The Lancaster news. (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, March 01, 1918, Image 1
Tl
" VOL 23. NO. 38. SEMI-W
BLAME FOR WRECK *
'FORMALLY PLACED,
' ???
Coroner's Jury Says Crew of No
18 Did Not Carry Out Company's
Rales.
K
FALLS UPON THE FLAGMAN
fi
Contradictory Testimony Heard 11
HI
as to Placing of Torpedoes Hv u
Flagman Locklier After He 51
ing Called in by His Engine. J'(
2
ft Columbia. S. O., Fob. 28.?Ro a
I sponslbillty for the Southern Rail ''
way wreck at Frost Monday after
noon, when 12 people were killed 01
placed Tuesday by the coron
er's jury on the crew of train No. 11
18, who, It alleged, failed to prop- ^
erly observe the rules of caution "
The verdict read: ,(
"That the 12 persons came to
their deaths by train No. 4 2 from ,s
Spartanburg to Columbia running ('
I into train No. 18 from Greenville to 0
Columbia at or near Frost, occasioned
through the rules of caution **
being not thoroughly carried out by e
crew of train No. 18."
A thorough investigation was also ^
conducted by railroad officials and
immediately thereafter the following
statement was issued by F. S
Collins, superintendent of the Co 1
luinhia division:
"Investigation developed som<
contradictory statements between
some members of the crews, but it is
clear that if the flagging rules had
been observed by train No. 18. the ^
accident would not have occurred." ^
Flagmen's Rules. r
"When a train is stopped at an j
unusual point or is delayed at a rog- \
ular stop over three minutes or (
when it fails to make its schedule .y
time, the flagman must immediately
1 go back with danger signals to stop ,1
any train moving in the same direr- t
tion. At a point one-half of a mile v
(or 18 telegraph polos ) from ihe j
rear of his train he must place one
torpedo on the rail, on engineman's
side; he must then continue to go 0
fl^ek at least three-fourths of a mile (l
(or 27 telegraph poles) from the :t
rear of his train and place two torpedoes
on the rail, ten yards apart f
(one rail length), when he may renirn
to a point one-half of a mile
/Af 1 C t olooe.. ok r - -
*?' > u (< n II|MI 11(1111 lilt* |i
rear of his train, and he must re- f
main there until recalled; hut if a
passenger train is due within ten /
minutes, he must remain until it sr- t
rives. When he comes in. he will >
remove the torpedo nearest to the
train, hut the two torpedoes must he v
left on the rail as a caution signal to I
any following train. s
"If the delay occurs upon single fi
track, and it becomes necessary to v
protect the front of the train, or if
any other track is obstructed, the t
front hrakeman must go forward
and use the same precautions. If
the front hrakeman is unable to n
leave the train, the fireman must be /
sent in his place. t
"On descending grades, or during .1
blinding storms or fog. the flagman o
must go as much farther than the a
distance named above as will insure v
absolute safety, placing the torpe- j,
does at relatively greater distance? a
from the obstruction." t
Train No. 4* was three or four v
minutes late at Frost, one-half mile r
front 1 he wreck. Kngineer Long
testified, and his train was running. F
be said, about 4i> miles an hour a
when the collision occurred. r>
Another phase of the inquest
about which much inquiry was dl- a
reeled was Rule 09 under which a
flagmen operate, requiring a flag- t
man to remain at his post and dis- t
regard "call in" signals, when a tl
trailing passenger train Is only ten p
minutes behind another train on an n
'^regular stop. Strict compliance h
<FYth the rule would have required
Kocmier in nave siurx i>y Tits pro- N
teoting station until train No. 41 ?
arrived and then to have mounted ^
*he engine and proceeded on the h
trailing train, as train No. 18 was on
No. 4 2's schedule. fj
Torpedoes in Question. '
Harvey l,ooklier flagman on train ti
No. 18. testified at the coroner's in- 1'
quest that when his train was ha'f. "
ed Monday afternoon he intmed'ete- n
ly ru?hed hack up the t u<k hetwe ? v
HE Li
HI- LJ
EEKLY.
