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VOL. XIX. MANNING, S. C., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1905. NO. 52. MIKASA BURNED. Fire Got to the Magazine And An Explosion Follows. SIX RUNDRED LOST. The Pride of the Japanese Navy Sinks Into the Sea. She was Togo's Flagship, but he was not on Board When the Terrible Accident Took Place. A dispatch frcm Tokio says the Japanese Davy department announces that the battleship Mikasa had been destroy ed by fire and the explosion of her magazine, causing the loss of 599 lives, including men of other ships, who went to the rescue. The fire started from an unknown cause at midnight on Surdiy night, September 10th. Before the <.ffleers could be rescured, the fire reached the aft magazine, blowing a hole In the port side of the vessel below the water line and causing the ship to sink. An !nvestigation is now being held to determine the cause of the fire. As Is well known the Mikasa was Ad miral Togo's flaship, but he was not on board when the terrible accident happened. Tne ship was at anchor in Sasebo harbor when the fire started at the base of the Imainmast at midnight. It spread with great rapIdity, explod Ing the after magazine, an hour after the fire had been discovered. The Mikasa sank in shallow water and it is believed the ship can be re paired. Eescuing parties were sent from the various warships in the har bor and there were heavy casualties among them. Various conjectures are current as to the cause of the fire. Some attri bute it to an overcharge of electricity. Great relief was felt throughout Ja pan, when it was learned that Ad miral Togo was not onsboard the ship at the time of the fire. Tie disaster has cast a gloom over the whole ct ,Japan. A POOLISH BOY Shoots Two.Young Ladies and Then Kus Himself. At Frederick, Md., because his 16 year old sweetheart persisted in her refusal to marry him and had dismis sed him, Lee Woddie, 17 years of age is dead by his own hand, the sweet heart, Nellie Eichelberger, Is suffer ing from two pistol shot v .,u:rds that may prove fatal and .er frix and companion, Maud Davis, ha a bullet wound through her arm. Weddle was the son of a. prominent builder and contracter of Thornout, this county, at which place the trag edy took place last night. Miss Eich alberger, with Miss Davis and anoth er girl were shopping and had reached the public square of Thurmont when Weddle approached and took Miss Elchelberger to task for sending him his letter of dismissal. Upon her reiterating thesentliments she had ex pressed in the letter, Weddle drew a revolver and fired at her twice. The first of the bullets went through Miss Davis's arm and into Miss Eichelberger's lefs shoulder; t-he second penetrating a few inches to the right of the first. As his vi.ctimi fell fainting to the ground, the buy believing he had killed her, turned the weapon and sent two bullets through his own heart, dying Instant ly. He Is Said to have threacened such an act on several occasions. Quick Work. The New York American says the divorce suit by which Mrs. Cecilia LewIs was freed from her husbar4d, 'was instituted last June, and broke all records In point of time consumed In Its trial. It took Justice Marean just two minutes to grant an interlo ontory degree. Tae three months that must elapse before the final de gree Is signed expired at midnight on Sunday. Mrs. Lewis was so anxious to obtain her freedom that she In strcted her lawyer to have document aigned immediately at the stroke of twelve. She had made all arrange ments for her wedding to Senator Wilcox Wednesday. The lawyer was unable to get a justice to execute the degree until Wednesday afternoon. Tne wedding had to be postponed, much to Mrs. Lewis' chagrin. Cat Setrued Boy. While some boys were bathing in a creek near Belfast, Ga., recently a wildcat suddenly darted from behind a pile of lumber and fastened its teeth ina the leg of John Mahoney, a boy of about 12 years of age. Messrs. 0. L. Binner and A. L. Kirkland were at the hotel,'some yards distant, and hearing the screams of the lad, secur ed guns and hurried to the scene. They found the animal still holding on to the boy's limb and making a frantic effort to chew It up. A time ly shot from Mr. Skinner's gun only saved the lad from losing his leg. An Old Bridegroom. A dispatch from Richmond, Va., says ninety years old, six times mar ried, and the father of forty-four children, Is the record cf Jacob Kin ney, betlter known as "Major," who applied for and secured a license at the Henrico County Clerk's Offce Tuesday morning to wed one Ann Green, who is also no novice on the matrimonial sea- and is sixty years of age. In recent years the old man has been getting feeble, and has been sup ported by his sons. When asked what he meant by getting married again he said: "I: need a help meet." Giant Dead "Bud" Ecgan, the TenneseB negro giant is dead at Gallatmn Tenn. He was eight feet nine Inches tall. His hands were 12 inches In length and 3al feet 16 1-2 liches long. JOBS GO BEGING. Offic's Southern remocrats Co Id Get if They Tr ed. Causes or Failure to Parttc!pate. One Section of the Country Where There is a Shortage. The discovery made through the personal investigation of Commis sioner Greene, of the United States civil service commission, that Demo crats as a class refrain from partici pating in the