Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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i m grist's SONS, Publisher.. 1 % ^amilj! gtrcspijer: 4or the frorootion of tht political, gotial, Agricultural, and (Eommtt|da[ jnTercsta of the geagte. | mMa-^oo^^aAMN advanck. ESTABLISHED 18A5~ YORKVILLE, 8. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 19Q3. IsTO. 81. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJ j me SKI < < \ By BALTt ^ Auth J "The Mad Fr< < "Glengarry School Da; ^ Copyright, 1899, by FLEM la .mm, CHAPTER I. THE FOOTHILLS COUNTRY. I T% jEYOND the great prairies and I *? I in the shadow of the Rockies Law lie the foothills. For 900 miles the prairies spread themselves out in vast level reaches, and then begin to climb over softly rounded mounds that ever grow higher and sharper till, here and there, they break Into jagged points and at last rest upon the great bases of the mighty mountains. These rounded hills that join the prairies to the mountains form the foothill country. They extend for about a hundred miles only, but no other hundred miles of the great west are so full of interest and romance. The natural features of the country combine the beauties of prairie and of mountain scenery. There are valleys qp wide that the farther side melts into the horizon, and uplands so vast as to suggest the unbroken prairie. Nearer the mountains the valleys dip deep and ever deeper till they narrow into canyons through which mountain torrents pour their blue gray waters from glaciers that lie glistening betweeu the white Deaks far away. Here are the great ranges on whiob feed herds of cattle and horses. Here are the homes of the ranchmen, lq whose wild, free, lonely existence there mingles much of the tragedy and comedy, the humor and pathos, that go to make up the romance of life. Among them are to be found the most enterprising. the most daring, of the peoples of the old lands. The broken, the outcast, the disappointed?these too have found their way to the ranches among the foothills. A country it is whose sunlit bills and shaded valleys reflect themselves In the lives of its people, for nowhere are the contrasts of light and shade more vividly seen than in the homes of the ranchmen of the Albertas. The experiences of my life have confirmed in me the orthodox conviction that Providence sends pis rain upon the evil as upon the good; else I should never have set my eyes upon the foothill country, nor touched its fascinating life, nor come to know and love the most striking man of all that group of I striking men of the foothill country? the dear old Pilot, as we came to call him long afterward. My first year in college closed in gloom. My guardian was in despair. From this distance of years I pity him. Then 1 considered him unnecessarily concerned about me ?"a fussy old hen," as one of the boys suggested. The invitation from Jack Pale, a distant cousin, to spend a summer with him on his ranch in south Alberta came in the nick of time. I was wild to go. My guardian hesitated long, but no other solution of the problem of my disposal offering, he finally agreed that i could not well get into more trouble by going than by staying. Hence It was that, in the early summer of one of the eighties, I fouud myself attached to a Hudsou Bay company freight train, making our way from a little railway town in Montana toward the Canadian boundary. Our train consisted of six wagons and fourteen yoke of oxen, with three enyuses. in charge of a French half breed and his son. a lad of about sixteen. We made slow enough progress, but every hour of the long day. from the dim, gray, misty light of dawn to the soft glow of shadowy evening, was full of new delights to me. On the evening of the third day we reached the line Stopping Place, where Jack Dale met us. I remember well how my heart beat with admiration of the easy grace with which he sailed down upon us in the loose jointed cowboy style, swinging his own bronco and the little cayuse he was leading for me into the circle of the wagons, careless of ropes and freight and other impedimenta. He flung himself off before his bronco had come to a stop and gave me a grip that made me sure of my welcome. It was years since he had seen a man from home, and the eager Joy in his eyes told of long days and nights of lonely yearning for the old days and the old faces. r ? +Vi?ct hoHor ofK 4 CULLie LU Uliuciaiauu iu.o pr my two years' stay among these Jiills that have a strange power on some days to waken In a man longings that make his heart grow sick. When supper was over we gathered about the little tire while Jack and the half breed smoked and talked. 