The Manning times. (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, June 07, 1905, Image 1

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VOL. XIV. MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1905. NO. 37. WIPED OUT, Such Is the Fate that Befell the Russian Baltic Fleet. CAUGHT IN A "INP A Russian Warrant Officer TI1s Hiow a Big Russian Battleship Went Down After an Explosion. First Stories of the Great Bat tie at Sea. Out of the great feet tht went into battle on Si-u'day. May 27, all but four have zeen captured or sunk by the Japanese. The admiral of the fl-e'., Roj'st vensky, is a prison r and C.espera:ely wounded. Admiral Valkersbem is dead, shot or dr9wned. Admiral Nebcga'off is a surrendered prisoner. Two vessels out of all the gillan' Armada that %as hea'ed fur Viadi vostok have reached t at port. Such a catalogue of over-h-Amit:g ills seems past precedent and is all terribly true. The JapoLrtse report of the capture of Raj-.trer sky is direct and exact, but St. P.tersburg inshts that the Admiral ha.s e.,cared. The Admiralty authorities there in sist that be has reicbed Viadivostok, and the L-adcn Standard prints a dispatch from its correspondent in th Russian capital in which he asserts that Mme. Rjestv-rsky has received a telegram from Vlkr ivostok signed by her busband, saying that he had arrived there on board the cruiser Al maz, and that be was severely wcund ed In the neck, back and abdomen. Against this is p'aced the circum stantial report receiv-d by the Japa nese Embassy that the commander was captured on Saturday evenirg off the Corean island of Ue:uzg, with another admiral and E-Jgf ty othe'r Russians, includirg staff officers. I. seems undoub:ed th'at the Altriz bas reached Vladiv.-stok, and in admition to bearing scme one who at any rate claims to be Rujestven-ky, she carries the story that reugees (n board were eye witnesses of the d, si ruction of two Japanese battleships! it is a dy of strange stories. Admiral Tcg' is still Fecuring the Sea of Japan in qu st of s. me rem nant of the enez) Lhtat ocy have es caped him, but te 11t of vasels "sunk" and vessels "captured'' is a wonderful one, as it is set out in the official dispatches. B re is the tally: SUNK. Battlesbips-Prce Suvacff, Im perator Alr-ndsr III.. B -rodiro, Oshabia, Sissoi-Vlili r6 Navarin. Cruisers-Adirt3.1 N .ki-:ff, De mitri Dn: koi, Viasmr Mjoumacu, Svietiana at~d Z.m'ch-t.rg. Coaat Defen-e Sni ps-Admiral Ush akoff, two special service suips, the repair suip Kamtchatka. and three de stroyers. CAPlURED. Battleships.--0. l and Imperator Ni1cholai I. Coast Defence Ship^-Admiral Ap raxin and Admiral S,:nyarvin. D. stroyer-iednvy. Makir-g the te. rible total of twenty two ships with an aggregate tonage of 153 411. Now that the glory of the vic' ory anci the misery of defeat are writter large, the stories of dead and wound ed men in agony are comin'g to the front. Wreckage and the disfg~ured bodier of dead sailors are beiag wa-hed ashore along the shores of the Corean Strait. The twisted and sbattered hulls of the Ruts an ves.ds lie on the shoals or are hut~g on the rocks, ano Japanese flsheumen are collecting the fearful florsam of the flgrt. The captured sl ip-., with' prisoners, are arriving at saieo ; other priso~n era have been ]ar.d..d at Tsu Isiand; 300 have been br~ ught to iwamt aoc the captured vis- els b.re beit's br u~ht to Japanese p<-rt~s bs priz :c:ew.: to tbe. refitted and t.. fy t~e riag of zae Ris ing Sun. TOGO S POSITION TACTICALLY PERFECT From a score of vanious surs from crippled R mian war vessels staggering Irnto sa.i us ports, froz captured Rusan < tlLrs at:d men, and from the niggar-i y r, pcrts of the Japanese Naval Buree.u, ad:ional facts are lea~rned of the. r-s enr - un er, noce of wbich cia ge e e .m-in facts, but all of which aod viviene.~, action and cc.o: to the s~cry of tho engagement. One intensely interesting point and it is made by a Russian in~orm ant-is that Ad miral T< go's cispos tion of his forces was tacticatiy per fEct. Kot only were b's :-quadlors so floated as to guard bo-.u cbannels, that to the east and taat to the west of Tsu Island, but he hadi also pre pared for a deploy of his forca s shouid Rajestvensky sphtr i 11 er, atd abend one division around Je pcin on the out side way, while vwit? ihe utner he made a -iash for the te of Jap.an and Vladivostok by way of ta.e Corea. Strait. T.:go, with his main sq-:adron, lay off the Coreau coast, in tue ro:dc-ter/ of Masamnpto, wb:le his torpedo no~ tillas were disp~osed back of Tsu L land. Admirals Kamio2ura and Uriu held their squadr' ns furt:; er n-ath, read3 to head off such cf the R r sian ships as might get througzh T. g 's lines, <r to scamper up to the Strait of Tsu garu and bar the wa;y i e're, at the instant it was repoted that any of the enemy were try ng to gaim the outside route. TOGO'S DIsPoSITION WAS *DAL Togo held the S:ai', acie d, and his disposition wa ia. T' go, en his flagship the Mas n ace h-s personal .souaimr - a'. t.ae ra'tl' ships; Vice Admia ..m22e a e manced the h..... incepende.nt'e . ing equadcn ws. a unbr of >gh cruisers comnced b. Rear-Ammm.]~ Katacka. So disposed, Togo was pre pa-ed for any manoeuvre of the ene my, and b ded his time. But in addi ti'.n to tnese named forces at his ser vice it is now evident that the Japa rese Admiral 1a other and litterally d.. Fp-laid aids at his c mmand. Tnere is little doubt now that the channel on the Japtnese side of Tsu Saima, where tue sea way is narrow and twisted by nutrerous greups of rocky L.