University of South Carolina Libraries
I fj IOL XA NANNIN G., S. C., AVEI).NESA I 1DECEMBER 27. 8.NO 5 TO BE 1I)S1ANL)ED. Thirty-four Co.rpanies Ordered Out of Service. FORTY-FIVE COMPANIES LEFT Asignment to R, giments to Be Made at Once. S'-meihing of nr : AbOI tha G ;r rai Pian. a ' t l. C r . r . a c rm ote all- -he ins )-ri'm o h at ro before di h' r hing eul. he do:w,. are now.7 proced nu with t-he complete recrgarniz tie e- thei nilitia tlf the State. T!e ir.s step in thi, direction was tak-u W dtac y evering whcn. in accordvrt with previous and timely warni, e. an k-rdcr was i'nued diband ing 34 tuilitari coroanies that had not came up to the r~r iremneuts on iuspec tion. This lestes the militia force consisting of 45 thorougily orgnized and well equirpd commniand-, which will be kept up to the regulation of the arm3. Here is the order disbtnding the enflpanip refred to: General Order No. 6. Par. 1st-The following companies, havine fail d to comply with General Orders No. 2 ai-d No. 3. are hereby dis baLded. CAVALRY BRANCII OF SERVICE. Troop A, Urunsoas-Capt. J. S. Brun .on. Troop C, Bruusons-Capt. G. 3. Bowers. Troop D, Stordls--Capt. R. M. Daly. Troop F, Peeples-Capt. H. E. Peeples. Troop A, Barnwell-Capt. J. A. Hays. Troop C., Ailendale-Capt. A. W. Oxens. Tr..op E, Edgefield-Capt. J. R Bliek-r. Troop B, St. Stephen's-Capt. R. B. Bonch. Troop C, Georgetown-Capt. H. T. McDonald. Troop D, Jedburg-Capt. W. T. Owens. Troop D, Holy Hili-Capt. W. E. Murray. Troop B, E trly Branch-lapt. L. A. Tuten. Troop H, Ellenton-Capt. A. R. Bush. Troop A, Banneau's-Capt. J. A Harvey. G. rman Hussars, Charleston-Capt. F. W. Jessen. INFANTRY BRANCH. R'ehrdson Guards, Montmorenci Capt. P B Glovr. Sally Rifles, Sally-Capt. J. R. Sal ly. Governor's Guards. Columbia-Capt. Barry Mcretry. Darlington G irds. Darlington cavt. W. A. Par r. Bibhopville Guards, Bishorvile Capt. W5. S Jaies. Cantey Ria. s, Canney-Capt. C. P. Lorick. Gaffney Light Iufa:itry, Gaffney Capt. H. Fay Gaffney. Ne~wherry Guam ds, Newberry-Cap t W. S Largf rd. Piekens R fics, Pickens -Cs pt. B A. Ailgood. Carolina Ries, Charleste n- Lieut. Arthur Pinckney. Peak Guards, Peak-Capt. lP. E. Eare le. Marietta Guards, 1arietta -Ca it. M1. L. West. -Gary Watts Guards, L-trencrs-Capt. P. B. Lockwood. Dorchester Rifles, St. George's Capt. F. W. Sirroni. Bowman Lgeht Infantry, Bowman Capt. A. D Fair. NATIONAT. GUARPs. South Cariia Volunuers, Charles ton-Capt. Joseph Giover. Garrison Light Intfantry, Charleston -Capt. Ji. S. Martin. Caro'. n a Gutards, Columbia--Cat. W. B Davis. Beirefort Light Infantry. Beaufort Capt. Geo A R -ed. Par. 2-Th- commanding oflicers of thtese disbauded .omp aiies will imnme diately u pon recei pt of r his order return to these headquarters all St'ates proper ay of every description, inds on hand. etc. Whereup~on, after reetuxng saro property, hono.rable dischare s will at once be issued by the adjitant gen eral, as per compliance with setion 382 of the State military la w. Py order of J. N. Floyd, Adjutant and Inspector General. S. C. Ofieial: Asst. Adjr. and In.-pector Gecn. it will be noted that a'iong the~ com pacs disband Id are the Ddrlington Guards, the Governor's Gurrds anid .the German H u-sars ard Carolina Ri fles, the t wo lattr of Charleston. Gen. Ftoyd is now at work on the orders as~iani; g the c.;mpauies in the militia to re;:nen s. These orders will provide for tao ful1 regimnts and one battalion of inifantry, a full cavalry regiment and one squadros, and a bat talion of colored troops (national) guard. The iafantry regimients are to be known as the First and Second south Caroliur, arnd conpany rnames wAl give plee-: to letters of the alpha bet. The samue system will prevail with the cavalry. The new organiza tions will sekext their own regimental and baraiion c.mmander<.-Tue State. Buried in Atlanta. .A dispa'ceaI in Atlanta says the body of Lutemant Brunrby, accompa nied by mienbets of his faumly atnd an escort, arrived in a special ear Wednes day moraing. They were met at the depot by a delegatiou of prominent At ]antiatns and a detachnment of the Fifth Regiment, Georgia Voluteers, six of whom acted as pallbearers. The bod~ was taken to the State capitol, w1.era i was placed, surrounded by miany fiori. tributes. Many peo ple visita d ti band~ing and viewed the face of th, dead l'eurenant during the day. O: Thursday it was lhid away with greal honor. Cor~firmed. The senate Wednesday confirmed th< nominations of Firzaugh Lee and Joseph Wheeler to be brigadier gen mra3 in the meular army. THE NEW REGIKENTS. The Reorganization of tho State Kilitia Completed. The r.orgauizatioi of the militia re,-s of South Caro:ina is ;ow being pio -ecded with by bouuds, and the co.a'LUcs with a big iareh of uffieer, and a haudful of men will no longer tend to make this dparinment of the Sta'e governmenut iueteient and un iiiiary HI.re is the order making the assivn iU at fte commiand,: ret ained in thec militit. It wil bet seen tat the ft ree will v ePa very r:eenaieat-d f~lue ne I a2O: Head"J.t.