The Manning times. (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, October 23, 1901, Image 1

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p:4 VOL XYJ MANNING, S. C. WEDNESDAY.- OCTOBER, 23, 1901.N81 SCHLEY ON DECK. The rockyn's Commander on the Witnss Stand. HE TELLS A GRAPHIC STORY. Capt. Cock Assumed Responi bility for His Sh*p's Famcus Loop. Echley Brave and Patrictic. Capt. Frarcis A. Ccok, who acm manded the Brooklyn during the San tiago campaign, and who acted, though unofficially, in the c&pacity of chief ,f staff for the commcdcre, was the first witness introduced for Schley in tne court of enquiry last week. Giving the.reasons for the departure of the flying Lquadron for UCiniuego4, Cap.. cok taa the squadion had been sent to that port "to intercept and neet the Spani.h Eqnadion, it having beeu determined, as ait believed at thac time, by them to malte CienfueSos their objective y:nr." 'le had undcritcod that the Span.ih fIet c:ried taunitias of war for Hr.tana, and 1. was bea?tv.:d that they wou;d go to Clitfuecos be cause of its acce:.biluy to kisbana. Capt. Cook etailed a conva sation between Commodore Schley anc. Capt. Cheater while the eqiadron was en route to Cientuegos. de:aid there had been talk eLwteen tthem about eahng on the southerneocast of Cuba. Capt. Cook bsai that upon arriving off Ciefucges on the mor.a:ng of kiay 22 a Itiociade was immeciately eszabii.hta, a. the fir ing of guns was itead, and it was be lieved that Cerveza had am-ved and a rete in honcr C h.s presernce was on. EtrtzhkeikS on the ehore were seen, but they were not fired upon bec.ur Ntv. conictere Qebrae tt to unnece:.:a ruy expena ammusuun. "1 iik bet.i t zs t time and the arrival ot zhe Actia, lL wes presumet that the whole o was occuad,"he Sa. "'We saw cavry saI. c:.eis ct. the beaca. 'Ite pos my Uf a bs landing was talkea of. 02 *.L- arr.vai of the Acrais, we auiny esptca;d to gt all informat.ion." "iy cu see any sgrsi lights c'n shore whlo you wrre there *Yes, -, hr. h:t th=ng af Ler we arrived, on May 22." "Wnere were those signal lights and what were they ? "1 judicd them to have been about six or s.even mues to the westwao, three hghis, one ahead of the ctter, very disuncezy, a..d the disorssion that took placc on the ship, in wiai i Ihms the conmotreAt took part, was pr..LL ciear evicmnce that it was a signai oi some kind to auati that fleet and that he cerLain~y nad theM in there.' "ihere could have teen no dcubL whatever, frem the arrangments of those bgata that they were iniended az signals?" On, no, tleir appearirg at the time they did and rcmainng to lorg, but we coud not determine rrom wrom or to whom tLey were ient." opetktng of the coal supy of the vessels of ' fiyng squaron while at ienfuegc , .sapt. Cook said that his only anxizety w as concerninig the fTxas, whose aup ply was iight, it had been ound difhcult to coal that ship cn ac count of ias aponsons. He said in this connection that Comimodore bobley had aiways been persistent in keeping the ~aips as fullI of coal as possible. Capt. Cook said ne recailea the arrival ol the dispatch boat Hrawk on May 24 with dispatcher. Hie w as told tha: the infomauon was to the effect that the bpanish fleet was in Sanniago, "*buL," ne said, "I was not espeo:.aiy im pesaed with that fact as I had heard xt oeore." He was, however, toid that thisa information was moi e positive sian any which had y et been brought. ihe commodore, he said, had toid him tat the Hawk had trought orders to thaeiet- that the squadr~on should proeeerd-to Santiago-if he (.he comm~o oe)-was satisfi6gthat the Spaniards were rliot at Cienfuegos, tut he said Ccmmodere Sofley bad said "1 am nod sauisfed ta they are not hese. lstill Denieve they are here." Tnere was then, he said. considerable talk on the part of the commodore con cernaylhe coal supply, he feeling that ii the then present expend?:uxe was to contmnue it would not comunrue long. He was still erpecially concerneo about the T.exas, and had satd to him (Capt. Coob) tha~t ' we n~uat keep the ships in fi6gtirg trim." TLhey had consulted char'-s ani ta.ked over ian case, iousi ing ier a piace fit ier cosiing. hnni;iy, he hae, tney had .hit upon Gonaivec bay and aLcQt to hay a course ior that pont. "J.ke iaea," he sid, "was that we si.euid proceed in the oireocuan or ancrago and that if we found the sOa unc that we cou.d coal we would im meiateLn inbiiue the .iockae, bu-. i not pracurcabie to do that we, wome? procebli to tionaives .~ Sa a.c c dherie." Capt. U.Xct riaaS the paruc uaie of tic .e meig '~u 'L nle scout ships cli entiaao aM-d ..ti C5 pays peaking ci Uspt hig- . % h tid or D~s origiog sehatO aosia. n z:.a.o. hce ha seen nor ig of tEc 5rP-.z hn . ..ispsto quesaces" concern ng the bica.e e.i Sme Cay - Cch L that umii.d.4e caley's contam. nc was tihe, au va ,padb V.. ing cos.