-lets, sp, cialiy cuarted mines were laid. Morecve3r, there are many veiled intimrations that submarire bvats pi%)ed a part, inconspicuous but dreadful, in the fight. And then, peruaps, Togo smiled, when it became evident that Rojest ven-sky really intended to maintain his double Coumn fermatIon, and was thus steaming into action, like the attack of a ma&ed brigade across an open plain, Togo muit have smiled, if ever he allowed himseif that un-ori ental luxury. The fight was to be fought then and there, and intantly Kamimura's: qadron steamed through the Broughton Strait- -the channel on the Corean side of Tsu Shima, and stood ready to prevent Rojes-vensky's attempt to retreat seuaward, or to attack on the enemy's port columu from the south and west. N .xt in order came what is called a master move on Togo's part. Kami mura was ready on the south f ink, so to speak, of the Russians' port column, composed of cruisers. On the eastern side of the Russians' starboard col umn, that composed of battleships, lay the br. ken and dacgerous shore of Japan. Ahead of the Russians lay Toio's complementary squadronq, and gatnered for attack on eithe r sicde of ?su Snima, was Togo's swarmi of tor pedoers. To say nothing of mines and submarines. Togo's mastor move lay in steaming to attack on the port side of the cruiser column. He thus had the lightest of the Russian ships between him and Rojastvensky's heavier ves sels, and wbile he was enabled with his big guns to reach the double tar get of cruisers and battleships, the Russian admiral's free firing was smothered by the line of his own vessels. Not only this, but both Togo and Kamimura were enabled to fire by broadide, while the rear ships of he Russian columns could scarcel) use any guns at all, coming on as they aid, in lie ahead fortration ROJESTVENSXY S SIGNALS DISREGARED Tae paptrs are fided witu criticisms by naval experts on the Rassian Ad miral's obstinacy in too rigid adher ence to his first formation, but in an swer to these it is stated in St Peters curg dispatches that the cummxander's signals were not followed. That con usion seized the Russian coumr.s twere is no doubt, nor is there any hat the shelling by the Japsnes was terrifi and deadly; fo: all tLi, part of the figat, it must be uider btood, was during the daylight of Sat urday, May 27, and bef;are the night attacks by tMe Japanese torpedvers, completed the coniuon of the ene my. As to the submarines it is on the authority of Captain Rosbincff, com mander of the armored cruiser Ad miral Naktbimoff. and now a prisoner of war at Maji, Japan, that his vtssel was destroyed, either by a mine or :ubmarine vessel. He asserts that naL ship, wnlicb led the cruser column was ente:ing the Corean Strait, whe~n sudden]ly tnere was a tremendous ex plsion, the cruiser rose cut of the water, fell back a broke~n hulk, and instantly sank, carrying most of her crew down with her. C::ptain Roshi nu ff swam to a damaged steam launch whch wandered about until Sunday mring, wnen It was picked up by a J apaniese gunboat. The other sur vivors used life boats, and were rescu ed by fishermen. Toe story of the torpedo boat at tack and ttee night pursuit of the satters.d Russian f&et has already been told. The fight of Sunday has also been referred to, but only in the ig:-t of hu-ried and fragmentary re ports. Fuller and confirmatory dis batches of the action of May 28 are now to hand from Tokio. It was this fight that raged around the Lian court R cks on Sunday afternoon. Tnese rock barren islets, lie to the ~ortheast of Tsun Shima. T aere, It will be remembered, the battk. s~Aps N:clai I. and Orel, and the coast de fnce ves~eis Aptaxin and 8enyanin surrendered, witin about 2.000 prison ers, including Admiral Nebogate~ff while the protected cruher Izumrud got away, all five having run the gauntlet of Saturd-,y's fight in the Strait-, and 'ceirg heared for the open Sea of Japan. sTARTED AFTER A NEW FOE. With the acceptance of the surren dr of the f->ur ves-els the main force of the Jatpanese flaet stoppe d pursuit end an attempt was made by the Ad miral to get something like a cempre nesive report from his captains. But the look:.uts reporting the appearance of a large vessel in the so:>tawest, the Japanese cruisers Iwate and Yakumo were dispatched to pursue her. Both cruisers are fleet vessels of a 21. knot speed and qu:ckly overhauled the nemy which was mide out to be the coast defence ship Admiral Usbako-ff. At 6 o'clock the fi :eing Russian was wiuin easy gun range, and she was invited to surrender. She refused he b stteries of the t wo cruisers were turned louse and the Ushakoff was sunk. Her crew of 300 men were rescued by Deats and launches from the Iwate and Yukutto. Up through the Strait ther fugitive units were seen and chs-d. At 5 in the afternoon the armored cruiser Dmieri Donskoi was sen in a njrthwestern direction, ant the Japas se light division and a de strog r fl1:illa where sent to bring her down. She was fired on vigorouiy nd as vigorously replied and made a soilncid runrning fight. The destroy er ilotilla hung on, nowever and Nhen night came they closed in and brought down their viciim. She was found ext m(.rning aground on the south astern sihore of Urleung bland, cff the Corean coast. Toe "picking off" prccess lasted all Sunday long. The protectei eru-ser Chit!