Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ESTABLISHED IN 1* -. . ?? ? -Attempt to HoW up Train and are Captured. ONE IS BADLY HURT ? By Being Shot by a Posse of Passen* gers led by the City Marshal oi Sorrento, Illinois. When Order ed to Surrender the Bandits Open ed Fire, Which Was Returned by the Passengers With Good Effect, A west-bound Pennsylvania train was held up by two masked robbers -at Smithboro, HI., on the Vandalia -division, early Friday, and after a desperate battle, both men were cap tured and carried to Greenville, 111., where they are now in jail. The bandits opened fire when re sistance was offered, as they brought the train to a halt just beyond the Smithboro station, but their fire was returned, and when the last of the 16 shots had been exchanged, one oi the robbers was picked up with five bullets in his body. He will prob -ably die City Marshal Emory Brown oi Sorrento, 111., led the passengers in the fight with the two bandits, and lie was badly wounded. One of the robbers' bullets passed through his body. He vaa placed in the city bospital. It is not thought iat he is latally hurt. The train was going about thirty -miles an hour and had started to slow down in passing through Smithboro when the two bandits with revolvers drawn turned the signal. The engineer jammed on his brakes and as he slowed up the ban dits bade him throw up his hands, lie stopped the train altogether and was then ordered to quit the cabi with the fireman. j The two bandits ran to the rear ?of the train, intending to go through -Jt orfm end to end but by this time a I number of the passengers werej :awake and out of the berths. City "Marshal Brown was standing on the rear platform trying to see what was the matter. J As the bandits caught sight of him I they ordered him to throw up hisj "hands. Instead, he whipped out his -revolver and* opened fire. One of the bandits dropped with a bullet in "bis leg. But he continued to fire, ^-v^gy^this time a number of passenger bad joined Marshal Brown on the Tear platform and they accompanied Brown in a sally in the teeth of fur ther fire from the bandits. The unwouuded robber took to his I boels, firing over his shoulder as he saw the sally from the train, but he was captured a few yards further on; after he had put up a desperate struggle. The other bandit was wounded five times before he ceased firing his revolver. The two' robbers were carried or the train, the one robber not wound ed being bound to a seat in the smoker. Then the engineer and his fireman got back into the cab and the train was rushed to Greenville. Investigation after the train left ?disclosed the fact that the two ban dits had broken into the Smithboro station and taken everything they ?could find before the train arrived. It is no? known how much they se cured, but it is supposed the booty "was left somewhere in the woods near the tracks, and search is now being made for it. PHYSICIAN COMMITS SUICIDE Dr. Thorn, of Gaston Shoals, Cuts His Throat. Dr. J. L. Thorn, of Gaston Shoals In Cherokee County, committed sui ?cide Christmas night by cutting his throat. He retired apparently in hi= ?usual health, but about a quarter to eleven o'clock he told his wife that he was oppressed by the weight oi the covering. She suggested that he throw some of it off. He then arose and went into the next room. His wife, hearing water dripping on the -floor, asked him what was the mat ter. He replied. "Come and see." As she entered the doer he sank to the floor, dying in a few seconds. Dr. Thorn was -Hbout forty years oi age, and leaves a wife and two little ?children. FATAL ACCIDENT Caused by a Boy Having Dynamite in His Pocket. Dan Bradley, the 16-year-old son of a widow at Pratt City, Ala., died Thursday as a result of injuries re ceived in van explosion of dynamite at a Christmas party. The boy car ried a piece of dynamite in his coat pocket. While on the porch he was jarred, and the dynamite exploded. The boy's right leg was torn off, and his body was thrown violently through a window into the parlor ?where the guests were assembled. Several boys and girls were knocked down, and others were badly shaken up by the explosion and by the boy ?stricking them. The house was bad ly wrecked. Fatal Burning. Henry Meiser and Antonia Ober in were burned to death aud two ither men seriously injured Thurs ay in a fire which destroyed the ome of Andrew Baltow at Bradford a. The origin is net known. ! GROUND TO