95;
Iowa 94; Kansas 85, and Nebraska 92.
The proportion of the oat crop of last
pear still in the hands of farmers is es
timated at 6.9 per cent, as compared
with 6.4 per cent, of the crop of 1S97
in farmers' hands one yearago, and 10.1
per cent, of the crop of 1S9G in farmers'
bands two years ago.
The average condition of barley improved
1.66 poiDts during July, and on
August 1 it ^vas 14.3 points higher than
it the corresponding date last year, 6.1
- ?i.? "LI?A r/rncf 1 1 SNQT
PUILUS LUgllUl kudu uu iLUgUb a , )
md 8.6 points above the meau of the
August averages for the last ten years.
The condition in the principal States is
is follows: Xew Yord and Minnesota
30; Wisconsin DC; Iowa and North Dakota
94; South Dakota 89: California
d7.
The average condition of spring rye
declined .7 point during July and on
August 1 was 4.7 lower than at the
corresponding date last year and .S
point lower than on August 1, 1897,
but still 1.5 above the mean of the
August averages for the last ten years,
[n Wisconsin, which State produces
more than one-half of the entire spring
rye crop, the condition on August 1
rras 93.
Preliminary returns indicate an in"
-j-t-i.. i ;n
irease or seven-eigats ui 1 i'ci i^-uu iu
ihe acreage in buckwheat as compared
with last year. There ia an apparent
increase of o per cent, in Xew Yorkand
jf 2 per cent, in Pennsylvania. The
ivcrage condition of buckwheat is (I
nnint.fi hiVhnr than at the corresponding
iate last year, and 1.7 points lower
:han on August 1. 1897. and 2.2 points
ibove the mean of the August averages
,?or the last ten year*.
The average condition of potatoes defined
.8 point during July, but is st;ll
. 1 points higher than on August 1,1S!>S
15.1 points higher than on thq corresponding
date in ISO 7 and G*.0 points
ibove the mean of the August averages
?or the last ten yeirs.
Of the 13 principal sweet potato
States, S report a decline during July
ind 4 an improvement, while in one,
North Carolina, the condition remains
iboutthe same.
Preliminary returns indicate a redue.ion
of 3.4 per cent, in the hay acreage.
Jf the States mowing one million acres
.ir upward last year, only Missouri,
Kansas, Nebraska, South- Dakota and
Jalifornia showed an mcrcascaacrea.ee.
The condition of timothy hay is 12.G
points below that of last year.
The average condition of tobacco has
ieclined 11 points in Kentucky, 6 in
Tennessee and Missouri, 3 in Virginia
ind Pennsylvania, 2 in Massachusetts,
I in Ohio and Wisconsin and S in Indiana.
On the other hand it has improved
.") poiDts in North Carolina and
Maryland, 5 points in New York, and
has about held its own in Connecticut.
There are but few States from which
the repor s as to the apple crop are not
sven more unfavorable than they were
last month.
There hrs been a m:rked improve
dent in the condition ot pastures
throughout the New England States and
also in New York and Pennsylvania,
with some improvement also in Ohio,
Kansas, Michigan and Texas. On the
other hand, there has been a falling off
in condition in Kentucky. Illinois, Iowa
Missouri and throughout the northwest.
TJtLJ? SU UTJ??ixtiM JiArusiXJ.ua.ni3. |
A Chance for South Carolina to Dis>
play Her Resources.
The Southern Exposition will be
held in >*ew York at the Grand Central
Palace from the 31st of October
to the 23th of November. The object
of the exposition is to advertise the
South and show to the country at large |
what wonderful progress has been
made during the past quarter of a centurv
in agriculture, mining and manu ?
i "i
1'acturing and in eaucauooai suieuue.
The advisory committee consists of
men prominent in all the walks of life
from Texas to New York. The members
of the committee from South Carolina
are: Gov. McSweeney, Mayor j
Smyth, of Charleston. Hon. A. C. Lati- J
mer, of Belton, Hon. James Norton, of *
Mulling, and Capt. W. A. Courtenay, f
N'ewry, S. C.
Col. John J. Garnett is the director J;
of the exhibition. Among others on ?
the advisory committee are: Gen. ^
Wheeler, Gov. Candler, of Georgia, *
Gov. Bradley, of Kentucky, Mayor ?
Watkins, of' Chattanooga, Roger A. 1
Prvor. Assistant District Attorney e
James L. Gordon and Collis P. Huntington.
s
The exposition will have- depart- *
ments of fine arts, history, commerce ?
and manufactures, agriculture, horti- c
culture and farm implements, machin- e
ery. geology, minerals and mining, for- ^
cstry and forest products, women's, 0
educational and Negro departments. a
For the forestry exhibit it is inten- ^
dcd that each species of tree shall be i
represented by several specimens of all ?
the commercials forms into which it is x
maufaetured. and every shipping 13
grade of each species and variety will ?
be represented by two or three speci- ?
mens. Everv effort will be made to *
arrange a complete line of samples, so a
as to present an intelligent idea at a *
glance to the expert as well as to the
casual observer.