civil service examina sions in the Seuth serves to explain in a measure a point which has puzzled the ccmmission for a long time, name ly, the difflculty in mintaining regis ters of Southern eligibles sutbciently large to enable the Southern states to receive their proper quota in federal appointments. This information was obtained by Commissioner Greene while in Kentucky, North Carohra and Tennessee on cfmeial business. Commissioner Greene lost no time in making public the results of his in vestigation, and now the civil service commission is doing all in its power to rectify this condition of affairs. Various causes are assigned for the reluctance of Scuthern Demccrats to enter the lista for federal plums. Mr. Greene obtained the impression that the main cause was the prevalence of a feeling that, despite academic as surances to the contrary, the spoils still belong to the victors, and that, therefore, a Democrat, however good 3 showing he might make in a com peitiva examination, sands but little show of appointment. To correct this Impression Mr. Greene has used the :olumns of several newspapers of the North to call renewed attention to the on-partisan character of appoint ents made under the civil service &ct and to cite the fact that the only reason why Republicans are in so Large a majority in the minor federal fflse of the South is that Democrats iave steadfastly declined to take the aminations thereby leaving the ommisslon a list composed entirely of Republicans from which to make the ederal selections. The average rating obtained by -ompetitors from Southern states is ower than that of the Northern tates. The Democratic party, being he dominant party, of course com prises the better intelligence as a whole of the community. It is there tore evident that if the Democrats as I class should enter the lists of federal ppointment the stardard of eligibles wuld be raised and more Democrats ,han Republicans would be appointed, ecause there are more Democrats ,han Republicans in the South who ave the requied qualifications. The rt state entitled to an appointment Lt this time is Louisiana. It will take wenty-nine appointments frm Lou siana to bring it up into the list of Lorthern states in the order of ap ointment. Unless a special effort 2ad been made to induce applicants rom Louisiana to come forward and -ake the examination it would have -un further and further behind in its bare of appointments. As it is, eight men and five women assed the examination for clerk, and me woman passed for bokkeeping. t wili be observed, however, that this tes not provide nearly enough eligi les to give Louisiana its due share t appointments. The state next in nrn for appointments after Louisiana s Alabama. This slate will be en itled to thirty-five appointments to he share which Illinois now has. The day examinations provided twelve en and six women eligibles for lerks, but this is not nearly enough a fill its quota. Following Alabama omes Mississippi. This state is en ~iled to have t wenty-three appoint nnt-s to bring it abreast with Minne sota. It furnished only seven men ud three women for the clerk regis ier and one man for the bookkeeping egister. Taking the remaining Southern states in the order in which they are ntitled to receive appointments, they are Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, Ken ucky, Tennessee, Missouri, South arolina and North Carolina. These 3tates are each entitled to from fif een to twenty appointments to bring up their quotas, and male stenograph rs will have an especially good hance of early appointment. Friends f the South in Washington hope that the present efforts of the civil service ommission will result similarly 4o the :ovement inaugurated by President Harrison, which resulted in some 200 Southern appointments in the federal service. Gets a Good Job. Former Judge Alton B. Parker will succeed Professor Collins as chief ounsel for the Brooklyn Rapid Tran sit Company at an annual salary of 100,000, according to an announce ment Thursday. Professor Collins has retired, and the firm of Collins & Sheehan, which has acted for years In a advisory capacity to the company, will be known as Sheehan & Parker. William F. Sheehan was one of Par ker's strongest supporters in the re cent presidential campaign. Clemson Crowded. There are over 300 students at Clemson already, and they contlnu; to come. ZDver 250 of these are new students, and the others are old stud ents with work to make up. The ap plications went above 800. Of course nearly 200 had to be refused. Some are reporting who have never put in applications. Dr. Mell can do noth ing, of course, but send these back on the next train. About a dozen have already been sent home because they had put in no applications. Having Fun After Death. A humorist in ,Tapan who jested all his life told his friends when ho was dying that his body was not to be washed after death, but was to be taken at once to the family temple to be cremated. When he died his instructions were followed. As soon as it was set on fire the mourners were astonished by several loud ex plosions. At first they were in::lined to take to their heels, but curiosity got the better of fear, and caref ull in spection showed that the humorist had stowed away a large number of firecrackers about his person before hde ath. A TRUE TALE That Reads Like the