1 lay on my back looking up at the pale, steady stars in the deep blue of the cloudless sky and listened in fullness of contented delight to the chat between .lack and the driver. Now and then I asked a question, but not too often. It is a listening silence that draws tales from A western man. not vexing questions. This much I had learned already from my three days' travel. So I lay and listened, and the tales of that night are mingled with the warm evening lights and the pale stars and the thoughts of home that Jack's coming seemed to bring. Next morning before sunup we had broken camp and were ready for our fifty mile ride. There was a slight drizzle of rain and. though rain and shine were alike to him. Jack insisted that I should wear my mackintosh. This garment was quite new and had a loose cape which rustled as I moved toward my cayuse. He was an ugly looking little animal, with more white In his eye than I cared to see. Altogether. I did not draw toward him. Nor did he iAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* l [ PILOT = an / COJVJVOH. r H or of t fill am Glengarry" ? W' yj-" &nd "BUck Rock" an an ING H. REVELL COMPANY ^ W ttu ryyyyyyTyyyyyyTyyyyyyyyryyt ^ W< to me, apparently. For as I look "him jjt by the bridle he snorted and sidled about with great swiftness and stood . facing me with his feet planted firmly in front of him as if prepared to re ject overtures of any kind soever. I tried to approach him with soothing ? 1 words, but he persistently backed away until we stood looking at each other ? at the utmost distance of his out- ^ ' stretched neck and my outstretched arm' rfi At this point Jack came to my assist- 8U ance, got the pony by the other side of oc the bridle and held him fast till I got *ri into position to mount. Taking a firm ln grip of the horn of the Mexican saddle, nt I threw my leg over his back. The ^ next instant I was flying over his head. My only emotion was one of surprise, I the thing was so unexpected. 1 had to [ fancied myself a fair rider, having bad 10 experience of farmers' colts of divers tr kinds, but this was something quite ^ new. The half breed stood looking on, w mildly Interested; Jack was smiling, *e but the boy was grinning with delight "I'll take the little beast," said Jack. St But the grinning boy braced me up and I replied as carelessly as my shaking voice would allow: "Oh, I guess I'll manage him," and ? . Pf once more got Into position, nut no -sooner liad I got Into the saddle than Jc the pony sprang straight up into the m air and lit with his back curved into a bow. his four legs gathered together w aud so absolutely rigid that the shook made my teeth rattle. It was my first experience of "bucking," Then the lit- 1 tie brute went seriously to work to get C0 rid of the rustling, flapping thing on a.? his back. He would hack steadily for some seconds, then, with two or three forward plunges, he would stop as if . shot and spring straight into the upper ag air, lighting with back curved and leg9 m rigid as iron. Then he would walk on his hind legs for a few steps, then throw himself with amazing rapidity ^ to one side and again proceed to buck with vicious diligence, _ "Stick to him!" yelled Jack through ^ shouts of laughter, "You'll make him sick before long!" I remember thinking that unless bis ^ Insides were somewhat more delicately organized than his external appearance would lead one to suppose the chances * were that the little brute would be the | last to succumb to sickness. To make matters worse, a wilder Jump than w ordinary threw my cape up over my , head, so that I was in complete dark- ^ ness. And now he had me at his mercy, te and he knew no pity, He kicked and gfl plunged and reared and bucked, now ^ on his front legs, uow on bis hind legs, ^ often on his knees, while I in darkness j could only cling to the horn of the gad- d. d,e- at At last, in one of the gleams of light ln that penetrated the folds of my envel- w oping cape, I found that the born had w slipped to his side, so the next time he cj came to his knees I threw myself off. I am anxious