-se had run norihward oi the l oc-'out for some sc < t. red prize, wt en he overhauled a Ruesien destroyer and promptly blew her up. The pro eteCo cruiser Niatalra, in company with the destroyer Mirakumr-, sight e. a oussian datrer in the full light of Sunday noon, and cnased ber until she ran aground. And so the Sun day's work of chase and destruction went on, and, from all reports. it is still g' i-g on, for it seems to be Ac miral Togo's dread determination to sink or esptui eve-ry fl,,atIng thing that fles the Rusian flag. TELLS OF THE FIGHT. Russian Cfficers Give com3 retails of the Te' rible Battle. The Japs Had Two Batte ships and Two Cruisers Sunk and Sev eral Torpedo Boats Sunk. A dispatch from Vladivostok, under date of May 30, says two ships alone ot Vice Admiral Rojestvensky's power ful f ,tilla, the swift cruiser Aimaz and the tor pedo boat destroyer Grozny, Jie at anchor here today in the curving harbor of Goldenborn, they havirg -e- rared from the filetin the early stage of the battle which began in the K:'rea straits Saturday and h aded, tn obedience to orders, with full speed to Vladivos: ok. Up to 4 o'clock this afternoon no other vessels of the Baltic Ilaet had yet arrived and the signal stations at Askold and R!mskykorsakff 1sland rejorted none in sight. Officers of the , maz and Grezny say that both fleets had already sustained terrible losses when the Almaz and Grozny broke through the hostile line. Of tqe Japanese two battleships had gone down before their eyes, and two cruisers, their sterns high out of the water, seemed ready to plunge fore most to the bottQm of the sea. The Jananese torpedo boats played the prin ipal role in the defeat of the Russian fi!et. They were sent in for action again and again under a perfect hail of shot from the Russian rapid firlrg guns. More than one half of t*e Jap anese flotilla of torpedo boats was sunk. The Russian fi 'et, they say, was even in a sadder plight. Rajestvensky's flship, the Kniaz Suvaroff, and ber sLtr ship, the B rodine, and the cruis ers O~liaba ana Ural were uste:-lv de stroy- d. and when the fog closed down and hid the scene uf battle from sight uf the speeding ships, a third great ussian battlast-ip, the Alexander Ill, seemed in sore distres' but limpirg northward, putting up a valiant figu. against throrgs of torpedo toats ann still continuing her attacks on the cuisers of the island empire. Torpedo bats were also clinging around the (:t-er ships of the fi et like angered asps, sepaiate fi nitlas car* i.g in g4Ln and agznu to launch tid: eap ns. rl'e Almaz, which ar;ived at her anhorage ibre Moaday eveni -g. bears cars of the bet-le. Her mizz -n-ast . shot away, and one of her smoke stacks is pihrzed by a conuon shot. But the Grczny, though enaged f..,r se-ersl hours in a running fight at short range with a large Japanz-e 'e stroyer, shows no signs of the fray. After her comma--der, Capt. An. riffski had been wounded and an off er and three men raad b:en killei, the rozey succeeded in sinking her oppo ent with a lucky placed shot and reached Vladivostok with'out furtber a'iventure at 11 o'clock this mornin~g. As the Almaz dropped anchor ex citment beyond description seize'd the tro:ging spectators who with frantic 'huzzas" tessed high their cap's. Citi zeus embraced each other and dancea ubilantly upon the pier, while the rews -:f the ships in the harbor joined in wil cheering. In a trice the boats were dropged from the davits anid in a moment the offiers of the cruisers and torpsdo boats in the harbor and ne mihitary off:ials from the fortress were swarmting on board the Almaz to learn news of the fight. The story was short. Acco-ding to the officors of the Almaz, the fleet under Rojastverisky met the JapanEe in the Straits of Kiorea near Tsu island and the opposing -fleets Irnmediately losed in. Being lightly armored, t-he Almaz, as had been ordered by Ad miral Rojustvensky before the battle, separate:d itself from the main fiet at the first opportunity and headed for V:adivoetok soon after the commence ment of the action, but not too sQon to observe that the lo:Ses on both sides in the titanic combat were great. E-rly in the batt-le an ' tB-er of the Almaz, while watccing Rejstvenr.ks fi.gship, the battleship Kni z Souvar. off foraia signal, saw the ihgehip snud der from s~em to stern as if undr a blow from a gigantic hammer and hes itate in her course, while the waves rose high from her armored sidrs Then she comtrenced to list and sink. The offcers believe that the debuw of the submarine boat as an cff cave agent in naval warfare, or pe'haps a large mine, caused the disastzer to the KAaz Scuvaroff. The damag', how ever, was so extensive that the flagship soon went down, leaving the deck offi cers and many of the crew struggling in the waves. One of the Russian torpedo boats, either the destroyer Bulny or the Bravi, ran in and picked up a number of the swimmels, one of whom was recognized through a glass as Admirat R jistvensky. Und'er a gruelli rg attack from the Japanese warships, aid. d by tornedo bats, mines and submarines, the Baru dio, Odabia end Ural were placer out of action and followed the fiL g hip to the butt om. The fog, which had raised and low ered intermittenly during the morning, began to settle down again, and tt-e distance of the~ A~m: z, which had nos su c: eded in diser gaging -her elf in the combat from the struggling ships, made