Fiction We Find in Story Books REAL LIFE TARGEDY In the City of Rome Which Very Nearly Parallels the Most Improbable Lit erary Plot of the Neval, "The Masquerader," Not Long Written. The fLllowing remarkable story we take from the New York American: "Impossible, but interesting," peo ple sad when they read "The Mas qatrader," Katherine Cecil Taurston's suecessful noval. in which two men not related, but looking absolutely alike, ehange places. And now, to justify her Imagination, to prove that the novelist's dream was r.ot only interest ing, but poesible real, he has come to the rescue. In Rome the situation that formed the plot of "The Masquerader" has been duplicated. A nobleman, Count Andriano Benicalli, finding a valet who resembled him marvelously, em ployed him as his double. The valet, Paolo, impersonated his master at all sorts 3f social functions. He ins tated his manners and graces to perfection; he walked like him and talked like him, and, even as the dual impersona bors who made "The Masquerader" the talk of the literary world, deceiv ed not only the Count's friends, but his wife as well. As in "The Maaq'ierader," the im personator falls in love with the wife of his double. and it Is jealously of a woman that assists in the denouement. But in real life the denouement Is a Eragedy. Real life is not accommodat ing. The right man rarely dies to make the end of a sltuation pictures que, happy, romantic. The Oountess Beniculli, lovely as the wife of John Chilcote of "The Easqueradar," committed suicide when the found that she had permit Led a mental to make love to her under the guise of her husband. The poor, deceived wife is dead, aDd ount Beniculli has appealed to the sourts of Rome to avenge him. He harges that his valet took advantage >f the position he had permitted him to occupy and caused the death of his oble mistress. In "The Masquerader" is is the mor phine easter, John Chilcote, who dies, he man who neglected his wife and is duties, leaving both to the care &rid attention -f his double, John Yoder, the good, clever hero. The novelist herself seems to realize that the possibility of the extraordi nary resemblance upon which she ases her apparently fanciful plot, is ong to be much doubted and ques toned, for she refers to It in the open ng chapter In this fashion: "By that seem too mild for real life and yet be ong to no other sphere, the two faces were identical, feature for feature. It eemed to ea~h man that he looked not at the face of another, but at his wn face redeoted in a flawless looking glass." Then, again, John Chilcote brings ip the subject of Identity in a conver aton with Ltdy Astrupp. Chilcote picked up a book that lay etween them. "Other men's shoes!' he read. 'A ovel, of course?'" "She smiled. 'Of course. Sac'a a fantastic story. Two men change identities. "Chilcote rose and walked back to he mantleplece, " 'Changing Identities?' he said, with a touch of interest. " 'Yes; one man Is an artist, the ther a millionaire; one wants to know what famB Is like, the other wants to know how it feels to be really, sinfully rich. So they exchange experience for a month." She laughed. "Chilcobe laughed as well. But how?I e asked. " 'On, I told you the Idea was ab srd. Fancy two peop'e so much alike bat neither their friends nor their servants see any diffrence! Such a hing couldn't be, could it? There are likenesses, but not freak likenesses like that.'" The novelist plainly foresees that the possibility of such a resemblance as she makes the basis of her plot is going to be questioned by the great mass of her public. Yet In Bome real life upholds her most fanciful imagin ings. The Count Adriano Beniculli Is of an old and respected family. He him self Is a bit cceentric, but none the les a nobleman who has always mov ed in the highest social circles. wns vast estates on which he entertained handsomely. He had, until the tragedy which set all Bome talk ing in horrified whispers, a charming wife whom he neglected shamefully. During her life this was said to be one of his eccentricities. Another was his hobby of collecting and repairing an cient locks. If you had asked in Rome some months ago about the Count Beniculli and his wife, you would have heard these things and not much else. They seemed commonplace encugh and so doubtless they were until one day the Count looked upn Antinoro Paalo and saw that the man, though of humble origin, was educated and in appear ance and manner marvellously like himself. The Count had grown to find socie ty, which demanded more or less of his presence, an awful bore. He had become as tired of it as he had of his wife, whom he scarcely saw. In face, when he first met the man Paolo, he was not even living with her. As he marked the extraordinary res emblance between himself and the man an idea flew into his head. He would take him in his employ and make us~e of him. Now, whether the Count had heard of "The Masque rader" or not has not yet been unfold ed. In the novel a similar proposition 'You propose,' said Lader, 'that for a consideration of money I shou'd trade on dummy, when you are other wise engaged?' "'After all,' the other urged, 'what I ask of you is a simple thing. Merely to carry thrcugh my rL u tine duties for a week or two cccasionally. When I find my endurance giving way-when a respite be.oms essential. The work would be rothing, the pay anything you like to name.' " The doinble hesitates and the other urges. Al objections are waved away. Chilcote agrees to discharge his ser vant and his secretary, who might p. a sibly recogn:ze a substitute. Then they came dawn (%s the Count and Paolo must have) to the question of the wife. "'You have erntirely forgotten one thing,' said L-. der. 