Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PUBLISHED TRX-WEEKU BLOWflTODEATH Five Handred fteici Sailtrs Met Death ii Awliil Eipltsui IB BATTLESHIP LiBERTE After Series of Terrific Detonations the Fine "Wi unship Sinks to the Bot tom.?Bodi.fi Hurled High in the Air in Greal; Clouds of Dense Black Smoke. A dispatch from Toulon, France, says death to more than half the crew ?of. 793 officers; and men of the battle ship Liberte, counted one of the fin est vessels in the French navy, fol lowed fire und explosions which wrecked the great snjp Monday. The fire was discovered at 5 o'clock. It first did not appear to be serious but somehow it gained a quick advantage over the squad of sailors sent to extinguish it and sud denly without warning it reached the ?magazines which had not been flood ed on account of the apparently trifling nature of the blaze. The force of the explosions was terrific. They shook the vessel fore and aft, each one seemingly stronger than that p*eceeding, opening up great fissures in the armor and frame work of the vessel. The vessel immediately became a mass of fire and smoke and Boon al most demolished by the terrific deto nations, sank to the bottom of Tou lon harbor. At a?a early hour unofficial esti mates of the number of dead ran as high as 500. Estimates by naval men varied widely but there was no doubt that the loss of life .vas more than 350. Scores of seamen died In their .berths. A few dozen saved themselves ty jumping overboard. Many of those injured ieaped into the water and were drowned before the boats gathered in the roadsted could reach x.hem. Two hundred of: the crew escaped death owing to the fact that they,.were ashore on leave. Commander JaureB, a brother of the socialist depi ty was not on board. The carnar e in the explosions was worse than could ever have occurred in an actual !iaval engagement. The lrst crash came when the crew wa3 lor the most part dispersed in vari ous section's of the vessel. They were without warning of their danger. Scores of bodies were hurled high into the air accompanied by great fragments of framework, armor, bursting shelils and the blinding, suf focating smoke of the powder. !Meh below who had not yet been awakened wor?. .killed in their Bleep. Others, awakened by the explosion, started to jum;? overboard and were caught by thu second detonation. The crew was ps.nic-stricken and rushed wildly about, groping in t>e smoke In which many fell unconscious. There were many vessels in the harbor at the time, including a num ber of warships which have been maneuvering there since the first of the month. The first explosioD brought a q uiok response from the nearby u en-of-war and from the shore. Dozens, of boats put off and pickd up survivors and floating bod ies. The're were three explosions in quick- succession after the fire reach ed the magazines. One hundred saved themselves by jumping and others would have es-i caped, but lor the discipline which held them a,t their posts. At the first explosion the men below sud denlv awakened, tumbled from their berths, and rushing to the sides of the vessel were throwing themselves! overboard when an order calling them to their stations rang out and held to their death those who had not already escaped. TROOPS ORDERED READY. The Militia May Take a Hand in the Spartanburg Strike. To protect the rights and prop erty of citizens of Spartanburg, three' militiary companies in the upper sec tion of the 5tate were Sunday after-} noon notified by Governor H.'ease toj hoM themselves in readiness to re- ( ]K?rt for duly in Spartpnburg, Imme diately upon demand from superior officers. The action was taken fol fowing a conference with Assistant Adjt. Gen. 0. W. Babb and Brig. Gen. T\"ilie Jones, Sunday afternoon, which conference itseif followed immediate ly upon the heels of a long distance message to Governor Blease from Mayor J. B. Lee, of Spartanburg, who requested that troops be sent to Spar tanburg, as conditions were becom caring worse because of the rioting street car conductors, and he feared that he would not be able to cope with the situation with the city po lice. A Terrible Storm. A tend be! storm swept the Vesuv ian district of Italy on Friday caus ing loss of life and great damage to property. Twenty persons are known to have been killed while the fate of whole families is in debt. Falls to His Death. Lieut. R. A. Cammell, of the Brit ish oviatlon school of Farmborough, England, was killed recently while making a flight at Hendon, six miles from the centre of London. ? HURLED TO DEATH TWELVE KILLED AND OTHERS WERE FATALLY