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VoL.xv1 MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY. JUNE 8, 1903. NO. 44. THIEVES FALL OUT. it Ryan Became Sore and Made Confes- . t sion to Authorities. HE WENT BACK ON HIS PALS. n They Ruined Themselves by ,)oing the Man's Bidding. and s C He Now Turns Bitterly Upon Them. United States Marshal Henry C. Petit, at Rockville, Ind., notified the department by telegraph of the arrest of Joseph M. Johns, the man charged with conspiracy in the alleged bribery of Daniel V. Miller, the assistant at tornce of the postoffice department wih was arested Tuesday night. Johns eill be tt ed with Miller at Cin cinnati. The cases will be presented b to the federal grand jury which meets C there October 6. According to evidence in possession y of the postal authorities Johns re received 84.500 as a result of the de cision of Acting Assistant General t Christiancy that the Ryan Turf In- f< vestment company was entitled to d use the mails. Miller was an assis- I tant of Christiancy. The authorities e here say that Johns was not an attor- 0 ney of the Ryan concern but has been a a life long friend and political associ- a ate of Miller. The exact division of b the $4,500 is not known. e MILLER UNDER CROSS FIRE. S( Miller was at the postotice depart ment Friday in conference with Assis- t tant General Robbe, who closely ques- ' tioned him regarding the case. The Si .case of the Arnold company, turf in- t vestment concern, which was respon- d sible for the first charges against .the e office of the assistant attorney general t and which, despite the adverse report d of postoffice inspectors secured a fa- f( vorable decision from the office, is still 0 under investigation. The checks which figure in the al- g leged payments to Miller and Johns, ,c which are in the possession of the de- n partment are for $3,400. They were f supplemented with a cash payment of t $1,100. The checksaresigned by the n Ryan concern and made out to Johns's fa order and endorsed by him. RYAN HAS PEACHED. Ryan has agreed to be a witness for b( the government. He has furnished ti the department with all the informa- tl tion in his possession, including the ta documents. While the department fa cannot guarantee an immunity it will e put his service in giving state's evi- gi dence in the best light before the ly court. Miller had charge of the in- t vestigation of the Ryan case and pre- -1 pared the letter which Acting Assis- A tant General Cbristiancy signed. This se letter, which constituted the decision S11 of the department, allowed the con .cern to use the mails and was signed December 10. The decision in the rh Arnold case which served as a prece- y dent and whose language it followed hi was signed by Assistant Attorney di General Tyner December 4. t RYAN WAS SORE. p ''John J. Ryan, whose confessions re caused the arrest of Miller and Johns, sb operated his "get-rich-quick" turf in- p( vestment concern from Cincinnati, hi Ohio and from St. Louis, and ran win- m ter races at Newport, Ky. Other be warrants have been issued as a result in of the investigation of the postotfice li inspectors. Ryan is here now and te admits that he operated sometime at fr St. Louis before the inspectors got T: after him and later he was called to ea Washington. Ryan says: "I was sore ad because I heard others doing business hr like mine stood in with the postoftice fr department by giving up $25,000 and su I felt that those who were standing SC in with the department were behind us the investigation so as to get me out si! of their way." b THE JOB HAD "TRDIMINGs." a After - feturning from Washington bi to St. Louis last November Ryan says he got a telegram from Attorney tt Johns of Rockville, Ind., that Johns could be of service to him with the de- i partment at Washington and later Ryan and Johns met in Terre Haute. There, Ryan says, Johns explained now close he was to Minler and how Miller had accepted a $2,000 job in the postottice department at Washing- m ton with the idea that the job had certain "trimmings," such as Ryan sc says Johns explained Ryan would be able to furnish-.s Ryan declared Johns asked $5,000 S to get from Miller a letter frotal the bi attorney general's office showing Ryan was entitled to use the mails. Later a. Ryan says Johns came down to $2,500 - and the proposition was accepted. Ab proposition to pay $2,000 for litera ture so worded it would pass muster if it was ever taken up in the mails was later accepted. PREsERVED THE LITERATI'RE. d Ryan asserts Johns delivered the T letter and literature to him Decemn- w her 16th. Ryan says he gave Johns ca $1,100 cash and checks dated Decem- La ber 17, one for $2,000 anzd one for st $1,400. Then, Ryan says everything T went along smoothly until the trouble ro February 9. A weeklater a fraud or der was issued against Ryan, and Ryan says an effort for another shake down was put on foot but he would b not stand for it. lie says he received n more telegrams from Johns, Ryan Cc says he preserved all the telegrams ni and letters. CIESBOD Joseph HI. Johns, who is charged with complicity in the Miller-Ryan postal scandal, was arraigned before Commissioner Higgins and gave bond| for $1,500 for his appearance before It Federal JIudge Anderson at Indian.. I apolis June 25. ilis bond was signed by several citizens of Rtockville, who t accompanied him to this city. He re fuses to make any statement. The warrant under which he was