Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Theaunted Chamber. Br "Tai DCEES8." Aaer9 qV 'qnca," "Mona S~nW i the me the dayM dwln twlgtdeends &en that n w darkness falls U is nonw0 f din thwr is aleady treated with nerO Sp& tW~ct thefr ++O ebamdo 44bated olid Ady r1&Io atperha1s IRI be as we mdind e wayMay isezdyrahe bore the ess that has ensued on the absenee of their host, decides to l on the morrow, to the gess distress of both Dora and FlorIce Del .&ine, who shrink from deserting the 7stle while its Master's fate is undeoi de& But they are also sensible ths, to' remain the only female guesto, woud be to outrage the convendonah ties. Henry VIMes Ethel's father, Is also of that they should all quit the -Lwithout delay. He Is a hunting an I. F. H. !n his own county, d% naturally anxious to Let back to ow quarters some time before the Mkting-wson commences. Some oth ers have already gone, and altogether itseems to florence that there is no other course open to her but to pack up andAesert him, whom she loves, in the hour of his direst need. For there are moments even now when she tells her self that he Is stMi livin and only * .waing for a saving hand todrag him into smooth waters once again. A silence hae fallen noon the bose nore melancholy tha tfhe loudest ex yression of grief. The servants are intrslng over thefr sup in fright gand g mood as to oath late master. them Sir Adrian Is indeed dead, if not buried. In the servants' oorriddr a stran dun lght f beingiun upon the IshedI bards by a han g-amp tha is buring dimly, ss though oppressed by the dire evi that has fallenupon the old oMstle. No sound Is to be heard here in this spot, remote from the rest of the house, where the servants sel - dom coeecet to go to bed, and never indeed without an inward shud der as they pas the door that loads to the haunte~chamber. Just now, being at their supper, there -is no fear that any of them wil be about, and so the dimly lighted corrl dor is wrapped in ku unbroken silence. Not qte unbroken, however. What *Is t strikes upon the ear? What soun-t asto break the unearthly stilli Acre Ing footstep, a cau tous tred, a Ktn=g, haling. uncer tain motion, belonging surely to some one who sees an enemy, a spy in every flitting shadow. Nearer and nearer 1t comes now into the fuller glare of the lamp>-light, and stops short at the doot o drea ed by the castle servants. Looking uneasiy around him, Ar thur D our--for it is he-unfast (e te door and, entering hastily, ol ses i firmly 4h b , and ac4 the withine . ere isno hat ag hsWe footsteps now, no uncertain - ty, no caution, only a haste that betok - ens a desire to _t hi. errand over as H Ingm ' the first landing, he walks slowly and on tiptoe again, and, creeping up the stone stairs, crouches down so asto bring his ear on a level with the lower ehtnk of the door. Alass, all is tl1; no faintest groan canbe heardI he silence of Death is all around. In spite of his hardihood, the cold sweat of fear breaks out uon D ecurt's brow; and yet he tells h~ -sef that now he is satisfied, all is well, his victim issecure,is byond the pow or of words or kln ly search to recall him to life. He may bediscoved- now of onn ore I n~b1Gw Ofviolends to crimi -1t~ayone. X~~-s mife sind ina - -thhad so aoee set last his somethinm fiendish in the lkofernitation that light. Arthur pyeor' face He has a si.all dull ltrnwith hiand now It reveals the vi1leance oftriumph that fires his eyes e wuld ain ave entered to 'gt pnhis victim, to assure himself redkeeps him back, and, wi.h a frown, he prepares to' descend once more. Aga'in he listenis, but the sulle~n roar of-therising night wind Is all taat can be heard. His hand shakes, his face assumes a livid hue, yet he tells him self- that surely this deadly silence is better than he listened to last night. SThen a ghostly moaning, almost inces saat and unearthly in sound, had orc~bIed his brain. It was more like the cry, of a dying brute than that of a man. Sir Adrian slowly starved to death! In his own'- mid Arthur can heeim now, worn, emaciated, lost to -knssof anything air or comely. the atsattckehim yet? As 'grwsome thought presente Itself, Dynecourt rises quickly from his oreuching position. and, flying down the steps, does not stop running until b-~..rnves in the corridor below again. 1He dashes into this like one posses sed; but, finding himself in the lheht of the bagn lamp, collects hlimse~ by a 'violent effort, and looks around. Yes, all Is still No living form but his Is near. The corfldor, as he glan ess affrightedly up an'd down, Is empty. Hea can see nothmng but his own shia. ow, at eight of which he starts and - arns pale and shudders.. henext moment he recovers him' , nmuttering an anathemaunpon oardice, he moves noiselessly to-. - ward his room and the brandy-bottle Uia has been his constant companion - flate. Yet, here In his own room, he can not rest. The hours go by wIth laggard steps. Midnl ht has struck, an tl .be pcshis floor from wal to wall, hal-maddened by his thoughts. Not that he relents. No feelings of repen tance stirs him, there is only a nervous dread of the hour when it will be nec cessary to pioduce the dlead body, If nltoprove his claim to the title so * eryand so infamously purchased. Is heindeed dead-gone past recall? Is this house, this place, the old title, the chance of wbing the woman he would have, all his own? Is his hateful .~4-atefull to him only because of isfair faco and genial m ners and l~'be disposition, al e esteem with which he flleame hearts of afl who knew him-actually swept out of his path? Again the lurking morbid ioneing to 'view rne body with his ewn eyes, the ion g that had been his some hours ago when listening at the fatal door, se'a hold of him, and grows in inten-. si~ with every passing moment. ca last tcoquers hi. L ghti2~ S ,out. No one is astir. In all probahill. 