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THE FORT MILL TIMES. _ _ r 16TH YEAR FORT MILL, S. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 81, 1907 no. 31 MERCHANT SHOT Down in His Store Near Martin's Station, S. C. A NEGRO ARRESTED. Bill Rhodes, Four Years a Customer, and Behind on His Account, Is Held on Suspicion, and Bnrely Escaped Lynching?The Wounded Man Carried to the Augusta Hospital. Mr. C. B. Fills, a merchant living on tho C. and W. C. Railroad, three miles from Martin Station in Barn.. well County, was shot down in his store on Wednesday evening at half past seven o'clock, by a would-be assassin. who after firing his double barreled shot gun turned and ran. The wounded man was carried to the City Hospital in Augusta, Ga.. Thursday morning and although he was badly hurt his wound is not considered fatal. Bill Rhodes, colored, was arrested at his home by a posse of infuriated white men. two hours after the shooting occurred and carried to Barnwell where he is being held on suspicion by the authorities. There seems to be little doubt of his guilt The shot was fired while Mr. Kills stood behind a counter near the center of the Store, balancing cash. Tracks opposite a side door, showed where the would-be murderer crouched down by the edge of the veranda, and fired through the opening. Almost the entire load of No. 8 bird shot took effect, lacerating the merchant's chest, tearing his face and temporarily blinding both eyes. Mrs. Ellis, who was in the family residence about three hundred yards away, ran when she heard the shot, and found her husband lying prone on the floor, behind the counter, in u semi-conscious condition. She quickly gave the alarm and in less than an hour one hundred armed men, had come to the tcene of the shooting. The would-be assassin's motive had evidently not been robbery, as fifty silver dollars were left scattered on top of the desk when the wounded man staggered backwjj-d and fell. Suspicion fell on BillSthodes, who was known to have been trading with M e L^llio four t'O'i eo o t\H tvh/? nu'n#l iui . liiiin i will ,?vai o, anu " ui? w n vu him for provisions bought on credit. The posse proceeded to his home, and found a double-barreled shotgun that showed signs of having been recently fired oue time, but Rhodes declared that he had shot at a hawk. Only the efforts of the two brothers of the wounded man, who were among the uosse. prevented violence, and. had not they urged the men to wait some more possitive proof of the negro's guilt, he would in all probability have been now swinging from a limb. He was taken to the Barnwell county jail, and Is being closely watched. A peculiar feature of the affair was that Mr. T. B. Hills, of North Augusta, a brother of the man who was shot, suspected Bill Rhodes immediately upon hearing of the affair sind expressed his suspicions to the members of his fumily. He had not even heard the particulars of the shooting/ but knew that Rhodes had been slow in settling his accounts. KlIiLKI) FOR HIS MOXKY . The Victims Body Was Found Near His Home. \ Mr. Luke Bradford was murdered at Octagona, Marengo county. Ala., severnl days ago, and his body was found almost entirely devoured by birds of prey. The report reached Thomasville Thursday afternoon by the nephew of tho dead man. Tom Bradford, who states that a negro. while out 'possum hunting, found a trunk neur Bradford's esidence, which had been forcibly opened and rifled. He went to the Bradford home, and flndng no one there, reported to the neighbors the finding of the trunk which led to tho investigation. After a diligent search of several hours, the party found the badly mutilated body of Mr. Bradford lying in a gully about 250 yards from his house. It had evidently been dragged there in a blanket by the parties committing the murder. The body was identified, although the face was badly mutilated, and one of the arms was entirely missing. Mr. Bradford was an aged bachelor, a prominent farmer, and was supposed to have a large amount of money at his home. It was undoubtedly for the purpose-of robbery that the old man was kiried. RUNAWAY HOY KILTJEP. Cleveland Yonth Who Ran Away With Auto Meets Death. At Chicago Andrian Slbson, aged 20. who ran away from his home in Cleveland, Ohio, with an antoroohfle. given him by his father, was killed by his machine, which