arraigned charged conspiracy to receive personal compensation for services to divers per sonls in which the United States was interested.d The warrants for Miller at Wash- e' ington, and Johns at Rockville, were P drawn by United States Attorney i 'und v, andl his asista tis. un inuormna ion furnished by posto' ice iii;pectors dho La ve a great mass of do(unen ary e,:idence. notably a letter to o1n .J. yan, from George A. Chris ancV aS acting assistant attorney gen r.1l for the postoIlice department, in )riningr Ryan that the investigation at.isfie(i the Washington officials of is right to use the mails in his busi ess. In one corner are the initials 11. V. M." in Miller's handwriting adicating that Miller' dictated thel ,tter. and for that reason the officials ty there is no proceeding against hristiancy. This letter was not f, r arded to Ryan, but it came to him irough Johns when they met in Cin innati. Dec. 6, 1902, after Ryan paid ohns 81.100 cash and 53.400 in St. .ouis checks. These checks, indorsed y Johns, are in evidence. STORIES OF RECENT FASTS. [any People Restored to iea!th by Leavina Ofr One Meal. That many persons have gained ealth by eliminating, or practically liminating, the morning breakfast, !ems an established fact. writes Anna foodvard in Go:,d 1cusekeeping. 'hose who are more radical in their rials have begun by fasting entirely, )r a period of from seven to thirty1 ays. An experience wihich has at acted much attention is that of the Sitor of one of the health magazines New York. This man went through tuirty days' fast. about two years .o, and from that time to the present as usualy had two very light meals I ich day. Never more than two, and )metimes but one. He weighed when aginning his fast, one hundred and m pouuds and has since told the riter that he bad at that time much ckness: was, in fact an invalid. At ie present time he weighs one hun red and sixty pounds, is robust in ery nay and declares emphatically at he is proof against any form of sease, whatsoever. He says that be re the thirty days of fasting was rer, his skin took on a clearer hue ian it had worn for years; his eyes rew brighter, his hair was in better nditicon, and his teath, even, became ticeably whiter. On the twenty urth day he took a prolonged moun in walk with several companions, ,ither showing nor feeling more tigue than they. A girl whose home is in Morganton, est Virginia, tells me that although > to last summer she had always en an omniverous eater, she at that me became coverted to the modern I teory. and began in a practical way king in August two weeks' ccmplete st, during which time she swallow I nothing but a little fruit juice. ie then began to addopt an e.:treme light diet, to her advantage from e point of economy. since by prepar g her own meals instead of boarding e effected a saving of from six to ven dollers a month. But the con leration of primary importance was )t the pecuniary but the physical Lin. She at once began- to enjoy alth such as she had not known for ars. For several years previouslyr ~raverage weight was about one hun ed and twenty-four pounds. Duringc e two we'Ls' fast she lost tifteen a unds. The first week thereafter shet gained ten pounds and after thatt e regained at the rate of threei iunds a week, until she reached one t mndred and thirty-nine pounds-- c ore than she ever weighed in her life 3 :fore. This girl is engaged in tak g a university course and there is ring with her a friend who is a acher in the public schools, this iend living also on the same plan. iey eat no breakfast. taking in the ~ rly morning a glass of hot lemon e. Lunch consists of two slices of C own bread and butter and a little ~ it. The evening mcal, though more bstantial is very simply cooked. up and one other dish from the ual dinner. The second dish con ts so ne times of a baked potato or .ked apples, some times of a cereal ~ ~d milk. They take never more than ose two simple dishes, in addition to own bread and milk, celery and oc sionally onions. The main point is ~at thay enjoy their eating as they e ~ver did before, they have improved d general health, and incidentally c ere has been the saving of time and it oney. 1 Big wheat Crop. The cereal outlook was never more d ~omising at this time of year. Of s te 34,000,000 acres of winter wheat t wn last fall, the agricultural depart- t ent's canvass shows 33,o00000 acresj anding in prime condition and c ~omising a yield of 520.000,000 shels with normal success. If the ring wheat holds its own with aver ~e years, the United States will have a 0000,000 bushels of wheat in the I n in the autumn. Drowned ini the River. S Henry Field. William Ferrell, Wal r Parker and 1). B. Craig were -owned in the Arkansas river at , amaha, L. T.. Wednesday. Field s the mail contractor and Ferrell rrier. They were attempting to ke the mails across the swollen ream when their boat overturned.a wo other occupants of the skifl nar-I wly escaped death. Four Killed. Four men killed and two badlys irned by an explosion of gas in the ines of the Chartres Coal and Coker 'mpany at Federal, a mining townt ~ar Bridgeville on the Pittsburg. artres arnd Youghiogheny railroadc uesday. The mine is but slightly jured. Five Hoboes Perish. It is now reported that in addition ! >the eight train hands who were illed in Southern railway freight reck at lBryan, AMa., Wednesday fiveC 'amps. four colored and one white, erd killed Their bodies were burned. 31:aie a D). 