it dittizult for her to, see c:early, but the offcers are positive that they saw two Japanese batt-leship~s disa pear beneath the tea bef..re treir eyes. and that two Japanese cruisers appcar ed on the point or sin kizg The arrival of the Gr zray at 11 oclock toda) w::s marked by the same sees of excitement as tdose wh:cs characterized the adve~nt of the Almnaz. The correspendent of the Asociatedi Press visittd the wounded commancer of the destroier, Capt. And-if .ki, at the hospi tal and the captain conti: mrd the detailN given by the cfni.:rs of the Almaz. He riescribed his ce'ubat as a Irunning figut in which tue Grozny was engaged for several hours, finally sizk ing tin rne un Jaan etroer A CLOSE CALL, One Hundred and Ten Convicts in Penitentiary Poisoned. PARIS GREEN USED. It Was Put In Some Cabbage Which the Convicts Ate for Dinner. Parti. cles of the Poison Used Have Been Discovered in and About the Kitchen. The State of Thursday said there has been a lot of illness among the convicts at the penitentiary within the last 24 hours and it is known that the 110 or more who were made sick suf rfenly had partaken of green vege tables co:oked in a large pot. None of t: e 300 convicts was affacted except he ones who ate of the cabbage thus prepared, and it is believed that the prisoning was not due to any mischiev ous intent. Col. D. J. Griffth, super intendent of the penitentiary, stated that nearly all of the sick had left the irafirmary with te exception of a few who were not well anyway, and there were no casualties of a serious na ture. The convicts who were made sick ate of cabbage cooked in a pot which nad not been used for some time, al though the cooks &clared that they cleaned the vessel thorougbly. It is customary to put a little soda Into r,he vegetables to facilitate the cook ing, and it is possible that the action of the soda on the iron of the pot form ed a chemical change which nauseated the prisoners who ate of the vegeta bles prep ired thereth. The nausea appeared so soon after. t.be di-nner meai teat all of the din ner had not been cleared away, and 3.-mo of the vegetablei wpre s:Int to Dr. W. B. Burney, the State cheMist, wnio was asked to mtke a careful "alysis His report had not bnen made We- nesday night. It is herdlv pre! 4 hle that the c.rvicts ergaged in gath'ring the vg-tables and in pre oarirg tnem could have been s mali ,ious as to want to poison their fellow prisoners, but if there was anything .f tbe kind doue it will not be d 1.:ult to find the ones guilty. Capt. Griffil' feels very x-uch reliev. d after all i. ver b esuse rone of the prisoners 1izP d ro re, puni immediately t-) treat meut aLd all will be as wli as usbul in a day or two. AREENIC IN THE FOT. The State cf Fdiday says there was frse-ic lh the dinner that poisoned :he convicts. Df. W. B. Burney, the State chemist, has not made his form al report of the analysis undertaken At the r quest -f Capt. D. .. Griffith, superi:.ondent of the penitentiary, lut he said informally Thursday night rhat he had discovered the presence of arse-nic in considerable quantity in the sample sent him for enamination. Supt. Griffith and Capt. W. W. Adams. captain of the guard, made a an in vestigation Wednesday and Thursday and they have arrived at the conclu si-n that the poison was put into the sbbage with malice, and the party guilcy of the crime has been spotted. As it was stated Thursday the con victs were sickened by eating of din dier of cabbage cooked in a large pot. Thinking that not even a convict should be so inhumanly depraved as to seek to poisio-n his fellow convicts in such a manner, Capt. Griffith was disposed at tirst to believe It possible hat there might have been some chemical change brought about by rea son of the fact that the cabbages were cr oked in a pot not used for some time and that soda had been used to facili tare the proces of cooking. THE POISON FOUD. Thursday experiments were made with the sample pot and with other pots. It was iound that in no case did the cabbage show any signs of poison from the use of soda in the cooking. Butn in a perfectly clean pot used daily s!ome of the green poison on the window -as added. The color imparted to the cabbagte was the same as that observed ithe dinner that made the convicts si:.k. Convicts ate voluntairly with no bad effects resulting from the greens czoked with soda. Of course none of item would try the mesa cooked with Paris green. Ptris green contains arsenic. There fore it is probable that tee dinner was poisoned with malice aforethought. Tnere has been Paris green in the sup oom at tbe pe-Lentiary and some of it had been used a few we.eks ago te till bugs on the Irish potatoes. Tnurs 6ay Capt. Grffi.n found traces of the gree-n poisen on the window sill of the cooking room and in one of the gut ters near the kitchen was found more in the quantity of a spoonfull. Tsking ihis in connection with the fact ttsat Dr. Burney has found arsenic in the dinner of last Tuesday it would appear that one or more of the conviets may be f un'd guilty of a diabolic attempt it whaolf sale murder. Raxiing BJind1 Tmgers. At Chiarleston the "secial club," .a: tered blind tigers, continue to be rdi ed by the constables and much ex citexeLct prevals among the proprie tors and members, especially at thi s -n of the yea.r, when cold beer is ocas;d-ered to be so very necessary. ap- c ally with the accompaniments. Sc- mi -rtable