Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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J THE FORT MILL TIMES. J 16TH YEAR FORT MULL, S. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1908 NO. 45 SHOT BY HIS SON Judge Hargls, Famous Figure In Kentucky Political Annals. DIES WITH BOOTS ON. Beach Hargis, Young Sob of the Judge, While Drinking Shoots His Father Five Times in His Own Store.?The Dead Man Was Mixed Up In Many Scrapes and Had Been Tried for Murder. ' ? \ . At Jackson, Ky., former County Judge James Hargls, for many years member of the State Democratic executive committee, accussed of complicity in many killings, and a prominent figure In the feuds which have r? "1-1" ? - uiki uVicu uiiiuuiu uouniy ror several years, was shot and killed in his tore about 3:30 P. M. Thursday by his son, Deach Hargis. The son fired five shots in rapid succession at his father, who fell dead while his clerks were waiting on customers. The exact cause of the murder has not been iearred, but It Is supposed to have been the result of differences which have existed between father and son for some time. . -The two men are reported to have had a severe quarrel several nights ago, when the father, It is alleged, was compelled to resort to violence to restrain his son. Young Hagrls, it Is said, had been drinking heavily of late. He came into the store Thursday afternoon and was apparently under the Influence of liquor. Judge Hargls, It Is , said, spoke to his son about drinking and a quarrel resulted. Father ' and son stepped behind a counter when the son, after a minute's con- ' ~ versatlon, drew a revolver and fired J five shots. Four took effect. Judge ' Hargis falling dead. The young lady stenographer and the customers In the store fled. Young Hargis was ar- * - rested and placed In jail. He was ' raving like a maniac and the officers ( were compelled to drag him to Jail. 1 Judge Hargis had been for years a 1 prominent figure In Kentucky In po- ( lltlcal and criminal circles. He has ' figured In the Courts In the moun-< ' tains for years on account of the ( murders of Dr. Cox, Attorney Mar- 1 cum and "Jim" Cockrlll. Judge Har- s gls was present leader of the Democrats of the 10th district and was ' regarded as the "boss" of Breathitt, ( County. 1 For years his sway was not opposed, but some years ago James B. 1 Marcum had the temerity to oppose ! Hargis In a law case. From that ' day he was a marked man. Judge Hargis had been on trial at * various times for complicity in the murder of Marcum. "Jim" Cockrlll ' and Dr. Cox, but had been acquitted on all of the charges. He was re- ! cently forc^i to pay a Judgment of 1 $8,000 to ^^^larcum In connec- 1 tlon with the^of her husband. Judge Hargls^^^Nhist disposed of this, the last of these cases in which < he had been Involved when he paid ' the Judgment of the Court. Mrs. 1 Marcum had sued Judge Hargis and others for $100,000, alleging that ! they caused the death of her hus- ' band. The Hargis-Cockrlll fued had its Inception in u political contest. The Harglses had long been dominant in Breathitt County, where they con- ducted a general store, were engaged in the lumber business and were generally active. The brothers. James. Alexander and Elbert, were good | business men and accumulated a (or- , tune. The trouble with the Cockrllls arose when the latter opposed the the Harglses at the polls. Feeling was bitter, when one day, Benjamin Hargis, a younger brother of James Hargls, met one of the Coekrlll boys in a "blind tiger," near Jackson, and was killed by his enemy. In the fall of 1902, Dr. Cox, the guardian of the Coekrlll boys, who , lived on the outskirts of Jackson, was shot as he entered his home one > night by assassins concealed across the way. John Smith, John Abner and others of the allege 1 Iiarg's band were accused of the crime, and in a confession made by one of them Judge Hargis was charged with having hired them to kill Dr. Cox. From this tlmVon the story of the Hargis-Cockrlll feud was written in blood. The next to fall was "Jim" r/?olrrl1l the tiiwn nmrshall Shortlv after the murder of Cockrill, James B. Marcum, the attorney for the Cockrill boys, created a sensation by publicly declaring in Lexington that he was a marked man, and that he had been doomed to death by the Hargis clan. One morning In May. live years ago. Marcum was shot down while standing at the door of the Cojurt House at Jackson talking to Capl. L Kwlng, the assassin being Curtis Jett, A. "the wild dog," who had since confessed his part In this tragedy and y*who was accused to the other crimes. He and "Tom" White are now serving life sentence In the penitentiary. Judge