-a:i, as n.. t c y was t2a the 5Splh ticet wcu.c. c us~;O.t ei cie adoimedy' Mr. L..n a and 1 havc :. n ''u p' e 'Km crcuar elocacA'Le i- j to comie OUL and -c i s mnov id IeaOy for sO&ion. --..t v-rn you~r orders of battle from M?ay 19 to June 1?" Ve tai no L:.vo nny. The fet was a..ways~ a c ne,-iot for ac..Crn "Do y ou eau that a nartie orte r?. "lt is pas b.cz to have an croprfo battle if :.cu know j.iat va coaiuo" y on' are going to met The ide wi't -. was to cbe able n fltte 5tpani fle whenevar we seMrae i siik ti-at was tdaoed by a"l. ii cerainly to :dra . "i thec fleet had tonout of. a-h har bor previous to June 1 what would you he done?" "We w-u' --ver o~':e the orders "Wr th Eting" ships ail7ts in su-p;d they were; the Bxchken was ai2s n excellent or Gral intaSt was manifested t ro the court rocm when Mr. -:.ana -. gan his inquiries about the bttlc Cf J 'ly 3. Cspt. Cook said he wzi in -is ca:ia when tue Spanish fleet ws- Eiht and went immediately G. deck. " on ar v intimation the night before th.t the fleet was coming out?' No I turred in the might before, about midnight, fecling rather the oth er way, a: hope o' tneir coming out hsvins been given up.' "W hen you came on deck where were the Saaish vessel? What were they doing*?' "WhEn I first arrived on the fore castle there were two in sight. The tird one was just out::ide the ei trance and the fourth appeared immediately afterward." "Which way did they head?" "We were to the r.estward. The en traL c to us was about northeast by nortn. The fleet came out south and turned as they Meft the entrance to four proints soutnward, so that they turned in Uur cirection. When I first got on deck te hc!m had been starboarded, a a httle to the northward. Wcr. I saw the flcet they were head itS outh west, and seemed to be coming suaighL for the interval between the Txas and the Brioklyn. I went in the conning tower and directed the ielmsm--n. I told him what I wanted o do was to to keep straight for the fleet. They wavered a littie. Some u~mes they turned one way and then aeo:her, We shfacd helm orc, or twice, but ;Ery little iLdced, and finaiy w.cn we were gezting up fairly ciese, say bezween 1,500 ant 2,000 ,it seed to ne clear that Liey -an:t d to- pas bvween the Texas and e oek~yn. Tae texas a well on -ur starboa nd ana she was headed :o the r.,rthward a d westward. All sips ~e re currying Qut the instine ti:.a (f the commancder-in chief, and Swas to LeA is fer the entranca. We were well to the wesward and r.ae o the n'or"*a-t. When I saw t Lt 1nc Ue ladm perhaps half way over. 6he was swizging starboard very r tad. he Saz-sh flet was coming tt for t"'s iLturUaI. I s:eCpd out the tower on t1he port side to get a g.-od lek at this fls.t, to see ja:t wst tme3 Were gong to do as to our nlative pes-ions, aod I saw they evi dervty put heims hard zport and were ;armtrg to the wea.ward. We were zi en iarcaag very rapidly to starboard nith tort helm an we had turned 1 tLcik to ect to the east. The Texas we wl. on cur sarard side. I then te orda 'ard aport' to the *man, re thruc'ha the openirg be twen he elI and the conning tower to tiLe o-er side oi pnurpose to see cur o fa fi -'t iai ' urc ra:ive positions. Q e oT ut :. tell i: thecem 7 "ore caAled no '-e, 'Cook, haid aport,' oz 'i ,ouor e apord' I answered, to h:I . a sprt urni:g as rap i a ~s e osible As I watchd the -aas the b of tho Brooklyn s.Emed ;st to pou.: to her port bow. I never .Ls .he atboa:i bow t f the Tex~ss, and chargi::g her bearirng very rapidiy the bowe c f rte Brook-y pesed along the port bide-. tLhe Texas until there was a clear openir4 between us ard the stein of the Texas. We made a ecm piete turn, a very quick turn, with nem hard apori until we came arouna and paralled the flcet on the other side. As we paralleled the Spanish the Vis aya-" Admiral Dewey: "May I interpet, did you pass the Texas?" "I never thought of a e lhsion. I never entereoi my ceid. .1 never for a mcmcnt had one idea of vicissitude in tha rese W psst d, 1 jidge, abcut 43ysrds. Ihad handled the ship un der all circumstances and got so I could jadge pretty correctly and my impres sion was that we were about the die ance we sailed in sqnadron. But a collision I never thought of. She turned per!feedy clear of the Texas, came around arnd then we had the Vis Caa on cur staroard bow and about, abeam was the Oqnendo and then the~ Colon. At the time I thought it was the Teresa, but I soon discovered this vessel wass dropping out and healing for the beach. "Thats was about the hottest time of the action. It was a critical time. There was not any time for indecision and I do not think there was any. I fave always felt in my mind, in study ng the positions, that the chances would have been for a disaster had we shi ed helm at such a time. However, wc got around and we had those three vs~eb 1 looked and could see noth inoat smnoke astern and vessels seeed enveoped in this smoke. 1 could not ud emand it. 1 could not understand xactly ocw we got there. They were al hree fir:sg on the Brock:pn, when airos im diately faster than I could el it, 1 s a larse whito bone in the we. a.d ti.rangn nhis sm ke I saw the now of a vssel. I exe:imed at the me 'whe. tas tha. The navigatcr, x-oa - m~e, said it was tne :daB ac.-us.-.u or omet'.ing to that cfihe:. I caid" she vs aa, saa he then said, -~ . ut is ( Grge. She came up vry rapi d-y "he w-s mnak::g more sp- sta we were' at that time." "I "isL. 600A .i .:'$. C.tide ::n es-n .ne .E xa -dte Sa o. nb enEs op:.n g, at:C esni'a" 8.u0 &a ins s. m :?h ta..ir.: cun te: anse He pmv t . ime i a ite~m ' Ea istheta ci d.s::neter of .e Br* cklyn" I a. 650 yars." "na teas .a hand.le the ehip n "I cemr hav seen one equal to a th stabor en"'ne df the Bro- lynrve 'e -:. tttun? .o as that. nc re-o-rn I e~el yrecly, I rememozr vyel, w tas I ii it nto inne iho see of the shin. That the was turring a. right and rapidly and I wanied to keep the speed of the ship." "'At the timo you saw the Oregon coing up cut of the smoke was she on your sza:board?' 'Sts.:board quarter." "And between you and the Spanish ships?' "Never between us and the Spanish ship-:." "Whiere were the Spanish ships at that time?" 