HURT. Train Crashes Into Hay Rack Party of Young People Returning From Celebration. Sixteen deaths probably, will result from a mile-aminute passenger train crashing into a party of thirty-one merry young people loaded upon a hay rack at fleenah, Wis., Sunday afternoon. A big billboard obscured from view the locomotive as well as the wagon. Mist and fog did the rest. Twelve persons on the hay rack were instantly killed, one has since died and three, out of eight others injured, are believed to be fatally hvri. Nine.of the thirty-one persons on the wagon escaped without a scratch, and so did both horses. No body an the train suffered. ?The collision occurred Sunday af ternoon nearly four o'clock on the Chicago and Northwestern Railway at a crossing near Neenah. The par ty were returning from a trip to the country, where they attended the cel ebration of a. wedding anniversary. All but two, who were Chicago men, were residents of Menasha. Six of the victims, all dead, were discovered on the engine pilot, where they lay until removed .by the train crew. Two others were hurled through a flagman's shanty with such force as to overturn the little struc ture. One of these was still alive when picked up. She died a few hours later. Another of the victims killed yas thrown over a barn, fifty feet from the railway right of way. Among the occupants of the hay rack, who escaped, were Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Briszlnski and child of two years. They were seated in the front half of the rack, the mother holding the child In her lap. About half way tack in the wagon sat Mary Schwartzbauer. The latter was hurl ed about fifty feet and rendered un conscious. When found by rescu ers the Brinzsinski child was in her arms, having escaped unscathed. The parents of the child were only slight ly injured. Peter Hansen, driver, managed to hang to the reins and was the only person aboard who was not temporar ily stunned. He declares he made every effort to look in both directions along the track, but did not observe the* on-rushing train until hi.3 team was on the track. He whipped up the horses, but could manage to get the wagon only half Way across. Practically every person on the wagon was an employee of the Mena sha Wbodenware Company and all w^ere invited to the Hansen farm to attend' the wedding anniversary of one of their fellow employees. Mr. Hansen had conveyed the merry makers to his farm in the early even the round-trip completed except for ing and was taking them back home, a mile's drive when the collision oc curred. On the outgoing trip the bay rack contained 40 persons, but the rig was uncomfot?bly crowded, and* on the return trip an additional wagon was obtained. Eight of the party oc cupied the second vehicle, which fol lowed about a mile behind. A farm er, his wife and two children were recently killed in a similar accident at the same crossing. During the last eight years nearly two dozen persons have lost their lives at the same place. \~ ? ? ? TAKES TEXAS CITY. Crickets Battling With People for Possession of Austin. A dispatch from Austin, Texas, says millions of crickets took pos session of that city and are success fully combating the rights of the or iginal residents. Friday morning Austin awoke to find the business district black with the plague. Thej entire fire department was called outi to combat the bugs, and tons andj tons of water were being thrown on! walls and sidewalks, with a view to, drowning the crickets and to wash j them out the streets through thej storm sewers. For four hours the; principal business streets were sev eral inches in water and black with crickets. In the residence section j t he crickets remained unmolested; and arrogant. * SEABOARD BRAK EM AN KILLED. Lawrence Williams Mangled in Fall Between Cars. Lawrence Williams, a negro brake man employed by the Seaboard Air Line Railway, in Columbia, was fatal ly injured Thursday morning by fall ing between cars of a train on which he worked. The accident occurred: while the negro was on his regular run between Columbia and Hamlet. Both the negro's legs and his left arm were removed by the car wheels, and he died soon after being taken to the negro hospital in that city. Williams was an industrious negro and bore a good reputation, and was a resident of Columbia. No inquest was held by the coroner. * j Many Rebels Killed. It is estimated that a total of two thousand Chinese insurgents beseig ing Cheng-Tu have been killed. The foreign residents have not yet been able to leave the capital. ?