PIECES. Wealthy New York Lawyer Leap ed fa Front @f Train. Financial Troubles Caused By the Panic Said to Be the Chief Cause of Suicide. Ernest G. Stedman, one of New York's most prominent lawyers, rated to be worth in excess of $7,000,000, and a brother of Edmund Clarence Stedman, the poet-banker, last week tragically committed suicide by leap ing in front of a local subway train at the Fourteenth street station. The J. C. Lyon Building and Oper ating company, of which he was vice pesident, treasured and director, failed for several millions of dollars last Friday when receivers were ap pointed and financial troubles are believed to be the chief causes of the sucide. Mr. Stedman was president of the American Cushion Elbow company treasurer of the Raritan River Clay company, . a member of several prom inent clubs, and had offices on Broad way, where he was a member of the law firm of Stedman & Larkin. His town house was at 1081 Madison avenue. The suicide could not have select ed a spot where his death would have created a greater sensation. The uptown platform of the sub way at Fourteenth street was crowd ed with persons, mostly women, who were waiting for trains, when Mr. Stedman, who had been observed walking up and down the platform, suddenly darted through a group oi women, jumped to the tracks in front of the fast moving uptown train. Six cars of the train had passed over the lawyer's body before the train was stopped and by that time the body had been terribly mangled. In the meantime the excitement on the platform had become a panic. Several women who had seen the man leap to death fainted or collapsed and for several minutes in the wild excitement they lay about the plat form unattended. 1 Jt was more than three-quarters of an hour before order was restored and that tains had resumed their normal running orders. DIED FROM LOCKJAW, Dr. Piesen of Chicago Diagnosed His Own Case. Dr. Joseph F. Piesen. a depart ment superiateudeut employed by a Chicago packing firm, regarded as a leading ar.."aority on lockjaw, died Thursday night of the disease, re sulting from a fracture of the nose which occurred a week ago. Dr. Piesen cell down a stairway !n the labratory of the packing plant. The skin over the nose was broken and the wound bcame infected with tetanus germs. On Christmas Eve the physician was stricken with lockjaw. He diag nosed his own case and with the aid of pencil and paper directed his fam ly to send him to a hospital. He then sent for a lawyer and made his will. During his illness he constantly joined with the hospital physicians in their consultations and gave it as his opinion several days ago that he could not recover. The immediate cause of his death was said to be heart failure following a convulsion. KILLED BY ROBBERS. Prosperous Negro Merchant Found Dead in his Store. A dispatch from Sumter to The State says Coroner S. F. Flowers re turned Tuesday afternoon from the Statesburg neighborhood, where he investigated the death of Walter Blanding, colored. The negro was the owner of a store and was found brutally cut up in his store. No one appeared to know anything of the affair, and Coroner Flowers did not empanel a jury. From all appearances the murder was doue for the purpose of robbery, as only 03 cents was found in the store and the deceased was said to have been doing a good business and to be well off. The body was terribly mutilated with gashes inflicted with a hatchet and knife tl it were found near the body covered with blood. The mur der is being investigated by the county authorities, and further light may be thrown on this horrible af fair. DINED AND WINED. Fleet Officers Guests of the Govern ment of Trinidad. The captains of the American bat tle ships and staffs were entertained at luncheon Thursday by Sir Henry Moore Jackson, the Governor of Trinidad, and later were the guests of the Governor at the horse races. The weather was ideal, and the race course was thronged with offi cers and men o? the fleet together with a holiday crowd from the city. The American horses carried off the honors, being the winners in nearly all the races, and the visitors gave themselves over to applauding these victories. Entire Family Burned. Five persons were burned to death in a fire which destroyed the house of John Clark at Watertown, Mass., early Friday. Every member of the Clark family met death in the flames. Said Prohibition NEGRO BURGLAR Enters the Home of Mr. Wellborn, of Anderson. FIGHT