skidded and smashed against fhe curb on MiChtgan boulevard. Five of his compan BANKS FAILED Because of the Great Fhurry Among Wall Street Gamblers. Th? Trouble Caused by the Ranks limiting Money on Watered Stocks and Hot Air. New York has been having a taste of high finance for the last teu days. Some of he bubbles on which Wall street flourishes exploded and as a consequence a number of small banks whch had loaned money on the bubbles went to the wall. The lurger banks and trust companies were saved by Morgan and Rockefeller advancing them large sums. President Roosevelt's Man Friday, Courtelyou. also went to the aid of the gamblers and helped thein out of the trouble There was great excitement fur Koveral ilnvc The institutions which closed its doors Friday, with the sums due depositors, were: The United States Exchange Bank, Harlem. $600,000. international Trust Company, about $100,000. The Borough Bank, of Brooklyn, $4,000.000.. The Brooklyn Bank. $2,1100,000. The Williamsburg Trust Company, Brooklyn. $7,500,000. The First National Bank, of Brooklyn, $2,500,000. The FirRt National Bank, of Brooklyn, the Williamsburg Trust Company, and the International Trust Company were allied institutions. None of these companies had any important business connection with the larger hanks which are representative of the city's financial affairs. Several large trust companies had gone up before Friday. WANTED A Ht'SBAND. And Her Big Son Answered the Advertisement. All the fashionables in Burlington, N. J., an old and aristocratic town, are laughing at the reoonire which a matronly widow, who lives on Federal street, there, forced upon herself. The widow, although well-known, is best described by this "personal," which she placed in a Philadelphia | newspaper. "A lady of mature age, but look| ing young and feeling so: a tall blonde, imposing and graceful, and at the same time well-to-do, desires I to marry. Address, ?" The ladV. Who is no older thnf cho feels, chose her affinity from the writers of the many letters she received. Quickly an interview was arranged?she, wearing a bunch of lillies-of-the-valley iu her corsage, was to wait at the Pennsylvania railroad station: he, with a red, red rose in his coat lapel, was to arrive on the 9.3 7 a. 111. New York express enst bound Friday. The widow, looking extremely youthful and handsome, waited at the station; the express stopped; from a car dropped her stalwart son. "Hello, mother," he cried, "what are you doing here?" Next instaut he saw the bunch of , lilies-of-the-valley; she, the rose he I wore. She blushed far redder than 1 the rose and was seized with an op- j portune fit of coughing, which could I not hide her confusion, however. "I?I got?ofT to?to get a paper" j stammered her son. who is about 23 years old. a gay young fellow, employed in Philadelphia. He rushed to the newsstand grabbed a paper, and scrambled aboard the last, coach as the express pulled out. His mother tore the lilies from her cossage, threw them on the platform and ground them beneath her nee!. "I will die a widow." she has since I said to intimate, "confidential" fe-1 male friends. KKIlYHf) ll.\KKI? lUZZAltH. Made All Sick and Killed One Mho Ate It. At Corbin, K.v., an Italian section j hand, employed by the Louisville and Nashville railroad killed a buzzard Friday and cooked the bird, serving it with dumplings He invited three other Italians to partake of the meat. Immediately afterward all four beenme violently ill. An hour later the host died in great agony and his three countrymen are not expected j to recover. Physicians attending the men say their condition Is due entirely to having eaten of the buzzard llesh. THKY SWING HIM. Amused Himself by Insulting White (iirls Over Telephone. Henry Svkes, a negro, was lynched at Vanveleet, Miss., by a small crowd of men thought to hail from Okolona, I who was a recent arrival from Indiana, was accused of calling up white girls on the telephone and annoying them. The town authorities used a decoy message to get Sykos, but l>efore he could be overtaken he had escaped. Ukn all-night chase ended when the posse captured the negro after a brief aght- in which shots were exchanged MARTIN'S NEW PLAN. State Superintendent Would Have State Board Pass on Teachers. Too .Much Politics, He Says, iu the Awards as .Made at Present by the