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V || ISSUED 8KMI-WKEKL^^ l.m okist's sons, Pnbu.her?.} % ^milj JlciDspapn: ^or thi; {promotion of th< {political,Social, ^griijuiitiral and Commeyiat Interests njf tti<|?9M. J established 1855. " YO^KVILLE, S. a/TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 191A ~ ~ NOT98 Novemi THE DETECTIVE By HESKETI Copyright, 1913, by Kesketh Prlcl CHAPTER VIII. The Case of Mias Virginia Planx. November Joe and I had been following a moose since daybreak, moving without speech. Suddenly from some where ahead there broKe out me wuuu of two shots and after a minute of two more. "Two shots going on at steady intervals," said Joe. "That's a call for help. There they go again. We'd best follow 4^ them up." We traveled for half an hour, guided by the sound, and came in sight of a man standing among the trees. We saw him raise his rifle and flre twice ^ straight upward to the sky. 7* "It's Planx!" said Joe in surprise. "What? The millionaire you went into the woods with to locate timber last year?" "The identical man." As we approached Joe hailed him. Planx was a thick shouldered, stout (0 man, his big body set back upon his v hips, his big chin thrust forward in a way that accentuated the arrogance of his bulging lips and eyes. "Ho! It's you Joe!" he cried. "Yes, Mr. Planx." ^ "That is lucky, for I need your help. My daughter was murdered yesterday." The words made me gasp and not me only. "Miss Vlrginny!" cried Joe. "You can't mean that. Nobody would be brute enough to kill Miss Vihginny!" As we walked Planx gave us the following facts: It appeared that he had been spending the last two weeks in a log hut which had been lent him by c friend, Mr. Wilshere. His household - consisted of one servant?his daughter's 10 nurse, a middle aged woman whom they had brought with them from New York?two guides and a man cook. On the previous day Miss Virginia had taken her rod after lunch, as she had % often done before, and gone off to the river to flsh. "At 5 I went to Join her. She was not there. Her rod lay broken, and there were signs of a struggle and the tracks of two men. I shouted for Ed, the old guide. He came running down, and we took the trail. It led us straight ? over to the Mooseshank lake. The ruf flans had put her In our own canoe anu ? gone out on the lake." J Planx paused and presently continu' > 6d: / "We went round the lake and found on the far side the spot where they had 1 " beached the canoe. Leading up into the woods from that point, we again struck the trail of the two men, but my daughter was no longer with them. When they left the canoe they were going light. They must have drowned her in the lake. It's clear enough. Presently ^ I saw something floating on the water. * It was her hat." "Had Miss Virginny any jewelry on her?" asked Joe. "A watch and a necklace." "What value?" \ "Seven or eight hundred dollars." "Huh," said November reflectively. "And what did you do after finding her hat?" "We trailed the two villains until they got on to some rocky ground. It was too dark then to do more, so we returned. Five thousand dollars if you lay hands on them," he said. By the river the traces were so plain ^ that any one could read them?the slender feet of the victim and the larger footprints of the two men. The fishing rod, snapped off toward the top of the middle joint, had been left where it had fallen. It seemed as if the girl had tried to defend herself with it. Next we went to the lake. November literally nosed his way along. The moccasined tracks of the two men showed faintly here and there on the softer parts of the ground. "Looks as if they was toting some thing," said Joe. "They must 'a' carried her. Stop! They set her down here for a spell." ? Another moment brought us over the rise and in sight of Mooseshank lake. I halted involuntarily. The place seemed created for the scene of a tragedy. November had pushed on to the spot where footprints and other signs showed where the men had entered the canoe. The deep slide of a moccasined foot in the mud seemed to tell of the effort it required to get the girl embarked. "They took her out on the lake and murdered her!" groaned P'lanx. "Dragging? There's no use dragging, that water goes plumb down to the root of the world." After that we went around to the W other side of the lake and saw the beached canoe. The two sets of moccasined tracks showed clearly on the strip of mud by the water, but were soon lost in the tumbled debris of a twow<mr-nld stonv landslip over which ? ? ? r trailing appeared quite impossible. November was busy about this landing place for a longer time than I expected, then he crossed the landslide at right angles and disappeared from our view. Soon he came hurrying toward us. "She isn't dead." "What?" "Anyways, she wasn't when she passed here. I have a proof here that you will think mighty good." He drew out a little leather case I had given him and extracted from it a long hair of a beautiful red gold color. "Look at that! I found it in the spruces above there." Planx took it gently in his great lingers. He was visibly much moved. For a few seconds he held it without speaking, then, "That grew on Virginia's head, sure enough, Joe. Is it possible my girl is alive?" "She is, sure! Don't be afraid. ~ You'll soon have news of her, I can promise you that, Mr. Planx. This wasn't no case of murder. It's just an abduction. They'd never be such fools as to kill her. They're cuter than that. % Isn't she your daughter? They'll hold her to big ransom. That's their game." An ugly look came into Planx's eyes. "That's their game, is it? I'm not a man that it is easy to milk dollars from," said he. By this time it was growing too dark ser Joe. OF THE WOODS. I PRICHARD. ( iard. ] 1 I for Joe to work any longer. We crossed , the lake with Planx, and that night Joe and I camped near the end of Moose- i shank lake, where a stream flowed 1 from it. i At dawn, while we were having j breakfast, Joe stood up and stared into 1 the trees that grew thick behind us. As 1 he called out I looked back and saw the j indistinct ngure 01 a man in, men < shadow watching us. He beckoned, and < we approached him. I saw he was 1 young, with a pale face and rather ( shabby town made clothes. J "Don't you remember Walter Calvey, 1 November?" he said, holding out his j hand. "I was with you and Mr. Planx j and?and?her last year in the woods, i "Huh, yes, and what are you doing J here, Mr. Calvey?" asked Joe, shaking j hands. < "I heard about Virginia. How could 1 I keep away after that?" exclaimed ' Calvey. } "You've no cause to fret yet," said Joe. 1 "What? When they've killed her! I'll