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A0TTON EPOR'T Needs Co-operation in Making Them by the Government. FAILURE OF GENERS To Asstst Will Destroy Cotton Statistics, Says Director North of the Census Bureau, Who Expresses Sur prise and Concern. le Warns Growers. Director of the Census North in a letter to Representative Burleson of Texas, made public Thursday, takes notice of the situation presented by the cotton statistics given out for publication Wednesday and expresses his surprise and concern at the recent alleged movement in the southern States, "appareztiy approved 3nd augmented by the cotton growers themselves," to destroy the census re ports by concerted refusal of the gin ners to make returns. Director North asserts that a continuance of the cot ton ginning reports is impossible witb cut the sympathetic and whole-heart ed co-operaticn of the ginners of the south. Immediately after the receipt of the letter. Mr. Burleson, a mem ber of the house census committee, and who was the author of the provi sion making appropriation for the gathering of cotton szatistics, gave out an interview in wbich he upholds the director in the work now teing done by his bureau. The letter is as follows: Washingto2, D. C., Dec. 29, 1904. Hon. Albert S. Burleson, House of Representatives. Washington, D. C.; My Dear Sir: It seems proper to invite your attention to certain ano malous conditions which onfrcnt the census office in carrying out the pro visions of secion 9 of the act to estab lish a permanent census oftce, direct ing the periodical colection of the statistics of cotton production through the agency of the gmnners. Thi-. provision was inserted in the law at your urgent request and that of other southern representatives, on the plea that it was necessary for the protec tion of the cotton producers against the speculatcrs and others interested in depressirg the price of the staple for their own profit. It was urged that enormcus losses resulted from the untrustworthy estimates put fortb I every year by speculators and agents of the Liverpool market. and that early and trustworthy official informa tion regarding the size of the crop would protect the grower, disarm the speculator and market manipulator and permit the law of suipply and de mand to regulate the prices. EXISv'E INFORMATION. Since the law was passed congress has appropriated and this ofdice has disbursed more than $125,000 a year in the collecticn and dissemination of this information. The system has been gradually perfected until it has become more nearly perfect than any similar plan for obtaining exict kcow ledge of the size of any agricultural crop during the progress of harvest ing. SNo complaint has been made that: the census reports are not accurate, indeed for a year or two past we have been able to trace the crop so closely that practically every bale has been accounted for. The statistics increase in value every year; for it becomes possible, by comparison of the statistics of one year with those of the same date In preceding years, to judge the size of successive crops with an accuracy never before known or approximated. The ginning reports of the census cffice have crowded out the spc cula tive and interested estimates referred to, and the single object which the southern representatives had in view, In urging this legislation, has been successfully accomplished. In view of these facts, I have been surprised and concerned at the pres ent movement in the southern States, which Is opparently approved and aug mented by the cotton growers them selves, to destroy the census reports, by the concerted refusal of the ginners to make the returns upon which they are based. Thus far the movement has not seriously affected our work. but if It continues and spreads, it will necessarily destroy its value ~during the coming year. It appears to have been suddenly discovered that these reports, undertaken solely at the de mand of the cotton growers, are high ly detrimental to his interests. .Mr. E. F. Webber. president of the Mem phis cotton exchange, is quoted as de claring that "the cotton Interests of the south have everythirg to lose and nothing to gzin by their continuance; they put the manufacturing interests in possession of information which works irrep~arable injury to the south." My attention has also been called to the so called "National Cot ton Ginners' association." the purpose, of which is stated to be "to gather accurate and reliable information re garding the amount of cotton pr o duced in advance of the government report." It also appears that "this information is to be sent in code; and the members of the association -will be sworn not to divulge it." The in formation is still highly desirab'le but possession of it is to be restricted to those who grow and gin the cotton. DISAIOINTMENiT OF GRowERs. I can understand the disapointed1 ment of cotton growers at the present prices of cotton, and their feeling that these prices are due to the un-.j usual size of this year's cotton crop, [ eariy and delinite knowledge e- neern ing which hr.s been given to the pub lic by the ceiaus reports. But I con less myself unabie to follow thie rea soning which~ lead~s the- growers, and through therm the ginnes. to iagine that it will te to their advanitage, oe cause of this excepticnal situation, to0 destroy the ediciar"cy of' the otticial . machinery through which they learned'6 the present situsation, ear:ly knowledge j of which has undout.,tdly ext4ended the change in the price of ctton overt a much longer period, anc:. thus saved a the growers and the country from much larger losses than would or b'r wise have been encountered mn con I nection with this -year's crop. It; would seem to be plain that in theI long run, takieg one yer~r with an-:3 other, only one thirg can Secrease the sycculative clement ia the business of cottn ellng ad thcs permtane:t-' ly benez!t the cotton grower, and that is knowledge of the enact truth as to. thesizeof the crp. frrn n absolure ly impartial and truthawer my source, Lt the earliest practicable dates. This oas the Unanimous cOUtertion of the .outhern representative