BLIND TIGERS
OF GHARLESTON
A PROHIBITION FIELD AGENT
LISTS AND CLASSIFIES THEM
Fruits of Dispensary-Strong Presen
tation of Conditions in S. C. Con
sequent upon State's Under
taking Monopoly of Sales.
A staff correspondent of the asso
ciated prohibition press, who has
made an investigation of the liquor
traffic conditions in this state and a
special study of the blind tiger situa
tion in Charleston, makes an inter
esting report on "the fruitage of law
lessness and corruption in the wake of
the state saloon system." He says:
"There are 469 Federal tax receipts
of 'retail liquor dealers' and 'retail
dealers in malt liquors' now in force
in South Carolina.
"Including those that have been
voted out during the past'year, there
are 107 regular and thrity-six beer
dispensaries in the state. This leaves
a total-'of 326 'blind tigers' in the
state that hold a Federal tax receipt
for selling liquor. There are, there
fore, nearly two and a half times as
many 'blind tigers' in the state as le
gal selling establishments.
"These 143 dispensaries in the
state represent but ninety-one towns
and cities where liquor has been legal
ly sold during the past year. In
twenty of these places the people have
voted out the grogshops, so that there
are now but seventy-one towns andi
cities where intoxicants are legally
sold.
"A most striking fact comes to the
surface of thLs blind tiger situation:
Of the 326 blind tigers of the state
only twenty-nine are to be found in
prohibition districts. The balance of
297 are all locatedin dispensarytowns
and cities.
Th-6 Blind Tigers
"In this connection, it is interest
ing to compare with the above, the
dispensary cities of the 'State and
their condition as to blind tigers.
"Below is given a list of the
towns and cities of South Carolina
where there are more Federal .tax
receipts in force than there are dis
pensaries, or have been dispensaries
during the past year. The number
-noted as 'blind tigers' represents the
excess of tax receipts over dispen
sanes.
Dispensaiy Cities: Blind Tigers.
Aiken .. .... ...........5
Camden ..... .-.-........2
Chiarleston and environs. 213
Columbia .. ........ 2
Darlington.......- ---...3
Edgefield.........-...2
Florence .... .-..--.--.
Georgetown....-.- ...--..
Greenville.......--.-....6
Laurens .. ......--.--..1
John's Island ...... ......18
I(oultrieville .... ........3
Mount Pleasant .. .. .. ..
Orangeburg .. .. -.... 2
Port Royal .... ....-.
Spartanburg .. .... .......6
Samter .. .. .....- ..----- I
gninmerville .... ...-.-....1
Union .. .... ...........2
Total......-....29
'The offieial records of the col
fector of internal revenue and of the
state dispensary show, therefore, that
there were, during 1904, more than
ten ti.mes as many blind tigers in the
minety-one dispensary towns and
eitie's as in all the rest of the State
.ombined.
"One of the chief reasons urged
by Senator Tillman for the establish
ment of the dispensary was that pro
hibition territory was a breeding
ground for 'joints,' 'speakeasies,'
'blind pigs,' 'blind tigers,' and other
vermin of like character. After twelve
years of trial the dispensary proves
to have enormously distanced prohi
bition as a breeder of illicit liquor
seling.
"The habitat of 'the tax receipt
lind tiger is chiefly in the larger
cities. The rural moonshiner fights it
out with the deputy marshals as best
he can without giving up to the gov
ernment the price of the tax receipt.
In Columbia, the capital city, the tiger
is far less arrogant than he was a few
years ago. There are now twenty-two
Ilind tigers in Columbia, which pay
the tax receipt, most, of them being
located within pistol shot of the capi
tol building and lying in the territory
between it and the main State dispen
sary building."
Conditions in Charlesto,n
Concerning Charleston, the point
frm which he writes, the correspond
emt says:
--But it is in Charleston and envir
ons that the blind tiger pri:.plly
thie.a Her le abides and does
business with hit little serious Inter
ference.
In 1902, in gathering some evi
dence for the Department of Justiee
for use in the case of South Carolina
V. the United States, involving the
right of the government to tax dis
pensaries, which was affirmatively
deeided in the United States Supreme
Court last month, I had occasion to
prepare a blind tiger map of Charles
ton. This map shows the location of
20S 'blind tigers' in the principal
part of the city.