- s A.j :erais OiX. I b <'.D c. 21, 1 Plr. I -Froui and ater ths date the military forcesof the Stateof South Carolina will cou:.ist of one re"iCuent of cav&Iry, tw(. reg1ieimts of infantry. onie battalion of infantry, one bat!!iiiou of naval wilitia, one battery 0 <.ril lery, and one battaliou of iufantr3 kuown as national guards Par 2-The foiiowiig as ignments are heieby order, d: FIRST REGLENT 3. C. V. C. Troop A-Capt N G Evans, Edgc field. Troop B-Capt l 31 Seabrook. Ed isto IslIand. Troop C-Capt R C Richardson, Panola. Troop D-Papt D E Well<, Tinn'als Tr-op E-Capt Thos. S Sinkler, Char les: o. Troop F-Capt S A Marvin, White Hall. Troop G-Capt W A Sauls, Gillison ville. Troop H-Capt R G Causey, Eutaw ville. Troop T-Capt W N Barnes. O'Katie. Troop K-Capt B 0 Bourne, Sam pit. Treop L-Capt J 31 Oliver, Conway. FIRST REGIMENT, S C V. I. Co. A-Capt E 31 Blythe, Green ville. Co B--Capt J G Richards, Liberty Hill. Co. C-Capt J T West, Pelzer. Co. D-Capt J S Cochran, Abbe ville. Co. E-Capt Wm. 31Gowan, Spar tanburz. Co. F-Capt J F Langto-i, Clifton. Co. G-Capt J S McKeown, Corn t all. Co. H-Capt W A Hudgens, Honea Path. Co. T-Capt J H Marion, Chester. Co. K-Capt C P L -rick, KeLrshaw. Co L-Capt W B 1oore, Yorkville. SECOND REGIMENT, S. C. V. I. Co. A-Capt M L Smith, Camden. Co. B-Captai il-avelock Eaves, Barmberg. Co. C-Capt J H Claffy, Oranzeburr. Co. D -Capt V N Kirklaud, Colum bia. Co. E-Capt W H Keith, Timmons ville. Co. F-Capt D 0 Herbert, Osange barg Co. G -Capt A T Darby, Fort Motte. Co. H-Capt W L Lee, Suwter. Co. I-Capt S 1 Ward, Georgetown. Co. K-Capt WV J Johnson, Ridge way. FIRST BATTALION, S. C. V. I. Co. A-Capt J E Cogswell, Charles ton. Co. B-Capt T T Hyde, Charleston. Co. C-Capt D F Kearney, Charles ton. Co. P-Capt UI B Schroeder, Charles ton. Co. E-Capt J HI E Stelling, Char leston. sOUTH CAROLINA NAVAL MILITIA. First DIvision-Lieut J A Patjens, M1t Pleasant. Second Division-Lieut C L DuBos, Charleston Third Division-Lieut N G Moral, Beaufort. ARTILLERY. German Artillerx-Capt F XW Wag ener. Charleston. SECOND BATTALION S C. NATIONAL GUARD. Co. A-Capt J A Williams, Charles ton. ('o. B-Capt .J R Nowell, Columbia Co. C-Capt B U H ouston, Beauafot Co. D-Capt J J Frazier, Charles ton. i'.r. 3-Hereafter all organizations will be known by lettet in compliance with the precediug paragraphs of this ordeor. Ptr. 4-Dae notice of the election of field officers will be given by special or-ders fro~n these headiiuarters. Bs order of Gen. J. WX. Floyd. Offieial: John D.. Froest, A. A. and L. Gen. The Liquor Business. The following official figures show the extent of the growth of the whis key busiress int So-uth Carolina: For the month of Ortober, 1899, the grass receipts of the State di.pensary, from sales to coamnty dispensaeries, were $1S2,198 55. aga'nst $128 53.3 53 for Ociaber, 1898. For the month ot No v'mb. r, 1S99 the sales amounted to $169,511 86, against $158 606 for Oc tuber of last year. Thia snows an int crease~ of sales for Ocstober and Novem ber of this 'year ov'r the same months in 1893 of $15 613.45. Officals of the dibpensary, it is said, esumwale, from datat, available to date, that the inisti tution will turn in a clear profit to Sra'e, counties and towns for the year, $300,000 in round nuwbers. MIiss Stevens Burned to Death. 31iss Lualu Stevens, aged 32, a mem ber < f a well known, famuily was burned to death at M1acon, Ga., Wednesday. She was in a room by herself at he reoidence on Haw'ho'an street when int somne manner unknown her clothes caught fire. Her screams attracted help, but when it arrivee she was in a ma-s of fi tn, s and had been so ser lousl. Larned that death resultee with in a few hous She was unable to ex plain how the accident -tured. A Good Idea. There is a movement on foot amougAt boss barbers of Hbasiiton ti have an act pas-ed by the Oirtarit legislatture previding for the liec:sing ot barbers. They think a Lhree yeara apprenticeship should be compulsory. before a barber can open a shop. Some victims of the apprentices think theit apprentieship should be served some whee s1.o knairda. in the harber abn= A GENERAL KILLED While Walking Along the Firing Line Btfore a Charge. A CONTEMPT FOR BULLETS Showed by Laugh When Member of Staff Warned Him of the Danger of Ex pnsure. A dizrateh fr Manila sas J Gen. Henry W. Lawton has be. n shot lane killed, at San Ma'eo. 11c as stand- ig in front of his trops, was saot in the breast and dih d imediate !;. Gen. Lvrstou left M1auila iXulay ljigzht, h;iuiog returuen froi his rorth e! i o:,erations Saturdar, to lead an ex pedition througn Mariquina Valley, which has beeu an insurgent !ronihoid throuchout the war. Tne valley Las severai times beeo invaded, but never held by the Americans. Gen. Geroni wo was suppo.ed to harvc there the largest organized force north of Maunila, and Gen. Otis wished to garrison Mari quina. The night was one of the worst of the season. A ter-ific rain had begai and was still contiuuing. A eompanied by his staff and Troop I, F..ur;h eavalry, Gen. L wton set out at 9 o'clock in ad vance of the main force, consisting of the Eleventh cavalry and one battalion each of the Twentieth and Twenty av euth infantry, which started from La Lowa at midnight. With a small es cort, he led the way through an a!mo-t pathless country, a distance of 15 miles, over hills ard through canebrake and deep mud, the horses elimbing the rocks and sliding down the hills. Before daybreak the commaud had reached the head of the vatley. San Mateo was attacked at S o'clock and a three hours' tight ensued. This re:ulted in but few casualines on the American side, apart Irim the death of Gen. Liwton, but the attack was d:fi ult because of the natural defenses of the town. Gen Ltwtou wa, wa,kine along the firing line within 