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A SERMON AG/ The Characteristic < Sta JTrom the Netoi The following plain but thoughtful and suggestive sermon against mur der, a crime now so common in our State and never capitally punished where it is committed by white men, was delivered in the Presbyterian f hurch, at Yorkville, by the pastor, Rev. W. S. Neville. The suggestions of speedy trial and no bail, in all cases of homicide, should receive the serious consideration of our people if ' they are really in earnest in their ex pressed wish to put a stop to the > ' prevalence of bloody crimes: "Moreover, ye shall take no satis faction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death; but he shall surely be put to death."-Numbers xxxv, 31. This text brings to our attention the general subject of murder. Let us consider first the enormity ! of the crime. God teaches us in His word that murder is one of the most atrocious crimes that can be commit ted by man; and our enlightened judgment corroborates God's estimate of this sin. There is more involved in this sin, perhaps, than in any other. In order to realize, to some extent, at least, the comprehensive sweep of the issues involved in this sin, just consider, for a moment, how the man who is murdered is affected. He is ushered into the untried and ' awful realities of eternity, and, as a mle, without a momeut's warning. His connection with this world is for ever severed and his destiny is eter nally sealed. The man who commits murder is as suming a prerogative which belongs 1 io God exclusively, and one which is especially sacred to Him. Hence the man who takes this prerogative and exercises it without the direct permis sion of God is guilty of a very heinous crime in the sight of God. Murder is sacrilege in God's sight. It is infinitely different from taking the life of a dumb brute. It is not ealy violating a commandment of God-this is bad enough-but it is defacing the image of God. Ic is practically au effort to put an end to a being who is made in the image of God. Yes, the murderer does all he can to annihilate not only a product of God*s creative power, but a person who was made in the image of God and who bears upon his very being the stamp of Deity. Ob, how deep a man has sunk into the depths of iniquity who can commit this crime! .Human language is too weak to depict the real character of ; this sin. It is as black as hell itself. Take as an example te illustrate the real character of this sin the horrible crime committed a short time ago at Lake City, in our own beloved State. By looking at that crime you can have some conception as the real character of murder. Look at the dark picture. Hen going to the home of an unpro tected family in the darkness of the night, while the inmates of that home are asleep, and actually setting fire to abe house; and then shooting the poor creatures down like rabbits as they ?ry to escape from the advancing li?mes! See that mother, with the true instinct of a mother, carrying in her arms her infant child, thus help ing the helpless, and these fiends in human form actually shooting the lit tle innocent child! Could the devil himself have been guilty of a more atrocious crime? And just to think, j my friends, that this eowardly crime, I this devilish deed, was committed by South Carolinians! We have been proud of our bravery and chivalry; and justly so; but a black blemish has been placed upon our fair escutcheon. Who would have thought that a suffi eient number of South Carolinians, even from the mountains tc the sea board, could have been found who would commit steh a cowardly act! Let us hope that the number in our beloved State who are capable of com mitting such a crime is very small. In the next place let me call your attention to the fact that this crime is on the increase, especially in this country. Statistics show that mur der ic the United States is increasing with startling and alarming rapidity. The number has been growing until now there are more than ten thousand homicides committed in this country ' in one year. The number did not ex- j eeed the one thousand mark till 1836. j Just think of it; more than ten times j as many homicides now as there were j twelve years ago! Then consider how j the number of lynchings has increased ! ia this country. In 1886 there were ; ;n the United States 133 lynchings, j and in 1895 there were 263, nearly j twice as many in less than ten years, j When we study these figures it is | not surprising that thoughtful people ? are everywhere considering the sub- | ;;ect and tryiug to devise some means ; by which the great evil may bc abated. ! In England, which has a population of j about 30,000,000, there are only 377 murders on an average every year. Truly can we say that our land i.