'yevery one Is abed, and now sleenmng - the sleep of the just-all except finm. SWil theie ever be any rest or dream less. sleep for him again? He goes softly down-stairs, an& makes his way to the lower door.' Meeting no one, he ascends the staire like one only half conscious, until he nuds himself again before the door of the haunted chamber. *Then he wakes into sudden life. An *wfrdl terror takes possession of him. He struggles with himself, and pres-~ ently se far succeeds in regaining some degree of composure that hie can lean aginst the wall and wipe his forehead, and vow to himself that he will never des~end until he has accomolished thiS object of his visit. But the result of thi terrible fight with fea~r and con science shows itself in the increasing palor of his brow and the cold per praonthat stands thick upon his *ehead. Nerving himself for a final effort, be lsys his hand'uponthe door and pushes it open. .This he dees with bowed head >-n11f eyes averted, fraid to. look upon his terrible workl: A silence more hor fib to his guiltry conciencethp th.e a.mt annam le n $, foilw st anu, aam erw n:neiess terror seizMg him, he r ans against it gladly, as if for And now at hist l'e raises his eyes. Slowly at tirst and cringingly, as if dreading what. thv might see. Upon the bIoard at his feet they rest for a moment. und.i 'then gnid, to the Dext board, and so on. unis coward eyes Lao eired. a considerable portion of thr oor. And now, grown bolder, h lifts his gazo the wall ppostad searfhes I it carnctull. Then his aves turn again to tho dloor. Is* face gheAtly. and with his eyes nlmest daring frMm their socktA.s he n ls himself to bring his awful investiga ion to an end. Avoid lng the corners et tirst, as though there he expects his vile deed will cry aloud him demandhiig eng&nce. he gazeI a dazed Way at the center Of the apartment, auli dwells upon 4 stuid 1y. itnil he knows be must look er till; and then his dull eyes turn to the corners Wh-re the dusky shadows lie, brought tlIdgor by toe glare of his Smalllantern. Rteluct.ntl , but cmre fully. he scniws 'Li .rt1ment, no remo : znot ea-n--e his roused attention. Bat ro olbject, -Iad or living. attract his r.tice: The 1*om is empty! K e staggors. His hnid upon the door relaxes. His iaimf) fNs to the ground; the door closes wi'th asoft but deadly thud behind him. zad-he is a prisoner in the haunted eibamb.r! As the dark ness closes in upon in, and he finds himself alone with what he hardly dares to con hiis senses grow -confmiis. in reels; a fearful screan isues fr' as ips, and he falls to the Akwr - Dora. af,:-r ex i.ervw with Ar thur fnr:. r adced that all Is lost. ilet is . -ui- nrucx-nothing remaina lni des. and in this i stance desialr -O. in ooinruc by the knowledge that she believes she knows the m-an who would help them to a solution of their troubles if he ever would or dared. No, clearly he dare not' Therefore, no assistance can be looked for from him. Dinner at the castle has been a pro miscuous sort of entertaiment for the past three or four days, so Dora feels no compunction in declning to go to it. In her own room she sits broodig mis erably over her Inability to be or any use in the present crisis, ivhen she sad denly remembers that she had prom ised in the afternoon when with Flor ence to give her, later on, an account of her effort to obtain the truth about this mystery which is harroring them. It is now eleven o&clock and Dovra de cides that she must see Florence at once. Rising, wearily, she is about to cross the corridor to her cousin's room. when. the door opening, she sees Florence, with a Dale face and agitated, coming toward Ler. "You, Florencel" she exclaims. "I was just going to you, to tell you that my hopes of this afternoon are all--" 'Let me speak," interrupts Florence breathlessly. "I must, or-" She sinks Into a chair, her eyes close, and invol untarily she lays her hand upon her heart as if to allay its tumultuous beat ra really alarmed, rushing to her dressing-case, seizes upon a flask of eau-de-Cologne, and flings some of its contents freely over the fainting girl. Florence, with a sigh, rouses herself, and site upright. "There is no time to lose," she says confusedly. "Oh. Dora:" Here s breaks doiwn and bursts into tears. "Iry. to compose yourself," entreats Dora, seeing the girl has some impor tant news to impart, but is so nervous and unstrung as to be almost Incapable of speaking with any coherence. But presently Florence grows calmer, and then, her voice becoming clear and full, she is able to unburden her heart. "All this day I have been oppressed bry a curious restlessness," she says to Dora; and, when you left me this af ternoon, your vague promises of be ig able to' elucidate thie terrible secret that is weighing us down made me even more unsettled. I did not go down to dinner-" "Neither did I," puts in Mrs. Talbot sympathetically. "I wandered-uand -down my room for Aasast'two hours, thinking always, -a waiting for the moment when vou would return, according to promIse, and tell me the success of your hidden enterprise. You did not comie, and at half past nine, unable to stay any lon ger in my own room with only my own thoughts for company, I opened my door, and, listening intently, found by the deep silence that reigned through out the house that almost every one was gone, if not to bed, at least to their own rooms." "Lady- FitzAlmont andi C,?rude passedto the& roamns about an hour ago," says Dora. "But some of the men, I think,'are still in the smoking-room." "I did not think of them. -I stole from my room, and roamed idly through the halls. Suddenly a great I can not help thinking now a super ntrlystrong-desire to go into the nsrats' corridor took possession of me. Without allowing myself an in stant hesitation I turned in its direc tion, and walked on until I reached it." She pauses here, and draws her bre on rientreate Dora Impatiently. "I'he lamp was burning dimly. The servants were all down-stairs-at their supper, I suppose-because there was no tae of tem anywhere. Not a sound could be heard. The whole place looked melancholv and deserted. and nuea me wirtn a sense or awe I coumd not overcome. Still it attracted me. I lingered there, walking up and down until its very monotony wearied me; even then I was loath to leave it, and, turning into a small sitting-loom, I stood staring idly around me. At last. somewhere mn the distance I heard a clock strike ten and, turning, I decid ed on going 6ack onoe more to my room. Again, emotion'overcoming her Flor" ence pauses, and leans back in her chair. "Well, but what Is there in all this to terrify you so much?" demands her cousin, somewhat bewildered. "Ah, give me time! Now I am com ing to it,' replies Florence