3U0 yards of a small bhap-hooter.' trench, couspieu ous in the big white helmet he wore and a light yellow raia coat. le was also easily distinguishable because of hi. coriarding stature. The sharpshooters directed several close shots, which clippea the era-s near. His staff offisers called Gen. Lawton's attention to the danger he wai in, but he only lau_.hed with his usual contempt for bullets. Suddenly he exelaimed: ''I am shot," cleucht d his hands in a desperate effort to stand erect, and fe1l into the arms of a staff flicer. Orderlies rush-d across tli deld for surgeons, who dished up ;im mediately, but their eff.ris were use less. The body was taken to a clump 'f bushes and laid upon a stretcher, the familiar white hrlmet covering the face of the dead general. Almost at this moment the celiers of the American troops rushiig into San 1ateo were mirglinig with the r,fie vol. Iys. After the fight six stalwart cay alr3 mien t?rded the river to the town crr3 ing the lit er on their shoulders, the staff preceded with the colors, and a cavalry escort following. The troops iled bareheaded through the building where the body was laid, and many a tear fell from the eyes of the men wh had long followed the intrepid Lawton. The entire comumand was striesen with grief, as though each muan had suffered a persona'. loss. 0Osing to the condi tion of tbe country which is itopassible so far as vehicles are concerned. the re mains could not carried to Manila Tues day. Mrs. Lawton and the children are living in a government residence forerly occupied by the Spanish gen eral. San 31at eo lies between a high moun tain behinmd and a broad shallow streamn in front, with wide sand bars which the insurgent trenches anid the build ins command. The Americans were e.mpelled to ford the river undier fire. It was while they were lying in the rice telds and volleying arross prepairatory' to passing the stri am that Geo. La wton was shot. All except the oflicers wi re behind cover. A staffofficer was ounded about the same time, and one other officer and seven men were wounded. A fter three hours' shooting the Filipinos were di-persed into the mountamns. Col. L Ickett took comi mand when Gen. La.wton fell. HIs MILITARY CAREER. Gen. Lawton was known as a goori fehrer and soldier of experience and4 ability. IHe served in the Union army) thro ,gholut the Civil War, havrnrg cen tered the service as scrat of Co. E, Ninth Irdiana volu'steer infantry in April, 1861. In March. 186. he was brevettd colonel for gillanut and ur.ri toriuS service durib g the war. Ho en nered the regul r c- a blishn'nt in .Jui., 1866, as second lieutenant of the furt'. irt infantry (color d) and remoained .rith that branch of the army until January, 1871, when he was transferred to the Fourth cavalry with which he remained until September, 18S8, when he was ajpointed inspector eeneral wit h the rank of nw: .r. Litier he was pro moed to the rank of lieutenanat col Hel and held that rank until tihe oteninr of the war with Spain, when l'resid nt McKinley applinti d him br giir of voluteers a nd as~ignied h:in tI the command of a division oif thne Fifih army corps, c mianded by Geu. S'rat ter. le served wita dustion in ira lie operationrs befre Sir ntiao O:I GJel. Laton's anr~nriv in Lia in February last, he rel' r. d G~ n. Anderson in command (f the re..ul.r troops. Sensation iu Havana. An imense sen~aition was cauced in Habana Wtduesday afternoon by the arrest of ten of the eLrief appraKrs of the customs house staiffon a chr.e of beig in collu-ion with tnarny Habanta merchants to sw.indic the goveriumart out of large sums. It is ascrn ed t hat the fraud has been practiced for two weeks at least and trabably for a lenger period, and it is believed tha~t thou sands of dollars have been corruptly diverted. Col Bliss ob:ained evidence enough to warrant the arrests, and, as he blieves, to insuire conviction. The swindle was accomplished by a class of articles under which valuable goods, RURaL HAIL DLIV RY The System Will be Istablihed in South Carolina in July On July 1 next tile rural mail deliv ery sytem, which has beco tes ed aid founli to work most successfuily in many sections of the State. will ho put ia operation all over the Sate of S uth Carolima, aid no ether S-ate will then have the mail advantages accorded the rural portiori of the Palwetto State. CorLre-ssman Stokes, who h.s sue e'ded in gettii! the new system iro vid- d writes us fr'm Washington urg in'g that the co operation of ali parties ee culi.,ted 'i ;repsring our pt ople for the iew mail :erv.ic-e which goes itto e fI'eet in our St Jt July I next." lie !a' s in his letter: "Aft r that timec any one 0ivin on or adjieet to a Y star route in S uth (;airoboa muay hcve Lis mail delivered free by suiuply ceet i:. a suitable box oc the road,ide, and then directivg the postmaster to aeed his mail out uy the carriers. That i. all < ne hia to do. "I may be pardoced for feelir.g some axieRty that general interest be dis played by our people at the start. rhs Leavic! has been inaugurated nowhere save 1': S uth Carolina, and it is inaug uratti there upon may recomm wendtion because I was the originator of the plan. "Much deperds upon how our people receive and utilize this additional fa cility-not only as to whetht r it will be extetded to other s-ates, but as t,) .ie ther we shall retain it after the ex pha ion of exlsting contracts. I hope, therefore, that ou will Ir quently call attention to the subject in s our paper and urge all to have their boxes in readiness f er the first trip of the car riels in July. "It is hoped that neat boxes will be put up that will wake a er ditable ap pearatice when the pontefliee inspector camwtes round. 