1). It was announcement of the Ken icky Wesleyan college at Winchester. 1 v.,' Wednesday that the honorary ~gree of doctor of divinity had ibeen ,ferred upon Rte". -]. L. Stokes. istor of the Methodist church at: TOWN SWEPT ANWAY. Many Persons Crushed to Death by z Tornado. &N TNSANE ASYLUM STRUCK The State or iowa Swept Incessanti4 for Twenty-four Hours by Storms and Tornado. A tornado struck the town of Elmo, Iowa Tuesday evening, destroying the town. Six persons are known t( "lave been killed and several othen injured. The storm destroyed i Llreestory 'Masonic temple, and nine persons in the temple at the time were killed outright. Six bodies have been removed from the ruins of the building and others are believed to be buried in the debris. The names ol ,hose whose bodies were recovered: C. C. Calhoun. William Duff, Gus 1)utT. Charles Bell. T. Summers, D. L. Parker. The storm passed on through he town, leaving but a few buildings ;andin;. Elmo is a small town on he Wabash railroad branch, running rom Omaha to Brunswick, Mo., and ias about 200 inhabitants. STOR3-SWEPT FOR HOURS. Iowa has been storm swept for the ast 24 hours. Three tornadoes, two Ionday night and one Tuesday night, esulted in the loss of six lives, the tal injury of three persons and the erious injury of a score of others. )esides great injury and property OSS. TIIE DEAD AT GLENWOOD. Maggie Bietner. of Adasa. Iowa, Lged 11 years. Hazel Wright, of Adasa, Iowa, aged 10 years. ear Buxton: Georgia Buckley. Herbert Rhodes. At South Des Moines. Russell A. Knauff, aged 30 years. Floyd Knauff, his eight-months-old on. THE INJURED AT GLENWOOD. Mary Eckert. Anna DeLaney. Myrtle Dickson. Etta Newton. Harrison Johnston. NEAR BUXTON. Molieutius Rhodes. fatal. Mollie Rhodes, fatal. Eliza Blakely, fatal. Amphy and Minnie Blakely. Zward, Lucy, George and Addison lhodes. Buddie Rheasy. Mary Walker. AT SOUTH DESMOINES. Mrs. Kuauff, bruised and cut. Mrs. Margaret Boston, skull injured qy falling brick. Charles McNutt, hurt by flying tree imbs. Mrs. John McCoy, breast and head ut by flying glass. SCHOOL EOR FEEBLE-31INDED. The victims at Glenwood were all amates of the school for the feeble inded. The tornado struck the irs' dormitory. Tho roof wos torn i and with a terrible crash fell back gain upon the wrecked building. All he buildings of the grour, including e hospital, dormitory, boys' build ng, custodian's building, farm cot ages and the boiler room, were more r less damaged by the storm. The uperintendent estimates that the loss vill be at least $75,000. There is no asurance. MARK FOR FURIOUs WIND. The huildings of the institution are ituated on a slight rise and were a ark for the heavy wind which swept own on the structure with terrible ury. The boiler room, including ome ine machinery lately installed, s wrecked. The eleven gifls who rere injured are being cared for in he hospital which is intact. The ornado near Buxton struck before on near what is known as No. 10 unceion, a mining settlement. All he victims were colored. COURSE OF STOT31. The storm came from the southwest d the destructive wind seemed to escend suddenly from a great bank f clouds which was weeping toward he northwest. The houses occupied y the Rhodes and Blakely families lere smashed to kindling wood. The ornado struck south Des Moines at .ark tonight. It came from the outh, but after the greater part of le destruction was wrought, veered o the northwest it approached the unction of the Des Moines and Rac oon rivers. IN sOUTH DESMIOINEs. The property in South Des Moines d vicnity will reach .$50.000. The nauff home and the Christian church iere wrecked and about forty other sildings were damaged. Abou2t the me time what was apparently unoth r storm struck the packing house sec ion of the town, a mile to the north est of the scene of the Souta Des oines disaster. Many buildings were amaged. EAsTERN NEBRAsKA HARD HIlT. Eastern Nebraska was visited by noter series of storms last night and \ednesday several of which develop d into tornadoes. One visited lHast ogs, near the scene of Sunday's hea'vy trms and blew several buildings to olinters. Another struck Herman, 2C miles orth of Omaha, and the scene of a ornado tive weeks ago, killed a dozen people. The home of D. R. Parish, emolished and Mr. Parish, his wife, d a child were seriously hurt. Accompanying the severe wind in ~ery instance, was a rain storm of musual severity and as a result sever .1 towns in eastern Nebraska are flood d. The financial loss has been heavy nd estimates place it at several hun ted thousand dollars. One of the most severe storms was Davey, a small town northwest of incon which resulted in the injury f tirteen persons, none fatally. veral persons, however, sustained roken limbs. The report received rom ;here states that every dwelling .nd outbuilding in the townm was recked. The storm Lincoln did reat damage, the loss on buildings A NEW S LAVERY A System of Peonage Which Obtains in That State. At the request of the departmenr (f justice. the Enited State., service has undertaken the work of investigating. the charge of peonage. or holding another in servitude to work out a debt, which has been made against persons living in the vicinity of Mont gomerv, Ala. The punishment pro vided by the statute for this crime is a fine of not less than $1.000 nor more than $5,000 or imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five. One man named Robert N. Frank lin has already been