University of South Carolina Libraries
o V#MEXIV. X R1VT LU\ CAMDEN, S. C.,' FRIDAY, .1 550 Vicl MEN OVf Dead I -'on * tixploj Iroquc^-] of Deal and Many Others >sly Injured ? # BY AWFUL SIGHT i;^: CJreat Pllea?Terrlflc rcedea the Fire?The ilro Wan the Sceno Ohiea pie werei In tho And, an r make it, e (Sstfmato Vtti'jr. Tij *? 536. % uers j8 5' Peoplo injj Jtority of nmcng aft <l?o varMiP wnts. )4i| boon posvi era tiro b A fo\^ turned I fctlffOCtttO Hampledo followed t frlghtener It will to 'tor of <1# many daj identified' tlio <lox?i in tlio potefi pi'tais fr? that cqvI tllOSO Wi Their ci^lj ?'d to litie, boon c IHilp bytef tmmplodfe lal. ? About 660 peo In about 10 minutes Theatre, tho newest human power could est theatre n Chicago. ,the dead and injured e account of tho dead iroate of the newapa idea this there are 55 at midnight, the raa i aro very probably d in the morgue and ndertaking establish ix of the dead have Identified and 02 oth to be injured, lie unfortunates wore h by fire, many wero gas, and scores wero ath in tho panic that mad plunge of the lence for tho exits, hours before the num accurately known and [ore all of them will be 4te aro bodies lylug by the undertaking rooms ations, and in tho hos lch nearly everything eal theli identity to w them best is gone. fiB torn to rags or burn nd their faces have rito an unrecognizable els of tho cro^vd thai down pb they lied for |j>ke out during the sec :Bluo Board, Jr." which ramatic production pre Ulieatro sinco its erec Ipany, which was very '.to the streets In safo thcm, however, being ^ifleo into the snowy streets clothing but their safety. The fin oiui actjf' was the jjg< rented1 lit tion. Th< large, ci 'ty. nearlj1 tompolleil ;;v Ktago cosarnea. A few members of the compry abstained minor injuries but noftetertff&erlously hurt. of tho origin of the ng, and none of them the best reason given ic wire near the lower drop scenery sud was grounded. The y toward the front .using the members io yyere then engaged n6e, to flee to the earns of terror. The to this time was not sibly could have been tho asbestos curtain i soon as the flre was > Foy, the chief com pany shouted to lower thig was immediately ded about half way. The flre thutf-vwoa a flue through wbjch as settiflg in. With a 1 the flames shot ing, over the heads first floor and, first balcony, them to edltely fol s. there Ion, which llftedf"vT'ite'?1 the theatre from its Tho?%wi fire aro ? are certafr, ?i". is that a part of denly b flre spr of the of the e ?fir tile wings flre in Forious, vhecked, foiled to discove edlan of* '' tho cur vlone. ... and thee given p a Stro&g raor and thj-o or reaching caught death lowing came an entire walls, ' to fraj As 8 beyond __abau audlen tot plosion ing i of the Will said, peop -had flre. l08t/| ? the four tfiell - the still the flrel which curtain^ As present in the-"' were o| the great skylight in le flames first appeared tain, a man la the rear Fire!" and the entire is*one person and made It Is believed the ex ised by the flames com wlth the gas reservoir cousins them to burst, taneger of the theatre, -catastrophe. that if the iained in their seats and excited by the cry of life would have been >w$ver, contradicted by 0 the firemen, who r of people sitting in r faces directed toward the performance were It was the opinion jof these people had been ice~by the flofe Of gas behind the asbestos ; be estimated at the 1,100 pepple were jree hundred of these floor, the iwiance be lug in the two upper iMtlconiea and In the hallways back of thorn. The the atre is modeled after the Opera Co miquo, lu Paris, and from the rear of each balcony there are three doors loading out to passage ways toward the front of the theatre. Two of these doors are at the end of the balcony and one In the centre. The audience in Its rush for the outer air seems to have, for the greater part, chosen to llee to the left entrance, and to at tempt to make Its way down the eaB. tern stairway leading Into the lobby of the theatre. Outside of the people burned and suffocated by gos, It was In these twq I doorways on the first and second bal* conies that the greatest loss of life oc curred. When the firemen entered, the dead were found stretched In a pile reaching from the head of t%e stair way at least eight feet from the door back to a point about five feet In the rear of the door. This mass of dead bodies in tho C6ntre of the doorway reached to within two feet of