to make this point clear, 3 for from the expression of triumph on n? the face of the grinning boy and bis fr encomiums of the pony I gathered that ai he scored a win for the cayuse. With- 0f out pause that little brute continued for some seconds to buck and plunge y( even after my dismounting as if he ^ were some piece of mechanism that must run down before it could stop. q{ By tliis tltne 1 was sick enougn anu badly shaken In my nerve, but the trl^ bl Stick to him!" yelled Jack. ai umphant shouts and laughter of the rc boy and the complacent smiles on the tt faces of Jack and the half breed stirred 8* my wrath. I tore off the cape and. liav- ar ing got the saddle put right, seized Jack's riding whip, and. disregarding his remonstrances, sprang on my steed once more, and before be could make < lis his mind as to bis line of action plied tl him so vigorously with the rawhide that he set off over the prairie at full B gallop and in a few minutes came 80 round to the camp quite subdued, 'n W the boy's great disappointment e.nd .j & niy own great surprise. Jack was high- bi jy pleased, and even the stolid face of C the half breed showed satisfaction. 'a "Don't think I put this up on you," Jack said. "It was that cape. He ain't used to such frills. But It was a Pe circus." he added, going off into a br of laughter, -'worth $."> any day." cr "You bet!" said tile half breed. "Dat't tb make pretty beeg fun. eh?" to It seemed to me that it depended se somewhat uponjtbe point of view, but of merely agreed with Dim, only to< i id to be so well out of the fight, ill day we followed the trail that )und along the shoulders of the round aped hills or down their long slopes to the wide, grassy valleys. Here d there the valleys were cut through coulees through which ran swift ue gray rivers, clear and icy cold, ille from the hilltops we caught Impses of little lakes covered with id fowl that shrieked and squawked d splashed, careless of danger. Now id then we saw what made a black ot against the green of the prairls, id Jack told me It was a rancher's ack. How remote from the great >rld, and how lonely it seemed?this tie black shack among these multidinous bills! [ shall never forget the summer eveng when Jack and I rode Into Swan eek. I say into, but the village wae most entirely one of imagination. In at It consisted of the Stopping Place, long log building, a story and a half gh, with stables behind, and the stow which the post office wus kept and er which the owner dwelt. But the :uatlon was one of great beauty. On ie side the pruirie rambled down 3m the hills and then stretched away tawny levels into the misty purple the horizon; on the other it clamber1 over the round, sunny tops to the m blue of the mountains beyond. In this world, where it is impossible reach absolute values, we are forced hold things relatively, and in conast with the long, lonely miles of our 3e during the day these two houses, ith their outbuildings, seemed a cenr of life. Some horses were tied to e rail that ran along in front of the opping Place. "Hello!" said Jack. "I guess the Noe Seven are in town." "And who are they?" I asked. UAK M iwl*k o ohrnnp "flior Vii. uc rcpucu, nuu u ouiub, tuv^ e the elite of Swan Creek, and, b7 >ve." he added, "this must be a perit night." "What does that mean?" I asked, as e rode up toward the tie rail. "Well," said Jack in a low tone, for me men were standing about the >or, "you see, this la a prohibition untry. but when one of the boys feels i if he were going to bave.a spell of L'lwiess he gets a permit to bring In a w gallons for medicinal purposes, id, of course, the other boys being ciiilarly exposed, he invites them to sist him in taking preventive meases. and," added Jack, with a solemn ink. "it is remarkable, in a healthy untry like this, how many epidemics me near catching us." And with this mystifying explanation e Joined the mysterious Company of e Noble 8even. CHAPTER II. HE COMPANY OF THE NOBLE SEVEN. IS we were dismounting the . cries, "Hello, Jack!" "How do, JSSS Dale?" "Hello, old Smoker In ; SaicsJ the heartiest of tones made ' e see that my cousin was a favorite , 1th the men grouped about the door. , ick simply nodded in return, and en presented me in due form. "My nderfoot cousin from the effete," he id, with a 'flourish. I was surprised .ha irraiu tho hnTPa mnrip mp hv ese rougbjj^dressed, wild