The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, March 18, 1904, Image 1
VOLUME sTV
CAMDEN, S. C., FRIDAY, MAHCII 18, liHM
THE WAR IN THE FAR EAST
E
icli Neis As Is Available Net
Definate
? ? e? ? ? ? ?
iam hostilities baye begun
lur p righting Reported Between
tha Force* ot Russia and Japan?
jNjws Indefiuatc. >,
J
St. Petersburg, By Cable.? The Era
?ror received a message from Viceroy
lexieff which Bays:
"Admlran Marakoff, commanding the
et, imports from Port Arthur under
te t?f March 10 a? follows:
' rilx torpedo boats which went out to
? the night of March 10, four of them
Ing under the cominand of Capt.
attoussevitch, encountered the ene
y'e torpedo boats followed by cruis
irs. A hot action ensued in which the
erpedo boat destroyer Vlasllni dis?
barged a Whitehead torpedo and sunk
t'ne of the enemy's torpodo boats. On
Ibo way back the torpedo boat destroy
4" Stereguschtrhi, commanded by Liou
nant Serguoieff, sustained damages;
er engine was disabled and she be
[an to founder, lly 8 o'clock In the
"ornl.uK five of our torpedo boat de
royers and returned. When the crit*
al position of the Stereguschitchl be
;amjt evident I hoisted my flag oa,$he
ItQiser Novlk and went with the Novlk
nd the cruiser Boyarin to the. rescue,
jut as live of the enemy's crylsera sur*
founded our destroyor and as their bnt
leshlp squadron was approaching, I
Id not succeed in saving the Steregus
hlchl, -which foundered. Part of the
rew was made prisoners and part was
row ned.
"On the ships which participated in
fto night attack, one officer was sfcrl
nssly nnd .three other were slightly
bounded, two soldjers were killed and
ilghteen were wounded.
"At 9 o'clock fourteen of the enc
ly's ships assembled beforo Port Ar
thur and a bombardment was begun
Bmji. the heavy guns of their battle
iblp aquadron at long range.
^'This lasted until 1 o'clock In the
fternoon. It. in estimated that the
uen^. fired 154 twelve-inch shells. The
am ago to our vessels was lnsigni fi
fing, and they are again" ready for
attle. Our losses w.ere one officer
_ tlgtltly wounded and one soldier killed
*tod four soldiers wounded.
" "The lllumation of the sea at night
by the searchlights mounted aft our
batteries was most satlsfaBtory, and
several tlniea isolated shots from our
batteries forced the enemy's torpedo
boats to retire.
Jg. "With tho commencement of the
.bombardment at dawn tho guns of the
"fortress replied to the enemy's fir*.
"The crews of all the ships engnged
gave proof of remarkable coolness in
action.
B- "A bombardment at such a distance
?rmust be considered Ineffective, but the
|p. Japanese cruiser Takasago.ls reported
Br.to hftve been seen to suffer serious
7<dRTnagSi,"The extent of which, however,
pit was impossible to ascertain at a
K distance of five miles. Many shells
??<were flred at a ranee of 7% mites.
BeU - "Ihave the honor to report the fore
?Kgoing to your Majesty.
("Signed) , UBXRFF."
Toko, By OabIe.-4-Offiolal and prl
Rravte reports bolii indicate that Admiral
Togo's fourth attack on Ptfrt Arthur on
;the 10th. instant *was the movt. effective
E since the first asianlt of a month ago.
?One Russian torpeoV boat destroyer
E was sunk and several Russian torpedo
Kboats seriously damaged. The fortlfl
K cations and city were submitted to a
K heavy bombardment lasting nearly
Btfour hours. Tho naval bombardments
B-trf the land works have generally been
?ineffective, yet the peculiar topograph
Klcal conditions of Port Arthur make
Klnununity from serious loss from bom
?gbarament almost impossible. Admiral
KTogo's torpedo flotilla opened the ac
BFtion by boldly steaming in under the
batteries of mechanical mines in tho
hafbor.
The closing action was the bombard
ment of the inner harbor by the Japan
ese battleships. The , latter took a po
sition southwest of Port Arthur and
IL vsed only their twelve-inch guns.
There* wcro twenty-four twelve-Inch
Two Army Corps to But.
