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News of Interest -Gleaned !ror Arranged ror LICENSE MAYBE REVOKED. Southern Life Insurance Company Mixed up With the Seminole to its Hurt. dn accohat of ..being dissatisfied with the statement made by C. J. Cooper, general manager of the Southern Life Insurance Company, to Commissioner McMaster, the latter has ordered the o cials of that com pany to show cause on January 18, 1909, why its license to do a life insurance business in South' Carolina should not be revoked. The commissioner in his letter toic Mr. Cooper reviews his statements as t published last week which statement i goes into the history of the deal be tween the Seminole Securities com-, pany and the Jife insurance concern when the former bought the stock of the company. This statement, it willj be recalled, shows that the par value of the stock was $50 per share and 1 2,300 of these shares were sold at an average price of $108.331-3 and that other hares at not less than 150 per fr. cMasters declares that he,:.1 considers the company's affairs so hopelessly tangled with the affairs of c the Seminole company that lie has i decided on this step. Ir The Southern Life company was li- I censed to do a life insurance busi- t, ness in this State several months ago and at that time complied with all of c the conditions required. The law p governing the conduct of life in surance companies under the super- I vision of the commissioner requires r that 20 days' notice be given when a'i revocation of a license is contemplat- I ed. t Commissioner McMaster. in ad dressing the said Cooper says: 'r "A careful consideration of the b statements contained therein (Coopers a report) seems to me to show that on c July 15, 190S, the Southern Life In- p !kuvanc company, through vourself as a general manager, entered into an agreement with Mr. C. J. Hebert to i sell the capital stock of the company to the amount' of the difference be tween $500.000. the authorized cap- n ital and $165.000 already placed at a f as of the market and 6 .ite of the stock to . i other officers and c company. -essive commissions agreed r to be allowed Mr. Behert, the Len- s iral tenor of the contract of July a 5. and of the letters and telegrams g vhich passed between the company a .11d1 Mr. Ifebert convince me that f his stock could not have been sold t t the prices at-reed unon between , he company and Mr. Ilebert if a true 0 nd honset representation of the con ition of the company were made to ie public-the prospective fellow ockholders of the present officers i id directors of the company- It ''It seems to me that the facts lown in this agreement with Mr. - ebert, to which all of the oficeers id directors of the company were, should have been, cognizant. pre-I ippose and are based upon inten onal deception of the public as to ) .h actual value of the stock. , I find that while the contract of July 15, between the Southern Life and Mr. Hebert, was an exclusive cont,ract (and one very profitable to both Mr. Hebert and the company), yet it is surpassed and supplanted, in a measure, by the contract made on September 23 with the Seminole eeurities company, whereby the un old portion of the capital stock of he Southern Life Insurance company ar value $50 per share, was to be old by the Seminole Securities comn n.any so as to yield the Southern life not less than $150 a share, and herein the interest of the Southern Mie, the Seminole Securities corn iany and C. J. Hlebert became so nextricably mixed as to make each practically a share in the methods as vell as in the profits to be gained ~rom the public.b The Commissioner sets forth at. length that which forces him to sus noet that the officers of the Southern fife Insurance Co. were 'guilty of 'x~iipation in a scheme to impose epon those who would become stock He eloses. with the following paPa raph :j "If this be true, I' am of the - jnion that so long as the coinpany mains in the conerol of its 'present ##sand directors it is tiot a safe tIfable concern. s#Il, therefore. is to summon yon wcause before me at my of tllum2bia, on JTanuary 18. 1909, Sno~ ~why your license to do blus. d'ss Ip'outh Carolina should not ho 'ked the ground that the south * u*trance company is nQt A k~teliable cen"ern. for,th# 'w tated. This is dti 4A NtWS ITEMS r All Sections of the Stnte and. Busy Readers the insurance department of South Carolina, tuproved dFebruary 24, 1908. ''Very truly, ,''F. H. MeMASTER, "Insurance Commissioner." RECEIVERSIIP PRAYED. rho Seminole Company in a Great Tangle-Seems Ono of Three Com tined Schemes to Defraud. The Columbia State of the 17th ays: "There has been so much talk Lbout the Seminole Securities com >any that a number of people have xpressed an interest to see the char er of that company. In 'that connec ion there are two other companies >rotnoted by Mr. Jno. Y. Garlington. The first of these, in point of time, vas the Carolina Agency company, 'he second was the Seminole Securi. ies company and the last is the Blue tidge Investment company. Mr. Gar ington had been State agent for the tate Mutual Life of Rome, Ga., and 2d made a remarkable record as a elera of insurance. The Carolina kgency company was organized to andle his renewals of premiums. The original officers of the three ompanies named were: J. Y. Gar ington, president;; J. S. Young, see eary. Mr. Young is from Laurens nd is a first cousin of Mr. Garling on. However, there has been a rholesale change in the liF'; of offi ers of the Carolina Agency com aly.'' The first of these was chartered farch 25, 1907; second, Jan. 7. 