'You can hardly dismiss y.ur wife.' "'11 wife doesn't count.' "I'm afraid I scarcely agree. The complications would be slightly slightly" He paused. "The fact of your being married bars it. Can't you see that?" "You mistake the position," said Chilcote. "I tell you m) wife and I are nothing to each other. She goes her way; I go mine. We have our own friends, our own rooms. Marri age,actual marriage, doesn't enter the qaestion. We meet occasionally at meals, and at other people's houses; sometimes we go out together for the sake oft appearances; beyond that nothing. If you take up my life no one will trouble you less than my wife -I can promise that." So It was arranged in the novel, and so, probably, it was discussed and ar ranged by the Count Adriano Beni. culi and Aninoro Paolo, the valet. As a valet Paolo has been all his life around men of distinc'ion and refine, ment, and he acquired the ways and manners of the great. Added to this, he is, by every account, a man good looking as the Count himself. They are both tall, dark, with clear-cut features and pronounced personalities. The resemblance, according to every ne, is uncanny. Of course, the Count's intention when he made his bargain with Paolo was merely to be relieved of his tire ome social duties. Instead of having to make himself agreeable all the time, If he could train his double to repre sent him properly he need only be bored occasionally. So he supplied Paolo liberally with good clothes and plenty of money. He gave him all he luxuries he dreamed of; he set him In one of his own palaces, where he 3ould play masler at his pleasure. He played it charmingly. The news went abroad that the Dount Beniculli had improved im mensely. He was far less taciturn, 'ar less domineering than formerly. rhe Countess heard these things. She ad not laid eyes upon her husband or months, but she could not believe hem true. Shesighed, however, and wished they were, for in her heart of aearts-she loved her husband. At last at some ball she met Paolo asquerading as the Count.- She had ever looked more lovely, she had ever been naore gracious. The sup posed Count smiled upon her with ew adoration, and the poor woman rembled and glowed with joy. It eemaed to her the love of her girlhood eturning to her. All that evening the man whom he took to be her husband was at her ide, assiduous in his attentions, whis ering such compliments as she had ot heard since first he wooed her. After this there followed days of appiness, such days as the hero and eroine of "The Masquerader" passed, while the secret of John Loder's, Iden ity was still hidden. To the Coun ressrBeniculli the valet was the hus and of her youth. All Rome told in unazement of the reconciliation be ween the eccentric Count and his :harming Titianhaired wife. And, wonder of wonders, the ount's eccentricities had grown ewer in the years of their separation. e seemed to be a considerate, nor al. healthy person, whose greatest esire was to advance her happiness. :he made the most of the present and ecided to refer as little as possible to he bitter, unhappay past. One day, while her love dream was t its height, the Countess and her supposed Count drove over to Rimini o make an excursion into the won erful caves that are there. When any reference was made to the past with its unhappiness she said, like the eroine of "The Masquerader," "I on't want explanations. I want to -to enjoy the moment wit bout hav ig things analyz~ad or smoothered way. Can't you understand? Can't you see that I'm wonderfully, terribly happy-to have you-as you are?" Paolo walked toward the caves of Rimini, in the Count's clothes, fol lowed by the Count's servants, with bIs arms about the exquisite Countess Beniculli. Hie knew that they loved and be forgot all else until suddenly a scream of rage called him to the realities of life. A woman stood in his pathway, with the menace of truth in her voice, upbraiding him for his faithlessness. To tbe trembling Countess she an nounced herself as his wife, his wife in the eyes of God and the Church of Rome. Of course she would not believe 50 preposterous a tale as that the Ccuni tess could believe him to be her hus band. How long, however, the Coun tess would have clung to her balief we may only conjecture, for in the midst of his true wife's insults and the noble lady's tears, Paolo fell upon his knees and confessed the part he had played. They say that the Countess looked as though in that moment she had been turned to stone. The light fad ed out of her beautiful eyes, her lips ceased to q-ilver, she stood erect and, turning to a peasant woman, begged her pardon humbly for having for one instance come between her and her rightful husband. That night, In her gorgeous boudoir in the splendid Beniculli mansion in Rome, the countess in despair took an overdose of laudanum. Behind her she left a few lines stating that the thought of what she had done had driven her to suicide, and that she forgive those who had deceived her. In real