? St. Petersburg, By Cable.? The fifth
-array corns at Moscow and the tenth
/array corps at Kharkoff will start for
the far East In a few days. After the
? war has ondcd the two corps will re
turn to their stations, but the other
" troops that are already In the Orient
^ wliyfremaln permanently In the Astatic
JprorjslOD. * ^ '
t y ? ?** - _ _ *- ?
Investigation Committee.
"Washington,, Special. ? When the
^ Houe^Linet Saturday Speaker Cannon
announced the special committee pro
vided for in the McCall resolution
adopted by the House yesterday to in
! vestigate "the Indictment" report from
? the Postofflce Department a* follows:
1 Representative McCall. of Masaachus- 1
| etta, chairman; Representative* Hltt. j
f Republican, of Illinois; Burton; Repub
r llcan, of Ohio; Metcalf, Republican, of
jf California; McDermott. Democrat, of
P N?w Jersey; Bartlett, Democrat, of j
t Georgia, and Richardson. Democrat, of j
r Alabama.
Heavy Fire Las a.
- Chester, S. C., Speelal.? The) moat
|L disastrous fire In year* brfrke out in
basement of the Bewley Hardware
y*s store Sunday nlfht at 11
and. despite tike fcerofc work
roe
I fVtrr
gyns in the squadron of six battleship^,
and each gun flred five rounds, making
a total of 120 Huge projectiles that
were flred at tho city. ThS bombard
ment was deliberate and carefully
planned. In order to aid in perfecting
the firing Admiral Togo stationed the
cruisers in a position due east of the
ei. trance to the harbor, and at right
angles to the battleships. The cruisers
obsorved the range and effect of the
firing and signaled (he results and sug
gestions by Wireless telegraphy. Ad
miral Togo was unable to learn defi
nitely the results of the bombardment,
but later prlvato reports lndlcatc that
much destruction was caused in the
city wher<r%erlous fires broke out.
There also was damage to batteries.
Capt. Shoklro Asal, commanding the
flotilla of torpedo boat destroyers, had
only three destroyers, but attacked the
six Russian destroyers, ordered hla
craft to close in with the enemy. He
steamed so close to the enemy's de
stroyers that they almost touched, and
a teost desperate conflict ensued, from
which the Russians retired badly dis
abled.
The Japanese flotilla which sunk the
mines at the mouth of the harbor later
engaged two Russian destroyers. This
flotilla was commanded by Command
er Tsuchlya. Admiral Togo's object in
sending cruiscrs to Talien Wan Hay
was to encompass the destruction of a
signal station mine depot at Sam
Shanto. This object was achieved and
the buildings were demolished.
? Rear Admiral Dewa and UrFu par
ticipated in the operations under Ad
miral Toko^ the details of whose opera
tions became known In Japan only
Sunday, The news created intense en
thusiasm. Admiral'Siogo's report came
last night, and but rt wan withheld
until shown to the Emperor. Admiral
Vogo Is permanently numbered among
the heroes of the empire.
The latest report places the Japanese
loss at nine killed, flvo seriously
wounded and seventeen slightly hurt.
The Japanese fleet was not damaged In
the fighting.
Odds Against Russia.
St. Petersburg, By Cable.?Thc cable
story of the flerce (Ight off Port Arthur
between the torpedb flotillas, which oc
curred Wednesday and the bombard
ment which followed on Thursday
morning, was not given out/here until
after midnight.
Two official messages from Viceroy
Alexleff had been received during, the
day and presented to the Emperpf, but
the public remained in,, suspense. The
Impression was that Admiral Makaroff
had directed the attack upon the ene
my's fleet. When the texts appeared it
became evident, that^the collision be
tween the torpedo flotillas has occur
led accidentally during the night,
while the Ruseiaua were scouting in
search of the enemy.
As far as is known here, this la the
first time torpedo boats havo engaged
each other at sea. All the odds were j
against the Russians as tho Japanese j
flotilla was supported by tho cruiser
squadron. The Russians made, a herole
dash for the foe and app? Jtly had
the better of the combat, sinking a
Japanese torpedo boat, until the crui
sers got within range and one of the
letter's shells crippled the Stere
guschtchi^'
The action of Vice Admiral
Makpra$ ip t^ansferlng his flag to the
fast cruiHpy^fivLk and sailing out lu
the faco of{lGfWpiy in an attempt at
rescue rebeiVcfe-uhbtlnted praise, stamp
ing him at the outset of lite command
as a man of force and action who in
sists on being In the van of the flgbt
li<g^,The removal of the battleship Ret- j
vlzan from the mouth of tfee Inner har
bor, which marked the assumption of
command by AdnUrftl Makaroff. will
permit the free exYi of the heavy
armored ships. With the channel open
it la believed that Admiral' ? Makaroff
will make the squadron an aggressive
force.