* ORANGEBUR( HUNT HIM DOWN Urge Posse SearcLing for ibe Negro Slayer of White Mao: IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY Bloodhounds Also on the Trail of William Suber, Himself Wounded, Charged With Killing Newberry Man Across Falrfleld County Lice, at Blairs. A dispatch to The News and Cour ier says news reached Newberry Sat urday afternoon of the killing of James Bouknight, a white man, by Will Suber, a negro, at Blairs, just across the line, in Falrfleld County, Saturday. The report seemed to in dicate that trouble was feared as a I result of the killing and that there I was a possibility of summary ven geance being meted out upon the negro. The sheriff of Falrfleld County tel edhoned Sheriff Buford to come to the scene, the Falrfleld sheriff say ing that he was leaving in an auto mobile. Sheriff Buford immediately sent Deputy Sheriff Pope Buford and In a few minutes sent another deputy in company with S. K. Bouknight, the father of the young man who was killed. Constable Cannon G. Blease, accompanied by several gentlemen, left immediately in an automobile for the purpose of seeking to prevent further trouble. Mr. Oxner, who carried Mr. Bouk night and a deputy to the scene in his automobile, returned Saturday night. He stated that he had not crossed the river over to Blairs, but the Information which he had receiv ed was to the effect that the difficulty in which the negro shot Bouknight occurred in Bouknight's blacksmith shop at Blairs, and that the negro was also wounded. The negro work ed on the Miller plantation, several miles this side of the river, and It seems that Bouknight had been en gaged In work on thlB place for the past several weeks, having returned home Friday night. Mr. Oxner said the Fairleld sheriff and th-j Newberry officers were on the scene and the Fairfleld officer had brought bloodhounds with him. Young Bouknight, the deceased, for merly lived in Newberry and some time ago moved to Blairs and estab lished a blacksmith shop. He lived on this side of the river, in New berry County, and his shop was in Fairfield. Bouknight leaves a wife ?nd four children. Munson Buford, a son of the sher iff, who returned from near the Bcene of the killing of James Bouknight says the information in the commun ity is that Bouknight was gambling with a crowd of negroes, Suber be ing among them; that Bouknight "went broke" and then went for the police, and when he returned with the police the shooting occurred, Su ber being wounded in the leg and Bouknight killed. The negro escaped up the river and the Fairfield sheriff and deputy sheriff are in search of him, and a large posse is scouring the Fairfleld side of the river. It was the inten tion of the Fairfield sheriff to take the negro to the Penitentiary if he succeeded in catchir.g him. Young Mr. Buford said Bunson Buford did not cross the river Into Blairs, but su>s the facts given to him are gen erally accepted by those with whom he talked as accounting for the diffi lulty. * MAX STUNG TO DEATH. Mosquitos Attack His Nude Body as It Lay in a Swamp. The wreaking of terrible vengeance upon a foe is believed to have been the cause of the death of a white man whose body was found in the swamps of White Grass island, in the Gulf of Mexico, last week. The hands and feet were bound by cords: to a stake driven into tbeearth. Thej man bad been dead for over a week. I Hunters say that in his nude condi-1 tion he must have been stung to' death within a few hours. The police believe that the man' was the victim of revenge. That parti of the swamp where the body was found is alive with unusually large mosquitos, and hunters who go there fcr ducks must muffle their faces und encase their hands in heavy mit tenc to protect themselves. The authorities, convinced that; the man was a victim of revenge, have set about trying to solve the mystery ,and that, because of the ex quisite torture and extreme cruelty to which the victim must have been subjected before death relieved his sufferings, there must have been a woman concerned in the mysterious > death. * IJride Burned to Death. At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mrs. H. F. Howell, who came here from Ath ens, Ga., as a bride of only a few weeks, was burned to death Friday morning while attempting to kindle a fire with coal oil. ? Four Men Killed. At Youngstown, 0., four men were killed and twelve hurt in an explo sion at the Republic Steel and Iron company plant. The dead are Hun garians. ? * 3, S. C, TUESDAY, SEPTEM! WILL SERVE TERM COL.. NORTON NOT SLATED FOR COL. WATSON'S JOB. Governor Blease Intimates That Pres ent Commissioner May Be Retained In Office When Term Expires. There