Hargis will be buried In a casket costing $100. which he had purchased a month ago. About 4.30 Thursday afternoon JLhe following message was sent: "Express to-day casket selected by James Hargis as he Is dead." * "Mrs. Judge James Hargis." V \ - m J, MORSE RAN AWAY. Big Trust Magnate Now a Fugitive From Justice. Wrecked a Big New York Bank of Which He Wm President, and Sailed For Liverpool. A dispatch from New York says that Charles W. Morse, less than five months ago worth $20,000,000, head of the Coastwise ship, and the Ice trusts, capitalized at $127,000,000, and In control of a chain of banks, capitolized at $10,000,000. is a fugitive from Justice, having sailed from New York for Liverpool. When this came to light Receiver Hanna the official of the federal government, who has charge of Investigation that the grand Jury Is making Into the bank Juggling which led to the failure of the Dank of North America, has attached his Fifth avenue mansion for $243,321.25 due by Morse to the bank on promlsory notes long over due. Twice Morse has been before the grand Jury where he was subjected to grilling examinations. It Is known that Indictment has been determined upon by the Jurors, but it Is stated by District Attorney Jerome that he ' knows of no reason why Morse should flee, fearing criminal prosecution. Mrs. Morse, who was dragged ! through the scandals attendant upon 1 the Dodge-Morse divorce case that landed Abe Huminel on Blackwell'a 1 Island, Is living alone in the mansion at No. 728 Fifth Avenue. This stands s In the name of Morse, and Is said to I be worth $750,000. It Is already < mortgaged for a large amount and i has been attached In a suit by R. A. 1 C. Smith for $155,753.36 In a claim i for a conditional sale of Ave hun- i Ired shares of National nank of 1 North America stock and also llbell- < sd by the federal government for < (243,321.25. ( 1 In the wreck that followed the i Irlvlng out of Morse from his pres- t Idencles and directorates in banks he t :ontrolled, his repudiation by the \ management of the re-organlzed s ihlp trust, the dropping out of sight : >f values of the Ice trust stock and c Ihe wreck of banks that has follow- 1 ?d the revelation of banking meth- c ids that have been criticised, Morse's 1 fortune Is believed to have been I swept away in three months. 1 Reports of Morse's loses followed 1 ?ach other In rapid succession. One ' if these was that the creditor banks c might unite in making him an In- t voluntary bankrupt, thus asorblng :he remnants of hia fortune. Deputy iherlffs were kept busy serving copies of the attachment in the suit brought by Charles A. Hanna, receiver for the National Bank of North America, In New York, against Morse Lo recover $243,321. Copies of the attachment have been served on officers of the 14 banks In which Morse was supposed to have iccounts. A deputy sheriff has seized 6,4 09 shares of stock of the Furnace Valley Copper, said to be iwned by Morse. Another levied on stock In the Kingsland Copper Company, said to have been owned by Morse. A deputy sheriff also has served a copy of the attachment of K. A. Wilson. In charge of the Morse resident In 6th avenue. ' LYNCHING IN FLORIDA. A Mob Make* Quick Work of au Alleged Murderer. Jack Long was lynched near Newberry, Fla., Thursday. Long was accused of the murder of Ellas Sapp. a prominent farmer, and was taken from the town Jail by a crowd of 200 men. carried to tho sceno of the crime and there hanged to a tree. Excitement In Newberry Is at fev ?r heat and the citizens of the town are armed. It Is feared that there may be further trouble. It l.s said I that another lynching Is threatened. < According to'the police Long's broth fir was killed by one of the Sapp 1 family, who has never been captured. I This Is believed to have given rise to the trouble, which culminated In the 1 death of Long. WORKED SOUTHERN J'OIl PASSES Young White Man Arrested at Greenville on New Charge. J. H. Clark, a young white man, was arrested at Greenville on Thursday, charged with obtaining passes from the Southern Railway by making false representations. Clarke represented himself as being an engineer on the Southern, and in this way secured many passes. When arrested ho had two quarterly passes of the New York Central on his person, l>oth of them being made out to different parties. DISLOCATED IIEIt JAW. LanjthinK At a Funny Story Told Her by Her Husbnnd. While Mrs. Mary Lnmbertson was at supper with her husband, at their home, Brooklyn, he told her a funny: story. When the point of the story was reached, Mrs. Lambertson laughed so heartily for several minutes that 6hc dislocated her jaw. She was taken