quickly. "You know the large screen that stands in the corridor gus) outside the sitting-room I have mentioned-u there, I imagine to break the draugt Well, I had come out of the rooman was standing half-hidden by this screen, when I saw something that paralyzed me with fear." She rises to her feet and grows dead ly pale as she says this, as though the sensation of fear she has been descrily ing has come to her again. "You saw_" prompts Dora, rising too, and trembling violently, as though in expectation of some fatal tdings. "I saw the door of the room that leads to the haunted chamber slow'y move. It opened; the door that has been locked for nearly fifty years, and that has filled the breasts of all the ser vants here with terror and dismay, was. cautiously thrown open! A scream rose to m'y lips,bnt I was either too ter rified to give utterance to it, or else some strong determination too know what would follow restrained me, and I stood silent, like one turnned into stone. I had instinctively moved back a step or two, and was now completely hidden from sight, though I could see all that was passing in the corridor through a hole in the frame-work of the screen. At last a figure came with hesitating footstens from behind the door into the full glare of the flicker ing lamp. I could see him distinctly. It was-" "Arthur Dynecourt!" cries the widow, covering he'r ghastly face with her hands. Florence regards her with surprise. "It was." she says at last. *.But how did you guess it?" "I~ knew it," cries Dora frantically. "e has murdered him, ho has hidden his body away in that forgotten cham ber. Hie was gloating over his victim, no doubt. Just b~efore you saw him, stealing down from a secret visit to the sceha of 'is crime." "Dor'i," ex laims Florence, grasping her arm, "if he should not have murder him after all, if he should only have secured him there, holdIng him prison er until he should see his way more clearly to getting rid of him! ' If this idea be the oorrect one, we may yet be! n +ma tn sae to reme himf" -ne agitation or tie past hours prov ing now too much for her, Florence bursts into tears and sobs wildly. "Alas, I dare not believe in any such hope!" says Dora. "I know that man too well to think him capable of show in; any mercy." "And vt 't'hat man,' as you call him. vou wo'lid once have earnestly recom inended to me as a hsband!" returns FIorence, sternly. "Do not reproich me now," exclaims Dora; "later on you shall say to me all you wish, but now nomcnts are pre "You are right. Something must be done.. -Shall I-shall I speak to Mr. Villiers?" "I hardly know what to advise"--dis tractedly.~ "If we give our suspicion publicity, Arthur Dynf(-eurt may even yet find time and oppo;rtulnity to baffle and disappoint us. Besides which, we may be wrorg. I1e imay have had noth Ing to do with it. a d At that rate, isrcreev is to be our ftrst thonght. lyo a Af me go alone in search of Sir Mrian. "Alone. and at ths hour, to that aw ftl room:" exclaims Dcra, recoiling from her. "Yes, at once"-1lrmlv-"wthout an other Moment's dieav . "Oh. I can no:" diclIares Dora, shud dering violdently. -Then 1 shall go alone!" As Fio:Pnee says this, she takes up her candlestick and moves quickly to ward the door. "Stay, I will go," cries Dora tremb ling. 3ut a slight interruption occur ring at his instant, they are compelled to wait 1or awhile. Ethel Villiers. coming into the room to make her parting adiev to Mrs. Talbot. as she MA her father intend leavinz next morning. gazes anxiously from Florence to Dora, seeing plainly that there' is something amiss. "What in its" she asks kindly, going ap to Flo'e. Miss De'm2ene, after a little hesite tim:. m :! by a glanzc at Dora's terri - ' -. snee, cetermines on w-ing the n-coe into tWeir cond aw r n i:e explains all that has tate . i. e. and t.hir suspicion. Ethel.. I: ;: unig Ieneath the hor ror and sunr:i a :imed bv the re cital, does not lose her self-possession. "I will go with you." she volunteers. "But, let -me say," she adds. "I think you are wrong in making this search without a man. If-if indeed we are still in time to be of any use to poor Sir Adrian-always supposing he really is secreted In that torrible room-I do not think any of us would be strong enough to help him down the stairs, and,'if he has been sowly starving all this time, think how 'on he will be!" "Oh, what a wreted picture you conjure upi" exclaims Florence, nerv ously clasping her han is. "But you are right, and now tell me who you think can best be depended upon in this crisis." "I am sure," says Ethel blushing slightly, but speaking with intense earnestness. that, if you would not mind trusting Captain Ringwood, he would be both safe. and useful." As this suggestion meets with ap proval, they manage to convey a mes sage to the captain, and in a very few minutes he is with them, and Is made acquainted with their hopes and fears. Silently, cautiously, without any light, but carrying two small lamps read7 for ignition, t go down to the corridor where is the oor that leads to the secret staircase. Turning the handle of this dor, Captain Ringwood discovers that It Is locked, but, nothing daunted he pulls It so violently backward and forward that the lock, rusty with Age, gives way and leaves the passage beyona open to them. Going into the small landing at the foot of the staircase, they close the door carefully after them, and then. captain Rinerwood producing some matches, they light the two lam~ and herts, up the stairs. in The second door Is reached. and now notnmg remaims ijut to mount the last flight of steps and open the fatal door. Theii 'tearts at this trying moment almost fall them. They look into one another's blanched faces. and look there in vain for hope. At last, Ring wood, touching Ethel's arm, says, in a whisper "Come, have courage.