Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, November 30, 1887, Image 1
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lewis m. grist, proprietor. J % Jnbejpknt Jfamilg ftefosjjapcr: J^or % promotion. of tjje |)(rMtaI, Social, Agricultural aitb Commercial Interests of tjje j?<rutfr. j terms--$2.50 a year, in advance.
VOL. 33. - YORKYILLE. S. C.. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1887. NO. 48.
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ffljtrg.
THE SLEEPING CHILD.
My baby alept?how calm his rest
As?o'er his handsome face a smile
Like that of angel flitted while
He lay so still upon my breast.
My baby slept?his baby head
Lay all unkiss'd 'noath pall and
shroud?
I did not weep or cry aloud?
I only wished I, too, were dead!
My baby sleeps?a tiny mound,
All covered by the little flowers,
Wooes me in my waking hours
Down in the quiet burying-ground.
And when I sleep I soein to be
With baby in another land?
I take his little baby handHe
smiles and sings sweet songs to me.
Sleep on, O baby, while I keep
My vigils till this Day be past;
Then shall I, too, lie down at last
And with my baby darling sleep.
[Eugene Field.
Jt fmal
THE NINE OF HEARTS!
BY B. L. FARJEON.
PART THE THIRD.
Before the month was ended Mabel
showed him the diamond bracelet: but
her mother was aware that there were
other articles missing from among her
daughter's jewelry.
Mrs. Rutland having come to the end of
he; narrative, Dr. Daincourt began to
question her.
"Your daughter," he said, "was taken
ill on March 20, and I understand that
she has been confined to her bed since that
day. Were there any premonitory symptoms
of a serious illness, or was the seizure
a sudden one?"
"It war. quite sudden," replied Mrs.
Rutland. "I went into her room early in
the morning and found her in a high state
of fever."
"Has she been sensible at all since tha'
time?"
"No."
"Not sufficiently sensible to recognize
any one who attended her?"
"No; she does not even know me, her
own mother."
"What did the physician whom you first >
. called in say about the case?" j
"He said that she had brain lever, and j :
that it had been accelerated by her having
caught a violent cold through wearing '
damp clothing."
"Do you think she wore that clothing in
the house?"
"No."
(Dr. Daincourt has certain ways and
methods of his own. He is in the habit of
keeping in his pocketbook a tablet of the
weather from day to day.)
"If your daughter did not wear damp
clothes in the house," he said, "she must
have worn them out of the house."
He took his pocketbook from his pocket
and consulted his weather tablet.
"I see," he said to Mrs. Rutland, "that
from the 12th to the 25th of March there
was no rain. The weather was mild and
unusually warm during those days, but
on the evening of the 25th of March it be- ,
gan to. rain, and rained during the night.
Your daughter must have been out during those
hours in the bad weather. "What ,
were her movements on that evening?
Remember, you must keep nothing from ,
me if you wish me to do my best to restore
your child to health."
Still, it was with some difficulty that ,
he extracted from Mrs. Rutland the infor- ^
mation that he desired to obtain. Obtain .
it, however, he did. Mrs. Rutland in- j
formed him that Mabel had gono out on ,
the evening of the 25th of March, and did ,
not return home until nearly 1 o'clock in
the morning. Mr. Rutland was not aware '
of this. Mrs. Rutland had stopped up for
her daughter, and had let her. in quietly ,
and secretly. The young girl was pale ]
and greatly agitated, but she said nothing
to her mother. She kissed her hurriedly, '
went to her bedroom, and was found the j
next morning in the condition Mrs. Rut- (
land had described.
"Reingin a fever from that day," said (
Dr. Daincourt to the mother, "your daugh- ,
ter has seen no newspapers?" ,
"No."
"And she is ignorant of the peril
through which her former lover, Edward j
Layton, has passed, and in which he still
stands?"
"She is ignorant of it," said Mrs. Rutland.
,
"Have any letters arrived for her dur- j
ing her illness?" j
"Yes, two. One in the handwriting of (
Mr. Layton, the other from my dear boy (
Eustace."
"Have you those letters?"
"Yes."
"Have you opened them?" :
"No. My daughter made me give her
a solemn promise that I would never open j
one of her letters, and I have not done j
so." ]
n ? j T\,J A A 1
XJUt, sum JL>r. uuiacuim, mis is u> , j
matter of life and death. I must ask you i to
give me those letters, and I will take I <
upon myself the responsibility of opening ! 1
them. I must ask you for something j
more. Your daughter has a desk?" ; \
"Yes." 1
"The key of which is in her room?" ;
"Yes." ,
"Bring down the desk and the key. ]
Ask me no questions concerning my mo- | ]
tives. I am in hopes that I shall be able :
to discover the true cause of your daugh- i
ter's illness, and that will enable me to j
adopt toward her the only treat- i
ment by which it is possible she can re- ;
cover." j
Mrs. Rutland brought down the desk
and the key. In the mother's presence
Dr. Daincourt opened the desk. There
were in it no letters from Edward Layton,
but it contained two of what Mrs. Rut- !
land called the mystery letters which j
Eustace was in the habit of writing to his
p sister. These letters were in their en- !
velopes, the post marks upon which indi- !
cated their order of delivery.
Dr. Daincourt could make nothing of :
them, and Mrs. Rutland could not assist i
him. They were written upon small single
sheets of note papei$ and appeared to be a |
perfect jumble of incomprehensible words.
Around the margin of these words were a j
number of figures and alphabetical letters j
as incomprehensible as themselves, j
Searching further in the desk, he made a
startling discovery?three playing cards,
each of them being the nine of hearts. He
asked Mrs. Rutland?who appeared to bo
almost as startled as he was himself by
the discovery?whether she could give
him any explanation of the cards, and she
said that she could not. Then Dr. Daincourt
said that he would take the !
playing cards and the letters away with !
him.
"At the same time," he observed to !
Mrs. Rutland, "if it is any consolation to i
you, I undertyke your daughter's cuse and '
will do the best for her that lies within j
my skill and power."