It will be the purpose of the Negro .
department to show the progress of d
the Negro race in America from the ?
old plantation day to the present. Ex- ?
hibits of work done by Negroes in all s'
walks of life will be found in this de- 7
partment, while in the educational ex- 15
hibit the advancement of the Negro ..
race in education will be shown. -1
The promoters of the exposition ex- "
nect to have every industry in ali the P
Southern States represented. y
The enterprise has the'snpport of the
Mayors in the leading Southern cities
and is endorsed by the Governors of all
the-Southern States. ^
PERISHED DT ALASKA. t]
- t]
o
Thirty Half Dead Survivors of Edmon- a;
w
ton Expedition Beach. "Wrangle. f(
A dispg-teh from Wrangle, Alaska, h
says: The Stickeen ~'river steamer h
Strathcona arrived here Thursday with
30 survivors of the Edmonton trail. "
They are weston men. except about 10. a'
All these came in with the pack train ^
sent out from Telegraph Creek and t<
Laketon by the various trading com- f<
panics last spring. r]'
The unfortunates tell heartrending 0'
stories of hardships endured and comrades
lost and abandoned, and strongly
1 i ^? -_'J A. rt
denounce me irauing auu uauapuita- ?
tion companies as well as the Canadian ?'
officials and newspapers that so pro- a:
fusely advertised this route as a feasible
one to the Klondike gold fields.
To outward appearances these men
certainly give evidence of the awful
suffering undergone since leaving Ed- C
monton IS months ago. Most of them ci
are sickly looking, with unkept beards ^
and greasy cloths?pictures of physical
and financial wrecks. Several have S1
n
grown gray and bear marts oi scurvy. ^
A few have just enough money to ?
reach Seattle or Victoria, but the majority
are without funds.
The citizens of Wrangle have ap- &
plied to the United States government w
at Washington, but up to this time no c<
aid had been received. It is admitted C?
that there are more than 100 men scattcred
along the trail between Laird
Post and the Pelly banks and relief
parties have been sent out by the Hudson
Bay company. The last reports "
brought to Laird Post are that many ei
were dvinz of scurvy and hunger. It m
is estimated there are 30 of 40 sufferers ei
at Telegraph creek avraiting the next 113
trip of the boat. The sick that had to
be carried on stntchers had not yet
reached Glcnora when the Strathcona ^
sailed.
Several starvation cases are reported.
About 20 miles above Devil's Portage,
two unknown men were found frozen
to death last winter. A man named I1
Johnson from Xew York was found ^
dead in a tent near the source of the 11
Mudd river last fall. a]
o!
A Wet Flace. t<
Cherapunji, in Assam, northeast of J
Calcutta, has the reputation of being 2,
the wettest place on the earth, the tc
avcrace annual rainfall being 493.15 re
' ~ ?i M- l i-L. J
locnes, winic il uas mu iuuuiu ui uuc ii
month in which 147.17 inches fell, a
This year it seems bound to beat all m
previous records, 2G7.84 inches of rain j<
having fallen between January l.and ol
the middle of June, five months and a b:
half, while 73.70 inches, over six feet w
of water, fell in a week. lc
Number cf Lives Lost.
The Montreal fast express to Ottawa,
which left Ottawa oyer the Canadian r<
Atlantic at 0:30 Wednesdav morning, R
jumped the track near St. Policarpe. ci
Six or seven persons lost their lives, rc
So far as known the dead are: Jos. ai
Kocheleau and daughter of Montreal, fj
Wilson O'Connor of Ottawa, Xed Stairs g<
of Ottawa. George McGuaig, fireman, ii
of Ottawa. The fatally injured are: s(
Nellie Kyan, Bridget Ryan and Ella g:
McDougall, of Maniwake, Quebec, and sj
Mrs. Joseph Kocheleau of Montreal. a
Seeking a New Home.
The British North Borneo Company
has received a request from the Philip- a
pines asking the company to lease or it
sell to Filipinos Banguey Island, just fj
south of Palawan Island. Tt is only ir
sparsely inhabited by natives. The e<
Filipinos, who are engineering ttie deal. I
say that in case of their defeat Aguin- tl
aldo and other leaders, with a large J
section of the Filipinos, may settle at ti
Banguey. under British protection and h
company's rule. The board is now con- b
sidering the question, but it is under- c<
stood the company is not averse to leas- J
ing the island on very favorable terms S
being offered. ti
*
j U Atf AIM 11\? HA 1 SLU
bellow Fever Epidemic Practically
Stamped Out.
NORFOLK DENOUNCED.
Her Merchants Will Transfer
Their Business to Rich
%
' mond. Fever Record
to Date.