1903, nd the third Nov. 6, 1908. The ob ects had many features similar. J. Garlington was the chief figure in lie three companies. The general purpose of the Semi ole corporation and the nature of usiness it proposed to do was: "To et as agent and manager for finan ial corporations and insurance com anics of all kinds, and to buy, sell nd own stocks and bonds and other ecuritices of other corporations, oth domestic and foreign. Motions with reference to the Sem iole Securities company have been inde in the courts and there was of lcial action with reference to the outhern Life Insurance company, rhich is now a subsidary corporation f the Seenrities company. The complaint is a caustic arraign lent, and if the charges can be sub tantiated will reveal a sad state of ffairs. However, most of the alle ations are based upon "information nd belief" and may not be credited or the full face value of the accusa ions until the refense gets its turn efore Judge Watts, before whom oum f the complaints was made. It seems that the names of unsus ecting good men were secured to ive tone to the enterprise and solie ing agents used these names for all hey were worth. After describing the offices and dui ies o fthe several defendants, the omplaint says: ''Plaintiffs now be ieve, and on information and belief liege, that the real purpose of the ippointmnent of said trustees was to end tone, standing and credit to the cheme of the managing officers of he said defendant company, and in luence the unsuspecting public to be ome subscribers to its capital stock.'' It is further alleged that the char cer itself was obtained fraudulently, 'upon false arid fraudulent certifi ~ates'' of the corporators ''procur d'' by the said J. Y. Garlington, and hat if 50 per cent of the st6ek was ~ubscribed, as is required to get a -harter, it was done fictitiously, and 0O per cent had not been paid in un ess it had been paid in by the pre ensive services of the said Garling on. The plaintiffs allege that such iros ato prospects were held out that toekh in thme company were sold hove par and premiums for insu aince were paid in advance of poli ies which wvere not issued accord ng to promise. Notes were accepted md these notes dicounted at the ianks at as much as 40 per etn. The company is alleged to be in olvent and the records r moved from he State of South Ca olina. The >laintiffs pray the court to Amjoin ertain banks from paying out sums o the credit of the company. Glarlington, the chief figure, claims 'eadiness to fight out the matter in he courts. Aetna Mills to Resume January 1. Union, Special. - Aetna Cot ,n Wfills, of this city, which were sold at a special meeting of creditors t : a iyndicate headed by Lewis W. P k lr and Ellison A. Smith, promiii t tnill mn,n Il resume full operatio s in14 It hthe names.of th resi ,r hAyw e7 >een. five Attempts 4Gillng in Spattan burg County JA Two Days-To succesful A ts. Spartanburg, Ojecial.-Since\Sat urday night Spartanburg county has been- the scene 6f two killings and three attempts at murder. Both the men killed were niegroes, m4e being Will Cox, an Atlanta negro, who was shot to death last week by an un known negro at a railroad camp oil the line of the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio railroad, near the North Caro lina line, while the other was Jesse Leake, who was killed late Saturday night by Dump Dorrqh' as they were returning from a negro frolic near Switzer. Dorroh is in jail. The murderous assault on Mrs. Sal lie Green, th~e acd woman residing near Campobello, will probably result in her death. Geprge Mintz was ar rested in Greenville county on the charge .of comm-itting this crime by Special Constable Moss Ha vnes, and is now in jail here. . ,It is said he has made a partial confession. Two other attempted killin:gs oc eurred on tie line of the ('. c. & 0. near the city. The first was a diffi culty at the Leonard & Beckman camp, near Cowpens, when Foreman Cliarles Carter was perhaps fatally eut by a white man whose name is not known here. The second difficulty was Saturday night between negroes of the Ross camp at the edge of the city. Ed. Johnson had his throatt cut by a ''new negro" who has disappeared. Johnson will get well. -Greenville, Cherokee and Laurens counties all report killings last week. Farmer's Union. Chester, Special.