He then went to see Miss Rutland in J
her bed, wrote out a prescription, gave |
certain instructions and then left the j
house. i
"I have come to you," said Dr. Dain- I
cottrt to me, "with these letters and the
playing cards; I will leave them with I
you. You said that the nine of hearts ;
was a tangible link in the chain of Ed- !
ward Layton's innocence. Is it not most j
mysterious und strange that three of these j
identical cards should he found in Miss j
Rutland's desk and that one should be j
fouud in the pocket of Edward I .ay ton's
ulster which he wore on the 25th of i
March? Does not this circumstance,
in connection with what you now know j
of Mabel Rutland's movements on that j
night, go far to prove t hat the lady whom 1
Edward Layton met in Bloomsbury square j
was none other thun his old sweetheart? j
Heaven knows what conclusions are to bo j
drawn from the coincidence. I will make |
no comments; indeed, I almost tremble to
think of the matter. Your legal mind will
perhaps enable you to deduce something
from Eustace's letter to his sister which
may be of service to you and Edward
Layton. To me they are simply incomprehensible.
Before I visit Miss Rutland
to-morrow I will call on you. You may
have something to say to me. I sincerely
trust I shall not be the means of twinging
fresh trouble upon her and hers."
With that he wished me good night, and
I was left alone.
I set myself sedulously to the task of
discovering the key to these mysterious
letters.
Dr. Daincoiu-t had not opened the two
sealed letters which had arrived during
Miss Rutland's illness, and I did not immediately
do so.
I felt a delicacy with respect to Edward
Layton's letter to the young lady which
he had given me in prison to post for
him.
I put them aside, and selecting the first
of the two letters from Eustace Rutland
which had been found in Mabel's
desk (judging from the postmarks on
their envelopes which of the two
she had first received, for they bore
no date), I devoted myself to a study of
it.
This is an exact copy of the singular
communication, the size of the paper and
the arrangement of the words, and of the
figures and alphabetical letters, being
faithfully followed:
h 80 x 3 0 14 . h 7 e "
h j. 0
A face birds the * stares ?
in runs back got I ^
g 5 H
in your ^ hundred send ?
3 > *
trees the money won are
< 1
co death river diamond gayly me r?
M
on bracelet four singing
? ?
instuntly cherry the, the
? C . ?
S
2 a o x oi * si a r n
It appeared to me that the first thing I
had to consider was the relation, if any,
that the alphabetical letters and figures
bore to the words to which they formed a
frame. I did not lose sight of the suggestion
which immediately arose that this
frame work of figures and alphabetical
letters might be placed there as a blind,
a]thouch the evident care and pains which
had been bestowed upon them was opposed
to the suggestion. But then, again, the
care thus exercised might be intended to
more deeply mystify any strange person
wliAon V? ??>?/!? wi'ooiVft rrnnrTit. fnll
IUW HUVOC 1IUUVU3 VUC UUOiSlTV UM^uv *?"
In order not to deface or mutilate tho
original, I made two exact copies of it for
my own purposes, using as a kind of
ruler one of the playing cards which Dr.
Daincourt had also found in Mabel Rutland's
desk.
There were two words in the missive
which soon attracted me. These were the
third word, '"diamond," in the fifth line,
and the second word, "bracelet," in the
sixth line. "Diamond bracelet." I did
not doubt that this was the diamond
bracelet which Mr. Rutland had presented
to his daughter, and which she could not
wear at the dinner party because it was
not at that time in her possession. Here,
then, was a clew, but here I stopped. No
ingenuity that I could bring to bear enabled
me to connect other words with
"diamond bracelet." I cudgelled my
brains for at least half an hour. Then all
it once it occurred to me (what in the excitement
of my pursuit T may very well
be excused for not having thought of before)
that the playing card, the nine of
hearts, must bear some relation to the
missive. I placed it upon the paper.
Every word was hidden by the surface of
the card; only the figures and the alphabetical
letters were visible. ' 'Doubtless,''
thought I, "if I cut out the pips of a nine
of hearts, and place it upon the paper, I
shall see certain words which will form
the subject matter upon which Eustace
Rutland wrote to his sister." In that
cuse the mystery was confined to nine
words, which, whatever their arrangement,
would not be too difficult to intelligibly
arrange. I would not mutilate
Miss Rutland's playing cards. I had
packs of my own in the house, and from
these I selected the nine of hearts and cut
sut the pips. It was not an easy matter,
and in my eagerness I pretty effectually
lest roved the surface of my table; but
that did not trouble me. My interest was
now thoroughly aroused, and grew keener
when, placing the nine of hearts upon
Eustace Rutland's mystery letter, I found
these words disclosed:
Face?stares?in?send?money?deutli
?me?instantly?the.
Here, then, in these nine words, was the
communication which Eustace Rutland
intended his sister to understand. I copied
them on a separate sheet of paper and
arranged them in different ways until I
arrived at their correct solution:
"Death stares me in the face, send
money instantly."
Congratulating myself upon my cleverness,
I came to the conclusion that Eustace
Rutland, being banished from his father's
house and not being able to obtain from
his father the funds necessany for his disreputable
career, was taking advantage of
his sister's devoted affection for him, and
was in the habit of calling upon her to
supply him with money, wlxich, no doubt,
the young lady did to the beet of her abil'* ?
1 n/1 a 4r? tliA foelr nf All ?
IIY. VUHU311J 1CYI J11V IU unt uwoa v*. v*?
Jeavoring to discover whether the alphabetical
letters and the figures in the framework
bore any relation to this communication.
With only the nine words exposed
through tho pips of the nine of
hearts which I had cut away, I saw that
the first word, "death," was the sixth,
and the second word, "stares," was the
second, and the third word, "me," was the
seventh. The sequence of the figures,
therefore, was (5, 2, 7. Now, how were
these three figures arranged in the framework?
The figure 0 came after the letter
M, the figure 2 came after the letter X,
the figure 7 came after the letter II. Satisfied
that I had found the key, I began to
study how these figures from 1 to 9, representing
the nine words in the communication
and the nine of hearts in the
playing card, were arranged in the framework
in such a manner as to lead an informed
person at once to the solution.
There must be a starting poin t with which
both Eustace and his sister Mabel were
acquainted. What was this starting
point? One of the letters of the alphabet.