County Boards. State Superintendent of Education Martin will ask the Legislature at its coming session to so change the school law with regard to teachers' examinations throughout the Slate as to have those exaining papers passed up by a member of the State board of education at Columbia instead of by the county boards of education. Hy this method Mr. Martin hopes to entirely divorce these examinations from politics. "You will readily see that it is practically impossible to keep these examinations from politics," said Mr. Martin. "To keep this or that district solid for him in the coming election it is a strong temptation to a county superintendent to have himself and his board favor the daughter of the influential man of that district. We had no end of trouble with our scholarship examinations for the State colleges until Ihad the law changed in such a way as to have the paper passed upon by the college faculties by numbers. Every time there was an examination this office would be flooded with complaints of partially and favoritism. "In order to raise money with which to pay a member of the county hoard to pass upon these papers, nty idea is to have each applicant for a teacher's certificate charged a fee of one dollar for the privilege of standing the examination. This would not only obviate the necessity of making extra appropriation, but would free these examinations from a large number of negroes, who crowd upon every examination for the purpose of practicing and in the hope that they might strike an easy examination some time that will afford them the opportunity they seek of getting a certificate. "It is to fit in with just such plans as this that I am so insistent I be consulted when the Governor makes an appointment in the Stato board. Do you suppose for one moment that ex-Governor J. C. Sheppard. whom Gov. Ansel tried to get on the board recently would be available for such work as passing upon a tedious lot of teacher's examination papers for a per diem of $4? I say nothing to his discredit when I say I doubt when he is competent to pass upon such papers. It is not in his line to do it. "On the other hand, he probably would not hesitate to pass upon the claims of Mr. Railey's coeducational institute over there in his territory to be placed on the list of accredited colleges of the State whose graduates are not required to stand teacher's examination. He would probab ly argue that it's in Edgefield aAd has a lot of fine buildings, and, of course, it should go on the list. In a short time the barrier would he broken down entirely." Mr. Martirr added in answer to a question that at the end of his present. term he intended to take a six months' trip abroad in order to round out his education. JAI'.W GETTING READY To Engage in Wsr With the United States. "When Japan gets on her feet financially. she will get after the United States. This talk of traditional friendship is amusing in the Orient." This statement was made at Seattle bv Captain Harry Struve, master mariner, soldier, and former member of the legislature, who has just returned from the Orient. Captain Stuve is now an English subject, having made oath of allegiauce after he had been captured by the Japanese during the Russo-Japanese war for piloting a ship containing contraband and aid was refused him by Henry Miller, United States consul general. The British compelled Japan to release him. Captain Struve, who saw ull of the Russo-Japanese war as a soldier of fortune, says that Japan is now fortifvine herself in the Orient and is only awaiting financial strength to declare her mastery of the Pacific. The United States government has leased the dry dock owned hv the Russian government at Vlndivostock. says Captain Struve, and he expects the Japanese will not be particularly pleased with this development. 