'There never was anything between us and the Soani:.h ships. She was on oar starboard quarter." "Nea:er in shore." "Yes." "Referring back now to certain points in the story, as I did not care to interrupt you, you state you heard the commodore say at one time 'hard &port.' That was after you had be gun to make the turn and the helm was hard sport?" "Yes, the helm W53 aport but not hard aport. M5dy impression is now, al though it was not at the time. It was as rear the same time as has been given. There was perfect understand ing between the commodore and my self. Never a question of any kind during the action." "I will ask if your recollection is clear as to whether the helm was put hard sport by yourself first or that you d.d it in obedience to an order from the commodore?" "I gave the order on my own respon sibihty. No q iestion about that. It was not afa.r having heard the commo dore. He callea out to me as I have stated, which I now think was simply to confirm himeelf in the idea that she was turning with the hamd aport helm." '"At that time did vou hear any con vcsation between the commodore and the navigator?" "I dd not." "Did you eee any torpedo boats?" "I did not." "Were 3ou afraid of being rammcd at the timo the turn was being made?' "N.. fhere was something said about it but I did not give it a second thought from the fact that I knew they could not ram unless they got within my turning cirale.' "Were you afraid of blanketing the fire of our fleet by turning one way or the cth-r?" "We might have done it by turning the other way." "Hid you turned with a starboard instead of a port helm would such ac tion have advanced you so far as to bring ou within the line of movement of the enemy's ships?' Provided they had taken advantage of ii; that is to say, if they had con tinued on their course sou.hwest streLgt for us and we had turned so as to brmg them within cur turning circle, it would have mmde ramming possibe:, certainly. "How were they heading when this order hn:d aport i:si given?' "They were he&ding southwest." "Would they have headed so had you gone the other way?" "Aud they dicovered the move ment? Yes, I thiak they would. Tne chart distance givei at the time was 1,100 yard. I estimated 1,500 yards, 6na -o madc it in my report. In the first place, we must have lost by shift ing helm at s'ioh a time. Then if we had turned the other way we must have gone 700 yards. Tney wou'd not have had n.uich distance to run to get entire ly witin our turning circle. That is all eenjecture." M2'r. Hanna: "What was the con duct and bearing of Commodore Schley while ueder fire on such occasions that y ou had the opportunity of observing?" "I alway regarded him as an enthu siastically bravo and patriotic offiser. Never is any ether way." Ftandy With Their Guns. As a result of one of the worst trage diesi enacted in Welsh. W. Va.. in years, two men are fataily wounded arnd one seriously. Tne Ehooting occurred in the Paiace HoreJ cafe. The fatally it jared are: Robert Huff ord, a promin enr mercbant, shot three times, Dr. C. R. 'l.dniel, one of the best known pysicians in the county, seriously wonded, and John Waldron, deputy shar f and highly respeoted. Shortly before midnight Huff ord was taking a lunch in the ho:.el cafe when a crowd of strange men entered, apparently in txicated, 'TLhey passed several re marks which Huff rd took as insults and he huried a heavy glass at one of them ar~d closed in for a fist erncounter. At this j uoture Deputy Sherfi John Wadron rusied in to separate the par ticipants in the bs-.tle, as alsa did Dr. McDniel, who was seated at a near table. huff ord was jerked rather r.uhly by the deputy sheriff and he quickly pu~led a gun, which he turned en the cfiioer. Waldron is quick with a gun arc? in an instant he also brought hs revol'ver into ac:.ion. Dr. McDaniel, berga 'em frnend of both men, ruied into the fray, pleading a cessa ton of hosuilities, only to be pierced trough are. iLnrough warh a 38 calibre butet. Tne firing cont~inuedi and Haf orat a aste next to fall. He wass-t tarce urses, tre la-t bullet penetrauirg one left breast. D~eputy Waldron, al tatusa shot, wias abie to walk from the caiu. Ho was placed. un.er guard, at t~e hotel, wnle the two iatally injured men w..re ~arnieu to a phy cician's office. Killed for Money. I IH ryC C. We'', n e cineron t P.,asysa, a wa ui, rnutde..d I r us hi- n~ He sad dra; dibd ala la rignt at 0,.sa iOdore m .azi .:s. but *13'0 v~- founo eqy tn u-:a.r Nu-:.~d to is under c.e --e to is gen t~ho mus ent~ mv.Ln>.ly havitr missed this in as hurry to esc-ape bar the approaanl Iof day.g Comitited Suicide. Mr x. ri , wv..of Leutenanti Henry .E Ir a-ranani ofcur onf furth story w' o- in the Peun fiast Wedn'.ed' sonn and n~ii reand7:C injae w l de~ndedi e been in poor healthi for o time. TheC coor certified that tne case was one A BAD BREAK, Presidant Roosevelt Entertains a Nfgro at Dnner WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMLY. The Action of the President Will Jar the Feelirgs of Nm Believers in Social Equality. A dispatch from Washington to the Atlanta Constitution says Booker T. Washington, the -ell known negro edu cator, president i the Tuskegee, Ala. Institute, was a guest of President and Mrs. Roosevelt at dinner at the white house Wednesday night. Washington is probably the first American negro to dine with a president of the United States and his family, although it was reported that President Cleveland once entertained a negro friend at the white house board. Since President Roose velt occupied