"I have just completed a new map
of the city, which shows. 201 blind
tigers in the same territory as they
exist today. As the previous map
was made during the Charleston ex
position, there were naturally a lar
ger number of blind tigers than there
are now.
"A comparison of the two maps
shows that the greater portion of the
blind tigers of 1902 are still in
existence after a period of four
years.
'The drug stores of Charleston are
drug stores. Scarcely any of them
take out Federal tax receipts. HereI
the grocery stores are the principal
offenders. A large number of the
cheap corner groceries and some of
the more pretentious affairs have:
blind tiger Attachments and pay the
Federal tax.
What purports to be a full list of
blind tigers in Charleston, with their
locations, is given and the following
remarks made:
"The following tabulation of the
umber of blind tigers within two
blocks of various Charleston institu
tion is suggestive of local dispensary
conditions:
City Hall .. .. .... .. ......15
Public Library ........... 14'
Y. . C. A. ................24
Dispensary No. 4.. .. .. .. .... 24
Dispensary No. 3 ..........21
Dispensary No. 17 ..&.........6'
Dispensary No. 25..........15
U. S. Custom House ........ 14
Academy of Music 7....... 7
Postoffice ......---...---...- 17
Union passenger station........22
Dispensary No.7.........-.- . -----7
Charleston High Sch ool .. . .. ..13
St. Michael 's Church .. ... . .-.14:
Grave of John C. Calhoun . . . . 19
William Pitt statue.. .... .....12
Memorial tablet Gen. Beauregard 12
Statue of John C. Calhoun .. .. 10
The State and the Tigers.
The article continues. "The history
of the attitude of the--state and the
dispensary toward the blind tiger in
dustry has been one of change. In the*
early years of the institution, the
state constabulary did stirring work
and some shooting scrapes followed.
These stirred up the people against
the institution for a time.
"In 1S98 the dispensary adopted
the policy of fighting the 'blind tiger'
ompetition by putting on the mar
ket what they called 'eighty proof
whiskey,' an article composed of 80
per cent whiskey and 20 per cent wa
ter. A distilling plant was put in and
istilled water was used for watering
the whiskey. In this way a brand of!
hiskey was put on the market at a;
:heaper rate than the 'blind tiger'
eould supply it. The dispensaries
would sell a whole half pint of whis
ey for fifteen~ cents, the price of a
imple drink in a license state:-. The
result was that the stite was flooded
vwith cheap whiskey by the dispensa
ries. The colored population partic
ularly became accustomed to chipping
five cents each into a pool and buy
ing whiskey by the bottle and drink-'
ng it on the street corners. I have~
stood on the sfreet corners of Charles
ton frequently and -seen thriee and
four parties of colored men sucking~
t a bottle that they had bought from
dispensary for the price of a drink
in a license state.
"The dispensary followed up this
attack on 'blind tiger' competition~
by lending its influence in the direc
tion of prosecuting liquor sellers who
were in competition; that is, those
who did not purchase their supplies
from the dispensaries. This they were.
able to do because the dispensary:
practically controlled the machinery
of the dominant political party of the
state. The result was that the 'blind
tigers' found it to their interest to
purchase their supplies from the dis
pensaries. Since the close of the
ear 1898 until within the last two
years, the policy of purchasing their
supplies of liquors from the dispensa
ries has been closely followed by the
'blind tigers.'
"The agitation growing out of the
South Carolina dispensary case in the
court of claims has resulted in some
modification of this attitude of the
dispensary management towards the
tiger industry. Since then, a new
scheme has been poplular. Periodical
make the rounds of the blind tigers
and seize what liquors are to be
fond . These liquors are turned over
to ;~;e state dispensary, there sold and I
the state povkets the money. Thes
so-called 'raids' are looked upoi
more as foraging expeditions thai
bona fide raids. The titers carry
trifling stock which is replenishel
daily so their loss from the raid i
small. Such a course enables the pO
lice to keep up a show of activity an<
the crop of free liquor so harveste<
into the dispensary stock amount to
:oodly sum. The Charleston polie
iow turn over to the dispensary fo
sale from 8,000 to 10,000 bottles o
beer each year, and a proportionat
amount of whiskies. Gobbling thei
supplies of liquor in this way i
cheaper for the dispensary than t
buy it in the market.
