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VOL. XIV. MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY,- MARCH 22, 1905. NO, 26. A FATAL FIRE. Nineteen People Burned to Death and Forty Injured IN EAST NEW YORK. Many Acts of Bravery Performed by the Firemen and Others. Fire Chief Croker Asserts that the Police and Tenement House De partment Are Liable. In New York on Tuesday morn ing of last week before daylight nine teen persons were burred to death in a fire which destroyed the five story tenement hcuse at 105 Allen street. More than 40 were injured and only a few of the sleeping inmates escaped unhurt. Several of those who per ished were roasted to death In plain view of thousands in the streets. Coroner Goldenkrans declared after an investigation that he had reason to believe the blaze was the work of an incenaiary. Tae fire started in the basement and spread with frightful rapidity to the roof. The victims were caught in traps of dames, the halls and exits being rendered impas sable in a few minutes after the blaze started. Toe tuilding was one of the usual crowded tenements and the disaster was the worst in the history of the East Side. The district attorney's of flce has begun an investigation to place tue blame for the great loss of life. Chief Croker of the fire depart ment a.serts that the police and the tenement house departments are to blame for the violations of the fire escape law. The tenement house de partment offcials, however, say that the blame is on the shoulders of the fire commissioner. Of the 19 dead, three bodies, those of a boy and two girls, remain uniden tified. The Identified dead are: Ra cbael Solomon, 45 years; Jacob Solo mon, 16; Isaac Solomon, 18; Jesse Cohen, 15; Gershon Fuchs, 30; Rose Wiener, 23; Sander Wiener, 4; Sarah Kline, 60; Beila Z.idler, 30; Harry Zeidler, 11; Ida Muskow:z, 10; Harry Kauffman, 10; Rose Mi.ler, 4; Morris Milier, five months old. Crowded fire escapes in the rear of the tenement hcuse were largely responsible for so many deaths and injuries among its population, which approached 200 souls. REARTR ENDING SCENES. The scenes were heartrending. The fire started in the basement occupied by Isaac Davis, his wife and three children. When Dvis reched his home early Tuesday morning and went into his store on the same floor he saw a kerosene lamp in the rear explode. He awcke his wife and both tried to put out the flaming lamp, but without success. A policeman who heard the cry of alarm rushed to the scene and every effort was made to rouse the sleeping people.. Meantime the flames had spread with startling rapioity and the occu pants of the upper floors awoke to firnd themselves confronted by a wall of flames on nearly every side. Panic stricken people rushed to the fire es capes only to find them littered with rubbish. On some of the escapes the rutbish was so cksely packed that it became impossible to pass certain points and men, women and children stood literally roasting to death as the flames roared through the win dows around them. One cf the es capes was manned asy Policeman John J. Dwan, who had ran a plank across to the window of an ad joining build ing. He rescued nearly a dozen per sons, but finally fell 20 feeL to the pavement and shattered his shoulder. Dezens of people were taken from the crowded fire escapes and upper win dows. By this time the building was a furnace aad the rescues were effect ed in many cases only through heroic efforts of the firemen. Lieutenant Bonner, son of the former fire chief, ascendec the now red-hot fire escapes five times. E.AXY HEROIC RESCUEs. Fzur times he brought down a wo man or a chiild in his arms. The fifth time he was descending with an un conscious woman, bat staggered and was barely saved from death. Once Banner rescue d a little gIrl from a window where she steod surrounded by flames. She pleaded with him to leave her on the escape and go in af ter her little brother who she said had fallen unconscious. Bonner then jumped into what looked like a fur nace, found the boy and saved him. Fireman Hannigan repeated Bon ner's feat on the third floor. Death reaped a harvest quickly on the fire escapes. In the rear two men and two women were dascending, the men helping the women to remove heavy obttcies from the escapes. Suddenly flames darted from the third floor windows and the quartet fell and roasted to death. Another person with clothes afire was followingr but likewise rank in the flames. On top of one fire escape lay three bodies, Mrs. Solomon and her two sons, Isaac and Jaaob. They had been overcome by the flames. T wo others of the Solomon family were seer to look from the windows and then fall back in the burr is'. building. The elder Salomon, the husband and father, ws rescued. AS the res cued recogn.z d tr~e charred bodies of their loved ones they wept and cried agonizingly. The streets were filled with half dressed, weeping, searching people, implorir g the rescue of those within the burning structure. When the tenants dashed for the roof, they found the door, which should have swung easily open, fastsned down. Unable to burst it open, and wedged in by the sur ging mass below, num bers were burned to death. Demecrls Won. For the first time in fifty years the Democratic party elected their candi dates for mayor on Monday in Augusta, Biddeford, Belfast and Brewer. all in the state of Main. TME BOLL WEEVIL The Director of the Georgia Station Gives Scme Points. Cotton