Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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3ANNING. S. C., WEDNESDAY, 3MAY 19, 19.N.4 V _A a -I kAL.A THE STATE Ik5PENSARY. MR. LARRY GiNT' W-NTS IT INVES-1f TIGATED. "Let the Light Shir~e and Brand Every One Who Caunot Sta, d Its Fulle't Glare" C S Says the spartanburg Editor. The followirg article appeared in S the Headlight as a leading article last week: For the pst ten JaPs the air has h'et n full of -mors about the manage r meut of th'e S al- Diseensary, and we , are glad that a fl ;cd of light is beine r lurned upon that institution. It is t just what should ba-:e been done dur :og the last stssi, n of the Leeislature. S and which the Hediiiht demsndEd and irsisted on. Tbis~ investigation started over a trurk seized by some Charleston cmrstables, and which was gutted of the goods it coutaine4. Iti teems that certain cfficials connected with the dispensary used those arti clEs, and that Mr. Seth W. Scru!gs d look some of the cigars and divided a them between two of the members cf N, the State Board, telling them where. they came from. Now. while no in tent was made to steal those gocds, as I it is said to have long been a custom I with dispenss.ry officials to thus use articles seized by constables and turn d in, it is rephreensible,and demands j severe rebuke. It was right to inves iigate that trunk business, for the ex- s pose will doubtless have the effect of S checking such methods. These offi- t cers are paid good salaries for their 1 *rvices, and they shculd be content Z with their pay and not appropriate other goods. But that trunk matter is a small af- t fair compared with other charges a against the management of the State I Dispensary, and we shall call atten- R ,ion to a few reports that have reach . d our ears and demand a full inves tigation: It has been frequently charged, and t we believe that a rigid investigation z of the books will bear out the state C ment, that during the Traxler reg:me J not one dollar was turned in the State i Treasury in the way cf rebates. The t past year some $41,000 were collected in rebates, and the present year we t harn they will amount to $50,000 or s nore. C Now, we demand to know, and the ' people also demand to know, why were not those rebates collected. and if collected what has become of the money? If officers connected with the dispensary appropriated this large sum to their own use, then they should be prosecuted and sent to the penitentia rv. On the other band, if the rebates ,:ere not demarded from the liquor 'ealers, then it shows criminal care jessness on the part of those public officers whose duty it was to look af ter them. *In managing the public business a man snculd bring to bear t he same sagacity and care as if it was his own affair During the period 1 bat Commissioner Traxler was M enarge of the State Dispensary tbere i-tust have been at least $100.000 lost . the State and its people in rebates adone. Why were they not collected? bnd if collected what bas become of the money ? Who got it ? This matter of rebates involves more than all the blind tiger liquor and other property a.eized in our State since the dispensa rvy law went into forc?; and yet while we hear a great hue and cry raised about a few boxes of cheap cigars and canls of peaches, a tath-like stillness xrevails touching the matter of re hates. There is no use stopping the tspiggot and opening the bug-hole. And a matter eqaally as serious is the high price paid for cheap liquors by Traxler-c.mpared with what the same goods are now bought for. We - are informed-and an inspection of the books will show whether or not it is true-that the owmsnt board is buy icg X. XX and XXX rye whiskey at2 from $500 to $1,100 a car load less than Commissiener Trailer paid for the identical class of goods and bought Irom the same houses. The business 1 of the State Dispensary amounts to about one million of dollars a year. Irnd frequently ten car loads or more are bought at one tima. Now, don't you see what a leak there is that has - been stopped ? There is no telling how much money the State los+. during those years of over-charges. This is another matter that should be investi g sted to the bottom, and then let ex Commissioner Trailer explain why he felt called upon to pay such a high urice. It we are not mistaken, whis key is not any cheaper now than wher.I Mr. Trailer was paying those enor mnous prices. It will he easy to arrive at the facts, for every purchase is re corded and the price paid given on the books. Taking the rebates and that over charge for whiskey the taxpayers of South Carolina must have lost some thing like a quarter of a million dol lars during Commissioner Traxler's administration. Here is something to be investigated,and it should take pre cedence over those cigars and peaches And another thing that should be kcoked into: Is a well known fact that u e corn whiskey sold to the country people by the dispensary-and they are the principal patrons of the busi ress-is only too of ten as vile a decoc tion as ever passed down the throat of man. And not only this, but two prices are charged for these mean i -quors. The consequence is that a man waill not buy dispensary corn if he can find a blind tiger mnocnshine whiskey. But we can perhaps explain this drench sold to the gullhble farmers. A few months ago'Mr. Dan Tormp kins, Secretary of State, in the pres ence of several parties, stated to the senior editor of the headlig ht that once ine dispensary ran out of corn whis i ey and people began to clamor for it. l a order to satisfy them, some corn v~ hiskey was manufactured at the dis pensary and shipped out to the coun ty disuensers. A short time after '-ards some Reformer from Izxington county (we think it was from Lexing ;on) sent Governor Tillman a bottle '.f that manufactured whiske'y with a letter of protest, and the