in congress when the law was passed. It is not my puroose, however, to irgue the matter. I simply desire to tal yodr attention. to the fact that he continuance of the census cotton gionin reports is impossible, without the complete, sympzathetic. and whole harted cooperation of the 30,000 gin ISers of the scuth. The census office c"unot enter into ompetition with a caottn ginners' assciation which pro poses to gather the same data "for private information only." Moreover it cannot continue to promulgate statistics of the quantity of cotton ginnei to certa.in date, after it has reason to believe that these reports are no longer correct, in consequence of a concerted boycott by the ginners. Otherwise it would be guilty of the identical evil of misrepresentation its reports were established to pre vent. The census bureau has no in terest in the matter whatever, beycnd the discharge (f its duty as establish ed by law, and the maintenance of its reputation for the compilation and publication of accurate statistics. WARNING TO GROWERS. 1 have, therefore, decided to notify you in this manner, and through you the cotton growers of the south, that %,e continuance. of the mozement which they have b-gun will necessari ly result in the discontinuance of the c tron ginning reports of the census Atlice, for without the hearty and gEneral cooperation of the ginners those reports would become valueless and the compilation an unpardonable .vaste of public money. The situa tion would then revert to what it was five years ago. But after the private and interested estimates controlling the market price have again for a few years been too high, as they undoubt edly will be, and the repeated losses of tMe cotton growers in. consequence have again convinced them that the change they demar:ded In 1901 was a wise one, it will be far more diffiult and may be impossible to induce con gress to reestablish a system which the cotton growers set up once before only to tear it down when it chanced that a knowledge of the facts was to their disadvantage. I deem it my duty to acquaint you with the probable course of the cen sus office. in order that you may take any steps which may seem to you de. sirable or n-ceseary in connection with the matter. Very respectfully, S. N. D. North, Director. Upon receipt of the -letter, Mr Burleson gave out the fllowirg sae, ment: "Believing that it was to the in terest of the producer of cotton to eliminate as far as possible the specu lative element from entering into or affecting the market price of his pro duct, I caused to be embodied in the act, makiog the census tureau per macent, the original item providing for statistics of cotton ginned during the current year, and the result of census bureau's labors in carrying into effect this provision has materi ally aided in accomplishing this end. The result has not influenced a change of opinion on my part. A PERS~oNAL ALL~sION. "If I may be pardoned a personal allusion, a grower of cotton myself, having frequentiy experienced the damage occasioned by the high esti mates and cocksure assertions put for ward by those acting for speculators and cot-ton gamblers, I felt the neces sity of some impartial source of infor mation which would be as accurate as possible. This the census bureau has proven itself to be. " I concur in every word contained in this letter of Mr. North and feel that it would be nothing short of a calamity if the ginners should at any time fail to furnish prompt and accu rate reports to the census bureau. To fail to report to the census bureau will only play into the hands of the cotton gamblers and will serve to promptly reestablish alleged statistical agents, who are now, thanks to the bureau of statistics of the department of agriculture and the census bureau, thoroughly discredited. If during next year, as a result of decreased acreage and imperfect weather condi tions, there should be a short cro-p. which is not improbable, then the ginners' reports issued by the census bureau wouldjagain be in high favor by the cotton growers. What Is wanted and what is really always to the interest of the cotton grower is a prompt knowledge of the exact truth. "It is my purpose to prepare an offer at this session of congress and amendment to the census act provid ing for the collection and publication of accurate statistics the number or bles of cotton consumed each year and the surplus of cotton held in the iands of the manufacturer and the Lumber of bales exported.- This is necessary anid only fair to the grower of cotton. He should promptly have this information as the manufacturers of cotton throughout the world are given knowledge of the number of balesof cotton grown. "I~ have discussed this with Senator Bailey of my Sta~e, and he agrees with me as to th 3 importance and' necessity of this amendment and agrees to lend a helping hand in se :uring its adoption." A Bad Man. At Thomas, Ga.,;after killing his mother-in-law, Mrs. W. H.- Parrish, making a desperate attempt to kill as 18-year-old wife and shooting aimself twice with a Winchester rifie Wednesday. J. B. Barrow is lying in Ghe city hospital Thursday- night in a pr'carious condition closely guarded my officers. Barrow is an engineer on iihe Atlantic Coast Line. He is 38 rears old and had been married but Gwo years. His wife was 20 years his lunior. Domestic infelicity is given as :he cause of the tragedy. The verdictI )f the coroner's jiry dces not say whether murder was committed or the killing was ascidental. Left Alone to Die. The police are investigating the nysterious death of an unknown roung woman, found lying in the mnow in the Riverside drive, New Fork, Thursday and who died without >ecoming conscicus. The suspicions >f the police were aroused by the fact :hat her underskirt and hat were ound nearly 100 feet from where the >xdy lay. The spot where the body1 was found is a loaesome and deserted1 mne. The police suspect that the roung woman wt ile unconscious was eft there by ott er persons to die of: tx posure. Six hiIled 1y Explosion. Six men were killed Wednesday titernoon by an explosion of four' >iers at a Walville sawmill, 