Growers North and East of Tex's Urged to Prepare for the Worst Now. A dispatch from Washington to the Atlanta Journal says Information re garied by officials as of great value to cotton growers is contained in an arti. cle prepared by Colonel R J. Relding, director of the Georgia experiment station, which is to be published in a few days as a speclal bulletin of the bureau of plant industry of the de partment of agriculture. This Js to be known as Farmers' Bulletin No 217... In his introduction Colonel Red, ding says: "In Farmers' Bulletin No. 189, ie stled in 1904, it was stated that the work of the bureau of entomology for s(varal years has demonstrated that there is Dot even a remote probability that the boll weevil will ever be ex terminated,' and that 'the steady ex tension of the territory affected by the we.vil from year to year, until the northern boundary is far north of the center of cot-ton production in the United States, has convinced all ob servers that it will eventually be dis tributed all over the cotton belt. In ten years it has gradually advanced a distance of about 500 miles and will undoubtedly invade new territory at abaut the same rate. It is not at all likely that legal restriction of any kind would prevent or materially hin der this spread.' "These conclusions," Colonel Red ding continues, "must be accepted as of the highest authority, since they have been reached by qualified scien tific investigators after careful labor atory and field experiments, conduct ed for several years on a large scale and in the older weevil-infested region of Texas. The matter is, therefore, not a cal problem confined to Texas and nearby states, but affects the en tire cotton growing region. "At the indicated rate of migration it is very probable that within ten or fifteen years every portion of the cot. ton-producing region will have been invaded. It is well, therefore, for the ctton growers northward and east ward of Texas to prepare for the worst by learning the methods that have been found effective in minifying the ravages of the weevil, and such other remedies or palliatives as may be de veloped meanwhile, and be prepared to apply them whenever it shall be come neccessary. In view of the-im mense Importance and value of the cot ton crop, the subject has indeed be come of national importance. "Tae bulletin meationed, however, gives assurance that although the very large yields of catton of former times may no longer be possible, it is never theless entirely feasible to produce cotton at a margin of profit that will compare favorably with that involved in the production of most of the staple crops of the United States by follow ing what have become generally known as cultural methods. "Among the mest important of these methods are tuose directed to ward securing an early de velopment~ of the cotton plant and an early ma turity of the largest Ipossible propor ion of the crop, and the object of this bulletin is to discuss the practical de tails which have been found necessary and effective in promoting early ma turity. "The writer may be pardoned for stating that most of what appears In the bulletin Is directly based on long personal experience as a practical cot ton planter, and the superadded re sults of fifteen consecutive years of field experimentation at the Georgia experiment station. It was partly the purpose of many of these field experi ments to discover the conditions of fertilzing and culture that were ef fective in promoting early maturity for the crop and the particuiar varie ties best suited for securing such early maturity. "It may be well to state that during the whole cf the fifteen-year period the work has been supervised by the writer, as director of the station, and the practical details have been super intended continuously by James M. Kimbrough, the agriculturist of the station." The steps necessary to secure early maturity are then discussed by Colo nel Redding in the natural order of cultural succe'sion, and in a manner which is at once so complete and so clear as to furnish the maximum amount of useful informatiOn. The whole of this discussion cannot be given here, of course, but an idea of it may be gained from the following summary of recommendations: 1. Prepare the soil thoroughly and early, b' ginning with fall plawing. 2. Fert-ilize liberally and judicious ly, carefully avoiding an excess of ni trogen. On rich, dark, alluvial and freshly cleared soil, phosphoric acid alone, in the form cf acid phosphate. may be applIed. 3. A pply fertl~zers In the drill and bed on them. Broadcasting is rarely, i ever, expedient. 4. Choose an early maturing and produtive variety of cotton and plant on the beds, and as early as possible. Apply in the seed furrows 40 to 75 pounds per acre of quickly availab& fertilizer, prererably 25 to 40 pounds of nitrate of soda. 5. Reduce to a final stand as quick ly as possible. 6. Let cultivation be frequent and shallow. 