life "The Masquerader" had become a tragedy, for which those who masqueraded are to be fully re snsdhle. NEW YORK LIFE C Insurance Company Contributed t r to Republican Fund In THE PAST CAMPAIGi. George W. Perkins, of J. P. Morgan & I Co., the Star Witness at Friday's Legislative Irquiry. Parker's Elction Would Impair p ComDany's Assets. George W. Perkins, member of the V firm of j. P. Morgan & Co., and first vice president of the New York Life Imurance company, was the star wit ness at Friday's session of the special S legislative committee in New York probing life insurance companies' a methods and his testimony was P replete with revelations in fi- g nance as applied to insurance com- C panies. The climax of the day came when Mr. Perkins was asked concern-. an entry of $48.702 in a ledger mark- 0 ed "ordered paid by the pres.dent." Ix Mr. Perkins had been called to tes tify as to some other transactions and t after a recess he was asked to produce the check. It was made out payable t( to J. P. Morgan & Co., and Mr. Per- d kins frankly stated it was a contribu. tion to the national republican cam- C4 paign committee and had been paid to Ci Cornelious N. Bliss. Mr. Perkins said: "This payment was made after very careful deliberation. It must not be considered an ordinary contribution to the campaign fund. It was paid be cause we felt the assets of the New York Life Inmuranca company would a be jaopard:zad by a Democratic suc cess." h Mr. Perkins said contributions were W also made in 1900 and 1896. As an illustration witness said the first con tribution made was in 1896 by Presi- Ci dent McCall, who is a Democrat- "He el contributed money to the McKinley :ampaign fnnd and voted for McKinley because he felt it was in the best in terests of the policy holders of his com- o pany." This boom caused a murmur 01 of conversation about the room, which a' had become packed with spectators. n Standing room was at a premium, and a everyone bent forward to catch the fc testimony. This was hardly necessary for Mr. Perkins spoke distinctly, in a a voice audible throughout the room. hi e paced the small platform upon which the witness chair is placed just bafore the committee's rostrum and 9 scompanied his explanations with to arnest gestures oftentimes suggest- - ng question to the council. Pursu'ig the check inqairy further a2 Kr. Hughes brought out that this ex penditure was never brought to the ttention of the finance committee, I he witness terming it a"purely execu ive action." It was charged against ~ash on the books of the Hanover bank ofice or financial department. Thec witness did not know against what ac ount other contributions were made, i ut he would furnish data. t Mr. Perkins here interposed: t "I would like to make one statement. Cc he fact that the check is drawn to J.a ?. Morgan & Clo. has no significance. [ paid out the money and it was mere y because of a convenience of repay nent that the check was made paya 1e to J. P. Morgan & Co." T "What other contributions to polli ical campaign funds have been made p~ y the New York Life?" "None to my knowledge." ar Mr. Hughes asked Mr. Perkins to fa xplain how on the books in the syndi' at ate action by which 8800,000 in cr onds was sold on December 31, 1901, de ad bought back January 2, 1902, there was shown on the debi side of p he account $160,000 and on the credit side $800,000, and Mr. Perkins re p~lied: de "I am glad that you brought that matter up. In that transaction we d< sked for $5,000,000 of bonds and only got $4,000,000. We made up our minds to sell $800,000. When it came B o the end of the year we sold $800,- 01 00 and instead of taking a loss of vi $160,000, we only took a loss of 880,- si 00. I arranged with J. P. Morgan & c Co., to sell it at a price and then I S bought it back at the same prica. At- 1 ter rebuying I held on to it and final. ly sold it at 90. Our first idea was tom sell at 80, but we finally got 90." di The money we~s paid by check to J'.i P. Morgan & Co-.a "Were not the sale and purchase ~ for the purpose of deceiving the corn- CE missioner of insurance?" "No, it was not; securities were de- a] pressed at the time and it was consid- tg ered a good deal." o "But the real purpose was to have your books read $3,200,000 instead of C 4,000,000?" t Senator Armstrong here queried al aout the $48,000 check to the cam pagn fund. He asked: "How came w the check to be such anodd amount?" te "I do not know exactly except that g Mr. Bliss had asked for $50,000."T "Were you in a position to know of other campaign contributions?" asked se Senator Armstrong. i "I don't know, that is a qaestion og that ought to be looked into. -In all c campaign contributions I believe that , the fullest publicity should be at- 01 ached. They ought to be publicly hi known and there ought to be a law passed to that effect." gi "Is there no self-restraint allowed 0 the cffluers in these campaign con ributions?" t "None that I know of. I think we ca have a right to leave the matter to c the judgment of the officers." 01 "If the president out of his own ex ecutive authority without reference to the finance committee pays out such large sums as these, how do they ever come before the cfficers of the com pany ?" of "I have said the finance committee Si has no authority over CLe agency ao- da counts and general expenses. I think ai there should be a broadening of this lic athrity." 