Gov'ernor ).laced it on a shelf in the State House. A few morr-ings after some man came ~a and asked Mr. Tompkins where he o >uld get a drink. He was given the .sottle described, and after swallowingj a big dram remarked that it was extra tine stuff. Mr. B B. Evans says that h~e also heard Mr. Tompkins tell ae d! inecite this shameful confession as a good jake. Now let us ask, was it treating the people fiirly, and upruolding the hon or and dignity of our State, to have 1.hus shipped out a sourious whiskey, labelled "cherme liy pure," and guar anteed to have beeni atinl:zed by the' $Late chemnist? $rSai'nts of corn r if cccetEd goois were scAd the faet bo-rld have been expiaintd on the abel. Mr. T, uakins, we do not sup cse, will d.'ny this. and it would be no'ther ied 'er irvestigation. It is nthirg short o' robbery on the part f the State to thus irpose upon the ecple, and charge full price ior a de cction that never saw the worm of a ill. Suppcse a man wanted whick'y or a sick wire or child, and he had cured one of these spurious bottles. nd it not having the. desired and ex ected effect, the patient had died. Vhy, our State would have been 2rally gui'y of rvurder, znd mur er, too, for ;ain. We e:n undestar:d ow a privr bark-eDer might adul rate his P jor for the sake of profit, ut it is a s ame snd an outrage for a wvereign State to go into any busi ess. after weeding out competition, nd then swindling its own people. The Manning Times of laat week ublished an insinuation that two of le State Board of Control were with liquor drummer, and spen t the night rith him at his hotel and as that rummer's guests. This report has !s-3 reached our ears. Now, it is ery wrong, and looks bad, indeed, r a State officer to accept courtesies rom one with whom he must have ublic transactions. Report also says 2at those me mbers have ever af ter ad ocated the purchase of that drum ier's liquors, and he gets the lion's bare of the business. Now, we know oting whatever of this report per 3nally-t but the facts can be easily acured by reference to the registers of ae Columbia hotels, and see if these arties did accept hospitalities at the ands of a man with whom they must ansact important business for the ,tate. A public official should be like nto Caesar's wife; and no man can ct with impartiality in making liquor urchases while under personal obli ations to the one of the parties with rhom he must deal. As doubtless every County Dispen r will testify, in sending orders to e State Dispensary for liquors, it is be hardest kind of work to have the rders prc perly filled. Different brands nd ainds of liquors are shipped than ose ordered. Now, we do assert at the County Di-pensers better know hat their customers require and want an the shipping clerk in Columbia. nd he has no right to foist upon and arge up against them other kinds f ]iqUors than those wanted and or ered. It would be well, while that avestigation i going on, to examine rhy this neglect of orders is practiced. f course each dealer wants to sell as auch of his brand as possible, and if lerated this cnanging of orders in Jo;umbia presents a wide field for peculation. There are other reports connrctei ith the Dispensary manag'ment that ave reached our ears, bUt they are of ainor importance compared with those e have enumerated above. Let those re have made be investigated, and it ill not be necessary to summons a ingle wituess, for tae evidence can be Lad right at hand. It was published, and never denied, t the time of ex Comwissioner Trax r's appointment, that being a strict hurch member, he prayed to the ,ord for guidance and direction as to whether ornot he should accept the lace, and it was revealed to him that Le should take- the $3,000 job. Now, e do not believe that the L-rd has .ught to do with the sale of liquor in rn guise or man eer-either tarough Iarrcoms, blind tigers, R aines hotels, r the Dispensary system. If the recorts that have reached our rs, and as given; above are true. then he whole State Dispensary has beesz eking with corruption ; and the thing hould either be thoroughly over iuled, from top to botto-n, and puri ied, or torn up root and branch Tne retmass of onr people are bonest ud incorruptible and will not brook r countenance aught that smacks ot enality. Tney de'mand that the tate Dispenpsary be investigated from nd-sills to rafters, and every word f testimony secured be published tc he world. Any public institution hat cannot stand the X rays turned hereon, should be swept from the ace of the earth. And when this investigation is made t not any white washing committees >e appointed. Not a man in any man Ler whatever connected with the State :overnment, or who is even a probable andidate for office, should be allo wed o serve upon or become connected in ny manner with the investigation. t would be better to have a majority >f that committee made up of man whc Lre opposed to the Dispensary, for here would be no danger of theirt overing up anything the people beuld know. And then iet the attor ey who re presents the State be chosen rom the outside. Give the faclo and h ticstimony to the people, and they ~il then make up a fair verdict, i1 natters not what be the report of the omittee. The Reform party is not responsible, md should not ho held responsible for he transgressions of public officers. ut now that certain reports havt >een br ought for ward, if tne admimts ration and the ruling faction fails tc aae a full and free investigation. hen the Reform movement will be eied responsible, and should bear thE ynus. The Headlight demands that thE ullest glare oe turned upon the StatE ispensary, and eve:, fact broughi ut. Don't make a soape-goat of a fe ubordinates, and try and blind the eople to susaect-:d wholesale corrup on by raising a great rumpus over a ew clerars andl peaches and a second aand trunk. We denounce as wrong his thing of Dispensary