30 miles rest of Chehalis, Wis. Two others' TO COTTON GROWERS. They Are Advised to Organize and Hold Their Cotton. Clubs Will Be Formd in EverT Vot ing- Precinct in South Caro lina Withou: Delay. Mr. E. D. Smith, President of the South Carolina Cotton Growers Asso ciation, Issued the 'ollowing address last Saturday: To the Cotton Growers uf Sc.uth Car olina: I would have written an account of the Shreveport meeting before this, but have been waiting to bear from the president of the rational organiza tion as to the final steps to be taken. This I give in today's issile. From te Rio Gra;de to the Atlan tic the farmers are fully alive to Lhe situation. The old spirit that seemedi to be prevalent; that every other busi ness was our enemy is passing and the cotton farmer fully realizes that the present condition in which he finds himself is the result of his own do ings. Every State in the cotton belt is organizing for the purpose of hold ing cotton and reducing acreage of cotton and increasing acreage for home supplies. Let every farmer who has cotton bold it and not duplicate in next year's crop It is manifest to h'm that if he stores this cotton, borrows the money on it and does not duplicate it., that another year he will realfze enough to pay him 75 to 100 per cent. besides giving him an abundance of home sup plies. Again we must have a syste matic reduction of acreage; some plai by which we may have this done o, ganically. officially, if those are the proper words. To this end we meet in New Orleans, Jan. 24-26. Let each voting precinct in the State meet on Jan. 10 and organ'ze itself into and auxiliary club, elect a dele gate or delegates to meet at its crurt house on Saturday, Jan. 14, to perfect a cuunt3 organiztion and to elect delegates to the New Orleans conven tion. It is urgently requested that this be done in every county. Send me 'the names of the delegates elected to New Orleans, so that I may send them in. In the meantimi I wish to warn every farmer against the schemes no n being used to get hold of spot cotton. Don't lerd to the mill man or expor3 er. Hold your c >tton. We are able to hold and we need the protit. E D Smith, Piesident South Carolina Cotton Growers' Association. Magnolia, S. C , Dec. 31, 1904. PRESIDENT JORDAN'S STATEMENT. Following is an extract from the address to cotton producers of the south by Mr. Ha, vie Jordan, president of the S,-uthern Cotton Growers Pro tective a;sciation. In reference to the Intei state Cotton cot vantion to ba held in New O:leans, Jan. ':4, 25 and 26, President Jordan says: "We invite bankers on the question of finance and the warehouse system. We invite our southern manufacturers to discuss best plands for direct trac e relations between the producers and the spinners. No lengthy speeches will be Zolerated. We want clean cut business propositions. Tne principle work of the c nvention will be done by committees of the best posted busi ness men in our association who will be selec ted with care from among those present. I will be pleased to have let. ters from bankers, manufactures and business men generally who can at tend as early as possible. "Round trip tickets from all points east of the Mississippi river and south of the Potomac and Ohio rivers will be sold to delegates at a rate of one and a third fare, plus 25 cents. The pur chasers of tibkets are advised to se cure from their loca1 agents a certidi cate of the purchase of going tickets, so that the rate of one third fare re turning can be secured at New Or leans. Col. E. S. Peters of Calvert, Tex., president of the Texas Cotten Growers' association, will arra-ge for rates west of the Mississippi river. "Every cotton State is earnestly urged to send a full delegation of con ton producers. Let us get together in this business convention and begin to blaze a pathway which the entire south can accept and stand together solidly upon. "All communications addressed to me will receive prompt attention. Programme of the convention wil] be issued about the 12th of January 1905. "Very respectfully, "Harvie Jordan, "President of the Southern Cotton Growers' Protective Association. Ear-ned Him Reward. A dispatch from Columbia says a striking instance of a "Trusty" ne gro convict's loyalty, was brought t o the governor's attention In a pardt n petition from Aiken Thursday. The hero of story Is Andrew Washington, who ; as serving a two-year term on tne ganjr, for killing a negro nam d George. The governor Thursday granted him full pardon on a stror g pettion, setting forth that on a re cent occ asion his heroism prevented the escape of all prisoners on the gang. The guards were drunk ar d when tt e prisoners made a dash for liberty, Washington seized a gun ar d held them at bay, till assistance came next morning, Washington had served over a year, and was convicted afte~r two mistrials. Killed Brother and Self. A special from Ozark, Ala., says: A double tragedy occurred at Mid d~e City In the eastern part of this count y Friday. Arch Pope and Jessie Pop?, brcthers, had a heated discussion ar d disagreement over a line fence and th~e for mer shot and killed his brothe~r with a pistol. Areh Pope then wert horse and committed suicide by takir g strychnlne. The Popes are among the most prominent and prosperous people of southeastern Alabama. Bioth men leave families. Track Disappears. A section of the track of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail road, between Hopewell and Storm vylle, Conn., suddenly disappeared Wednesday by sliding into Storm Lake, which it crosses. This was a new track over which trains began to run last Fr!day. A section of the old track disappeared at the same place a few years ago. Nall and Void. At Charleston In the United States circuit court Friday afternoon Judge Brawie-; handed dow~n his decision de-I dlaring the act of the last session of' the legislature forbidding the ship ment of shad out of South Carolina to* be in conflict with the interstate con-, merce act and therefore unconstitua tinnal, null and void. FARMERS WARNED Agalrijt a Proposal that Will Keep Price or Cstron Down. To the Editor of The State: I have