the white house there has hardly been a dinner or- luncheon without its guests, and as the president has been so free with his invitation no special list of guests is prepared and the ushers do not know who the guests will be until they arrive. Wednesday night, just before 8 o'clock, a negro in evening dress presented himself at the white house door, and, giving his name, said that he was to dine with the presi dent. Booker Washington has made several visits to the white house and his face is known there, so he was at once admitted into the private apart ments and the president notified of his rrival. No other guest arrived and the dinner was soon served. Dinner at the white house since the Roosevelts have occupied the msnsion has been a family affair, Mrs. Roosevelt and the two children appearing at the table with father, mother and guests, After dinner the president takes his guests to the library, and there, over cigars, things politiai a'cnd otherwise are cis cussd. Wednesday the usual order of ffsirs was not disturbed on account of 0ho color of the guest of honor, and Washington left the white house about 10 o'ciock apparently very much Oeased with his dinner and his chat with the president. IT WAS A MISTAKE. I'he Augusta Chronicle says the news from Washington that President Book er T. Washington, of Tnkegee Insti tute, was a guest in the white houst, at dinner with President and Mrs. Roose :it and family, and that after dinner there ?as the usual social hour over cigars, is a distinct shock to the favor abLe sentiment that was crystallirg in the eouth for the new president. The appointment of Judge Jones in Alaba ma, and the published utterances of President Roosevelt to the effect that he iidended to appoint only good men to cie have led southern people to hope that a new political era was at hind. While encouraging the people in the hope that the negro is to be largely liminated from office in the south, President Roosevelt throws the fat in the fire by giving countenance to the egro's claim for .social equality by having one to dine in the white house with himself, Mrs. Roosevalt and chil ren. We concede the fact that he ould not have had a more decent ne gro. President Booker T. Washington is the representative man of his race, a useful citia in and an able leader of his people. But he represents the ne_ gro race, and between his people and the whites there can be no social equal ity. This is not simply local southern pr judice, but it is an ineradicable ra cial fact. While there are exceptional ases at the north and east of white peope who receive negroes on a plane "social cquality, they are exceptions F'r the most part the negro finds at the north the way sternly barred, not nly to social interc urse, but to busi ess eqaality, while laborers, even, will not work with negroes on the same job, and every labor union refuses to admit negroes to memberahip. In the south the negro is given falil opportuni ty to work, but tocial c<taality will not be tolerated for a moment. If Colonel Roosevelt desired to re receiva negroes at his table on a plane f eooial equality he had a right to do that 12 his personal cappacity before he became the executive htad of the government, but as the President of h United States it is a matter of very grave doubt if he has the right to in ugurate a custom which is repugnant to an overwhelming majority of the white people of tne country in all sec tions, and the tendency of which is to open anew an issue which has been practically eliminated not only by ar gment but unswerving and determined practice throug hout the years. President Roosevelt has made a mis take, one that will not only efface the good imp~ression he had begun to create the south, but one that will actively antagnoz southern people, and meet tbe disapproval of good Anglo Saxon bentimnr in all latitudes. Shoculd Pritent Roosevelt seek to fellow up this st.arting depsrture from the prece cnts of a century by inviting negroes to w tize hcuso functiens he will find islf in some very awkward and mor ti yir g situ .iouns when his white gues:s reent the innovation and refuse to co eate in it. 1hie new~s from Wash gt-n comes in such form and unan ?mig triac there is no reason to suppose ic is inaeeurate, and if it is trun Pr-sident R-oevelt will do woil to mae this experimen1 his last along at line. fine south does not relish --e negro in effice, but that is a sa m.:er compared wi-~h i:s unalterable rppsiQo to mial eqU ;ity between te rees. President R.'oseve has fi;n in the f ae of public s2ntiment, and 5.reipitated an insne that has long s ne tteen fought out and which should ave been leit in the list of settled ques tions.__________ He Was Desperate. Mathew Ratinnon, ei Swinton, Mo., tna shot and killed by Cry Marshal Keiey of Bloomfield, Mo., Thursday. m rode into toen heavily armed and a'ouced his iintention of marrying Mi-s Nmnnio Nn~ions, his cousin; or igrezing ner~ and then committing suicide. He reeisted surrst and tried to shoot the marshal, who ishot him Ca3:NOT BE OHARGED. Public Schools Must be Freein Rct as Well as Name. Assis'ant Attorney General Gurnte Tuesday handed the Staie Euperin tendent of education an opinion of far reaching importance. Under this opin ion the law of the State forbids school districts to charge pupils incidental fees going to make up the tition fees which they cannot legally charge. It will affect many a public school in the State whose resources have thus been most materially added to from time to time. This opinion