to the Seney hospital, where the Jaw waa react. GOT VERY HOT. Members of the Senate Gets Excited Over an Editorial IN MANNING TIMES. It Was Claimed That Senator Appelt's Paper Hod Made Grave Charges Against Some Senators.?Senator Appelt Was Roundly Abused, but He Hit Back and Said He Would Criticise Them When He Saw Fit. i nere was a red hot time in the State Senate on Friday. Senator Blease of Newberry read the following editorial from the Manning i Times, which had been copied in the ' Newbebrry Observer. The Manning 1 Times Is owned and edited by Sena- ( tor Appelt. Before reading the arti- , cle Senator itlease said he did not I represent any whiskey house, and 1 therefore the article did not touch him, but he thought the Senate 1 ought to take notice of the article, 1 which reads as follows: 1 The Casus Belli. < "The liquor scandals continue to i hold interest, and the graft gang are i trying to work up a sentiment against s Attorney General Lyon because of his 1 having employed Col. T. B. Felder, : of Atlanta, Ga., to assist him. They < say, 'Lyon had to go to Georgia to i ;et help, as though South Carolina 5 lid not have good lawyers,' but such t rot will fool nobody when it is known < that the liquor crew have In their < relations with the winding-up com- 1 nlssion of the state dispensary 're- t :alned a large number of lawyers in Columbia and other cities, and some )f these aro also members of the leg- i slature, who will probably fight the t iroposition of making an appropria- 1 Ion to defray the attorney general's t ?xponses In bringing to justice men t vho have robbed the state. To sen- t ilble men it matters not where the I issistanco comes from, whether it :omes from Georgia or South Caro- i ina, but it happens that Col. Fel- i ler is a South Carolinian, and is re- t ated to the Felders of Clarendon. I 1 lappen to know the man, although 1 f lave hot seen him since coming here, i le is an able, fearless lawyer and r will expose the names of members i >f the general assembly who attempt o use their relations as attorneys for t hese liquor concerns to thwart the < egislatlon necessary to uphold At- j orney General Lyon's hands. In- i ormation has already been obtained ( luuivioui. io i>ince some meu In a rery undesirable attitude before the t >eople, and If there Is any further ittempt made to 'tamper with the f ury' to defeat an appropriation to I ontinuo Investigation and bring to i ustlce the thieves' the newspaper i leading will become mlghtyl Interest- i ng, and the hypocrisy of some of our f patriots' will have Its mask torn ! iway, and they will be held up for \ ndignant derission and scorn of a i rusting and outraged peopje." i Several Statements. Senator Earle denounced the pub- i icatlon in no uncertain terms. He \ said he had never represented a 1 vhlskey house, nor had he been conlected in any way with the State lispensary commission. lie said that < luch statements as those contained i n the article from the Manning I Times were "infamous falsehoods" i ind he demanded that the author of i he article specify what senators were I eferred to., "And any member of i .he senate," said Senator Earle, "who < v111 publish such statements should 1 >e expelled from the senate.A Senator Appelt's Statement. 1 Senator Appelt, who had sat with I Hence under the stream of denun- < lntlon heaped upon him, but whose i 'ace had grown red and then white, ' ame to his feet quickly when Senato'* i Earle had concluded bis remarks.-: i He demanded to know If the senatbi From Oconee meant to say that he (Appelt) had stated what was a i Falsehood. Senator Earle Raid that the infor- i matlon contained In that article was False and insulting. Senator Appelt declared that a 'tempest In a teapot" had been stirred up. He said that he wrote the article referred to and was alone responsible for its publication. He *ald that he based that article upon Information which he regarded as authentic. No names were given to him by his informants, but he declared that he was satisfied that the statements contained in the article In so far as they related * > members of the general assembly being attorneys for whiskey houses were absolutely correct. He said that while he was a member of the senate he was also an editor of a newspaper and felt priviledged to criticise persons whenever he had information upon which to base such crttlclsnn. He said that If anybody was to be expelled from the senate it should be those senators who represent whiskey houses and who would use their official position to defeat the ends of legislation seeking to give to the attorney general funds with which to prosecute the grafters. He said