j go with you and if we can find those'? , "Huh! She's not dead! Take my word < for it!" Joe's gray eyes grave me a ] roguish look. "Why, I've got a thing j here in my pocketbook you'd give me < $100 for!" He held the red gold hair up to the light of the rising sun. Calvey shook from head to foot. "Virginia's! You couldn't find its 1 match in Canada! Tell me"? "I can't wait to tell you and you J can't wait to hear. Light out now. Old i man Planx could make it unhealthy for you." | "You're right! He hates me because j Virorinin wnn't marrv SchelDere of the ( combine. He hasn't let us meet for months. And more than that, he's ruined me and my partner in business. It was easy for a rich man to do that," added Calvey bitterly. "You go and start into business again," advised Joe. "I'll send you word first thing I know for certain." But it was some time before he .could induce Calvey to leave us. after he had gone I wondered whether Joe suspected him of having a hand in spiriting away Virginia. Presently I asked him. Joe shook his head. "He couldn't have done it if he wanted to. He's a good young chap, but look at his boots and his clothes?he was bred on a pavement, but he's Miss Virginny's choice for all that. We'll start now, Mr. Quaritch, Just where I found chat bit of gold caught In a branch that hangs over the little stream up above there. You see, she lost her hat, and she has a splendid lot of hair, and so when I could find no tracks, for they came down the bed of the stream, I searched 'bout as high as her head. I guessed she'd be liable to catch her hair in a branch." But we had hardly started when we heard the voice of Planx roaring in the woods below us. He was coming along at an extraordinary pace in spite of his ungainly, rolling stride. "You were right, Joe; Virginia is alive! It is a case of abduction. See what I have here." He held a long stick or wand in his hand. The top of the wand was roughly split, and a scrap of paper stuck in the cleft. "Ed's just found this in the canoe on the lake," he went on. "These blackguards must have come back in the night and put it there." "What have they said in the paper?" asked November. " 'You must pay to get your daughter back. If you want our terms, come to the old log camp on Black lake tomorrow night. No tricks. We have you rounded up sure. Don't try to track us or we will make it bad for her.' " Joe touched the ends of the wand. "Green spruce wood, cut near their , camp," said he. 1 "There's plenty of spruce like ] that right here," objected Planx; ' "why do you say it was cut near their , camp?" * "It's cut and split with a heavy ax, such as no man ever carries about with him. Well, we'd best do no J more tracking till we see the chaps that has Miss Virginny. It's Black ^ lake tonight, then?" On the way Planx made known to us his plan of campaign. It was a ' simple one. He would get the men into the hut and speak them fair till i a favorable moment presented itself, < when he would demand the surren- ' der of his daughter under threat of shooting the kidnappers if they re- 1 fused or demurred. "There are three of us, and we can fix them easy." said Planx. November Joe shook his head. "They're not near such big fools as you think them." he remarked. We had stopped on some high ground in the shelter of the woods, from which we could see the fishing hut. Joe vanished with his silent, Indian-like glide, his movements as inaudible as those of a ghost. In | about five minutes a light suddenly sprang up in the hut. and Joe's voice called us. As we entered the door I saw Joe i was pointing to a piece of paper which lay on the rough hewn table. "The same writing as before. Listen Listen to this: 'If you will swear to give us safe conduct we will come to talk it out. If you agree to this wave the lantern three times on the lake shore, and that will mean you give your oath to let us come and go freely.' " "I told you they were not fools," said Joe. "What's the orders now, Mr. Planx?" Planx handed Joe the lantern. "Go and wave the lantern." From the door of the hut we went down to the lake. At the third swing of the light a voice hailed him. "You hear? They were waiting in a canoe," said Planx to me. Then followed the splash of pad dies and the rasp of the frosted rushes as the canoe took the shore. Joe lad returned by this time and hung: ap the lantern so that it lit the whole af the hut. Then the three of us stood together at one side of the :able. (To be continued.) MERE MENTION The relief ship Thelma from Philadelphia, with food supplies for the Belgians, reached Rotterdam, Friday, having safely passed through the minestrewn waters of the English channel The Liebler company, one of the big theatrical producing concerns ol New York, has been forced into bankruptcy with liabilties of 5325,000 and toArt nnn rv*i r?v?oa aIov. inder, a millionaire business man ul Providence, R. L, is held under $7,500 bail bond, charged with violation of the Mann white slave act. The prosecuting witness is Miss Jessie Cope of Los iVngeles, Cal. Col. Alexander says it is i case of plain blackmail Because pf the disclosure of a deficit of $1,300,300 in the financial income of the city, the nine members of the city council pf Pittsburg, Pa., have agreed to a reduction of their salaries from $6,500 to 15.500 and recommend reduction of salaries of all city employes, 10 to 15 per pent The North German Lloyd iner Prinz Friedrich Welhelm, which bad been interned at Bergen, Norway, since the breaking out of the war, is reported to have drifted ashore during i heavy gale, and is now fast on the shore sands The news of the loss pf the British warship Audacious which was lost off the Irish coast on Dctober 28, was first printed in London papers on Friday, having been copied from American papers received there. While chasing a hog near Sunpury, Pa., Friday, Jefferson Lenker, who was trying to stab the hog, stumbled over a rabbit and fell, running the knife he carried, into his ablomen, up to the hilt, inflicting a fatal wound Incoming vessels landed 1,400 United States marines at the Philadelphia navy yard from Vera 2ruz, during Thursday and Friday.... rhe chairman of the American Commission for Relief in Belgium, in an ntervlew in London, Friday, said that :he relief stations in Brussels alone are deeding 31,000 babies each day. He also said that there are 7,000.000 destitute people in Belgium, absolutely depenlent on outside help The Agamem ion, a relief ship, sailed from New fork, Friday, for Rotterdam, with 2,100 tons of food supplies on board. A nillion pounds of rice and 6R.000 pounds of condensed milk were in:luded in the cargo which was valued