VAXHAW MAN IS NOW r
PRISONER IN GERMANY I
. II. Arrant, of Wnxlmw, Hold at
llrnndenhurg, Ills Sister Is Informed?I'IckinK
Cotton. C
Monroe, Feb. 28.?During th"
ood weather for the past several
ays, the Union county farmers
ave gathered much cotton from the '
elds. During December and Janary
the weather conditions were .
itch that a great deal of cotton was
>ft in the fields. Prices for picking
re running as high as $2 per 100
ounds, but even at this it is prol'able
as the farmer gets from 23 to
7 cents for this damaged product,
nd there are several hundred bales
\ the fields at this time. ^
T. 11. Arrant, of Waxhaw, in this (
ounty, is a prisoner of war in j
trandenburg, Germany. This infor- {
lation was conveyed to his sister, j,
Irs. M. S. Ashley by the Red Cross
ational headquarters at Washing j,
in. 1). C. She had not heard from ?
er brother for more than a year and ,
he did not know whether he was
end or not. It develops that he was ^
aptured off a British vessel about a K,
ear ago and taken to Brandenburg | p
ml has since been held as a prison- f
r.
?
GERMAN FIRE RETURNED ,
SHARPLY BY AMERICANS
Cticiuy Attack* Followed l?y I?< ;?< 11>
Retaliatory Work on Part of
I'nitetl States Troops.
With the American Army in
Vance. Feb. 28.?In the American
eotnr north went of Tmil f li*?
tans tried the tactics of coneen- 1
rating artillery lire on one of the
J,
mieriean positions, apparently with
lie purpose of obliterating it. The
imerican Runs immediately punish<1
the German batteries with a
lonbly heavy retaliatory lire and
ben swept the enemy lines with a
icions barrage, undoubtedly inllicte
ng considerable damage.
The German guns promptly ceasd
lire. Whether they were silenced
r stopped firing for other reasons is
inknown. but since that time hardlv
v
shot lias been fired from that point.
At night a German patrol was ^
ound once more within the Ameris
an fire. It was driven hack by ma- (
bine gun and ritle lire. American (
atrols worked freelv, without interc
erence. j
The Germans dropped into the (
American trenches an entirely new (
ype of bomb, resembling a baseball.
Jo damage was done.
Along the front generally there ,
fas less firing, owing to low visidlity.
Tin* Cermans continued to f
hell their targets in the towns helind
the lines, aiding one town (
ihich hitherto has not been shelled. f
fl/TtlX AMI \VIIJ,.\ltl> M\V '
ItK MATt HKI) KOIl A I ItdlT ,
New Orleans, Feh. 2 8 Donii- ^
ii< k Tortorich, matchmaker for the ^
ithletic club which staged the Ful- j
on-Moran bout here, telegraphed ,
ess Willard at .laTksonvllle, an offer j
f $ 100,000, "to he split any way
greeahle to the pricinpals" for a
world's heavyweight championship
natch here between the titleliolder j
nd Fred Fulton. The only condi- t
ion included in Tortorlch's offer
>*as that the fight be for 20 or more j
oumis.
iFred Pulton, who knocked out
'lank Mornn In the third round of
scheduled 20-round bout, an- f
ouneed that he was "ready
half and three-fourths of a mile v
rd placed two torpedoes on the fi
rack and then withdrew the cus- d
omary snace back toward the sta- s
lonaiy train and placed a third tor- a
edo. as the rules require, and re- v
mined at that post until signaled in ?
y his engineer. t
Five members of the crew of train CI
'o. 4 2 testified that no torpedo was t?
xploded by their train and that in A
II their railroad experience they f
ad never known such a coincidence n
s two torpedoes failing to exp'ode. w
Te explosion would have halted the s
aln. they all explained. Those of s
rain Xo. 4 2 testifying were: F. p
iranch Long, engineer: W. II (leiton.
conductor: H. Kirkland, flr? b
tan; I). H. Harris, flagman, and J
I. Law son, baggag' master.
\NCAi
LANCASTER, S. C., FR1
iNTENTE REJECTS 1
THE OLIVE BRANCH
Chancellor von Hertling Fails to (
Drive a Wedge Between the
Allied Nations.
)FFENSIVE IS IMPENDING I;
Serial Activity of Great Inten- 1
sity Reported By Germans
Who Claim to Have Brought
Down 15 Entente Airplanes.
Imperial Chancellor von Herding
as failed to drive a wedge between vv
he entente allies by his reply to
:resldent Wilson. The declaration
hat German aggression in the east 0
* not intended for conquest has V
win' ai u nine n ucii vjrciuian acis 1
ielie the words of the chancellor, ,
rul Paris and London have officially
ejected any proffers of the olive
ranch that the more hopeful of the ''
eople saw in the acceptance, in ^
rinciple of the four points enuneiatd
by President Wilson as the basis ^
or peace negotiations.