the top j passage way. All of the corpses at this j point were women and children. The fight for life which must have taken place at these two points is something that la simply beyond hu man power adequately to describe. Only a faint idea of its horror could be derived from the bodies as thy lay. Women on top of these masses of dead had been overtaken by death as they were crawling on hands and knees over the bodies of those who had died be fore. Others lay with arms outstretch ed in the direction toward which lay life and safety, holding in their hands the fragments of garments not their own. They were evidently, torn from others whom they had endeavored to pull down and trample under foot as they itiadly fought for their own lives. As the police and firemen removed I layer after layer of dead In these doo?<4 ways, the sight became too much even for them, hardened as they arc to such harrowing sccnea, to endure. The bod ies were in such an inextricable moss and so tighny were they jnmmed be tween the sides of 'the door and the walls that It was Impossible to lift them, one by one, and carry them out. The only possible thing to do was to seize a limb or some other portion of the body and pull with main strength. Men worked at the task with tears running down their cheeks, and the sobs of the rescuers could be he^rd even in the hall below where this aw ful scene was being enacted. A num ber of the men wero compelled to abandon their task and give It over to others whose nerves had not, as yet, been shnken by the awful experience. As one by one the bodies were drag ged out, of the water, soaked blacl % - ed mass of corpses, the spectacle be came more and more heartrending. There wore women whose clothing waa torn completely from their bodies above the waist, whose bosoms had been trampled Into a pulp and whosej face vrere marred beyond all power of'" identification. Bodies lay in the first and second balconies in great numbers. In some^places they were piled up In the aisles three and four deep, where one had fallen and others tripped over the prostrate forms, and all had died where they lay evidently suffocated by the gasV OlTjers were bent over backs of scats, where they had been thrown by the rush of people for the doors and killed with hardly a chance to rise from their seats. One man was found with his back bent nearly double, his spinal column having.beciK fractured as he was thrown backward.,; A woman was found cut nearly ^rv half by the back of the seat, she havMjafaHen ovet face, down. ''The fire began }n the middle *>f the second act," said Mr. Foy. "An elec tric wire broke, y?8 grounded and thf flames were started in the rear of the stage. The stage 4s unusually wide and thero is so great a. draft the flames spread rapidly. They soon had attack ed all the scenery in the rear of th< houso. I never believed It possible foi fire to spread so quickly. When it first started 'I went to the foot-lights, and to prevent alarming the audience said that there was a slight blaze anc that It would be better for all to leave quietly. Then I stepped back and call ed for the asbestos curtain to be low-. erecT^^hlB when about half way down refused t& further, and thus an addi tional draft w?s created. This swept and I knew that tfre^ theatre was^ doom ed. I hurried backMfl,. the 8$ftge and aided In getting the wdTirr^ membere of the company Into the aU&x. Some of them were -in their-dresBlnf^oome and were almost overcom# by smoke before they could ^et dowjp t, o the stage and to the doors. The sjJhple fact that the curtain did not descend entireij was what saved the livss of the com pany, although it cost ?ich a hovribli catastrophe in the frontkof the house The curtain had refuse? to descend there came the explosiAi of the gaf tanks, and with the cuiwain down all the flie and Kas would Ave been con fined between the rear v#*ll of the the atre and the flre-proof certain Infftront Tinder these clroumstJmces it would not havb been po^le for a slngU member of th? company to escape aliv* unless he or sly* hod been standing immediately In front of the door lead ing into the alley. Aa It was the draft ca tried ihe flames out from th? curtain and company was saved al though th<fir salvation was the death J of so roanf poor people in front." Alt .QMoago was deeply stirred by the terfbUi disaster and awful loss ol life "work of rescue wsb vigor ously - and : city hosstats were fille* th? i dead aadTdyini Ark.. BpmKI.? It l? hat the prompted of ( Jockey Cl?b hUre do ion plana already ex tleed for a midwinter a laatead offer %inTTHnt to tat *0 days. kE Mil hi hi Mil If (1 ?M " ?