it 6206,000. A relief vessel for Belgium vas due to sail from San Francisco, Saturday, with a food cargo, valued at 1275,000 Smith & McNeil's restau ant and hotel, one of the oldest eating louses of New York, located at Washngton and Greenwich streets for more :han 60 years, made an assignment Friday Grain takings on the Chicago market last week, for export to Europe, reached a daily total of $2,>00,000 An Oklahoma oil and eas nan says that fully 200 000,000 cubic feet of natural gas is going to waste every day in the gas fields of that date, simply because the people are naking no effort to prevent the loss... Pour Louisville, Ky., gunmen knocked it the door of a Toledo, O., man, Thursday night, and when he opened :he door the gunmen shot him dead. The wife of the dead man grabbed his pistol and fired, killing one of the gunnen The total vote cast in the recent gubernatorial election in New fork was 1,439,969. of which Whitman .'or governor, received 686.701 Walter Johnson, a baseball pitcher, ast season with the Washington team, svill next year be with the Chicago Federal league team and it is said his salary will be $20,000 for the season.... Ex-Secretary of State Philander C. Knox, who recently returned to the practice of law at Pittsburgh, Pa., has been retained by the Thaw family to represent Harry K. Thaw, before the United States supreme court. Mr. Knox will argue that Thaw has been declared insane by the New York courts on five different occasions, that in insane man cannot be charged with crime, and cannot be extradited from New Hampshire as an insane fugitive. In an interview given out two months ago, but suppressed until Frilay, Rear Admiral Mahan, who died a few days ago, is quoted as follows: 'There is only one result possible. Germany will be beaten and the allies must win. My only regret is that Italy seems to be sitting on the fence unconscious apparently of the great role she might have played."... .The French seat of government, for the past two months at Bordeaux, is to be transferred to Paris, on December 22d The Women's Social and Political Union (suffragettes) of England, is actively engaged in recruiting for the British army and is reported as being ~llU" 1 Tn a whirlwind i U I IC M. ............. campaign to raise funds for the Boy Scouts of Philadelphia last week, $55,120 was raised in three days John Chimielewski, aged 21, was hanged at Scranton, Pa.. Thursday, for the murder of a policeman. At Moyamensing prison, Philadelphia, the same day VVm. Abel, white, aged 38, was hanged for murdering a child. After this date Pennsylvania will use the electric chair for executions Norfolk, Va., was visited Saturday by the severest storm the city has experienced since 1888, There was much damage to shipping interests and many of the streets were Inundated According to figures made public last week by a sport writer who tabulated the season's records, thirtyfive deaths and 918 injuries were caused by baseball during the season just closed An Illinois grand jury has indicted Police Captain John J. Halpin, Lieut. John H. Tobin, a veteran of the police department and Walter O'Brien, a detective, all members of the Chicago police department, on a charge of bribery A London dispatch of Saturday says all the members of the Portuguese cabinet have resigned Juan Isidro Jiminez was proclaimed president of the Dominican Republic, Saturday The St. Louis, Mo., Chapter, U. D. C., unveiled a monument in that city last week in memory of soldiers and sailors of the Confederacy... .The schooner William Donnelly, laden with coal, foundered in the Chesapeake Bay, Saturday. Two of her crew were drowned Chas. W." Morse, the former banker who has been rehabilitating his steamship properties announced Saturday he was about to start a steamship line to Bermuda under the American Hag Sir John Henry Crichton, fourth earl of Erne, and grand master of the Orangemen In Ireland, died in London, last week About 25,000 flowers raised in the White House conservatories at Washington to be used at social functions now abandoned, will be distributed in the homes of the poor and in hospitals in Washington, this year. Miss Margaret Wilson, daughter of the president, will distribute the flowers Stonewell Jackson's boyhood home, u frame structure near Weston, W. Va.t was destroyed by fire last Thursday night The American Public Health association held its annual convention in Jacksonville, Fla., last week. Rochester, N. Y., was selected as the next meeting place According to the official canvass of the votes recently completed, statewide prohibition carried in the general election in Colorado by a majority of 11,575 At the funeral of Richard R. Levin, buried ir Chicago, Saturday, Miss Maud M Gregg drew a revolver from her muff shot herself and fell into the open grave. She and Levin were close friends It cost ex-Sneaker Jos. G Cannon of Illinois, $3,274 to be re-elected to the next congress from that state ....The postoftlce department has announced the resumption of parcel post service to Germany, Austria and Hungary The Colorado authorities art making extraordinary exertions to gel sufficient state troo?s to the striki zone to secure the withdrawal of Federal troops. *?'The temperature of the air ir which they live, affects the color ol butterflies. WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK Random Notes of Recent Trip to Northeast. NOTICEABLY DULL IN ALL QUARTERS A Round Among Treasury Officials and Big Business?Sunday In Central Park?The Crowds On New York I Streets?Varied Observations uasea On Impressions By the Way. j Written for Yorkville Enquirer. Because so many readers of The En: quirer have been kind enough to tell 1 me of the pleasure they derived ' through reading my stories of previous , trips to the north, I will assume that > they will be disappointed if I fall to tell them about this last one. Of course there was a great deal to be seen, as much as heretofore; but having been over the general ground, and having written of the same scenes and incidents before, I am at somewhat more loss this time to decide Just what will likely prove of the greatest interest to the largest number of readers, and because of the large amount of ground to i be covered, will necessarily have to ramble some. * * * Before we get well into the story let it be understood that this trip was of a different character from the previous trips. My purpose of going north on previous occasions was purely pleasure, and this time it was strictly business. There was more business to it than I realized. I went on the invitation of my friend. Senator McLaurin, state warehouse commissioner, and although