University of South Carolina Libraries
?mi>;s anil Jacts. ?>3Pfiere is much rejoicing in the south J ^^5ver the fact that our cotton manufaclr turers have given this country the lead in cotton spinning for the first time in the history of that industry, American spinners having taken last year 3,687,000 bales, as against 3,334,000 bales taken by British spinners. The increase last year in the Southern mills turned the scale. That this indicates a permanent primacy is doubtful as yet, owing to special causes which restricted the work of British mills, such as the Chinese war checking ex ports to that market. We have only * 19,100,600 spindles, as compared with ' Great Britain's 45,400,000, which shows ' that millions of the latter must have * been idle, and also the superior efficiency of the operatives in American mills. ? The revival of the Manchurian ques- ; tion causes considerable interest here in the whole Chinese problem, says a Paris dispatch. The American attitude of friendliness toward China is i gaining more support here daily. The I distinguished explorer, M. de Saint- I Pol, who has several times been sent j on diplomatic missions to the far east, said: "It is wrong for the powers to demand the heads of the Chinese lead- ers without taking into consideration the feeling of revenge that urged them on. This course can but render more profoundly exasperated the feeling that still exist in many Chinese hearts. We are also making a grave mistake in j. forcing the Chinese to become a warlike people with a standing army. We Frenchmen have learned this to our s sorrow in Tongking. The Chinese quickly become very clever in siege t work, ardent in attack and solid in defense. They soon become as seasoned as European troops." c ? Census Bulletin No. 59 relates to j. the manufacture of beet sugar in the United States. The matter was made the subject of an investigation by a j( special agent of the department of agriculture. From this report, it appears ^ that there were 31 beet sugar facto- ^ ries in the census year, distributed among ten states and one territory, n representing an invested capital of v $20,95S,519, and producing 71,427 long t tons of beet sugar, valued at $7,323,857. This is a small product in view of the v amount of capital invested, due largely to the fact that the census yeai t was a disastrous year to the beet su- ^ gar crop. The existence of 37 factories is reported at the close of the census year, having a nominal daily ca- n pacity of 22,310 short tons of beets, e and capable of manufacturing 240,000 q short tons of sugar annually. The I decade ending with the twelfth cen- C sus covers the period of greatest ac- n tivity in this industry, and may almost be said to have witnessed its birth as a s successful enterprise. As the result of his investigations, the special agent t reports that the beet sugar manufac- p ture may now be regarded as a com- ? mercial success in the United States. q ? A special dispatch from Durban, t Natal, says the Boer commanders are ? holding a meeting at Petersburg, in t" northern Transvaal, to discuss the po- r sition and the advisability of a contin- r uation of the war. Whatever the result of the peace negotiations between d General Kitchener and General Botha, c it is tolerably certain that the rumors e of the inclusion of General DeWet in $ any form of amnesty are not based on t fact. General Kitchener's personal t views of the Boer leader are not known 1 in parliament, but if the war office was consulted, the officials there would rather see DeWet killed in action than f taken alive. One of the officials re- F sponsible for the direction of the af- a fairs of the army said to a representa- " tive of the Associated Press: "I can- a not see how Kitchener can possibly accept DeWet's surrender. If he ever s gets him he will be obliged to try him 1 for his recent alleged murders of pris- t oners. I have no doubt that the ver- c diet of either a military or a civil * court would be death, and if such a 0 verdict was carried out there would be * a horrible howl on the continent and i in America. And, indeed, one would s be sorry to see such a brave fighter r meet such an end. Therefore, we can e only hope that DeWet will either get * out of the country or be shot in bat- c tie." t ? The American troops have been or- * dered to leave Pekin and go to Manila, f all except a small legation guard. The order was cabled to General Chaffee by General Corbin last Friday as follows: "In reply to your telegram, the secretary of war directs you to complete arrangements and sail for Manila with your command and staff officers by the end of April, leaving as legation guard, an infantry company, composed of 150 men, having at least one year to serve, or those intending to re-enlist, with full complement of officers, medical officer, sufficient hospital corps men, and if you think best, field officer especially qualified to command guard. Retain and instruct officer of quartermaster's department to proceed to erect necessary building for guard, according to plan and estimates you approve. Col. Chas. F. Humphrey, on arrival, will make an inspection of quartermaster's department, Philippine islands, until July 1, when he will be assigned to duty as chief quartermaster at Manila and Miller ordered to the United States. All stores, supplies not required for legation guard, to be disposed of in your best judgment. Of course, serviceable supplies needed in Philippine islands will be sent from Manila. Division of the Philippines will furnish supplies for legation guara. MacArthur notified." 