*? W?w? Hot r?*iiort? 0;fi H< ( x No Necrft Troops. AugUfcUt, BpOclUl. ? At * meeting of the ^ieoutive committor of tho Mill tary Officer* Aftaoctation of Georgia. In ^arannah. a bill was framed for jx-tesenUUoa to the State advisory '^be^Stat^BeSS?1 every white o&eer la the 8tate la ??M to be behind the movement. A reaoltt lion w111.be adopted oppoaia* uay at tempt at the fonaft&m of * national MANY TltEATLRS CONDEMNfP. Chicago Oifdois Trying to Avoid Future Disasters. Chicago, Special. ? Mayor Carter 11. Harrison Friday took steps to pro vide as far aspos&lblo against a repe tition of Wednesday's horror at the Iroquois Theatre. As a result of an Investigation made nt his orders and lasting hut 'a f<?w hours, 19 theatres and museums were closed, some of them being among the leading and most popular play houses of the city. 'I he act of the mayor was based on a Blngle violation of the ordinances which are Intended Jo protect the pa trons yf the theatres from Just such an occurrence at> that which cost so many lives on Wednesday. This was that every one of those 'places had omitted to supply an asbestou curtain. The theatres ordered closed are: Howards, Alhambra, Avenue, Bijou, Chicago Opera Jtfousc, Columbus 8toek, Thirty-first Street, Criterion, Piegeubaum's, Milwaukee Avenue, Oarrlck & Glickmsn's. Jn addition to these (ho London Globe Muceum and the Clark Street Museum were ; also compelled to close their doorj. ; The Chicago Opera House and the Olympic ? Theatre are vaudeville houses of the highest class and prob ably do as much as business In point 1 of numbers as any one of the theatres In the city at single performances. 1 ney givo, however, a niutlnoc every ( day in the week, and it is stHdom that# seats can be obtained for any per formance after tho time of opeuing. In addition to this they have been accustomed to selling large numbers of tickets for standing room, and as a general thing more people are within these places of amusement at an av erage performance than can bo found at any other playhouse in tho city. The Garrick Theatre* which was or dered closed, is a small playhouse on the northwest side of the city and should not be confounded with the larger theatre of the pame name situ ated on Randolph street, one block west of \he Iroquois. Tho inspection ordered' by the may or was carried out by Building Com missioner Williams and Chief of Po lice O'Neill. Tho scope of tho inves tigation included no other feature than asbestos curtains. Tho mayor instructed Commissioner Williams to report to him promptly at tho con clusion of his investigation, declaring that it was his Intention that no thea tre should be allowed to open its doors in Chicago hereafter unless It was provided with an asbestos cur tain of standard quality that would work at all times and under ail con ditions. "It may not be possible," said May or Harrision, "to prevent loss of lifo when audiences rush for the door ways, but 1 have determined to sco that every precaution is taken to pre vent such occurrences as will alarm the people and start them on a rush for the exits. It is all very well (o say that tbp loss of life in the Iro quois was due to tho fact that tho peoplej/lost their heads and crowded into the doorwoys and aisles, like maniacs, but tho fact remains, and It cannot bo denied, that there would i?wm n.? pan,c ,f the apparatus In this theatre, which, Judged by all ordinary standards, was tho best equipped playhouse in the city, had rhOiJ? proper working condition. rw. Is no getting beyond that fact. From all the evidence now in hand .Qle*r, that W the asbestos cur 2* Is theatre h*d been in tho .condition it should^havo boon. * hero Would have been no loss of ilfo, com " paratively speaking."/ ?rwIiLTrt u f DuI1*,nK Commission er Williams showed that the Academy 2 000 hi* a seating capacity of 2,000 had a curtain of burlap- tho Al 2 son ?h 'L1111 a seat,n? capacity of cfi Avenue 600. tne Bijou 1,300, Finn Museum- 270, Criterion inn m Senbaum's 40?. Howard s am' ^lOVie 1'300' New American 1, 4W, ha u curtains of linen. The wan ? K ithe Ch,ca&? Opera House nalnt ^?re(l wlth flrQ Procf K! o?