What letter? A. Starting, then, from A
in the framework, I found that the figures
from 1 to 9 ran thus: 0, 2, 7, 3, 9, 1, 4,
5, 8. Upon following, in this order, the
course of the words which were exposed
by the playing card with the nine pips cut
out, I came to the conclusion that I had
correctly interpreted this first mystery
letter. I was very pleased, believing that
the key I had discovered would lead me to
a correct reading of Eustace's second and
In'vil lofter tn liis? sistpr.
So absorbed had I bei-u in the unraveling
of this mystery letter, which occupied
nie a good hour and a half, that I had lost
sight during the whole of that time of the
two words which lmd at first enchained
my attention ? "diamond bracelet."
"Death stares me in the face, send money
instantly," had appeared to me so reasonable
a construction to be placed upon the
communication of a man who must often
have been in a desperate strait for want of
funds, that the thought did not obtrude
itself that these words might be merely u
blind, ant: that, in the words that remained
after the obliteration of this sentence,
the correct solution was to be found.
The longer I considered, the stronger became
my [doubts; with "diamond bracelet"
staring me in the face, I felt that I
had been following a Will-o'-the-wisp.
1 had asked Dr. Dainoourt the date of
the dinner party at which Mr. Rutland
had detected the nbsenoc of the diamond
bracelet on his daughter's arm. That
date was the 8th of September. I examined
the postmark on the envelope of Eustace
Rutland's first communication; it
was the 20th of September. Mr. Rutland
had laid upon his daughter the injunction
that the diamond bracelet was to be
shown to him before the end of the month.
What month? September. She bad pro*
duced it in time, and her brother's missive
must have conveyed to her some information
respecting the missing article
of jewelry. The elation of spirits in which
I had indulged took a flight; I had not discovered
the clew.
I set myself again to work. I felt now
as a man feels who is hunting out a great
mystery or a great criminal, and upon the
success of whose endeavor his own safety
depends. It seemed to me as if it were
not so much Edward Layton's case as my
own in which I was engaged. Never in
the course of my career have I been so interested.
I determined to set aside the
words, "Death stares mo in the face, send
money instantly," and to search, in the
words that remained, for the true meaning
of Eustace Rutland's first communication.
I copied them in the order in
which tlnjy were arranged, and they ran
as follows:
H 20 JC 2 C 14 II 7 E ?
5 . ^ . 0
- birds tho1 0
? in runs back got I ^
H H
? o
your hundred
H C
trees the won are
<
oe river diamond gayly
H H
on bracelet four singing ?
? M
h K
cherry the
r U
H a 9 N 91 A SI A ? e*
I couuted the number of words; there
were twenty-two. Now, was the true
reading of the communication contained
in the whole of these twenty-two words,
or in only a portion of them, and if in only
a portion, in what portion? In how many
words? There lay the difficulty. The
words "diamond bracelet" gave me a distinct
satisfaction, but there were other
words which I could not by any exercise
of ingenuity connect them with, such as
"birds" ? "trees" ? "river" ?"gayly"?
"cherry"?"singing." Undoubtedly the
communication was a serious one, and
these words seemed to be inimical to all
ideas of seriousness. How to select. What
to select? How to arjjjinge the mystery?
What was the notation? Ah, the notation!
I had discovered the notation of the sentence
I had set aside for the time. "What
if the same notation would lead mo to the
clew I wus in search of? The arrangement
of the figures from 1 to 9 was arbitrated
by the first letter in the alphabet,
A. I would try whether that arrangement
would afford any satisfaction in the
twenty-two words that remained. It
would be an affectation of vanity on my
part if I say that this idea occurred to me
instantly. It did not do so. It was only
after long and concentrated attention and
consideration that it came to me, and
then I set it immediately into practical
operation. The flrfct figure in the sentence
I had discovered was G. I counted
six in the present arrangement of the
words. It ended with the word "got."
Crossing out the word "got" and placing
it upon a separate sheet of paper I proceeded.
The second figure in the sentence
I had discarded was 2. I counted two on
from the word "got" and arrived at
" n t 1 4. 4.1.:,. -/l (i ii
I "youx'. l ciusst'ii uuo una wuru juui
I and proceeded. The third figure in the
sentence I had discarded was 7. I counted
seven words on from "your" and came to
"diamond." I treated this word in a similar
way to the last two and continued the
process. "Got your diamond." Now for
"bracelet." The next figure was 3. I
counted three words from "diamond" and
came to "bracelet."
I was more excited tlmn I can describe.
There is scarcely anything in the world
that fills a man with sucli exultation as |
success, and I was on the track of sue- 1
cess: "Got your diamond bracelet." The '
following ligure was (J. I counted on nine j
and came to the word "back." "Got your j
diamond bracelet back." I continued. !
The next figure was 1. This was repre- |
sented by tiie word "I." The next flguro j
was 4, represented by the word "won."
The next figure was 5, represented by the !
word "four." The next figure was 8, rep- j
resented by the word "hundred." I continued
the same process and came back to |
the ligure G, represented by the word
"on." The next figure was 2, repre- j
sented by the word "cherry."
I stopped here for a reason and I read J
the words I had crossed out and written j
on a separate sheet of paper. They ran i
thus:
"Got your diamond bracelet back. I [
won 400 on Cherry."
It was not without a distinct reason I
that I paused here. Mixing with the j
world and moving in all shades and classes I
of society, I must confess?us I have no
doubt otiier men would confess if they
were thoroughly ingenuous?to certain
weaknesses, one of which is to put a sovereign
or two (seldom more) upon every
classic horse race, and upon every important
handicap during the year. I
nearly always lose?and serve me right. J
But it happened, strangely enough, that in ;
this very month of September, during
which Eustace Rutland sent his mysteri- j
ous communication to his sister Mabel, j
one of the most celebrated handicaps of |
the year was won by a horse named
Cherry, and that I had two sovereigns on |
that very horse. It started at long odds.
I remembered that the bet I made was
two sovereigns to a hundred, and that I ;
had won what is often called a century
upon the race. I was convinced that I
had come to the legitimate end of Eustace \
Rutland's letter: "Got your diamond i
I uraceiet oacK. i won on unerxy. |
This young reprobate, then, was in- j
dulging in horse racing. His sister Mabel ;
had written to him an account of the j
scene between herself and her hither at !
the dinner party. She had given him her j
diamond bracelet to extricate him from j
some scrape, and he had been luckily ena- j
bled, by his investment 011 the horso j
Cherry, to redeem it?most likely from
the pawnbroker?in time for his sister to
exhibit it to her father. So as to be certain
that I had got the proper clew, and
had arrived at the gist of Eustace's communication,
I wrote down the words that
remained, which were:
"Birds ? the?the?in?are?the? trees I
?runs?rivers?gaylv?singing.''