officials ap ropriating to their own iuse go )d: ~eized by constables, and whi e Mr Scruggs is our personal friend, we d: issert that it was exceedingly wrong a him to have taken those articles. ~ven were they of small mattter; bul vhen two members of the State Boarc ecept from Mr. Scr-uggs and ther ;oed the cigars after he had t'lc hem where they came from, thost Jarties were even? more culpable tnar heir subordinate. In the eyes of tht aa- the receiver of stolen goods, anc :uovinag at the tim.e they were stolen a qjually guilty with the principal We o not blieve that any ni tne par ies who took those cigars and peacnes bouht at the time that they were do bg wroeg, out tney sin ply foilowe& & vrecdent. But it is a bad precedene md should be stopped instaater. The writer has no personal griev meei against any man conuected widi .be State Dispensary. Every mem be: f the board ania each emnploye ha: :reated us pith warl-ed coartesy. B hey have drawn our narie into ~a >usess, and now we dwuand tha~t tU ulest ravs oe turned u?9ia the :at, Disg asary, a.d esca and e rery u i who is now, or ever has been, connect ed with the Dispensary in any manner whatever, be put through a thoroub investigation. We demanded when the Logislature was in sessior. hst January that this be done; but it is niot too late yet. Letthe light shiue, an1d brand every one who cannot stand its fullest glare. The people don't want any sham investigation, but let it b full and complete The members of the State Board should de msind it, and Governor Ellerbe sbould I order it. The Headlight will rin: in. to the ears of the people those charg es until we are heeded. The cost will be but nominal, for it will not be nec essary to summon a single witness. All the evidentce needed is at hand. Bat even did that investigation con sume the entire profits of the Disnf-n sary for a year, it should be had. The State South Carolina canviot at afford to condone corruption or cover up rascality. investigate: Iu vestigate! Investigate! Since our editorial paze has been put in type, we see an affidavit from qIessrs. Williams and Douthit, stating that while Mr. Scruggs did give them cigars he did not say that they came from among the contiscated goods. So this simply narrows down to a question of veracity between three men. When the Dispensary investigation has been completed, and all the facts and evi dence has been laid before the people, they will quickly make up their minds as to whic, affidavit to beiieve. Every member of the State Board has treated us with marked courtesy, and this paper has no feelings in the mat ter save a desire to have a full and free investigation and the light turn ed on. We also see it is suggested that the Dispensary agitation had best be dropped, as it has gone far enough. No sir-ee. Since the waters h&ve been muddied, we must not let them set tie until thoroughly filtered, and if there is corruption let it be made pub lic and the whole thing be purified. BRADHAM HITS BCK. He Makes His Last Reply to Congressman Stokes. Manning, S. C., May 13, 1897. Hon. J. W. Stokes, Washington,D C.: Dear Sir-Were it not for the charge that I took undue advantage of you in publishing your letter, I wt uld not reply to yours of recent date at qll, as our effort is a compiete reply to your speech and first letter to me. You have been compelled to forsake that high moral plane where you pot ed in your speech. You have co-m pletely abandoned your position, and in spite of your sneering allusion to my "ill temper," I have no wish to Iress you to the wall. For this reason I will content miself by calling at tention to the fact that your first posi tion was that it was wrong for us to accept a duty upon cotton, because we were opposed to the principle of protection, and this irrespective of whether it would benf-fit us or not Of course, you had to abandon suci! an untenable position. You now oppose the duty First-Because it won't do us any good. Second-Because it will only help the long staple cotton, and you repte sent no one except the growers of short staple This is selfishnass personified. In effect, you say, I represent no long staple cotton; the people of Orange burg will not be benefitted, hence I wil op:se the people of Beaufo'rt, Charleston, Georgetown or Harry re ceiving any benefit. If this "'dog ini the mnanger" policy is your ideal of statesmanship, I have nothing further tosay. INo w, then, to business: cation of our letter: "'N.> having as certained my willingness beforehand will not take away from the tran~sac tion the suggestion cf bad faith, nor lift the fiwor of sharp practiee. Fu' ther on you plainly intimate that you consider me an aspirant for congress Taking all together, I cannot but con struct this into an insinuation that I published you letter with a vie w' of promoting my political interests. I can best refute this slander by stating frankly what my reasons were for publishing your letter. I regret the necessity, but there is no alternative, for I do not propose for you to adopt the tactics now being employea in certain quarters of deceiving the pub lies by crying, "Step thief." Mr. McLaurin had made what Icon sidered one of the greatest speeches for the south in many years. You were one of Mr. McLaurin's colleagues, and I happen to know that he consid ered you a strong personal and pohiti cal friend. The place for you to have replied to McLaurin was in the Con gressional Record, where be would hove had an opportunity to answer. I suspected what your motives were, and the insinuation in your last letter about my going to congress connirms my su- oi on and completely gives you away. You thought the "o gressional bee'' was buzzing in my tonnet. Here is the way your mina ran: Bradham wants to go to con o-ress; McLaurin is getting too prom.i I ent nere ; if I can't beat him, I'll stir up sme troable for him and give him something to do at