'fhre are 373 star routes in South Carolina, and :here ought to be 50,0U0 boxes rcady for ser vice on the first day of the service. It is understood. I presume, that star routes are uail routes thirough the coun try fron one ist- ifice to atem her." NEW YORK DEATH TRAPS. Seven Persons Burned to Death and Six Totally Burned. Seven live were lost in the two ble tetnemnent hmuts which were d-stroyei b% fire in New York city earl) Tuesday. Five charred bodies were found ou the uti er floors of a burned tenemnent at Oce Hundred and S cond street and Third avenue, known as the Mentor, and fiv- women and a ~iLtle girl, all badie burned, were cartied freon the lazirg house to nearny hospials. Tnere is the-ught to be but slight cbane of any of the six surviving. S, vrl other pejesn o:ly esesped from the ftam.-s and dense :-moke wih eut at d trui,us. A few hours eariier a deadi) tire attacked the five-story teinetient on Teth avenue, burning to dtath Mrs Mrtia Fox and her ch id. George, 2 1-2 years old. The charred remains of both wer- found after tie fire. The first file is supp"sed to have star:ed in the cellar. I he air shaft in the building and stairs aided the fire in gainiteg such rapid headeway that there was no suee' ssful fishig of the flunes, which had gained tremendou, head way when .bt firetmen arrived. The building was occupied by a lielar store- on the first fie,r, and on the up per fb ors by families. When the fire was discovered the flames were coming out of the hallway and must have been burning at least 20) micutes. There were no fire escapes on the front of the building, but mitny of the inmates es eaped by the rear. The loss on the building was $40 000. The other fire, in Tenth aveaue, near Thrt -eighth streer, started in the basetment or first fleor hallway, and when it was diseovered had such a headway that it was impiossible to en ter. Tlhe famdties in the upper peart of the house fled to the roof, whece they eaily reacted the streer.. The Fuxes lived on the second filtor, and tthe woman and her child had succeeded in getting up one flight oef step~s b fore they were overcome. Triere were no others injured The damuce to the building by the fire was compearatively smallt IN PENNSYLVANIA, TOO. A Negro Murderer Killed by a Law less Mob. Notwithsctding all the t alk indulged itn by lie Northler i priss ill refe-rence toe the b) nehie g of Ncsrtes in the S .uth, more if them are I. nebed ill propr i-n o murder- in the Nerthern and West ere States thtan in t he Sout h A dis ptch frotm Dunbar, Pa., aa Sutndford White, superinte dent of construction of the W. J. Ruiney Ceike cn: Iany, -as shot and kiIld Wedtnesdaty by David Pierce, a N-grot emaplo) e. Pierce fl d tee the* mtuitains, feelo -red by arn aln rs miob. lIe wa, dceerned it hid i ni ru riuddbl-d w iith bulIict s. D) ath I was insatantaneo~us. Tnere is ne ex eiiteet. The trouble began withi a neiatrrel between Pierce and ichuari Cu 'i ut ha i, su pcri ittend nt oft ihe .Ml Vermon w'orks of the N. J. Ib.iney copiany, over a Ijpiestion ef work. Whlt-: titerrn d in behalf of Ctunnie amt wh en the Negcro dres c a recolver cciii his pocket ane tir, d, the balI t--lie. r tng~ White's abdimen, muikmne a fa a wu d. Imm nedia clv af. er ti ricue. Pee r In for tuis htfe, wcithi more thiaa 'it) pert u in t hot iu :1uit. lie was chlased for ia-e thait two mail s buefere is w ou d-bne caplt rs cant.c wihio shooting dis asce, the trk't for a -hoe r cf builets. lle felt with s-venl vound,. throuuh h's b-idy and i, di ini a --,rt teime W\hiite was about 50l )ears of ae, mairried and had several chil dren iPi ee, the murderer. camte to \'t. B~raddock recentlh from \lr~itiia. Nuieis k Lit) on'f hi-, fattiiy, hut hce cwas co'isidered a dlangerous character. Th'le mturuder caus--d se imieht eXeiemett th-t Pieree weal. .i l 'Il hive bcetn hanged hal ihe beeel n brouat back alive. Rotting Down. An-d now we are infer tied, that the Prt Riya! dryd..ek uught to have been cons.treede of stone, and not havitg been it is rotting to pieces. U sele dan pcys high for his experiecc, but in the pi ping times (of utational pro-perity and gold standard currency bills what sa half a milion enllara more or less? CLAIM MOVEMENT. After Proceeds from Captured Property Sales Being Pushed BY GOVERNOR McSWEENEY. He Writes a Letter to Congress man Wilson on the Subject. Other Governors Will Co-operate. G ,v. McSweeney is not letting the ov-menit lonking to securing from the Uni!'d Szates the big sum of money be longing to the people of this State from thel sales of property under the captured and abandoned property acts remaia mere talk., le is pushing the ma.ter ini more ways than one. Wed nesday the following letter was sent to Co!gressmnan Wils-'n: Hon. Stanyarne Wilson, M. C., Wash ing-on, D. C. Dear sir: It has been brought to my attention that there remains in the treasury the sum of $10.512,007.96 arising frou the proceeds of sales of property of citizens of southern States under the captured and abandoned property acts, and that this money be loues to the citizens of the several sou hern Statts from whom such prop erty was taken, and that oy decisions of th-e Uuited States supreme court the itle to this money remains in these elt17..00s. All the facts relative to it seem to be carefuly collicted and stated in s-naTe! reo-rt, committee on claims, N'. 