he had given me to understand in advance that there was serious work ahead, I confess I did not take it in at the time. I was to learn that later. He promised a pleasant and profitable time, to be sure, and there Is no denying that he made good; but the work predominated, and such mixture as there was of pleasure with business was hardly worth mentioning. * As to the business side of the trip, I am at liberty to say what I like; but I do not feel warranted in saying a great deal. I was present at all business conferences in the treasury department at Washington, and with bankers and insurance people in New York, and I think I fully understand the nature of it all. There is no question of the fact that everything that was said and done was in the interest and in behalf of the cotton producers of South Carolina. That was what Mr. McLaurin was working for and I can say that he got about all that he expected, which was considerable, but he did not get all he wanted. The problems with which 1 he is contending are business problems. The only way he can get anything for the farmers more than they have, Is to take it away from somebody e!??e. The other fellow who has that which the cotton producers ought to have, is not willing to give it up like taking candy 1 from a baby. In fact everybody who has any business advantage of any | kind is inclined to hold on to that adi vantage. Nobody seems to understand 1 that fact better than Mr. McLaurin, so his trip was not a begging trip. It was more like a gunning trip, and from some of the things he did, I am inclined to think he came pretty near getting blood. I am quite sure he forced certain concessions; but as I have sug1 gested, it will not do to tell the whole story. It might result in making certain hostile interests wise before plans have been fully matured and that would | not be prudent. Then again, all the responsibility in this game rests upon Mr. McLaurin, and I prefer to leave it to him to give out or hold back things as he sees proper. * * * The business in Washington was principally in the treasury department. Of course, the reader understands in a I general way, how difficult it is for the average individual to get an interview with the high up officials here. In eight cases out of ten the official is not in to the caller, and in the other case the caller gets a polite explanation as to now It IS impossiDie ior mm 10 get wnttt i he wants. But Mr. McLaurin reached ' the people he wanted to reach, told 1 them what he wanted to tell them, and got an accurate understanding of their views, which were uniformly favorable. ' But the Washington end of the busi| ness, while important, was only a part of it. There was business to be transacted in New York, and the success of the New York negotiations depended to a large extent on the Washington end > ?not.absolutely, of course; but the two . needed to be considered in connection. ' And some good work was done in both places. * * * 1 One thing that impressed me in Washington, Baltimore and New York, , was the general dullness, as compared with former visits. Washington is at its 1 busiest only when congress is in ses[ sion; but the difference is not so very , marked, comparatively speaking, at ! other times. There was no particular dullness noticeable in the city as com[ pared with the same season in ordinary i towns. In Baltimore, however, I was ; struck with the large number of "to I rent'' signs in the business as well as in i the residence purt of the city, and the same thing was noticeable in New York. I have been on lower Broadway i in the "financial district" of New York, i in the summer time, and found it dif1 ficult to squeeze through the hurrying throngs at any time of the day. The traffic on the streets is now far less i than in the summer time. One has llt; tie difficulty In going or coming, and , the street crossing policemen seem to* i have little to do except late in the aft' ernoons when the throngs from the fac; tories, offices and workshops are leavr ing for their homes. * J It was about 9 o'clock, Saturday t night, when we reached New York. It was too late to go to a theatre, and as we were tired anyway, we figured out that there was nothing better to do than go to bed, which we did. Next morning we took a long walk up Fifth avenue to Central Park, and for a time strolled about watching the crowds. One sight of some interest, was a lot of men and women having what seemed to them, a big time, riding around the bridle path. To me it looked principal ly like a display of smart costumes, most of the women being dressed in [ men's hats and coats, bloomer trousers and shiny leather leggins. They were attended by numerous grooms, footmen and other servants, and spent most of their time debating whether or not to mount. After they were mounted, however, few of them could ride. Some of the groups had with them a half dozen or more beautiful horses that evidently counted for big money and others had horses from the livery stables. All seemed to be trying to imitate the English style of standing in the stirrups, and bouncing up and down off and on the saddle. There was one out of a dozen that could ride anything Ilka an wpll nj? the ttveraee York I county gir) who rides at all. * * Another sight conspicuous In the park, was the large number of smartly dressed women parading their dogs? canines of various kinds. Most of the women, of course, were gowned In the height of fashion, and some took care of their own dogs, while others had maids to look after the animals with as much care and tenderness as if they were babies. About the only sight in the park that was not tiresome to me was a number of little girls feeding the squirrels and sparrows. * Monday was devoted to business, seeing a number of bankers, insurance men, and other financial experts. * Quite a pleasant experience to me was a meeting with Mr. Theodore H. Price. He is a great friend of Senator McLaurln. I told the senator that the Sout^ Carolina papers would make a big j^o if they should get hold of the fact tyat he had called upon Mr. Price, and .?e said "pooh!" "Why, Theodore Pricfr is the greatest authority on cotton lj(< the world," he said. "Yes," I replied, "but you know so many South Carolina people have been taught to believe that he is skinner, and is devoid of common honesty." The remark. although made half in jest, and half seriously, aroused the senator very much. "Who. Price not honest," he said. "There is not a squarer man in New York. He plays the game with the other fellows up here, and beats them at It; but just remember one thing, won't you? He has lasted longer than any other man In the