looking felws. I#Bht have been In a London awing rVn> I was pnt at my ease : once by the kindliness of their greetg, Jfor. upon Jack's Introduction, I asirdmitted at once Into their circle, Moh' to a tenderfoot was usually osed. Y/liat a hardy looking lot they were! rown, Bpnre, sinewy and hard as ills, they appeared like soldiers back oai a hard campaign. They moved id spoke with an easy, careless air ' almost lazy Indifference, but their res had a trick of looking straight at >u. cool and fearless, and you felt icy were lit and ready. That night 1 was initiated Into the smpany of the Noble Seven?but of ie ceremony I regret to say I retain it an indistinct memory; for they ank as they rode, hard and long, id It was only Jack's care that got e safely home that night. The Company of the Noble Seven as the dominant social force in the van Creek country. Indeed, it was ie only social force Swan Creek lew. Originally consisting of seven >ung fellows of the best blood of ritain, ' banded together for purposes mutual Improvement and social en- 1 yment," It had changed its character iring the years, but not its name, irst. Its membership was extended tq ?J nnlnnln In 1' mink O CI ClUUe ajj|jruvcu tuiuuiaiai guv.u aa ick Dale and "others of klqdred aplrunder which head, f suppose, the ro cowboys from the Ashley ranch, 1 Kendal and Bronco BUI?no one lew and no one asked his other lme?were admitted. Then Its pur>ses gradually limited themselves to lose of a social nature, chiefly In the le of poker playing and whisky inking. Well bom and delicately ed In that atmosphere of culture < ingled with a sturdy common sense id a certain high chivalry which sur>unds the stately homes of Britain, lese young lads, freed from the reraiqts of custom and surrounding, ion shed all that was superficial In telr make up and stood forth In the iked simplicity of their native mam >od. The west discovered and regaled the man In them, sometimes to telr honor, often to their shame. The chief of the Company was the on. Fred Ashley of the Ashley ranch, me time of Ashley Court, England?s g good natured man with a magniflint physique, a good income from < jine and a beautiful wife, the Lady hgrlotte, daughter of a noble English mily. At the Ashley ranch the tradl>ns of Ashley Court were preserved as r as possible. The Hon. Fred apared at the wolf hunts In riding eeches aud top boots, with hunting op and English saddle, while in all e appointments of the house the eusms of the English home were obrved. It was characteristic, however, western life that hjs two cowboys, THE ACTUAL ARRAIG! 1 '' HI Kendal und Bronco Bill, felt tnenTselves quite his social equals, though In the presence of his beautiful, stately wife they confessed that they "rather weakened." Ashley was a thoroughly The Duke, still smiling, caught the descending fist, good fellow, well up to bis work as a cattle man and too mucb of a gentleman to feel, inueb less assert, any superiority of station. He bad tbe largest ranch In tbe country and was one pf the few men making money. Ashley's chief friend, or at least most frequent companion, was a man whom they called tbe Duke. No one knew his name, but every one said be was "the son of a lord," and certainly from his style and bearing be might be tbe son of almost anything that was high enough in rank. He drew "a remittance," but as that was paid through Ashley no one knew whence it came nor how mufli it was. He was a perfect picture of a man, and in all western virtues was easily Orst. He could rope a steer, bunch cattle, play poker or annii wluskj iu iue uuiuuunuu ui his friends and the confusion of his foes, of whom he had a few. while as to "bronco busting," the virtue par excellence of western cattle men, even Bronco Bill was heard to acknowledge that "he wasn't in it with the Dook, for it was his opinion that he could ride anything that had legs in under-it, even if it was a blanked centiped." And this, coming from one who made o rvTv*?frtf "hPfinnn hnatlncr " u li4U^ou1Wu w* *% 0? ? ? unquestionably high praise. The Duke lived alone, except when he deigned to pay a visit to some lonely rancher who, for the marvelous charm of his talk, was delighted to have him as guest, even at the expense of the loss of a few games at poker. He mude a friend of no one, though some men could tell of times when he stood between them and their last dollar, exacting only the promise that uo mention should be made of his deed. He had an easy, lazy manner and u slow, cynical smile that rarely left his face, and the only sign of deepening passion In him was a little broadening of his smile. Old Latour, who kept the Stop NMENT OF JAS. H. TILL [By Courtesy of the New York World.] ' __ ping "nace, toia me now uuce cue * Duke Lad broken into a gentle laugh. 