1KLL IMlKIt CARS. Traveling Salesman .Met Instant and llorrilde Death. At Selma, Ala., on Wednesday afternoon of last week in attempting to l?oard a moving trolley car In front of the Arcadia hotel on Broad street, 0. K. Meadows, traveling salesman for the Southern Drug Co.. of St. Louis, fell between two cars and was Instantly killed. Stopping to talk to a friend, the car started off and, running to catch it, he either stumbled or lost his hold just as he got to the moving cars. The body was badly mangled, practically every bone from the waist down being broken. k WHISKEY FiGHT. The Present Liquor Law Will Not Be Changed at THE NEXT SESSION Of the Legislature Is the Opinion of Mun.v Members of the General Assembly Who Have Been Interviewed on the Subject. State and County Ospensary Advocates Will Stand Together It Is Thought. A letter from Columbia to the Florence Times says the most absorbing political topic in this state just at this time is whether the coming legislature will abolish the county dispensary system and vote the State dry throughout. Now the belief seems to prevail generally over ine siate that the legislature succeeds this will enact a state prohibition law, but talks your correspondent ha's had wth many members of the legislature and with local political leadrs from many sections of the state visiting Columbia confirms the opinion held by many close observers that the present legislature will, with Gov. Ansel, support the present law. It is recognized that there are many small defects in the present county option law, and it is likely that Gov. Ansel will recommend a number of changes to cure this, but it seems almost certain that the system as a whole will be continued. There is no doubt that the prohibitionists will make a determined fight to wipe out the county option system, and there are indications that they feel hopeful of winning. But they know that in order to win they must have the support of the old state dispensary adherents. That, some of the dispensary people will vote with them there is no reason to doubt. Among other dispensary leaders John G. Richards has announced his intention of joining the prohibitionists. There is no way of telling accurately haw many of the state dispensary members will vote with the prohibitionists but there is good reason to believe that a majority of them will vote to sustain the county option scheme. Two of the most influential and able men in the present legislature Senator ReGrand Walker of Georgetown and chairman of the house, ways and means committee. J. A. Ranks, of Orangeburg, state dispensary leaders, have recently expressed themselves as determined to support the county system next spring. Mr. R. II. Welsh, who as the law partner of ex-attorney General Bellinger. has been in close touch with the state dispensary faction through the litigation that has been waged w?*-i tut,- rtuujtt-i me past xew years, and who had heen making frequent trips to various parts of the state in futherance of (his litigation, is among those who are confidently of the opinion that the county system will not be abolished next Spring. "The prohibitionists are relying on the State dispensary people to help them carry prohibition, said Mr. Weslh, "but in my judgment they are going to wake sadly mistaken when the vote is taken. I have talked to a large number of State dispensary people, members of the legislature. and I think I am safe in saying that they will almost without exception vote with the county dispensary advocates next spring, which is the logical thing to expect of them. They do not believe the whole state is ripe for prohibition and especially are they against enac ting such a law without machinery to enforce it. They lined up with the prohibitionists generally last session but that was due partly to pique and part to a desire to choke off the county nispensary people. In my judgment the prohibitionists lost their last chance to get prohibition last session, so far as the present. Legislature is concerned, when they refused to join forces with the state dispensary people. The tnlk at that time about fear of the dispensary people throwing down the prohibitionists in the Senate and thus continuing the state dispensary system was all bosh. The prohibitionists had an easy victory in their hands if they had had judgment enough to use it. The State dspensary people will not vote with thein again as a whole and in opinion prohibition will be defeated in the legislature next spring by a bigger majority than for years. Xow that the fight between the State dispensary advocates and those favoring the county system is over and the county advocates have won. the State dispensary people in the course of a year have been able to get rid of the smarting of defeat, and they are going to line up with the county option people almost to a man simply because they believe