1631, 55Lh congress, third session, which report, it appears, simply con firmed the recommendations of previ.us hs-uie f repretentativei report No. 1377, 52.1 cougress, first sessi.,n, and was made to the senate reeommending the passage to senate bill No 5020, 55th co.gress, third sessin, which stotod u1pn the calerdar of the senate, No. 1713 at the last sesiou. Much of this money belongs to the State of South Carolina, and the senate oill referred to, if it had been enacted into law, would have given these citi zens the right which has long been denied to tt-m without any just reason, to inirate their claim to the fund in Lie court of claims, and establizh their rights to it, and as the jutice of this mt ter is evident upmn its fase, it is difflult to see why the needed legisla tiun was not completed by the passage of that bill at the last session of con gress. It has been suggested to me that it .vould be well that this matter should be called specially to the attention of eaeh memb -r of the congressionl dele cation flmi this State. both house ard enae, and also that the time -is ntw rlpe when, upon theiotroduciion of the bol, a new tffort should be uade to se cure to the southern States the passage ot this reasonable law, and to this end I have address.-d a communication to the governors of the several southern States, reques.ting them to j'in me in reqiests to their several congr, ssional del, gzations to see to it that by harumo ious act ion this result shall be attaed at the present. se.,sion of congress. Senator MecLaurin has written that he will reintroduce the bill in the senate, and when it shall come to the house of re presentatives you are respectfully re quested to render such a-sisnance as may be in your power to secure its early passage by that body. Re~ponaes have come from seyeral of the governors, and from their assur ances it is likely that you will find that the nelegates from the other southern States have been requested to co-oper ate activ'ely. Very respectfully, M. B. 31eSveeney, Governor. Recently the governor has received ltters from a number of the southern governors in regardl to those claims. How Silver Affects Mexico. Those undeviating advocates of the gold standard as the financial anchor of every country, who declare that with out the g dld basis there can be no sub stantial prosperity, will do well to turn their attentention to a recent report on the propsperity of M1exico, which P. M1errill Griffith, Uruited States Consul at Mlatamuoras, has made to the Senate D -partmrent. In view of the well ktnown fact that M1exico more nearly, perhaps approaches a silver standard thtan any country of importance in the world, it will be .well fur the gold bugs to) ponder over what their o~vn coksul give, to the wor~d through the medium of the Sate D-partmnt. He writes: "Asntie of the Latin- Auerican coun tries are experieneing sea~ steady cow mnerial anid ind ustrial piros ress as Mlexi co. no other offers so many openings to the miner, plauter capitalist, and tat ufacurer. Among the many causes of this progress aind acuivity may be mna tinmed the tiatural resources of the cutry, the absolute security of life and property, the cheapnes of labor, the absence of strikes and other labur ditutdances, and the eon filence in the strength and stability of the govern metit. which was so openly exemphified by the recent ready nee,-!i:Ltioni of the 5 per cent. loan in the Uaited States and Eur. pe." First Class Instuments. If you want a first ch ss piano or oraui, he sire to visit my store or writ nc tor i nf.,rumtion I handle only i st chets instrumecnts-Steiniway, \lason: & IIImillin, M1sthushek, Ster lire, Ilutingt n and Ludden & Bates Pian; Mason & Hiamlii and Sterling raus Liberal terms and fair deal ixg. No midddleman's comtissons s des direct from factory. D. A. Pre'sley, )lanaser Ludden & B ites u~thern 31usie House, Columbia, S. C. 1imo. To Refund Ill Gotten Money. A hill was introduced in the senate Wed iiesday by Senator Sullivan of Mlis ~inipj'i dlirecting the secretary of the trea ury to refund money reaiiz-d on e .tton captured in the southern States urmig the civil war and from tae tax lvid upoin cotton in those States at that time. This money was covered into the United Statt s. Blizzards are not as frequent this year as they are some years, but they eem to be much severer than usual. FLORENCE IN RUINS. City Hall, Hotel and Opera House, in Ashes. A special dispatch from Florence to The State, under date of December 19, says bare walls and masses of debris mark the business portion of Florence. The dimastrous fire, concerning which a few words were hastened to The State yestesday morning, was checked at 6 o'clock this morning, but not until about $150,000 worth of property had melted away before the fury of the flames. There are various estimates as to the loss, but many business men place it at $150,000 and more. It was the greateot fire that ever visited Fior ence, and one from which it will be difficult to recover very soon, for many of the losses fall heavily on t.e vic tims. The fire started in the City hotel, a handsome three-story