to Senator Earle he had no right to know from whom he got his information, or what that information was in detail. i .. Represents Two Houses. Senator Weston 6ald that it Is a penalty that men in public life pay to be misunderstood by some good men and to be misrepresented by some bad men. He had no apoligies to make to any member of the senate or to any nwspaper man or anybody else for his professional conduct. He had been honored by- the people of Richland county for many years and it is for them to say whether his conduct meets with their approbation. He stated that the law firm with which he is connected, Weston & Aycock, represents two of the liquor houses which havo claims pendiug 4U- J? ucwio me uispeusary commission, but no man could say, he declared, that his vote or Tils actions in the senate were influenced by such relations. He said that one of the houses he represents placed their claims in hiB hands bfore the commission was estabblished, the New York and Kentucky Distilling company. Senator Christcnscn's Criticism. Rising to a question of personal privilege, Mr. Christensen said: "I too, am an editor and during the sessions of the legislature have occasion to comment on events in the legislature. I have commented In a general way on the situation discussed by the senator from Clarendon in his paper nnd the senator Trora Richland, who has just taken hi3 seat. "It is my belief that the senator Trom Richland has not acted in any way Inconsistent *lth his ideas of what is right and proper. But I disagree with him and have said so ind propose to condemn his course igain if I think proper. He represents some of these liquor houses whose claims are being Investigated ind some of the ex-State dispensary ifflcials who are under Indictment md thinks it proper and right as State senator to oppose in the senate :he bill to provide the attorney genjral with funds to prosecute his ;lients. I disagree with him and labe so stated elsewhere and wish o put myself on record here." Hnator Itaysor's Statement. Senator Raysor said that he regretted that it was necessary for him o raise a question of personal privlege, but he felt compelled, under he circumstances, to enter his proest against the charges contained in he newspaper clipping which had jeen rend. He said he voted against the Otts ?solution because he considered It inwise, but ho hnd publicly proclalru?d from the floor of the senate that le would vote to give to the attorney joneral auy amount of money he leeded In the prosecution of cases irlslng from the Investigation of the ifTalrs of the Stnto dispensary. He thought that the attorney general should be given all the assistance necessary in these matters?in justice to the State and to the men mder indictment the charges arising 'rom that investigation should be ilred; the authorities ought to go ;o the bottom of them. He said that he had never reprelented a whiskey house in any claim jefore the dispensary commission md he does not represent any of the larties who have been indicted as a esult of the Investigation of the af'nirs of the dispensary. He said he lad been approached by one man vho was formerly connected with the 5tate dispensary and although this nan was a lifelong personal friend ind he has confidence In his integrity he refused to consult with him intll after the adjournment of "the egislature. Senator Slnkler Warms Up. Senator Sinkler also rose to a luestion of personal priviledge and made some very caustic references :o the publication in question. He said that he voted against the Ott3 resolution because he considered It Improper for the senate to pass such 1 resolution when the act of the genat*al ocunnt)\1v r\t Qr? 11th PnrnUnn Ic before a court for Interpretation. "But," he declared, "If any man Imputes to me wrong motives for voting as I did on that measure, or charges mo with being recreant to my duty to the State, that man hath not a fig leaf to cover his naked inlecency and it would be base flattery to call him a dog." A Further Explanation. Senator Appelt thonght he could clarify the atmopphere to some extent by explaining that this article appeared long before the Otts resolution was introduced and so far as he knew before that resolution was ever contemplated. No reflection was Intended upon any member for having voted ugainst that resolution as , It would have been quite impossible to cast such reflections in advance of the introduction of the resolution and before the vote was taken. He had simply been given information contained in that article and got the Information from a source which ...xsvrk OUUIU UC I t'licu U|UH1. Resolution Offered. Immediately upon the