^ a Coh,mbuB Stock Thea tre, and in Sam T. Jack's it was of T5e,D1ymplc. with a seating canvas i,60()' has a curtain ot 8ai7hrnmmf?re4 other glaring defects,'' w i nS 8 ?ner Williams, ?fyhich w w d ,n 80me of the houses, attention WtorethnDt pay'ng Particular them and the theatrical Sagorswm L9 Cp?o? l? remedy them as soon Pannma Company. Paris, By Cable. ? Owing to recent events at Panama the annual meeting of the Pabama Company, which be gan Wednesday -afternoon, developed unusual Interest and cxcitemcnt. Prior to opening efforts were made to seat proxiei to overrule the existing management of the company, which were favorable to the sale of the company's properties to the United States. Meeting of Histotl:al Society. New Orleans, Special. ? Pre?. Dun ning, of Columbia University, pre sided Wednesday over the meeting of the American Historical Society in Tulane University. lie announced that the object of the session was to show' the college professors of the North the conditions in the, South with respect to all- Important ques tions of teaching history. Prof. W. E. Good, of Randolph-Macon College, of Virginia; Prof. Fortler. of the Louisiana Historical Society, and Prof. Lillian W. Johnson, of the Uni . veraity of Tennesson spoke. . " ' 9 Jamestoirtt Exposition. ? Newport News, Va.. Special.? At Fri day night's meetings in the Interest of the Jamestown Exposition movement, held In Newport News. Norfolk, Hamp ton Portsmouth., and Berkley the sue cms nf the movement Mas... assured Subscrpitlons made at these meetings to the capital stock ran the total of stock taken to $i4lPQJ??. To a?*e-the <$*rtfr obtained toy the company It was necessary to shoi# tafyp-npiiaii* amounting to ?< .mMct&jiL. DAYS Of SORROW. Chicago Recovering Slowly from Shock of Great Fire ARfc FUNERALS ON fcVERY HAND. The List of Head Still Orowlng ? Sunday Was Day of Universal Mourning. Chicago Special, ?The total number of dead In the thoatre lire has been def initely established at 687, of which but 12 remain uul den titled. Hells tolling at noon suspended busi ness activity, and long lines of funerals making their way to tho outlying dis tricts where tho cemeteries are situ ated ? these circumstances evidenced Chicago's outward grief for tho vic tims of the Iroquois Theatre disaster Saturday. Priests and ministers of tho Uffferent churches were kept busy, as they will be for some days. The unidentified dead will be kept as long as possible at the morgues. If no one comes to lay claim to the bogles they will bo buried at tho cities ex pense. lly common consent of tho clergy, "Lead, Kindly Light," the great hymn written by Cardinal John New man, Is being sung at all the funerals# When It was 12 o'clock tho chimes of tho North Side Church tolled a dirgo and tho northeast wind wafted It over tho city. Before tho first notes had died away, another chime, farther south, sounded a mournful Intonation. Thon a hundred bells broke forth In a mighty diapason, whose Iron moans seemed to reach the gray clouds and echoed back again in solemn accord. A snow storm which prevailed added to the solemnity. An Intenso quiet ness In the. atmosphere itself, tho ab sence of all holiday appearances and tho numerous funeral oortejjc^, as they slowly moved through tho snow-storm, while the church bells were tolling, combined to make the occasion ono as peculiarly cheei^ess .aa It was solemn and Imprgsslv^r The ?lty hall, except tho absolutely necrssary departments, was closed to day. The board of tarde closed an hour earlier than usuqj, and a number of mercantile and manufacturing estab lsihmentB also closed earlier. The big State street department stores closed their doors at noon. Tho purpose of tho proprietors had been to afford fa cilities for the bereaved thousands to secure mourning goods by keeping tho stores open. Thirty-four teachers in tho public schools are known to have lost their lives In the fire, and the schools wero ordered closed Monday In their mem ory. Chicago; Special. ? Sunday was a day of funerals in Chicago and fo? the first thlme itt tlL6 history -of. tho-dty all ot. tho people who desired to bury tlielr dead were unable to do so. Tho un precedented demand for hearsed and carriages would havo been enough In Itself to task to the utmost tho re sources of the undertakers, but tho heavy snow that has fallen during the last two days has Increased their dif ficulties enormously. All of tho cet*$ terlcs In Chicago are miles from the business centro. Arrangements wero "?ads by the undertaker* to have as many funerals as possible held In the early part of the