home, and tben he won't have tim'e to be making speeches here and throwing me in tue shade. I'll give Bradham the cue of how to fight him, and let him understand that I will assist him. Of course, Brad ham can't beat McLaurin, but TIl make it uncomfortable for Mac." Ain't that about it ? Hence tihat mean sneer about Republicanism. Now my dear doctor, you underrate me mentally and morally. Yu insult to my intelligence gave me the liberty to resent it in whatever method I chose. I' this connection, let me disabuse~ your mind. 1 have never had con gresinal aspirations, and just as lorng as McLauriu continues in the lune hle has for six years. I will conuinue ti support him with tongue and pen.I would say more, but have no desird to continue a controversy tnat has as sumed such a personal tone that it. cae e produrtive o& rno good to tue S:ate. I will, trierefore, doctor. bid y ou n~r well, only suggesting that in the fature selection of "dre >y duers andJ s ooi pigeons" you will be mocre careful as to material. It wdli be autortus ne for you to run up agaiast another 'brad a wl." Yours respectfuliv, IAN'L II. I3RADH.AM. Seven flen K:I1ed. Friday af terno-on the triple at t!Ie Pmikney, Tenn., ore aires fell, killen svenimen and badlIy wouuding s a 1eral others. Commiunicationi wiL Pinirney is cut off and ruli paru~culars cannot be had. Pti siciaus h.ve ient here for the Ecene of the disas:er. A FLOATING FURNACE. MALLORY LINE SEaMSH!P LEONA ABLAZE. -ixteen Lives Lost-Steerage Passengers ] Burud Like Cage Rats-A Passenger'S Gr-,p'c story of the Fire. The Malary line steamer Leona, which left her pier in Nw York on Saturday bjund for Galveoa, took fire at se, put back, and arrived in port Sunday :.ih t with 16 corp;es on board. The dead were 13 steersae passengers and tb-ee members of th e crew, who succumnbed *o a terrible dre at an earl. hour tis morniu.. Tose who are d-ead were p-r; ned up beow~ d&cks. and althou frautic ef forts wqere m ado -v the o-cers of the vssel to save them, the fire ha', gained such terridi. head way bcrore the danger was discovered that all es cane was cu. cif. 'he steamer carriecd in her cargo many bales of cotkon. it is not certain how tbe fire criginatel but when it was discovered, it burst forth with such fury that it was im pcssible to reach the steerage. Even the steerage passengers appar-nty were unmindful of the danger, ese the smoke and flames had not reached them. Among the passengers was S V. Winslow of Rutherford. N J. 0 On his return to the city Mr. Winslo7 told the following graphic story of the1 fire:"We left the pier at 3 o'clock yes te-day afternoon with clear skies and beau iful weather. We were making excellent time, the chief ei'gineer co n gatulating himself that all was well and even making the remark to e o, his assistants tat he did not believe so good luck could continue, for the i trip had started under such favorable auspices. Sandy Hook was passed and the lights of the Jersey shorr were still visible when we went to bed. By C the time we passed Barnegat light at I 10 o'clock the passengers were in bed The pasengers in the ste-r3ge had also retired to their bunks. T be watch going off at 12 o'clock reported ev.rv thing %vell. The sea was very smioh and 'ie moon was shiuiug bri.htly. "First M4te Wallace was pacing the bridge about 2 a m.. when -, e thoughit he smelied sriove coming from h forecastle. He went forward to the companion way and opened tue do.or to the stee rage. The moment he did o there was a burst of flime which )urned bis face .Wallace turned and ran on deck and carried the alarm of fire to the for ,ard va-c' telling 'a'i to wake the steward and have al the assencers aroused as quickly as pos -ible without creati:lg auy ex.-temient fne steward did this in a quiet man ner, going to each staiero. and rak ing tne occupants. He said in calm ones that there was a slig't fre in: ie firwvrd pDrt of the ship and it might be advi.able for the Lassagers to Vei their things te.ieth-r. It ui; ba possibl, he added, tna' Ith r would eventualiy have L, b0 abi o !:ed. Chere was no exeir-t maag the sal -o passenters, most 1 thevi packe-i ihie lUit -e a- c ried it frown tneir StaTero -n ; h maiU saloon. Thety Ralnered- 'a : *-iaa sta;.room ai-d re nmin-d t"..re, and a'ter the officers had assarU tzom ti at there was no imamed ia-e dangr. tuev too)k to-e m-at r qu.ieti.- .,e s:e'var- ue equeat - and csmne baer .Vitdl re > of e r ss c: ihe ian-s He -.'io a wr fl-e w'as con itae Deb.v :-un ad as t-- f ~n did not rise very the estr&s did r.ot Lull; restz th seAt t.f -.h- ir peril. - Caetain~ Wi::ter s us':ed on deck : the fira a!-.rm clad 'e ly in a ne bhirt and iusers HL assumed e nu m-irk at ouce. o d -red th acrev mo rs eue tue steerage ilisenieers. 0 h the ,anie deok with tie steer..ge Grn i1 p art side of th~e ship, a iarue quantivy of c~tton bagizr.. was stee-~d parat d fromo the strerue passeiirs by a board nartition. The main deck was almost completely tilled with' freight, cutting off all exit from the ster rae to the after oart of the ship The only~ way out from the steerage was up the for ward co-p.'uion way. Tne crew on the captaia's orders, rus'ad for tfl copaionnry and attenupte.d to de scnd. lhey wvere driven back by dense volu..uics of smoke, anid finmsj quickly followed. The smoke and; flames also came up through the yen tilators and it was apparent to all -n were on deck that baiow decks was roariing furnace. Then it dawned on the officers and crew that the unfor tunates in the steerage were orobably burning to death. Capt. Wilder sa, his cre w driven back from the comn panion way and the cealization of the "H a rushed to the stairs and boldly attempted to go below. He did not et down more than nalf a dozan step: when the increasing clouds of sm~kgi a-d the flames shoeu~rng up aroinda him drove him back on deck. HI stepped back to ti~e shelter of the pi lot