^ a polluted land, and that wc are living . n an age of murder as far as this ^ountry is concerned. JNST MURDER. Drime of the United tes. > and Courier. Let us co-Dsider now some of thc causes which have led to the increase of this crime in this country. Some times by discovering the causes of a malady, an efficacious remedy can bc prescribed. What are the causes for so much bloodshed in our land? Of course, the great cause of mur der is the depravity of the human heart. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." While the depravity of the human heart is the fountain head of this deadly stream of murder and iniqui ty, it is not the cause that demands our attention just now; for this cause has been in existence ever since the first murder was committed, and it will continue to exist as long as there is a human heart that remains in a state of total depravity. Let us notice some of the causes which have been at work for thc last few years as instruments in increasing the number of homicides in our land. 1. Sentimentalism of thc age is one cause. Many men think that it is barbarous to punish even the most notorious scoundrel who has commit ted an atrocious crime, except in the mildest manner. This idea has so taken hold of the people in some quarters that they have practically annihilated in their wicked and dis torted imaginations the reality of sin, and the doetrine of retributive jus tice. This new theology has gone in to some churches and even into some pulpits. You can hear of men even in the pulpit now hdoting at the doc trine of future punishment, and these men profess to be ministers of that Christ whose preaching had so much of this doctrine in it. They arc too sentimental, falsely so-called, and too towardly, rightly so-called, to preach what Christ preached. They have so magnified the love of God that they have completely destroyed in their minds the justice of God. As long as the tendency continues in this direction you may expect 'an inorease of crime, not only of murder, bub of other crimes also. If murder is to be arrested in its bloody and hellward march, there must be a re turn in our believing, a*d in our preaching, and in our practice to the doctrines taught by Christ and Paul and Augustine and Knox and Spur geon. You teach men that God is all love and only love, and that the doc trine of future punishment is a freak of the bewildered imagination; then you open the flood-gates of iniquity and our country will be swept by a de luge of destruction. Men may think that they are in this way destroying a hell in the world co come, bat they are in reality laying the foundation for a hell in this world as well as in the future world. 2. Lack of home training is another cause of the increase in crime. I think that any man of serious thought who takes a calm and dispassionate view of the situation along this line will certainly behold a scene which is, in the highest degree, alarming and distressing. Whenever authority in the home is nbt exercised by the par ents and is ignored by the children, as it is at the present day, it takes no man of broad intelligence to explain the prevalence of so much crime in our country. Thc home is the foun tain head of society, and the stream can never rise above the fountain. You sow the wind in the home and you will reap the whirlwind in socie ty. ? We see the bad effects of this lack of home training manifesting them selves everywhere in the land-in the school room, in the State government, and in society generally. People have very little respect for properly constituted authority, and very little reverence for law. The teacher who tries to administer discipline in his school to-day, especially as it was prescribed by one of the wisest men that ever lived, is in great danger of incurring the wrath and displeasure of the parent. People to-day are a great deal wiser (in their own estimation) than ever Solomon was. He believed in the proper use of the rod, but peo ple n?w look upon that instrument a; relic of a barbarous age. Yes, and we are reaping the fruits of this so-called superior wisdom, and we are going to reap more of them, if things continue as they are now going. I would rather have the old, unadulterated Puritanism of the past in our homes a thousaud times, than the reckless government which prevails in so many families to-day. .'?. Disregard for law and the author ities of the law ia another cause which is at work in producing so much crime. The spirit of lawless ness seems to have taken hold of the people in every section of the land. The great question that concerns many is: (low can I violate thc law and escape punishment? They have no respect, whatever, for the law, nor for thc authorities ol' thc law. Thc violation of thc law troubles them no more than the eating of a palatable and wholesome meal would do wi they are hungry. People should taught to reverence thc law. and look upon thc officers of thc law servants of the Almighty. And ui this is ?one there will be no chai for the better in the present state affairs. 