-all may yet be well!" He moves toward the stone steps, and they follow him. Quickly mount ing them, he lays his hand upon the door, and, afralil to give them any more time fo'r reflection or dread or wb~t Aulay yet be in store for them, throws it open. At first the feeble light from their lamps fails to penetrate the darkness of the gloomy apartment. At the cur sory glance. such as they at first cast rouxd the room. it appears to be empty. Their hearts sink within them. Have they Indeed hoped in vain! Dora is crying bitterly; Ethel, with her eyes fixea upon Ringwood, is read ing her own disappointment in his face. when suddenly a piereing cry from Florence wakes the echoes round them. She has darted forward, and is kneel ing over something that even now Is barely discernible to the others as they come nearer to it. It looks like a bun de of clothes, but, as they stoop over it, they, too, can see that it is In reali ty a human body, and apparently rigid in death. But the shriek that has sprung from the very soul of Florence has reached some still living fibers in the brain of this forlorn creature. Slowly and with dificulty he raises his head. and opens a p air of fast-glazing eyes. Mechanic ally his glance falls upon Florence. His lips move; a melancholy smile struggles to show itself upon his parch ed and blackened llos. -ne is not aeaa:- cries nrenlA paa sionately, "He can not he! Oh, save him, save him! Adrian, look up speak to me. Oh,. Adrian. mak~ie some sign that you can hoar me!* But he makes no sign. is very breath seems to have left him. Gath ering hIm tenderly in her arms, Flor ence presses his worn andl wasted face against her bosom, and pushes back the hair from his forehead. He is so ompletely altered, so thorough a wreck has he become, that it Is indeed nly the oyes of love that could recog aize him. Htis cheeks have fallen in, nd deep h~u show themselves. His beard N crown. and Is now ough an d ' ; his hair is un obed, : .'- wat despair, and :uel saz -. - ?e blotted out all te ol: - of his features, His cothes a- - aloosely about himr, his h'sadi. . ; nd nerveless, are ly ing by his ';. Who shall tell what agony he has suffered during these past lonely days with death-an awful, creeping, nawing death staring hnim A deadly silence hes V~n upon the little group now iozinnina~nly down upon his quiet form. >'hLrence, hold ing him closaly to her heart, is gently rocking him to and fro, as though she will not be dissuaded that he still lives, At length Captain Ringwood, stoop ing pitifully over her, loosens her hold1 so far as to enable him to lay his hand upon Sir Adrian's heart. After a mo-I ment, during which tev all watch him! closely, he starts, and,. lookin still closer into the face that a second ago e believed dead. he says, with sub dued hut deep excitementr "There may yet be time! lie breathe. -his heart beats! Who will help me to carry him out of this dungeon?" He shudders as he glances roud him. "I will," replies Florenca calmly. Thse words of hope have steadied her ~dbraced her nerves. Ethem and Mrs. .4!b~'ot, carrying the lamps, go on before, +!!es Ringwood and Florence, having . 'i1 the senseless body of Ad rian, not sdeed sufficiently light to be' an easy burden, follow them. Reaching the corridor, they cross It hurriedly, and carrying Adrian up a back staircase that leads to Captain Ringwoods room by a circuitous route,I they gain it without encounteringa sinle soul, and lav him gently down, on hingwood's bed. almost at the very comenth that midnight chimes from the old tower, and only a few niinuites before Arthur Dynecoumrt steals from his chamber to make that last visit to his supposed victim. rr'[Contnue. ', SENTENCEAND HU'NI4HiMSELF A Farmer Acensed of Crime Commits Sul cide by Hanging. PENDLETON, S. C., April 1 .-The body of E. D. Cason a whi -nan living on Wiilim Watkin f , siX miles from Pedh-e"r, we fiu. Sunday morU'D hanging t: A L I t r near Watki h aith p u 'u two huid.ed =ds from Mr. CW -n home. Circump,tmetC 'Ahowe, that b -L' cide was t hem: uhly pland !rA 3 b Aset n-a a i I curadt two 1a rbrn er n smnll cotton rare.plaed 1hem~ around his neck swurely, having tied knots so as to avoid all pasmbilit~ lsof an accident,cimbod up &n oa tre.plae ed the lines secur il. srrmd a limb and jumped off. His f-t were ordy a fw inehes from the ground Nothing was foimd on hir., prson as an explanation foW this te-mle act but it is believed that recent charges made against himself and others of brutality, beating a woman in (Geor gia, gave the cause. Mr. Cason was out on bond, having been arrested a few dys since and taken before a tria.l juaticc. where the charges were sustained and the Case was s.nt up to the higher court. I am told that his wife said she thought there were other troubles that would confront Mr Ca son. if he appea-ed before the courts in Georgia ar.d that with this recent trouble was the cause. Mr. Cason was a tenant on Mr. Watkin's plantation and in that s-cL tion bore a very good character and was thought well of by his landlord, who promptly went on'his bud. H7e was a native of Geor;;ia where he mar ried and subsequently got a divorce. He casme to South Carolina, began work on Mr. Watkin's farm and shortly married Harvey Soord's daughter. It appears from what I could gath er that Mir. Cason was brought into this last trouble by his brother who induced him to go to Goorg's and help beat the woman who hadgained a lawsuit over him. Why She Called a Ha&. "George!" It was't what ehe said so mumh as the way in which she said it. She took the word and drew it out until it was a long, tremulous filament of sweetness. Yet there was a tingle of reproof in her tone. "George!" She only said it once in reality, but it is customary with story writers to say George twice un der the circumstanoes. "What is it?" "You have been squeezing my hand with great regularity and emphasis for some time." "I know it," he replied. with the frankness that was characteristic of his manly nature. "Please don't do it any more," and her voice dropped almost into a whis per. "No more?" This nounded like heart throbs of anguish (whatever they are) and his form shook with emotion. "Why not?" "Because" she faltered. "Go on." "Because, rm getting a corn a my little finger." A Singular Lab-w Fight. Rernstons, Md.. April 17.-A .eui ous labor fight is in pr'ogr-ess here. While there is ao etrike for eight hours, the trades unions are trying to enforce their card system, by which they expect to be paid for all extra work. In this contest they do n z ecog'nize the Knights of Labor, bui, place them on the same level as '-scabs," and refuse to work with them. There is a great demand for carpenters and workmen at this time, and work on important buildings i.', delayed because of the fight.. On many of them the union men nave quit work because the employers re fused to dismiss the Knights of La bor. The Right Spirit. Visitor: "You're getting to be a pretty old man, Uncle Johua." 