house. His face was scorched. His eyebrows were burned a way. IL stood there dazed and overeo-ne for a moment. Then he exclaimed: 'My God, no man can go through that ana come out alive.' When the stewara arused me I jumned up hasty and dressed. I ran for.vard to see ho extensive the fire was. Tnie cap ain' was just coming out of the campan ionway at ter r is fruitless effort to:r below. I stcod by and tried to look down the hole, cbut the heat an'd smoke were s, geat there I wasoi en back. Wnn locked doei 'in that horrible hole, the thought cLe1 over me like that over the capte 'an~d the crew, that there were helpless peo ole down belo. w ano were prooi burning to death. "I tried to p-er through the smoke o see if the steerage passe:nges wen runriicg around belo-v, and I hopd hat we wvoutd be able to reach tnlin - .n Je way. I 1 stin ed for sosLds iut. could hear notning. we the ro f the tie-mes as tuey gre.w in volum nd rojled rcund and ro~u-d in tu a~rrow qu irters. Tnere was not screa:n, not a oriek, nor si.:ns of life beow 4Ol a slight bro z ic w - rea tme 5 y . c pa lzig t seme s au .t me aud tfomen ,vo IU s t ~ ito ie steera~r thU day -'i'e we deck w ...enno busiern' not tine lames begana crowding higher and Ligier through every outlet beneath hedeck. The pouring rf water down be companionway and through the 'enzilators, had no effect save to send p the smoke in great puffs and caust nery spurns of fire to dart menacing y into the faces of the crew. "'When the naws of the fire reached he lower depths of the zhip, where he stokers were feeding the boilers, bey deserted their posts, and rushed o the dck. eighteen of them in all. h -y clambered into the second boat n tVe port side. cuniuz it a'av Fi.s )fficer Wallace ard Chief Eaineer ylor were of tr them in a mo'n-nt 'G-t out of that boat," thundered ValL ce. Thie stokers refuz d tc oe7 and went on cutting away the Lncs of t.e boat. "Come out of hat boat renlied Taylor, reac.ir, as 'and :)r "is revolver. "I'll shoo be man -ho cut- agav the hoi:t. L2 Spisirds look-d at the 1ei L)gineer awd then sullenly obeyed. "During the excitement of tne first air hour we did .not know that any ne had gotten out of the steerage live, but later we found in the cabin hat eight of them had managed to et out. Their bunks had been near st to the companionway and they had een awakened by the part of the crew asbing out of the forecastle. Being o near the stairs they had climbed ut even before the first officer had ushed on the first swell above decks, tmong these saved was an old mar .nd his wife and two sons, a young aglishman and t wo other young met ionud for Los Angeles. "In the extreme borw of the ship was he forecastle, where two watches o1 bout twenty or thirty men were leeping. Tney beisg light sleeper hev were aroused at the first alarn nd waited for nothing. They rat hrough the narrow p3ssageway to sh tairs already filled with smoke, Qnc ained the deck just in time. Mos, F them had scarcely any clothinz oc ,ud none had saved a mes3 kit. Twc v,iters and a cook who were slow t. asa < ut, lost their lives. When the' ritd to follow their companions th Issageway was filed with fire, and was too late. "By the tairs and the forecastle wa he steerage, on :he port side rolls o: itton baging stored in the uri;cupiel uuks. Ia this bagzing the fire startei rom spontaneous comoustion, s> thi Aptain thought. It burned so quicr y and so fi..rcely it was lin he flash of a tinder box. Ttv teerage paseners. fev of whox iUderstood E:gi sh, did not compre ,:ud the cry of ire, and so lost thi pportunity of etcanz at the sa:n ime with the cre w. F-r the first hal our the captain. first aud s-coad offi rs and crew devoted tneir energZ ud1 attention to suodaia ti! flAnmes oping that Periapis they mn.ht b .le to get dowa to tre i-npris;mec eople, We -ere welt out to s-a b "is time. The fimes gaiied st--al :y .:ey b-rau t work alt thr wg7 4e carzo 01 the main dets: .Ioa tere wa; a froburst v lanes. an.1 the saflors Wee, r.a bak fro-n where Utley wer i a- ine of '>s- T- tire erep y :hraigh crmcks ab..ut the pil-. >",I the.- irt a thl ols- itsr!f quA-r uater stacc L- 'he w;e S it lim a almos: eny lape..i hi-n Iu,- V-li'r ord, si. o t ig i d.st as ba-ned Alo-1 to rail o Tn. fl as f.atrw ard h ad brok he o" ta: -J e k. rnsii a .re art L'n. h cjl ,r-.lsea.s, 0 at t~e3 na .ell u:-.:nr1. fd r yu or dit e could see the venel's s:de hum ad the~n the day beg.an to break an< ea tae suni was just ristag rats .se. onue s..moue arj~'e to ->y us aid w, a.- txot shie w -s the Ciy r.& ~augst , tue Savan h ie. Just as soon a he diguas of disress nad been atn v r-d all the cre v were sent back t: hi ir posrs to fight the fire that wa a'nig st--adily all the t'me, workini ts -"a' further and further aft. The passngers were all trausferret o :.e City of Augustaina in safe..y ar " ort of fighutog the nere wvas cou i'~d A'nout 9 o'eiock in the mazrn e- the nlames we re un~der control an< he steaamer ot of datger. The pa:s e.g-rs we:2 sent bae. to the Leon .in thae City of Augusta c~ntinues or :r w.ay i.o Savanan. Tne Leona pu bocut and returded to port under ow. teamc. The deck for ward of the pilot hous ~as burnted away leaving the iro ~ross beams bare and red hot. Th aeavy anchors dropped down belo w ,eir fastening twisted and broken Uhe iron platines of the snip's giid riowed red hot. At the Mallory tin ier tonigrit, but little informatioi .vas given out in regard to the disaster 'inaly at a late hour Mr. Mallor; nade a brief statem'ent in which h ;aid sixteen people were dead. Th ))dies were all aboard the steamshii mud watchma~n had been placed ther .o guard them. At a still later hou t coroner had gone to the scene t< nake an investigation. Turkish Barbarities. The Athens' correspondent - of th [adon Daily Chronicle says: M Ralli, premnier, sho sed me dispatche tad reports iron Colonel Ma2os atn nrious civil authorities in Epiru tating that 14 vilages bet veen To:. .ur and Kasir yskyia nave been burr d oy tae Turks af ter all tae womne i-d cildren had been massacred ex ept a f.ew who md in the fasttuess o '.uunt Ztlongos, famous duriog tb var of inidepen1dence, and a few mon :onedate the:nselves in the marsit dloor the shore~ and inilly ma~uase ai xet ab) :rd the Gireek Thips, Lal lead witu nurwer and feam. Not Loue of the vi.iige of Ka-nari :ai et standiog Pie a f->igat Uki ihis in defense of :he wom:-n, wh usht rt-:re ini the woods aad cave y taie Turas, ja:nped from prectpice . avuldI c~uture and dianonor. I I t a s I aJk. Tn r ['uzt s inr a~n R-dh 0~ xu W"'io 1 i'e !!