4. Intemperance causes many m ders. How many men have b< ushered into eternity without a 1 mcnt:s warning by this enemy of m kind! And yet there arc many p plc who want to license this ag cy of evil and send it abroad throi the land upon its missiou of destr tion. 5. Carrying concealed deadly we ons is another cause of so many m ders. It seems that there arc mt men to-day who look upon the pis as a necessary part of their toilet, certainly has a bad look. The m who carries the pistol is prepared use it when the opportunity preset itself. He certainly would not ca it unless he thought there was a pr< ability that he would need it. Wh a man carries a pistol in his pocket is frequently an evidence that he c; ries murder in his heart. Man^ man has been killed by the ready p toi which was close at hand w would never have been killed if t pistol had not been there. Such ki ings usually result from some mome tary excitement. If the men involv had time to think about the issues stake, perhaps, in nine cases out ten the killing would never occi But the ready pistol is at hand to i its work; it is brought into requi? tion and life is destroyed. G. Failure to execute the law is tl last cause that I shall mention, ar this cause needs to be emphasize The fact :hat so many murderers a acquitted encourages this crime, at has been one of the chief causes of i increase. In 18S6 there were in th country 1,140 homicides and om eighty-three legal executions. 1 1895 there were 10,500 homicides au about 158 legal executions. Moi than seven times as many homicide in less than ten years, and uot twic as many legal executions! Here is satisfactory explanation of thc rapi and alarming increase of this erinn Our Courts fail to do their duty. Ir stead of being Courts of justice., a they arc called, they arc frequentl places where justice is outraged. 1 is almost impossible these days to cot viet a man who has money and SOCK standing. Let me call your attention, now t the remedy. 1. The slayer should be brought t a speedy trial. The longer the mu? derer can have his case put off, o continued in the Courts, the stronge the probability that he will be clearer of his crime. If he, has a bad case this is the course he pursues. Ho^ many guilty men have gone free be cause their cases have been postpone! from time, till the people have los interest in them cr some importan witness bad died. It is a shame The newspapers tell of a case that oe curred recently in Alabama, where : man murdered a woman. It took fiv< years to settle the case. The manhac advantage of five trials. At thc first he was sentenced to death; at the second, tc life imprisonment: at the third, to fifty years' imprisonment: a! the fourth, to ten years' imprison ment, and at thc fifth he was cleared altogether. This may be an extreme ease, but it illustrates what is goin^ on every day in our land. When a human being is killed the matter ought to be settled just as soon as possible. Thc law ought to be so framed that an extra Court could bc held io such cases, and have thc mau who is charged with sucha crime tried immediately. If thc man is innoceut he ought to want this; and, if he is guilty,, the community and law and justiee ought lo demand it. If this could be done-and it can be-it would exert a tremendous influence in the right direction. But how is it now? Everything seems to be in the mur derer's favor. The poor man. who is dead, has very few rights, even before the law, as it is administered at thc the present day. And yet God's word says that the murdered man's cause is so just and righteous as to demand nothing less than thc blood uf thc man who shed his blood and to de mand it as carly as possible. Suppose that a murder case could be settled, as a rule, in ten days after the crime had been committed, and the guilty man executed in twelve days after the murder! What an im pression it would make on the entire mcomuuity and what a terror it would bc to evil-doers! But thc way things are conducted now the time which elapses between the commission of the crime and the final adjudication of the case is so long, that, practically, in thc minds of the people, there is no connection between thc two events. The murder seems like a dream. 