7. Narrow rows with wide spacing of plants in the rows will result In a greater early yield than will wide rows with close spacinir. Don't LAke it. A fight which threatens to assume proportions of that waged agains't Rosevelt's Crum appointment is be ing made by local Republican~s against the appoiintmzent of C. W. Anderson, colored, collector of internal revenue for the second district et New E rk. The nomination wms con firmen by the senate. Enemies of the negro R2 publican leaders are b~-sing their ,p Iposition to the selectiun on two con Itetions. One is along racial lines. the other embodies the charge that he bears an unsavory record. Ander son, at present, is spending his time at ampnta. TIE PASS LOST. Japanese Are Pushing Russians Steadily On To liarbin. THE JAPS REPULSED. In His Masterly Retreat a Fertile and Well Supplied Country Lies Before Gen. Kuropatkin, With Few Defensible Positions in Reach of His Army. A dispatch from St. Petersburg says flanking tactics by the Japanese ap parently are in progress again. The Assoclated Press correspondent, who remains at Tie pass telegraphs that Gen. Mistchenko on March 14 engaged a Japaaese force on the Russian right. It is possible that the attacking force was a Japanese column which disap neared from observation during the battle of Mukden. The Japanese du not appear to have renewed the front al attack up to nDon Wednesday, the demonstration on Tuesday having shown that the Russians were prepar ed to make a determined resistance. A dispatch from Santoupu says a sanguinary combat occurred on March 14 on the centre advanced line of the 1Rissian army eight miles south of Tie pass. The Ruisians repulsed the attack and even made a small advanct through 1,000 corpses of Japanese, ad vancing a large force on the right flank, where Gen. Mistchenk >, who has taken command of his detach ment, though his wound has not yet healed, is holding the Japanese in check. The Russian troops have re gained their normal spirits and fough7 cheerfully. NEARLY STARVED. The cffi3e of the censor has already been removed to Santoupon, a point eight miles north of Tie pass and there are inuimations that it may soon be establi,bed even fartber north. The Associ.tted Press correspondent though s.ying nothiog regarding the commis sarlat arrangement for the troops, ae clares that the newspaper c rrespond ents have practically been starved out of Tie pasi. Tnis may, perbaps, be an indication of the amount of food available for the army, immense quan tities of which were destroyed at Muk den, whert practically the entire re serve commissariat had been accumu lated. The office of the censor has been re moved to Santoupu. eight miles north of Tie pass, as existence at Tie pass for civilians is almost impossible. Practically all the ne wspaper corres pondeuts have left for Harbin. For several nights the Associated Press correspondent has slept without cov ering on the frosty ground and for two days he had nothing to eat. It is ru mored that Chinese killed 80 foreigners in Mukden after the Russian evacua tion of that place. According to Chin ese reports the governor of Mukden gave a banquet in honor of the Japa n..se generals after their triumphal en try into the city.. JABS AT TIE PASS. A dispatch from Toklo says the Japanese occupied Tie pass at mid night, March 15. Details of the oc cupation of Tie pass have not yet been received at imperial headquar ters. An o'fficial bulletin reports the action and that the Japanese are in hot pursuit of the retreating Rus sians, but It does not mention any partianiars about the fight. The Russians have abandoned their advanced positions on the Fan river where the desperate attack of the Japanese Wednesday was repulsed, and have fallen back upon the de fenses at Tie pass. Previous to the retirement the sdpplies of wood, etc., collected there were set on fire. A desperate, bloody battle Is now wag ing north of Tie pass. The Russian detachments at Tie pass wetre, on March 15, ordered to evacuate their positions, and during the night retired in exemplary order, covering their rear. There had been fighting throughout the day. Before the withcirawal of the Russian forces the military settlement and such of the stores of fuel and forage as could not be removed were set on fire and destroyed. The fighting on March 14 and 15 fell to the second Siberian corps. RUSSIANS ARE PUZZLED. A dispatch from St. Peterburg says with the evacuation of Tie pass Wed nesday night the Russian army aban doned the last stronghold in south ern Manchuria and definitely turned over the section to the Japanese for the campaign of 1905. At last no other strategy is possible for Gen. Kuropatkin in view of his scanty sup plies of ammunition, and stores the shattered condition or his army and wide enveloping movements which the Japanese have continued almost without a stop since the Russian de feat at Mukden. Nothing has been heard of the part which Gen. Kawamura's army Is tak ing in these operations, but Gen~s. Nagi and Oku, operating in the low hills of the Tie pass gorge, were them selves suffisient to turn the shattered Russian army out of the fortifications which bad been prepare:1 with a view to being held by the army after it should has been vwithdrawn from Mukdien. The evacuation of Tie pass invoives the loss of the coal mines In that vicinity, which, with the Fushuu and Yentai mines gone, is a severe blow. Tue railway shops at Tie pass and more supplies were sacrificed. .TABS PASSING ON. The Japanese are doing their best to acuomplish the envelopment of the Russian army, which all but succeede d at Mukden, but Gen. Kuropatkin with the railway for a line of retreat, prob ably will be able to keep ahead of his pursuers. A constant succession of delaying rearguard encounters may be burg have but the haziest ideas as to where the next stand will be made. Apparently there are no more forti fied positions in readiness and the re tirement probably will not stop short of Kirin