1 ? The Comanche reservations lately ceded to the United States by the 1 Comanches, Apaches and Kiowas will '< be opened to settlement sometime before August 3. They consist of about < 3,000,000 acres of very fertile lands immediately east of Oklahoma proper. To be entitled to homestead in the reservations the applicant must be 21 years of age, or the head of a family, must be a citizen of the United States or have filed his declaration of intention to become such, must not be the , owner of more than 160 acres of land, and subject to exceptions must not previously have made a homestead en? try. To initiate a homestead right the applicant may either go on the land and settle or he may go to the land office and file. If one person settles on the same tract on which another files the one prior in point of time will holi the land. Five years' residence wll be required unless sit the end of 1 months he wishes to commute hi homestead, which he may do by pay ing for land $1.25 per acre. After get ting patent he may dispose of land li iny way he chooses, but before paten Is obtained, land cannot be sold. Th ?ountry to be opened will be a fine fiel< 'or young men to begin life's work, bu Mr. R. C. Moss, a South Carolinian ii :hat section, advises those who alread; lave good positions in the East "No to leave them to take chances in thi; lew country," nor would he a'dviS' >lder men who are comfortably situa :ed in the states to leave their home :o begin life anew In the reservations.1 $hr \lovhviUc Crnquircr. YORKVILLE. S. C& a' WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20,1901. If it is a fact that Cherokee count3 las only 361 square miles of territoryind such a thing is easily possible?i vill only be a question of time wher omebody will raise the constitution.", luestion in a murder or other impor ant case and smash it up. In his campaign speeches in this ounty and elsewhere, Hon. W. J. Tallert used to describe the state dailies :s larger dogs leading a chase thai ras followed by the smaller weekliesIttle fice snapping on the trail anc choing the barking of the larger dogs ?he simile was not unapt; but it was lardly fair to say that it was literally orrect. There was then, and there i: iow, a number of weeklies and semi weeklies that did some independeni hinking. The fact, too, is sometimes uite galling to some of the "big dogs' t-ho insist upon following a false trai truck by themselves in preference t< he true scent discovered by an humbler member of the pack. The editor of Newspaperdom, "a joural for newspaper publishers," publishd in New York, did The Enquiref uite proud in the issue of March 7 t came about this way. Editor S. N :ragun, of the Lebanon, (Ind.,) Sential wrote to Newspaperdom as follows: "I want to get on my exchange list everal of the best weekly newspapers ublished in the United States. Pleas* ;ive me a list, made up on your owr >est judgment. I want them for th< purpose of suggestion?you know w< lever get past the point of learninf rom others. I publish a six-columr [uarto, and want all the help I can gel o enable me to make it up-to-date ir very particular. I want the papers rhose publishers show originality ir he selection of matter, its arrange nent, and make up, taste in advertisenent display, etc. In reply to this request, Newspaperlom gives the Indiana editor a list of 1' ounty papers that he considers "mod Is," and names The Yorkville En[Uirer as one of them. In all, to th< est of our information, there are mcr< han 10,000 country weeklies in lh< Jnited States. The decline in the price of cottof rom the highest point reached for th< resent crop to present figures mounts to nearly three cents a pound .'he cause of this decline is unaccountble. It does not seem to be justiflec y available statistics. The most rea onable explanation is to be found ir he disturbed condition of the peace o he world, which has been threatenec onstantly since the outbreak of th< South African war and the developmen if the present trouble in China. Bu he fact remains that holders of cot on, and there are many, large an< mall, have been hard hit. The gene al tendency at this time is for hold trs to let go. Since the price has got en down to the neighborhood of ! ents, there is a general fear that i vill go lower. But as to whether thi: ear is warranted can only be guesse* it. In view of the wide range in re ent fluctuations, another upwar* nove is eAily possible; but it must b idmitted that there is not a great dea n prevailing conditions to encouragi tuch a hope. That the national Democracy is in i >ad way, so far as organization is con rerned, is