has no bearing upon the decision of the supreme court rendered some time ago, in the R-ck Hill c-se, which allowed the charging of such fees in schools. In that case the Ec'cols were chartered, and the charter gave the right to charge Eupplemental and incidental fees. Mr. Gunter's opinion reads as fol lows: Dear Sir: Your request to be ad vised upon the following question: "Can a board of trustees of a free school charge an incidental fee or in pose any other kind of cost as a pre requisite to entrance of scholars to the public schools?' I am of the opinion that the boards can impose no such charges. The board of trustees being of satatutory construc tion car have no authority except euch as granted by statute. Biards of trus tees are created under a general school law. This law provides for the com plete free school Echeme of the State, and is entitled "an act to declare the free school lw of the Sate," approved M . rah 3, 1896. The title as vell as the body of the act deno'es the intention of the geaeral assembly to give the people a free school Not only free in name but free in fact. After a cartful perusal of every see tion of the act I have be: n unable to find any.authority, either direct or by implication, to impose the fee referred to. It is true that the board of trus tees are charged wi-h the management of the free sch.;ols of their respective districts, and are give2 authority to ct "so-as best to prom-te the educatior.al interest of their ci4trict." But this does not apply to the financial re sources of a aistriot. That feature is loft to the tax collectirg and tax dis buzsing mach.nery. The trustees are given authority to distribute a:d ex pend tha school funds of a distriem ior the best interest of the'district. There can, therefore, be no excuse to attempt to raise funds for any incidental par pose by an incidental fee for the whole tum raised by taxation is available for any educational purpose. If a board of trU:nees can impose a small fee they couid likewise impose a large fee, thereby making attendance impossible, and thus thwarting the ob ject of a freo school law. This conclu sion has, of course, no referencoa to schools opera.ig under special char ters or epeeial legiiation, wherein au thority is given to chs-ge fees or tui tion, the buprema eau:t hiving re cently sustained such a power. The cases passed upon by .he Eupreme court having no bea:icg upon schools opierated under the gernoral frce school law of the State. FURTHER IN~FORMATION. As a result of the recent opinion of Assistant Attorney General Gunter that public schools have to run out of their public funds income only and cannot charge incidental fees for main tenance, a number of questiors have been propounded from ddfferent por tions of the State. The following is a further opinion in reply to a typical letter rec.ved Thursday: Dear bir: You request to ba ad vised whether a board of trustees of a free school can pay, for the operating expenses of the Ecuool, such as fuel, rent, etc., out of the school fuinds of the district. This question you state is in view of an opinmon of this offce that an inci dental fee cannot be paid for such a purpose. The general school law of 1896 c~eatly vests such officers with that authoraty. Section 26 of that law directs that the a ,hool funds of each district shall be expended by tae board of trustees accordmng to their judgment for the best interests of the school district. Section 44 makes it a duty of the board of trustees to provide suitable school houses in their district and to make the sasme oomfortablo. Section 42 provides how such claims shall be approved. From these extrac~s, as well as from a consideration of -the scope of the free school law, it is mani fest that the trustees have such authori ty. AJger's on Sampson. In his tookr on the Spanieh war, for nir Secretary of War Alger has this to say of Admiral Snmpson: "It is dif fialt to account for Admiral Bamp son's seeming attitude toward shs arm; diing the operations before Santiago, as weil as to excuse him from his con? tradictory statt~ments, subsequerntly made in his official report. Aurer the~ 3.1 of July the adimira:'s conduce mail be due to the keen disappoiniment re suting from his non participation inj the engagement with Cervera's ad ron. kossil he fel that Shsftr're quest for a conference oni the mornirag of July 3, inneent shough it wus, was resp musmic f or iiis beiog dprived ot the honor of aztively paticipsting as cm manae in-hif L.2 one of the Lecs; re marksbie vote:i~s in the auals of ns vat ware~. Five Men Killed. Five men wsre a:Us and two in jured Famdsy mornieg wnn on enor me~us mass of rock esveO from the side and roe' ot tae ra;d iranzit tuonel, ia course of constrnoicca on B.r.jd-yI about the line of Oa::, ndred ad-i Sxty fourth street, New Yerh Ci-y. The section of~ the t-rei where the cave in ocourr,.d is 105 feet below thej sur!kcJ. A shaft leads to the tunnet and from the shaft heudirogs extend north and south, each being st-out 700 fedt long. Th e ac:-ident oc-currod in the souh heading of thae tunnel about 640 feet from the shaft A gag~ of 20 rehek dr.iers ws werki'g in the extreme 'cu:h end of the hading and at:.a 50 fot from the end, a g-ang made up or 20 mucke:. a-id a f re::an was re-mov ing the debris produeed by the blast AA RARE CASE. A Lady True to Her Troth f:i Fc rty Years. SHE LOVED NO OTHER. The Pathetic Story of a Florida Maiden Lady Wose Sw set heart Oled a Hero's Death. The story of the life of Miss Mina Kessinger, an aged