building, and this was burned t- the ground before the flames began to spread. The water supply was inadequate, and just when it was thought tue fire could be con trolled, the engines ceased pumping and pandemioniune reigued. Bucket brigades were formed and heroic work was done, but all of no avail. The city hall, brick, and Allen's block, frame, caught and burned rapidly. The en gines changed positions and recom menced work. The fl ames had gained such headway, however, that nothing could be done to check them, and the Bank of Fiorence, acrobs Evans street, was next licked up, with the Western Union Telegraph office. The fire con tioued to spread and all of the build ings from U. D. Bristox's fruit store on Evans to Stockley's on Dorgan street were destroyed in rapid suces tion The flames crossed Dorgan street and four other large stores were des troycd. The principal buildings burned were the city hall, a $10,000 building, the Bank of Florence, valued at $7,000, the City hotel, value, $12,000, and the Florence opera houe, placed by the owners at $12,000. The stores of V. 31. Hianner, George 31. McCown, James H Penny, Dr. W. H. Larly, Theo. Kiker, Wiikios & Bruiisou, N. J.. Xepopas, R 1 Nett;es & C >., H. L. iLdrr. 31 8 Rubenstei, Parker Bros., F. J. Fuller, J W Caution, E 6 Buch bert, and W. P. Rog.rs were entirely destroyed, beside6 a number of others which were badly damaged. The Bell and Home Telephone companies and the Florence liprovement and mahu facturing company suffered serious losses. A number of shops and Iruit stands were destro) ed, and the hand soLe 3tores of John L" Baninger and H. 8 Rose were oadly damaged. The handsome law Vfice of W1llCUx & Will cox in the bank building were de troyed. The Fiorence fire department did ex celleut work but were hiudered by the lack of water. The ciuzzns lined out in force and did what they could to save the effects from the burning buildings. Darlicgton responded promptly to the call for aid and arrived within one hour after the special train had boen sent oy Capt. G. G. L) nch. The Darlingtou firemen did good work, and for their assistarice the people of Florcuce are grateful. Trhe purpose of the men who have buffered by the fire is to rebuild at once, anid with Flor ence's spent is uadioubtably. She will not long auffer this awful gap in her main streets to gi unfitted. Another reult of the fire will certainly be a modern system of water-woiks for Forence. A KENTUCKY HORROR. A ;Whole Family Whiped Out by a Boy's Carelessness. At Alliance postoffice, Floyd County, Kentucky, Nelson Hamilton was pour ing out 'ome powder from a keg when his four-year-old son picked up a small amount aad tossed it into the fire. The explosion threw some embers into the pile of powder and a terrific explo sion followed. The father and little son and two older children who were in the room were knocked insensible. The ceiling was lifted from its place, the walls spread and the upper part of the house came down and stopped about half way on the walls, thus fastening all the doors securely. When the old est datughter regtined conscioueness suffic:eiotly to realize that the house was in flames, she tried to oden a door. but at onoe saw the hopelessness of such an attempt, and b2yan to scream for hep. A neighbor arrived n time to burst in a doir anid get the tortured persons out, but they were so badl) burned that all died withbin a fe w hours Taxes Nust be Paid. All State, county and poll taxes must be paid before the 31st imat , or the pre serbed penalties will be as~essed There will be no extensiou of time for the pay merit of taxes t hiis year. Au annoucmenzt to this eff~ct has been made by the Governor, anid the owners of pruop-rty are exoceed to meet their oblgation in the required time. There are no mitig.ating circu m~tances, such as storms, poor crops, etc , to req tire an extension of time and the taxes will have to be paid in the prescribed time. Documentary Stamps To prevent dodging and cheating in regard 10 the cancellation of revenue samps the g >vernent has orde:ed that on arid after last Friday, all document ar revenue stamps of ten cent denomi nation and ->ver ahall not only be can celled ini the usual way but shall be mu tilated besides, with a knife or pt(-rfora tor. It seems that the dodgers by tak ing out the required ink marks with chemicals have been using the stamps over and over again. The Republican national convention will be held at Philadelphia June 19 next. The place and date were decided upon by the nat'onal commint tbe Friday after a fri.:ndly contest for the honor of entertainiing the conven tion between the city selected, Chicago, St. Louis and New York. The meet ing of the committee was held at the Arlington hotel Washington and was presided over by Senator Hanna, the chairman of the committee. Forty three of the 45 States and each of the aj .terrir 0'were represented. Obey the Laws. The Anderson Daily Mail says there is no doubt. but that the violent reek less and misleading statements made by many papers which are opposed to the dispensary law have beer the means of encouraging resistance to the law and has caused bloodshed and the loss of life. Some of the utterances have been almost incendiary, and what more natural than that when men who are disposed to engage in the illicit traffic in whiskey read these fierce denuncia tions and misleading statements they are