senate reconvening at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Senator Smith of Hampton offered the following resolution: "Whereas, certain allegations have heen made impeaching the honor and actions of members of the senate and house of representatives in regard to Igislatlon upon the whiskey question now before the courts, the general assembly and the people of South Carolina. "Be It resolved by the senate, That a committee consisting of two senators. to bo appointed by the president of the senate, wait upon the author of taid charges?the senator from Clarendon?and ask that he appear before the bar of the senate at 8 ^o'clock, p. m , February 10th instant, FIFTEEN PERISH By the Burning of a Steamer Off Nova Scotia. REST OF CREW SAVED. The White Star IJner Cymric Rescued Thirty-Seven Members of the Ship's Company, Rut a Small Boat Containing Fifteen of the Ship's Crew Was Swamped, and the Men Were Lost. * in the midst of a wild blizzard Monday afternoon the steamer St. Cuthbert was burned to the water's edge off the Nova Scotlan coast. Fifteen members of the crew were i drowned by the swamping of a small boat, In which they attempted to leave the vessel after Ore hud broken out. The other thirty-seven members of the crew, including the captain, wcro rescued by the White Star liner Cymric. After taking off the Survivors, 1 the Cymric abaudonded the burning steamer and proceded to Boston. The first news of the destruction ( of the St. Cuthbert received was at 1 Halifax by a wireless telegram from 1 Capt. Finch of the Cymric. The message was as follows: 1 "The steamer St. Cuthbert was 1 abandoned afire Monday afternoon 1 off the Nova Scotian coast. The Cym- 1 ric stood by for nine hours during a ' strong gale, heavy sea and snow 5 squall. s , "Life boat in charge of chief offl- ' cer, making three perilous trips, res- ' cued thirty-seven members of the 1 crew, lucluding the captain. Several ! members of the crew were severely 1 burned and injured. "Fifteen of the crew were drown- 1 ed Sunday while attempting to leave * the vessel. Their boat was swamped < by a heavy Bea. ' ( "Sea cocks left open on St. Cuthbert, which will probably sink within 1 twelve hours. It is now a dangerous derelict, lying in the path of NewWork and European vessels." The St. Cuthbert owned by the British and Foreign Steamship Company of Liverpool, sailed from Antwerp on January 19 for New York. When the steamship Cymric left the scene of the disaster the burning .steamship was lying directly in the i Trails-Atlantic Rtenmshln rnnroo Th? t Cymric left Liverpool on January 24 for Boston. f The steamship St. Cuthbert was c comparatively a new vessel, having t been built In 1904 at New Castle, ? England, by the Armstrong-W hitworth Company. St. Cuthbert was 1 4,954 tons register. s ?: t and produce the names and evidence ( in suport of said charges." 1 Stands by His Guns. With reference to this resolution, < Senator Appelt Bald that he consld- 1 ered It untimely, uncalled for and un- c nesessary; that if he were required i to appear before the bar of the sen- ? ate he could do so, but that he would f only reiterate what he had said at i the morning session and no other t statement would be made. c lie dclared that be would not ma- s llclously Injure any man, and while r he wrote the article In question and published it in his newspaper, he felt 1 that no senator not guilty of what 1 was charged In that article had a ? right to assume that it contained a i charge against him. He said that he 1 felt that it was not only his prlviledge t but his duty to give to the public through his newspaper such informaMon as is contained In that article and that he would continue to do so f regardless of what action might be taken by the senate. He said that he had not been given the names of any senator with regard to this matter, therefore if 1 brought before the bar of the seniilft ho rnulrl not flvn *nv numoo ll? read the article, as it was taken from 1 the Newberry Observer, and stated ' that it contained errors in the way of the omnilssion of quotation marks, lie said that the ommission of the quotation marks might have been the fault of hs own ofllce, that he did not get an opportunity to read proof 5 on the article and it was possible that certain of the quotation marks were omitted, but anyway, they did not appear in the clipping from the Newberry paper as he had written them. With the quotation marks inserted as ho wrote them, the statements to which such serious exceptions were made appear as coming from a third party, Just as they were given to the senator from Clarendon, ltesolutioii Withdrawn. Upon hearing the statement of