that the county system Is much wiser at this time than prohibition, although many of the State dispensary advocates are practical prohibitionists and would like to see liquor banished from the State entirely." HEAVY SALES. Large Increase Is Shown In the Dispensary Business. The Soles Now Amount To Over Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars. The statement of the condition of the county dispensaries for the quarter ending Sept. 30. as prepared by the dispensary auditor. Mr. W. B. West, is a most interesting document. It shows the total amount of sales, the breakerage and the net profits from the 97 county dispensaries. With the exception of Berkeley county's report as to profits, the table is complete. The figures show that for the Inct nmirfnr Vw. ?I? ' ? Huw. ?vi IUcreased $100,000, the figures for quarter ending June 30 being $647.477.91. The net profits increased ahout $3 4,000 for the same period, the quarter ending June 30 showing aggregate profits of $ 10C,792.03. This money Is divided among the cities and towns, and in some county a part is to be used for road and school purposes as ordered in the CareyCotliran act. Following is a statement of profits and number of dispensaries: County and No of dispensaries. Net profits. Abbeville (1) $ 76.453.57 Aiken (5) 4,235.67 Barnwell (10) 8,058.69 Bamberg (5) 3,785.64 Beaufort (5) 6,062.52 Berkeley ( 4 ) Charleston (14) 27,519.04 Chester ( 1) 11,680.91 Chesterfield (2) 4,888.38 Clarendon (I) 3,298.10 Colleton (3) 3,085.31 Dorcrester (3) 3,154.26 Fairfield (2) 5,312.76 Florence (2) 13,111.47 Georgetown (1) 1 4,046.55 Huinplon (6) 3,685.35 Kershaw (2) 6,738.18 Laurens (2) 7,245.92 Lee (1) .. 4,392.56 Lexington (4) 3,182.13 Orangeburg (6) 11.610.34 Richland (12) 30.765.91 Sumter (3) - 13,575.19 Williamsburg (3) 7,167.13 Total (97) $204,055.49 Sales and Breakage, Abbeville.. 78.00 I24.92S.17 Aiken 207.84 23.587.11 Barnwell .. .. 487.15 37,323.15 Ramberg.. .. 106.25 18,132.37 Beaufort .. .. 143.88 23,187.80 Berkeley .. .. 161.22 16.613.52 Charleston. ... 193.50 108.430.81 Chester .. .. 145.88 26,928.77 Chesterfield .. 273.91 25.650.31 Clarendon.. .., 88.64 14.095.S3 Colleton .. .. 67.35 12,809 29 Dorchester,. . 60.74 14,650.11 Fairfield .. .. 135.75 15,421.01 Florence .. .. 356 89 39.162.97 Georgetown .. 68.7 4 37.447.35 Hampton .. .. 135 86 15,575.94 Kershaw .. .. 123.57 23,187.73 Laurens . . . . 228.65 30,905.77 Lee 179.59 15,603.07 Lexington.. .. 61.65 14,934.35 Orangeburg ... 275.14 44.527.25 Richland .. .. 715.55 104,821.95 Sumter .. .. 100.80 38,568.34 Williamsburg.. 106.55 27,023.41 Totals .. ..S4.493.90 753,546.08 HON. JEFF DAMS President Roosevelt l'ays Tribute to the South's Chief. ' In a speech at Vicksburg, Miss., last week President Roosevelt said: "It is, indeed, an honor for me to be today the guest of Vicksburg and of Mississippi, and I was inexpressibly touched by the greeting over the great arch of cotton bales which said: 'Mississippi greets the President.' I should not be fit to be Presi dent at all if I did not with all my might and main, with all my heart, and brain, seek to be in the full sense the President of Mississippi, the President of every state in the Union, the city forever memorable of the conflicts in which victor and vanquished alike showed such splendid courage, such splendid fealty to the light as it was given to each. "Even before the civil war Mississippi's sons had shown that they knew how to fight. It. was from Vicksburg that a company of that famous Mississippi regiment which won the undying renown in the Mexican war. under the gallant leadership of its colonel, who afterward became the fuvorlte son, not only of Mississippi, but of all the South, Jefferson Davis, came. "Think how fortunate we are as a nation that it is possible for the President of the nation to come here today to be conducted through your national park by the surviving lieutenant-general of the Confederate army, and to feel that every Instance of heroism recorded by the monuments alike to the union and Confederate dead on that battleflerd is a subject for just pride to every citizen of this nation, no matter where he lives." BALOON RACING. Eighty Hundred and Eighty Miles Longest Distance Made. The German Rallnon Wins the Knee With the French Ihilloon a Close Second. With the balloon racing record broken, the second