IN A BED ROOM. Mr. Wellborn Ponnd the Daring Burglar in His Bed Room Christ mas Eve Night and Has a Thrill ing Experience in a Hand to Hand Battle With the Thief, Who Has Been Lodged in Jail. The People's Advocate of Ander son, says Will Guyton, colored, has been lodged in the county jail charg ed with a most serious offense, the penalty for which is from five years to life sentence. Between ten and eleven o'clock Christmas eve, Mr. and Hrs. Will Wellborn, who reside in Garvin township, seven miles north of the city, were awakened from theii sleep by footsteps in their bed room. Th.'nkiug at once that a burglar had entered the house, Mr. Wellborn jumped out of bed to get his trous ers, which had been hung on a chair near the bed. He had marketed a beef on the afternoon before and had about $40 in his trousers pockets. The negro who was ascertained later to be Will Gu3rton, also grabbed for the trous ers. Mr. Wellborn and the negro clinched and a fight ensued. The fight continued in the bed room for some time. The darky suc ceeded in freeing himself and start ed for the kitchen, which adjoins Mr. Wellborn's bed room. Mr. Well born followed and the fight was re sumed in the kitchen. The darkey finally got loose and werAput in the yard, where he gath ered some rocks and began throwing them through a window iu the bed room. One of the biggest of these rocks crashed through the window panes and fell in the cradle where the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Wellborn was innocently sleeping. Luckily it did not fall on the babe and there fore the child was unharmed. Some of the neighbors of Mr Well born arrested Guyton the next morn ing and sent for Deputy Sheriff Scott, who carried him to jail. Guyton claims, so it is said, that he was drunk, and that he does not remember entering the house. It is also said that Guyton owed some money to a person whi asked him for it on Tuesday afternoon. It is said that he told the man that he did not have the money then but that his employer, Mr. Wellborn, had it and that he would get it from him that night. It is said that the darkey knew that Mr. Wellborn had sold some beef on the afternoon be fore and knew that he had the ?4 0 in his room. Blind Tiger Whiskey. A dispatch from Greenwood to The State says the only report of any Christmas fatalities in that county reached the city of Green wood on Friday. According to this report seven negroes were badly shot at a hot. supper Thursday night given at the home of a negro, Press Carter, on G. M. Kinard's planta tion, eight miles below Greenwood. One negro. Mi!<-s .Moore, is expected to die. The others, though badly wounded may recover. All parties were drinking. Shotguns wore used and the wounded oues are well pep pered with shot. RGvS. CM THURSDAY. J Maine to Prohibition Georgia: "Here's From F SHOT HIS WIFE Just Before Sitting Down to a Christmas Dinner. Dr. Amesbury Kills His Wife in Kit chen of Her Mother's Homo Just After Quarrel. Dr. Walter R. Amesbury, of Mil ford, shot and instantly killed his wife, Anna, a teacher of music in I Roanoke College, Danville, Va., as the family were about to sit down to their Christmas dinner at the home of Mrs. Jennie Rees, Mrs. Amesbury'B mother, at 220 Metropolitan avenue, Hyde Park, Mass., Christmas Day. Dr. Amesbrry ;was placed under! arrest immediately ifter the shoot-1 ing. Mrs. Amesbury had come from Virginia to pass the holidays with her sons, Walter R. Amesbury, and Ira R. Amesbury, who live with their | grandmother, Mrs. Rees. Dr. Ames burg came from Milford, where he has practiced for some time, to the Christmas festivities with the fami ly. Accdording to the police, Dr. Am esbury fired two shots, both of which took effect In Mrs. Araesbury's right side. Her death was almost instan eous. After his arrest, Dr. Amesbury declared that the shooting was acci dental. He would not make any fur ther statement. Mrs. Amesbury was 40 years old and a native of Kentucky. Since her marriage to Dr. Ames bury they had lived at different times in Kingston and Tuxbury, Mass., and Corsicana, Tex. Some time ago Mrs. Amesbury went to Vir ginia and began tecahing music in Roanoke College. She was an ac complished vocalist. According to the police Dr. Ames bury became engaged in a quarrel regarding family matters. They were conversing in the kitchen when | suddenly the other members of the family, who were in the dining room heard two shots fired. Rushing into the kitchen