will certainly be no change in the office until the expiration of Mr. Watson's term, and I doubt very much if there -?111 be ally then," said Gov. Blease Friday, When ask ed about the rumor that has been afloat in official circles during the last few days that Mr. James Nor ton, of Mullins, would be appointed commissioner of agriculture, com merce and industries, to succeed Col. E. J. Watson, who has held the of fice since March, 1904. "I do not even know that Mr. Nor ton is an applicant for the position." said Gov. Blease. "He was in my of fice a few days ago, but merely shook hands with me, and the office was not mentioned at that time. I really knew nothing whatever of the news paper accounts which have been sent out about the appointment of Mr. Norton to the office. Mr. Watson has been doing very good work in his present position, and I do not know that there will be any change at all, so far as I can tell at present, when Mr. Watson's term expires." Governor Blease said also that he had thought of offering this position to Mr. John G. Richards Jr., but that the latter had been appointed rail road commissioner, and he had not done so. Mr. Norton has been in Co lumbia for the past few days and his presence appears to have awakened rumors which were afloat some months ago, that he would be ap pointed by Governor Blease to suc ceed Col. Watson when the latter's term expires in the early part of next year. Mr. Norton is a former member of Congress and was for seven years Comptroller General of South Caro lina. He Is at present editor of the Messenger, published at Mulllns. When asked concerning the rumors Mr. Norton said he thought it best for him not to say anything for pub lication at this time,' and that the rumorB whioh were in circulation did not originate from him. * ? ? ? KILLED IN WRECK Passenger Train Crash Into Switch Engine and Cars. Passengers aboard the Southern railway train that collided with a switch engine on Peachtree Creek trestle near Atlanta Friday night were forced to spend the night in the coaches of the train at the scene of the wreck. Marooned above the creek were nearly 150 persons, many of them injured, waiting for relief which the inaccessibility of the place rendered difficult. All night long members of work ing crews struggled to remove a mass of scrap iron, once the switch esgine which toppled over when struck by the passenger train, to rescue the mangled bodies of Engineer J. A. Ferrie and Fireman N. ,M. Robinson, the only persons killed. On one side of the passenger train were the wrecked freight cars that were attached to the switch engine. A single plank across the deep, swift running waters of the creek afforded the only means of access to the train. After crossing the plank a high bank had to be scaled before the train could be reached. HYDE WILL HANG. Many Think That He Is Not Right in the Upper Story. Samuel X. Hyde, who was recently convicted at Anderson, of the mur der of his wife, was Friday afternoon sentenced by Judge Prince to hang on Friday, October '20. When asked by the Court if there was any reason why the death sentence should not be pronounced, Hyde, in a strong, clear voice, stated, in substance, that the witnesses, referring to the mother of Mrs. Hyde and a brother-in-law, J, P. Moore, had sworn falsely when they testified that he had made his home unpleasant and that he was cruel to his wife: that his wife was the only woman he ever loved. "If." he said, "the jury and Court believe it to the best interest of my little son that I forfeit my life, then I am ready and willing to-pay the penalty." There are many who followed the case of Hyde closely, who believe that he is not a sane man, and among those there is some talk of circulating petitions asking Governor Please to commute his sentence to life impris onment. Hundreds Die in Typhoons. Hundreds lost their lives and much property was damaged by recent ty phoons in Formosa. Several towns and villages were destroyed or sub merged. Acton, a large city, was de molished. The total life loss Is esti mated at several hundred, and thous ands are being fed at the military concentration camp at Takao. * Four Men Burn. At Youngstown, O., four workmen were burned to death in a boarding house early Friday when fire follow ed an explosion of gas. Other in mates were flung from their beds but got out of the building without seri ous injury. * BER 26, 1911. AS HE SAW IT Describes Changes in the Farm Methods is the Weevil Section. THE CHANGES ARE MANY A Letter From Prof. Barrow Describ ing a Trip From South Carolina to Texas That Will Be Read With In terest