not to be denied by thos ,vho are giving careful attention rhere was but little harmony or unit; )f purpose among the Democrats in th ast congress, and there is a wide spread feeling that the party is serious y lacking in leadership. However, un pleasant the fact may be it is never :heless a fact that the party is spli into factions that can never hope t lccomplish anything practical in th :ouncils of the nation except by unite* iction. The recognized leaders of thes two factions are Mr. Bryan on the on hand, and Mr. Cleveland on the othei Mr. Bryan's following is so much larg ir than that of Mr. Cleveland as to b beyond comparison: but unfortunatel the split is so positive as to be almos beyond hope of repair. The Cleveland people are willing to let the party g to perdition, rather than unite wit the Bryanites, and the Bryanites hav the same feeling toward the Cleve landites. There is much talk of a re organization of the Clevelandites wit Cleveland in the lead in an advisor capacity; but that this propositio should ever develop into anything c real importance looks doubtful. Th only hope of rehabilitation of the partj as things appear now, seems to be i some kind of a compromise on hal way ground with some new man nc now especially prominent as a leadei Until a capable leader develops, th national Democracy will probably con tinue in a bad way. TI10 Confederate Ke-Uiiion. The railroads of the state hav agreed to allow a cent-a-mile rate t the re-union of Confederate veteran to be held in Columbia in May. Ticfc ets are to be on sale May 8 and 9 wit final limit to May 13. The rate froi Rock Hill will be $1.60, and that froi Yorkville, $1.70. >. LOCAL AFFAIRS, e a , E [i c INDEX TO NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. a 4 1 g M. J. Walker?Says he will appreciate t information in regard to a red spot- t ted pig that has strayed away. d - Lowrance, Williams & Co.?Offer for i a one day only, 17 pounds of standard p . granulated sugar for $1.00. ii T. W. Specks?Says he has clocks and 0 e more clocks, from an alarm clock at t i 90 cents on up to an eight-day clock t at $20. a Riddle & Carroll?Talk about Ceylon ^ n and Formosa tea, in which they say q y they have a choice article at $1 per s t pound. They also say something of j Mocha and Java roasted coffee. s Jas. M. Starr & Co.?Let you know i e that they have received more fer- r tilizers, including guano, acid phos- g g phate, kainit etc., and want you to s know that they are selling same at a the right prices. - Glenn & Allison?Tell you that they a still have a few mules and horses on j hand if you need them. They say j that they are giving their 'especial o attention to buggies, wagons and <3 harness. a H. C. Strauss & Co.?Tell you that g they are receiving carloads of goods, q and in Dosition to suddIv the wants u of all sorts of people; but they es- a especially call your attention In their t ' advertisement in this issue to their fine stock of ladies' dress goods. n dress trimmings and novelties. They o invite you to come and inspect their s stock. e I e ^ ABOUT PEOPLE. e U-Miss Helen and Master Joe Riddle, t of Zeno, visited relatives in town on h Monday. ? j^Miss Lesslle D. Witherspoon has re- n r turned home after an extended visit to t " Washington. ? ^ Cerdet T. H. Riddle, of the K. M. M. 1 'A. spent Saturday and Sunday at his t( 1 home at Zeno. \/tfudge I. D. Witherspoon has been ^ quite ill for the past week, and his h friends are very much alarmed about ? 3 him, C ^x'Alessrs. Crawford and Philip Moore, j 3 of Chester county, are visiting the J t family of Mr. Clem Gordon, on East A Jefferson street. J ' \ Oa/[. W. H. McCorkle, who has been J 1 quite ill, was able to be up on Mon- R day. He drove to his office in a buggy "V ' and transacted some business. Miss Rea has arrived in Yorkville, r and is now in charge of Strauss & Co.'s 3 millinery department. Miss Willie . Williams has been engaged as sales- q lady by that firm and will commence \ her^work next Monday. 3?-^Dr. L. B. Dobson, of Lynchburg, Va., ^ has been in Yorkville for a few days, ii . having run up from Columbia, where p he had occasion to go from Lynch> burg, on a business trip. He attended a the funeral of his aunt. Mrs. J. L. n Parish, at Union, on Sunday. p y WITHIN THE TOWN. a ? The York County Bible society will a t hold its annual meeting in Trinity . church next Sunday night at 8 o'clock, k . Rev. J. C. Johnes will deliver the ad- h dress of the occasion. b : ?Irresponsible erossip had it Monday Ll i that the Loan and Savings bank was s | involved with the affairs of the York r< [ Cotton mills. As a matter of fact the g i York Cotton mills do not owe the bank n i a dollar. n ? ? There were about 75 or 100 people at fj t the flag presentation at the K. M. M. i A. last Friday afternoon, the smallness n 5 of the gathering being due to the disa- n 1 ^rooahie and threatening weather. The . nag was presented to the corps in be- j( half of the ladles of Yorkville in a hap- n pily conceived speech by W. W. Lewis, I Esq., and accepted in behalf of the n - corps by Cadet Captain DeGraffenreid. 