cotton business I know of. You remember he failed once for thirteen million dollars and had to go into bankruptcy. He came out of it fiat on his back, and although his debts were lawfully wiped out, he went into the game again, and eventually paid back every cent he owed. So far as I know there is not another such case on record. You wait until you know something about Price, and then you can talk that kind of fool stuff if you want to." We found Mr. Price very busy; but he insisted on our sitting down until he could get to us. Then he told us of an engagement that he had at 6 o'clock to talk to the class of Commerce and Finance of the New York university, abmwcotton. and invited us to go along and afterward take dinner with him. We accepted the invitation. I was very much interested. There were more than 200 young men in the class. They Included several Japs, and there was one young woman. Mr. Price talked for about half an hour. He briefly outlined the history of cotton, which he said, did not amount to a great deal until the Invention of the cotton gin. From there he outlined the development of cotton production, manufacture and trade, and gave a remarkably clear comprehension of the relation of the south's great staple to the economic life of the nation and of the world. When he had finished he told the young men that his remarks had been directed primarily to the end of provoking questions, and invited such Inquiries as any of them chose to make. There followed a number of very intelligent questions and all of them were answered with conclusive thoroughness. One of the young men desired an explanation of the operation of the exchange as to buying and selling of "contracts." The speaker gave a detailed explanation, showing what he considered to be the absolute necessity of the exchangein the spreading out over a year or more the handling of a crop that usually had to be disposed of within a few months, and then he went on: "But young men, let me advise you. Thin cotton exchange business is only fairly safe for those who have made a life study of it. It is those who are wit. out experience, who know noth' . about it and who have no business with it, who meet financial ruin there. You do not want to think of taking up your life work down about the cotton exchange. If you do, the careers of most of you will be short and tragic. The piace ror you to start is in tne smau towns and outlying districts, where undeveloped resources call for your energies. In the old time the advice was to go west, young man, and grow up with the country. I would advise you to go south, for there, in my opinion, is greater opportunity for the young man than in any other section." By invitation, Senator McLaurin followed Mr. Price in a few remarks along the same general lines, touching more particularly upon the economic defects in the production and selling of cotton. Recurring again to the question of the young man who was concerned about the operation of the future contract market, he said: "Now if you really insist on knowing how that future business works, the best advice I can give you, is to go down and buy a contract or two, and I guarantee that if you do nui ifivrn quicMy tinu iiiuiuukui}, j\ju> case la hopeless." Mr. McLaurln suggested to the young men that If they wanted to learn something about the business from the better side, he would be willing right now to give them all a chance at cotton picking. Mr. Price Is somewhat bullish on cotton, as Is also Mr. Revere, another financial writer of wide reputation. Both are writing strong articles showing the probability of an early advance In prices, regardless of the hopelessness of the outlook as so many see it. Many of the associates of both of these gentlemen, however, take an entirely different view and say they can see no hope for cotton in the near future. One gentleman, wno is connecieu wuu uuof the biggest cotton houses of the city, made this remark to me: "Both Price and Revere keep writing as if they can see something in cotton; but whether they believe what they are writing or not, I don't. The situation has never before appeared so black to me." I was particularly struck with the ac curate knowledge that stock exchange H men seem to have of conditions in I South Carolina and the south. All seem to understand the generally . faulty system of our agriculture, under " which we raise so much cotton and so few food crops. They were aware that more grain has been sown this year than usual and they seemed to be I i pleased rather than otherwise. As a matter of fact most of the New York | Cotton Exchange men are like our i farmers, in preferring high cotton to low cotton, and they are Just as sin^cere in it. Of course, for trading pur I poses, it is all the same to them whether cotton is high or low; but they un! derstand thoroughly well how high cotton helps the country, especially New York, more than low cotton. It was my pleasure to draw for several cotton i men a, to them, Interesting picture of agricultural conditions In York county. I told them of the progress our people had made during the past thirty years In the matter of growing their own supplies, what a large proportion of our corn and meat used to come from the west, and what a small proportion comes fro mthat quarter now. They were particularly interested In the results that had been accomplished by the boys' corn club and through the efforts of the co-operative demonstration work, and at some of my statements the yshowed much surprise. It developed that their estimates of York veloped that their estimates of York were based mainly on statistics, which show that we are still raising as much cotton as ever. They did not appear to be so familiar with the statistics as to corn, oats, cattle and the like. * I went into several moving picture shows on Broadway. Such shows are to be found all over the city of course, and prices range from 5 and 10 cents up. On Broadway It is different. All, or practically all of the noted theatres, J are running moving pictures and the ] price of admission ranges from 25 cents { up to J1.50, or possibly higher, accord- t ing to the theatre, and the location of < the seat. The shows are good, but gen- J erally they are showing the same pic- ( tures that are to be seen In York- 1 ville. The extra charge is because } of more expensive and luxurious ap- ( pointments. Most of the new produc- < tlons in movies go to New York first, 1 and if they take well on Broadway, then 5 it is considered that they will prove < popular throughout the rest of the country. There is much talk of hard times In New York. Paralysis of business has stopped the flow of