-The Chester County Farmer's Union met here, the principal purpose of the meeting be ing to elect officers for the coming year. The meeting was fairly well attended. The election of officers re sulted as follows: J. G. L. White, president; J. B. Atkinson, vice presi dent; C. C. McAliley, secretary and treasurer; Walter .Simpson, door keeper; H. T. Boyd, conductor; J. A. Hope chaplain; Mr. E. H. Killian declined reelection As secretary and treasurer. Mr. J. S. McKeown also declined reelection as business agent. but will continue to perform the duties of the office until the first meeting in January, at which time the place will be filled. At the meeting on the second Mon day in January Ira Williams of the United States department of agricul ture will be present and will make an address, as will B. Harris, presi dent of the South Carolina State Farmers' Union. It is planned to, have a big rally at this time, the gen eral public being invited. The Union passed a resolution en dorsing the public cotton weighers of the county and expressing the hope that the system will be continued. State News Items. Laurens, Special.-A jail delivery, in which five white men secured 'their liberty for about two hours, occurred here this morning at about 8 o 'clock. The escape was effected by burning the wooden door around the bolts which held the locks, a poker being used for the purpose. Four of the prisoners were captured in less than two hours, among them being W. A. Foreman, who is ina .1ail for beating a ride on the train and is being held for deserting the United States army. The only one not yet captured is Albert Riley, the young man from Greenwood, who was arrested for stealing a suit case and some clot,bes from the Owings boarding house. It is reported that Y. C. Duncan has organized a company and has bought the Aetna Cotton Mills. lHe has been ,living in Tennessee since his noted connection with the Buffalo and Union cotton mills. It is estimated that about $900,000 a year has been lost to the State by the Texas fever tick among cattle. A vigorous educational and quaran tine campaign is being carried on by co-operative State anid Federal vet erinarians. Instructive and persuas ive efforts when unavailable, will be followed by the strong hand- of the law to effect the eradication of the p'est. Lexington county enjoys a rare reco d of. longevity. "Aunt'' Ma Iti,6a Wise died on the third instant t the age of 117 years. She was ohne of the good old timers and was mnuch beloved for her good characteristics. It is announced authortttively that the two large cotton ls at Fort Mill will resume work gular ly January 4. These mills h ye been shut down sirie the first o August. Most of the help has Ino d awvay so as to obtain employmen and It eId oubtful whether there li be suf fleient-help to rnn &lI.au maina Pennsylvania Senator Ac Highest Place in Cabinet OR. ITAFT IS MUCH GRATIFIED fter- Receiving a Telegram From. Philander 0. Knox, Signifying His Willingness to Aceept, Mr. Taft Announces His Appointment as Secretary. of State. Augusta, Ga., Speelal.--William H. raft, President-elect of the United States Friday night announced the tppointment of United States Sena :or ,Philander C. Knox, of Pennsyl -ania, as Secretary of State in his ,abinet. T)ie announcement followed the re -eipt by Mr. Taft of a telegram, Which came late in the afternoon, -onveying the information from Mr. K<nox that he would accept the pre niership of the Taft Cabinet. Mr. Paft without delay made the an iouncement that the matter was set led. In giving the details of the ne )otiations he said that the offer was nade to Mr. Knox last Sunday morn ng in New York. That since the offer he had not heard from Mr. K(nox until the telegram lie received Friday. After a consultation with Secretary Root in Washingtou last Sunday afternoon, Mr. Ta,ft said he nade an effort to see the Pennsylvan a Senator there but was informed ie was in New York to attend the linner of the Pennsylvania society. Efe wired Mr. Knox to see him at the Elenry W. Taft residence Sunday norning. The appointment was kept 9r. Knox concluding his visit in time ror Judge Taft to attend morning !hurch services, but remaining at the raft residence until after Judge Taft iad gone to church. "I feel that I am to be congratulat Bd in securing the services of Sen ator Knox in my Cabinet," Judge Tatf said in making the statement wit)- 'he understanding that he was to be ( oted. "In selecting a Secretary of tate I wanted first a great law yer, and, second, a man who would fill the public eye, not only here but abroad, as man who stands out pre eminently as a great American. ''Mr: Knox was a great Attorney General; he was a prominent candi date for the presidency, aqd lie is recognized in the Senate and else where As one of the great lawyers of that body." Judg Taft also feels that from