It was an easy task now for me to apply
the same test to these remaining
words, and I found that they formulated
themselves in this fashion:
"The river runs gayly. The birds are
singing in the trees."
I was curious to ascertain whether there
were any special sign in the framework of
Eustace Rutland's communication by
which the person engaged with him in
the mystery letter could be guided. I
counted the words in each sentence. The
words in the first sentence were nine?the
nine of hearts. The number of words in
t he second sentence was eleven. The
number of words in the third sentence
was eleven. After the alphabetical letter
A in the framework I saw the figure 11,
and I was satisfied, the last eleven words
being meaningless, that it was the second
sentence of eleven words, referring to the
diamond bracelet and to his winning on
Cherry, that Eustace wished his sister J
Mabel to understand. At tho same time j
I was satisfied in my own mind that, ,
without tigs nine of hearts to guide him,
a man might spend days over the crypto- j
graph without arriving at the correct !
SUi UL1UU.
I had taken no count of the passing
time. Engrossed, and absorbed in my occupation,
1 was surprised, when it lind
reached what I believed to be a successful
termination, to find that it was nearly six
o'clock in the morning.
[to hk conti>*uki>.]
fiST We are at best but stewards of
what we falsely call our own; yet
avarice is so insatiable that it is not
in the power of liberality to contest i
it.
JBSaT Perfect symmetry never produces
the effect of vastness. It is
only by studying the details that we
comprehend the whole.
j?tafe Jkffaits.
THE GOVERNOR'S iMESSAGE.
The Governor's message, sent in
on the first day of the session, first
takes up the State debt, which in the
aggregate amounts to $6,400,000, of
which $277,000 is estimated as valid
bonds issued between 1868 and 1872,
and ante-bellum bonds not consoldated
under the Act of 1873. There is
every reason to believe that a large
portion 01 tnese nave ueen iusl or uestroyed
and that the State will never
be called upon to redeem them.
The Governor regards the recommendation
of the Comptroller-General
that a limit be put on the time
when these bonds may be exchanged
as wise, and commends it lo the consideration
of the Legislature, as the
whole State debt must be readjusted
in 1893, the date of its maturity.
The Sinking Fund Commission,
during the year, has purchasedand
cancelled $32,517.50 of deficiencies,
decreasing the debt that amount.
There is now outstanding $420,238 of
deficiency bonds and stock which
will come due July 1,1888, for which
provision must be made this session.
The sum of $20,000 is now on hand,
leaving $400,000 to be met. In order
to provide for the payment of this
debt thus falling due, it is recommended
that "authority be given
the Governor and such other State officers
as you may designate, to give
through the papers of the principal
money markets of the world, notice
that the State of South Carolina deI
sires to borrow the sum of $400,000 ;
to ask for proposals for the loan of
| the same, to be secured by State
bonds in all respects similar to the
Brown Consol bonds, except in the
rate of interest and the date of maturity.
By offering competition of
this kind there is no reason why,
with our securities ranking among
the first in the stock exchanges of the
country, this loan should not bereadj
ily taken at 4 or 41 per cent, interest,
i This adjustment of this small portion
of our debt once effected, the result
i is an immediate saving of $8,000 in
the amount appropriated for the payment
of interest on the public debt,
and is but a foretasteof the relief the
tax-payers will feel when the whole
State debt shall have been refunded
in like manner in 1893. If we so
maintain the credit of the State by
making provision for promptly meeting
all her liabilities, and by a wise
conduct of affairs succeed in ultimately
placing the entire amount of our
inrlolitorlnoca nt thp lruv rnfp nf 4 DPT
cent. our annual budget will have
likewise been decreased in its interest
charge by the large amount of
?120,000. This is true retrenchment
and reform, and to this end all the
energy and wisdom of the representatives
of the people should be constantly
and untiringly directed."
Regarding the forfeited lands, the
Governor says the burdens of taxation
should fall equally on all; and
every citizen should be required to
pay his just proportion of the taxes
necessary to support the Government
under which he lives. "But I
regretto have to say that this is not
the case in South Carolina, as will
be seen by reference to.the list of,
lands forfeited for the non-payment
of taxes. By reference to the report
of the commissioners of the sinking
fund it will be found that there were
on the forfeited land list, at the end
of the fiscal year ending October 31,
1S86, 954,237 acres; that during the
present fiscal year ending October 31,
1887, new forfeitures have been incurred
which amount to 100,045acres;
the whole amounting in the aggregate
to 1,054,282 acres. During the
present fiscal year 45,298 acres of land
have been sold or redeemed, and 94,131
acres have been stricken from
the forfeited list as erroneous entries ;
and still there remains on this list
a net acreage of 914,853 acres of land.
Whilst the foregoing exhibit shows
that the acreage of land on the forfeited
list at the present time is 39,383
acres less than at the same time
last year, it will be seen on examination
that this decrease is not due
to the fact that taxes have been more
promptly paid, but to the activity
and efficiency of the land depart
ment in enecung saies ana reuemption
of forfeited lands, and in discovering
and eliminating erroneous
forfeitures that had crept into the
forfeited list from 18G8 to 188G. The
fact that 100,045 acres of new forfeitures
have been incurred duringthe
present fiscal year is a matter of serious
moment to the State, and a
great injustice to those citizens whose
patriotism and sense of duty constrain
them to pay their taxes. To
enact a law that will abate this great
and growing evil is a matter, therefore,
for your most earnest consideration."
The Governor then reviews
the legislation on this subject for the
past ten years and shows the effect
that temporizing legislation has had
in contributing to the undesirable
result under review. He recommends
legislation that will secure to
the purchaser of forfeited lands good
and sufficient title, and if this be
impracticable, that a law be passed
authorizing the commissioners of the
sinking fund to bring action in the
Courts of the several counties where
the forfeited lands are located for
the taxes, costs and penalties now
due the State against the owners
thereof, and by judgment regularly
obtained, as for debt due, sell the
same to satisfy the judgmeut, the
State to preserve its priority of lien
for said taxes over and above all
other judgments.