maiden lady, who lives on a far m near Jacksonville, Fla., is quickly told; but it is interesting, inasmuch as it shows the strength of a woman's devotion a d unfolds a ro mantie story of love and war. Although Miss Kessinger has lived all her life of fifty-nine years upon a little farm lesa han one mile from this city, and has always had a full control of all her faculties, she has not been within the corporate limits of Jackson ville for over thirty-eight years. She does her daily duties about her little fam, and always has a cordial wel come for the many curious sightseers frem town, but she persistently refuses to go into the city, which has now grown out of all semblance to the struggling village she last saw a'mostfour decades ago. During all this time she has never been over one hundred yards from the boundary line of her farm, and it is very rarely that she leaves it at all. in 1860, when Miss Kessinger was in her eighteenth year, a young man, son of a neighboring farmer, fell in love with her, and his affections were re eiprocated by Miss Kaesirger. The parents of the young lady, however, strenuously objected. When war was declared this young man rallied to the support of the flag, and in 1861 John Trehearne left the county to join .his ferLunes with many other gallant soldier boys. The regimant left for the front the next morning amid cheers of the ad miring friends of the brave soldier boys and the happiest man in the regiment was John Trehearne, who carried with him his sweetheart's promise to marry him upon his return from the front with the honors of war. One day Miss KeEsinger received a letter which made her heart leap to her throat and remain there, as it were -a lump too large to swallow. Her lover wrote to her a few short lines ap prising her of his wourdi, from which the doctors gave little hope that he would recover. To be sure that it would never fall into unfriendly hands, he returned the small testament she had given him before he left, and also sent back one-half of the look of her hair which he had worn next his heart du ring all the time he had been apart from her. As proof that he had worn it rcar his heart, he called attention to the stains wikch his life's blood had left upon the dark brown hair as the vital fluid gushed from his breast, which had been torn by a rebel bulles while he-was in the front of a charg ing column. She wrote an immediate reply and anncunced to him her inten tion of rebelling against her parents' will, saying she would start for his bedside the Monday morning follow ing. Bafore she left town in the evening another mail arrived, and Miss Kes singer received a short note from the nurse, saying that with his dying breath her lover had asked her to in form his sweetheart of his death and to assure her that he died true to his vows and with her beloved name on his lips. The body of the dead soldier arrived within a few days, and Miss Kesuinger attended the funeral in deep mourn ing garb. Her parents relented and did all in their power to lessen the great mental suffering of the distracted girl but Miss Kesainger never recovered from the shock. From that day to this she has never been within the corporate limits of Jacksonville, and has never been more than one hundred yards from the farm which is now her own. Neither has she ever received attentions from any other man, preferring during all these yrears to remain true to her sol dier lover, who left forty years ago with a lover's vow to love none other until life aat be no more. Damage to Texias Cotton. Reports from all sections of the state show chat the disaster to the Texas cot tcn crop is every bit as great as has been represented. In many sections of the state picking has been completed and the crop is shown to be anywhere from 40 to 60 per cent less tr-an that of Iast year. The percentage will not hold good for the state at large, but the indiestions now are that the de crease wi be fully 30 per cent. and 30 per cent. of the Texas crop means in excess of 800,000 bales. At $40 per bale, the present price, it means a loss of $S2,uu0,000 to the state on the one product and farmers have to bear the orant of it. In addition to the loss in the cotton itseif, the state also loses the cotton seed products which cannot be manniaetured. on account of the shortness of e~ecd and also loses the value of a large numbcr of eaule which are us uaiuy faneced as the oli mills during tne winter. T-:.ese two items will run the tOtal up lo faa $5Q0,,00. Why He was Killed. The a seminatio-n of Csivin M.8Smith already reported, is osuaing mucn stir in Piecens county. The weapon used vass a ~Eotgun, the lead entering the lest side and producing instant death. lie was shot feKm am'tush. Mr. Smith was highly regarded by is neighbors .eueerally- hit there were reasons for otherB not liking~ him so well. He was an unmarried man, and for fourteen years he had managed the farm of an aged lady, Mrs. Alfred Barton, who agr.;ed to give him the farm and other properny at her derath, in consideration of his care and management until that event took place. Mrs. Barton exe cuted a merinary deed of her property in favoer of Smith, and when she died twc years ngo some of the heirs brought euit T eC ver the land, whie'n includ ed 425 aerr. The court decided in favor of nimith, hat this did not lessen the desire of others to oust him frora the promety. TEE NAVAL CONSPIRACY, Obvious Attemptsto Doctor Testimony Against Echiey. As the testimony of the navy depart ment in the Schley case