or Kuanchentzy, on the rail Tay line; and if the Japanese press the pursuit the Rusans may retire be yond and up the Sungari river, there to await new levies, the mobilization of which will begin immediately in Russia. A report received In Tokio March 14 from the Japanese headquarters in the tield: "In the direction of Sing king our forces have been dislodging the enemy from Yingpan, 18 miles east of Fushun, and on March 11 oc cupied that place." WBAT KUROPATKIN SAYS. A St. Petersburg dispatch says the fol!owing dispatch has been received by Emperor Nicholas from Gen. Kuro patkin, datei March 15: 'The troops are traversing Tie pass in good order. I have inspected the fourteenth divi sion of infantry. The men seemed in good spirits. "Up to the time of my departure from Tie pass fighting had not com menced. During my progress north ward I saw many troops and trains in go-od order. I also inspected the regiments recently from Russia who presented an excellent appearanee. "I received no further reports of fighting after the repulse of the Jap anese at the Fan river. Individual soldiers and bodies of men separated from their units have been rejoining their commands Curing the previus two days. The train service is partly restored to order, the troep3 have been provisioned agaiu and are ready for fighting." A dispatch from Harbin says large numbers of Chinese bandits and Chinese troops are reported to be west of Tsitsihar, and an attack on the rail way is appri hended. In spite of the beavy withdrawa's of convalescents and those who have been seat west ward, this city is being iled to ovei - flowing with wounded soldiers fhom Mukden. A number of Chinese sus nects Lave been arrested here. Anot her Big Battle. News is expected of another great battle at Tieling similar to the en gagement on the Shahke river, after the fall o L ao Yang. Many experts believe Kuroptikin's position at Tie ling is stronger than the one he held at Mukden, owing to the protection given his right flank by the inwara swerp of the Liao river and the ne cesiy for the Japanese to cross the two rivers, Fan and Tchai, before trey can begin the turning move ment. On the other hand it is pointed out that 0. ama's force must outrumber the Ruis-lans two to one, and it the Japaue.e can overcome the diffiCulties uf crossing the rivers, they have a better chance of surrounding Kuropatkiu and compelling him to surrender than at any time since the war began. - A Boid faber. A dispatch from Caarieston to The State says Magistrate Rcuse was call. ed upon Wednesday to dispose of a routbful negro burglar, Edward Sin gleton, which was settled, as far as he was concerned, by committing the boy for trial at the next term of the sessions court. Not content with forcibly entering the residence of Mr. J. D. Kelly, on Wentworth street, but after helping himself to what he wanted, the negro had the audacity to go to sleep in Mr. Kelly's bed, where he was found by tne head of the house. Mr. Kelly applied a razor strap vigorouisly in awakening the boy, and when he was thoroughly awakened, Mr. Kelly turned him over to a police officer, with the res.ult just stated. Thanks Miss Hubbard. A dispatch from Anderson says the legislature of the State of Maine at Its recent session passed resolutions warmly commending the services of Miss Lenora C. Hubbard cf that city in oaring for the graves of six federal soldiers buried in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian church. The res olutions are engrossed on parchment and are signed by the secretary of state and the chairman of the com mittee on military of the Maine gen eral assembly. The soldiers referred to in the rosolution belonged to the federali garrison stationed at Ander son at the close of the war. Miss Hubbard, who is a teacher in the city schools, had been caring for the graves of these six Maine soldiers for a long period, placing fiowers upon the graves regularly on each memorial day. ________ Died at Dinner Table. A dispatch from Holly Hill to The State says Mrs. M-try A. Mellard, who was probably one of the oldest res idents of that county, died suddenly at her home in Bawyer a few days ago of heart faifure. While sitting at the dinner table the end came and she fell to the floor. Medical aid was summoned but life was pronounced extinct. Mrs. Mellard was in her 88th ear and the most of her long life had been spent at the home where she died. For years she was a mem bi'r of the Methodist church. Many of her famiy were present at the in ~erment at the family burying g round. Two sons, Capt. J. P. Mellard of Hot Springs and Dr. Mellard of St. George, were unaole to te present. L. C. Mel lard, a former State representative fr ;m Berkely county, is a son of Mrs. Mellmid. Relie~ves Kuropatin. A dispatch from St. Petersburg says it is cow detinitely stated that E B peror Nichohs has approved the decision ot the council of war to send Grund Duke Nicuolas Nicholaievitch to repace Gen. Kuropatkin as the best m ans of putting a stop to the intrigues at-d jealousies among gen erals of the army both at St. Peters burg and at the front. Gen. Souk homlinoff will be chief of staff. Spider Web Rope, Ten years ago a French missionary started the systematic rearing of two kinds of spiders for their web, and ue Board of Trade Journal states that a spider web fact ory is now in successful operation at Chalais Men don, near Paris, where ropes are mad.: of spider web intended for balloonm ? or the