notied the proposition of certain cotton merchants in which they solicit shipments of cotton from the farmers, offering free storage with the privilege of using the cotton In their business and agreeing to settle for it at any time desired by the ship pers at the current price at time of settlement. I have no criticism to make of the cotton men making this proposition, but I wish to warn farmers against accepting It If they hope to realize any bend t from holding their cotton. I am informed that a number of mills in this country and also in Europe have been pursuing a hand to mouth policy, buying only cotton for present needs and having only a small supply on hand. If this is the case and the cotton now in farmers' hands is abso lutely withheld from the market a demand will soon be created, st-eks will be depleted and spinners will be fore d to buy cotton or close their mills. Now if the cotton is consigned to exporters under the proposition re ferred to above, these exporters can go right on supplying the mills as they need it from week to week and month to month, there will tnerefore be no withholding of the cotton, no pressure on the spinner, in factnoth ing to create an actual demand or cause any advance in the price, the farmer will simply be spiking his own gun. If any pressure is brought to bear on the market the cotton must be kept at home or stored in the near est warehouse. To illustrate, suppose the price of cotton seed was down at a figue to tally unremunerative and unsatisfac tory to the farmer and the oil mills were to send out circulars agreeing to take all the seed and promising to settle at current prices at time re quired during the season, and the seed was delivered to them under these conditionv, is it not manifest that with the seed In tteir posseision, their mills running on fall time, there would be no Incentive to force an ad vance in price, bat, suppose the seed were hauled away from the gins, car ried back to the farm and a deter mination shown to put them in the ground as fertilizer rather than ac cept unsatisfactory prices, the effect would be almost inatantaneous, mills would be obliged to pay remunerative prices or shut down, and the chances are that they would pay. The same principle applies to cot ton; it is true that it cannot be put back in the ground as fertilizer as the seed but it will keep, and it is cheap er t keep it than to raise it at pres ent rices. T. e crop last year was a little over fear; ag a cotton famine, went wild. Tnit year's crop is estimated at 20 per cent over last year's crop and they go equally wild in the other direction. There was little reason for last year's extreme advance and less for this year's decline. The bears in the mar ket, basing their opinions on the gin ners' report, estima' e that the crop will be over 12,000,000 bales and they act as If they thcught that every bale of this cotton would be thrust on the market, that there would be more than enough to go around, and conse quently there is nc necessity for them to pay even cost of production for It. They forget that it is about as cheap to buy cotton at present prices as to raise it where commercial ferti izars are used, and while the crop may equal or excEed the government estimate, it won't be sold at current never, and probably will never be counted in the crop of 1904-1905 unless there is a material advance in the price, because rather than accept cur rent prices it will pay better to store the cotton and borrow money on ID. A 500 pound bale of cotton at present price, at initial point, is 6 3 4 cents, equals $33-75. To carry this one year at 8 per cent. would be less than 7 1 2 for the cotton, while such action, If at all unanimous, would adva~nce the price probably two or three cents per pound. IMy advice is to plant the lands in tobacco, corn, oats, peas, sugar cane, raise hogs curtail cotton acreage and wait till the world wants cotton at remunerative prices.- B. Marion, Dec. 23, 1904. A Valuable Gft. Greenville's greatest Christmas gift was the donation by Dr. Chas.'Hallet Judscn of his home and grcunds to Furman university. This property, which Is located on McDaniel street in West End, is given as a special in centive to those who have subscribed to the endowment fund to pay their notes, and In order, too, that the roble old institution may have its fund complete at the earliest possible tnA The papers conveying the prop erty have been made out to the exe cutive committee of the college, and the transfer has been effected. The Judscn residence is fairly valued by a prominent real estate man at $7,500, but In making over the property to the university Dr. Judlson, with char acteristic modesty an-1 conservatism. places the value at $5,000. This most recent gift of Dr. Judson is in addi tion to the $21,000 given last year. Dr. Judson's connection witn the un iversity extends ovei a period of 50 years. He entered the faculty and was one of the buillirng committee which erected the main college struc ture a half century a zo. With Fur man and its alumni Dr. Judson will leave the memory of an imperishable personality. A Peculiar Accident. Max Silverman, travelling salesman for a New York house, is In the Grady hospital in Atlanta in a serious con dition, with the piper wadding from a bxink pistol cartridge In his right lung as a result of having been acci detlly siot by Scl Groodzinsky. The acci, ent is one of the most peculiar the nospital authorities have had to deal with for some time. The pistol was fired at close range and so great was the force of the shot that the wad ing from the shell went entirely through Silverman's thick clothing, tore through the body and penetrated the right lung. Physicians are not yet able to tell whether the wound will prove fatal. The Unloaded Pistol. A dispatch from Holly Hill to The State says Jim Russell, the 14-year old son of Mr. T. S. Russell, who re resides nearHolly Hill, accidentally shot himself Thursday morning with the proverbial "unloaded pistol." In taking his father's old pistol, which was believed to be unloaded, from a bureau drawer it was acci dentally discharged, the ball passing through