the senator from Clarendon, Senator Smith asked leave to withdraw the resolution and this was done without objection. The question now appears to be a closed issue. However, Senator Sinkler found it necessary to rise again to a question of personal privilege on account of what he characterized as a grossly inaccurate report of what he had said at the morning session in an afternoon paper. It was stated in that paper that he had referred to i Senator Appelt as being lower than a dog, which was incorrect. He said that he used no such language and his language had either been misinterpreted or misunderstood. k % , ,? WW , \*f SIX MILL TAX. Likely to be Levied for State Purposes This Year. This Would Be an Increase of a Mill and a Half Over the Tax uf Lost Year. The appropriation bill which was presented to tho House Friday by the ways and meanB will carry the levy to Ave and one-half mills, and porhaps to six mills. The levy for 1907 is four and one-half mills, which was not sufficient to raise the appropriations. The bill as reported will carry 130,000 for the new auditorium building desired by tho University of South Carolina; also |43,744 for support and other items, which will bring the appropriation for the Unl verslty to $83,569.64, aa against $64,038.93 last year. For VYlnthrop College, the sum of $64,435.23 Is given for support, and $2,000 additional for septic tanks, raising the total amount to $78,059.82 as against $74,563.70 last year, rhls sum does not include the $24,000 voted for a new dormitory, nor the $12,500 for practice BChool, already appropriated. For the Citadel, the Bum of $30,900 to repair the recently purchased [X)lico station is included, together with the $7,500 due as second payment on the purohase, making the Lotal appropriation $62,750, as igalnst $35,750 last year. For the Industrial school at Florence the sum of $10,000 is given. For continuing the improvement ol he State House grounds the sum of $10,000 is given, the commission laving asked for $25,000. The appropriation for the department of immigration 1b as follows: , Salary of commissioner, $1,900; ( :lerk $1,200; expenses, $3,000; sten- , jgrapher, $600; handbook, $4,000. Total, $10,700, as against $14,000 , ast year. , There are no other Important , :hnnges In any of the other State , >fHcerB except that of Attorney Gen- ( ?ral. The salary of the assistant , attorney General Is raised from $1,- ^ >00 to $1,800, the contingent fund is , aised from $200 to $300, the litiga- , Ion fund is placed at $2,000, and , ne Bienograpner is given jduu, maang a total of $6,725, as against $S,>75 last year. The sum of $1,000 given last year or any prosecutions of State ofil:ials, and $1,000 for prosecuting he Southern Railway merger suit ire not included this year. Attorney General Lyon asked for 55,000 to prosecute the merger suit ind requested that he either be giv n a sufficient amount or be not reluired to prosecute the case at all. ['he amount asked is not given. For water supply the amount is ixed at $3,000, as against $5,000 ast year, and this will likely be InTeased on the floor. For interest on Rate debt the sum of $300,000 is illowed. The amount for pensions is ixed at $250,000, the same as last ear, and all other items are pracically unchanged, except those not;d above. There are no Increases in salaries except small ones already nentioned. The committee on ways and means ias spent a great deal of time on the )ill, having several meetings a day, ind Chairman Banks and Secretary Vull have been about the busiest men n the General Assembly for the last ,wo weeks. THEY WANT FOOD. Rattling Story Told by a New York School Teacher. That many of her pupils come i vlthout breakfast to school, that on < iccassions several have fainted in I he class room from want of food, ind thnt repeated appeals to charity >rganizatlons brought nothing more han long-delayed replies to the ef'ect that "an investigation would be nade" are among statements made >y Mrs. C. T. Tower, principal of pubic school No. 114, at 73 Oliver jtreet. New York. EIGHTY-FIVE OPERATION9 tVere Performed on Woman Who Finally Succumbed. , At Peoria, 111, Mrs. Martha Ann ' Davis, aged 60 years, died Thursday night after an Illness of dropsy. During this time Mrs. Davis had been nperated on 85 times, and 2,000 pounds of water drawn off at different operations. Physicians declare the case to be one of the most singular of its kind In medical history. KILLED HIMSELF. Shoo Manufacturer and society nan Shoots Self in Temple. At Lynchburg, Va., John Kinckle, aged thirty-three, a prominent society man and secretary and treasurer of the F. Kinckle Shoe Company, shot himself