day in Of dor to allow, If possible, the use of the hearse for a second funeral In the afternoon. In a number of cases this was done, but there were instances where tho fami lies who were to wait for the return of the hearse were disappointed and were compelled to defer the burial on their dead until tomorrow. The cemeteries were compelled to keep men at work all through the night digging graves, and In some of the larger cemeteries they barely man aged to make them at sufficient speed. At one time this afternoon, 14 burials were In progress in Rose Hill Ceme tery and all of them were the intor ments of vlcitlms of tho fire. In the rooms of ono undertaker on the south side of the city a fraternal organisation held services over flvo members of their ordor~at tho same time, and all of them wore buriod side by side In Waldhelrn Cometery. The funeral services over tho remains of Ella and Edyth Freckeltoo, sisters, were held In Boulevard Hall at Ffty flfth and Halstead streets, fully 200 persons being In attendance " and 500 more stood outside in the wind until the funeral had departed for Oak wood Cemetery. ?> I J T*i +V? a ? V. vmITIIaviaIi** manii. ?u vuw uwui v v * v**v v ?***??* y facturer, Ludwig Wolff, on Washing- ' ton boulevard, was held the quadruple funeral of his daughter. Mra. Wm. II. Oam, and her thjee children. A crowd of more than 1,000 people ?unrcHinded the house and tho police were im pelled to open a passageway for the pall-bearers, _ A funeral conducted In a humbler manner was held a few aqua res from the Wolff residence. N It that of Mra. Mary W. Holt and her three vhll dren. all of whom died In the Ill-fated second balcony. Fully as many people were around the amaU fnuaa church In which this funeral waa held as were gathered outside the preteotlowa-W ol ff mansion, and here, aa In front of Mr. Wolff's residence, the police were com pelled to open a passage way for the oaaketa aa they were >?rno u> the hearses. ; LIST OF DTCAD TNCRBASUD TO 688. The Hat of dead waa Increased to 688 by the death of I>eroy Rain bold, a boy of fonr years, who was severely burned. Of the 10 bodies at the county morgue, fonr were Identified today. They were IVprthy *Lem<hieg*r, 18 year*; Bmma R^^fta'red^w nnmher J-f rhfch there la any record, aithough the number xzt tt!:q "Hght Ty wd*SW *W?I thla number greatly. AGAIN IN SESSION. Mouse and Smote kcansefiible Alter tile Holiday*. Tho Senate's first KOStilon wah de voted entirely to tho Panama situation President Roosevelt's message oa this subject waa received and read with great lntoreHt. Discussion continued throughout tho day? speeches being made both in defense of and against tho policy which had been pursued. Hov. Wdward Halo, tho newly-elected ehaplain of tho Senato, clad In flowing black silk robeH, offered a stirring In vocation. ilia prayer was u plea, for the wisdom of heaven In the affairs of tho government. Ho referred briefly to tho Chicago calamity.' Hla Invoca tion was preceded by a short scrip tual lesson, and concluded with tho IsOtyl'H prayer. Mr. McComas strongly defended tho President's action In tins Panama mat tor. Ho maintained tho President's recognition of Panama would be up held by tho courts. Mr. Culberson questioned the right of tho lCxocutlvo to make such recog nition, but Mr. McComas maintained positively that tho Kxecutlvo had such authority, and ho could bring to tho attention of the Senate two in stances In which the same power had been oxerclsed. Mr. Tillman wanted the instances cited, and Mr. McComas promised to present them later. "But I want to know," broke In Mr. Tillman, "whether tho Senator con tends that tho Kxecutlvo without in sructlon of tho Congress can employ tho army and navy to defend his exe cutive action by warning away and preventing Colombia from asserting her supremacy anywhero except on the Panama Railroad." In answer Mr. McComas referred Mr. Tillman to tho closing statements di tho President's message. Mr. Racon asked several questions In an effort to bring out how long tlie new republic would last should the sustaining power of the United Suites be ever withdrawn. "For many years, f replied Mr. Mc Comas. He added that but for the re straining power of tho United States tho Independence of Panama would have been established long ago. "Will tho Senator stato the respec tive populations of Panama and Co lombia?" asked Mr. Bacon. "Panama has about 300,000 and Co lombia 4,.r>00.000," was tho