4 - The flag is made of expensive silk, u i trimmed with gold fringe and is at- t) i tached to a staff on the top of which j( i there is an eagle. i, t ? Burglars broke into the store of j] I T. B. McClain, on Tuesday night j{ f of last week, and stole a number of i articles. The extent of the loss is not c . yet definitely known. Stock taking v had just been completed, however, and e - another taking of stock will show the ^ 1 amount stolen. This work will be com- n pleted today. The burglars effected e 1 their entrance through a brick wall. ii f ? The new passenger depot of the j] 1 South Carolina and Georgia Extension t, 2 is now about complete ai\d it is quite o 1 a ppetty little structure. f Q have no idea that the electric n - light plant will close down," said Mr. f 1 McClain to the reporter yesterday, a - "The* Sutro mill was stooped for the $ - reason that it could not pay expenses, I and is in no condition to run at a loss, d 8 The electric plant is not so unfortu- t 1 nately situated. It is at least capable rJ s of paying expenses, and the company c J proposes to operate it. So far as I can L see now, there is no reason to antici- h * pate a shut down. And so far as the t e Sutro is concerned, I think you can say d 1 that the operation of the mill will be t e resumed just as soon as the market begins to warrant the smallest profit over the cost of manufacture." 0 ? All of the operatives of the Sutro \ 1 mill have been paid their wages in - full. This statement calls for a little e explanation. As soon as Mr. McClain, r the president of the mill, foresaw that c '* a shut down was inevitable, he made $ y his arrangements to pay off all the ope eratives with the last checks due for yarns. Owing to a confusion of ship- e ping instructions, the last consign- ti - inent of yarns did not go forward at r - the time anticipated and the closing _ down came before the receipt of the v heck. Some of the operatives became s 1 uneasy about their money and placed c o their claims in the hands of Mr. T. F. e McDow for collection. Mr. McClain r explained the situation to Mr. McDow, * who at once saw that there was noth- a e ing better to be done than wait. The e e expected check came last week, and % the operatives were paid in full, and " in accordance with promise. t YORK COUNTY TEACHERS. y t The York County Teachers' associa- ' d tion held its regular monthly meeting o in Yorkville last Saturday, and spent 1 h an unusually pleasant and profitable c e day of it. The following story of the I - proceedings was prepared for The En- 1 - ouikeu by Prof. J. W. Linley, the ef- 1 h licient principal of the high school at s y Hickory Grove: 1 n Last Saturday being the third Satur- f ,f day of the month, the usual monthly f meeting of the York County Teachers' ^ association was held. The meeting r> took place in the Yorkville graded 1 n school building. Mr. R. A. Dobson, t If vice president, presided, Mr. Hanks, r the president of the association, being absent. The devotional exercises were i*. conducted by Messrs. Dobson and 1 e Jones. c The first topic taken up was that of ? "The Use of Pictures in the Schoolroom." This subject had been given 1 over to the care of Miss Emma Roach, of Rock Hill. Miss Roach spoke of the j e good results that she had derived from 1 o the use of pictures in the primary is grades, and at what small expense 1 they might be obtained. She urged d h upon the primary teachers that they t 11 make a trial, with at least a few of n these pictures, insisting that it was r the nature of the child to become inter- f sted in the pictures; that many im?ortant events might be taught the hild by means of these, and in such . way that it would never forget them, ["he association requested Miss Roach o allow them to publish her paper; ?ut she preferred that it should not be lone at present. Messrs. Jones and Jnley discussed the use of not only ictures, but schoolroom decorations n general. Under this head the benefit ?f a national flag to the school was alked of. Miss Ollie Elder next entertained the ssociation with a paper on "Page's ?heory and Practice of Teaching." ^he next topic that came up for conideration was "Some of the Best Jethods of Teaching Geography." This ubject had been assigned to Mr. J. lamilton, of Fort Mill. However, he iot being present, it was opened for ;eneral discussion. Messrs. Stephenon, Kerr, Jones, and Misses Barber nd Roach made helpful remarks. The use of classics in the public phonln wns then hrrmcrVif- nn Messrs ones, Linley, Bradham, Stephenson, Cerr and Miss Roach expressed their pinions upon the subject. During this iscussion, the attention of the associ,tion was called to a little book lately otten out, entitled "Southern Poets." "his book gives short sketches of the Ives of all the notable Southern poets, ,s well as several of the best producions of each author. Viewed from all standpoints, the rieeting of last Saturday was the best f all the meetings so far held. There eemed to be more real interest awakned than at any previous meeting. To stimate the good derived by theteachrs from these meetings is