his hand and entering hIs leS jist above the knee. The ball was not taken out but the boy Is resting quietly Thursday night. The wounds are not thought to be serious, butI wil be some time in healing. A PECULIAR CAkX. A %Man Serv'ig x lite Sentence at Penitentiary Wants Release. Governor Heyward has received from Senator Tillman a letter in re gard to the pardon of George Ennis. now serving a life sentence in the penitentiary fr-m Barnwell county. The case is a very peculiar one, and the request for the pardon came in from Representative Vespian Warner, of Illnois, who Is chairman of the committee of the revision of laws of the national house of representatives. Governor Heyward will look into the matter at once. The letters whicb were sent the governor are as fol lows: Gov. D. C. Heyward. Dear Governor: I encloee you a let. ter which explains itself. Tne writei is a member of congress from Illinoi: and a very fine gentleman and it secm that this man in whom he is interest ed is at least worthy of having yot examine into his record and into thf circumstances of the crime and sei whether he is being heli in prison un justly or at least lcnger than th( crime would warrant, supposng bia to have been guilty. Please look Lhi up and do what ,ou can as a persona favor to me and oblige, Yours sincerely, B. R. Tillmsn. The letter inclosel is as follows: My Dear Senator: You will remem ber that I spoke to 5 ou yesterday ii re'ation to one George W. Ennis, whi is now serving a life sentence in thi penitentiary in South Carolina. E: nis enlisted in the F. deral voluntee army at the commencement cf thi civil war in my county, where he thei lived, and where his people now re side. At the close or the war he set tied In South Carolina, in what coun ty I do not know, and was afterward indicted for setting fire, as I am in formed, to a small shed containing,, mule. The shed and mule were burn ed. Ennis was tried and found guilt; and sentenced to be hanged and oi the recommendation of the judge prosecuting attorney who tried him his sentence wascommuted to life im prisonment. Ennis insists that he is innocent and it has since been aicertained tha some other person, colored, I believe set tire to the shed. Ennis has noi served in the penitentiary more thal twenty five years' and I submit tha his punishment has been amply suffi cient, even though he did not set fir to the shed. His relatives live in m; home county, DeWitt county, lil and he has not a relative or friend o my knowledge in your state. If yol will kindly ask your governor to hav Ennis' record in the penitEntiary E 3 amined, and if he finds that his con duct has been good and the circum stances justify, I, as well as his man; friends in DeWitt county. Ill., wher ytu certainly know you have man; friendb, will be sincerely gratified. Very respectfully, V. Warn:r. JANUARY WEATHER. What It Has Been In Columbia Fo Past Seventeen Years. The following data, covering; period of seventeen yearsa, have beel compiled from the weather bureau re cords at Columbia, S C. They ar issued to show the conditions tha have prevailed, during the month i question, for the above period c years, but must ntt be cor.strued as: forecast of the weather conditions fo the coming month: Month of January for sevenjteel years: Temperature-M. an or normal tem peratnrc, 46 degrens. The warmes month was that of 1890, with an aver age of 54 degrrees. The coldest montl was that of 1893, with an average c 38 degrees. The highest temperatur was 78 degrees on January 15th, 1898 The lowest temperature was 10 de grees on January 28th, 1897. Tb earliest date on which first "killing frost occurred in autumn, Oatcober 19 1896. A verage date on whic 1 firs "killing" fron occurred in autumn November 8-.h. Average date o. which last "killing" frost occurred il spring, March 23d. The latest dati on which last "killing" frost occurret ia sprIng, April 10, 1899. Precipitation (rai' or melted snow -Average for tho anth 3.80, inches Average numbe. dais with .01 a an inch or more, 10 The greates monthly precipitation was 7.63 inche in 1892. The least monthly precipi tatiorn was 1.07 inches in 1890. Thb greatest amount of prccipitation re corded in any consecutive twenty-fou: hours was 2.93 inches on January 18 1892. The greatest amont of snowfall re corded in any twenty-four consecutivt hours (record extendinag to winter iF 1884.85 only, was 5 inches on Januar3 lb, 1893.. Clouds and Weather--Average num, ber of clear days, 11; partly cloudy days, 8; cloudy days, 12. Wind-The prevailing winds have been from the northwest. The aver. age hourly velocIty of the wind is S miles. The highest velocity of the wind was 38 miles frora the south west on January-7 190:f. Boy Conresses Lerratble Crime. A special from Newport, Ark., sayE: Before the coroner's jury investiga ting the murder of Mrs. Amelia Maul din, Newton_ Allwhite, a 19 year-old boy, has confessed to being a party to the outrage and murder cf the wo man and her mother, whose body, he says, was thown int o White river near the scene of the Cnristmas crime on the Jazksonport rcad. The boy im plcates his father, Louis Allwhite, aged 43 years, who he says first shot the girl an d then the mother. He de clares he was told by his parent to fire the second shot which killed the young woman and together they car ried Mrs. Kinkannon's body to the river and were returning to the scene of the crime to make simila~r disposal of the other body when s: mne people were seen coming dsown The road. The elder Allwhite mairntains his ionccence and together with relatives testified to a story implicatin~g A rthur Bunch and Walter Burgess, white farmers, but these men were able to prove ali bis Tried to Escape. While a train carrying 130 convicts in the employ of the Tennessee Coal and iron Railway eompany was going from M-ne No. 3 to the prison, Will Filler a negro convict, exploded a stick of dynamite in one of the noaches with a view of effecting a wholesale release. J. Dawkins, a con vict from Henry county, was killed, Guard Pickett lost a leg and an arm. Gen. Delaney, one of the trainmen was hurt, and several convicts were slightly