Arthur J. Balfour, the British 1
ecretary for foreign affairs, sound- '
d the keynote of the entente allies '
i hen, speaking at London, he said v
hat, until German militarism was a '
hing of the past, and there came in- *'
o existence a court armed with excutive
powers making the weak na- '
ions as safe as the strong, the war '
oust go on. He characterized von v
lertling's attitude toward Belgium 1
is unsatisfactory and insisted that !l
leriuan practice does not coincide s
..;*u n-?i J * ??*?
.1111 1 n-niui-ui ? 1IKOI1 s proposiions.
*'
Philipp Seheidmnnn. the German '
oeialist leader, has voiced the proest
of his party to the peace that '
s being forced on Russia. In a de- ^
>ate in the Reichstag he said that x
eruiany must negotiate a pence by '
inderstanding and that tlie inde- '
?endence of Helgium must be securd.
lie says that the Flemings and *'
Va I loons must settle their own <lif- '
erences.
While the Gorman 1111 nuri'i I
(
rnment is trying to convince the
vorld of its disinterestedness in the
uture of Itussia, the advance of the
IVuton armies toward Petrograd
till goes on. It now appears that
here will be no armistice on the
tussian front until peace is finally
onsununated. In spite of the claim
?y the Molshevic government that
lie Kussians were fighting hard for
he city of Pskov, the Germans h ive '
tushed far to the eastward of that 1
own. It is rumored that the Ten- 1
nns have reached the city of Luna.
liidway between Pskov and Petro- 1
rrad. Morisoff. 60 miles northeast
it Minsk, has been captured by the 1
lei mans. The German official re- '
tort says that the Teuton troops in
kraine have reached f'orostisheff, '
est of Zhitomir, which brings the '
nvaders within 50 miles of Kiev. '
"he Russian troops have refused to
ight and those who have not ah- '
eetly surrendered arc fleeing in a
lisorderly tnol> toward the capital,
f there is any resistance to the Ger- '
nan invasion, it must come from the 1
teasants.
American troops have been sub- '
ected to a heavy bombardment of
:as shell from German batteries.
Three Americans are reported to t
save died from the effects of gasjf
ind nine others are said to have \
offered severely. i)
There are no lacking indications 1
hat the long expected German drive n
long the French and British fronts v
s impending. Aerial activity of d
;rent intersity is reDorted tiv it?.. s
lermans. w ho claim Jo have brought
own 15 entente airplanes. At the 11
;<rne time, the infantry in not idle t
rd raids have been attempted at c
widely separated points in the past a
4 hours. One of these was an at- h
ack in considerable force by the t<
lermans against French positions *
?.,F 0.0 t> ?
v.... . iiuuk i'u ftipsnu. which the h
unerican artillery assisted In cap- n
urliiK recently. The other was
orth of the Oheniln Des Dames, o
irhere American troops are under- F
tood to he in training. Both as- tl
aults were broken tin hv the n
rompt action of the allied artillery. 'I
British forces have repulsed a a
ostlle attack near St. Quentin. h
German "friRhtfulness" has aRain ?<
pen exemplified by the sinklnR of ~
STER
[DAY, MARCH 1, 1918.
'a nnnrrAiivn nnn
u rKUJtiuit mtw
WHO LYNCHED BEST
lovernor Manning Says Every
Effort Will Be Made to Apprehend
Guilty Parties.
S BACK FROM CHICAGO
The Governor, Not Familiar
With Details of Lvnchimr.
Will Call Barnwell Sheriff fori
Conference.
Columbia. Feb. 28.?Every effort
ill be made by the governor's office
r> thoroughly investigate and proseute
the persons guilty of lynching
Valter Itest, a negro, near Fairfax,
la rn well county. last Saturday
light, stated Governor Manning
esterday afternoon. The governor
as just returned from Chicago and
Vashington.
Walter Best was accused of killing
Yilliam Wilson, a white man. in a
tarage at Fairfax and was being
aken to the county jail at Barnwell
iv Sheriff Morris and Deputies John
t. ltoss and J. F. (Jubbs, when he
ias taken from the officers by a mob
f hot woo ii i\ ft v nnil olvfv
ccording to reports from Fairfax.
As'the governor had just arrived
11 the state he was unfamiliar with
he details of the lynching, but he
vas emphatic in the assertion that
he lynchers would be apprehended
nd prosecuted if it is in bis power
o to do. He intends to call Sheriff
Jorris to Columbia in the next few
lays for a conference on the matter
10 said.
Governor Manning talked interstingly
of his trip to Chicago and
Vashington and of the incidents
vhich happened while he was at
>oth places. lie stated that if was
danned by the war department
rradually to till up Camp Jackson,
nd he thought it probable that fully
.000 men a month will be sent to
he local cantonment.