indicted for keep ing a negro in servitude for at least a year. Information in the hands of Chief Wilkie tends to show that a regular system has been practiced for a long time between certain imagis trates and persons who want negro laborers. It is said that the plan is to bring a poor negro before a magistrate on a I 1limsy charge. Ile is convicted. and I having no money to pay a fine, the 1 white maR offers t' advance him the money, provided the negro will make a labor contract with him for a length of time sutlicient to reimburse him for the money and trouble he has taken to I keep the negro out of jail. He is thereupon taken away and b. 1 gins what is frequently a long tern o cruel servitude, being frcquentl.yi whipped for failure to perforni work I to the satisfaction of his cmployc'. An agent of the sceret service. who ;s t now on the ground. will make a thorough investigation of the whele t alleged system and turn over to the I United States attorney for that dis- r trict all information he may secure with a view to the prosecution of of- a fenders. Battle With Strikers. The first serious outbreak since the late strike order was issued occurred t at the big Q mines on Laurel creek a not far from Thurmand, W. V. For r several days the strikers at that point t have been making an effort to induce " the non-union men to join their ranks. t Wednesday evening the strikers be gan marching in a body toward the mines. The guards on duty. half a s dozen in number, at sight of the 9 marching body opened tire. The I strikers quickly returned the tire, but 3 as they were at long range the shoot- c ing was not effective and only one per son, Marshall Brown, and a guard, was killed in battle. Several received b minor injuries. Brown was shot t through the stomach, the bullet be- c ing from a Winchester and be lived 0 but a short time. More than 100 b shots-were fired before the strikes re- t treated. More trouble is anticipated. h More Rascality. The Philippines are having their g postal scandals as well as Washington. c Two cases were reported by mail to m the war department Wednesday. One a is that of former Postmaster Milne, d at Tacloban, Leyte. who is accused p not only of taking $2,000 current coin 1t of the United States. but even the 400 ti pound safe which is supposed to have a cootained the money. Postmaster li Karelsen of Calamba, Luzon, is also g under arrest. Some time a~go $2,000 a disappeared from the mails between a the hour it left his otlice and when it c should have reached Manila. Treas- o urer Jones of the province of Tarlace, c likewise reports robbery. He says he a has been losing from $25 to $500 n a month. His books are all right, v but the balance in the cash drawer a comes short regularly. fi Decapitated Him. A special from Newcastle, Wyo.,. says: W. C. Clifton, murderer of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Church, lynched by a mob from Gillette Wednesday night. The mob battered down the jail door, holding up the sheriff and deputy the " while, and hung Clifton to a bridge ? west of town. Clifton's head was cut s1 off by the fall of 40 feet. John W. a Church and his wife, who lived on a d homestead claim 75 miles southwest n of Newcastle, were never seen alive t' after March 14 last. Clifton, whose c ranch adjoined that of Church, was A arrested on suspicion and on April 17 g he confessed that he had killed Mr. E and Mrs. Church. Their bodies were d found at the place indicated by him. t Clif ton claimed he had killed the couple in self-defense. 0 1mmorality of Our Rich. n Dr. Rt. St. John Perry declared be- s fore the State Association of -Physi- n cians at St. Pauls that in immorality p and intemperance Americans of u wealth and apparent respectabilty t; were worse than African savages. f, "Christians look with abho~rrence or a Mohammedans who take plural wives t< and are true to them,"' he said, "e many of our Americans indulge in o thrice the wives of the ignorant sax- G age and are untrue to all. Vice and v. immorality are rampant among dil a classes. Physicians can bear witness 1y to this. To gauge the state of Ameri- o can manhood one has only to count 3 the thousands of fallen women in o every city."g A Got Mine.b The tunnel disaster in New York ' a was better thau a gold mine for the widows of the men killed by it. The Supreme Court has just amlrmed the - judgment of the lower court giving ' $10.000 damages to Mrs. JTennie M1. Lyr for the death of her husband in the tunnel. Leys at the time of his death was receiving a salary at $12. 000 and fees which brought his in come up to $29,862 last year. On that she~ bassedi her demand and asked for $25,000. p Killed by Lightning. r During a heavy rain and thunder a storm Tuesday night on St. Helena t island an electric bolt entered the C shanty of Posey Davis, an aged ne- 0 gress. and killed her while she was t near an open window. Hecr bedding a was also torn. A small girl who was t asleep on another bed in the room re- s mained unconscious during the storm 0 Iand was unhurt. On awakening Wed nesday morinng she found the woman Ic dead on the floor. c ii Wealthy Man Kiled. f D.W. Miller, general manager of'2 the Aetna Coal company, was instant ly killed Thursday at Aetna Tenn. 8 ie was run over by tive cars. He was '9 verywealhy.8 WORSE AND WORSE. sensation Created in Washington by Machen's Arrest. REPUBLICANS ARE WORRIED. rhey Admit That It Is a Political Necessity That the Rascals he Turned