quarters, electric fans ttc. The raid of one club Wednesday nienit netted 24 gallons of high grade .hiskey and nearly 1,000 bottles of xport beer. Tne renewed activity .r me constables is said to be due to speci 1 instructions from Columbia to gen af er the violators of the law. rogo Names It The rnaval conflict In which the Rus Ian fleet was otistro3-ed has been va riously distirnguished as the battle of the Korean Straits and the battle of T u Ibland. Admiral Togo telegraphs to TokiO thbat "the naval battie fought from the afternoon of May 27 to May, 28 in the vichzity of Osmno island and extanding to the vicinity of Od-eung ishmnd, is called the naval battle of the Sea of Japan." Tnat settles it. IM GET THE REhWARD. A Williamsburg Man swore Away the Liberty of a Negro. Peculiar Case Brought to Attention of Gov. Heyward in a Petition for Pardon. The State says Gov. Heyward has been asked to pardon a William,-barg man who has served several years of . sentence after having boen convicted unjustly, it seems. The negro was frightened into mak!ng a confession by a white man who wanted the re ward of $300. John Harrison was convicted of havirg killed Alfred Singletary and was sent to the penitentiry for lif Now c.me several affi"ants who testify that Harrieon was at the store of J. M. Brown, 13 miles away, at the time of the killing. Mr. F. Barron Grier, who represented Solicit.,r Wilhon at the trial, declares the negro deserving of a pardon. Judge Gary Interpses no objection alth.:ugh the case Is not fresh In his memory. But the singular part about this case is that one Geo. W. Arms tried to swear away the liberty of the ac cased because a reward of $300 had been offered. It is probable tnat Arms will be indicted on his own evi dence against himself. His affidavit is as follows: "George W. Arms, who being duly sworn,. says that he remembers toe trial and conviction of John Harrison for murder, with a recommendation for mercy at the court of genera: ses sions for said county and State, and that he is now aware of the fact that the said Harrison is confined in the State prison for the remainder of his natural life. "Tnab at the time of the trial of the said Harrison this depunent work ad at the jail, and it was to him that. the said Harrison made his confes.hfn sek-.owledglng the murder of Single tary; this deponert desires to state how said confession was obtained In )rder :hat justice may be done. Prior to Ste trial of Harrision he was In 3arcerated in te fail at Kirg.tree; btis deponent, in order to get evidence n which to convict said Harrison. ppeared at night at the cell door of the said Harri?.on and then and tLere with the use of a chain tried to scare the said Harrison Into a confession. After working this sche -2e for several nights the said Harrio complalned o this depinent of C ,currence and this deponent told thL said Harrison that he had best confe's as sounds he heard was the ghot of Singtleary. Even with this pressure being br-ught o bear upon the feelings of said Har rison, he still maintained his inno ence. Finding that this procedure would not work the results wished, this deponent then appeared at the ell door of the said Harrison covered with a white sheet and demanded then and there that he make his con ession, and it was upon this action the said confession was made. This deponent was a witness in the said ease against Harrison on his trial and told his confession in court, and he now honestly believes that Harri son being an ignorant negro and be ing scared, made this confession through fear and under duress and by being worked upon by the various methods set forth in this affdavit. Af ter the making of this confession it was scattered and talked about hrough the entire county and worked considerable feeling against Harrison on his trial. "The reason this deponent trIed to get evidence to convict said Harrison was to try and get the reward of $300 which had been offered by the gover nor for proof to convict." The governor has written the fol lowing letter to Solicitor Wilson in regard to the case: "I have before me a petition asking for the pardon of John Harrison, who was convicted in the court of general sessions of Williamsburg county in 1895 of murder with recommendation to mercy.' "In the record you will note that tere is an affdavit from George W. Arms, wherein he states that the said John Harrison was convicted upon a confession obtained from him while working in the jail, by means that scared the defendant into a confes sion, assigning the reason that depon nt tried to get the evidence in order to secure the reward of $300 offered by the governor for proof to convict. And the deponent further alleging that he honestly believed that the said Harrison, being an Ignorant ne gro, and being scared, made this con fesion through fear and under duress, being worked upon by the various metbods set forth in this petitiorn. "If the effect of the guilty confes sion were obtained in such a manner and by such means as are alleged by deponent, it is manifest that such is not conducive to justice. And while I appreciate the fact that you are not the prosecuting attorney in this case-being ill at the time-as solici tor of that cIrcuit 1 respectfully re quest that you investigate the facts set forth In the petition, and the aff davit which I herewith return to you. "I enclose complete record in order that you may note that an alibi is urged