In regard to the public schools, the
Governor says: "There is an apparent
decrease in the enrollment, and,
therefore, in the averaere attendance
of public schools for the year 188G-87.
This is due to the closing of the
schools of Georgetown county during
the year under the authority of an
Act of the General Assembly, and to
an error in the last return from
Berkeley county. There is beyond
question in the schools generally
throughout the State a gradual and
constant annual increase in the number
enrolled and a corresponding increase
in the average attendance.
This desirable result has been reached,
notwithstanding the short crops
and the low prices of the past few
years. The people of the State are
Snore aroused upon this important
subject of education than ever before
in their history, and the next report
of the superintendent will, in his
opinion, vindicate this assertion.
They demand longer terms and more
thoroughly trained teachers. There
should be a general Act providing
for local taxation to supplement the
school fund wherever the taxpayers
of a community desire the establishment
of schools of a higher grade;
and liberal efforts should be made
by the legislator to give greater facilities
for the training of teachers in
schools specially adapted to that end.
The Constitution enjoins this, and i
the people demand it. The report
of the superintendent urges the passage
of an Act to provide for more 1
efficient superintendence, and the
argument he advances is so clear and
complete as to carry conviction with i
it. A large amount of money is expended
by the State for this most ?
important object?education?and it s
is the duty of the represenatives of t
the people to see that the greatest c
possible amount of good is accom- r
plished, and that a return in some c
degree commensurate with the sacri- \
fices made by the taxpayers is se- r
cured. Nothing makes such a hand- <
some return to a State as the provis- r
ion made for the elementary training 1
of her children, and this subject i
should always demand our most i
thoughtful' and earnest attention, \
and our wisest and most progressive
legislation. The superintendent of t
education has been most active in c
his efforts to enkindle in the public \
mind a due conception of the vital \
importance of popular education to j
the safety and well-being of society, a
and has visited every county in the r
State, addressing audiences and giv- a
ing his personal supervision to the a
conduct of the public schools. It is >
nopeatnat tnese ettorts win create c
new and increased interest in this c
important department of the Govern- A
men?\ t
~ Tm?South Carolina College is rep- c
resented to be in an encouraging f
condition, and the Governor states as e
a gratifying fact that though the law r
requiring tuition became operative \
with the fall session of the present rJ
year, yet the number of matriculates r
has already reached 1G0, the average c
of this date in the past five years t
being 1G2. Speaking of the agricul- 1
tural department, reference is made t
to the laboratory and the field work $
carried on, and the Governor says, in t
the character and extent of its ex- s
perimental work, this department is a
not surpassed by any agricultural t
college in the country. He asks fa- \
vorable consideration of the scheme a
for the reorganization of the.institu- I
tion on a university basis, which t
scheme will besubmitted to the Gen- f
eral Assembly by the trustees of the a
college. t
Of the South Carolina Military s
Academy the message says that in- ?
stitution is fulfilling in each of its J
departments the important service *
committed to it, and enjoys the ap- I s
proval of those charged by the State 3
with its supervision. The usual ap- s
propriation for the maintenance of
the academy is recommended.
Of Clafflin College the message
says a marked increase and improvement
in attendance is reported, and *
the State farm attached is successfully
conducted and contributes in a
large degree to its economical conduct.
Attention is called to the inadequate
salaries of the professors.
The institution for the deaf, dumb
and the blind is also represented to
be doing its philanthropic work well,
and an appropriation is recommended
for the introduction of a better
water supply and electric lights in
addition to the usual annual appropriation.
Of the Department of Agriculture,
the message says: "During the year
the department has exercised a strict
supervision over the sale of commercial
fertilizers and endeavored to protect
consumers of the goods from imposition
of any character. This is
one of the most important duties
with which the department is charged,
because it is not too much to say
that the success and prosperity of a
great majority of farmers of the State
depend upon the quality of the ferpuTupon
our markets. It is
gratifying, therefore, to know from
the reports of the chemist of the department
that the proportion of fertilizers
showing deficiencies in essential
ingredients is decreasing annually,
while complaints of spurious fertilizers
are exceedingly rare. The
analytical work of the department
has heretofore been performed by the
chemist without assistance, but the
demand for the chemical examination
of waters, ore, kaolin, <fcc., is increasing
so rapidly that it is the intention
of the board to meet this demand
by the employment of such
additional assistance as the chemist
may require. During the past year
9G,837tonsof fertilizers were sold in
the State, and, so far as possible, inspected
by the department as required
by law. The board of agriculture
made the annual inspection of
the phosphate territory, and submits
a brief report on the result of its inspection.
In view of the fact that a
special phosphate commission, ap- *
pointed by the .Legislature, has been
charged with a thorough investiga- F
tion of the phosphate interests of the 1
State, the board and commissioner c
have not deemed it necessary to sub- c
mit any extended report. The re- %
port of the special assistant in the J
phosphate department covers fully ?
the operations of that branch of the kdepartment's
work. The amount of f
rock removed from the navigable c
streams is larger and the royalty j3
greater than in any previous year, j*
There were 202,757 tons of rock re- 1
moved and the royalty received by c
the State was $208,842. The depart- r
ment last year entered into arrange- s
ments with the United States signal ^
service bureau for the purpose of es- F
tablishing stations of observation, !
where accurate data relating to the J.
climate of the city and State could be 1
collected, and to arrange for the dis- s
play of signals giving the weather ?
predictions at suitable points. The 1
work has been greatly enlarged du- J
ring the year, and at this time there 1
are thirty-two observation and sixty- c
four display stations in operation.