'Uncle Joshua: "Eighty years." Visitor; "And you don't havo to use glasses yet, I understand.'' Uncle Joshua: "No. an' I don't even calculate to. When I can't drink outent a bnttle, I'll take a dipper an' drink watter." -Meehie's magnincent equestrian statue of General Robert E. Lee will be unveiled at Richmond on May 29, and will be made the occasion of a gre <t demonstration. The R. E. Lee Camp of Confederate Veterans is in charge of the ceranmonies, and is taking measures to seenre the largest possible attendance of the old sol diers of the Confederacy. Arrangc ments will be made with the railroads for a rate of one cent a mile,accommo dations will be far-nished to visitors in Richmond at exceedingly low cost, eseecially to military and veteran organira!tons, and everything done to make iihe stay of visitors enjoys. bla. --The gorgeous ranlway train which the Queen and King of Italy bad built for their journey tolBerlin this month was burned in the Florence railway station about three weeks ago. The cost of the train was more 1than 70,000 lirn. It was furnished with a wealth of gold and silver orna ments and was filled with the most costly uphoistery. Most of the pres ente intnded for the Berlin court had already been placed on it. Only a few of the most valuable pieces of table ware and about a third of the presentse were saved. -It would be singular if the first long distance electric road should be established in far-away Russia. Such a thing, however, sems more thian probable, for a project is now on foot to conneet St. Petersburg with Archangel a distance of 5000 miles. by an electric railway. The enter prise, with which the name of the Siemens is connected. is backed by Archangel interests, and the esti mated cost of the road. Lincding~ olling stock, will be $15,000 per mile -A eurious case is related in the ewspaper. ofMr.andMrs.Wyncoop~of New Haven. They are young. wealthy ma loving, but Mr. Wyncoop's hung are affected and he can live only in Colorado, while his wife has heart disease and cannot live except near the coast. They are, therefore, ef-' fectually parted. The question is hether the fact will justify a di vorce. -The new disease, alleged to be a sccessor to the grip and called La ona, is said to be a form of the pellegra, and to be caused by the use f mildewed corn flour whicht is con sumed in North Italy in the shape of polenta. The viti sink into y peaceful sl'-p and die~ muconscio:s, nstead of sne-zing their heads ofi' ad livng a in the grip. COAL OIL JOHNNY. New Faots About the Spendthrift Who Spent 8100,O0 a Year. The visitor to the oil regions asked first about Coal-Oil Johnny and next about Jolmit D. E,-solkeftlkor. T stat n t is (f ten ublished that Coal-Oil .Jhcnny h died or that he has regainod his squan dlered fortune. There is ai munch truth in one as in the othor. Fic, is sill alive at the age of about fifty yeaxs, and his address is Ashland, Saunders County, Neb., where he has lived for the past twelve ycars. He is at pres ent employed as a station agent at Ashland. He has not recovered his fortune or any part of it, but makes a comfortable living and has appar ently forgotten the princely days of his youth. Coal-Oil Jolnny was about three years runing through with his for tune. It was at Rousenile where Johnny began to throw away his money, but that town, although one of the red hot oil towns, was soon too small for him. Erie, Buffalo and Pittsburg know him next, but it was at Philadelphia that he distinguished himself most. How much money he squandered in threeyears is a matter of conjecture, even in the oil country. There is, however, a wide misappre hension as to the amount. .His for tune did not zeaeh into tho millions. as has so often been stated. The best judgment here plaet- t at not abovo $300,000. He was the adopted son of widow McClintock, and at her death her oil farm and its aseumulat ed earnings passed to him. Perhaps $100,000 was turned ovar to Johnny on the settling of her estate, and his share of the product of the farm after that time is supposed to have been about $200,000. He therefore squan dered about $100,000 a ye.r for the three years the money lasted. At the end of this time the old bonanza farm had ceased to yield and his money was spent. His career as a spendthrift came to an end on Thursday, February 14, 1868, when he filed a voluntary peti tion in bankruptcy in the United States District Court at Pittsburg. His indebtedness at the time was thus acheduled: H. W. Kanga, Girard House, Philadelphia. $19,824 William E. Galbraith, attorney at-law, Erie, Pa. 10,000 J. E. Caldwell & Co., Philadel phia, jewelry. 5,805 John D. Jones, harness 1,280 W. S. Horn. cigars. 56 E. H. Conklin, Philadelphia, liquors. 2,024 Phelan & Collender, billiard ta bles. . 1,500 Unknown ereditor, oil painting 2,000 For hats, 800 Total, $42,789 This soedule tells its own story of a royal spree extending over a period of three years. The indebtedness at the Girard House was for board, liquors, cigars, etc. While at this hotel he occupied a suite*of rooms on the parlor floor, and usually had from one to three kindred sportswith him, whose board and expenses he paid for the sake of their company. The amount of his unpaid bill at tie Girard House, nearly $20,000, is an indication that he and his compan ions lived tolerably high. How much money he paid to the Girard House is notknown, but it is thought to have been as much as he left unpaid. It is a curious fact that the old played-out Steel farmhas been revived and is making another man rieh. The man is John W. Waits, of Oil City, who bought the old place a few years ago for $7,000. He has since been offered $80,000 for it. Waits was a street gamin about Rouseville when Johnny Steel was cutting his wide swath there, and frequently held the young oil prince's team while the lat ter went into a saloon to get a drink. DESEftT ROMANCES. A. Naked W/anderer on the Medave Burprises Two Railroad Men. Lxtenaing from the San Bernardi na medin o.n the west to the Colo rado river on the cast and from thae south line of Inyo county onth north to the north line of San