Out of the Department. A dispatch from. Washington says > far the most sensational develop nent in the postotlice investigation ip to this time occurred Wednesday vhen August W. Machen, the general uperintendent of the free delivery ervice, was arrested on a warrant is ued upon the information of postof ice inspectors charging hiim with iaving received "rake offs" from con racts made with the local firm of roff Bros., for a patent postal box astener. The warrant specifically harges him with receiving $18,981.78 ince Aug. 8, 1900. It is alleged, ilowever, at the department that this mount does not represent all that 1achen obtained in connection with hese contracts. it being charged that ic has protited by them for several >ars prior to the date of the first con ract mentioned in the warran.t. Immediately after Mr. Machen was aken into custody Wednesday the ostmaster general issued an order emoving him from office. He had cen practically under suspension for fortnight pending the investigation rito his bureau. The discovery Qf fachen's alleged interests in the don racts was made quite accidentally by he inspectors some three weeks ago id since their energies had been di cted toward making out a case. Af er the authorities had become con inced that they were in possession of he necessary evidence, Mr. Machen was .aotified to appear at the depart ien Wednesday morning. He did > and was subjected to a "sweating" rocess by the Inspectors and Mr. |ristow for three hours, but no ad nissions that be had profited by the antracts could be secured from him. [e declined to answer many questions n the ground that they related to is private business, but Insisted to be end that be had not received a nt improperly. Nevertheless he as arrested on the warrant which ad been prepared and taken before a rnited States commissioner, where C is attorney immediately demanded a ill hearing. Assistant District Attorney Tag art, however, was not ready to pro ,ed with the case and the hearing as set for June 5. Mr. Machen gave 820,000 bond, furnished by a Phila- I lphia bonding company, for his ap earance, declining to accept the prof r of friends to go on his bond. Af ,r his release he declined to make ay strtement beyond the single dec .ration that the whole thing was a rand stand play and would come out .1 right. His attorneys declared thatC Sthe proper time they would show )ncusively that he had been guilty no wrong in connection with the )ntracts and, on the contrary, they ould be able to show that-his ad- 1 inistration of the free delivery ser ce had been characterized by abilityt ad integrity. The department of- 1 eiais claim that their evidence is con usive. It is understood that civil it will be entered to recover from [achen the amount he is alleged to avc: received on the contracts. e THlE CHIARGES. The warrant for Machen's arrestC as drawn by Assistant United States I istrict Attorney Taggart on a sworn atement made by Walter S. Mayer, postoffce inspector from the Chicago I ktrict, before United States Coin lissioner Anson S. Taylor. Inspec r Meyer in the several counts in the I in plaint alleges the receipt by Mr. achen of several specified sums ag- I regating $18,981.78 in connection ith the purchase for the use of the I spartment of certain letter box fas- H mers. After setting forth Mr. Machen's licial position as superintendent of I ee delivery in the postoffce depart- I cent, the complaint says that as such iperintendent Machen was charged ich the duty and invested with the wer, under the -supervision and ith the approval of the first assis Lt postmaster general of purchasing yr he usc of the department certain rticles, among them "letter box fas- I mers." Inspector Mayer then states that I ae Samuel 1B. Groff and one Diller B. 1 .roff are the owners of a patented in-C ention for such letter box' fasteners I ad were rngaged in business as Groffi ros. The statement then says thatC a July 2, 1900, Superintendent [achen procured the issuance of an I rder by the first assistant postmaster eneral for 5.000 complete and 2,087 all fasteners of the Groff variety at 2 e rate of 81.25 for one completec nd $2.25 for two half fasteners, and 1 lat as superintendent he recoin ended and the treasury paid $7, >1.88 to the Gruif Bros., for the fas mers aforesaid. The statement then roceeds: C 'The said order was procured by ~ e said August W. Machen upon ( llusive understanding and agreement a etween him and the said Diller B. ruff, that he. the said August W. I [achen, was to be paid a certain pro- I rrtio~n of the proceeds of any war wrt to be issued in payment of the e rticle supplied under said order and ~ ic promise of him, the said Diller B. ~ rolf. to pay such proportion: and I a the 8th day of August A. D., 1900, i said August W. Machen did ask, cept and receive of and was paid by se said Diller B. Groff pursuant to ich collusive and agreement the sumI $ 3.020. 74."t Then following a number of other .a >unts alleging the receipt by Mr. Ma-e en of the following specified sumsc connection with sales of letter box steners to the government: Sept. ), 1900. $2,501; Dec. 17, 1900, $3,000; .ug. 31, 1901, 81,271: Sept. 9, 1901, 753.50: Jan. 20, 1902, .