by the Farmers of This State. A letter of Prof. D. N. Barrow In The Progressive Farmer, describing a trip from South Carolina to Texas, Is of intrest not only as giving an id ea of crop conditions but as portray ing the effect of the boll weevil in the Southwest. I "Forty-eight hours of railroad travel have placed a thousand miles between me and South Carolina," writes Dr. Barrow. "On the roads over from Clemson to Atlanta there are nothing unusual, it is all Pied mont and the crops are about the same as in South Carolina. Next day I saw the crops in the three States of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisi ana. Many of the sections through which I passed had had an abundance of rain, and some even too much. In traveling through western Ala bama, I was reminded of a similar trip taken some few years ago. It was in the spring when land was be ing prepared, and 1 remember the. chief thing I noticed was the little plows and light single mules that) were being used for this purpose. It seemed to me that I could recollect some of the same fields in which I saw this preparation going on upon this same trip; at least, some of the crops I saw must have been on land prepared with such an outfit. Isn't it a strange trait in the make-up of some human beings that will permit them to go on year after year, mak ing the same old failure, and yet, each year preparing their land exact ly as they had done for years before? "Of cour.se, I have no doubt that many of these poor crops are the re sult of the negro tenant, but I am sure I also saw a good many white men at work in the fields. On the whole, the crops were pretty good, however, and I saw frequent fields that bore testimony to the fact that brains and modern methods, properly applied, would produce good crops In eastern Alabama, r/s well as In Piedmont Georgia and the Carolinas. The same can be said of Mississippi. Here the boll weevil was encounter ed for the first time in my trip, and his influence on the system of agri culture was, it seemed to me, appar ent. There was not so much cotton to be seen, but what there was, was better and had apparently been bet ter cultivated. Corn was especially good, and while the fodder was ripe, I did not see a single man pulling it, but en the contrary, saw quite a quantity of it being cut and shocked. "From Jackson, Miss., to Vicks burg, we passed through what, in my opinion, and that of a good many who know them, are the richest soils in the world. These are the bluff soils, and an older alluvial than that of our present valleys. When fresh they will easily make a bale of cctton per acre, and with any intelligent handling, this productivity can be maintained indefinitely. But cotton is not all they will produce?corn is at home upon them?and if one does not care to raise a cultivated crop, all he has to do is to turn them out and nature will immediately clothe them with grass of all kinds. Bermuda, Japan clover and the carpet grass, all grow in profusion. That stamps this as naturally a live stock country. That the advent of the boll weevil has con vinced a good many people of this fact, was amply attested to by the large number of cattle to be seen he route. .Many of these herds show ed plainly that they had a large sprinkling of good blood in them, and it. does not take a phophct to predict that in a few years the scare over the boll weevil will be a thing of the ast in this section. I saw more grass in ibis forty-mile ride than I have setVi in weeks of travel in South Car olina, and it was grass that spelled money for its owner. But the boll weevil is not driving these coplo out of cotton, as what cotton I saw was botler than usual. ?'The effect of the boll weevil in changing the system of agriculture was probably more apparent In Louisiana than in any other State. From Vicksburg to Monroe is a stretch of soils that for fertility are not surpassed anywhere in the world. These lands have produced cotton continuously for a century, and their fertility is not in the least impaired by the strain. Five years ago when it was suggested to the owners of these lands that the weevil would make them plant, at least in part, some other crops, they scouted the idea. But to-day, where there used to be one unbroken stretch of well cultivated cotton fields, scarcely one third of the lands at?: in this plant. Corn was in abundance and we pass ed through large fields of rice, some of it already being harvested. "What cotton was seen, was scarce ly up to what I am accustomed to in this section. There seemed to be a pretty good bottom crop, but very lit tle above. The