2 Mr. Perkins was closely questiore s to his dual connection with th Tew York Life and J. P. Morgan S ,o., particularly as to sales by the on yncern to the other which were mad y him. He Insisted that he was loya o both and acted as he though ight. TRGENT APPEAL 'o Those Farmers Who Are Able ani Can Hold Back o Do Se, So that Less Fortunate Farmers May Profit by their Condition of Ease. Now that so much interest is being vinced in the fing of the minmun rice of cotton by the Southern Got )n Association during Its recen ieeting in Asheville, North Carolina 2e following from the pen of Hon [arvie Jordan will be read with at mtion: "Tne executive committee of the outhern Cotton Association held its teeting at Asheville, N. C., last week Ad the question of Axng a minimun rice of this crop was the matter o: reatest Interest to the people amd )untry at large. The eyes of the hole cotton world were centered or sheville during the 6th and 7th day: September while the executive com ttee was in session. "The price finally agreed upon af r long and tedious deliberation was L cents, basis middling, at all in, rior points in the soutni. The eon %tion of the crop up to August 25t: as found to be 73.03 per cent, ai mpared with a condition of 84 per int. for the same period a year ago. he estimated yield of the crop as re >rted by over 15,000 correspondents om all the cotton growing counties dicated a yield this season of 9,588, 13 bales, as compared with a crop of 1,600,000 bales last year. Letters om farmers all over the belt advised minimum price all the way from 10 nts to 12 1.2 cents. some figuring as gh as 15 cents. But the final result as 11 cents, and farmers all over the uth will be expected to stand firmly gether this fall and winter to main in that price. By the determined 'ort prices can be forced up above 11 ints later on and farmes should de *rmine now to move their crops :wly and not rush the market. The Lly way we can secure and maintain Lr price is to refuze to sell for less id make the buyers come to our fig es. if cootton is thrown on market d sold a;way, it will be diffleult to rce prices up until much later in e season. Let those who are able d can hold back do so, and thereby ,lp those who are forced to sell to eet their maturing debts and obliga mns with the supply merchants and iano dealers. Bankers will be glad advance from 8 and 9 cents a pound cotton in storage and thus assist in ancing the situation. We are up ainst a hard fight, but it will be sier to get 11 cents for a small crop an 10 cents for a 13,000,000 bale p. STAND BY YOUR GUNS, We are now well entrenched, with enty of ammunition in the shape of rn and meat, our banks have plenty money, the enemy is in retreat,1mad we don't whip this fight and force e price of cotton to above 11 cents, en the farmers of the south ought have a guardian appointed to look er their business interests. The lls of the world have taken a crop 13,600,000 bales of American cot a during tne last twelve months, at Saverage price of 9 cents per pound. 2ere will be no check in consumption ring the next twelve months. Tne Iee of ootton goods In very high and ing still higher. The whole civil sd world is In a prosperous condition Ld it is unreasonable to say that the rmers should not this season receive taverage of 11 cents per pound for a op of cotton now estimated to be un r ten million bales. All you have t to do is to stand pat for your ce, refuase to sell under 11 cents and e market will soon advance to that ure. If much cotton Is offecred un rn 11 cents, as a matter of course, e market can be depressed and held THER ORGANIZATION WILL HlELF Tne cotton agent of the iFarmers' ducatonal and Co- Operative Union Texas was present with us at Ashe le and took part In the secret~ ses )fs of the executive committee. He me as the representatue of the un n and assisted In fixing the prios at .cents, stating tbat such a price ~uld be acceptable to the 300,000 embers of the union. We can now pend upon the effective co-opera an of all the wembers of the union, the new president of the unlo-2, r. Calvin, of Paris, Tex., has writ n me encouraging co-operation to ore completely win out In the fight ead. We also have pledged the ac ye co-operation of the membership the American Society of Equity id the Farmers' Alliance of North rolna in enforcing the demand for te minimum price of 11 cents. This akes the position of the producers most Impregnable, and with all of ese powerful farmers' organuzations orking in harmony for mutual prc tion, I feel safe in saying that the rht can and will be easily whinped. ere will be no misunderstanding nong these organizations this sea n on this matter. We will all work .harmony together, and a knowledge 'that fact ought to be most en luraging. If the Farmers' union anted one price and the S. C. A., an her, there would be difficulty ahead, it both organizations are now to Lther and will work together to win It the price agreed upon. Sell but little cotton In September id October. Give the mills a chance exhaust present supplies, which ,n be done In six weeks and then we , easily dictate terms and win an her big victory. Sell no middling itton for less than 11 cents. HARVIE JORDAN. 