French military aeronautic section. The spiders are arranged in groups of twelve above a reel, upon which the thre are onn. SOCIAL STATUS Of the Races Legally Considered by the Supreme Court. A LIBEL DECISION. It is Deiamatory to Publish a White Man as a Negro. Amendments to Constitution Have No Effect in Regard to So cial Relations, The Columbia Record says a very interesting and important decision was rendered by the supreme court Wednesday morning. It is decided that for a newspaper to publish that a white man is a nesij is defamatory to the white man, and the newspaper making the publication is liable to a suit for damages. The case was that or an appeal on the part of Mr. Au gustus M. Flood, of Charleston, a libel sait having been instituted by him against Tne News and Courier and The Evening Post, of Charleston, for damages in the sum of $10.000 be cause he was referred to as being a negro. The case is stated as follows: Mr. Flood is a white man and a citizen of Charleston, where, it was alleged, he always enjoyed the respect and confi dence of his fellow citizens, the same having been of value in his business and a source of pride and pleasure to him in his social life. Tne complaint further alleges that the News aud Courier and The Evening P. st pub lished local items in regard to a suit entered against the Charleston elec trio street railway by Mr. Food ior damages for injuries and referred to him as a colored man. By reason of being publisned as being a negro, Mr. Flood claimed that the statement tended to exclude him Y.om society and by rea-son of "baid false and defa matory publica4ion this plaintiff has been injured in his reputation aud hurt in his feelings to his damage $10.000.", In answer to the complaint it was denied that the publication was d - famatory or that any legal damage was sLff-red therefrom, it being claimed that under the provisions of XIII, XIV and XV amendaieurs to tie constitution of the United State: and or toe provisions of tne constitu tion of South Carolina, the use of the said word "colored" in appication to any one is not libelous nor deramatory nor can any legal damage or cause of action arise from such application. This demurrer having been susLaned by the presiding judge, an appeal was taken on the grounos that the jud.c erred in holding that the application "negro" or its equivalent, "colored," when applied to a white man is not libel.;us per se. That the law in this state, before the adoption of the XIIJ XIV and XV amendments to the constitution of the United States was that the term "negro" or "colored," when applied to a white person, was libelous per se, In that It tended to exclude him from society. His honor rred in holding that this had been changed and that the negro's social status has been changed by said amendments, .whereas it is shbmitted that only the negro's legal and politi al status has been affected thereby. The supreme court says. "The only uestion presented by this appeal is, 'Is It libelous per se to publish a white man as a negro?" To call a white man a negro affects the social status of any white man so referred to." Authorities are q'ioted 'on -this point and the court continues: "When we stop to think of the racial distinction subsisting between the white man and the black man, It must be apparent that to impute the condition of a ne gro to a white man would affect his, the white man's, social status, and in case any one published a white man to be a negro, it would not only be galling to his pride, but would tend to interfere seriously with the social relation of the white man with his fellow white men; and to protect the white man from such publication It is necessary to bring such a charge to an issue quickly." In Strauder vs. West Virginia, the court held that these amendments, XIII, XIV and XV, were designed to accord members of the negro race the same protection in life, liberty and property which was already enjoyed by the white race, and nowhere does toe court In that case refer to the s , cal relations of each race. The statute laws of this state fori~ids tiue association of the two races, in such a way It excludes the negro from white society and vice versa. By the miscegenation statutes, the inter marriage of the two races Is forbidden and made a crime. Railroads are re quired to furnish separate coaches for the two races. White children and colored children are forbid en to at tend the same school. Various opin ions are quoted to show that publisn ig a whlte man as a negro has~ ben held to be libelous by various courts The court then quotes the language of the three ameno ments to the con stitution of the United States referr ed to and argues that it must be ap parent from cons'ulting the texts that there is not tne slightest reference to the social condition of the two races. "All take pleasure," it is stated in the opinion, "in bowing to the au thority of the United States in regard to these amendments, but we would be very far from admitting that the social distinction subeis;ting between the two races has been in any wise afected." In concluding the court holds: "We, therefore, hold that these three amendments to the federal con stitution have not destroyed the law of this state, which makes the pubii cation of a white mcan as a negro any thing but libel. The judgment of this court is that the judgment of the circuit court be reversed when it sus tained the demurrer in this case and the action is remanded