Fort Mill times. (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, October 31, 1907, Image 1
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