-The 'eighty proof whiske' scheni
of 1898 has been somewhat improv
ed upon in recent years. The dispen
saries now sell at retail a corn whis
key at $1.60 a gallon. This whiske;
is billed to the county dispensarie
at $1.44 a gallon. As the govern
ment tax on this stuff is $1.10 pe:
gallon for proof whiskey., it woul<
seem that there would be. but thirty
four cents per gallon to go to the dis
tiller and the wholesaler. As a mat
ter of fact, this liquor is only 'seven
ty proof,' that is, 70 per cent whiskei
and 30 per cent water. 'Seventi
proof' whiskey at. $1.44 per gallon i.
approximately the same as 'one hun
dred proof' or pure whiskey at $!
per gallon. The wholesaler, there
fore. gets about ninety cents per gal
on for this liquor after the tax i!
paid, instead of thirty-four cents
The dispensary doctors the whiskel
with 30 per cent water as a mone)
making proposition. This liquor i
sold to the consumer at ten cents pei
half pint. The purchaser, therefore
ets a whole half pint of corn whis.
key for two-thirds the price paid ir
license states for a single drink.
"In the same way, the dispensar
doctors' some of its rye whiskey witi
25 per cent. water so as to make ii
seventy-five proof.' This whiskey i
billed to the dispensaries at $1.60 g
allon. The consumer pays fifteet
cents for a half-pint, the same as i
paid for a single drink in a licens(
saloon.
i"This plan of 'doctoring' or adul
terating the whiskey was first in
urated for the purpose of fightin;
he blind tigers from which purposi
t has been diverted by the trend o:
vents. It is now purchased by thi
liid tigers who sell it by the drink
A ten cent half-pint of whiskey wi]
yield four drinks at 10 cents each
his ten cent whiskey is very popula:
with the negroes, two of whom com
chip in' five cents each and get tw<
rinks each. The effect of this is th
retailing of whiiskey at two and one
alf cents per drink. From a schem4
o fight blind tigers this adulterate
hiskey has become a bond of friend
hip between the tigers and the d3is
ensaries."
A Plat.for The Piazza.
W. N. Craig in Garden Magazine.
Few plants are more useful for pi
zza decoration than heliotropes
hen grown in standard or tre4
forms. The rich deep mauve color -ol
he flowers, and their delicious fra
~ranee make the heliotrope a favoritt
with everyone. As ordinarily growr
t is not a very conspieuous object. I1
iven a light situation. where they
an get a reasonable amount of sun.
hine, and be watered carefully, they
will Biower nearly all sumeflr. .'A*er
uder a heauvily-sh aded piazza or in e
iallwa' t hey will keep weil fer' tW wo 0
hree weeks, after which they sho.u!i
e placed outdoors in a sunny posi
t:ion, pruned back a little, syringei
wo or thr'ee times daily, and carefiully
vatrd. Within a month they wil
main he a mass of bloom. Four gooi
crops of flowers can thus easily be se
ured between May and October.
There is nothing specially di;ixcui
in the growing or training of' thi
tyle of heliotrope. In March o
April secure a few small, vigorou
lants from ' a local florist, whiel
hould be potted along as required
taking care never to allow the plan
to become matted with roots or pot
bound. The top must not be pinche<
from the main stem until the desire<
eight is reached, but all the flower;
and side shoots should be carefull:
removed, and ihe stem tied to a staki
sufficiently stout to keep it firm. Thi
stem can be run .up to any desire<
length before being topped; the usua
beiht is about four feet. A- numbe:
f side shoots will soon appear, which
when they' have made a growth of flv
r six ;m-hos, are pinched, and thi
pinchima is cointinued until the plan
carries a head of the desired size.
A eutting rooted in the spring wil
produce large heads during the sum
nier of the year following. If start
d in the fall. and grown all winte:
n a modecrately warm house stand
is can be had the following July
Seedlings make better standards thai
uttings.
The plants m~ be flowered in ei
th#er larze pot.s or tubs, prPference be
in uven to the iattvr. We use tubs
i sixteen inches square and round ones
I of the same diameter. These wil
1 car a plant several years if liberal
top dressing and liquid stimulant.