Several of the railroads telegraph the h
indications daily and have them e
posted at their depots, and one rail- i
road carries the signal tiags on its a
passenger trains. The signal service
bureau detailed an observer to take i
charge of the station located in the a
department building, and he has per- s
formed his duties with great satisfac- v
tion to the State. The importance r
of this work cannot be overestimated S
.1 !i t HA. 1 -1 1 +
aim us many ueuenisanu au vantages <
will be appreciated on an examina- t
tion of the report of the observer1, c
The statistical report of the depart- a
ment shows an increase over last J
year in the amount and value of t
crops of the State. The seasons were r
generally favorable, and the farmers 1
have realized more abundant bar- t
vests. The cotton crop will exceed 1
the crop of 1S8G by To,11 1 bales, while I"
the yield of corn will exceed the I
product of any year of which we 1
have record. Thedepartmcntis now a
in thorough working order, and is
accomplishing great good for the a
State. In addition to the duties c
which have been briefly alluded to I
above, the commissioner is constant- i
ly occupied in answering inquiries r
from other States and in foreign t
countries in relation to the resources z
and advantages of South Carolina, t
These inquiries come from all classes, t
thecapitalistsand the laborers. The C
publications of the department con- t
tain most of the information sought, n
and these have gone to almost every e
part of this country and Europe, c
The South's resources are attracting n
great attention, and this work of the p
commissioner is keeping South Caro- si
lina as well known as any of the a
Southern States. The good work the
department is now doing and its ii
work in the past will, I am sure, a
commend it to your continued sup- s<
port and encouragement." si
In relation to the experimental v
stations, after reviewing what has C
been done towards the establishing ei
of the two authorized at the last ses- si
ion, allusion is made to the necesiy
laid upon the General Assembly
>f deciding what institutions shall
eccive the benefits under the Acts
if Congress. The suggestion is made
vhether the assignment of a portion
if the sum to be contributed by the
general government to the agrieultual
department of the South Caroina
College, to he exclusively used
ti agricultural experiments, would
lot greatly add to the value of the
vork of two experimental stations.
In reference to the Penitentiary
he Governor says: "There are now
in the rolls of the prison, 1,U00 convicts,
a slight increase as compared
villi the 085 at the same time last
rear, of whom 7S are white males
ind 2 white females, and 87G colored
nales and 50 colored females. They
ro iliofrihiitnrl fnltnvvo SpvPntv
HV, UI^VIl./MVVt. .X/..VT.U . , v.. v
ire at work at Pringle's Phosphate
iVorks, 10") with Messrs. ltice &
Joleman on railroad work in Chester
ounty, 1 at the Summerville Brick
irard, 10") on shoe contract and 98 on
he hosiery contract inside the prism.
Ninety-two are on the various
arms, and the balance, with the
ixception of a majority of the fenalesand
the sick and infirm, are at
vork in the prison or on local details.
The board are again compelled to
eport the partial destruction of the
Tops on the farms by freshets and
he ravages of the caterpillars, which
la? rendered them unable to return
o the treasury this year the loan of
;25,000 advanced to the institution
>y the General Assembly at the last
ession, and they therefore ask for
in extension of said loan. With
he unfavorable seasons the farms
vill yield as the share of the State
ibout 500 bales of cotton and 8,000
>ushels of corn, besides peas, potaoes,
forage, Ac. Had it not been
or the loss, as stated, by high water
iiul caterpillars, the farming operaions,
in my opinion, would have
hown a large profit and would have
nabled the institution to have readiy
met all its obligations. As it is
he board thinks that, estimating
olely upon the operations of this
/ear, the prison has been more than
elf-sustainiug and has a clear net
irofit of from three to four thousand
lollars to its credit. The board rec>mmend
an appropriation, direct
rom the treasury, of 8100,000, if so
nuch be necessary, for the maintenince
of the institution for the ensung
year, accompanied with the proviso
that all moneys collected by
nem oe lurneci over 10 me ouue
reasurer. This plan, they think,
vill work more smoothly and, in
^ery many respects, better than the
iresent one. The law enacted at
rour last session, making it the duty
)f the superintendent of the Peniteniary
to transport all convicts to the
)rison from the different counties,
ias resulted in a great saving of
noney to the State as of the appropriition
of $5,000 for this purpose only
ibout $2,200 has been expended duing
the ten months which the law
ias been in force." The Governor
oncurs with the board in recomnending
an increase in the pay of
he officers of the Penitentiary. The
Governor also concurs with the board
n the opinion that the best plan for
he employment of the convicts of
he State is the purchase of a tract of
and sufficiently large, and as near
is possible to the prison upon which
hey could be employed in agricultual
labor after the expiration of the
>resent leases and contracts with
)ther parties. With this suggestion
larried out, all couvicts that could
lot be hired to contractors or emiloyed
profitably on specific work
inder contract could be made to
abor on this farm, which the board
ire satisfied would eventually belome
very profitable. To this end
hey are now negotiating for the
>urchase of a tract of four thousand
ive hundred acres, situated in Lexngton
county, and about three miles
rom the prison. The establishing
>f a reformatory institution, in eonlection
with the Penitentiary, for
outhful criminals, is also recomnended.
Of the Columbia Canal, after enunerating
the total cost of the work
o the 31st of last October, which is
>ut down at $130,705.08, the Govern?r
says that witli the exception of
(i,222.10 contributed by the citizens
if Columbia, every cent was approbated
solely from the surplus earnngs
of the Penitentiary, so that not
me mill of tax has ever been levied
ir collected for the purpose of developing
to completion an enterprise
>fsuch magnitude and importance
0 the industrial prosperity of the
state. The estimated cost of comileting
the canal, if the work is conlucted
as heretofore, is $42,400.80 in
ash and $127,220.10 in labor, making
1 total of $109,626.00. Extended alusions
is made to the benefits to acrue
from the completion of the earn!,
arid in conclusion the Governor
uggests the early completion of the
vork by the State, or, if this should
?e deemed inexpedient by the Legslature,
that steps may be taken to
ransfer the canal, with all rights,
ranchises and obligations, under
uch conditions as maybe regarded
iS most advantageous for the State,
o corporate or private individuals
mssessing fully the confidence of
he people, so as to ensure its speedy
ompletion.
The affairs of the Lunatic Asylum
lave been conducted with the greatest
economy. There are now in the
nstitution 649 patients, 669 whites
nil 280 colored.
In regard to the ltailroad Comnission,
attention is called to the
dvisability of enlarging its powers
o as to enable it to requre railroads
vithin the State to regulate their
ates of freight traffic within the
itate so that the public shall derive
he greatest benefit possible consis
ent wirn tne interest 01 ranroan
orponitions. Allusion is made to
l recent complaint of the Merchants'
Exchange, of Charleston, as illustraing
the fact that nearly all of our
ailroads having passed into the
lands of parties outside of the State,
here is a strong tendency to keep
ocal rates in South Carolina too disiroportionate
to the pro rata receipts
?y the railroads within the State on
ong hauls to and from the North
nd West.