to the circuit court for such other proceedings as may be in 4ccorance with law. COTTON HOLDING Company Organized at New Orleans, la , Last Week. Officers Elected and Plans Perfected to Take Two Million Bales Off the Market. The Atlanta Journal says John D. Walker, secretary and treasurer of the Couthern Bankers' executive commit tee and treasurer of the Georgia divi sion of the Sjuthern Cotton associa tion, ha.s :eturnea from New Orleans, where tee organization of the Plant ers' Cotton Holding and Commission company was perfected, officers elected and plans made for at the proper time retiring two million bales of citton frum the market until October. The following officers were elected: W. P. Brown, of New Orleans, fourth largest cotton exporter in the world, president; Harvie Jordan, first vice presid-nt; E. S. Peters, second vice president; A. Brittan, third vice pres dent; S. P. Walmsley, fourth vice president. The secretary and treasur. er will be named at a meeting of the directors in New Orleans on the first Monday in April. The following wzre elrcted directors in the Planters' Cotton Holding and Commission company and subscribed for the $3,000 worth of stock neces sary to secure a charter: Alabama-H. Y. Brcoke, A. M. Hill, L. B. FaIrley. Georgia-Harvie Jordan, Hoke Smith, John D. Walker, M. C. Gay. Louisiana-W. P. Brown, W. L. Foster, A. Brittan, S. P. Walmsley, F. L. Maxwell. Missisippi-Walter Clarke, S. P. Witheropoon, Jacob Bernheimer. North Carolina-J. A. Brown, J. P. Al!'on. ;o: Carolina-E. D. Smith, W. S. Lizcumo. Tenness-e-W. T. Bowdre. Texaiz-J F. Hiekey, J. S. Davis, R. R. Dancey, E. S. Peters, F. M. Green. Oklaboma-L. B. Irwin. Indian Territory-G. W. York. Ariansa-Dr. L. E. Love, J. J. Scroggins. Tne following executive committee was appointed: W. P. Brown, A. Brittan, S. P. Walmsley, W. L Fos ter. Hirvie Jordan, John D. Walker, E. S. Peters. T.his executive committee will dir tce the company and have active charge of the cittoa holding move ment. Tne meeting in New Orleans, which was hela Friday and Saturday was an enthusiastic one and the greatest faith is expfressed in the ability of the com pany to accomplish the ends for which is was organized. Mr. Walker who at tended te meeting, speaks interest ingly of the organization. "The company wili not begin oper ating," said he, until $100,000 has been paid in. Ten million dollars worth of ste-ck will be sold at $1 a share and the directors are confident tbat there will be no trouble in selling this stock. The stock is to be offered to the states in proportion to the amount of cotton raised by them. The banks will be made the trustees for this stock and in each county the president of the local organization will be the agent to sell it.. "There will be no effort made to take cotton off of the market in any great quantity until May the first. By that time the farmers will have de mnonstrated whether they are cutting down the acreage. If the acreage 3s cut down, as agreed then two million bales will immediately be taken off of the market. If tue cotton were taken off the market now and the price run up there would be danger ef the acre age not being reduced." Mr. Walker also calls attention to the fact that the P'lanters Cotton Holding and Commission company is the only organization of its kind which has the backing of the Southern Cot ton association. A Fatal Fight. As the result of a quarrel, Earl Carpenter shot and killed A. M. Kale at Hardin, N. C., Wednesday after noon. Before the fatal bullet was fired, Kale shot Carpenter, who is in an uaconscious condition and is ex pected to die. Kale was the superm tendent of the Nims Manufacturing company at Mount Holly and was about 35 years old. Carpenter is a son of 0. D. Carpenter, the owner of toe Hardin ootton miil, and is about 21 years of age The two men quarreleo over the employment of mill uelp, and when the) met in tbe public road near Hardin a fight ensued. Both men were well known citiz-ens of Gazston county. After Kale fired his revolver he was shot several times by Carpenter, the bullets taking effect in tne head, and other places. Death resulted immedi. ately. Castro Is Hostile. Castro, the president of Venezuela, twants to punish the United States. His attitude is reiiected In a pam pulet jus aissued through one of his advisers, Col. Juan Bautistia Damede, in which plans for sending 30,000 Ventzuelansi agains.t Ne w Orieans are uiecios.ad. Tne pampdlet urges the Ipublic to avenge the insults offered Vent zuela by the Americans and de clares that the invasion of the Missis sippi valley would be the most effec tive means of curbing the power of the United States. A Severe Storm. A storm of hurricane force burst over the Irisa and English coasts dur ing Wedoesday night, and it is feared that many d:sasters have occurred. T-:lkgraph lines are broken at many poims. The British ship Khyber, from Melbourne, Australia, 03tober 26, for Queenstown, was totally wrecked ott the Cornish coast. Twen ty three of ner crew were drowned, and three saved. Numbers of minor wrecks, accompanied by loss of life, are reported. .,hicco a Sympron. The Greenville News says "the an nouncement that Vincent ChiccD, the Itilan blind tiger king of Charleston, is actually a candidate for the state legislature to fill a vacancy In the delegation is astonishing, because it shows the character of that new ele ment wrhch is seelking politicl glory.' COTTON RPORTS. The Southern Cotton Association