1. A large reward ought to be offered for the man who has done the killing, and when i; is known who committed j thc deed, the reward ought to be of- i fercd for the mau, and not simply for his conviction. A reward offered f'>r a man's conviction is :i very weal: in centive these days to induce people to tr/ to capture him. When a man flees from tlie authorities. iL is prima facie evidence that he is guilty, for. as a rule, now it is to the interest even of the guilty man to give himself up. So few are convicted these days that usually the safest place for the mur derer is in thc Court room, for he may expect soon to be made free there by law. When one person takes the life of another and flees from the law. the State ought to offer a very large re ward for thc man. This would be productive of two good results-it would encourage a faithful effort to secure the man. and it would make the impression on thc minds of thc people that the State puts a high valu ation on human life. 8. Thc man who has killed his fel low man ought not to be let out on bond, guilty or innocent. He may bc innocent of murder. If so. there is no disgrace in remaining a few days in prison. A speedy trial will soon set thc innocent man free. The right to let men out on bond who are charged with murder'is greatly abused, and no doubt has been the cause of manya guilty man becoming free in the end. It is almost impossible to convict a man who has been out on bond, practically a free man. The murderer knows this. Hence about the first thing his lawyers do after he has been placed in jail is to try to get him out on bond. The law ought to be so changed that this evil will be stopped. 4. The law against carrying con cealed deadly weapons ought to be en forced better than it is. It is a good law. In fact, it would be well to have a law forbidding the manufacture and sale of the pistol. There is very lit tle legitimate [business for the pistol to do in this world; it is so small, com pared to thc great evils wrought by it that its utter destruction and annihi lation would be a great blessing to the race. 5. The people ought to hold the of ficers of the law responsible. If the officers fail to enforce the law, the people ought to rebuke and condemn this failure in no uncertain sounds. If public sentiment against lawless ness were stronger, if tire officers knew that they would be held respon sible by the people, then there would be a more rigid enforcement of the law, and this, of course, would de crease the lawlessness that now pre vails in the land. Public sentiment needs to be toned up and made so strong that it will be felt both by the evil doer and by the officer of the law. t?. The law against murder should be enforced. The guilty man should he punished. The penalty that is prescribed against murder both by hu man and Divine law is death. Hear what God says: c:Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death; but he shall be surely put to death."' Again, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he him." This is God's law on the subject of mur UM Fresh fron RATTLE JONES, a other pop GERMAN MILLI HILL RAGS, RAJ I am again buying Rags-Save your 3 If you need a. good STEEL BMG AT hutton prices, either for Cash or oi my line. I will swap you a New Stove krive you the market price for your Cat ?Stove before cotton-planting time. Tinware, Crockery. U A. SPE Thanking you all fur past favors. : Respectfully, GARDE If you want to have a good Garden plant good Seeds. WE ARE SELLING D. lil Everybody know Buiat's Seedling Irish Potator-, V. plying Onions for planting-. See u-s bei Flour, C< Sugar, M Tobacco, Or anything in Hie Grocery line. < ?I Yours fur bu sin es: der. The murderer has caused death, and he is to pay thc penalty of suffer ing death himself. There is no al ternative. There is no recommenda tion to mercy. This is a modern de vice and of human origin. Death is the penalty. It is severe, but no more so than the crime. The way to stop murder is to en force thc law against thc crime. As long as the murderer stands a good chance to be acquitted there will still be an increase in this crime. But if a j man knows that murder is the sure ! road to thc gallows he will think a ; long time before he will commit the crime-in fact, he will think about it so long that in thc great majority of cases the crime will never be commit ted, at least as far as the overt act is concerned. It is said that when capi tal punishment was abolished in Italy, in 1895, that there was an increase of murders of 42 percent. Thc best way to decrease thc number of murders is to increase the number of hangings. In conclusion, let us go away from ? this place deeply impressed with thc : gravity of this subject. It is impor I tant that all good people and all Lrood agencies should raise their voices and j their influence against this gigantic evil, which has been on thc increase to such an alarming extent in the last few years, The press, the pulpit and the people ought to unite their forces and their resources to crush out this atrocious and national crime. .