reply. "And yet the Senator thinks the 300, 000 could maintain themselves against the four and a half millions," agaiu injected Mr. Bacon. Such things wero frequent events In history, was tho reply. Pressed by Mr. Bacon for instances, Mr. McComas mentioned the suooessfql contest of Japan with 35,000,000 population against China with 400,000,000; also Montenegro's contest of two centuries. Senator Stewart endorsed the course of the administration and severely cas tigated tho BoggOta government for its selfish action in preventing tho construction of tho canal, referring to it as a band of robbers, Mr. Morgan said that his colleagues frqm tho South oould not fall to see that the President's attitudo was to force them to vote for the Panama route. As for himself he was npt op posing the President on slight ground, but because he believed the course of the President to be such as to threat en the integrity of tho United States. He argued that aoordlng to precedents the -de faeto government of Panama has no right to transfer teritory, but he declared that the President knew that by his recognition of Panama alone could he acquire a concession there. Indeed, he aserted that In the prospect of securing this ju^ulsition was found the only motive for the President's recognition. Ho declared that President Roosevelt's interference in Colombia's affairs was unjustified by the constitution. For one he would not vote lo ratify tho wrong donVvky the President. Tho President, ne said, desires this ratification to Justi fy what he and tho Panama Junta have done. "And for that purpose," wild Mr. Morgan, "he wants tho assis tance of three Democratic Senators to what he and his party cannot do." Ho predicted that a canal would bo built ultimately, along the Nicaraguan route, because of Its accessibility. The House met today after the holi day recess. The vote on ordering the previous question resulted lu a tie. the minority supporting Mr. Hay, and de veloped no quorum. At ? this point the House adjourned. .Situation Unbearable. Berlin, Ry Cable? The local paper, Anzeiger," without reserve says: "Japanese government lias Informed representatives of the powers at To klo that the situation at this moment Is unbearable and that Japan must strike If Russia does not accept the i proposition Japan has submitted as Japan can no longer wait for the final decision." Tragedy at a Dance. Greensboro, N. C., Special. ? It la re ported her? that Miss Mary Martin, who was shot at a dance Saturday night, near Mayoden, Rockingham county, died today. John Gana, who was deeply enamored, and who had been drinking, asked the young wo man to dence^'wlth him. She declined, and, without warning, he shot her, the tall passing through her cheat. At a preliminary trial' thl? evening Gang was sent to the Wentworth jail. Re ports from there indicate that, for fear of. lynching, the prisoner will be brought to jail her*. New# In Notes, The Administration is said to con template energetic action In Santo Do mingo, with the object of restoring or der In the island and protecting Amer ican interests. lty of action h? the Maryland L??l*la tare to enable the Ad?M to register and vote in this State. Cotton prices dropped ebowt $1 * bale in New Tor*. MYSTERY UNSOLVED. Mai (ling kumors of a Hoy That Disappeared Prom Columbia, Oolutn bla, Special.? --The mystery surrounding the disappearance of younK Stephen Howoll of Assembly street has not been cleared. The po lice are unable to lead others to con ?? I n<l??. u? they have done, that It is a commonplaco matter. In spite of their disdainful and somewhat impa tient solution that the boy had simply run away, the disappearancu of tho ia<l has excited much interest, and wild rumors ? which get started In some strange manner ? are given a ready ear*. No disappearance easo lift# ever ex < Ited more general Interest here. And tills 1? duo to the prominence of tho principal, but to the out of tho ordi nary features of tho ease. Columbia t(K) large, to,, busy and too cosmo politan a city for ap ordinary Inci dent of the kind to attract general at tention for any length of time. It Is seldom that the interost keeps to the point, where false rumors gain any general currency. Hut tliie feature is developing In this caso now. For each of thy last three days the report has been running that the body of tho boy hud been found In the wood with his head split with the axe which has been missing. This report starts