- are given. It is a good plan to raisc
a few standards each year; the older
I plants can then be set out in beds
i or borders. where they are very ef
e feet ive.
r Heliotropes are best grown out
f doors from June 1st until the first
frost. They can be carried over in a
r temperature of fifty degrees in a
j greenhouse or light cellar. and should
be kept. moderately dry during the
severe winter months.
Care must always be taken to see
that the plants are securely staked
as otherwise strong winds would
break or seriously injure them. A
compost of two-thirds turf loam, one
third well dried cow manure, in which
there is a good dash of sand is ex
eellent.
The one cultural fact that makes
for suecess with heliotrope, is to keep
.the plant growing. It suffers more
than most plants if it once gets dried
out, and must be kept. fairly moist at
all times.
There are several varieties offered
by the florists and seedsmen, but the
best is probably Queen of Violets.
Gardens and Vegetables.
Southern Farm Magazine.
Irish potatoes should be planted in
all the border states in March. The
best early varieties or at least those
which have given the best satisfac
tion, are the Triumph, Early Hebron
and Early Rose, preference being
generally given to the first named. No
stable manure should be put in the
rows when the potatoes are planted,
as it induces scab and makes the po
tatoes waxy. With land well pre
pared and 'enriched in the preceding
; fall or winter two good workings will
usually make a large yield of pota
toes. They are usually cut and drop
ped in rows three and one-half feet
apart at intervals of 10 inches in the
rows. They are then covered by
throwing the dirt with a single horse
plow over them, making a flat ridge
-.Just as the potato sprouts begin to
b)reak through the overlying ridge, a
harrow should be run over the land
breaking down the ridges and destroy
ingz all the weeds and grass. Twc
weeks after this harrowing the pota
toes should be 'sided out'' with a
one-horse plow, and two weeks later,
if the weather has been seasonable
the dirt should be thrown to them.
This completes the cultivation. Level
culture is pr-eferred by- many growers,
and the cultivation in that case is
done with double-shovel plows.
Nearly all garden vegetables should
be planted in March, and especially
the hardier k.inds, such as peas, on
ions, salsify, parsnips, cabbage, car
rots, lettuee and spinach. Tomato
plants should be raised in a hotbed,
but not transplanted until the warm
moist days in April. Snap beans
cannot stand cold weather, and the.
'planting of these should be deferred
untls te danger from frosts is over,
unesprotected by a canvas covering.
In the extreme south all kinds of
~garden vegetables should be in good
headway ini March, and will need ac
tieadfrequent cultivation.
From An Address~By Susan B. An
thony.
KAt this time when the whole world
is mourning the loss of Susan B. An
thony some of her reasons for advoca
ting the political rights of women may
be of interest to many. In an address
manyv years ag she said:
"We recognize that the ballot is a
two-edged, nay, a many-edged sword,
which may he made to cut in every di
rection. If wily politicians and sor
didi capitalists may wield it for mere
party and personal greed; if oppress
ed 'wage-earners may invoke it to
wring justice from legislators and ex
Stort material advantages from em
ployers; if the lowest and most de
raded classes of men may use it to
open the sluice-ways of vice and
- rime; if it may be the instrumental
I ity by which the narrow, selfish, cor
rupt and corrupting men and meas
tures rule--it is quite as true that no
ble-minded statesmen, philanthropists
and reformers may make it the wea
pon with which to reverse the above
order of things, as soon as they can
have added to their now small num
rbers the immensely larger ratio ol
,what men love to call 'the better half
I of the people.' When women vote.
they will make a new balance of pow
er that must be weighed and measured
and calculated itn its effect upon ev
I ery social and moral question which
goes to the arbitrament of the ballot
box. Who can doubt that when the
I representative women of thought and
culture, who are today the moral
.)ackbone of our~ nationl. sit in counsel
with the best men of the country
; bher' conditions will be the result?
"There are grave questions of mor
IVIP
A COMFORTABLE,
I Handsomely uphols
I Rugs, Mattings, Linolet
want. Art Squares frc
Scrap Carpet, Sideboar
Hall Rack $4.00 to $2
Ice Cream Freezers thai
utes, big line Refrigerat
Hammocks ever broug
new est and most up-to-c
from $15.00 to $100.00
line of Wardrobes. and E
Goods have advance(
have not advanced the
and get our prices.