three times In the right temple Thursday evening with suicidal Intent. He Is not expected to survive. No cause for the act can he learned. * , A RED HOT TIME. Florida Republicans Hold Two Two Strong Conventions. REMARKABLE SCENES Knocking Down and Dragging Out of Delegates Not Least Exciting Feature of Meeting. Two Factions I V in Session at Same Time, One Endorses Tnft Other Does Not Instruct Delegates. The flglit for delegates to the National Republican Convention from the South has commenced between ] the Roosevelt and the Foruker fr>rr>?n Florida Republicans stand conspiciously in the lime light as being the first to hold their Convention to select delegates to the National Convention, and it is said that the strenuous and exciting scenes enacted at St. Augustine Thursday are merely a forecast of similar scenes in other Southern States, caused by the desperate efTort being mado by the AntiRoosevelt Republicans for control in the National Convention. The Convention held will go down In history as one of the most remarkable ever hold by any political party. It was really two conventions held at the same time in tho same hall, the progress of business being frequently interrupted by sensational knock-down and drag-out fights. The oflice-liolders faction was called to order by the chairman of tho State committee and they proclaimed themselves as the regulars, but they did not succeed in carrying otit their prearranged programme. The 'Taft sentiment was too strong for tho leaders to hold in check and strong resolutions were adopted emphatically endorsing William H. Taft for the Presidency. On the other side the hall the contesting convention took the conservative action and coose delegates absolutely uutrammelled by any. instructions, they being given positive assurance by Joseph N. Stripling, 'N ivho led the movement, that despite .he fact that they were branded as loiters by the Convention, the delegates they named would certainly be mated in the National Convontton. The office-holders' Convention adopt- , id resolutions approving the pollcloa J >f the Roosevelt administration and :he conservative manner in which he las carried them out, and instructed he delegates to the National Convenion to support the President's polcies and the candidate who is in sympathy with and who will carry >ut these policies, and then proceed d to name William II. Taft as such and id a to. The Anti-Taft Convention adopted esolutions condemning in strong erms the attempts to influence and iontrol by use of Federal patronage, . hrough governmental office-holder*, he selection of delegates to the Na- 4 lonal Convention in the interest of my Presidential candidate. Theofllce-holdors' Convention elected ns delegates to the National Contention J. N. Coombs, member of ? he national committee from Florida; Joseph E. Lee, colored,* collector of Internal revenue; Henry S. Chubb, received of the United States land jffico at Galnsville, and M. B. Mac[ "urlane, collector of customs at Tampa. Four alternates were also elect3d. The Anti-Taft Convention elected is delegates to the National Convention Joseph N. Stripling, former United States attorney; J. Ed V. Hazsard, J. H. Dlckereon and It. It. Robinson, the two later being colored. They also elected four alternates. The Congressional district contentions of the 1st and 6th districts if Florida were held by each fac [ion immediately after the adjournment of the State Convention, andsach of these conventions elected delegates to the National Convention ind adopted the same resolutions as Lhe State conventions of their respective factions had already adopts 2d. Never hns such a sight been wit-, nessed as was presented in the Convention hall. The city marshall and i Jozen policemen were on duty and "" were frequently called upon to eject - . unruly delegates. The Taft delegation had a complete iolegation from each county aggregating 177. In the opposite Convention there were two or three counties, not; represented, but they had in' all about one hundred and fifty (felegates tfho participated. The.Taft Cc iventton nominated five Presidential -electors, but the opposition Corttrentlon dele- . gated the choice of "electors to a . State committee named by their Con- . vention. , ?' 1 LIKE OTlicit FOLKS Fanners. Can Bo I'lacod in Involnn* tnry Bankruptcy. Judge Speer, of the United States , Court, rendered a decision 'in. Au-. gusta on Thursday that is of interest to farmers, lie decided in the c-tae of J. T. Olive, that a farmer can lie placed in involuntary bankruptcy as well as a merchant or any one else. The petition was filed by the Armour Company for fertilizers. ^ - i r" I. *4> t J,