$2,500; A pril] ,1902. *2.36O0.50; Aug. 22, 1902, 3.8o il OFFICIAL STATE31ENTS. The arrest created a profound seas: tion at the postoffice departmen1 The news spread rapidlv-and within few minutes after the arrest the fat was known generally. Postmaste General Payne lost no time in con municating the news to the publi, summoning the newspaper men an saying: "Mr. Machen is now under arres in this building. He has received large sum of money from the contrac tors who supply the government wit certain articles. The amoun.t be I charged with receiving is over $20, 000. The department will make ; statement later in the day, as soon a it can be prepared." Subsequently Mr. Bristow gave ou the following statement: "A. W. Machen, general superin tendent free delivery system, was ar rested at 1 o'clock today. He i charged with receiving bribes amount ing in all to about $22,000 in connec Lion with a contract held by Grof Bros., of Washington, D. C., for a pat -nt fastener used on street lette: boxes, known as the Groff fastener The postoffice depaitment in the pas Len years has used about 8140.001 worth of these fasteners and it i sbown by ample evidence that for thi past three years, at least, Mr. Machei ias been receiving 40 per cent. of thi imounts paid to the Groffs. ThE ransaction of the business was con Sucted by Diller B. Groff, who con rols the patent of his brother, Samue A.. a policeman." VERY SAD AND SERIOUS. Postmaster General Payne said thal 'he evidence against Machen was o: ;be most conclusive character. "It i t very sad atfair," Mr. Payne added "it Is very serious business. Th( probabilities are that the end is nol ret." The p:>stmaster general saic hat the department was running til the charges that have made con :erning postal administration, that nany charges had been made whick tre not known to the public, and thai vbere a few were substantiated greal mimbers of the allegations proved vithout foundation. He made the significant suggestion hat there were many other charges of rregularities in the free delivery of ice now being investigated. Com nenting on the arrest of Daniel V. iller, the assistant attorney, whicl >receeded by 48 hours that of Machen, 1r. Payne said that he bad aksed As istant Attorney General Robt vhether the Ryan decision which Mr. 1hristiancy signed at the instance of iller, was proper under the law and inder the facts. Mr. Robb's answei ias not been received. Mr. Payne was asked whether the epartment was keeping in touch vith George W. Beavers, the former uperintendent of the division of sala ies and allowances of the department vho suddenly resigned some weeks go. He replied affirmatively. "I iave no doubt," he said, "that thede >artment is keeping track of him." Postmaster General Payne dismissed 4r. Machen in the following order: "A. W. Machen is this day remov d from the position of general super tendent of the free delivery service. Tis removal is made by reason of mal easance on his part in the discharge f the duties of his office." GROFF BROS., UNIDER ARREST. Diller B. Groff of the firm of Grofi 3ros., went to police headquarters and ave himself up, saying be had heard hat a warrant bad been issued foi urm and he had come to headquarters .o present himself. Mr. Groff was aken before United States Commis ioner Taylor and gave $10,000 bail lending a hearing before the commis ioner tomorrow. Mr. Groff did not nake any statement regardigg his nnection with the charge against im. The warrant served on him barges a violation of the section of he revised statutes making bribery of ificers of the government a criminal fense. The information upon which he warrrant was issued was sworn tc >y Walter S. Mayer, a postoffice in pector. This information alleges the >ayment by the partners of various ums of money to August W. Macben n pursuance of the alleged agreement ietween them in connection with the >urchase of' letter box fasteners. Sam el A. Groff, the other partner, was rrested tonight. Arrangement were mediately made whereby he was re eased on *5,000 bail being given foz is appearance before United States ommissioner Taylor when required. Eight Trainmen illed. At Birmingham, Ala., in a conlision etween two freight trains on the southern railway. near Bryan, there vere eight men killed. After the col ision the wreck took fire and burned apidly. The otticials of the road uave not yet explained the cause of he accident, but it is alleged that an perator went to sleep on duty and ailed to deliver an order. The burn ng wreckage destroyed the wires and ut off cummunication for some time. Che dead are: Henry Action, engineer; . G. Chester, engineer; Johnson, ngineer: Roland Madison, colored, treman; Otto Wood, tiremnan; David ngram, colored, fireman; Robert Han ock, fireman; J1. D. Hill cole'zd, reakman. A Columbia Hanging. The execution of Winter Cantey in lolumbia last Friday was very quietly one. He was hanged for murdering ,Eliza Kershaw. lie made no out ry and mounted the scaffcld without ny assistance, after having passed a orning and night with colored reachers calmly. He ate, as is the ractice of murderers sentenced to be anged, a hearty breakfast, and pass d a comparatively quiet morning. In act he seemed to be very much more t rest and peace than so-me other risoners in the jail. Cantey and his ictim were both colored. Dropped Dead. At Pensacola, Fla., Judge Frank P. onifay, after delivering an address in he city campaign, dropped dead just .s he was leaving the platform. The xertion and excitement caused his teath. Hundreds of people had listen d to the speech. After thanking the udience for its attention he turned nd fell to the ground. The meeting vas immediately adjourned. .Judge lonifay was one of the