*
JEKMAX REVOMTION IS
FORECAST IN REICHSTAG
otcinlisf Saj x <><>1111:111 "People Will
'I'-iki- llu* Fate ?>r Their Killers
Into Their t )\\ 11 Hands."
Amsterdam, Feb. L'S V revoluion
in (it-imany was predicted by
>r. Colin. independent socialist,
leputy. in an address to the Iteichtag
Friday, the Vol Its Zeitung, of
'ologne says. I?r. t'ohn's addresR.
aade during the debate on the peace
roaty with Ukraine, threw the
teiehst a g into an uproar.
"It is not correct to say that the
eople of Russia's Raltic provinces
ire longing for Herman rule," he
leclared.
"The treaty with Ukraine is not
he first step toward general peace.
see the day coming when revoluion
will reach CJermany, and the
toople will take the fat<> of their
tilers into their own hands."
The independent socialists cheer(I
the speaker. From other parts of
he house came shouts of "traitor!"
he I'.ritish hospital ship fllenart
'astle. According to the latest adices,
there arc 1*>4 persons missng
from the ship, which was fully
ighted and carried the distinctive
narkings of the hospital service
ilien fired upon. American torpeo
boats assisted In picking up the
urvivors.
Unrest in Ireland, which was beleved
to he very serious, is now said
o be of little consequence. The
enters of the threatened uprising
re reported in the west and south,
nit arrangements have been made
r> cope with the situation. Sinn
Yiners who have been "hungertriking"
have been released in a
umber of instances.
Negotiations looking to a union
f l.ithunania and Saxony, with
'rlnce Frederick Christian, son of
he king of Saxony, as king of the
e\v state, are said to he under way.
'he Polish ambition to bring about
resumption of the ancient union
etwcen their country and Idthnanla
eems to be doomed in the light of'
ecent developments.
New
SUB:
JUNIOR AUXILIARIES 1
ARE BEING ORGANIZED ^
.Now Most Kiigrossing Branch of Rod
Cross Work in Lancaster
?
County.
The most engrossing branch of
work in the Red Cross just now is
the organization of the Junior Aux- ^
(Maries in the various county
schools. The history of tlie movement
and plans for the development
of this department were presented
by Rev. Mr. llu?h R. Murchison,
chairman of the executive board,
and Mrs. Krnest Moore, vice-chairman
of the chapter, in addresses before
the county teachers' association
at their patriotic meeting last Saturday.
The Lancaster Central 1
school was the first school to com- '
plete its Junior Red Cross organiza- tion.
Its total enrollment of 4 71 '
DtlDils is now oiiinllo.l > T: ? I 1
Auxilliary. With the 35 pupils al- '
ready members of the Lancaster 1
chapter deducted the amount raised
by 25-cent Junior fees amounts to
$109. All of this money will be ex- l
pended in the purchase of material
to be made up by the pupils into
Red Cross supplies. Kven the very
youngest children are being assigned
work.
The work of organizing other
schools in the county is being rapid- 1
lv pushed by the chapter school committee.
Mrs. T. M. Hughes, chairman
of the co-operative committee,
and Mrs. John I'oag, executive secretary,
together with Mrs. Springs,
visited the schools at Riverside,
Cane Creek, Stoneboro, Pleasant Hill
and |Klgin in all of which the vote
was unanimous to organize Junior
Red Cross Auxiliaries. The chapter
officials wish to express publicly
their sincere appreciation of the
cordial response and hearty co-operation
of the teachers in all the
schools visited. Ant inch and Ifuford
will be appealed to for organization
today.
. +
MFMVtilTIS F.\< ITF.MFNT
NWFFl'S OVFK (ill I \KV
(lafl'ney. Feb. 28. ?There was
great excitement in (JatTney yester
day caused by a report that there
were several cases of meningitis in
town. The physicians of the town
immediately got in touch with Dr.
If. C. Cody. 1'nited States health officer
in charge at Camp Wadsworth.l
w ho came over to tiaffney and after
examining the cases said there was
no meningitis.
PROMINENT MEN HELD
FOR NE(iR() L V N (' 111N (*
Seventeen Required to 1'urnish
Heavy Itail I'pon Warrants
Swih ii <*>ut |?y Sheriff.
Columbia. S. Fob. -8. ? Sev? 11teen
white iron of Harnwell county
were placod under heavy bonds by
Circuit Judge W. H. Townsend hero
today for allowed participation in the
lynching of Waller Host, a negro,
last Saturday. The negro early that
day had shot William Wilson, a
young white hoy, to death in a
blacksmith shop.