as a reason for the pardon." Eussian Losses. BRnugh estimates made of the Etus sian losses in the batiue fought in the sa of Japan exclusive of nearly 4,000 prisoners, vary from seven to nine thousand. It is thought that the mjority perished. Calculating thoe complements of the sunken and cap tured ships at upwards of ten thous and, seven thousand men remain un accounted for. It Is possible that the ships that escaped rescue~d some of the members of the crews of the less for tuneate ships. Many bodies have been washed ashore on the islands and on the shore of the neighboring coasts under the scene of the battle. Asked for a Man. An enterprising Atlanta firm, ac cording to one of the Atlanta papers, advertised among its attractions "everything the bride-to-be would need" and an Augusta lady wrote to the firm and asked for a man. CAUSED A SLUMP. Different Cotton Reports Vary as to the Acreage. OFFICIAL ESTIMATE Lower than the Estimate -of the Cotton Association, Which Was 18 Per Cent Reduction. The Government IReports Show a Reduc ton of 11 Per Cent. The following bulletin on the condi t'on of the cotton crop was issued by tb dnartment of agriculture Friday: Returns to the chief of the bureau of s'arIstics of the department of ag riculture show the total area planted in c.tten in the United States up to May 25th to be abcut 28,120,000 acres, a decrease of about 3,610,000 acres, or 11.4 per cent., from the total acre age planted last year. The average condition of the grow ing crop on May 25th was 77.2. as compared wi* h 33 on Ma.y 26th, 1904; 74.1 at the co; responding date in 19U3 and a 10-year average of 85 3. The percentage oC decrease in acre age in the different States (the com parlson being with the total area planted last seasoD) is as follows: Virglia 13. North Carolina10, South C~irolina 11, Georgia 11, Florida 10, Alabama 8, Mississipo1 12, Louis!ana 14. Texas 12, Arkansas 15 Ten'aessee 10, Mi.'.Eouri 14. Oklahoma 11, Indian Territory 10. Tne condition of the crop by States on Mar 25th was as follows: Virginia 87. NYrth Carolina 83, 3outh Carolina 78, Geo:rgia 84, Fiorida 88, Alaba-n- 87 Mlssissippi 73 Louis inna 73. Texis 69, Arkansas 73, T'en 'e;-ee 86. Missouri 84, Oklahoma 88. Indian* Territorv 81 WANT AN INVESTIGATION. A dispatch from A;iana says -ow laig to a differenct of 7 per cent in ,rne governm-nt rep .rt issued Friday and the Southern C ;tton Association report issued May 31st on the reduc tion in c:tton acreage, the Southern Cotton association has taken action lo: oking to a verification of the two reports. Secretary Oheatham of the Southiern Cotton association has been instructed to take the matter up with zoverument cfi sials and Friday ad creszed tile rollowing letter to Statis tician John Hyde at Washington, cailrg on h;m for the sources of the government's infor mation: Atlanta, Ga., June 1, 1905. Mr. John Hyde, Statiscian, Washing ven, D. C. - Dear S!r: The government report on reduction in cotton acreage for 1905 Lsued from your department at noon today shows a difference of 7 per cent. less than the report issued by the Southern Cotto- Association at New Orleans, May 31. The assocAa iion has been .most painstaking and conservative in its report and desires to velify it with that of the govern ment, and will ask that you forward to its cifie a copy of the detailed surces from which your report was made and the manner of its final tab lation. The association also stands ready to furnish your department with similar information giving names and post offce addresses of the 17,500 reporters anid business in which they are en gaged, from which reports the associa tion tabulated its final estimate. A prompt compliance- of your omce with this request will very much oblige, Your truly, RCAE CmEA'rHA, Sect'y. Southern Cotton Association. CAUSED A SLUMP. A dispatch from New York says the government's first monthly cottoa re port of the season giving the average of the stock at 77.2 per cent. and re duction in acerage at 11.4 per cent was preceded and followed by active selling and excit-ement on the cotton exchange Friday. The market was weak .from the opening under active pressure ana before the re port was is sued July sold off to 8.15, October 8.22 and December 8 34 Immediately fol lowinog the aurounacement of the gov ernment figures there was great con fusion on the cotton exchange due to the New Orleans market, which shot up over 20 points, causing a rally of 6 to 8 points here. This, however, was subquently lost. It developed later that the average condition was receiv er in New Orleans at '15.2 Instead of 77.2. July sold off to 8.10 in the New Yrg market, a decline from Thursday of about 24 points, andi lost one half a cent from the hagii pints of last Wednesday. Tae market closed steady in tone but as just about the lowest prices, a net decline of 31 to 34 points. Sales estimated 750,000 bales. Will Hang tWmself. A spetial to the New York Sun from Lincoln, Neb., says that Frank Barker, convicted of the murder of ols brother, Daniel, and also his brother's wife, and now confined in the Nebraska penitentiary awaiting the neo;e of the hangman for his double crime, is to be his own execu t-oner. As Warden Beemer shrinks from the duty of springing the trap, Barker has s'epped into the breach and informed thae was~den that he will be his own bangman. Birker has frankly confessed that be is guilty, and adnits that he deserves the