injured. During the stam pede guards from the other cars rush ed forward and preven't-i the eec :pn of any of the convict;. The explo sion blew ont the end of the cach. TEACHES A na: TO LAY. Nearly Five Times as Many Yggs as ] She Usually Iays. The average hen in the United States lays only sixty eggs a year, or a little over twice her weight, but now comes the scientific hen who without dosing or stimulating, lays seven and one third times her weight in eggs, or 251 eggs each year, and this is by no means the limit. Toe New York American says: FEr the past six years Professor George M Gowell, agricultura? expert and poul try specialht at the experiment sta tion of the University of Maine, at Orono, has been conducting experi ments with the view of produIng a breed of hans that can and will lay more eggs than the ordinary hen, wbose laziness or lack of capacity is responsible for the hgh price -of eggs in the American markets today. Pro fessor Gowell hzs made wonderful) pr, gress in his experiments, having thus far developed more than forty he-s that exceeded 160 eggls in a-year and one whose record is 251. People who understand omelettes be tter than they do hen history and who have a b-:tter appetite for e4 _ than they have for statistics do not realze the importance of this effort for poultry improvement. Some idea of the benefits to flow from even par tial success of Piofessor Goweli's work may be gainea fr.m a few figures. In 1900, according to tihe United States r census, there were on the farm of the United States: including Alaska and Hawaii, 233.598,085 chickens and hens over three motAhs old, and the . egg production in the prev'ous year was 1,293.819,189 dozens, va-ued, on the avterage at 11.2 centei per dczen. a total of $144 289,158. Etch chicken laid, on an average, 5 05 d zens of eggs in the year 1899, or about one egg in six days. Now, this shows that the chicks were either very lazy or e.se that they lacked capacity for egg laving., Profess;r Qawell says it was all lack of capacity, and to reme dy that condition he has set about his experiments for the production of a better, a breed of more prolific lay ers. Even if the experiments now in 2 progess at Orono shall accomplich no t more than to produce a breed of . chickens that shall surpass the pres e ent breed in egg laying by one dozen per chicken a year. then for the whole United States, wi-h its nearly 234, UOO.000 chickens; the increase in val u of the egg product would be about e $25,000,000 a year. Professor Gowell's experlments are conducted for the purpos*, simply, of ascertaining which individual hens are the best egg prod acers, and to use e bem for the breeding of more of their kind. As a means of s curing the needed infornatior, fift7-two "trap nests" o! Professor Gowell's own devision and construcLion were placed in the thir teen pens of the breeding house. The trap nest is simple, inexpensive, cer r tain in its action and requires little at:eotion. It is a box like structure, without front or cover, 28 incbes long 13 icches wide and .16 inchea deep, in side measure. A division board with a circular opening 7k inches In diam. eter is placed acroJss the box, 12 in e ches from the rear and 15 inches from tbe front end. The rear section thus formed Is the ne-t proper. Instead of a close made door at the entrance, a light frame of 1x1k inch stuff is covered with wire nettir-g of 1 inch mesh. The door is 10x10 inches, and does not fill the entire space, a mar gin of 2 inches being left at the bot tom, and 1 icn at the top and sides, to secure free action. Tn;e door is hinged at the top and opens up into the box. When the nest is ready for the entrance of the hen the wire door Is held up, or open,'by means of a wire rod. so bent that one section of it rests directly acoss the circular opening of Sthe nest section. When the hen en ters the nest section, her back strikes and lif ts this rod, thus releasing and dropping the door, making her pris oner until she has laid her egg and an attendant comes to set her free, the do. r when it drops, being caught by a spring and tLui held firmly in place. Each hen in the experimental class icaispo either leg a broad metal -icbnbearing her number. When the hen is released from the trap the attendant takss her number, and then upon a board fastened on the wall over theinest, whereon the records are sy stematically kept, she Is credited Swith the egg laid. At the end of the year thie results are figured up, and the gcod performers are known by their records aod separated from the rest. All that have laid less than 160 eggs in the year are disposed of. The others are congregated in difer ent pens, according to their groduc tive capacity, and the experiments continued, both as to the laying capa city of the selected performers and as to the productiveness of their eggs, all duly labeiled with the number of the hen laying them, in the incubation of chickens. Thbe expermrnts began In Novem ber, 1898, fifty-two trap nets beirog used. When the data, from the first year's testing were secured the birds that yielded 200 or more eggs of good shape. size and c ior were selected for "foundation stocas," upon which, with additions made to them in suc ceeding yeirs of birds of similar qnal ity, the breedingr operations were based. It is known that the laws of inheritance and transmission are as true with birds as with cattle, sheep and horses, and when the wonderful changes that havetbeen made in the form, feather and egg production of hens since their lomestication cam menced is considered, there seems to be ample ground for aszuming that a higher average of egg production than the present can be. secured, by breed ing only from birds that are them selves great producers. The experimentsi began with atout 1.000 hens. Barrt d Plymouth Rocks and White Wyan; ottes. During the first four years in which Professor2 Gowell sciected breeding stock by use of the trap nests he found thirty-live hens that yielded from 200 to 251t eggs in a year. Several yielded onlyk 36 to 60 eggs at all. The Plymouth1 C Rocks bave far 'utstripped the Wy-I andottes in laying, all through the six