money. Manufacturers and dealers in luxuries were hit first. This resulted in the discharge of numerous employes. From there of course, the stringency goes on down the line. The city is full of able-bodied beggars; but I am not prepared to say that conditions are more noticeable in that respect than on previous trips. As a rule, workers do not care to become beggars. They prefer to starve, although generally they are disposed to make some pretty big rows before submitting to anything like that. As I saw it, travel on the Southern railway seemed to be pretty nearly up to normal. On the Pennsylvania railroad, between Washington and New York, there was no trouble about finding ] empty seats in all the cars. It was so ' going and coming, and conductors told t me that conditions were worse than ] they had ever known. The testimony < of the management of the big hotels in j New York is about the same as that of ( the conductors. If there has been any < move in the direction of the reduction 1 of prices up that way, however, I did . hear of it. W. D. Q. t m 1 THE WAR IN EUROPE. ] Newt Paraqraphs Telling of Happen- J ings at the Front. I Advices from Athens, Greece, Fri- i day, are to the effect that a break be- ] tween Turkey and Greece is immi- < nent. The tension is the result of an i effort to search the Greek legation at t Constantinople, for an alleged secret i wireless apparatus. 1 Portugal has dispatched a second < expeditionary force to Angola, Portu- < gese west Africa, to defend that colony ] against invasion by the Germans. i A Paris dispatch says that the 1 French war office estimates Germany's 1 aerial losses at seven Zeppelins and < 52 aeroplanes, together with 86 officers 1 and men. The estimate claims that ( Germany now has 26 Zeppelins and < 287 aeroplanes. < A Portugal dispatch says that in the i recent fighting north of Lodz, in Po- 1 land, the kaiser's two sons, Prince i Oskar and Joachim, only escaped ] capture by the Russians by taking s flight in an aeroplane. < The following is an extract from a letter alleged to have been written by a French ai ..ieryman after the cap- , ture of a German battery: "As usual, , we found the German artillerymen , chained to their guns to prevent them ( from running away and abandoning , their pieces. We made them prison- j ers. They are likely to be happier ] under our care, poor devils, than their \ own people." ( Although Italy continues to maintain j strict neutrality in the European war, ( *1 ' " Vinf tKo r?n f Inn It IS well unuvrsiuuu utai uic im.av.. is armed and ready to get into the fighting almost at any moment. Steamship captains arriving at New York, are authority for the statement that the German raider Karlsruhe is now somewhere n the north Atlantic. The Austrian government has confiscated the entire output of the oil wells of Austria-Hungary, and forbidden refiners to supply the trade. A Swiss newspaper says that Roumania has decided to enter the war on the side of the allies. A French dispatch says that forty British and French warships have assembled at some place, the name of which is not given in the dispatch making the announcement, "to force their way through." It is supposed the ships will make an effort to break through the Dardanelles. To Draw on as Needed.?The financiers appointed as chairmen of the cotton loan committees are to meet with Mr. Harding and Mr. Warburg of the reserve board, and other bankers in Washington, December 14. At this conference it is expected that the proper apportionment of the funds among the various southern states will be arranged and measures provided for the distribution of the money. It is a matter of common knowledge that the fund subscribed amounts to J135.000 000 but it will not be available for use until February. The delay is perhaps the better, because it will the cotton f -* t farmers time to renect upon men nccuo in the way of loans. Some may not desire to bor 'ow money. Those who find themselves in need will have the fund at their command. The cotton pool is simply a fund to draw upon as requirements of the cotton farmers shall develop.?Charlotte Observer. ? F. W. Tibbets, of Peabody, Mass., committed suicide by Jumping overboard from the deck of the steamship Araphoe, off Cape Hatteras, last Thursday. The suicide was reported when the vessel reached Charleston, Saturday. rOLD BY LOCAL EXCHANGES lews Happenings In Neighboring Communities. jOnoensed for quick redding Dealing Mainly With Local Affairs ot Cherokee, Cleveland, Qaston, Lancaster and Chester. Fort Mill Times, Dec. 5: The friends here and elsewhere of Dr. T. S. Kirk- i Patrick, who has been ill for several weeks at a Charlotte hospital, will be ?lad to know that he has returned to tils home in this city and Is steadily J regaining his health Chief of Police J. W. Lynn returned, Saturday, I from Norfolk, Va., where he had gone < sn Friday to deliver to the naval au- I thorities, Chas. Little, a recruit who had essayed to leave the navy yard without the proper permission. Little was arrested Wednesday, in this city, . where it is understood, he has rela- . tives. This was the young man's sec >nd desertion from the navy The Following officers have been elected to ] serve Catawba lodge, No. 56, A. F. M., luring the coming year: W. M. Ca- \ rothers, master; F. E. Ardrey, senior , warden; F. M. Mack, junior warden; ] W. B. Meacham, Jr., treasurer; S. W. ] Parks, secretary; L. M. Massey, senior ] leacon; J. W. Collins, junior deacon; . R. P. Harris and E. L. Hughes, stew- j irds, and J. L. Lyles, tiler. The in- , stallation of these officers will be held , >n the night of December 21 ] \n employee of the Charlotte Brick J :ompany, whose plant at G rat tan, has , Deen closed down for some time, says ( t is understood that the work will , je started with a full force of hands j >n next Monday morning. The brick , iiam gives empioymeni iu suuicuuiig ike 100 people About all that now *emains to complete the waterworks system of Fort Mill, is the. connect ng of the big electric pump in Sprattfllie with the pipe line to the tank on \rdrey hill. King's Mountain Herald, Dec. 3: Toseph Eugene McDaniel, the three^ear-old son of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. VlcDaniel, died of larngitis, Tuesday ifternoon, November 24, at 3 o'clock, ind was buried at Bethlehem, Wedneslay at 3 p. m. Rev. J. R. Miller conlucted the funeral The five-year >ld son of Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Cashion >f the Phenix village, died of asphixation, Wednesday, November 25th. He was eating some old field com that lad been parched when a grain lodg- sd in the trachea, which resulted in < leath