Diego county on the south is that vast ex panse of "melancholy waste" known as thes Majove Desert. Many are the tales of privation and suffering en dured on this verdureloess expanse. One of the strangest and yet true oo currences has been experienced near this place, which is in the middle of the desert. Last Tucsday evening as engine 51, Engineer Spencer, was returning from Lavic. he encountered the following experience, which is best told in his own words: "I had just rounded the curve near mile-post 673 and had taken my watch from my pocket. Noting the time,6:25 o'clock. I returned it to its plce and naturally glanced ahead of my engine. What was my surprise to see not over thirty yards ahead of me and approaching the track from the south, a man apparently six feet tall, about thirty-five years of age, with long, black hair hanging down his aboulders and heavy black beard. He was entirely naked, and his skin was tanned. Putting on the driver brake, I brought the engine to a stop just as thb man crosssed the track. ftr crossing he stopped and looked at s. "I immediately crossed over to the fireman's side, and as I started to climb down to the ground he started off. I called to him aslIreached the ground, but, with a frightened look, he dashed away. I thought I was a good runner, but the way his bare feet got over the cinders and gravel led me to believe otherwise. Once or twice he looked back, but did not slacken his pace. Reaching the hills, which are about half a mile from the track, he soon disappeared. The freman, who had remained with the engine, now came .up, and we went around the hill, but he had diisap peared from view. I confess I did not dare to follow him around there alone. As it was late, and our ,n ine was standing on the main track tone, we abandoned further search and returned to the engi'ne." How to Tell a Counterfeit BIn. Take a United States bill of any lenomination and hold it to the light, mnd you will see two lines running ntirely across it lengthwise. Uponi xamination you will find these to onsist of silk threads, a red one and ~lue one. Every genuine bill has this ark of genuineness. With out these narks a bill may be put down as ounterfeit, no matter how good the mgraving on it is. No paper mill v'ill dare make this sort of paper and :his is the government's only protec SOUTH CAROUNA'S CROP The Condition of the Farming Interest of. the State as Indicated by the Rteports to the Department of AgricuIturo. From the reports of the correspond ents of the Department of Agricul tur- in all - z of the statoj t-e fo) lowing ; facts hve- b-een le44ued 47l, the cotiiI4tes as to conlditiol of the exvp.; given terwti been made, The aoreasg in wheat bs been de creased about 7 per cent. br-low last year, and the condition is30 per cent, lesi than at the samre last year, and ha been materially injured by the Hessian fly. The damage by winter freeceS was nominal. About 9 per cent. of the crop was drilled against 91 per eent. broadcasted. The drilled wheat i- generally reox)rted in the brtter londition. The crop was, as a rule, sown latoer than in 1889, the averagc dat-e of seeding beingDecem ber ist. As usual, the early sowing is rpported in botter coition than the late. Tbe acreage in oats is reported at about the sume as last year and the eondition is 1G per cent. below that of last year. The failing of is attributed largely to the ravages of the Hessian ny, and a small percentage has been injured by the late freeEes. The acrenge in both rye and barley has been slightly rediueed and the conlitior is not so good a at the same time in 1889. L-z STOCX. The remarkably open winter has been very favorable to live stock of all kinds and they are reported as in gen erally fine codition. The deaths fro-n winter exposure have been nom inal and confined to but few localities. The percentage of loss from diseases is exceptionally small. About 5 per cent. of the bogs in the State have died from cholera.. COTTON ON NAND. It is estimated -that 21 per cent., or 13,000 bals. of last year's erop is still in the hands of the growers. DnCeuAASU1 FAR)M SP.a. Judging from the reports of the de partment's correspondents, the farm ers of the State are in better condi tion than ever before. Notwith standing the enormous increase in the quantity of commercial fertilizers purchased, the decrease in fsrm sup plies purchased is per cent. on than last year. LAWoR. There is a scarcity of labor reported from some sections, on account of the emigration of the negro farm hands to the turpentine farms of Georgia and Florida. Oneltundred and fifty five correspondents report labor as "good," seven as '-bad"-and sixty-five as "indifferent." colwck m zRTL I. From November 1st, 1889, to April 1st, 1890, about 165,000 tons of com mercial fertilirers were sold in the State, against 126,56S tons for the same period in 1889-'89-an increase of about 30 per eent. over last year, which would indicate a large' increase of the cotton acreage for 1890. Corn planting has been nnished in many sections and cotton planting is progressing rapidly. Honest Doctrs. All honesty conhcientions physi clns who give B. B. B. (Botanic Blood Balm) a. trial, frankly admit its superiority over all other blood medicines. Dr. W. J. Adair, Rockmnont, Ga., writes: "I regard B. B. B. as ce af the best blood medicines." Dr. A. H. Roseoe, Nashville, Tenn., writes: "All reports of B. B. BR are favorable, and its speedy aetioni is Iwonderful." Dr. J. W. Rhodes, Crawfordville, Ga., writes: "I confess B. B. B. is the best and quickest medicine for rhenu matism I have e'rer tried." Dr. S. 5. Farmer, O'rawfordville, Ga.. writes: "I cheerfully recommend B. B3. B. as a fine tonic alterative. Its use cured an excrescence of the neck after other remedies effocted no perceptible good." . jDr. C. K. Montgomery, Jacksoi yille, Ala., writes: "My mother in sisted on my getting B. B. B. for her rheumatismn, as her case unbbornl~y resisted the uisual remedies. She experienced- immediate relief and her improvement has been truily wonider Iful" Dr. G. W. Earle, Piekens, 5. C., writes: "I recommended B. B. B. to a man who had suffered for years with a malignant ulcer on his leg, that seemed to resist all other knat mont. After using four or nye bot ties the ulcer began to heal and his leg is now sound