-o . mm - A great many men who began life poor are holding their own re markably well. Cured of Blood Poison After Fifty-Two Doctors Failed. Blood Balm Co., Atlanta, i J a. (icntlcmen : In 1872 a 'small pimple broke out on my leg. It bcL'an eating and in four months I was treated by a I physician of Talladega County. Ala., where I lived eighteen years. He rc leivcd it for a short while. In six weeks it broke out again in both legs, also on my shoulder. Two small bones were takeu out. It continued until 187b\ In this time I had twelve different physicians. They told mc thc only remedy was amputation; that it could never be cured. For six months I could not walk a step. I went to Mineral Wells, Texas, spent $300.00; came home; went to Hot Springs, Ark., staid niue months-all failed to cure me. In 1887 I came back to Birmingham. Ala. I was ad vised to write you, which I did. You wrote me that B. B. B. would cure me, and I could get the medicine from Nabors & Morrow, Druggist, of our city. I had finished my fifth bottle my legs began to heal, and in less than two months I was sound and well. That has been nearly two years ago, and no sign of its return yet. I have spent in cash over $400.00, and B. B. B. done the work that all the rest failed to do. You have my permis sion to publish this. I have traveled so much tryiug to get well that my cure is well known. Fifty-two doc tors have treated me in the last 17 years. All they did was to take what money I had, and done me no good. I am now a well man. Prof. C. H. Ranger, Shady Dale, Ga. For sale by Druggist. Price $1.00 per large bottle._ a .Augusta. 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HOT NARC OTIC. 7&a?pe cfOMllrS?f?ELPITCXEa Pumpkin S it ?I' Alx.Scjuia * JloAcUc Salts Anise Seed * ftppcrnunt - Jil GarioncliSodii - ffarm Sec// - Clarified Sugar ? l\aitmp~rxn fierro:: A perfect Remedy forConstipa lion, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea, Worms .Convulsions .Feverish ness and LOSS OF SLEEP. Tac Simile Signature ol NEW YORK. Afb months old Jj POSES-35CEN4 EXACT COPVOF WBAEEEB? For Infants and Children. ?-mau HIM-?rac-ra-c-gee-nw The Kind You Have Always Bought Always Bought THC CENTAUR COMPANY. NEW YORK CITY. TOBACCO. W? have it io wholesale aud retail. Also, Sullivan's 'T. C. D." aud ' Our Own,"* Big Wiustou. Harvey's Nat. Leaf, Cannon Ball-in fact, we have twenty-six varieties of Tobacco to retail from. Also, fifteen varieties of Smoking Tobace >. Better get our prices and examine our goods. FANCY GROCERIES. Old Time Seed Tick loSee S lbs for S1.00. Kingau's Pure Lard in Tu Iis and Tins, always reliable. The finest Can Goods in our city. Trv us. Armour's "Star" Hams and Kingau's*Breakfast Bason. GARDEN SEED. Potato Seedlings, Buist's Early Rose. Peerless, Goodrich. Beauty of He bron, Burbanks. Onion Sets. Peas and Beans in bulk. NAVASSACUANO. Reliable, High Grade Fertilizer. Fresh lot SOUR KRAUT. NOW IS THE TIME ! Cheaper than you ever bought them before. . . OUR Stock of Fall and Winter Shoes is entirely too large, and we d?n't propose to carry them over until next Fall, consequently we have MARKED THEM DOWN To prices that will move them. We don't advertise selling out at cost, bat our goods and prices speak for themselves. So call when in need of ?^hoas, anti be convinced of what we say. tt?u Remember, we will not b'3 undersold by any Firm in *?own. Yours for Shoes. Tlie Yates Shoe Co. Under Masonic Temple, Anderson, S. G. I THIS IS NO FAKE ! ! - That Jewelry Palace - OF - WILL. R. HUBBARD'S, NEXT TO F. and M. BANK, Has the Largest, Prettiest and Finest lot of . . . XMAS AND WEDDING PRESENTS IN THE CITY. Competition don't cnt n.ny ice with me when it cornea to price?, ijJ?n't buy goods to keep. I want the people to have them. Gold and jgj?er Watches, Sterling and Plated Silverware, Jewelry, Cloaks, Lamps, OTtoa. Spectacles, Novelties of all kinds. Rogers' Tripple Plate Table Knives lier Set. A world beater. _WILL. R. HUBBARD, BIG BARGAINS FOR JANUARY, 1898. CLOTHING. A Hig arni Complete line. Something to please ?ll. Re?t part. Prices to suil?tbe titil? Lisi MI : Men's Suits from $1.75tap. Boys'Suits from fl$c. up. :>-ouu?e All Wool Jeans Punts lJSc. DRESS GOODS. I have a big lineof New and Stylish Goods of all kinds, on which I have knocked the bottom out of prices. CLOAKS AND CAPES. A line ilia;, will tickle von, espe^iaMv prices UNDERWEAR. Ladles' Undervests iron, LO.?, np. Men's I'riderwsts from I2[?c. up. SHOES. H ATS AND CAPS. Ju?! como ar!)! Nee for yourself. <iir<>jiii hin Sn. 7 >*lov?? !*."> OO. GROCERIES. A j'iv.e fresh lot bon jr hi low down- will s:-ll yin the -anio way. itt tn. mi er, 1 am in tee Cotton ?nd Cotton Seed market to ^''^v". Two re<l liol stoves if vour ar?> cold. Yours fir Kargaius. R. A. LEWIS, Be,t<m, S. C.