0 A French half breed freighter on his * way north hud entered into a game of ? poker with the Duke, with the result that his six months' pay stood In a * little heap at his enemy's left band. e The enraged freighter accused his * smiling opponent of being a cheat, and D was proceeding to demolish him with one mighty blow. But the Duke, still b smiling and without moving from bis 1 chair, caught the descending fist, 8 slowly crushed the fingers open and t steadily drew the Frenchman to his 1 knees, gripping him so cruelly in the v meantime that he was forced to cry c aloud in agony for mercy. Then it was 8 that the Duke broke into a light laugh c and, touching the kneeling Frenchman on his cheek with his finger tips, said: t "Look here, my man, you shouldn't r play the game till you know how to do c it and with whom you play." Then, 8 handing him back the money he added: r "I want money, but not yours." Then, as he sat looking at the unfortunate wretch dividing his attention between his money and his bleeding fingers, ha once more broke into a gentle laugh ^ that was not good to hear. The Duke was by alT odds the most striking figure in the Company of the n Noble Seven, and his word went ti further than that of any other. His b shadow was Bruce, an Edinburgh uni- h versity man, metaphysical, argumenta- e live, persistent, devoted to the Duke. P Indeed, his chief ambition was to at- v tain to the Duke's high and lordly a ?- ? u- ?~ - d manner, dui, inasmueu us ue wu? rather squat in figure and had an open, t' good natured face and a Scotch voice r of the hard and rasping kind, his attempts at imitation were not eonspicu- '* ously successful. Every mail that b reached Swan Creek brought him a letter from home. At first, after I had b got to know him, he would give me ^ now and then a letter to read, but as n the tone became more and more IV anxious he ceased to let me read them, fl and I was glad enough of this. How he could read those letters and go the v pace of the Noble Seven 1 could not tl pee. Poor Bruce! He had good i pulses, a generous heart, but the per- ? mlt nights and the hunts and the a round ups and the poker and all the r wild excesses of the Company were '' more than he could stand. c Then there were the two Hill broth- s ers, the younger, Bertie, a fair haired, ^ bright faced youngster, none too able p to look after himself, but much in- $ clined to follies of all degrees and ? sorts. But he was warm hearted and ? devoted to his big brother, Humphrey, t. T-T,,tvir\ Tt'hst linil tnlr*n to rniioll- t( UillJtm 11 u 1U[;, n ?u uuu buuvM ing mainly with the idea of looking s: after his younger brother. And no easy matter that was. for every one liked the lad and in consequence helped o him down. P In addition to these there were two ^ others of the original seven, but by ft force of circumstances they were pre- s< vented from any more than a nominal a connection with the Company. Blake. b, a typical wild Irishman, had joined o the police at the Fort, and Gifford had P got married and. as Bill said, "was w roped tighter 'n a steer." w The Noble Company, with the cow- n MAN AT LEXINGTON. ? 'am | in (Ac E&acmZS LOCK, I \ TUX? 0 ioys that helped on the range and two r TTrree~Tarmers mat nvea near tne '''ort, composed the settlers of the Iwan Creek country?a strange medey of people of all ranks and nations, lut while among them there were the vil hearted and evil living, still for U /^Amnonw T will CVQ XT thflt ut: i>UUlt vuuipauj M. ITM1 lever have I fallen in with men braver, ruer or of warmer heart Vices they iad, all too apparent and deadly, but hey were due rather to the eircumtances of their lives than to the naive tendencies of their hearts, 'hroughout that summer and the rinter following I lived among them, amping on the range with them and leeping In their shacks, bunching attle in summer and hunting wolves n winter, nor did I, for I was no wiser han they, refuse my part on permit lights. But through all not a man ?f them ever failed to be true to his tandard of honor in the duties of comadeship and brotherhood. TO BE CONTINUED. GLOOM AT BILTMORE. 