crops were quite grassy, so I judge that there had been too much rain. There were enough fallen squares in the mid dles to make one sick at heart." ? wm DRIVEN TO DEATH AVIATOR BURNED IN MIDAIR AS THOUSANDS WATCH. Tank of Gasoline Explodes, and Ma chine Drops Fifty Feet and Then Fluid Ignites, Killing Frank Miller. Forced into the air by the jeers o:I thousands -who called hfm a coward, Frank H. Miller, aged 23, a Toledo aviator, took flight at twilight Friday evening and at the height of 200 feet was burned to death before the eyes of the terrified spectators on the Miami county fair grounds at Troy, Ohio. Miller had circled the race track and was just starting on a . spiral glide when it was seen that some thing was wrong. The blrdman could be seen frantically attempting to get bis machine under control when sud denly the whirring of the propeller seased. The craft then dropped like a shot for a distance of fifty feet when a tiny blue flame was seen com ing from the engine. An instant lat er the gasoline tank exploded. A large portion of the craft was torn away by the Impact and frag ments were hurled hundreds of feet in all directions. Meanwhile the re mainder of the machine, with its driver literally roasted, was dropping rapidly to earth. It struck the ground with great violence, Miller's already badly burned body being buried un der the motor. When the body was pulled from under the wreckage Miller's clothing was burned from his body and his face was almost unrecognizable. The framework of his machine was aflame when it struck the earth. Rapid work of rescuers saved the body of the aviator from total Incin eration. VISIBLE COTTON SUPPLY. Receipts Much Heavier Than For Several Years. Secretary Hester's New Orleans Cotton Exchange statement, issued before the close of business Friday, shows an increase in round figures In the movement into sight of 133,000 bales over the seven days ending Sept 22 iast year, an Increase over the same year before last of 70,000 and an increase over the same time lu 1908 of 83,000. The amount brought into sight for the week ending Friday afternoon is tarted at 426,129 bales, against 292, 686 for the seven days ending this date last year, 456,328 year before last and 343,294 same time In 1908. This brings the total crop moved Into sight for the twnety-two days of the new season to 962,732 bales, against 38,864 last year, 834,194 year be fore last and 76,156 for the same time in 1908. The movement since September 1 shows receipts at all United States ports 617,972 bales, against 488,765 last year, 617,972 year before last and 551,360 same time in 1908; ov erland, across the Mississippi, Ohio and Potomac rivers to Northern mills and Canada 5,624, against 3,987 last year. Prices will never Improve as long as cotton pours into sight. * REFUSED TEN THOUSAND. Methodist Minister Couldn't Be Brib ed to Marry Them. That a Methodist minister of a little church near Newport, R. I., re fused a check of $10,000 to perform the marriage ceremony of Col. John Jacob Astor and Miss Madeline Tal mage Force, was the announcement of Bishop John W. Hamilton, of New York, before the Methodist Confer ence at Antio, Wis., Friday. The information was contained in a letter which the Bishop read, but refused to divulge the name of the clrgyman who rejected the proposi tion. The minister's self-denial was great, the Bishop said, because of the fact that he was burdened with debts, j When the story leaked out, accord I ing to the Bishop's information, a [ wealthy layman of the Methodist j Church offered the clergyman of the j humble parish an equal sum to re compensate him for the loss, but this lender was refused, the ilergylan saying he had only done h;s duty.! The name of the minister is F. L.: i! rooks. Curtiss Aviators Killed. j "Dare Devil" Castellane, a Cur ! tiss aviator, fell to instant death at ; the Mansfield, Pa., park Friday. He ' had started in an exhibition flight j and when three-quarters of a mile j from the ground his machine careen ed, turned turtle and fell on a hlll I side. Castellane was found buried [ beneath the wreckage of his engine I and plane. * F?h?1 Killer Needed. John Sch?lling, a well known resi dent of .Macon, Ga., came near losing his life in fulfillment of an election wager. The agreement was that Schelling was to jump into the Oc mulgee river, fully attired, if he lost the bet. Being unable to swim, he was almost drowned before he was rescued. * The Deadly Gin. Noel Thompson, a well known far mer, who lived twelve miles east of Raleigh, N. C. died at a local hospi tal as the result of being caught in