-.u: .~ .a T~yi. L .e r, al a:>.u e r 1.f -i~e arw an r - nua ra' r Tu' ri a.di ?c-. ru'-r ln of c o 't spiis, Wenoten t's ~o 5 :.ai's ani rim e a c> noal~ati iao(nao' frac iqu, an k nthdeir dtffer IMESTIGATE OR HUSH. SENATOR B. R. T'LLMAN'S PLAIN TALK TOTHESENATE. IfSenators Speculated in Sugar Stock, as Is Charged, it Should be Proven and the Guilty Ones Punished-- Haveme yer Want ed Instead of Chapman. Aftr a long periol of calm, the United S.ates Senate was considera bly agitated to day, first in the discus sion of the sugar Senate investization and then by a preliminary skirmish on the tariff bill The Allen resolu tion, to bring Elverton R. Chapman before the bar of the Senaite. was de bated in sonnewhat monotoncus st'vie until Mr. TiIlman of South Carolina gave a present interest to the ;ubj-ect, referring to repor- that Sena' s had within the last week sp.culated in su !ar stock. The resc.lution relative to bringing Mr. Chanman to the bar of the Senate was taken up as soon as the routine business was out of the way. Mr. Allen said he desired to present some additienal facts bearing on the sub ject. He said the Senate should, in justice to itself, take this matter in hand and deal with it promptly. He could understand, he said, the anxiety of Chapman to shield those around him from the consequeices of the sen tence. "But, as the representatives of seventy million people. proceedd Mr. Allen, "we cannot afford to permit Mr. Chapman, the representative of a powerful organization, which, it has been charged, exercises great influ ence over this body, to go unwhipped." * The discussion assumed a legal and technical phase, Messrs. Faulker of West Virginia, White of California and Spooner of Wiscousin arguing on the law applyiog to Chapman. Mr. Hoar moved to refer the resolu tiou to the committee on privileges and elections Mr. Daniel (Dem. Va ) proposed a modiacation of the resolution. that refererce to executive clemency be struck out, leaving the res)lution to re-quire Chapman to appear before the I Senate and purg- himself r.f contempt. Mr. Pettus (Dem Ala.) urged that the investigation be opened afresh, t requiring witnesses to appear and tes tify, instead of punishing them for past misdeers. Mr Chandler of Nev Hampshire asked why, if a p4io.n was being circulated i-i the Seniate for the par don of Cispman and Senators were being importuned to sign it, it was not prope-r to constder a resoluion on the subj-ct. Was it necessary, he asked, that a petition in remonstrance oe prepared? Wuen Mr Tillman (Dem S C.) Sendeavored to qoestion Ur Chandler, the 'a er sumt-sted that the S uth Carolina Serator ob're the rule of -itti -1 d-) !a duarn : -7-Ee reply . '-'ht you P ay V 6il ea ha -laY S staad up." si.id Mr. Tillman, amia Ur .hAler -it o;;. -O say 1ihai zte*n x-e :any Se o S -vilo e -en'a' in the sp:cuai of suir w Gd o is the C:u - then four yveair- -. It-ed the - id'nce Tae o*,d vcaigaian had fail ed; he t.e nd a;is'e. and it t;gh-. o n I- would b.. 'z prAep.'rr pro. siti s id. aL.- the- trio li ti o -mc~ *.-i* e, of the(ZcIts 1a sd of tee ne- -s, .u- ptass. taa' h. Wr.\i Ct~idar s na he c -uilri ,tcn C- ie it a.: Enicativ~e siri~uld yrant suo a peua iM~r T la:a was then rec.oiuized 5 -ena'iun ons tne fl~ar and ia the gal leries. '-I: seins to me," said Mr Tillman, "that s-e are r~ot after Chapmian; the origiaal invar'igation was not i tend-d to puuish Ciapman, but to dis coe hther any Senator on this cilpsto tomkemney bhisp culation in stocks whvichi were infi + ! ecced by his action as a Senator or the committee whih reparLd tne tariti bill. It is not worta while to try to cover up this matter with b)adinage anid fl ppancy. The Senastor from INev li Hamshire will excuse me. I doc not intend inat as anyv rrfl cron upon Sbis language, but it does aapear to ma that he treated it rather flippantly. -There are today in the newspaipers jof thiaicountry charges floating about and being sent broadcast, sigued by Scorrespondents in the gallery, to the effect that last week, when the new tarif. sill was reported with a change in the sugar schedule, three Senators had speculated in sugar stock. We have another stench on o..i hands, eand instead of it being a differential 1in favor of the trust of a third of a cent, as that was, it is now two thirds Sin favor of the trust. " 'There are two correspondents who have, over their own signatures. Scharged that Senators have speculated ewithin the last week arnd made* ioney. rNow, if you want to investigate, you Shave a ne w reason to investigate. If you intend to get at the true inward ness of the matter. to get at the true ehand, to punish those who are guilty, say so and do so, or else nusn. That jis the wnole sum and sub~tance of it. WVe do not watit Cuapman. We watt Havemeyer. We want the man who That is what we are here for; and now et the Senato~r who has mnoved to re fer the matter. and who loss th?e die fnity of the Ss.ate as mtuh as auy othe-r man, take the res -lution to his Icommaittee and b.:ini ba~ck a measure r ere that wi~l tuean sonm-tiaig. We Ican L2ow ma~ke mo-iv men-l w ho have chatred tha S n.t rs hace s- cale or we ca' puunish ih-mi for coat--mpt.