excited to the pointof violating the law. We have been moved to say this from reading an editorial in the Oconee News of the 14th inst. which is very much on the order. Here are some ex tracts from it. In referring to the de plorable tragedy in Greenville it says: The two men killed only add to the long list of men who have been taken from their families by means of this most unholy and unfair law. It is a fact that more men have been killed in trying to enforce this law since its en actment than have been killed in the enforcement of all the other laws of the State in a quarter of a century. Here is a positive statement that the law is 'unholy and unfair'. The people are educated by the newspapers they read and they will reason if the law ib "unholy and unfair" they have a right to violate it. And The News statet that to be a fact which we doubt very much whether it knows to be a fact or not when it says that more men have been killed in enforcing the dispensary than "in the enforcement of all other laws of the state in a quarter of a cen tury." Does the News know how many men have been killed in enforcing the dispensary law? We doubt it. Does it know how many-men have been killed in the last 25 years in enforcing all other laws in this State? We doubt it. It is a very broad and reekless statement and calculated to do harm. And then in answering the question "Why do men resist the enforcement of this law?" it says: The answer is easy: Because every man, whether he be a good man or baa man, whether he be a wise min or a fool, wheLher he be a law abiding citi zen or an outlaw, knows the law to b unfair, uujust and absolutely wrong; therefore tie resists it to the death, and will ressist it as long as it is the law. Tnat's another very reckless and sweeping statement. It puts the brana of hy pocracy on many good men in all the churches in this state who say they believe the law is a good law by voting to retaiu it. The above paragraph is as plain, outspoken a detenseof the riola tor of law as we have ever read. It up holds him and encourages him in h. resistauce to the law, and when they read such as that in the public priutw it is not to be woudered at that they violate it. It brea- he3 the very spiri of rebellion. Bu3 for c;ear and uradui terat, d nonsense anu absuruity the fol lowing takes the cake: The State says to its citizens: You can get drunk as often as you wisli il you will only get drunk on the liquor hold by me, but I punish you if you buy a single drink from any one else Tae State makes it a grave offense for a citizen to do the very thing it does isselt daily. Tue very instia.et of thet brute creation knows that this is wrong i'ue State has the same right to say that the citiz-n shall only buy flour. Corn, shoes and clothing from a state institution. When and where in the statutes has the state said she will punish the man who 'buys a drink from any oneelT She has said nothing. of the kind. There is not a line of statute law di rected against the buyer of liquor but it is against the unlawful seller. And then follows the remarkable statement that 'the state makes it a grave offense for a citizen to do the very thing it does itself.' In other words the citi zen must not get drunk but the state gets drunk every day. It is the first time we ever heard that the instincts of the brute creation told them the dif ference between right and wrong. But the most remarkable statement of all is that 'the state has the same right to say that the citizen shall only buy flour, corn, shoes and clothing from the state institution.' And this too in the face of the fact that all the decisions of the courts, btate and federal, recognize the doctrine and uphold it, that the liquor trac is a subject of the police powers of tne state and differentiates between the traffic in liquor and the necessaries of life. And the Oconee News ought to know that there is a difference be tween them, and prohibitonist though its editor is, he has made a plea in be haif of liquor when he argues that it stands on the samne plane as 'flour corn, shoes and clothing.' If it does then every man who chooses, has the right to sell it. This aboard and non sensical editorial only shows where prejudice will :ead to. He Found Religion. "J. N. Burton, the Alibene aue tioneer, had a surprise yesterday," says the Salina Journal, "that came near causing an attack of heart failure. A f oraer emiplo.ye sent him a dollar to pay for some corn stolen by him from M1r Burton's farm many years ago. The remitter has recently found religion, anid sent the dollar to relieve his con science, belie-vinig that amount would cover the value of the corn and interest and secure forgiveness for the sin." It is a pity some others could not find the same brand of religion. A New Railroad. The Georgetown and M1arion compa ny has applied for a charter in South Carolina to build a railroad from (Georgetown to M1arion. The incorpor arors are: Lewis A Hall, Wallace B Flint, Waterman Taft, Robert L Mon tague, L B Timmerman, F Rbem and F J 5aie. This is the road to be built or now being built, by the Atlantic Coast Lumuber company of Georgetown. Mississippi Planter Murdered. T H MleLemore and extensive planter and merchant, and his manager, A. H Dumas, of Rosedale, M1iss., were shot and fatally wounded Wednesday by two negroes, Bob and Wash 0Cide. The trouble grew out of a business dis put, the