and well." Piance and Organs. N. W. Txux, 134 Main Street, CO. lomnbia, S. C., sells Pianos and Organs direct from factory. No agents' corn miasions. The eelebrated Chickes ing Piano. Mathumek Piano, eele brated for Its clearness of tone, light ness of touch and lasting' qualitis. Mason & Hamlin Upright Piaao. Sterling Upright Piano, from $22 tip. Arion Piano, from 3200 ng Miason & Hamlin Organs, suraae by none. Sterling Orgeans, $50 11. Every Instrument guaranteed for ix years. Frf teen days' trial, ex pensos both way's, if not satisfactoro. A poliey in the Valley Mutual LI!. Association, on the teni year re newable plan, at age 40, costs anly $11.25 per annum pe'r 31,009. See advrtisement. -ohn Smith and Edward Lin ball, two young me~n of Northwood, N.H., purchased two onnees of Jasmai ca ginger at Tu.ker's drug store and dranfk it.Smiath died in 1Afteen minutem Kimrball was ned4e wry ifll but mayI -New York State is now agape over another scandal, charges being made that a bill offered in the Legis laturo for the regulation of pawn brokers was defeated by the use of a boodle of $40,000 collected by persons in that business. -The Sen:ae Committee on Naval .kfair,; has agreed to report favorably Senator Butlena bill for the con struction of a drty dock at Port B~oy al. S. CL -The carpenters' trike in Chiego continutes and thoussunds of workmien in otheri building trades are now out o' work becaus. they emi'ot go oni Uncl s IIl-M r.- Visit From Thieves-The Treasury V~nnts Not Safe. WASHINGTON AJ The tireas uv e-r of the Unit' '-- has asked ihe Hiouse comnittn - appropria iVon to put t.r1eo . He im mediately a specil approp LCton to enabIe him to strengthen the old tresurv ault, in which are deposits aggreg-ti9g )0ot e. H-e had experiments ma~de r-t.iM. his sus pitions having been aroused as to the security of tie -vauits which are of a style twei.ty-Iive :- old. His expert bored a nole tirough the vault w :l lai sevenL'-cU sfc(nds, and he made the holb irge enough to crawl through in Z m?Ien iminutts. Practically the coure;ts of the vaults were at his disposal, induding .250, 000 in greenbacks in a corner six feet square. The cuiuittee. on receiv ing this startling information, told Treasurer Huston to go ahead and prepare estimat- j- -tisinu1g to put through the House namediatf-ly any appropriation deemea necessary. The treasurer is now preparing estimates which will probably be rcady so that the bill can be presented at once. Meanwhile the treasiy guards have beeli doubled. The totad a.ou Ithe funds for whieh Treasurer Huston is responsi ble is about 5770.000,000. Of this amount abou't '% 170,000.000, chiefly in silver, are t1 ne . steel silver vault, the remacinei oealg in the old treasury vault, which it is now pro posed to repair and strengthen. Treasurer Huston does not think much of the steel silver vault. but as it is rather difficult to carry off the cart wheel dollars, it does not make so much difference about this vault. But in the old treasury vault are miscellaneous moneys, gold, silver, greenbacks, etc.. which could be car ried off, and Treins-rer Huston is unwilling to cairy this risk longer without trying to strengthen the vault walls. The treasury watchmen have always been noted for their integrity and !idelity, but if2 by political influence, their positions not being protected by the civil service law, two or three expert cracksmen could be got on the force or if the cracksmen could get into the treas ury at night on an employe's pass or in any other way, kss than half an hour's work on the old treasury vault would give them the biggest fortune in the world if they got away with nothing but the greenbacks. The treasurer's examination of the vatit and his recommendation to the committee on appropriations have been kept profoundly secret from all but five members of the committee who would have especial charge of the matter under the committee's division of labor. Treasurer Huston! almost jumped out of his chair wfien he was asked about it this evening. Dn'ecting his messenger, who was blotting his mail as the tr"asurer signed it, to leave the room and close the door, he proceeded to- interview the interviewer as -to how he; got -the news which he thought he had kept profoundly secret. Of course he did not learn anything, but seeing that the interviewer had the facts, admit ted that it was all true, but said that it should not be published lest it create an unnecessary sensation. The interviewer had to- tell him that he couldnot ke'ep an 'oyed segret;. and so the'stor' goes. - . -- Unveiling ofrThe Lee Monument, R. K LseCsap, N56. '1Confeder ate Veterans, at the request of the Lee Monument Association, has as sumed charge of the exercises for the unveiling of a monument to General Robert E. Lee, at Richmond, Va., May 29, 1890. The railroad lines to Richmond will probably agree to grant a rate of about one cent for each mile tray cled, to all visiting organizations and individuals. As soon as arranged, definite information will be given. Shelter will be furnished for all visit ing organizations. Meals have been arranged for with responsible res taurants, to be furnished at t wventy tive cenits each. Camps or organiza tions owning tents and camp equi page, desiring to form an encamp ment, will give notice. that the neces sary space may be provided and ar rangements made. It is necessary that notice shall be given to the Secretary of the Comn mittee, as early as possible, of your intention to be present-certainly not later than the 15th of May. A War Reminisenee. . "That man was one of the bravest and coolest soldiers in the Confeder ate army." Such was the- remark of an old Confederate soldier in front of the Hotel Chiquola last Monaday, point ing to a man with an empty sleeve who had just passed. Those who heard the remark were young men who have come upon the stage since the trying time of war, but being none the 'less admirers of lieroismn, they at once inquired as to the one armed man's history, when the nar rator continued: "It was in the Will's Valley fight at Lookout Mountain. in 1863, when we tackled the Yankees in the night and found them a little too many for us. We were considerably worsted, but most of the boys got *back to camp by morning. Among others, one man made his way over the mountain