approaches a termination the existence of a vicious conspiracy to rob the Santiago victor of his laurels and to degrade his character becomes more and more apparent. Its ramifications can be traced. The testimony of the last few days presents in egregious form the plans of the conarirators in the navy depart ment. Their attempts to doctor testi mony and to make out a case whether cr LO against the distiguished "appli eant" are witnesses of their part in the unparalleled fraud which they conspired to prepetrate against the object of their enmity and against justice. It is evident that the conspiracy ex tended far back of the active days of the Santiago campaign. The principal means of obtaining information, which were possessed by even young subordin ates on the minor vessels of the fleet, were not intrusted to Admiral Schley, who was in command before Admiral Sampson appeared on the scene. He was betrayed in advance. The worst feature of the conspiracy is the evident fact that so many junior officers were placed as spies on the vari ous vessels to prepare testimony in advance against the commanding officer. At least such is the inevitable infer ence from the testimony of thesa young men who swear to statements which are contradicted by their superiors, by the logs of the vessels on which they sailed and by the official records. It is all deplorable and shameful. There is nothing like it in history. When these witnesses, scarcely out of boyhood, were confronted with the testimony of veteran officers whom they had contradicted or with charts and re ports their impudent and flippant an ewers were that "he is wrong" or "is mistaken," or that "the chart is incor rect," or that "there must be a mis take in the log." What will our navy be in the future when these young officers advance by promotion to commanding places? They will ascend to the highest naval rank with this venal training and with this corrupting example which is placed be fore them by their recent chiefs of the navy department. If they carry their present teachings and practices into' the administration of navy affairs in years to come they will establish a re cord of shame in place of the present~ record of glory. The corruption of the youth 'of the navy in making them false witnesses in this case is worse than the mutilation of records, the omissions and forgeries in the offioial dispatches and the other maliciously false portions of the testi mony already before the court. To suborn a witness who gives his personal testimony is a worse crime than to pres ent a forged record as a testimony. A new perjurer is created, which makes two perjurers-the suborned witness and the agent by Nhom he was suborn ed-in plae of a single perjurer who may present a false record and swear to its authenticity. This make the employment of the young spies on the vessels and the per version of their testimony under oath the worst part of the entire detestable conspiracy against one of the most ex emplary offcera of the American navy. Congress alone can deal adequately with thsdisgraeful plot. It should go to the bottom of the whole miserable affair without unnecessary delay. The American people cannot afford to have a naval establishment-they certainly cannot afford to take the awful risk of war-while it is possible for a comman der to be betrayed in the facs of the enemy as Glommodore Behley was in the early days of the West Indian csm paign.-Chicago Chronicle. AMERICANS WERE BURPRISED. Pilipino Swordsmen Kill Ten and Wound Six. A dispatoh from Manila says five hundred men attacked a detachment of 46 men of the Ninth infantry at Ban gojon, on the Gandara river, Island of Samar, Wednesday, killing sen and wounding six. The remainder of the company arrived on the scene in time to prevent further slaughter and routed the enemy, killing over a hundred of them. It is believed that the enemy only retired for reinforcements. As soon as the news was received at Catba longa two gunboats were dispatched, Gen. Smith going in person to the scene. 'THE OFJICIAL REPORT. The following brief cablegram from Gen. Chaflee reporting the fight was received at the war department Friday afternoon: Manila, Oat. 18. Corbin, Adjutant General, Washing ton: Forty-six men, Co. E, Ninth regi ment, United States infantry, under First Lieut. George W. Wallace, in field, lower Candara, Suma, were at tacked by 400 bolomen Oat. 16. Our loss ten killed, six wournded, names not received. Eighty-one of the enemy left dead on the field. Enemy beaten off. Chaffee. THE NEWS A s~oCK. The war department officials were somewhat dismayed at the press report of the new setback on the Island of Sa mar. 'They had at first no confirma tion from ffieial sources of the report and this was true of the last affair of the kind which happened at Balangiga. The Ninth infantxy, which shffred there, wes the same organization that engaged in the latest fighting at Bac gajon. though in this case the ocmpanxy attacked is not known. An inspection of the disposition made of the troops on the Island of Samar shows that be fore the Balangiga fight there were no less than 38 separate posts. These were so dispoeed that supplies could be conveyed to tho troops by water. Gen. Hughes has lefs Samar and gone to the island of Cebu to reenperate, which ac counts for the assumption of the cam mand on Sumar by Gen. Smith. Gen. aHughes was worn out and suffered from Ithe effects of a severe fall received Iwhile chr~sing insurrectors in the moun insa of Samar. SHOT BY ROBBER Because He