A dispatch from Newport News says:
?hc yellow fever epidemic is practicaly
at an end. The quarantine estabished
by this city against Hampton
,nd vicinity was raised Thursday, fol- *
owing a conference between the health
ioards of Newport News, Richmond,
s'orfolk and Hampton, with the State
ioard of health and representatives of
he Marine Hospital service. The loal
quarantine against Norfolk remains
? ^ V ?x Iva miaaJ v
II JLUrCS, UUl Will JJC 191DCU uawitivutj
veilingThe
record of the scourge to this date
hows a total of 43 cases, of which 11
esulted fatally. Twelve cases were
lischarged as cured and 20 convaleaents
remain in hospital at the Soldirs'
Home. An interesting episode of
he dread malady was the uprising of
f the business men of the city
gainst Norfolk, because of the
iuarantine of that city against Newport
v'ews, which, was regarded as premature
nd unnecessary. The action of the
Norfolk health authorities was delounced
at a public meeting, and the
aajority of the business men pledged
hemselves to transfer their patronage
o Richmond, providing the Chesapeake
nd Ohio Railway would grant satisfacory
rates.
Killed by a Liye Wire. - >
Four firemen lost their lives Wednesay
night in a blaze on an upper floor
f the Mercer Chemical company's
uilding at Eleventh and Harney
ucvu}) v/iiiduaj uiv xu AIWVAA
-as insignificant the fatalities resultDg
from contact with a live wire.
The dead firemen are: Jos. Adams,
eutenant; Otto Geiseke, tillerman;
reo. Benson, pipeman, Charles Hoper,
relief driver.
Fireman Geo. Farmer and Albert
(ivingston of the Chemical company >
Iso sufiered severely from the shock.
7hen the fire had been bronght under
ontrol, the firemen set to work to lower
tie big extension truck upon which
hey had been working. Suddenly
lere was a sputtering and succession
f flashes. The men who were working
t the crank lowering the ladder.
Tithed in agony a moment and then
ill to the pavement limp and apparent7
lifeless. In lowering the ladder it
ad come in contact with a- live wire
ariying a current of 2,000 volts. - The
ljured men were at once carried into
q adjoining building and doctors who
ere present used every means known ,
) revive them. Hopper reviyed in a
jw minutes, and saying he was all
ght started to walk away. He had
nly gone about 50 feet when he
ropped dead. Geiseke showed signs
f reviving, but when only partially
illied sank back and expired. The
fcher two never at any time showed
ay signs of animation, and were
oubtless dead when picked up.
Unfit For Command.
A special dispatch trom v ictoria, s>.
., says: Capt. St. John, of the British
ruiser Peacock, who arrived here from
[anila declares that Gen. Otis is utterr
ignorant of the necessities or responbilities
of a campaign in the tropics.
Lre has 5,000 dead to his account, the
British officer declares, and his hesitaon
has already shown his forces that
e has no grasp on the situation. Otis'
sld transport service is declared to be
retchedly insufficient and his hospital
)rps a farce; and his plan of campaign
ilculated to advance the enemv's interit
as no other could, -a. serious
reach is declared to exist between the
nited States army and navy at the
ont, and Commander St. John says
. _ ?ill! iL . TT,:i..J
le iirst luiag tae uiiiuju. ouica guv nment
should do is to recall this
an. It is really pitiful to see the
icrifice of the splendid men of his ariy."
Incidentally Commander St.
ohn says that the press censorship is
irried to the extreme in Manila to save
tis from being swept down in a flood
i popular indignation.
Our Terrible ArmyThe
report of Commissioner of Penons
Evans for the fiscal year ending
une 30, last, shows a total disbursetent
of $138,253,923, leaving a bailee
of SI.857.188 in the treasury out
? the $140,000,000 appropriated. The
)tal number of pensioners on the roll
une 30 was 991,519, a decrease of
,195. There were 40,991 names added
) the roll and 43,186 dropped. The
sport shows the pension roll is decreaig.
Of those dropped 34,345 were beiuse
of death and 8,841 because of relarriage,
minors attaining their ma>rity,
failure to claim pension and
ther causes. The war with Spain
rought a total of 16,986 claims, of
hich number but 295 have been al
> n cu?
Famine in RussiaThe
state department has received a
iport from Consul Heenan, at Odessa,
ussia, stating that the failure of the
ops in many of the provinces of Eu>pine
Russia is a much more serious
lair than is generally admitted. The
imine districts are divided up, and
Dvernment aid is being given accordlg
to the extent of the failure in the
>veral districts. Employment is being
iven to a large number of peasants on
Decial lines of work, such as road- .
iakin^. ''
Our Tobacco All Eight. -
The Dews that the Japanese governtent
will continue to buy its tobacco
1 this country will be especially gratifying
to South Carolina growers, for
iuch of the American tobacco consum1
in Japan is the product of this State,
he report was recently current that
le tobacco trust, in order to prevent*
apanese competition, had securedconr
ol of the firms in that country which
ad been its competitors in our market;
ut not even the American Tobacco
Dmpany can buy up the government of
apan, and with that in the field for
outh Carolina leaf the desired competion
will continue.?State.