beyond calulation. Who can tell where will end he high aspirations formed in the earts and minds of these teachers, as hey come together, month after nonth, that they might realize the lore responsibility and exaltation of heir calling, and that they might be etter prepared for the execution of heir duties. The following are the names of the eachers who were present: Misses Sudie Allison, Bessie Atkins, lelle Bailey, Louise Barber, " Mattie Jell, Janie Carson, Florence Cody, 01e Elder, Nannie Ferguson, Mary lughes, Lula Jenkins, Sue McFarland, :ora McRea, Emma Roach, Clara ledge, Annie Steele, Annie D. Watson, 111a Whiteside, E. M. Williams, Mary oe Witherspoon: Mrs. M. D. Scott; lessrs. E. F. Bell, Sr., D. A. Bradham, no. E. Carroll, R. A. Dobson, B. L. ones, G. L. Kerr, Jno. W. Linley, S. I. Mason, P. H. Moore, B. G. Pressley, V. G. Stephenson. MR. J. R ASHE A SUICIDE. Mr. J. R. Ashe, president of the York lotton mills, and one of the leading Itizens of Yorkvllle, committed suicide londay night of this week, by throwig himself into a well. He was imelled to the dreadful deed by mental berration that was caused by the flancial embarrassment of the big cororation over which he has for several ears past been the presiding genius, nd to the success of which his heart nd mind were devoted. Although the fact was not definitely nown until a few days ago, Mr. Ashe ad been in increasing financial troule for two weeks or more. His recent iip North, ostensibly to buy goods to tock the big dry goods store that was ecently erected upon the company's rounds, was really for the purpose of taking financial arrangements to teet certain notes that are about to all due, and to procure money with hich to continue the operation of the till until the yarn market regains its ormal conditions. L " lea of failure did not enter into his renotest calculations. He felt sure hat the needful financial arrangelents would be made with ease; but s one after another of the yarn men pon whom he was counting, declined a give the desired aid, his hopes sank uvor ami inwpi' until hp was comDlete f unnerved. He returned to Yorkville i a state of nervous and mental colipse that was indeed pitiable. Until this time the directors of the ompany were not fully acquainted dth the situation. At a meeting calld for the purpose last Saturday, Mr. LShe explained the mill's embarrasslent. The story, in brief, was to the ffect that there was about 170,000 of idebtedness in round numbers. This ncluded $40,000 worth of machinery ut recently received and not yet in peration; but which gave no cause or concern, because the credit of the nill was perfectly good with the people rom whom it had been purchased. In ddition to this, there was due some 23,000 for warehouse cotton that had >een spun and sold; and the proceeds iverted to permanent improvementshe big store building, cottages, etc. .'his money, under the terms of the ontract with the warehouse people, telonged to them, and its diversion lad been unauthorized. Then again, here was a note of $7,000 falling due luring the present month, and al hough the books of the company howed assets to the amount of $250,00, there was no money on hand with zhich to meet pressing needs. All this Mr. Ashe explained to the diectors, and he showed them how the orporation was In urgent need of about 30,000, which was only to be obtained, tnder the circumstances, through their ndorsement as individuals of a joint lote. It was his plan to take up this lote at the earliest possible moment vith bonds of the mill, to be issued us oon as the necessary arrangements ould be perfected. Several of the diectors agreed to sign the proposed iote, putting their mill stock behind it s collateral security; but others refusd, and the plan fell through. Almost lazed before, Mr. Ashe now gave up he struggle and took to his bed in a tate of nervous prostration. During Sunday and Monday, Mr. tsiie was first up and then down, iuite a number of sympathizing riends, who realized his unfortunate ondition, called upon him and tried to tersuade him that the situation was lot nearly so bad as he thought; but hey were unable to make any impresion upon him. It developed that he lad not had an hour of natural sleep or nearly two weeks. Unknown to his riends and business colleagues, he had uooded and thought over the pending un,,i vwo n.in/1 hfiii hpfiome un lalanced, and he was Impressed by lothing that was said to him. He inisted that he had done all that was ossible, and told his friends not to ount upon him any further; but to ;o ahead with whatever they thought >est and it would have his approval. The reporter called upon Mr. Ashe donday night, and found him in bed. rile conversation was confined princitally to the mental and physical conlition of the sufferer. It appeared that he only two things that the unfortulate man realized positively were the acts that he was in serious financial trouble and that he was mentally unbalanced. He was glad to have company. During a minute cr two, he could talk clearly and comprehensively enough. Then he would hav^ trouble in completing his