The militia of the State is reported
s having increased in the number of
ompanies and its general efficiency,
fight companies have been reorganised
in the upper counties, as a main
esultof a feeling of insecurity on
he discovery of secret labor organiations.
In relation to the Adjutantiencral's
advocacy of an appropriaion
for an annual encampment, the
Jovernor adds his testimony as to
he beneficial results of the experinent
at Spartanburg in the partial
ncampment last summer. He also
alls attention to the advisability of
naking a small appropriation for
aying the companies when their
ervices are called into requisition to
id the civil authorities.
In reference to some provision bong
made for disabled and poor
mong the surviving Confederate
Tldiers, after quoting a resolution
Peking this end, passed by the Surivors'
Association of Darlington
ounty and transmitted to the Excutive
department, the Governor
iys: "I would earnestly commend
)
the object of this resolution to the
generous consideration of your honorable
bodies as one that touches
most nearly the deepest and most
sacred feeling of every true Southern
heart. It is not inconsistent with
loyalty to the Constitution, and a reconstructed
Union to cherish with
holy care the memories of the heroic
days when Carolina blood was freely
offered in rich lihations of patriotism
in defence of a cause believed to be
just and righteous. To do this with
enthusiastic reverence is rather the
surest guarantee of the renewed fidelity
of the brave men who, having
fought and lost, accept with high and
honorable purpose, and with full
sense of the responsibility assumed,
the old flag and a restored Union, in
good faith and with inflexible determination
that neither the one shall
ever be dishonored, nor the other
dissevered, as long as they have
arms to uphold or weapons to wield.
There can bo no question as to the
duty of the State to afford all possible
relief to her disabled and helpless
sons, whose health and capacity
to support themselves have been
sacrificed in her cause and at her
bidding. I have no doubt of your
readiuess to respond to this patriotic
appeal and I heartily recommend
that you carefully consider to what
extent the resources of the State will
justify so just and humane a provision."
The State Agricultural and Mechanical
Society is reported in a
flourishing condition, and the Governor
recommends the continuance
of the annual appropriation of ?2,500
towards maintaining its organization.
In relation to the completion of the
State House, the message gives figures
showing expenditures of ?196,178
of appropriations amounting to
?211,000, and the statement is made
that the importance of continuing
the work without interruption cannot
be overestimated. To effect additional
improvements on the building,
including fire proof roofing the
remaining rooms and halls, an appropriation
of ?100,000 will be required
in addition to the balance of ?15,000
on hand.
Of the term of office of trial justices,
and of the jurisdiction of these
officers, the Governor says:
"The opinion has heretofore prevailed
that these officers hold their
offices for two years from the date of
their appointment, but recently I
have been advised by the attorneygeneral
that if they be appointed during
the recess of the General Assembly
they hold only until the adjournment
of the General Assembly next
ensuing. If consistent with your
views, I recommend that an Act be
passed declaring that trial justices
shall hold office for two years from
the date of their appointment unless
rut Ul/i/if 4 rv r rv>. >
SUUiier ICIIIUVCU, SUiyctl lu luumuiation
by the Senate ; or else, which
would certainly make our system of
appointment to office more uniform,
enact that these officers shall hereafter
be appointed in the manner and
mode and with like tenure as is now
prescribed by law for the appointment
of treasurers and auditors.
"In the case of the State vs. Jenkins,
recently decided, the Supreme
Court has declared that in the absence
of any law limiting: the punishment
of petit larceny to $100 fine and thirty
day's imprisonment, the trial justice
courts are without jurisdiction.
The result of this decision has been
to encumber the criminal calendars
of the Courts with small cases at great
expense to the counties. I therefore
recommend that an Act be passed defining
the punishment of petit larceny
and other minor offences, such as
breach of trust, for small amounts
not exceeding $100, malicious mischief
and kindred small offences, so
as to bring such cases within the jurisdiction
of the trial justice Courts."
Reference to the Blackwood case
occupies considerable space of the
message, thejcorrespondence between
the Executives of Georgia and South
Carolina being given, with the facts,
as to the indictments found in Aiken
county, S. C., against Stone and McNally,
policemen of Augusta, Ga.,
charged with kidnapping and unlawfully
detaining F. A. Blackwood, a
citizen of Aiken county. After quoting
the correspondence, and the requisitions
made on the Governor of
Georgia for Stone and McNally,
whicn as yet have not been complied
with, the promise is made that "no
effort shall be spared to bring these
men before the proper tribunal to
answer for their outrageous and
wholly unwarranted proceedings."
Appropriately following comes a
reference to the inter-State extradition
conference in New York,
last August, with recommendations
thereon.
The message fittingly refers to the
late Brigadier General N. G. Evans,
for whose widow and children a
medal has been procured recently,
uursuatit to a resolution of the Gen
eral Assembly adopted December 2,
1SG1, as a testimonial of the high appreciation
by his State of his gallant
conduct and distinguished services
upon the memorable occasion of the
battle of Leesburg.
A statement is given of pardons
and commutations granted to November
1st.
The message then concludes as follows
:
Gentlemen of the General Assembly,
I have now performed the duty
imposed upon me by the Constitution;
imperfectly, 1 fear, but with
an honest effort to present to you
faithfully the true condition of our
State Government in all its departments,
as well as that of our public
institutions, together with such suggestions
as appear to my mind to be
best calculated to promote the vital
interests and well-being of all her
people.
To your large and ripened experirience
in matters of legislation and
public policy there doubtless will
occur other subjects and measures of
'grave moment, demanding at your
hands the careful and thorough investigation
and consideration always
expected of the representatives of
the people having in charge interests
of such magnitude and importance.
Jt has been thought by many, and
often so asserted, that the prosperity
of our people has been slowly declining,
but the facts and figures of
our statistics do not justify such a
conclusion. , They show rather a
steady advance in all material, social,
educational and religious inter|
ests, an advance which is remarkable
j when we consider the numberless interposing
difficulties that had to be
bravely met ana overcome. i\o people
ever encountered greater obstacles,
nor has there ever been any
analogous situation in history by
which to guide their conduct or direct
their course. Notwithstanding
all this, in the opinion of those best
informed in such matters, steady
progress has certainly been made by
the State from the first hour of the
restoration of good and honest government.