up frosh a I mow oh quickly as It is denied In print. Tho State received several phone calls yesterday to know if tho report was true. There is not even one fact on which to base such a rumor, not yet such a fact to sup port that other report which gained currency yesterday afternoon to . the enect that the head and not the body had been found. Next to the remarkable fact that no body has boeiy^tiblo to identify, find or name the mysterious negro who went to the country with tho boy? although this negro from all nceounta was not only not n vagrant hut was aik parent |y in good circumstances ana* must havo had acquaintances hero ? is tho positive and confidant way in which Mr. lien Johnson tells of seeing he boy in front of J. M. Green's store in Main street Saturday afternoon rills was five di?ya after tho boy's family had been looking for him, but on the day before the story of the ^Ir appearance was published in Tho State. That publication was tho first information Mr. Johnson had that tho boy was missing. Mr. Johnson, who runs a fruit store on upper Main street says that he cannot be mistake, mat he is sure and confident In his own mind that ho nnw Stephen How ell. who had worked Tor Johnson si* weeks. Ho saw the boy from the on poHlto sidewalk, but got a good look at him, saw his face well and was in ?,LHm qf rfl,3'nK h'? hanfl to saluto Howell when the boy turned his fact) and looked down. His cap was pullod down over his oyes, as ho generally wore It. ^ ?*v.?ciuiijr After reading the newspaper ac count of the dlsappcaranoo Mr. John son remembered that Howell woro- a black overcoat, a pair of gray trousers and a cap, but being a careful man Johnson first repeated this to a !nSn*. W two went t0 the mother and .asked hdr to describe the clothing the boy woro the morning he left home. The description blocked out in dependently tallied In the. smallest de taii, and .aftorw*r4 -etW details trwq : leealled. The supposition that Mr. JohJison was mistaken seems unrea bnv ho'i nrd ycf the thSory that the boy had beeu wandering about the 8ti eets so long and escaped the no tice of every body else? when he was being looked far? Eeems impossible tb accept even If^lt Is granted that the 'iUt atronK which In timation from the police his mother Indignantly denies... ???!." ?V1^ of *'l? w,flespread Intoroat which tho case has elicited and the consequent demand for Information on the subject, a reporter of The, state made another tour of Invcstiga turn yesterday, iir the courao of which ho again interviewed the boy'g moth w?nii 5Ll^?l,n9*',rles of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Epstln of Gervals street who had employed the boy and tho negro. Mrs. Howell is one of those persons who accept quiotly the trials and sor of n?/11^0^6 1. d,8qu,et,ng '"Alienees ? ^ 0 believes the boy has been murdered and thinks the police should at least find the negro. The boy has had a running soro In his ear since he was an Infant, caused by a case of measles settling in his hoad, but though she has never had this attended by * physician, because she i feared stopping it would prove in jurious, sh*? never had any reason to suspect that this or anything efts o had arretted his mind. Though of violent temper at times, he was a timid boy who wan always at home when he was a? em W?hrk'.?n(I K h e can no? -thecef ora $c< ept the theory that he has run ?,W?a?' J. . Was afra,(I to Ko to bod with out a light. ? Thirty Persons ln|ured. n'oouurlu^e.^i. J., Special. ? An ex plosion wrecked (he hotel and halt of Joseph Gallalda, and more or less seri ously Injured 30 pereons at Keasby, four mile* from here, while the St. John's Benevolent Society was cele brating ita anniversary by a dance. There were about &00 in tbe hall Mid one of the two exits was closed hy {ne wreckage. The ^people became panic stricken and fought to get out, many being tramped on and seriously in jured. It is believed (hat some "fl* with a grievance against Gallalda or the so ciety used dynamite. The walls' of the building were blown apart and immo diately collapsed. Mot Badly Damaged Washington Special.? A dispatch receiyed at the Navr Department Sunday from Roar Admiral Sands, commanding the training squadron, uiya the torpedo. Mat destroyer I*w renco. which waa rammed hy thG OTT ?elt# at Kay WOet, Is not deemed dsK *Jrahie^to he seat to nNorthorn ns?i yard for repel ta. board oC tomtiMk Hon will datomUa whether that sMUl be <k?? oo