a political viewpoint the selection * Mr. Knox is most happy. He ex plained that there was often a feel ing that the State of Pennsylvania, with its assurred Republican major ities, often was slightly in the mat ter of recognition in the high coun sels of the party. That this will not be the case in the next administration was* indicated by the announcement by Mr. Taft that he should invite Senator Knox to come to Augusta, Ga., that he might consult him freely with reference to filling other places in his Cabinent. In fact, he said that he felt the need -of such advice a she should be able to obtain from Mr. Knox regarding not only the Cab inet, but many matters preliminary to the beginning of his administra tion. That Mr. Knox's influence will he potent was freely admitted by Mr. Taft. The hesitation of Senator Knox to make a more speedy decision is inter preted here to his desire to arrange with due regard for the interests of the party and his State for relin anishing his seat in the Senate. Mr. Taft evinced many evidences of grat iflcantion at the decision which has been reached. Root Will Not Resign. Washington, Special--Reports that' Secretary Root contemplates resign ing his seat in the Cabinet in the im mediate future because of the trouble which lie is experiencing from his knee which was in.jured while he was in ,the West making a speech in be half of Mr. Taft, are denied in re sponsible quarters. Harriman Case Decided. Washington, Special.--In -deciding the cases of Edward H. Harriiman an,d Otto H. Kahn vs. the Interstate Commerce Cormmission, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the commission is not entitled under the interestate commerce law to press qnestions relative to private trqnsae tions, even though they involve deaf ingts in the seeuribies of inter*tatq xailro d, when the -inveusfjt1 oi 6questione'r 4on theo.o11ni ~In. **L QUESTION. How can a man Be a cheerful giver, When what he has Is a sluggish liver? - -Birmingham Age-Herald. WELL PRESERVED. "Is she a well-preserved woman?' "Yes, guaranteed under the Food& and Prug act."-Town and Country. THE REMNANTS. Regiuald-"Uncle died in Europe last week, and they are bringing his. remains home on the steamer." Marjorle-"You -mean remnants." '-Life. THE GRUMBLER. "I see they are to have a hookless waist," said his wife. "And just as I had got to be at exper. in hooking them," he growled,. being a natural kicker.-PhiladelphiQ Ledger. HIGH HEADS. Patience-"That grocer of ours is asking thirty cents apiece for cab bages. Isn't that rather ridiculous?" Patrice-"Well that family always. did hold their heads high."-Yonkerg St4Ltesman. MERE BEGINNERS., Mrs. McCall-"They haven't been. keeping house very long, have they?" Mrs. Hiram Offen-" Gracious, no. Why, she can recall the names of all the servant girls they have had." Philadelphia Press. THE POISON AND THE ANTIDOT. Agent (hailing newly arrived steamer)-"What have you got for us?" Captain-"There's three hundred cases o' gin. And there's a couple o' missionaries! "-Punch. TAKING HIS .M F "Mr. Bliggins nev of anything that i: , - said one young won "I don't know about that," replied the other. "He certainly never says anything that seems worth thinking." -Washington Star. WAITING MORE INFORMATION. "You don't seem much concerned aver the service of those divorc, papers." "Too soon yet," replied the actress "I don't'know whether it's a schem( of my husband or of the press agent." -Philadelphia Ledger. BETTER AND WORSE. "How's yer husband arfter the ac cident, Mrs. Ginnerty?" "Faith, sumtoimes he's betther an' sumtoimes he's wurse, but frum the way he swears and yills an' takes on whin he's betther; 01 think he's bet. ther whin he's wurse. "--Puck. EXPERIENCE. "He never parts with a cent." "Well?" "He'll never get any experience that way." "He'll never need any. Experience merely consists of parting with money unwisely. "-Kansas City Journal. HOME-MADE JEWELRY. "I wonder whar that gal is?I hain't seen her this hour an' a h'alf." "She ain't fur," replied the old man. "Last time I seen her she wuz killin' a couple of rattlesnakes to git rattles enough to make a necklace to wear to the party! "-Atlanta Con. stitution. LIKETHEOLD FRIENDS EEST. "Why don't you ever write any new jokes?" "Wouldn't be any use," answered the contributor to the humorous weeklies. "These editors aro a foxy lot. They would recognizo and throw them out at once."-ILouisville Cour. jer-Journal. THOSE TrIES. "I' didn't know young Snobberly really .took any interest in politics." "Nonsense. He doesn't." "But I just heard him talking for thg. past ten minutes ai,out 'party ties.' " "Oh! He meahs white lawn bows." --Catholic Stapidard and Times. NOT QUITE ,SO CRAZY. SMrs Henpeck (to her husband) "What wiould you do if I were to die?" I'enpeck-"It would dia o ciasy." Mrs. Henpe9k-"Would you~ ,ary again?" Henpeck.--"I don't think.-i would i~.as orasy a. that."--Pioneer Press.