'Can't Be Done. The legislature appointed the court general sessions for Cherokee and artanburg counties on the same .y--the last Monday in Oatober iparently forgetting that judge, so ltor and stenographer cannot be in mo nlaces at the ame time. SEVIN KILLED By an Txplosion in" a Fuse Factor at 1 von, Ccnn. Fire Foniow.!d the.Explosion and th Victims Were Burned to Ashes. Cause of Accident Unknown. The explosion of a fuse, followel bF a fire in a building of the Clima: Fase Company at Avon, Conn., ox Friday afternoon, caused a pani among 20 employes in the buildirl and resulted in the death of seven an injuries that d. ubtless will prove fat al to several others. There was n way of coping with the flames whic] scon spread rapidly and in less thai an h.ur af ter the explosion occurree those who were unable to escape wer in the clutches of a fire that event ually burned ti eir bodies to ashes. As the day v ore on the great crow that collected in the hamlet saw th bodies of men and women roasting 11 the fire; powerless to even check th flames. The exact cause of the acci dent may never be known, but it i the accepted theory here that in at effort to burn out a stoppage in onc of the machines, a workman caused an explosion of a fuse with the hol iron he held in his hand. Tnose who were in the room wherc the explosion occurred say that the exposion was not severe and ordinar ly would not have caused a panic Inflammable material, however, wa: set on fire and in a few mcmants thE room was a mass of flames. In an in stant there was a mad rudh for thi doors and windows and during the scramble many were pushed back int( the building while others were severe ly burned. Seon after the building in which the lives were lost was consumed the fire spread to the new structure wbicl was just completed at a cost of $35, 000, and in a few hours this building was gutted, only the four walls re maining. Two smaller buildings was reduced to ashes, making a total o four burned, the loss oa which is es timated to be $100,000. KILLED HIMSELF. A Young Marion Parmes Found Dead in the Road. A dispatch from Marion to the State says somewhat of a sensatior was caused in Marion Friday morn ing by the report that Melvin Wig. gins, a respectable young farmer, liv. .ing across Catdsh creek, five miles west of town, was found dead In the road not far from his home. He bad been to Marion in the morn ing and had purchased three shells loaded with buckshot, and in some what an intc:cated condition, it is rumored reached home in the - after oon. He went to the house of his uncle and neighbor, Mr. J. W. Wiggins, to borrow his shotgun. Mr. Wiggins was not at home, but upon promising to return the gun before bed time it was loaned him by Mrs. Wiggins . He stated that he wanted the gun for the purpose of shooting equirrels. He did not return with the gun, but no uneasiness was felt. The next heard of him was when his body was found this morning by Mr. J. W. Rogers, who in company with Mr. P. T. Bul lard, after a hasty examination, noti fied his relatives. Magistrate Oliver was summoned to hold an inquest-, the jnry finding a verdictr that the deceased came to his death by his own hands. The unfortunate young man was an orphan, the son of Mr. James Wig gins, who died several years ago, His mother has also been dead for a num ber of years. He was a peaceab~e and qalet young man, well thought of, never having had a difficulty with any one. Tne tragedy was a complete surprise to every one, for while there was no reason and no evidence to sus pect foul play, still it is inexplicable why he should have ended his own life. That he had been drinking in Marion was only a rumor, and it does not appear that he showed any indica tions of being in an intoxicated con dition when he borrowed the gun. Killed by Train:. W. M. Pacean. an aged white man, was struck by a through freight train as he sat on the S. U. & 0. track at Inman Friday and was instantly kill ed. It appears to have been a case of pure negligence on his part. He was seated on one side of the track at the end of a small trestle when the freight came by. He made -no at tempt to move and was hit by the locomotive and hurled down an. em bankment. His body was..somewhat mangled up. The verdict of the jury was that he came to his death by be ing struck by the train and that it was due to his own carelessness and further that there was no negligence on the part of the railroad company or its employes. Vic tim of F'oui Play. J. B. Hawkins, who was found In a mangled and unconsions condition at Calhoun ten days ago and who was later indentified as a mill operator of Greenville, S, C., has surprised the physicans by living and though his tongue cannot be controlled, he was able to let Sheriff Gilreath understand that his condition was due to foul play instead of a railway accident. A Deadly Stroke Four men were killed, six were seriously burned and a dczan more were stunnred by lightning which wreciaed a c:radd poultry exhibiti' n tent at the county fair at Indiapl&, Iowa on Thurday, Tue lightning struck the tent pole, splitting in two and tearing the sides of the tent into shreds. Hundreds of the chickens on exhibition were klled. A New Fad. A dispatch from Pitts'aurg, Pa., says shooting husbands for staying out late at night is very latest in that city. Tae dispatch says Henry Lice is dying in the Lomneopathic Hosptal while Paannie, his young wife, who did the shooting, is in the county jail. She