oldest and nost respected citizens of Pensacola. GREAT DAMAGE BY FLOODS. Over Two Thousand People Home r less in Topeka. Kas. The State of Kansas is sufferinj i terribly from a great flood. At 9.31 o'clock Friday night the water hai t surrounded the whole of North To 1 peka and more than 2,000 people ari homeless. The river is rising fast an( it is estimated that fully 10,000 wil be homeless. The Union Pacific rail - road station is flooded. - Late Friday afternoon the Kansa ; river bridges at Maple Hill, Rossville Silver Lake, Bellevue and St. Georg( were washed out. The new stee bridge at Willfrid is damaged beyon4 repair and at Topeka the street rail way is useless. Several hundred cat tle have been drowned. Fifteen inches of water in Abilen Friday night and more SatLrday Business houses are collapsing and th< entire town is panic stricken. Th, police and fire-departments in Topek are endeavoring to rescue people from the flood on the north side of thl river. The conditions in "Litti..rRussia,' the Russian settlement in North To. peka, are serious. The entire settle ment is under water and a curren1 has started through the district. Sev. eral houses already are twisted on theil foundations and they probably wil: collapse. Every family has had it household goods damaged and some have lost everything. Tbirteen inches of water have fal len in Clark's creek valley in the past twelve hours. The whole valley i desolated. Many houses in Skiddy were washed' away, and crops are ruined. Two thousand feet of rail way tracks in this vicinity were washed out. So far as known, nc lives were lost. The loss by flood in Morris county is estimated at $1,000,000. Four per sons were drowned here Friday night. Edward Clements perished while en deavoring to save his daughter. Ralph Phillipps, while trying to rescue a lit tle girl named Woods, was drowned with her. A baby was found dead in the Missouri Pacific yard. . Slacking lime set fire to the M. R. Smith lum beryard, which was burned together .with the Farmers and Drovers bank and Robbin's drug store, the loss be ing $50,000. The big Main street bridge over the Meosh-o river went down. All the business houses were flooded. Miles of Missouri Pacific and Missouri, Kansas and Texas tracks were washed out. More than 100 houses are under water and 20 have floated away. A Human Ladder. In the destruction by fire of a four story apartment house on Fultom Street, Brooklyn, one policeman was fatally and two others seriously burned while 15 inmates were rescued only by great effort of the police and firemen. Policeman J. F. Havens reached the third floor and passed Mrs. Nellie Smith and her three children to po licemen McAuley and Cook to assist them down the stairway. The fire cut them off from the stairs, and Havens fell unconscious from smoke Firemen finally reached them, and Mrs. Smith and the policeman were taken down the ladder into the street. The fireman discovered a young child mn the front part of the house, and there being no time to lose, they mounted on one another's shoulders, and, forming a human ladder, rescued it. The damage caused by the fire was about $50,000. A Girl's Tragic Death. At Rome, N. Y., with~a halter rope tied around her wrist and a frightened colt running at top ?peed.- Bena Webster, of Northwestern, was drag ged a half mile over a rough highway and killed. Miss Webster, who was 20 years of age, led the colt to alloiw it to eat in the highway. While the animal was feeding she sat down by the roadside and engaged in sewing. To prevent the animal from getting away, she fastened the end of the long halter rope to her wrist. The coilt suddenly became frightened and ra& away. Miss Webster was dragged headlong into the roadway, and the horse ran into the village of North western, dragging the girl at end 01 the rope._________ To Be Brought Back.. After being out of the state si, months, H. L. Lloyd, of Darlington, has been arrested in Texas and will be brought back to this state to stand trial for the forgery of a promissory note to the amount of $162 on the People's bank of Darlington. Lloyd, it is alleged, on November 18, 1902, forged a note in the name of his brother, W. C. Lloyd, E. F. Story and other parties and the bank cashier, knowing Lloyd, paid nut the money at once. When it was found that the note was a forgery, which was not until it became due, thirty days af terwards, Lloyd had left the state. He was located in Texas and the au thorities in that state notified to look out for him. A Coming Reform. The legislatures of twenty-one states have passed resolutions in favor of the election 0i Unted States sena tors by the people. Unquestionably popular sentiment has grown very strongly in recent years in favor of re moving the election of United States senators frorm the state legislatures. The purchase of senatorships by mil lionaires and the deadlocks which have left states without representa tion in the senate, have created strong dissatisfaction with present methods. Named Slayers. Mrs. J. D). Arlington, aged 50, and her son, Robert Arlington: aged 21, were murdered Tuesday night at Solomon's Mills, 10 miles below Louis ville, Ala. Before she died Mrs. Arlington named a white man and a negro woman as the miurderers. Otticers with bloodhounds have left for the scene of the tragedy. Robbery was the motive. Instantly Killed. G. C. Russell of Greenville was kill ed in Union by the explosion of a soda fountain in the drugstore of H. L. Scaife & Son. He h::d gone to Union for the L. L. Barre company to do some plumbing. MANY LIVES LOST * And the Town of Malazherd, Totally Destroyed by Earthquake A MOST AWFUL OCCURRENCE A Military Officer Becomes insane.