sentences. He showed no signs of insanity; but only of aberration. In all that he attempted to say he was perfectly rational, and except from his halting speech occasionally there was no noticeable peculiarity in his condition. "I am wrong in the head," he would say, as he found himself unable to complete a sentence. After an interval he was ready to begin again and make his remarks comprehensive enough. Speaking of the status of the mill, during a lucid moment, he was clear and logical. He said: "It is the best mill in the South, and there is less dead capital around it. On the first of October last, we were free from debt. Our plans formed then were fully warranted by existing conditions. We now owe about $70,000 altogether. We have at least $250,000 worth of property. We need only $30,000 to tide us over; but of that $7,000 must be paid within the THE LATE JC next few days. The whole trouble with us is that we are too big a thing for our immediate financial surroundings." Mr. Ashe said nothing during the conversation that indicated the least suspicion of contemplated self destruction, and when the reporter left it was with the impression that after a good night's sleep, the unfortunate man would wake up refreshed and with a much brighter view of the situation. OllVI UJI UC1U1C U U tiutft, 1U1S. rtOIIC missed her husband from his bed. She had also lost much sleep, not having '' 1? ?' "?- w * ^ count of the distressing condition of " Mr. Ashe. Waking up from from a fitful slumber, she found that Mr. Ashe had gone. Fearful that something dreadful had happened, she sent out and alarmed the neighbors, a number of whom promptly gathered at her home. A search was instituted at once. Mrs. Ashe explained her fear that there was no hope of finding Mr. Ashe alive. He had left his clothes in the room. The searchers made a careful examination of the premises and looked down in the well. They let down the bucket without finding anything. Then two or three of the searchers went out to the York Cotton mills, with the expectation of finding the missing man either on the road or probably in the reservoir there. They alarmed Mr. P. M. Grimes, Mr. Ira Grimes and Mr. Tilghman, all of whom returned with the party to Mr. Ashe's home. Mr. G. H. O'Leary made another sounding of the well and discoved something in the water that gave a suspicion of the horrible truth. Mr. -T- E. Carroll (Toad) went down into the well and found that the suspicion was a horrible fact. This was at about 2 o'clock in the morning, and the presumption was that the body had been in the water for at least two hours. The removal of the body, which had evidently gone in feet foremost, was accomplished with great difficulty, the deceased being a very heavy man, weighing something like 285 pounds. Among those who were present during the search and up to the time of the recovery of the body from the well, were Messrs. Brooks Inman, W. Brown Wylie, W. H. Herndon, W. D. Glenn, R. T. Allison, Louis Roth, R. S. McConnell, J. J. Hunter, G. H. O'Leai-y, Dr. Miles Walker, W. R. Carroll, E. B. Beard, J. E. Carroll, R. B. Lowry, W. Mason McConnell, Dr. J. L. Hannahan, W. L. Williams, Jake Mackorell, M. L. Carroll, Frasier Anderson and perhaps others. Mrs. G. H. O'Leary, Mrs. J. J. Hunter, Mrs. Wells and Miss Anice O'Leary were present to offer all possible comfort and consolation to Mrs. Ashe and the children. Mr. Ashe's body showed signs of a few insignificant scratches and bruises about the face and breast. There was no evidence of a struggle after he threw himself into the well. The water was some 12 or 15 feet deep, and from the fact that nothing was to be seen on the surface at the first investigation, the presumption is that the body first sank to the bottom and then rose to the surface of the water, shortly after which it was discovered. It seems that the last visitors to Mr. Ashe during the night before were Mr. P. M. Grimes, Mr. E. B. Beard and Mr. W. R. Carroll. This was about 10 o'clock. They came to tell him of the result of a conference during the afternoon, at which a plan to raise the necessary money had been agreed upon. All three of the gentlemen were confident of success, and they so assured Mr. Ashe. In leaving, Mr. Grimes told how it was his purpose to start off early the next morning (Tuesday) and that he would be back in the afternoon with the money. "I hope you will get it," or words to that effect, was about all that Mr. Ashe had to say; but none of the gentlemensuspicionedanything to warrant a fear of the tragedy that followed. On account of the death of Mr. Ashe, of course, the proposed trip was abandoned. Mr. John R. Ashe was a native of York county, having been born near McConnellsville in 1856. With but a limited literary education, he completed a business course in a Baltimore college, and, in 1876, commenced work for the firm of Clark Bros., in Yorkville, for $3 a week. He remained with Messrs. Clark Bros, six years, the latter portion of the time as a working partner, and in 1882 went into business for himself. He remained in business in Yorkville until about 1889, when