international cup competition, which started from St. Louis on Monday of last week, end ed Wednesday, October with the German balloon Pommerin winning first prize for the longest (light. The finish of the race was so close, however, that the French contestant, "I/Isle of France," which descended ot 1:10 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at Hubertsville, N". J., a few miles from the Atlantic coast may possibly be declared winuer after official measurements are completed. The Pommern landed at 9 o'clock Wednesday forenoon at Asbury Park, X. J., apparently a few miles further from St. Louis han Hubertsville. Another German balloon, the Duesseldorf. stands third in the race. American entries finished fourth, fifth and eighth, while a thrid German balloon entered fell far short of the others. The Pommern was pilotr?rl ^1 * * wj ububi rioesiorao, attlod by H. H. Clayton, while Alfred Leblauc and Edgar W. Mix suiled the L'Isle of France. The unofficial estimated air line flight of the Pommern is S80 miles and that, of the L'Isle of Franco is 875 miles. The Duesseldorf, third, landed near Dover, Delaware, is estimated to have covered 790 miles. Only the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean stopped the flight, of the Pommern. The balloon could have remained in the air many hours longer, and probably would have added several hundred miles to her record but for the expanse of water ahead. While losing the distance record and the cup, the French team sailing L'Isle of France gained the world's record for duration of flight. Sturting from St. Louis at 4.11 p m. (central time,) they landed Wednesday at 1.10 p. m. (eastern time,) malting their time in the air fortylive hours minus one minute. The previous record was fortv-one hours and live minutes, held by Countt De La Valux, of France. Aside from posession of the cup the Germans won a acsh prize of $2,500 also, given by James Gordon Dennett. LONG All: VOYAGE. Experience of Oup of the Mm Who Made It. Prof. S. II. Clayton, who accompanied Oscar Erbsloeh in the German balloon, Pommern, said that th? voyage from St. Louis had taken exactly forty hours, less five minutes, according to the time they had recorded "We were over Philadelphia one morning at sunrise." he said, "and we stayed there at an altitude of ten thousand feet for about an hour. This was the highest altitude reached by us on the trip. We kept moving up and down over the city, as we were desirous of finding an air current that would carry us northward. Our ambition was to reach New York City, and we are very sorry we were unable to realize. We had enough provisions and sufficient gas to take a further Journey of 500 or 600 miles. "The trip was exceedingly pleasant in every way. There was no rain throughout, and scarcely any cloudy weather. Tho bright moonlight nights were delightful. "A funny incident occurred near Easton, Pa. We were very uncertain as to our whereabouts and wanted to find out our exact position. So we descended to about r>00 feet from the ground, and seeing a woman standing in front of a farm house, shouted to her, asking what place it was. The woman gave one startled look into the air, and then with a shriek rushed Into the house and slammed the door behind her. Even the chickens and pigs on the farm seemed to be excited over our comcommotion in the barn yard. We ing, and there appeared to be quite a kept on for about two miles at the same altitude, and ther. spied a farmer, who in response to our inquiries. told us where we were. Then we ascended to a higher altitude and continued out voyage." The balloon made a very graceful landing at Bradley Park. Mr. Erbsloeh and his companion. Henry H. Clayton, said the were in excellent shape. The balloon was absolutely undamaged in any way. The ballloonists said that they had had a fine trip and figured that they had traveled 1,04 8 miles in 4 0 hours, or an average of something over 26 miles an hour for the entire distance. mwocn muuvi.L' Deputy Sheriff Found Suspended from Tree nt Sister's i>oor. Made insane when a prisoner struck him over the head with his handcuffed arms, William C. Freerichs, a former deputy sheriff, hanged himself from a tree in front of the house of his brother-in-law, at New Haven, Conn. He was forty-two years of age. SEVERE SHOCK. Destructive Earthquake Visits the