But be this as it may, you
reassemble to-day in your new and
beautiful halls of legislation under
circumstances peculiarly happy and
auspicious. All over our fair and
lovely State, with few exceptional
localities, the sun of prosperity seems ]
once again to have arisen from the 11
dark clouds that have for so many
years been obscuring its rays, to shed
abroad fresh and invigorated life.
Our generous soil has in the year
just past returned to the husbandman
more bountiful crops than have
rewarded his labor for many seasons,
and better prices have encouraged
him to redoubled efforts. Our rapidly
increasing mills have renewed the
whirl of the wealth-producing machinery,
arousing the hum and excitement
of busy life where before
all seemed almost dead and hopeless.
New life, energy and activity are being
infused into all pursuits and occupations,
and the pathway to general
progress and improvement opens
most invitingly since communication
with the great West, the dream
of our fathers, is being vigorously
pushed to completion by lines of
railroad that promise to eventually
bring into our borders the rich products
of that teeming section.
To this bright prospect is added
tno pleasing picture of the old and
honored metropolis of our State,
grand in her misfortune, but grander
still in her wonderful fortitude and
pluck, arising from the midst of her
ruins of one short year ago, restored
to more than her ancient beauty,
and armed with new strength ami
purpose for whatever may betide in
the future. It is at such a time you
meet, and with interests such as these
you have to deal, and the vital importance
of fostering and stimulating
the throbbing impulse now permeating
every avenue of business,
must impress your minds with the
grave responsibility resting upon
you.
That you will prove equal to so
sacred a trust and faithful guardians
of the public welfare, I confidently
believe, and upon your deliberations
I trustfully invoke the blessed guid- .
ance of Him in whose hands are the
destinies of nations.
John* Peter Richardson,
Governor.
DEBTORS AND CREDITORS.
The common feeling respecting
debtors and creditors is often erroneous,
and, as is common with fallacies,
it affects with double force the
young and inexperienced. Debtors
are represented in the ordinary language
of a large portion of society
as a set of amiable, unfortunate, and
most interesting persons. Creditors,
on the other hanq, are represented as
execrable wretches, with a hardness
of heart that would disgrace the exe
cutioner.
The debtor may bean amiable and
interesting person, for we often find
these characteristics united in him;
but the young must beware how they
set down debtors, as a class, as purely
estimable and entitled to sympathy,
while they at. the same time look
upon creditors as only ruthless persecutors.
Creditors are not invariably rich,
as one might suppose then) to be.
They are more frequently poor, industrious
persons, who, in losing
money by their debtors, are apt to
be made debtors themselves, and
thereby ruined. In fact, the case
stands generally thus:?An idle or
extravagant person procures the
means of gratifying his bad appetites,
and is enabled to show himself
off as a very fine follow, at the
expense of an honest man, who confines
himself constantly to his business
and denies himself almost every
indulgence, in order that he may be
able to pay every one to whom
he is indebted. Now, if young people
will bring their naturally generous
feelings to bear upon this point,
they will see that the debtor, and not
the creditor, is at fault. And they
may be assured, that where creditors
show a severity to their debtors, it
is generally either merited by the
latter, or is dictated by a justifiable
consideration of danger into which
creditors are thrown by the non-payment
of the money which is due
them.?New York ledger.
Petrified Forests in the
United States.?Stone forests are
in many parts of the world. A number
of stony trees have been receiv
ea at tne&mitnsoman institute irom
the West. In many cases they are
hardened by the peculiar atmosphere
as they stand, and in others they are
buried, the parts being replaced by
mineral matter. The Little Colorado
river, in Arizona, has long been a famous
locality for such finds. At one
place more than fifteen hundred cords
of trunks and sections of logs were
found by government surveyors.
Most of them were silicifled. Many
are seven feet or more in diameter,
and from twenty to seventy feet in
height. The greater part of them
have probably been covered in the
marl that originally was one thousand
feet thick. Some of the trees
are changed to jasper, assuming numerous
hues, while others resemble
opal, and, when broken open, the
core is often found lined with crystals
of the most beautiful tints.
Louisiana and Ohio are noted localities
for fossil trees. In the former
state, several years ago, in turning
the ground an ancient forest layer
was unearthed, and in succession two
others below; and scientists judge,
from the size of the trees, that from
the time of the first layer to the last,
sixty thousand years must have
elapsed. In the remains of the glacial
drift in Ohio old forests are often
discovered. Some have been
buried beneath the water by the
sinking of the land. Some of the
Ohio trees are not entirely changed
into stone, being yet soft, while I
others are found in all stages from rock
to porous sponge matter.
Gen*. Maxey Gregg.?Gen. Maxey
Gregg was a native of Columbia,
lie graduated at the South Carolina
college and studied law. He was
Major in the second regiment sent
to Mexico. After his return he practiced
his profession with great success
and ability until the war, when
he went to Charleston in command
of the 1st S. C. V. After Fort Sumter
was taken he went with his regiment
to Virginia, and at Vienna
surprised Schenck and drove him
back. This wasaboutthefirstskirmil
<>l ! li ?o _
JMl lifill >ViWiuiij;iuii. x 11 ao
ment was disbanded. He raised
another and was soon made brigadier
general. With this command
he opened the fight at Gaines' Mill
and stayed with it until killed at
Fredericksburg, December l.'lth, 1862,
He particularly distinguished himself
at the second Manassas. He was
a fine lawyer, a patriotic citizen, a
gallant soldier, and died for his
co u n t ry.?v I bbeville, Medium.
On the Mount of Olives.?The
tower which is being erected by the
Russians on the highest point of the
Mount of Olives is already several
stories high but one more is to be
added. The object is to make it so
high that both the Mediterranean
and Dead Sea may be seen from the
top. A number of bells will be placed
in the tower. In digging the
foundation seven Christian graves
were found together with an inscription
in Greek, in which the word
"Stephanus" could yet be deciphered. .
??5"- The key of fate is in our own
hands; we often unlock it and then
brow the key away.
A