in less than thirty minutes. Rev. E. O. Cole conducted the funeral, Tueslay, and the remains were laid to rest ( n the city cemetery Rev. B. A. , Julp has been reappointed pastor of , he Grace M. E. church. This is Mr. j Gulp's fifth year at Grace. During the j .'our years of his ministry here, the ( .vork has grown enormously, curing , its first year, he had 82 r.. m sere now he has 267, the collections ( for all purposes the first year were , [212.50, last year, $1,385. Average at:endance at Sunday school the first ] fear was 26, last year, 169 Mrs. j Hays, wife of Jno. W. Mays, who lives , >n the Carroll place near town, died Wednesday morning, November 26th, ind was burled at Pleasant Hill Bap- j fist church, of which she was a mem- ( jer, Tuesday. Rev. J. R. Miller con- ( lucted the funeral Mrs. Mode, t vife of our townsman, H. O. Mode, . lied at their home, oorncr of King ! ind Piedmont streets, Wednesday , norning, November 25th. Mrs. Mode ] tad been in lingering health for sev- < ;ral weeks. She leaves a husband and ( i little baby. The funeral was con- ( lucted by Rev. J. R. Miller, Tuesday . ifternoon, and Interment followed in ( :he city cemetery. Chester News, Dec. 4: Mr. A. C. 1 Lynn had a 450-pound bale of cotton ' stolen from the Southern railway plat- < 'orm here a few nights ago. It was I shipped over the L. & C. Rwy? from < Etichburg and had never been deliver- ] id to him, making the railway re- < sponsible for the robbery. This makes < :he fourth bale of cotton stolen in 1 Chester county this fall The Shie- i ler Drug Co., announced today that 1 ibout January the first it would move ] ?rom its present room in the Eber- < lardt building to the room now occu- i hv Mr vv M. Westbrook in the 1 /alley. The latter property belongs to i Vlr. Saml. E. McFadden and the lnte- i rior will be remodeled throughout. A < :ile floor will be installed and the walls < worked over. At the rear a number of ] landsome offices will be furnished for 1 :he use of Dr. W. M. Love, Dr. G. A. < Kennies and Dr. S. G. Love Mr. ' Slenmore Barron, who was shot in the < shoulder by "Dr." Brooks some time < igo, and was taken to Magdalene hos- I jital for treatment, has returned to 1 lis home at Union. He will soon be 1 mtirely well The annual election 1 )f officers of the Chester Lodge, No. i 177, F. A. U., was held Wednesday 1 light and resulted as follows: Past 1 President H. E. McConnell, M. D.; ] President, I. McD. Hood; Vice Presi- t lent, W. B. Lynn; Secretary, W. D. Knox; Treasurer, W. F. McCullough; Chaplain, J. W. Knox; Guide, S. L. , tassels; Inner Guard, R. G. Smith; | Duter Guard, John A. Nichols; Stew- i irds, W. Y. White, R. L. Hayes and ] 3. D. Refo. Prior to the election an ( lddress was delivered by Newman ( Laser, Esq., of Atlanta, Ga. He Is a | southern states representative of the , irder. A supper was held. , * * * I Gaffney Ledfler, Oec. 4: "The Juve- < lile Protective Association of Gaffney" < was organized at a mass meeting of I :he citizens of the city held Wednes- < lay evening at the court house upon J :he invitation of the Rev. Crawford rackson of Guiford, N. C., general secretary of the Juvenile Protective > Lssociation of the south with head- < juarters in Atlanta. The local organ- < zation, while being entirely indepen- I J 1 lent, will worK in cuujuuvuuu ither associations of a similar nature :hat are being organized throughout ' :he south Last spring a civil ser- I idee examination was held in Gaffney < 'or the purpose of appointing a com- i lined clerk and carrier for the local < jostofflce. It has Just been announced ' hat Mr. William Gaines, who was one 1 if nine applicants, made the highest < iverage and is therefore eligible for 3 ippointment. Since the examination, i lowever, Mr. Gaines has entered the I ritadel, the military college at Char- 1 eston. The next highest in standing ' in the list was Mr. William M. Mitch- 1 ill. Of Kings Creek, and the third high- < ?st was Mr. Duke Hicks of this city... 1 \lthough it will not be surprising to 1 hose who know him, friends of Mr. < Edward Dobson, who is attending the 1 \tlanta Dental college in Atlanta, will 1 le particularly gratified to learn that 1 it the quarterly examination held last < nonth, he led his class of eighty mem- ' lers in excellence of work. Mr. Dob- ' ion is a careful student, and always ' nakes a good showing in any work in ' vhich he may be engaged... .The sec- 1 md warehouse of the Farmers Ware- 1 louse company, located on Frederick < itreet, is nearing completion. The I irick work has been finished, while the < vood work is well under way. It will I ie only a short time until the new ' luilding will be ready for use. > " * A. Thn Arnt I Lancaster nsw#, usv< -r. a>.? ..... . air held in Lancaster county since ] he War Between the Sections, opened i resterday with a good crowd of visi- i ors in attendance. Everybody is poss- I sssed of the fair spirit, which in spite ] >f the threatening weather cannot be < taunted, for everybody is so interested ' n this initial attempt and determined I hat it must be made a permanency. < Already the several departments con- 1 ain large and splendid exhibits. In < he court house are the school exhibits, i he pantry and winter garden products, 1 he art and fancy work, as well as a } nost interesting exhibit of the Lan- < .oofftp Pnttnn Mills and one from the .? ndustrial department of the Southern 1 ailway, and the bird protection exhl- j 1 bit in charge of Miss Belle Williams or Columbia. In the lower hall of the court house, 'Messrs. J. T. Woodward and J. Haze Cunningham have as One a display of poultry as can be seen anywhere. The fine breeds of hogs, an exhibit of much Importance to our people, is to be seen in the lot at the rear of Bennett-Terry's store. In the big tent at the court house the larger farm products are being received and displayed..... .Thos. P. Evans, a native of Chesterfield county, but who has been in Texas ior the past thirty years, died at Bowie, Texas, Sunday, November 22. His widow is a Bister of Capt. J. M. Hough of this place and also of the late Solicitor M. J. Hough. What came very near being a serious accident, happened Saturday, when the mother of Mrs. R. L. L. Blackmon of the Ne^ Bethel section, while standing near the Are, found her dress in flames. Fortunately Mrs. Blackmon was able by apt presence of mind, to smother the flames before she could be seriously injured by the flames. e e e Rock Hill Record, Dec. 3: Rock Hill Lodge No. Ill, A. F. M., on Tuesday night elected the folowlng officers who will be Installed next week: B. J. White, W. M.; S. R. Spencer, S. W.; J. C. Witherspoon, J. W.; H. H. White, secretary; V. B. McFadden, treasurer; T