SheIIel
al, as well as ,of material interest in'
which women 'are mostly deeply con
cerned. Denied the ballot, the legit
imate means with which to exert their
influence, and, as a rule, being lovers
of peace, they have recourse to pray
ers and tears, those potent weapons
of women and children, and when
they fail, must tamely submit to
wrong or rise in rebellion against
the powers that be.''
B. C. Whitney's "Isle of Spice.''
I"To say, generall, that the Ameri
can stage differs in no way from thati
of any other country, would not be al
together true,'' says dainty Leslie
Leigh prima donna of B. C. Whitney's
piquant musical mixture, the ''Isle of
Spie"' soon to be seen in this city.
" Human nature is the same the world
over, yet custom and tradition must
be taken into account. ..Our people,
for example, have never taken kindly
to the so-called trained drama. We
have delighted in that which was up
lifting and ennobling, and shunned
that which was salacious and degrad
ing. It has been the rule that a play
that is unfit for the 'young person'
to see was unworthy for the elders toj
attend. Foreigners have poked the
finger of derision at us on this ac
count, but, we have stood our ground
and upheld our 'traditions.' Of
course, plays which were beyond de
fense and beneath contempt have en
joyed some, little prosperity on our
stage, but these have been like angel 's
visits, few and far between.
"As to ref orging the American
stage, I do not see where any reform
is necessary. Good plays succeed and
bad ones fail; vicious plays are driv
en from the stage, and scant support
is- given to the trifling and inane.
These, then, may be said to be halcyon
days for the American actor, and
playwright and manager. What de
fects there may be will find speedy
remedy, for that which is lacking in
truth, cannot long survive.''
Washington Stubbs, the principal
character in "The Maid and the
Mummy''is pursued by Trixie Ever
green, an actress. Finally Stubbs, in
desperation says: "I'll have to marry
that woman just to be in a position to
get a legal separation from her.'' The
troubles of this queer pair are only
one oIf the bits that go to make "The
Maid anid the Mummy'' such a per
et mu sical play. Th is merry me
innee by Richard ('arle and Robert
1101( ik)w-I wml appear at the opera
0,\
-AW -'V
_.Z
ROOMY GOUCH5
tered, well made.
Im, just the kind you
>m $6.00 to $25.00,
ds $8.00 to $30.00.
5.00, Water Coolers,
:will freeze in 3 min
ors, the finest line of
ht to Newberry, the
late line of Room Suits
. Come and see our
)ewing Machines.
i 10 per cent. but we
)rice. Come and look
Summer
What is Bromonia?
Read the following carefully:
If you have consumption or
some of the contagious forms of
blood poisoning we cannot- cure
you. We don't pretend to cure you.
You need the individual treatment
of some skilled specialist; but if
you are run down in general health
if you have dyspepsia, are subject
to fainting spells, a victim to in
somnia, biliousness, kidney or liver
trouble, catch cold easily, if your
system is in that condition that
you may become an easy prey to
the disease germs of pneumonia, Ia
grippe and the various epidemics,
if you are bothered with constant
headache, loss of memory, general
ly impaired vitality, we can help
you, and, if you follow our direc
tions, render you immune against
sickness. Most skin disease can be
cured by the use of "BBOXO
"BBOMONIAV" is to the humaa'
system what the scrubbing brush.
and soap are to the dirty wash
bowl. It aids Nature to resume
normal action.
W. E. Pelham & Son guarantee
that, if you will write to The Bro
monia Co., New York, giving your
full name and address on the cou
pon at the bottom of this column,
you will receive a full size pack
age without any cost to you what
ever.
Write name and address.-plain
ly. Be careful to address The Bro
monia Co., New York.... ....
FRE.E BROMONIA COUPON.
Name................
City . . . . . . .
State .. . . . . .
Street Address...... ...
My diseae L..........
If you think Bromonia is what
you need and do not care to send/
coupon, you will find it at all first-/
chs druggists 25 and 50 cts. the
bottle. Special sale being held by
W. L. Pelham & Son, Exelusive'
wV:.aale ag-ents for Newberry,&O n