Will Issue Them in Future. Absolute correct statistics of the cotton crop will be one of the main features of work to be done by the Southern Cotton association. Re ports will be issued through the press of the country every ten days telling of the conditions of the crop, the num ber of bales ginned and general crop conditions. The association will have reports of its own, and will not de pend on .the bearish reports of the government. President Harvie Jor dan has written an article on the sub ject of statistics which will be read with great interest: Mr. Jordan says: "One of the most important and valuable fearures in connection with the work of the Southern Cotton association will be its ability and op cortunity to gather correct statistics with reference to the cotton crop of the South. Since the wide ag;tation of the cotton ouestion during the last three months through ths general press of the country and the oppor tunities of the farmers to get informa tion quickly through the establish ment of rural delivery routes, and also, their growing interest in secur ing information, it is highly impor tant they be placed in possession of all the information possible which re lates to the handling of the great staple crop in which they are so deeply' interested as producers. At the present time there is a widespread and general demard for some definite information in cotton acreage and use of commercial fertil'zar, the detailed plans of retir ing the 2,000,000 bales surplus and also the extent of and the present temper of the farmers to continue to hold their catton for better prices The farmers in North Carolina, fo instance, d. sire to know the exact condition of affairs in Texas, and the Texas farmers wish to be informed as to what is being done In Georgia and the Carolinas. All of this informa tion.cannot only be gathered through the So;uthern Cotton association and distributed for the benefit of the farmers and busine-s men of the South, but steps z.re already being actively taken to get up these sta stistics in the near future for general distribution. The state presidents and secretaries of the various state divisions have been requested to get in close touch with the presidents and secretaries of the various cotton grow irg counties and parishes and have this detailed information gathered through the chairman of the various civil sub-division. This information as it is gathered will be submitted to the secretaries of the counties or par ishes and will be by then compiled and forwarded to the state secreta ries, the state secretaries in turn will forward the information to the secre tary of the Southern Cotton associa bion, where a general and condensed compilation will be made of such sta istics and prepared in proper form to be mailed to the members of the Southern Cotton association through out all the cotton states and territo ies. Daring Ro~bbery. A special from Spartanburg to The State says the most daring robbery recorded In the city's history was the sandbagging of Mr. W. L. Gowan and he rifling of his pockets of $15 by an nknown theif Wednesday night about .30 o'clock on north Liberty street, bout a block from east Main. Mr. owan had' started home from his green grocery, 61 east Main street, for he night, carrying in his large leath er purse three fiive dollar bills, along with some express receipts and other papers He passed a pedestrian, a tall man enveloped in a long black over oat, who appeared in the act of ty ng his shoestring. Just as he walked by Mr. Gowan received a blow in the back of the head, which felled him and rendered him unconscious, during which time the highwayman "went through" his pockets- A little negro boy reported to the police that a man was lying dead on north Liberty street, and when the oilcers arrived Mr. Giowan had regained conscious ness, and was lying on the sidewalk, whith his bead resting against a tele phone pcst. There was a large knot raised on his head, about the base of the brain; but he was not seriously injured. Further down the street the puree, the papers and receipts were found, scattered about. The police bave been working on the case; but so far; there have been no develop ments. Wrecked Near spartanburrg. Passenger train . 10, -bound for Coumbia from Asheville, was wrecked two and a half miles f rum Spartan burg, a short distance from the jnte tion, Friday night. Fireman Cannon was slhghtly bruised up, the remain der of the train crew and the passen geis escape'l with a considerable jar. The lioc.mo'ive was turned over and the tender bl-,cks the main line. .Tne mail coach jumped the track, but the other coaches are standing on the iron rails. The accident was caused by the locomotive splitting the .witch. At the time the train was slowly speedikg along, approaching ~te first of a series of switches on the Aheville road leading into the junc tn. Engineer Lowe jumped and escaped unsertched. In jumping Fire. man Cannon sustained some painful scratches and and bruises. A Great Light. St. Catherine's Lighthouse, on the south coast of the Jsle of Wight, has just been provided with a nlew light f 15,000,000 candle power as against 3.000,000 obtained with the old app rtus. Seen from the land there are three distinct beams of light revolv ing In view, one just on the point of disappearing behind the "biank" or shield, while the others pa-.t rapidly over the waters of the English chan neL. Conscience Moacy. On Tuesday Secretary of