Appreciating tho misfortune of the
fleet It is believed that Admiral Maka
roff will attempt to unite his forces by
bringing the Valdlvostock squadron to
Port Arthur.
Repairs on the battleship Retvlzan
will be completed In a few weeks, hut
the battleship Czaravitch is so tiadly
damaged thak it is not thought u^it
fohe can participate in any of tho-op-tr
ations for a long t^me."
. Emperof William on Board.
Dover, England, By Cable, ? The Ger
man Lloyd steamer Koenig Albert, on
ita way to the Mediterranean with Em
peror William on board, arrived her?
Sunday afternoon. Sir William Henry
Ciundall, former mayor of Dover, went
rfn board the Koei}Hf an<* delivered the
dispatches, after which the vessel pro
ceeded, ~~S
. Report Denied.
Pdrls. By Cable. ? Th? St. Petere
rburg corKTEponaeol ~xof The Echo de
' Pttrlg has sent In an interview with M.
wit to, the fonner Russian Minister of
Finance, who denounces as infamous
inventions the rumors that Count
tansdorffls to be replaced aa Minister
or Foreign Affairs. He declares that
the Minister enjoyed the full- confi
dence of the Sovereign, M. Witte said
that he himself " would nerer return to
Ofllc*. The correspondent of The Jour
nal in ft Petersburg says that the r?- ,
ported resignation of Foreign Minister
tMsdorff haa bees denied officially.
Telegraphic Brief*
Wesley M. Oler, of Baltimore, waa
elected president t >t the American lee
Company,
- Dr. Von Koerber, Hie Austrian Pre.
mier, made a pes^mfstlc speech at the
opening of the Relcherath.
Fire ?t Bocas del Torn. CoJu?Wa,'sde
slroyed iOO Including the
rMp; OdeJT* BMphulldtag^Tr^
- 7
A PROCLAMATION ISSUED
Our Army and Navy Ordered to Ob
serve Strict Neutrality. '
Washington Special. President
Roosevelt, after a conference with
Secretary of State Hay, issued the
following executive order:
"All officials of the government,
cjvil, military and naval, are hereby
directed not only to observe the Pres
ident's proclamation of neutrality in
vthe pending war between Kussia and
Japan, but also to ubstain from elthor
action or Bpeech which can legiti
mately cause irritation to either of
the combatants. Tho government of
tho United States tepresentsthe peo
plo of tho United States, not only
In the sincerity with which it is en
deavoring to keep tho scales of neu
trality exact and oven, but in the sin
cerity Mth whloh it, deplores the
breaking out of tho prtsent war, and
hopes th^t, it may end with the earli
est possible moment and wifh the
smallest possible loss to those en
gaged. Such a war inevitably in
creases and Inflames the susceptibili
ties of the combatants to anything
in the nature of an injury or slight
by outsiders. Too often combatants
make conflicting claims as to tho du
ties and obligations of neutrals, so
that evea when discharging these du
ties and obligations with scrupulous
care,*- it is difficult to avoid giving of
fense to iono or the other party. To
such unavoidable causes of oftonso,
due to the performance of national
duty; there must not be addled any
avoidable causes. It is always unfor
tunate .to bring Old World antipathies
and jealousies into our life or by
speech or conduct to excite anger and
resentmont toward our nation in
friendly foreign lauds; but in a gov
ernment employe wIioho official posi
tion makes him in some sense the
representative of the people, the mis
chief of such action is greatly In
creased. A strong and self-confldont
nation should be particularly careful
not only of tho rights, but of the sus
ceptibilities of its neighbors, and now- 1
adays all tho nations of the world
are neighbors, one to tho other.
"All officials of tho government, )
civil, military or naval, are ew>ecte<T
to carry themselves, both in act and
in deed, as to give no cause of just
offense to the people of any foreign
laud and friendly power ? and with
all mankind we are no win friend
ship."
A Heavy dale.