~ Wec-n ca1 ('Li va y- r and 'ie sua trJ gr-andes, an u~k- thl---:. *us r or ot mem -f,'a-: rar e C t-motE thr f.vr,t'o - s: as to or-i-li As Mr. Ti n cl-se th-re was n so.e- Fr cr a r he re m r s at e >:. .:t -e .a a- e --nr orim o 0 o *.sn,~ out te as-rom e hois Mr. Gra rev-w~Vd ' r to ino il .<eato ~ur- ) ril . up at 2 oc ,cs, .ut we.. erun who statEd that the request was mad for reasons of public duty and unde circumstances which he was not at ]il erty to state fully. At the r=quest of Mr. Allen, Mi Hoar changed his motion so as to hav the resolution referred to the commit tee on judiciary instead of the com mittee on privileges and elections The motion as amended was agreed to Mr. Gallinger irroduced a resolu tion for the appropriation of $50,001 for the relief of suffering American in Cuba. The resolution went to th committee on foreion relations. Later in the day. Mr. Aldrich, il charge of the tare bill, announce( that he wonld not call up the taril bill next Tuesdav, as cnternplated but on the following Thuisday, whei a statement would be made, the re'u lar cebate to begin not later thai Monday, May 24 This was the si2 nal for a tariff discussion of over al hour-Messrs. Jones of Arkansas Chat d!er and G lin ger of New Hamp shire, Hoar of Massachusetss, Whit of California, Aldrich of Rhode Islam and Lindsay of Kentucky participat ing. It was a free and easy discus sion, with considerable pleasantry anc some personality. Mr. Lindsay spok at some length, criticising the woo feature of the bill. The Senate adjourned to Monday SPICY CORRESPONDENCE Between Senator Tilman and a Charleg ton Firm of Grocers. The following spicy correspondenc appeared in the Columbia Record on day last week. The first letter in th correspondence was in the shape of. circular letter addressed to Senato Tillman. and reads as follows: Charleston, S. C., April 20, 1807. Dear Sir-We write to ask your carefu attention to the fish schedule in the tari bill now before the Senate. We believe th unwarranted increase in the duty on maci crel, herring and other fish would be again! our best interests; that it will create a m< nopoly in the fish trade and the consumei < fish will suffer thereby. The American cod and mackeral fisherme are a thing of the past, and a large perceni age of the fish products distributed from th seaboard cities are the product of othe countries. In our opinion it is not wise to increas the price of fish at the dictation of a few ve: sel owners of the east, who would, under th contemplateI law, have a monopoly of tb ffrh trade at the expense of the people of th interior, who consume fisa products. We respectfully appeal to you to enter vigorous protest against the proposed it crease of duty, which is both inexpediet and uncalled for, and ask that you aid us E far as in your power in keeping the rates s at present at least. Yours truly, Bernard O'Neill & Sons. Seratnr Tillman r#-pbed ts Washington. D. C., April 23, 1897. Messrs. Bernard O-Neill & Sons, Charlestor S.C. Gentlemen-Your letter of April 20 r ceived. You seemed surprised that the Din ley hill was not framed in the interest of tb people, whereas the purpose of the framei was to foster sectiona!.interest and for t henetit of corvorations and ciasses. I a: dispo-zed to load tte bl1 down, rather ths li.;hten it, as the best means of b. inging ti peope to their senses. B. R Tillman. o thb le ter O-Neill & Sons -rol Ie f. .l -np: lIon. 1. R. Tillnan, Washington, D. C. Dear Sir-Your favor of the 23 receivei We regre, that you are not di.pozed to ligh en the hurden of the people; at the san time we are free to confess that as bet Wet the c~ass legidlation of the vingley bill at the as.paliing udio:ters that woudl be the r suit of a debased curre~ncy. we prefer ti former. Youirs truly. Bernard O'N~eill & Sons. IThis :>leaeant little ~itsa < -de-as -3 -:ound up by S.-nator Tilltna Washington. D C , April 29. 1897. Messrs. Bernard O'Neill & Sons, Charlesto S C. Gentlemen-Your letter of April 26th r ceived .As I said nothinr about debas currency or the gold standard being t! cause of our eviis. [ do not see why y< should lug it in your answer. I am g~a however, that I have uncovered one of Chan Ieston's ' so-called Democrats" who vote for MlcKinley and bid you jioy in your ne alliance. . Respectfully, B3. R. Tillman. The Cost of a Boy. It would be a good thing for a boys aind girls, too, to get some idea~-i real figures-of what their parnntst. for the~n. P. B. Fisk gives a lec.tu: 'en the cost of a bov He comput that at the age of fifteen a good bo; receiving the advantages of city lif will cost, counting compound intere on the sum inivested, not less than fi1 thousand dollars. At t wenty-one I will not cost more unless he goes college, when he will cost near] tvwice as much. A bad boy cos about ten thousand dollars at twent; one, if he does not go to college. he does go, he costs as much mor And when a man has put ten or twent thousand dollars into a boy. what hasit aright toexpect of him? What isfsi: fs it fair for that boy to work himse to death, to run, jump' playbal< do anything in such a way as wou. disable him or break him down?: it fair for him to despise his fathQ and neglect his mother? Is is fair f< him to ruin himself with drink, defil himself with tobacco, or stain hia self with sin?. Some of us have p: about all our property into boys an irsanif we lose them, we shall po~or ned while if they do wel we shall be repaid a hundredfoi< Boys, what do you think about ti matter. Wlntter in the Lap of uprtng. Heav y snowfalls and s-vere fros continue in all parts of Austria at Huicary. There have been availai ches in the Auistria Tyrol and tt S.ozkamme-rgut. In some parts< Smia and in Silessia and T.ec::en, tt h as been done everywhere' 'o creon vmres and fruits. The brancheso 't ne( aUin witth th- w'eign'tY t- t o. sic is hree fre dr-- on to-. mo-.'j .t :>on': co-'ai1e.ito is .a rup'ed. S'heep ad~~ earn are per; n ' :es, rna