the Treas ury Shaw received $12,000 in currency from an unknown conscience-stiicken person, who wrote that years ago he defraudel the goveinment and w. s following the teaching of scripture in restoring fourfold. The money was deposited, to the credit of the "cnscence fund." A NEW CHIEF. Liaevitch Relieves Kuropatkin of Command of Army. HE WAS TOO SLOW. New Armies Will be Raised and Efforts Will be Made to Pat Effective Forces In the Field to Meet and Over come the Japanese Ar. mies Under Oyama. A dispatch from St. Petersburg says with the Japanese hanging on the heels and flanks of the remnants of the broken, defeated Russian army Gen. Kuropatkin, the idol of the pri vate soldier, has been dismissed and di-graced and Gen. Linevitch, com mander of the First army, appointed to succeed him in command of all the Russian land and sea forces operating against the Japanese. The word dis grace, written in large letters in a laconic imperial order, which Is ga zetted and which contained not a sin gle word of praise, disposes of the ru mor that Karopatkin asked to be re lieved. Russian military annal contain no more bitter imperial rebuke. Empe ror Nicholas upon the advice of Gen. Dragonmiroff and War Minister Sak baroff, determined the step necessary when it became apparent Wednesday that Kuropatkin, while concentrating for a stand at Tie Pass, seemed una ware that the Japanese had worked around Westward again and allowed himself to be surprised. Old reports brought by Gen. Grlpenberg, regard ing Kuropatkin's faling mentally, also had influence. Linevitch has been able to bring off his army in order after the battle. of Mukden. Kuropatkin will return to St. Petersburg- forthwith. The task confined to Linevitch of withdrawing the remnant of the army of 350,000 to Harbin is desperate. He Is hemmed in all sides, Gen. Kawamura is pre sumably pressing northward through the mountains eastward ready -to sweep down, and Gens. Nogi and Oku are on the west of the Russian forces, while the railroad is threatened if not already cut and Chinese bandits are reported in rear of Harbin. The cona summation of the Mukden disas ter is feared. It is feared the decimated battal Lons have again been thrown Into confusion by Oyama's relentless and alruost merciless pursuit. The war office fears that more of the siege and field guns which Xuropatkin saved at Mukden have been sacrificed in the flight from Tie Pass. The Russians were compelled to burn fur ther stores at Tie Pass and the com missariat was only beginning to feed the half famished troops when a new retreat was ordered. In the face of th~e possibility of the complete loss of the army and the ad mitted faet that Vladivostok is al ready possibly lost, preparations for continuing the war on a larger scale thar. ever are proceeding. Another army of 450,000 men is to be despatch. ed to Manhea. It has been. decided to form the new armirs largely of regular units leaving reserves to replace the regu lars in garrison duty at borne. A di vison of the imperial guard will be sent to the front. Some of this year's conscripti may be -sent as a separate army to be organzied under Gens. rodekoff, Gripenberg and Kamaroff. General mobilization Is likely to be accompanied by widespread disorders unless the composition and function of popular representation under the imperial rescript are more satisfac tory than now appears probable. The Emperor twice postponed action on Governor General Bouligan's recoin mendations. Killed 'n hii.e Hauung.. A dispatch from Greenville to The State says Dudley Hunter, aged 14 years, shot and instantly killed his young friend, Patrick Davis, Friday morning in Glassy Mountain town ship. The killing is said to have been purely accidental. The -two boys were out hunting with young Davis' father and another young man and they bad stopped on the side of the ruad for a short rest. When they started again young Hunter picked up his gun and in some way the hammer was caught and the gun was dis charged, the whole charge of small bird shot entering Davis' head. Death was instantaneo~us Hunter Immedi ately televhoned Sheriff Gilreath, who deputized J. C. Fisher of that place to bring the young man to Green vlle. Hunter is held there awaiting the verdict of the':oroners's jury. Scalded to Death. The Charleston Post says a colored man 'ay une name of Norman Brown fell into a vat of boiling water at the Charleston Basket and Veneer Manufacturing Company's factory and was scalded so badly that he died Fri day night in the hospital from the effects of his injuries. Brown was engaged in getting out one of the logs which are kept in a vat outside of the factory to be softened by the boiling water for use, when he slipped on the vat, lost his balance and fell side wise into the scalding water. The fact that he was not killed at once was made possible by the presence of the thickly m".ssed togs in the vat, which is about fifteen by twenty feet In area. Th1er Will Reduce. E. D. Smith of South Carolina, fi nancial agent of the Cotton Growers association is making speeches in Ala bama in the interest cf reduction of acreage. He says reports from Texas and Indian Territory indicate that the reduct'oa will be more than 25 per cent. A Spendthrift. The Marquis of Angelsy of Bangor, Wales. died at Monte Carlo on Tues day. He was a young man, remark able chidly for having spent a fortune of $2,500,000, in addition to an an nual income of $50,000, in the course of sir years.