pun ishmenst which the law prescribes. An electrical contrivance is to con trol the tray, connected with a wire running into Barker's hands. He will be strapped to his hips, but will have ree use of his fingers, and will push tte button releasing the trap. Trouble Brewing. A dispatch from Paris says it .ls learned from an unusually well-inform ed source that Dr. Motono, the Japan ese minister, has demanded on behalf of Japan, from Minister Delcasse, the sum of 500.000,000 francs ($100,000, 003) as damages for French breaches of neutrality in connection with the voyage of Admiral RIojestvensky to the Emst and sojourn in French Asia icwaters, "LOOK AT ENGLAND." A Comparison Between the United States with the Old Country. Some Respects.in Which the Mother Country Seems to Have the Advansage of Us. Collier's Weekly thinks that the United States should pay higher salaries. Ambassadors do not get enough. Neither do cabinet officers. The President also is underpaided. How lamentable I "Look at England," says Collier's in effect. England pays $100,000 to the lord lieutenant of Ireland, $35,000 to the speaker of the house of commons and so forth and so on. "Well, let us accept the invitation, and look at Eagland. Who pays the taxes in England? We know who pays them here. With us the poor man pays the taxes. When he covers his nakedness. when he satisfies his hunger, when he builds his house, when he buys tools tc work with he pays an outrageously oppressive tariff tax. &-ckefeller pays no more federal tax than is paid by a one-horse negro farmer in the south. Morgau pass less federal tax than many a western corn grower who fed nis stove on ear corn in 1891, because it was cheaper than coal. Biessed are our millionaires! Those of them who are neglected by con gre's are tenderly cared for by the federal judiciary. Blessed are the rictl-tbey run the government and the common man pays the bill. Lof;k at Egland. All right, we now look. This is what we see: Sbe compels her railway corpora tions to pay an income tax upon the assessed valuation of $190,000 000 She compels the coal barons and the marble quarry owners to pay in come tax upon an assessed valuation of $95,000.000. She compels the landlords, bankers and mercuant princes to pay income tax upon an assessed valuation of $900,000,000 In this manner she forces her wealthy classes to pay on property and income nearly two million dollars annually toward the support of e governmentl Her tariff duties are levied exclu sively upon articles which are not ne cessaries of life. Not a d 11ar of tariff need the poor man pay to live in perfect comfort. This tariff upon the non-necessaries amount3 to $170,000,000. From intc:xicating hquors the reve nue is $150,000,000. Thus it will be seen by a look at England that the poor man can feed himself, clot-he himself, build a house to live in, and supply it with necessa ry furniture without having to pay one dollar of national tax. In this land of the free he must pay the tariff tax, or go naked, eat grass and live in a hole in the ground. But let us "look at England" again. We see her operating her postoflece, carrying parcels as well as letters. She does not allow express companies to amass fortunes by robbing the people in the carrying of light freight. Thus she makes $70,000,000 instead of letting the corporations make five times that amount. She owns and operates the telegraph lines, and makes $18,000,000 per year Instead of letting the corporations make It. What, therefore, Is the net result of the "Look at England?" We discover that the government supports itself upon the posseslens of the people rather than ".-pon their no cessities. Give us the same system of taxa tion--compel those who possess the wealth to pay the expenses of gvern ment-and I for one, will say, "Make the salaries what you will so long as you will make them have to pay them." Want Social Equality. Because R sv. John Gordon, presi dent of Howard University, of Wash ngton, and a white man, has raised the race question at the negro college by declining to associate on a socIil equality plane with the student body and faculty, and has sough; to em phasize the importance of manual raining, a committee of alumni, backed by the entire undergraduate bdy, has pre-ferred charges against himn and petitioned the board of urus tees for his Immediate removal. The f.rmal charges pressed by former Rep reentative White or North Carolina, and argued at length before a special meeting of the trustees, follow what has been almost open revolt at the student body during the past few days. Sentences commuted. Gov. Heyward has nommuted the sentence of two white boys of Green vile county who broke into the drug store of Lewis & Hlartzog and stole $350. all there was In sight. Andrew Johnson and James Clinton and John Harris were convicted in April 1902 and were sentenced to serve 10 years each. The sentences of Clinton and Harris have been commuted to three years, all of which they have served. The sentence of Johnson was cummut ed to five years and he has yet two years to serve. This action was rec oimended by Solictor Boggs when the question of pardon was referred to him. Their Buggy Burned. A dispatch from Spartanburg says Chief Grady and several of the local constables had a lively time of It on a raid In the Dark Corner Monday night. Arriving Gowansville, their vehicles broke down, and they secured another and pressed forward