r- d. He i :'' s e l p atna t as oeen .r' ': atit.r r r'e da, an , u eTHE GROWING CROPS, r THE WEEKLY BULLETIN ASTO THEIR CONDITION. Issued by Observer Last Week, Also Deal Ing With the Past Week's Weather Con ditions-Interest to Farmers. The following is the weekly bulletin of the condition of the weather and crops in this State issued last week by State Observer Bauer: TEMPERATURE. The week averaged 5 degrees per day cooler than usual. The average of 51 reports gives a weekly mean i temperature of 64. The normal is ap - proximately 69. The nights were unusually cold up to the 7th. The days were moderately warm. Two pilaces reported a mini mum of 38, tv-'o of 40, one of 41, three of 43, thesa occurred from the 2d to the 5th, and over the western and northern counties. The maximum Nas 93 on the 8th at Gillisonville. - FROST. Light frost was reported from vari ous points in York, Newberry, Green I ille, Spartanburg, Laurens, Union, Chester, and from one place in Or angeburg on the 21, 3d, 4th or 5th. Generally these frosts were too light to nip vegetation but young cotton was somewhat damaged. RAINFALL. There was no rain during the week except light showers in Horry and a Marion on the 5th. Twenty eight ad a ditional measurements were received with this week's reports, of the rain fall of May 1, making the corrected e average for last week 1.40 instead of 1.16. The rains of the Drevious week did not prove as beneficial as expected I owing to the cold, high northerly I winds which prevailed during the e early portions of the week, and which - dried and crusted the ground. A warm, soaking rain would prove highly beneficial to all crops. Rain fall deficiency for the week 0.78. SUNSmE. The average of 67 estimated reports of sunshine was 80 per cent. of the S'pos-sible. The normal during the same period is approximately 62 per cent. e CROPS. - Corresponden.'s reports nearly all e refer to the past week as an unfavora e ole one on staple crops owing to the e want of moist.re, cool nights, and the prevelance of destructive insects, es a pecially worms, chinch bugs, Colora do beetles and grass hoppers, the lat ter ic destructive. Crows also a damaged corn. The condition of corn is not sAtisfac tory in regard to stand or color. The late planting not coming up well, aad much of that that is up is of poor color and small size, ascribed to the prevailin-z coolnights. A great deal of corn yet to plant. and to replant, made n, cessary by the ravages of the e worms which are reported unusually ds*trucyiva over the entire State, es e cecially on bottom lands. Corn is in n better condition it the eastern coun a ties where it has receivea its first work e Pig generally, than in the western r:ions .'here much of that planted e is not vet un. The coi dition of cotton has improv ed but iitile in the most f avored sec - tions. and in many places has deterio t -a:ed. The cool weather caused the e piant to look bickly and on certain a nds to die out Muc-i of that plant ed befoire the rains of the previous - veek mil, in ta3 western counties, Iha -e to be replauted which is now be ing d3ote. Firast plauting practically y dxoisted. Cniopping to stands con e dnedi to eastern and central counties. Stae d, irregular, but on the whole not sa-iafactory. Sea Island cotton all 1, plated; stands ;air, thiough damaged somie by cu. worms. e- Tobacco transplanting is nearly all d Qnish-d. The plants are doing well e in must distric:s but would be benefited u by greater warmth and more mois ture. r Al early rice is planted and ddoing well in the Georgetown districts, Wbut less favorable reports are received ! romn other districts; yet on the whole its condition is up to a seasonal aver 11 Wgheat heading short but continues promising. Oats improved since the ra ns but need more moisture as they are nov "in the mila." Spring-sown oats are poor every where. Melons are backward and much of the seed have not germinated. Sor t ghumn-cane growing well generally. eyPeaches are reported dropping bad e yover in the Southern counties, but o, doing well elsewhere. Trees, as a rule. not overloaded, but with a fair "set. Apples andr tilregared Spromising. Gardens growing well in some local ities and failing in others. More moisture would prove beneficial. Truck products doing well except Irish potatoes, of which there is pros ,pect of a short crop. Sweet potato draws comig up slowly and not :n uch setting out has yet been donew. rplaces, necessitating feeding of soc ewith dry forage. 3:From the national bultetin of May "Cotton has been unfavorably at e facted by cool weather over the cen t ral and eastern portions of the cotton Kbelt, anid has also suffered considera blv from insects, and much replant e -g will be necessary. In Texas the greater part of the week was too cool for germmnation and growth, but the s st-ind is poorer than heretofore sup d ncosed. Russia Takes a Hand. 1Tne Atherns correspondent of the Lmcd'n Dily Telegraph says.: By the r's e xrs command, Count Mau riaf TeRslan foreign minister, *su~t-ce-d 'd. de edof the Rus jand~. re at Constantinople, to r a p- reo.p -riy usni a cessation of d ao me by I'urkey. It is also learn r d ,Cunt 11aravieff nias decided , to hee an assembly elected in Crete a. od. o' acertain the true Cretan Spou If the Cretans reject auto Ki oa he en:ire g ie-ation will be re e rns'drrd. Ta's n,.n is full of hope for Crete and Greece. STwo Fl-uds Lynched. i. Ree. oui two occiaions, the I Kerl .1 r..:vy, imn:rg in Madison a ou.y Al.Iou.a bare been poisoned. 0 su tie oc I eC iou oae d-ath follow r I ano e 1:st ::aie eleven persons . ' ut~i' .bere wvere no deaths. Y r-:i so negro girls, Mollie -w- .aM2 dy; W r it'-, were ar J e (na con l ad to e poisoning. 3etsv.-a-ide uuI. and daylight last nea cuuuer .f r.-imnors toog the -:oerls in charge and this morning ' hele 000les Kre fouin4 swinging to a Eio. More de velop~nents are expect