he removed to Kershaw, where he prospered until about 1896, when he remov ed to Yorkville and started the movement which resulted in the organization of the York Cotton Mills company. He subscribed $10,000 of the original capital stock of $60,000, and afterward, as the capital stock of the corporation was increased to $150,000, became the owner of $67,000 worth. He continued the moving spirit of the enterprise from the beginning up to the time of his death, and during the last few years has been virtually the sole iHN R. ASHE manager, consulting his directors, as a body, only at rare intervals. He was a business man of unusual boldness and of unbounded ambition. He was very sensitive of criticism, and many of his closest friends are of the opinion that it was this fact that impelled him on to self-destruction?the loss of prestige that wguld result from having allowed himself to get into difficulties that he could not overcome. Mr. Ashe was twice married, and leaves nine children?three by his first wife and six by his second. His second wife survives him. All of the children are at home except Messrs. John and Jefterys, wrftt- Are nr academy. They were communicated with by telegraph yesterday and will probably arrive in Yorkville today. YORK COTTON MILLS. The York Cotton Mills are financial-* ly embarrassed. The fact has been a matter of gossip on the streets of Yorkville for several days; but until the traeric death of President Ashe, the situation did not appear really serious to any except directors and stockholders, and not to all of these. The reporter began an investigation of the situation last Saturday and had no difficulty in getting at all the facts in the case, at least so far as they were known to interested parties with whom the reporter talked. Nobody tried to conceal anything; but to the contrary all talked openly and frankly, without caution as to what the reporter might see proper to say in The Enquirer or telegraph abroad. In brief, the situation was this: Owing to the development of plans laid in October last, when conditions seemed to justify them, the corporation had gone into debt for machinery, and had built a large store building and erected a number of cottages for operatives. The improvements called for money that was not available, and there was used quite a considerable sum derived from yarn spun from cotton that belonged principally to a warehouse company, and which money should have gciie to the company, instead of being diverted to other purposes. The wareVimiQ.na nntpa wprp annroachintr matu rity and there was no money with which to meet them. The raising of some $30,000 with which to meet these notes and tide over the summer, was absolutely necessary. The whole trouble then, was merely a question of $30,000. If the money could be raised with which to meet maturing notes, the fact that cotton had been taken from the warehouse irregularly would be nobody's business, and the outside public need not be the wiser. Under the circumstances, the reporter had concluded to await developments and have nothing to say except in the event of the institution of legal proceedings, which would hardly have been probable. The mental collapse of Mr. Ashe threw the entire responsibility upon ir. Grimes, who was without previous knowledge of the situation. Proceeding in a different way, however, Mr. Grimes, assisted by Mr. W. R. Carroll, Mr. E. B. Beard and others had about arranged to raise the necessary money. In fact the desired sum was all but in their hands, and would have been by today had it not been for the unfortunate tragedy that occurred in the meantime. As to how the corporation will be affected by the situation as it now stands, cannot be predicted with certainty. Disinterested outsiders who have examined the books, say that the situation is exactly as represented by Mr. Ashe. That then means assets to the value of $250,000 to cover a total indebtedness of not exceeding $70,000. The mill is still running; but in the nature of things, is not making much profit and may find it necessary to shut down. Otherwise the financial situation does not seem one calculated to cause serious alarm. To raise $30,000, all for which there is a pressing need, or even $70,000, the total Indebtedness on $250,000 of assets, does not look like a difficult proposition. LOCAL LACONICS. Cirn Near Leslie. The residence of Mr. John Shillinglaw, about a mile from Lesslle station, ^ some six miles east of Rock Hill, was destroyed by fire on Monday afternoon. The fire is supposed to have originated from a defective stove flue. There was no insurance. Uetter Koad Work. Supervisor Gordon said to the reporter a few days ago that the road hands are doing much better work this year than has ever come under his observation. He has seen several sections on which the hands have been operating and he is very much pleased so far. He thinks there is a much higher appreciation of this important duty throughout this section than many people seem to believe. Suit Fur 920,000 Dainageii. Mrs. L. S. Adams, administratrix, has brought suit against the South Carolina