years of the experiments, and to) day the champion hens, all Plymouth Rocks, are: No. 617, who laid the first year 251 eggs eggs; No. 1,003 laid 240 eggs; No. 1,001, 213 eggs per an numa. They Cured _Him. JTohn Clark, a negro five years old, t is dead at the homes of his parent at a Lyndon, Kr., of acute alcoholism , int consequence of excessive ooses of wine and a mixture of wine and whi key a administered to him by his step-father .2 and mother in the n ffort to keep him e from ever having a desire for drink by making him sickt of It. NHITE MAN LYNCHEP. lob Storms Jail and Carries Off Assailant of Two Woman. dother and Daughter Going to Visit Latter's Sick Husband As saulted and Murdered. A special from Newport, Ark., says ,hat Louis Allwhite, the alleged ,riminal assailant and murderer of ffrs. Rachael Kinkannon and daughter Nas Saturday Iynched at the scene of ;he crime by a mob of seven hundered nen. The mob formed shortly after 3oon, advanced upon the jail, over 3owered the sheriff and guards and ,ook Allwhite from his cell. Newton, the 19-year-old son of All hite, who is a self confessed acces sory to his father's alleged crime, was not molested by the jail-stormers. Having secured their victim, the mob marched the elder Allwhite along zhe railroad for two miles and close by the Kinkannon home, on the Jack ;onport road, hanged him from a tree. To the last Allwhite maintained a toical demeanor, betraying not the slightest em-otion. He steadfastly and persistently asserted his innocence of the murder of the two women. His last words were: "You will later hang another man for the crime for which you are now killing me." The infirm and aged father and husband of the murdered women was arried to the scene of the hanging and witnessed the swift extinction of Allwhite's life. Mrs. .cbael Kinkannon and her daughter, Mrs. Amelia Mauldin, were waylaid, asiauited and murdered on Christmas morning. The mother and daughter were hurrying to the bed side of the latter'ssickhusband, when Allwhite and his son, according to the ce nfession of the boy, met them, dragged the women to a nearby ravine and murdered both. The younger Allwhite further testined that they, he and his father, took the body of Mrs. Kinkannon ana threw it into the river, and would have made the same disposition of the daughter's corpse but were frightened away by the sight .f several persons coming down the road. When the elder Allwhite was ar rested on suspicion, blood was found on his coat and his son's confession, it is said, was corroborated in many way s. When the coroner's jury secured evidence that appeared to fasten the crime upan the Allwhites, mob spirit, which had been rapidly growing in the community, became dominant. The confks4on of the younger All white had the effect of severing all restraint and despite the urgent ap peals of many prominent citizens of Newp rt, the mob overrode the coun sels of the town's officials and took the case into their own hands. Allwhite's body was cut down short ly after death and brought to the establishment of a local undertaker. The dead man was an oldi resident of this 1community. He %as suspected of the murder of a citizen named Pink Bateman several years ago, but this he denied on the scaffold. The body of Mrs Kinkannon has not yet been found. SOME COTTON FLIUEBS. That Will Be Read With Interest By Our Farmers. We present below some cotton fig ures that will be of Interest to all in the face of the present cotton ,situa tion: TOTAL AXERICAN CROPS. Season. Bales in Crop. 1888 87................. 6 505.087 1887-88................. 7,046,833 1888-89................. 6.938,290 1889.90...... ........... 7,311,322 1890 91. ..... .... .....8,652,597 1891-92................. 9,0:35379 1802 93................ 6,700 365 1893 94.................. 7594,817 1894 95................ 9,901 25] 1895-96-................ 7 157,346 189697................ 8,757 694 1897-98........ ........11,199,994 1898 99...............11,274 840 1899 1900...............9 436,416 1900-01................10 383 422 1901 02.. ..... .... .... ..10,680,680 1902 03........... .....10,727.559 1903 04*.. .............. ...10,011,374 HIGHEST AND LOWEST PEICES. Year Highest Lowest. 1886............. 9 9-16 8 13 16 1887..........11 7 16 9 7 16 1888...........11 3 8 9 5 8 1889...........11 1.2 9 3-4 1890...........12 3-4 9 3 16 1891........... 9 1-2 7 3 4 1892............10 6 11 16 1893. .... ......9 15-16 7 14 1894............. 8 5-16 5 9.16 1895............. 9 3 8 5 9-16 1896 ......... ..8 7-8 7 1-16 1897............8 1-4 5 13 16 1898...... .....6 9 16 5. 5 16 1899........7 13 16 5 7 8 1900... ..... ...11 7 916 1901...........12 7 13 16 902.,........... 9 78 8 3-16 [903...........13 1.2 8 9-10 *T August 31. WORLD's ONSUMPTION. World's Total. 890 91............... 10,456.000 891-92................10,4'11,000 892 93.. .. ...... ........ 10,247,000 893 94 ................10,551,000 894-95............... .11397 000 895 96..... ............ 11,532,000 896-97.................11.880,000 897 98 ................ 12,889 000 898-99....... ......... 14,015,000 899 1900..... .........13,773 000 900-1901....... .......13,593,000 901.1902.... .... ....... 14,414 908 902-1903................ 14351,930 Jumped to Death. At New York a woman of 21, years, nown as Cecil Hall, has killed her elf instantly by jum ping from a bird story window. Her act created ,commotion in the neighooruood, rhere it was declared the girl was reaming for help when she was seen o fling herself in a nude condition ead formost from the window. The oroner took charge of the matter nd immediately gave It as his op:n. m that the girl was not a suicide, .t had been detained against her ill and was attempting to escape. ater he modified his statement some rhat, pending further Investigation. 