Five of the men were required to
furnish bail to the*ntnount of $7,500
each and 12 to give $5,000 bail.
Some of the men are prominent
in the business and agricultural interests.
The warrants were sworn |
out by Sheriff Morris, of Harnwellj
county, who said in an affidavit that !
ho recognized most of the men ap i
prehended, eight or nine of whom '
he designated as going into theC
swamp with the negro after dragging
him from the officers' machine.
One of the sheriff's deputirr made I
affidavit corroborating the sheriff's
testimony and also named a n.an
who he says dragged the negro from
the automobile.
The men placed under heavy
bond are: C. H. Sanders. John
Dunbar. O. B. Dynes. E. (1. Connelly
and Oscar Carlton.
These furnishing bail to the
amount of ff?.000 are: J. R. Blount.
W. M. Sanders. (J. A. Sanders. B. B.
Best. S. W. Dominlck. Deo Todd.
Dnwrence llarter. Grady Barter, H.
ID Young Simms O'Neal. (Jeorg?*
Hogg and Frank Barter.
SCRIPTION $2.00 A YEAR
TENSE SITUATION
GROWS MORE TENSE
strain in Relations Between
Germany and Austria Appear
to Threaten Conflict.
WILL NOT FIGHT RUSSIA
Neither Will Austria Take Part
in Action Against Rumania.
Violent Measures Would Be
No Surprise.
Washington. Feb. 28.?Further
evidence of the growing strain in
relations between Germany and
Austria over the refusal of the latter
:o participate in the renewed attack
upon Russia is given in an oiiicial
lispatch received here from France.
It quotes the Austrian premier as
formally reiterating on February
that Austria-Hungary will take
no part in military action against
Russia or Rumania, and will not
send her troops into t'kraine.
The dispatch refers to the meeting
between Kmperors Charles and
William February 22, and says
there seems little doubt that a serious
conflict has arisen between the
lwo_ nations which Germany is deU
nnined to settle by violent measures
if necessary.
Tim il iunntch fnllnu c
"Charles I paid a visit to William
II ihe 22nil of February. Ludentlorfl
was present at the interview*.
If we are to judge from the tone of
the interview it must have been
lacking in cordiality. There seems
to he little doubt but what a serious
conflict lias broken out during the
week between the courts of Vienna
and llorlin and which Germany is
determined to settle if need he by
violent measures.
"The situation of the dual monarchy
is such that the Vienna government
in order to avert a catastrophe
has been obliged to distinguish
by means of public declaration its
own policy from that of Germany.
The report thai at, the conference
of February 14 Hording and I-udendorff
had decided to pay 110 attention
to the Russian demobilization
and to prepare to begin the
conflict on the east front caused a
great s(jr throughout Austria. It
was not simply the dissenting nationalities,
the Czechs, the Slovenes,
or the Roles, who do not desire to
fight any more, hut it is the mass of
the population ot' Herman origin who
tefuso to sacrifice t hcinscl vos any
longer to assure tho triumph of
Prussian imperialism.
"An official nolo of tho l.'.th had
announced that Austria for her part
would continue to consider tho war
as terminated with Itussia and
would abstain from taking part in
tho operations plannod hv tho (Serin.
n oomntantl. A sooond noto of
the li'tb n pealed tho snmo statenu
nl. When askod to give fnrthor
particulars at tho sitting of tho
ohantbor on tho 22nd tho Austrian
pronvor formally stated:
" 'The words uttorod by difforont
deputies have proved that tho explanation
which has boon furnished
up to present by mo have not boon
sufficiently oxplioit. I repeat,
therefore. that Austria-Hungary
will participate in no way in tho military
action which is now being
carried on l?y Germany against
Russia. I repeat that there is no
nuestion of having our troops pene'rate
into Ukraine with whom we
are at peace. I repeat that the armistice
exists between Austria-Hungary
and Rumania and that we are
only considering entering as early
n<-: possible into peace conversations
with this country.*
"These declarations are serious.
Without a doubt in his speech on the
19th of February, Sevdler pleaded
bis fidelity to the alliance. But
more and more Germany runs the
risk of seeing Austria, and after her
Bulgaria and Turkey, take a positive
attitude and, practically withdrawing
from the struggle, witness
as spectators the continuation of
hostilities."
I'of War T:me IV diibition.
Washington, Feb. 21.?War time
prohibition in Hawaii is provided In
a bill favorably reported to the
house today by the territories committee.