with one arm hanging limp by his side, and sat down to breakfast with his old mess. When he he'got through he raised -up and said: "Well, boys. I guess this .is the last time I will eat with you. I will go down now and have this arm taken off, as it will never be any more use to me. I can't handle the rifle any more, but I wish you all good luck.' With that he walked off towards the hospital, as cool as if he was going to have his picture taken, and that evening we heard his arm Lad been amputated." The one-armed man was D. N. Major, of this county, a good' citizen and a good soldier. who was a mem ber of Anderson's Company, Palmet to Shiarpshootersin the late war. The narrator was Wood Fant, another well known sharpshooter. Nearly every body knows *Wood Fant. Anderson (S. C.,) Journal. -Two Florida men cut down a bee tree and saved several hundred pouds of hoey. Wheni they finished ~athring' the honey they commenced o investigate the top of the tree and ~oud whe're cranes had built theiir ests. They gathered up 140 dozen s.utyi supposed the gendlemen 11byan inc(ubator and starta ~ranry. s read iiness to~ meet J. 21. Cor-bett. d San Fianeisco, anid to forfeir the -a .ke. $1.'i00, if he~ does not knock ruo ll*! ai~or"ir.s wl i ds n:n~d a siim -in-1 ae 7 t i - i -41 , 0.r' the 1..gisint!re of that. .1'iO MAly make- for Mv ;e-i Unive-r.~sv-- f v. hich The A~e-n'iisan $hat. J. Im The censu- e: ru.atr i- n.:z 't persi:t >;': an y r Lnt u'ai, wi htr Le %o,. :.wig:y or ifi block,. of eve. T-m,, ; qutiry Jht be mi. as rytrg to 5(t-2ce p-'pie as the much dremid-i q:lt-tion to a womawn touch ing her age. Nr. 1.'-ae i. rvognized as the cham pion of I -e scheme to admit the fraud u!nt R:-iUbloivjn nator, from-Mon tar.a Ir is noticeable that Senator Hfoar de end:chefly upon; techfrneali tieg and ifuscs to consider - i.a equi En-zil ha: a coLnstitution t last, but the pvop!e are not yet satisfied.Theido rUt trust t he men who art- in pJower sev-rel of whom lhaveshowi; a marked teudetncy towari btcilutism. The co:.st ire ~ic redus' %eil, bt t here are dlfii-renat. (pI.Dir as to N)oLw it Will w,;k. The demonstrated success a4 smokless poa d'-r has given rime to the hope of a new industry in Plorii%. A large ingredient of the ex:i.-sive is camphor, arA-1 it is believed that the camphor tr"e can be succesmfully cul tivated in Florida Eigrteen persons out of eve-ry thou, sand die -ach year in 1biA country In England the average is 20.5, :or.d in Germanty,26.1. These figures leard :-. uraly to the reflec'ion that while Am4-ricans may live fasut-r in this world ;han some of their contempora ries, they ma. age also to live a little longer. The i zar of Russia has tried the ex - perime-t. of crus' ing the discow;rdt of bi.z -ubjects by cruel oppressica., and the result is tshat he is afraid to ven tcre outside of his paiare withoat- a jzuard of soldiers. It i. about time "e wa.s trying the experhaent of atowit Russians a voie i. t ieir own govern wer t. The Cayuga woolen miils of Aubuzi N. Y., failed last . onaay. Alm~sat evet: day some disaster of this sort is reported and will condn tiue -as ong .a wooienl mauaturers in the United. &Stes are compelled to usze taeed ran. material. Yet the proteciinists coni. tinue- to pr-ate about the glorious bena enjts of their pobecy :o our "ifanEt is.: dus'..ries." Possibly woolen inilia are considered old enougTh to stand ie pressure. But, it..eems, they don't. A Northern Methodiat minieaeer, tk; R sv. J. B. Hamilton, mnakesa a-stte. ment whioh reflects very discreditably upon his church. He finds, .upon in vestigation, that during the forty years from 1833 to 1872 i here were in thirty. five conferences deficier-cies ia presch ers' salaries to the amount of 5,45, 000. The average preacher 'is -no. handsomely paid. Indeed the- price of intellectual labor is fired a' 'lower figures for the. clergy thasn for any otbt er class of workers. -Aud when to in-. su~fliiLn remunfneration is adI led defi6 ciency in collections wet have a. state' cf things strirngely suiggestive of "the rarity of Christian charit -hM ia diff.rence of aomxe people- to ottliga tions that oug... to be regarded as es pecially sacred. The- Mracon Telegmraph calls aittesn' tion to the fact that at the eleetioun lately held in2 the r-ix new Sates, there were polled not quite a quarter of-a million votes and in six of the -did States whose population is largest not quite five million; yet the reprsenta tion oif the t wo grous of States ini the Senate isi th4 .'amne, w.hereas, if the proportion were meade equal, th's six old States would have two hmdred' and forty senators. Of course, the senators represent the states rather than the people, cut the di parity of power in the government exercised by' the old and the new States, as shown by these figures, indicates the difficul ty in the position in which the Repub lican party finds itself. It would not have given the 16,000 votes of Idaho a power equal to that of the 1.30 ),000 votes of New York ini determining the legislation of the .courgtry, had it. not been sure that Idaho would veto New York's will only when the latter desir ed the adoj'tion of Demiocratic meas ue-i. The A tlanta Constitution c-alls atten tion to the fact that only a faiw years ago the country rrang with the pnaee of Miss Kate Shehtey of Monigenza, Iewa, who crossed a swollen stream in the dark, at .a gress risk to herself and in the midst of a howling storm to save a passenger train,.for the bridge had been swe away by the torrent, says the Chicag Tribune. Poems . more written on the episode, picturea ap - pear-ed in the illustrated papers, and innumerable paragraphs were written about the heroine. It is said that ,.he saved the railroad company $50,:000 or more in property, to say nothing about what they might have been called upon to paty f-sr live. los., or passengers injured. To-dlay Miss Sihelly is the so~ie support of a widow ed mother and three small children and they are living ina a heavily mort gage~d home which is their only pop rty. Three years ago she risl ed her life for others, and her reward is chief L the consciousness of a brave and mecessful deed. The railroad catwpa ay gave her a enail reward--!s' than :he value of one of the tars wich she saved, and the pasergers, b--i'vese- were preserved by heri