in their quest of illicit distilleries. Their raid carried them Into the lonely, unfre quented sections of corner, and they were fired on several times, but with out results. Their search proved fruitless, and, returning to Gowanis yille fvr their team, they discovered that it had been cut to pieces and burned up by the Irate moonshiners. Their horses had not been molested and the men secured another carriage and came on homne. VIOLENT DEATH Of A Man Who Had Previously Killed Two Men. A BAD CAREER ENDED When Judge Randolph Was Shot Down in the Street of Montgomery, Ala., by His Cousin. Whom He Had Threatened for Refesiag Him Money. Judge Francia C. Randolph. one of the best known men in Alabama, was shot and Instantly killed Saturday af ternoon by John Randolph, a second cousin, in front of the latter's office on South Perry street Montgomery, Ala. There are several rumors as to the cause of the tragedy, the one given most credence being that Judge Ban dolph had demanded a loan of money from his slayer with the atcompany ng threat that nnl the loan was forthcoming violence would ensue Tne two men met Saturday after noon and it is Raid that Judge Ran dolph repeated his threats. John Randolph presented a single-barrelled repeating shotgun and Judge Ran. dolpt attempted to draw a revolver, whereupon John Bandolph.fired two shots In quick succession, one enter ing the heart and the other the neck. Either would have proved fatal. A vast crowd, estimated at 1,000 persons, at once surrounded the scene of the tragedy and medical aid was summoned, but wen a physician ar rived Judge Bandolph was dead. His slayer was arrested and placed in the county jail, wbere many friends called during the afternoon ard tendered any assistance needed. Judge Francis C. Bandolph bad killed two men, one in Alabama and another in Colombia, to which coun try he fled from this state. - For the bomicide in Alabama he was acquit ted, but in Colombia he wassentenced to death. He was in close confine ment there for several years, during which time his friends here and 'in the state were exerting every effort to have the death sentence con. muted. Julge Randolph finally ob tained bis liberty and returned to Montgomery. Soon afterwards he was tried on thirteen charges of em bezzlement, alleged to have been com mitted during his incumbency as pro bate judge of Montgomery county. Since his return here he has been drinking freely and it is alleged that on several occasions he has threatened the lives of Montgomery cisizens. A few weeks ago. Judge Randolph was an unsuccessful candidate for the Montgomery Democratic mayoralty nomination. The supreme courtof the state same time ago affirmed a decision of the lower courts denying cross bills from Judge Randolph and his wife, both petitioning for divorce. In ad dition to her, helis survived by ason - and four daughters. Fawning on Japan. Prince Oaktomsky In the St. Pe tersburg Basvlet declares for peace in a half-distracted editorial in which he takes the whole world to task for shutting its eyes to the yellow periL. "All the nations blind to the future," sayE the Prince, "are fawning upon vitorious Japan. Great Britain re jocing in Russia's fall utters her sar castic condolences, and America sends Secretary Taf t and a party of eccen tric Ame'rican ladles to visit the land of the Mlkado. France, in fear of Indo-China, allows Japan to boss her about, while the crownEd Hohenzol lern, who a few years ago sounded a solemn warnizrg to the Aryan race, rushes to the station ta greet the little yellow prince Arisugawa, and showers him with attentions.' Kialed by Lightning. Mr. Bcyd Mc~ae was struck and In stantly killed by lightning during the ekzctrict storm Wednesday afternoon, while under a shelter on his fatther's plantation in Brittons Neck Marion Couny. He, with his brother and another young man, had been at work In the field, and when the storm arose took refuge in a tenan1 house, the others going inside the house and the deceased staying under the shel ter with the horses. Hanl Killed Sparrows. A special from Mount Olive, N. C., says a severe wind, rain and hail storm swept over that etion Tniursday, night, unroofing buildings and laying crops in waste over a wide area coy ered by the path of the storm. The power house of the electric plant in. the town of Mount Olive was partial ly wrecked. In a large elm grove on the outskirts of the town, numbers of sparrows were killed by the hail stones were picked up after the storm. Enrned to Death. A Pennsylvania passenger train, from St. Louis, struck an oil wagon Wednesday at Stillwater Junction, Ohio. As the oil tank burst the en gine fires ignited the oil and Eagineer Edward Gimbey and Fireman Charles Pryor, of Columbus, Ohio, were burned to death. The driver of the wagon escaped uninjurded. The train was not damaged. Mines Did It. United States Minister Griscom, who is stationed at Tokio, In his re port calls attention to the fact that Japanese torpedo operations were bghly suceessful In the late battle and a majority of the large REnsman vessels were sunk as a result mines. Killed Them Both Will Clark was engaged to a girl at High Spring, near Gainesville, Fla., but her uncle I. L. Mizell and her un cle's stepson Pete Riddick opposed the match. They attacked Clark on Sunday while he was returning from a visit to his sweetheart. In the fight he got hold of Biddick's pistol ndi 1rilleA them both.