Bravely Refus d to Open His Safe. A PLUCKY RAILROAD AGENT. He Was Mercilessly Shot Down. Man Arrested on Suspicion But Not Identified. A dispatch from Greenville to The State says unusual experience for this section of the country was an attempt made Tuesday night of last week to rob the railroad agent at Greer's, and his plucky refusal to comply with the demands of the bandit resulted in his being shot three times. Mr. T. M. Hill, agent of the Southern railway, went to his office at Greer's last night for the purpose of doing extra work, and while he was engaged at his desk between 10 and 11 o'clock a man .of medium size, who was masked and heavily armed, suddenly appeared be fore him and demanded the contents of the safe. Mr. Hill remembered that he had $300 in the safe, butstill he did not think the man was in earnest, and reached the conalusion that it was a practical j ke being played on him by the telegrarh operator, whose office is in ihe passenger depot across the rail road track. The masked individual was not to be trifled with, however, and Mr. Hill soon realized the situation was quite serious, when the man threatened to shoot him if he did not open the safe, but Hill resolutely declined to yid to his demand, when a brace of pistols confronted him, and as he threw up his hands the man fired at him twice, the shots taking effect in both hands of the agent. I is not certain that one pis tol made both wounds, and it is proba ble that the villain used two pistols, one being a 32 and the other a 44 cali bre revolver. Then he made an attack upon the agent by beating him over the head with the weapons, and when he had strioken him to the floorhe fired twice again, one shot piercing the shoulder and the other barely grasig his side. The telegraph operator heard the shets and ran a:ros to the agent's office, but the would-be assassin was making tracks at the other end of the platform and disappeared as suddenly as he came. The operator went to Mr. fH's relief, and a physician was quick ly summoned. His wounds were .very painiul, but not considered at all seri ous, and this morning he was resting very well after-his exceptional emperi ence. Sheriff J. D. Gilreath and Deputy Whitmore went to Greer's last night, and a search was being made for' the assailant of Mr. Hill when Mr. Whit mire returned this Wednesday morning. A phone message froin Greer's says that the man was caught and taken there Wednesday afternoon. This man who was taken to Greer's upon the sus picion that he shot the railroad agent, was brought here and placed in jail to await developments. He and two other were gambling underneath the trestle a short distance from the Washington Street station in this city between 1 and 2 o'clock Wednesday when the fact was reported to Sergeant Gunnels of the police forse who went to the trestle with three others and bagged one of them who answered somewhat the description of the man who shot Hill. His associates got away and., the prisoner was taken to Greer's, but Hill did not identify him and it is doubtful about his being the right man, although he had a 44 Colts revol ver that had three fresh cartridges in it and three empty shells was in his pocket. He gave the name of Edwards when arrested. The pistol and empty shells arc suspicious, and in addition a black cap was found in Edward's pocket which has a white fringe around the front indicating a mask. The au thorities believe another man who was loafing around Greer's Wednesday did the shooting. He is described as being about 35 years old, weighing 140 pound, clean shaved with gray hairs about the temple and tattoed on the right arm. Edwards is about 25 years old, has moustache and right arm tat toed. When captured he had plunged into the river. Detective Hayne of . the Southern railway aided in his capture, as he hap pened to be at the station when the police went after the gamblers and joined in their pursuit. .Edward's pis tol was of the latest and most ap proved pattern. Served Him Right. The Augusta Herald says some peo ple carry their merry-making entirely too far. They seem to think that they can taka any liberty they please with' anybody they meet on the street, be it man, woman or child, just because its M~erry Makers' week. One of the kind who went way beyond the bounds of propriety was Garnett Davis San ders. He is a young white man, who had took oia board several strong po tions and was out to do as he pleased. A lady passod by the Albion Hotel. Sanders was standing near. Without knowing whno he was taking such a lib erty with, no threw his arms around the lady's neck. An cfficer saw the act ar~d soon had Sanders under arrest. Jadge Picque~t told Sanders Thursday tnat hi3 not was the most outrageous that had been comnmitted on the streets in year. He wished he could send the dfdntto jail for several years, but would cva him the limit in a fine $300 or 93 asy;. Tit for Tat. Th dao cmmercial has set the Ta e papers on edge by the fol ?osing remasrk: "They are '. queer lot in ?ennessze. The mountaineers are so busy that they make their appoint ments for shooting and ki.'ling each Iother for Sunday, immediately after the singing of the hymn. They ain't wait for the sermon." The Nashville Ban ner makcs t'his rejoinder: '"If we are a 'queer lot in Tennessee,' and shoot in discriminately, as the Commercial in time~tes, President McKinley encoun tered none but welceming hands on his visit to th~e Tennessee Centennial Ex nosi:i'n." The score is in Nashville's favor for that bout, at least.