a cotton gin. ?! TWO CENTS PER COPY. TAKE_NOPART Senator Tillsan Says He Is Hands Of ii the Race for Governor. RUN FOR SENATE AGAIN Barring Death, the Senator Says, Ho Will Be In the Race, He Will Make Speeches Too, and Does Not Care Who or How Many Enter the Field. In an Interview with J. L. Mc Whorter of the Augusta Chronicle, printed in that newspaper on Friday, Senator B. R. Tillman definitely an nounced in a most emphatic way that he would run for the Senate again. The Senator outlined his position inregard to the gubernatorial cam paign. In tnat race the Senator said he would be hands off, and let Blease and Jones fight it out. He said he would be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate if he was alive and not in ar ticulo mortis. He went on to say: I believe if I am dead I'll let 'em vote for me a little anyhow." In most emphatic language Sena tor Benjamin Ryan Tillman sets for ever at rest the cherished hopes of some, and the doubts of others, as to whether he will be in the United States Senatorial race next year. At his farm near Trenton Thurs day Senator Tillman "talked the mat ter over," with a staff representative of The Chronicle, and in language more or less Tillmanesque, as the various phases demanded, stated that he believed he would be elected again without trouble. "It has been said often, that I could sit on my back porch and be re-elected," said he. "I don't know why the> aim ays mention my back porch, for the front porch is much more cheerful and I use it the more, but I suppose they mean to imply that I need not even show .myself in the campaign and that my friends in South Carolina will see that I go back, If I want to." Senator Till man was busy on his farm, but he took time to say this much. To those who are familiar with the oft-repeated statements as to his falling health it may come as a sur prise to know that he sleeps well, eats heartily, gives the whole farm his personal superivison by walking and riding over it every day?in fact, many times a day?dictates h!a private and official letters to his sec retary] and that his mind is as clear as a bell, and his old-time fire of speech and manner blazes out at op portune times. The only real reminder of this past affliction is the cane he carries ?and he sometimes forgets that and gets along seemingly as well as with it. Barring death, he will be in the race, and he will make speeches too, and he says he doesn't care who or how many enter the field. Any one has a right to offer who wishes to. "Senator, it has been mors than hinted by some, that you are encour aging, and will back, Gov. Blease for re-election as governor next summer. The Chronicle wants to know directly from you if you will give it, how much truth there is in these hints and rumors?" was the direct ques tion asked Senator Tillman by the representative of The Chronicle. "I am not going to help a soul in that race. I am going to be strictly hands-off and neutral, and, further more, I have not given any one any authority to say that I was for or against either of the candidates who have announced. I am not going to mix in it or have anything to do with It." The Senator's attention was called to the story In Thursday morning's Chronicle, written by Col. Leon Green, a former newspaper man in South Carolina, in which it was stat ed that Senator Tillman would be a factor in the race, and he saic. that he did not see much in the story, but that it was "probably written to draw me out." He said that he did not know who inspired the story, but so far as the references to Iiis being a factor was concerned he could only repeat what he had just said: That he was "not going to be mixed up in it." Senator Tillman, from his talk, is evidently or the opinion that neither Gov. Blease nor Justice Jones will win in a walk over the other. * Assassin to be Hanged. A dispatch from K,iew; Russia, says Demitry Bogroff, the assassin of Bremler Stolypin, was tried Friday by Court-martial and sentenced to death by hanging. Bogroff is about 24 years of age and a graduate of Kiev University. 11c was a member of the secret police and also a revolu tionist, and Is said to have been as signed to the murderous task by the revolutionary organization. ? Maine's Xew Senator. Obediah Gardner, of Rockland was appointed United States Senator Sat urday from Maine to succeed the late Senator William Pitt Frye. Mr. Gardner was Democratic candidate for governor of Maine In 1900. * Became Insane. At San Jose, Calif., Rev. Thomas Sherman, son of General Wm. T. Sherman, has bee placed in the in sane asylum. He is a Catholic priest.*