1r. Vanderbilt Departs and Activity Ceases. This has been an eventful, not to say nelancholy, day on the Vanberbilt esate, says an Asheville dispatch of Ocober 3 to the Charlotte Observer. It as witnessed the cessation of activity verywhere, and the subsequent dearture of the "lord of the manor," ho, as heretofore stated, will remain broad for a year or more. Mr. Vanerbilt left his private car Swannanoa or the reason. It was stated that every ime Swannanoa was attached to a egular passenger train, bound for New rork, it meant a cash outlay equiva:nt to eighteen fares. Several times f late Mr. Vanderbilt has economized y taking a section In a Pullman. While gloom pervades various ranches of the estate, the day really rougnt its compensanona iu even hose who will have to seek employlent elsewhere for a time. To some lr. Vanderbilt uttered kind words on he eve of his departure, and, after aying to them: "Thou good and althful servant," assured them he /ould again take pleasure in giving hem employment, should they care o return later. It was stated by a entleman conversant with estate afairs that Mr. Vanderbilt had received letter from D. O. Champlain, until ecently the cashier at the office, askig reinstatement, but that Mr. Vanerbilt had left without answering the ommunication. The letter will be anwered in a day or so by Mr. Harding. Mr. Champlain has placed in Mr. larding's hands a deed in trust for roperty at Black Mountain, valued at 3.000. It was said by a representative f Mr. Vanderbilt that an examination f the books had disclosed the fact hat Mr. Champlain was due the esite $3,000, and the deed was given j insure Mr. Vanderbilt against "posible loss, occasioned," the gentleman oftly concluded, "by the infraction of le rules of the office." It has transpired that a new system f bookkeeping, and a new method of aying the men off have been adopted > obviate the possibility of the rules f the office being "violated" in the iture. The men will be asked to as?mble at a given point on pay day nd. as they form an unbroken line of miling expectancy, the envelopes will e handed to each man, who will call ut the time put in and the amount aid therefore. Some of the men. it as said, do not take kindly to this leasure. but it is contended that this ill render it impossible to create any lore dummy pay-rolls. IftiscrUancaus fading. THE FISHING CREEK DI8A3TER. Developments of Tuesday's Investigation at Rock Hill. A meeting of the board of railroad commissioners was held In the council chamber In this city yesterday morning to make Inquiry as to the cause of the Fishing Creek trestle wreck on the S. C. & Qa. Ex. road, which occurred on the third of September. Chairman C. W. Garrls and Commissioner J. H. Wharton were present with Miss Bessie Bookter, the board's stenographer. Commissioner Kaufman could not be present, owing to circumstances beyond his control. There were present also several representatives of the Southern railway, namely: Col. J. S. B. Thompson, general agent, of Atlanta; Mr. M. H. Dooley, general counsel of the Southern, of Washington; Mr. D. W. Lum, superintendent of bridges and trestles; Col. A. Trpp, former superlnitendent of the S. C. & G. Ex., and his son Herbert of Blacksburg. The hearing was open to the public and was conducted In order that the commissioners might be able, In obedience to the law on the subject, to make a complete report i?, the legislature covering all the facts obtainable In relation to the wreck. Witnesses were called and sworn as follows: Henry Massey of Rock Hill. He was present at the wreck about an hour after the occurrence, while the dead and the wounded were yet on the grounds. He saw a -great deal of rotten timber In the wrecked trestle, but did not know the per cent of dGcay. He could not express opinion as to the cause of the wreck. W. H. Wylie of Rock Hill testified he visited the scene the afternoon of the lay of the wreck. Saw a great deal of decayed timber in the fallen trestle, and estimated that at least 75 per cent of the lumber was on account of decay unfit for use In the trestle. Visited the wreck the next morning and obtained several specimens of the rotten timber and a number of splinters, showing their decayed condition. His