and Georgia Extension railroad for $20,000 damages on account of the killing of her husband, the late E. L. Adams, at Catawba Junction last November. Mr. Adams was a brakeman on the railroad and was killed in an attempt to make a flying switch. His body was mashed almost to a pulp. The peculiarily hazardous work required of the deceased will be pressed with all possible effect by the plaintiff. W. W. Lewis, Esq., of Yorkville, represents the plaintifT, and G. W. S. Hart, Esq., the defendant railroad. The case may or may not come up at the next term or tne court ot common pieas ror tnis county. This will depend upon the result of a certain motion made by the defendant, and which is now pending. bpUh of Writ. J. L. Parish. v Mrs. Sarah Aurelia Parish, wife of Mr. J. Leander Parish, died at her home on the northwestern outskirts of Yorkville last Sunday morning at i2.30 o'clock after a short Illness. Although she had not for a long time enjoyed good health, she was as well as usual until a short time before her death, which, according to Dr. R. A. Bratton, was caused by grip. Mrs. Parish was Miss Sarah Aurelia How- ell, and was a descendant of the Howell's who settled on Broad river in the latter part of the 18th century, and after whom Howell's ferry was named. She was married to Mr. Parish in Xuly, 1854. Three children?all sonswere born to the worthy couple. The eldest son, was killed when quite a young boy by being thrown from a mule. The second son was the late . Rufus A. Parish, who for many years previous to his death was in business in Yorkville, and the third son, Mr. Brooks Parish, Is the only surviving child. Mrs. Parish was a most excelent woman. She was loved and esteemed by all who knew her, especially on account of her most lovable and charitable disposition. "She was the .< best old lady in the neighborhood," said one of her near neighbors, on Monday, and that is about the general verdict of all who knew her. She was 9iiA"a!s^niLQtiiAlflin^uaii nimu m mu ?-cemetery there last Sunday, the services being conducted by Rev. J. B. Bozeman. *AuiiHmi Old Veternu. Mr. Herod R. Nell died at his home in Yorkville last Sunday morning at about 3 o'clock. Like that of Mr. S. VV. Robinson, who died on the Friday oefore, the death of Mr. Neil was quite sudden. The old gentleman had been at work about the garden and yard, during Saturday. Shortly after midnight he was seized with a violent pain in his breast and the family sent for Dr. Miles Walker, who at once undertook to do for the sufferer all that the case seemed to require. Mr. Neil seemed easier after the arrival of the doctor; but at about 3 o'clock he breathed his last. His death was due to appoplexy. Mr. Neil was well known throughout York county and especially in the vicinity of Hickory Grove, where he was born and reared. He volunteered his services to the Confederacy shortly after the breaking out of the war, and was a member of the Jasper Light Infantry until his service terminated at the battle of Seven Pines, on account of the loss of a leg. Since the war he has been supporting his family at farming and various other occupations. For the past twelve years he has been public auctioneer, tne duties of which office he has discharged with satisfaction and efficiency. He leaves a widow and seven children?four sons and three daughters. All of the daughters are married. Had he lived until August 8th, next, he would have been 68 years of age. His remains were taken to Hickory Grove on Monday afternoon for interment. Saw Joliu Henderson Burned. Mr. Thomas P. McDill, who formerly represented York in the legislature and who is now in the mercantile business at Corsicana, Texas, witnessed the burning of John Henderson, at that place last Wednesday, and tells about it in a private letter to a member of ' The Enquirer staff. Here is what' Mr. McDill says: "Enclosed you will find an account of the burning of John Henderson, which occurred here today, i was an ave-witness to the scene, and che account is not exaggerated at all, It was horrible, awful? terrible to look * at. I had never witnessed a burning before, so I had a curiosity to see it, and while life lasts I'll not forget the scene. I do not want to see the like again. The burning was In the court house yard, just across the street from ? the jail, and there was no attempt on the part of those who participated to conceal their identity. I was within 10 feet of the stake and witnessed every detail, a full account of which is given in the enclosed paper." The paper of which Mr. McDill speaks came with the letter; but as he tells the story himself fully and satisfactorily as could be desired, it is nor worth while to reproduce the newspaper a'.-count. Mr. McDill is with the big Graham combination that operates 16 stores in Texas and the Indian Territory. His many > friends in this section will be pleased to know that he is pleasantly located and is delighted with the country except from the fact that there is no drinking water that is fit for the use of a man who was raised on the purest water that ever bubbled irom spring or well.