will be chargad with murder if he dies. At at early hur IWeInesday i-oting Lace returned h-mea nd his wife shot him twice A FATAL WRECK Worst Accident of the Kind In New York's History. RAN IN OPEN SWITCH. r Twelve Persons Killed and Thirty In jured. Responsibility for the Trg. edy Not Yet Fixed. The Motor man a Fugitive and Other Trainmen Arrested. The death list of the accident on the Ninth avenue elevated railroad in New York Monday, when a car crowd ed with early morning workers on their way down town, pitched head long into the street, stands at 1. Three men are in hospitals with frac tured skulls. One of these, who as yet remains unidentified at Roosevelt hospital, is uncorscious and not ex pected to live. More than two score persons were Injured, many of them seriously. The cause of the acoldent and the immediate responsibility remain to be settled. The mortorman of the wreck ed train is a fugitive, while a switch man, conductor and four guards are under arrest. The switchman is charged with manslaughter and the trainmen are held as witnesses. What ever may have caused the mistake, the accident, the worst In the history of the overhead railroads in New York, came when a southbound train on the Ninth avenueline was switched off to the Sixth avenue line at the Fifty-third street junction. Tiie motorman, expecting a clear track on the direct lihe of Ninth avenue, or disregarding the warning signal that the switch was open, rushed his train along at a high rate of speed. The first car swung around the right angle curve, holding to the rails because of the weight of the train behind. Then the strain be came too great. The couples broke, the second car was whirled about al most end for end and, to the horror of those who looked on from below, pitched into the street. The first indication people on the sidewalk had of the accident was a loud rumbling along the overhead structure. Looking up they saw a shower c f sparks, then followed splin ters and the sound of splitting tim bers. Suddenly the outer guard rail of the railroad structure gave way, a score of bodies were hurled through space, and with a deafening crash, the car fell to the street. For an Instant it stood fairly on end, then the sides gave way as if they were made of pasteboard, belching out a mass of humanity. Taose passengers who- had not jumped from platforms and windows before the plunge came were thrown into a mass at the forward end of the car. As the injured men and women were struggling to free themselves, the heavy front trucks of the third car. on the train fell almost in their midst, ais the car itself jumped partly off the elevated structure and was wedged against a building at the southeast corner of Ninth avenue and Fiftyty-third street. Huge crowds were soon on the scene and the first work of the hastily SUM moned police reserves was directed to clearing a way for the effective rese cue of the passengers pinned down by the wreckage. Almost every ambul ance in Manhattan was summned and the injured and dead were hur ried away with all speed. Three alarms of fire brought many engines to the scene. A slight fire caused by burning Insulation was quickly ex tinguished and the firemen set to lwork chopping out the dead and injured. The task was not an easy one for the heavy car in falling had almost completely' buried pedestrians in its wreckage. At leasa one was killed outright in this way, while Police man Henry Aitkens, who was stand ing directly under the elevated strue ture, is among those most seriously in jured. Eight persons were dead when taken out of the wreck and four died later at hospitals. The officers had not time to make arrests, con tenting themselves with drubbing the miscreauts as heavily as they sould. Coroner Scholer ordered the arrest of all those Immediately concerned. Search was at once made for tle mo Lorman, Paul Kelley, who secured a position on the elevated lines six months ago. He came there from St. Louis. Kelley could not be found and at a late hour Monday night was still missing, although it was said he had spent the afternoon at the home of a friend. The switchman In the tower at Nineth avenue and Fifty-third street, Cornelius A. Jackson, was first arrest ed. Then Conductor 3. W. Johnson. and Guards Timothy Higginson, J. McDaivitt, W. L. Berry and B. Clark were taken into cousody. At a pre liminary hearing Monday afternoon all the men waived examination. T wo versions of the cause of the wreck were told to the coroner. One of these was that the switchman had set the tracks for a Sixth avenue train and when he saw his mistan had attempted to rectify it while the train was on the curve, the change throw ing the second, third and fourth cars off the track. Shot by His Wife. At New York George WillIamson, a compositor 29 years old, while on his way to work Wednesday morning, was met by his wife, with whom he is not living. Anar-gument followed over the payment to her of money ordered by the court. He was about to enter the place of employment at 140 Center sreethen she pulled a revolver rothfolds of her dress and shot him in the side. He was removed to the hospital and is not expected to live. The woman was arrested. Jeal ou.w was apparently thie cause. Los sea. T wo Ger man freight steamers bcund from Hamburg and Mediter I onesa port;, foundered in the North se and 38 men were drowned.