the Am esbury boys, the oldest of whom is about twenty years of age. grappled with their father and threw him to the floor. After a struggle the re volver was taken away from him and he was held until the arrival ol the police. Dr. Amesbury is forty-nine years of age. He was formerly a surgeon in the British army stationed in Jamaica. NEGROES LEAVING. They Were Told to Go and They Arc Going. Negroes are rapidly leaving Hen rietta. Okla., where the lyncnjng oi James Garden, colored, occurred on Christmas following the murder ol Albert Bates, a prominent white buisuess man. The black were giv en notice to leave town within 4S hours. A second attack was made on the jail early Thursday morning by a mob of citizens who sought a one-eyed negro named Bill Smith, charged with inciting Garden to com mit the crime, Sherff Robertson, however, spirited the man away from the mob and took him to Okmulgee, Jim Johnson, a negro, who Rave Gar den a rifle also was taken to Okmul gee. _ Bold Bobbers. At Chicago five men, one of whom carried a revolver, robbed two other men in the waiting room of the La sale street railway station in the heart of the buisness section of the city. Two of the robbers were ar rested within a few minutes after the attack and a third two hours later. ANTJABY 2, 19Q8T looking at you." ?uck. Copyright, 1907. By permission. 1?0LY USED UP By Negroes Who Tried to Rob His Store. RESCUED BY SHERIFF. The Storekeeper, Mr. T. Ii. Cares, After Being Rescued, Was Taken to the Hospital in Charleston for Treatment. He Was Unable to Give Any Account of the Trouble. The Robbers Made Their Escape. The following account of an out rage that took place near Charles ton, we clip from the News and Courier of Chrismas Day. The News and Courier says a telephone call from St. Andrew's Parish yesterday afternoon gave information of an outrage committed and the prompt response of Deputy Sheriff Joseph Poulnot and volunteers was, no doubt, the means of saving the life of Thomas L. Caves, who keeps a gen eral store in St. Andrew's, a short distance from the New Bridge ter minus, across the Ashley River. The message was received in the sheriff's office about six o'clock and it was to the effect that Caves had been set upon and seriously injured by negroes intent upon robbing his store. Caves, It seems, was, to some extent, able to defend himself for some time and, though badly injur ed, managed to get inside the store when he barred the doors. He then crawled to the telephoae and called for the sheriff's o.T.ee, Charleston. The message sent was to the effect that he was being murdered and that immediate help was needed. Mr. Poulnot was in charge of the office and lost no time in starting tor the scene of the trouble. He chartered one of the big touring cars from the Charleston Hotel garage, in charge of Chaffeur Johnson, and picking up Mr. Harry Lihnstedt and later Constable R. L. Knox, sped over to St. Andrew's. The men in the car did not know just what they were to face?but they asked no questions and were ready for any emergency, j Arriving at Cave's store, which is! at the junction of the shell road and the James Island road, they looked about for beligerants. None was in sight, and then giving attention to the store, they succeded in rouisng Mr. Caves, who was just ablbe to get to the door and unbar it; weeping with joy at the sight of his rescur-1 ers. He was so far spent with loss j of blood from an ugly wound over the left eye, that he could give no ac curate account of the trouble, and only the geuearl details were learn ed. There w'as not a person in the neighborhood when the automobile stopped at the store, and seeing the condition of the wounded man. Mr. Poulnot decided to come back at once. Within an hour and a half of the time of receiving the message Mr. Caves was at the Roper Hospital receiving the best possible attention. He is getting along very well, al though not out of danger. Rural Policeman Burton, responding to a telephone call was coming across the bridge when the auto returned. There is as yet no clue as to the mis creants who eommited the murder ous assault upon the merchant. Sorrowful Occurrence. At Clinton Mr. P. A. Dorrity's lit tle son was burned to death Christ mas eve. The mother was dressing the children to go away for Christ mas. She went out a few minutes and when she returned the little fel low was in flames. SHIP HAD BAD LUCK Reaches Trisco After Tragic Voy age from Baltimore, Collided