__ Over the The Loss. of His Family. Other Particulars - of the Disaster. 1 A dispath from Washington says i Vice'Consul Ojalvo, at Erzrum. Tur - key, reports to the state department that an earthquake in the canton of Melazherd, district: of Bitlis, on the 29th ult., caused the death of 500 peo l ple and left the city in ruins. The-. shock was strongly felt in Erzrum, a journey of 38 hours, and threw the people into a panic. Many of them: turner' their stables, which are built level with the ground, into cleeping 2 apartments for greater security. PLACED AT TWO THOUSAND. A dispatch from Constantinople says -' adiiices which reached there Wednes- 7 day from Asiatic Turkey show that a terrible earthquake occurred Apritr;-:>i 29 at Melazherd, in the vilayet of Van - 80 miles southeast of Erzrum, on th Euphrates. The town was totally destroyed, with its entire-populition, numbering 2,000 souls, including 700 Armnians, as well as the troops forming the garrison of Melazherd. In addition over 400 Souzes in neighbor ing villages collapsed. A GAERIsoN WIFXD -OUT. 'A dispatch froni London says the foreign office here received some de tails from the British consul at .Arz rum regarding the recent earthqu.ke at Melazherd, according to which strong earthquake, lasting 30 seconds, was felt in the morning of April throughout the entire district between>V. Lake Van and the Russian frontier and as far west as Kharput. The town of Melazherd, consisting of 500 houses, was destroyed and much havoc was wrought in the surrounding vil lage. Col Khalil Bey, commanding the garrison of Melazherd, with .is whole family, three officers and 80sol diers, perished in the ruins. Lieut 001, Taybid Bey, whose family was' lost, became insane. A telegraph operator who sent the news of the cat astrophe said himself was badly in- - jured and that his wife and sister had been killed. The foreign office has pealed for subscriptions for the of the destitute Mohammo4ans a Christians of the Melazheru district. Jumped in a Chimney. The Atlanta Journal says Ira a vis, about 35 years of age, who has been working on Rev. R. H. Smith's farm near Gainesville, Ga., fora num ber of years, was brought to this city and lodged in Hall county jail for safe keeping. The negro is affected. with a peculiar form of insanity, sup posed to have been produced by the extremely hot weather. Wednesdar - night he was suffering from the de lusion that bloodhounds were on his trail, and' began a wild race for life and liberty, which ended in one of the most remarkable captures on re cord. For a mile he ran, disrobing - as he ran and throwing articles - of clothing along his path pieceby piece, until he was entirely nude. He . reached the two-story dwelling of W.~ B. Howington about 6 o'clock, after part of the family had retired for the night. He scaled the chimney by climbing up the lightning rod and3 mounting the roof, jumped down the chimney. The fall was a distance of 25 feet or more, and he landed on some boards which bad been placed in the fireplace. With great diffculty he was extricated and drawn out the -7 top of the fiue by means of a rope, and he was found to be terribly - skinned and bruised, but calm and willing to betaken in charge. The Mystery Solved. City detectives claim to have un raveled the mystery of the $7,000 robbery of the union depot ticket offce in Birmingham, Ala., which oc curred May 16. As a result two young men, one of them being the son of J. M. Blbb, superintendent of bridges and buildings of the Louis ville and Nashville railroad, have been arrested and are now in jail N~o one will be allowed to see them and not even the name of the second man arrested can be ascertained. It is claimed that the robbery was ac complished by boring a hole through the ceiling over the ticloet office from a vacant room on the second floor of the union depot, and through this hole the robbers looked with a magni fying glass and watched the employees of that offce work the safe combina tion. It is said that on the night of the robbery they entered the offce . while the night ticket seller was asleep and worked the safe combination. Two Captured a Company. - A prominent feature around Mis sissippi headquarters, which were the liveliest in line, was Judge Harris of Memphis, Tenn., who was a Missis sippian prior to his removal to Ten nessee. Judge Harris told recently of the capture of an entire company of Yankees by one man of his command, - the Seventeenth Mississippi, who was - aided by a negro. The man wasJohn Lake. The negro who aided him was known as Sandy. Lake, who was in company F, sighted the soldiers, who were in camp. Instructed Sandy, and sending him to flank them, he boldly walked up in front with drawn sword and demanded their surrender. The Yankees sprang for their arms, when he yelled out: "Shall we open fire captain?" Thinking that they were surrounded, the Yankees laid down their arms and were marched off to the main body of the Confederates. New Orleans Picayune. Acquitted. Mrs. Effle L. Carson, who shot and killed Robert Rigsby in Macon, Ga., some months ago for making slander ous remarks about her, has been ac quitted. When the verdict of the jury was announced there was consid erale applanse.