'he woman's clothing was found scat ered about the room from which she ~aped. ______ THE Columbia ecord's Washing on corresp- ndent some time since nnounced that Southern representa ion reduction measures would not as. Crumpacker and F'oraker now dmit the truth of that statement. ot only will such bills not pass t'his agress, but no other one in the im tediate future, is the judgment cf ae in a position to nw. AGREED TO DIE TOGETHER, But Now One of the Men Wants to Live On. Benjimine J. Riley of Brookline, Mass., Wednesday night declared that he and Orestes A. Weed of Bo.ton came to New York with the intention of committing suicide togetter. The two men were taken from the Grand Union hotel, New York early Wednesday, sufftring from morphine poisoning, and Weed died at the hos pital after the physicifns had tried for hours to save him. Riley was re vived and was transferred to the pris on ward of Bellevue hospital, where he Is held on a charge of attemptied suicide. It is thought that he will recover. According to Coroner Sobo ler, Riley made the following~ state ment: "Weed and I have been chums since boyhood. Both of us had met bad successes and we were both what-you may term down and out. Neither of us had anything that gave any prom ise and we were downhearted. One of us proposed, I can't tell which'one of us did, that we should commit sui cide together. Both of us agreed and then we made preparations to die." Riley said tnat in their room h and Weed discussed the best methods of ending their lives, and it was fna ly decided to take morphile. They left the hotel together, he said, and went to , drug store, where they pur chased the poison. . "We were to die that night," the man cortinued, "but one of us pro posed to put it off for a few hours. We had some money and we dcided to spend that bfore we died. Then,' too, we were very nervous. We went around the city and visited several theatres and also drank heavily.". Rileg then stated that they went to their room on Tuesday night shortly before midnight and that ew; t ok a dose of morphine. When he had finished his story be was told by the coroner tat Weed ba'i died. Riley then said: "I am now so awfully sorry that I tried to die. I want to live and in the future will do my best to earn my living. I am awfully sorry to hear that Weed is dead. He was a fine fellow and was man ied aid had two cbiiren." A LITTLE WAR STORY. A Gun Captured from a Federal Of ficer Returned at Last. -The Columbia Recordsitys a rather pretty little story hzA just developed in the past few days, In which Bishop R Capers takes a part and which brings back reco.lections of the days in 1861-: 186i in a very vivid manner. The story g bas In it the capture of a Fed eral prisoner by the bishop, then an -, officer in the Third South Carolina * regiment, and the pars p'ayed by ' other members of the same regimentM* the names of whom have been forgot-. 4 ten by all. The incident happened on James Island when a detachment of. soldiers from the various South Car.lina com panies, just ralsed. were stationed there. Bilshop Capers and three sol diers were coming over from the headquarters of the offcers toward the fine where sentries had been ' thrown out. Inst across the line a Northern sol dier was se. n and it was evident that the) hiad landed for some parpose .not for the good of the men on the island who wore the grey. He was approach ed so rapidly that he had no chance to escape and told to surrender. There was some parley at first as the ,man, evidently a brave soldier, did noti wish to be taken in this way without folly of suc pro e ~ 1 . shown and be turned over his gun and? marched back to camp. The gu was kept by Bishop Capers for years and several efforts were made to find its owner. Finally bya searching over the records it was found that the gun belonged to-Som member of the Frast Connecticut Vcl unteers. From there the tracing a little easier and finally the man wh owned the gun was located. His nam~ Is Francis G. Cope and he lives in a small town in Connecticut. The gna Is now being fixed up ani will be, r. turned by the bishop at once. It s still a dangerous looking weapo'n, al most a breech loader, which shot a paper shell loaded with powder and -s an explosive bullet. Three Convicts Shot. At Falsom, Col., seven o~f nine con victs at the State prison whlo made a break for liberty Thursday wpre. al most riddled with ballets, three bairg dead and three in a orticd~condit'on. Capt. R. J. Murphy, a'prison offi f aI Is wounded by a shot in the leg and two slight knife wounds. The to n victs who engaged in the break were all employted In the rock crusher, where 325 of the most desperate pxi-h oners were at work. A large si'ige hammer was thrown into the crust:er, causing the ponderous machine to cme to a standstill. This at- rackdd Capt. Murphy, Chas. Jolly and (.bas. L. Taylor to the place. T!'ereupt~n the desperate ccnvlcts rushed to seize Murhy and his two assistaats. Taey succeeded in catching Murphy and Jolly. The others endeav.,red to take the other guards, who es:apad t cm. The convicts with their captives m2,die their way toward a small p st com2 manded by Guard W. Hi. Harris, who was armed with a rifle. Tuey hid no sooner stepped into the open than the seven guards commented firirg. and within 20 seconds fully one hundda d shots had been fired and seven con victs were on the gr- u-id M'o'ess. Wa d~m Yell ordered tue remas ning convic's who were crouching !rhnd rocks and in other places, to i u up and march in. This they did in q'iick order. TBE head of the ro! cc departmient of 1.w York says: "If youwr re to take away the churche.s you o;uldot build enough station I oes to atcom modate the force of polic~ree LLuat would be needed to rule the city of New York." This g es far tjwards answering the ques-zi n: 1 es t church pay a dividend to sccie * T bis is an answer from a purely mn :ail Efe. SOMfE time ago a mneetjaig < Ala bama farmers reccm..ended that a large part of the so-called sui pus cot ton crop be burned so as a secure better prices for what w~s stvedi. The proposition is o se of t w se wild freaks that sometimes busts f'r th to startle or amuse the world, b;st-a York county farmer -has writi2In 10 the newspapers seriously proposirg that South Carolina farmers follo.v the ad. vice. Ex Gov. J. P. Eag'e di d ci i home In Little Rock;, Ark., ren Tuis :lay. He was aproninentram oirofl* the Baptist church, for the ;-ast taree gears the president of the S u.htrn Baptist convention.