W WpatprlnnH filar Rnaril of of fleers for Masonic Corporation to serve three years: W. J. Cherry, D. L. McDonald, S. George Moore Mr. Ross F. Roach has moved his family from Lugoflf and is now occupying the Ma|or Rawlinson house on Hampton street Dr. J. Roddey Miller, chairman of the board of school trustees, this morning received a letter from Mr. C. K. Chreltzberg, tending his resignation as a school trustee, made necessary by his continued absence from Rock Hill. Mr. Chreltzberg is now "on the road," and makes his be&dquarters at Spartanburg. This makes two vacancies on the school board, Mr. J. B. Creighton having been brdered by court to vacate by,reason of his being a member of city council. The two vacancies will be filled by the people at municipal election in January The fair treasurer's statement read at the meeting of the chamber directors showed a balance on this pear's fair of f6.94 and with that, if the stock subscribed was paid, the association would be in most excellent jonditlon... .Miss Bethel Gowans, who Is working under the direction of the bureau of education, was in the city this morning and visited the city schools in the Interest of starting school and home gardening..... .The many friends of Mr. Arnold Friedhelm ire glad to see him able to be out igaln and able to be down at his store. AJthough he is walking with the aid of crutches, he is getting along nicely. ? ? ? Chester Reporter, Dec. 3: Mr. Joe 3. Terry, who was shot and so badly wounded a month ago, is steadily Improving and was able to be taken borne on yesterday, from the Magdalene hospital... .The following fourth class postmasters in Chester county, bave been reappointed: Bascomvllle, W. G. Jordan; Blackstock, Alex Macionald; Corn well, J. E. Corn well; Port Lawn, Mrs. Mary F. Finch; Lando, John E. Plttman; Lowryville, Mrs. Mary E. Sandifer. The following new appointments have also been announced: Edgmoor, J. R. Hamilton; Rodman, Geo. A. Gill Mrs. Mary J. Melton, widow of the late Dr. William Melton, passed away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John A. Hafner, on Plnckney street, at 6.45 o'clock this morning, after a long period of generally declining health. She was In her eightieth year. Funeral services will be held at the resMenoe tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock, by Rev. A. D. P. Gilmour, D. D., followsd by interment in Evergreen cemetery. Mrs. Melton before her marriage, was Miss Mary J. Poag of this county, and is survived by the following sons and daughters: Messrs. Wm. D.,' and John T. Melton, of Columbia; Saml. R. Melton of El Paso, Texas; and Mesdames John A. Hood a.nd John A. Hafner, of Chester. Also by one sister, Miss Carrie Poag, of this city The many friends of Mr. H. M. DaVega, who underwent an operation for appendicitis at the Magdalene hospital, Monday evening, will be glad to know that his condition seems more encouraging today, though ne Sim naa some leiupci Five negroes have been arrested and committed to jail on the charge of robbing Joe Rose, an Italian, in the woods near Lewis Turnout, a few nights ago. The negroes under arrest are Tom Crane, Wallace Wherry, Joe Moffatt, Vaster Neely and Henry Cornwell, and there are others who will probably be arrested in connection with the same offense. We understand that the negroes admit being present when the crime was committed, but aach one tries to lay it on somebody slse Dr. John Caldwell, who returned to Williamston this morning, will return to Chester shortly and will locate here for the practice of his profession. Dr. Caldwell, who made a specialty of surgery at Baltimore, and has had considerable experience, will be assistant surgeon to Dr. Robert E. Abell, at the new Chester sanatorium. * * Gastonia Gazette, Dec. 4: As the result of an attack of neuralgia of the ' ' ? klm ?hiU at [lean, W IllUU UUUC U}/vsii mm vramv ? breakfast, Wednesday morning, Mr. R. O. Howe of Belmont, died at 1 b'clock, Tuesday morning at the homo bf his daughter, Mrs. Fate West, in Belmont, with whom he had lived for the past eight or ten years. Mr. Howe, who was about 75 years of age, had been in his usual health until Wednesday morning, when he suffered a sudden attack while seated at the breakfast table. He was given every attention that medical skill could furnish, but after lingering until l o'clock, Tuesday morning, he passed away. One hundred and ninety-three members in one day. That is the .e:ord made for the Gastonla Chamber bf Commerce through the work of its two rival membership campaign committees, the Reds, captained by Mr. G. H. Marvin, and the Blues, captained by Mr. J. H. Holland, yesterday. This JTives the chamber a total membershp jf 343 and insures sufficient workers ind funds to make this organization during the coming year even a greater force in the business and commercial life of the town than it has been during the first year of its existence Mr. John Gilliam died at his home near the Arlington mill, Monday morning, aged about 63 years. Funeral services were conducted at the home, Tuesday afternoon, by Rev. J. C. Dietz, pastor of the Lutheran church, at which deceased was a member, and the remains were laid to rest in Hollywood cemetery. Mr. Gilliam is surviv&d by his widow and five children. He was a native of Finland, having come to America some 25 years ago. He had been living and working at the Arling ton for about two years....as we announced in the advertising columns of the Gazette, the plant, etc., of the 3aston Progress was to have been jold by the receiver, Mr. J. W. Timberlake, at 11 o'clock, Tuesday morning. However, the sale was not held, due to the fact that some of the creditors fiave secured an injunction forbidding the sale. It is understood that the purpose is to throw the corporation into Bankruptcy under the Federal statutes nade and provided Seven hunired or more guests from this city, Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh and other towns gathered last night between the Pours of 8.30 and 12 o'clock at the palatial Jenkins home on South Maretta street, in response to invitations to a reception by Mr. and Mrs. Laban Limberger Jenkins, in the celebration >r Mr. jenmns uiueui unnma;. Twenty-six hundred invitations were ssued and, but for the unusually inclement weather, a much larger number would doubtless have been present. The affair was an informal one ind the feeling of comaradarie and ?ood fellowship prevailing was universal. In every appointment the reception was perfect and in brilliance end size was one of the most delght'ui social occasions ever held in Gas:onia or this section of the state