With Another Ship, Which Was Sunk With Part of the Crew In Slid Ocean. The American ship Atlas dropped anchor at San Francisco on Christ mas eve night, 275 days out from Baltimore. It ended a voyage made tragic by a collision off Cape Horn attended by the sinking of another vessel, the drowning of the ill-fated craft's captain and the captains wife, mutiny on its decks and death among its crew. On June 6, at 6 P. M., the Atlas struck the Norwegian bark Viking, C>;pt. Petersen, bound from Ham burg to Callao. Both were badly damagid by the contact, but the bark fared the worst. In the terror of the night 13 of the crew of the Norwegian bark boarded the American ship, crawling over tangled shrouds and dangling booms. Capt. Pearson and his wife were not among those who made a dan gerous transit, but it was too dark to render aid though the Atlas stood by all night and next morning the Viking had disappeared. The Atlas put into Rio De Janerio for repairs, badly leaking. On the way to this port a mutiny took place among the crew over some trouble with the mate, but it was easily quelled. Before the collision off Cape Horn three of the ship's company met death. On May 23 J. Schumacher and Charles Nolan seamen, fell from the jib-boom and were drowned. On June 15 John Hook, sailmaker, died and was buried at sea. When the ship arrived the captain's son and the third officer were ill and the ves sel wa:> ordered into quarantine The Atlas had a cargo of coal for the United States Government. The vessel had been 102 days out from Rio Ee Janerio and was overdue. Reinsurance had been ordered at 10 .per cent. The Vilking was a new bark of 2,541 tons. Nothing had beeo heard of it after it began its last voyage until the Atlas brought in the tidings Christmas eve night. FOUND INFERN Ali MACHIXE Dangerous Christmas Present Sent by Mail Detected in Time. A dispatch from Erie, Pa., says while ,'iUstributicg Christmas bundles in the South Erie sub-postofflce Christinas Eve an employee became suspicious of a package, the end oi which had been broken open, and upon making an investigation the package was found to contain an in fernal machine, so constructed that the opening of the box would cause an explosion that would have un doubtedly killed all persons around it, and set fire to everything In the builditg. The package was addressed to Ar chie Carr, 2,208 Cherry street, and had been mailed from that city. The box was turned over to Postmaster Sobell, who called in Chief of Police Wagner. The chief cut out the side of the box and exposed a bottle and contrivances so arranged that the opening of the lid would have loosen ed the cork and ignited several matches. The following inscription was on the inside wrapper: "You may per haps find the cover will catch a lit tle when you open the box. Pay no attention to it. Merry Christmas.'^ J. W. Wright, health officer and chemist, after an examination of the bottle said it contained a high ex plosive. LEAVES SWAG BIOiUND. New York Man Gets Queer Christ mas Present from Burglar. Santa Clans, in a peculiar guise, paid a visit to John Distler of New York City. In ilie night Distler was aroused by a noise in the dining room and he at once decided that there was a burglar in the house. Rather than take any chances of be ing shot Distler made a great noise in his room for the purpose of scar ing the burglar away. He was successful in this and when he went downstairs he found that none of the family silver had been stolen. On the contrary he found on the table in the dinning room a large quantity of silverware, which he had never seen before. He be lieves that the burglar bad obtain ed it from some other houses and, being scared by the noise he made, fled, leaving it behind. Little Girl Burned. At Charleston the six-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin, was so badly burned Christ mas in playing about a Christmas tree that the child is not expected to live. The little girl either reached for a prsent on the tree or tried to light a candle, causing her dress to become ignited by a lower candle, and before the flames were exting uished she was fearfully burned. Famine in Turkey. Tin American Board of Commis sioners for foreign missions has re ceived advices from the interior of Turkey, showing unusually severe famine conditions. Breed is double the usual price, and wheat and other cereals are considerably higher :han last year. 81.00 PER ANKUJf. WHO WAS SHE? The Body