whether the rw*rswM Jml wade at Kay Wort. J fllnor Event* of Ibe Week In a Brief Form. Accidentally Killed. Spartanburg, 8. C., Special. ? A dis patch from Laurens says that while a small' bou of M. A. Chapman, "of Oosk Hill, was loading a parlor rifle on Saturday afternoon the weapon wa? accidentally discharged and Instant ly killed his three-monthold sister, who had been put in bed a few min utes beforo. Palmetto Brief# ' n Mr. Jomws B. Caskey, a young man of T<anra?ter, was fatally shot 1* rlday morning by Mr. C. B. Skipper, super 1 1) Undent of tho Lancaster Cotton mills. In front of IMyler & Dean's store, In the mill village. The weapon need was a shotgun, tho load striking Mi. Caskey in the neck and he died Friday night. Mr. Skipper was placed In jail,, as were also a book-kcepeT\ Mr. G. B. Barron, and a mill machinist named Clayton, tho two latter being chai&'^d aa accessories to the Hilling. The homi cide, It seems, was the result of some trouble the night before between Mr. Skipper a\)d Mr. Caskey at a dance, Tho coroner's Jury exonerated Barron and Clayton. Monday morning Frank Morrell, the 14-yenr-old son of Mr. H. W. <MorreU, a well-known farmer of Wellford ac cidentally shot and killed Gua Ham met t, a colored farmer on his father's farm lands. Morrell was bantered to shoot at a rock thrown in the air, When the rock was' thrown up the firearm waa accidentally discharged and the load took offcct In the body of Hammett, Inflicting t wound from which ho died a few minutes after wards. The verdict of che jury waa that the deceased, Gus Ilammeii, enme to his death by a gunshot wound made by Frank Morrell, It being an ac cident. There was no malaco what ever. Julius Fisher, o young white man, on last Thursday night shot and des perately Vounded his < uncle, a Mr._ .. Fisher, who llveB on Pacolet river, Ave miles below Cowpens. The wound ed man Is about 65 or 70 years of age and Is a well known farmer of that county. He was shot twice, - receiving the contents of "two barrels of a shot gun In his chest, abdomen aud lege. Immediately after tho shooting Julius Fisher disappeared and has not peer*, arrested. Tho booze artists and the boose grafters had an Inning on Thursday^ ; December 24, at tlj& dispensaries |n Spartanburg. Th^ pefcf??~throhg?d in and out of the two dlspenaari*s In that city until the close on ^Thursday. At dispensary No. 2, of whlpb Mr. J. W. Harmon Is dispenser, the sales Jor Thursday, Christmas eve, nnimmwd to $1,766. The proceeds from dispensary No. 11 were not far behind this figure, (Hymida~^otton " mills in ^Columbia, was killed at the Lincoln Jtreet crdss Ing of the Seaboard Air Line roadm that city Monday afternoon. He wja talking down the tiack when two to* glues moving In opposite neared him. He became confused and made an Ineffectual effort to cross tlie track. No blamo is attached to any one for the accident. .a WMle a little son of Mr. Chapman of Cfosa ?*??, county, was loadlng a parlor rine ^ urday afternoon last thogun wasac eld en tally . dlsearged - months-old sister w^o had J?** put in his bed in the roomafew ments before by the motlwr. It WW a deplorable tragedy & pathy is felt for the afflicted toW Mr. George A. *StU|. the town of Blackville, baa written the governor, to ask that a offered for the opprehenslon_of James _ Walker, who is wanted tor the killing of a negro woman, Minnie. WUljams. The crime occuired two months ago - on the Dubllc atreets of Bl^KVill^ ^ . - In the United States Circuit Courl In Charleston Thursday an order waa nied in the suit of Leonard Pblnsey and Alice Hul\ against the Olympla Mills of Columbia, wherahy-tbfl' ml''B * pre requested to execute wlthlxr fifteen days a bond to the plaintiffs securing them to tho Mil o t th?lrlnt?e.tunt n complete hearing - iu merits ean he- held, ^he decistOTt for the petition for receiyerahlp Is re- ... BerveJl untlltha Th? WOW". Izatlon of property may now proceed . The state constables Monday prer ecnted Chief Constable TL . ruott wiih m nanosume J51?2S^5 cane bearing the name or that offical and the date of presentation. Mr. cuii^.4 of Columbia formally preswited^ ^ ; tribute of esteem tn a neat and ap propriate speech. On Christmas day while tfee^WJ* room of Rowe 'ft RoWS, w ?. ,"th ?? "<"? ?a 11 " gold mounted. ? - Telegraphic Brtefa. SWSSSjI" West Point, Va., of M.1W in^li^and ? waiidaratte sum in casb. - ^ tiScE^ittcSell* 1 Riley Saonders wai port News. charged aad robbing^C. F. H