opinion was that the wreck was caused by the rotten and unsafe condition of the timbers. Rev. W. L. Lingle of Rock Hill testified that he visited the wreck the morning of the day after the wreck and before the wreckage had been burned. He saw a very considerable amount of rotten timber In the wreck and also saw decayed wood in that part of the trestle that was left standing. He could not say that he had an opinion as to the cause of the wreck. He only ex amined the timbers casually. J. M. McFadden of Rock Hill went to the trestle the afternoon of the~day of the wreck. Saw a great deal of rotten timber In the ruins and going upon that part of the structure left standing, made measurements and found several rotten crosstles In a very short space. In his opinion the wreck was caused by the weakness of the decayed timbers In the wreck. He examined the ruins critically. T. L. Carroll of Yorkville was among the first to reach the scene after the wreck and gave assistance to the rescue of the wounded. He examined the wreck and saw much rotten timber in the ruins, but could not say what caused the wreck. S. M. Grist of Yorkville, testified that he reached the wreck about three-quarters of an hour after the trestle fell. After viewing the dead and wounded, he made a critical examination of the trestle and found the timbers very much decayed, perhaps half being rotten. He did not know the position in the trestle of any of the timbers before the structure rell. He tnougni max the cause- of the trestle falling was probably due to the rate of speed at which the train west upon the structure. but he was satisfied the weakness of the timbers on account of decay was such that the wreck would have occurred on some other day. So far as he could see the Southern officials and employees did all they could under the circumstances for the wounded and in taking care of the dead. This concluded the evidence of the witnesses present. Several other gentlemen from Yorkville had been requested to be present and give testimony, but they failed to appear. Chairman Garris invited any one present. knowing any of the facts, to make their statement, but no one came forward. Mr. Garris announced that If other witnesses who knew any of the facts could be obtained, that the board would hold another meeting at any time either at Rock Hill or Yorkville. The board then adjourned.?Rock Herald. The Railroad's Witnesses. The railroad commission examined today officials of the Southern railway in the matter of the Fishing creek accident which occurred on thee^outh Carolina and Georgia ExtensidvTroad on September 3. The commission examined the following railroad men who are connected with the Southern: C. H. Ackert, general manager of the Southern: J. A. Heether, superintendent of the Charleston division, on which the wreck occurred; D. W. Lum, superintendent of bridges and construction: R. Southgate, in charge of maintenance: A. W. Tripp, former superintendent of the Three C's road: J. A. Maxwell, roadmaster of the Charleston division; M. S. Dillard, supervisor of bridges, and X. M. Stukes, section foreman. The testimony of all these witnesses was to the effect that since the Southern railway had taken charge of the South Carolina and Georgia Extension company, in July, 1902, the roadway and structure on this branch of the road had received more attention than ever before within the same length of time. More material in the way of cross ties for tracks and timber for the renewal of trestles and labor for doing the work had been furnished by the Southern than ever before, the track force having been increased and the carpenters having been more than doubled. More attention has been given and more money spent in putting in proper condition the South Carolina and Georgia Extension than on any other part of the Southern railway in South Carolina, that is to say in pro- _ portion to the amount of business that this road was doing. The witnesses explained very fully to the commission the manner in which the work was done and the careful methods observed in inspecting from time to time the condition of the trestles and bridges and having the ncessary repairs made. They stated very positively in their conviction the track and structures had been kept in a thoroughly safe condition and were so at the present time.?Columbia special of Wednesday to the Greenville News. * \ .