of Unknown Woman Found in a Pond NEAR CITY OF NEWARK A Night Watchman Recognizes Fea tures as Those of a Woman Ha Saw Going With a Man in Direc tion of Pond Early Christmas Day. Clothing Pound Suggests Owner ol Refinement. A murder combining the elements of mystery and deliberate cruelty was committed on the Hackensaw Meadows, in the town of Harrison, N. J? early Thursday, and the nude body of the victim, a comely woman of perhaps 30 years of age was found nearly submerged in the icy waters of a little pond. Only the feet pro jected when chance passers-by broke the icy in which exposed portions were encrusted and dragged the body ashore Thursday afternoon. The dead woman was finely fea tured; her hair and nails gave evi dence of a recent scrupulous toilet and such of her clothing that was subsequently found suggested in tex ture and style an owner of refine ment. The pond in which the body was thrown is made by the overflow from the Passalc River and is direct ly across the river from Newark. The body has not been Identified but it was pretty well established that is was not that of a resident of Newark or Harrison. Two men, who occupied a yaohi near where the body was found, are detained by the po lice, but the most important clue was furnished by Peter Coogan, a. watchman employed by the Marine Engine Company, who recognized the body as that of a woman he had seen crossing the meadows in com pany with a man early that day. Later he saw the man alone. He then carried a bundle in his arms. The man was short and stout Coo gan, whose duties keep him in the neighborhood of the murder, told the police: "While outdoors at two o'clock I saw this woman in company with a man crossing the meadows, going in the direction if the pond. They passed so near me that I am able to recognize the woman's features. Some time later, perhaps, the man returned' and again passed me, this time in the direction from which the two had come when I first saw them. This time the man was alone. In his arms he carried a bundle which he had not had he fore. In build he was short and thick set." Two girls returning to their home in Harrison long after midnight heard a wdman's cries floating over the marsh land. They seemed to come from the direction of the pond and sounded like "spare me" anr? "help." Nearer the girls were ap proached by a well dressed stranger who accosted and followed them un til they met a policeman, when he turned and fled. The girls had a good view of the man under an electric light and while he was well and neatly dressed hi? hands showed either that he was ac customed to manual labor or had re cently been engaged in work that soiled his fingers. Life had been extinct, the coro ner said, about twelve hours when the body was found. A mark on the neck indicated that strangulation was the manner c ith. Scratches on the legs and trat and p'eces of cinder forced into the flesh o.owed that the body had been dragged along a cinder path, which skirts the pond. Along the path the police picked up a white silk waist, a skirt and a pair of silk garters. Following the path the police came upon the yacht "Idle Hour," which was tied up at a point on the Passaic about 300 feet from where the body was found. On the yacht the police say that they found a seal skin and fur neck piece. The occupants of the yacht were Albert Thompson, 41 years old, of Elizabeth, a boatman, and Frederick Kirkman, 3 8 years old. Both were employed on the boat. Thompson said that he found fur pieces near the cinder path. The police found on the boat dishes enough for three dinners. Tho men. however, said that they had no visitor on the Idle Hour. The police said they had practically nothing against the prisoners, but would de tain them until further inquiry could be made. An autopsy will be per formed as soon as it can be ar ranged. Labor Trouble. According to a statement issued officially the recent encounters at Iquique. Chili, between nitrate strik ers and the police resulted in the killing of 210 men and the wounding of about fifty. During one of the encounters the troops fired particu larly at the leaders of the strikers, but their aim was poor and the men were not hurt. Furniture Company Fails. The Lion Furniture Company, of Spartanburg has gone into bank ruptcy. The petition to have the furniture company declared bank rupt was made by H. B. Carlisle, re presenting a number of out of town creditors before H. E. Depass, referee in bankruptcy.