Peninsular of Calabria. TERRIBLE DISASTER. Many Villages and Towns Destroyed or Badly Damaged by 1 lie Terrible Convulsion of Nature?There Wm Some Loss of ldfc. Rut Not Ah Great As Was At First Reported From Rome. A dispatch from Catanzaro. Italy, say a violent earthquake was recorded there at half past nine o'clock Thursday morning. The prisoners in the Catanzaro jail were awakened by the shock. ThfiV rusher! ti> t)io ...;...1 1 ? . ? IIUJ'Jv> .lllll Ul'llC upon the burs. screaming to be let out. but the jail guards had already tied. Many of the villages that wero destroyed by the earthquake of 1005 and since reconstructed, have been destroyed a second time, and a number of persons uro buried in tho ruins. The details received regarding tho earthquake in every way tend to show that the damage done was much more extended than at llrst estimated but that the loss of life has not been great. The lowest estimates place tho number of killed at about twenty and the highest at. about 120. but up to this evening there is nothing to showtliat the last ligures mentioned are correct. Nothing definite will be known on the subject until the ruin9 are cleared away. Details of the eathquake show that the shocks were especially severe iu southern end of the Calabrian peninsula. but throughout Calabria there were scenes of desolation ant! despair. The first shock was a tremendous one and was followed hv two others of longer duration, which entirely destroyed two villages and reduced many houses in several others to a mass of ruins. The first shook fortunately brought the entire population of the villages Into the open, and many succeeded in making their escape to the hills* or open plains, which accounts for the smallneas of the list of fatilities. To add to the desolation caused by the earthquake, it was mining In torrents. Which greatly increased tho suffering amoung the homeless people. Many persons were hurled in the ruins, and at Sinopli and Ktilnrio more lives are said to have been lout. Panic prevailed everywhere. Itocello, Jonica, Itegglo, Cosanzn. Baracdio, Cittanova, Palmi, Marina and other towns also suffered from the shocks, but none severely. The cathedral of Torre Di Gerace was thrown down as was also an ancient tower which had withstood all the Cnlnbrlan earthquakes for centuries past. Half the houses In th? village of Geraoe are in ruins, and similar conditions prevail in a number of other points In Calabria. During the confusion caused by tho first, shock, the prisoners In the jail at Catanzaro mutlued, and were only subdued with great difficulty. Th? female prisoners were particularly alarmed, screaming and shouting and luMiHntr t hp rlnnra until t place was in a terrible uproar. The prison otlicials did everything possible to calm the inmates, but panb-t.4 broke out afresh every time an enrch shock was experienced. As soon as possible detatchments of troops with relief trains were hurried to the jscene of the disaster, and did everything they could to assist the renp;et who had fled front their homes. IIITTKX BY ICATTI.KK. I.etter Advising Dealer of Danger Wtis Dolnyed in Mail. The sending of a boxed rattlesnake to a Brooklyn dealer in birds, reptiles and animals, and leaving to the mail, which sometimes are tardy, the conveyance of a letter telling I of the venomous character of the coiufius (ii ilie oox, came near resulting in the death of Harry Hayle in Brooklyn recently. A large box was delivered to hi* store A tap: showed thut It eanm from Peter .lackson, of Norwich, Fla. Hovle knew that Jackson was a dealer in snakes, hut it had never been lloyle's custom to have venoinoua reptiles in his establishment, and he thought those in the box were harmless and proceeded to show them to Prof. Jos. Kdwards, of Philadelphia. Opening Hoyle took hold of a largo bag. As soon as he loosened tho string holding the top of the hag a brown head darted at him and the fangs of the snake embedded themselevs at the top of his index finger., IToyle, after much difficulty, managed to get the snake back in the bag. Hy that time his hand was badly swollen and he started for tho hospital . The hand was lanced andl cauterized A letter from Jackson, who sonto the snakes, arrived at Hoyle'a stort an hour after he had been bitten, iu which was explained the contents ofi the box Hoyle recovered f.'\f% y * ' / \ ;V J