negroes emptying the con tents of a shotgun into the bodi's of the white men. A large posse is in nnrat11t. PETTIGREW IS MAD. He Declares That This Country Recognized the Filipinos. HE DEMANDS WAR FACTS. He wants to Know if there is a Studied Effort to Suppress the Philippine war Record. In the United States senate Wednes day Mr. Hawley, of Connecticut, chair man of the military affairs committee, drew a shirp speech from Mr. Petti grew by a motion to reconsider a reso lation previously introduced by Mr. Pettigrew and passed directing the see retary of war to forward to the senate the fall report of the commission ap pointed by the president to investigate the conduct of the Spanish war. Mr. Pettigrew declared that this was a most unusual proceeding, and de manded to know whether "it is a part of a studied policy to suppress infor mation." "Is it," he demanded, "along the lines of suppression of news from Ma nila, not because it is proper news, but because of its possible effect on the people of the country? A day or two ago I asked the acoption of a resolu tion of inquiry that I deemed perfectly proper. It was laid on the table. Was the action taken because the resolution indicated that officers of this govera ment had recognized the Pnillivpiae republic? D, you think if such a re cognition had not been made that reso lution would have been laid on the able? The fact is, we did recognize the Philippine republic, and it was through the assistance of the Pailip pine vessels that a Spanish garrison was forced to surrender. "It no, seems that there are many things to be brought to the attention of the people. My belief is that we ought to have another committee to investi gate the entire conduct of tho Spanish war. We might investigeate the pur chase of army transports, for which we paid two or three times what they were offered fur to otners. Is thi poli cy of the suppr s-ion of news and, facts to be follo*ed for the purpose of re electing the present administration?" In reply Mr. Hawley disclaimed any intention of an endeavor to- suppress any facts. He had made the motion -imp;y that the matter uight be con sidered by a committee with a view to ascertaining the availability of the mat ter asked for. Mr. Cockrell, of Missouri, believed that the report of the investigating committee should be communicated to ihe senate and at his sugg'suon the resolution was reconsidere requesting (he president, if nout incmpa'ible with public interests, to communicate the testimony and report of the comwiutee to the house. Mr. Alisdon, of Iowa. thought, too, that the senate ought to have the testi mony and report. The resolution as amended by Mr. Cockreli was pa!.sed without iSenL The senate then, at 1:15 p. in., went into executive session. Dewey Praises Bramby. The Atlanta Journal correspondent w:ites as .follows from Washington: [ was with the admiral and Mrs. Dewey for half an hour this afternoon, talking of poor Brumby, and the part that he played in the great battle at Manila. "I want to say to the people of Atlanta today,'' and the admiral, "when they must be peculiarly sad in burying their noble son, that in the death of Lieutenant Bcumby the country has lost a brave and gallant defender, and I have lost a dear and loyal friend. We were closer than brotbers, and I have loved him as dearly as if he bad been the ncarest rela:ive. His death has broken me up. [ have cancelled every social engage ment for the winter, and I am deeply grieved, for he was so near and dear to At this the admiral nervously walked across the floor to suppress his emotion. "He was a gallant defender and the admiral loved him so," interposed Mrs. Dewey. "Why, Mildred, dear," said the admiral, "didn't I see him when he hoisted the American fihg at Manila, at the very face of an apparent certain death? He raised the Stars and Stripes under a shower of shell from the enemy. Fe w people realize what a b'ero B3rumby was." "I want to commend The Journal's movement for a monument," continued thle admiral, turnining to me, "and I shalsend a check to add to the fund. It shold be :a pleasure to every person to contribute to perpetuate th'e memory of that gallant young G3eorgian, and to we it is an opportunity that I am proud to accept. Put me down; I will and in amount later. Griuding Stone Burst. A serious accident happened at the State farm near Hagood last Saturday afternoon. While the week's ration was being ground on the grist mid one of the rocks burst. The mill was com plelely wrecked and piec.es of the rock were hurled in every direction, d 'ing great dam ige to the building. Two convicts were present at the time, one of wbom was seriously if not fatally wounded. One of his arms was broken sad his shoulder badly crushed. The other fared a little better, though he was badly wounded by a piece of tim ber rock striking him in the stomach. It was a miracle that both of them were not instantly killed.-The State. A Sorry Spectacle. The spectacle of the United States coddling Wall street like a sick baby and feeding it gold out of a bottle is a very edifying one. Nor does it tend to heighten respect for our financial sys tem that the great banks and trust com panies have to go into the market and pour their legal reserves out at 2 per cent. to enable brokers to buy stocks and keep everything fr~m going to smash. Co~nmon sense is at a discount in our money pohec.-The State.