Han Francisco, Special.? The worst
rain and wind storm in 13 years swept
over th's city and along the Pacific
coast Thui?day doing much damage to
shipping, railroads and frame buildings
through the State. The storm extended
from San Dlcgo to Vancouver Island,
and It is feared that many marlno dis
asters have occurerd along the wast.
Telegraph and telephone wires wero
prostrated In every direction and for
several hours this city wna entirely cut
off from the outside world. A passen
ger train at the Alameda-Mulu, uitfikJiT
Ihe bay from this city, was blown from
the track, bo "fierce wau the gale there.
The steeple of St Paul's church, one
Of the handsomest In thlB city, was
snapped off and many bulldihgs under
construction were badly damaged. A
seven-story brick building, almost com
pleted pt the corner of Bush and Polk
streets, was hopelessly wrecked.
Four n??* Burned.
Harrisburg. Pa.. Special.? Four un
identified men wero burned to death
in a box car containing gasolene, which
caught fire at Branch Inter-section, ten
miles east of this city. Two others, ]
George Klinger, of Harrlaburg, aud W. ;
C. Lorter, of Lew^own, barely escaped
with their lives! their bodies and
clothes being badly burned. The men
were employed on the Pennsylvania
Railroad improvement at Rnola and
were being sent to Bainbridge to clear
the Ice from the tracks. One of the
cars contained five barrels of gasolene.
One of the men struck a match to light
hi* pipe while near one of the gaaoiene
barrels. A spark must have landed on
the barrel for In an instant the in
terior of the car was a fiery furnace.
There waa a scramble to get out, but
four men were trampled upon by the
others and their bodies wero afterward J
found burned to a crisp.
Poisoned By Rough on Rats.
Dothan, Ala., Special. ? Mr. J. A. Pe
tcrroan. his wife and three children,
and Mrs. Angus Klrkland and her
baby, were poisoned Thursday morning
by eating biscuits which were made
fiom floor in which Rough -on -Rats
had been put by a email child of Mr.
Peterman. Prompt medical attention
was procured and they are now out of
danger. ^
Sharpley Sentenced.
Washington, Special. ? First Lleutfn
Jfltt Hharpley, og the Twetfttt ca valry,
having been tried by a general court
martial at Manila and found guilty of
serious charges affecting hts moral
character, baa been sentenced to dls
mlr*al from the army. The papers have
been prepared in the War Department
for transmission to the President.
Pound f>ead.
Alexandria, Special? Frank Summers,
a blacksmith, waa found dead baaide
b?e ipother*s grave at Union Cemetery.
Hit face and a portion of hii neck bad
bean badly mutilated by large doge,
wbleh watt attacking the body when It
VII discovered. Suicide it suspected.
4wWa awd flte ililldim tui?lvrktm.
Senator Tillman Better.
Washington, Special.? Senator TO*
man's condition 'Continues favorable
and ka la faatlng "easy. The operation
on the tonlu which resulted In remov
ing the pue from the abscess bee re
Moved knn a great deal and k* now
,tmkm noarlahasent store freely. Tke
tunpemtwrfrle alsu%aU*fActory. tfeooe
attending kla aay they now see no
eanaa lor a?pniu?stoa.ft the Improve^
toent oontlnaea ae at preeent tke fawilp
kope tke Senetor aaay take kin project
?dtt*So?tk!an??wd*A
~\.v ?
MERCER IS ILLEGAL
Decision of Security Case Handed
Pown By Supreme Court,
CLOSE SHAVE FOR GOVERNMENT
flonopoly in Restraint of Trade and
In Violation of the 5h?rman Anti
trust Act,
Washington Speolnl ? In the United
States Supreme Court an opinion wuh
delivered in the merger case of tho
Northern Securities Company vs. I ho
United States in f<vvor of the govern
ment's contention that the merger
was illegal. The opinion of the court
was handed down by Justice liar lan
and It upheld the decree of the Cir
cuit Court for t tio district of Minneso
ta In every particular. .1 Four of tho
justices dissented from the Ave con
stituting tho majority.
Tho division in the Court was duo
to a difference of opinloh as to the
right, of Federal control of State cor
porations. The majority opinion pro
ceeded on tho thoory that Congress
rea,d his opinion from a printed copy,
control Inter state commerce, no mat
ter by whom conducted,; while the
minority or dissenting opinion was
based on tho theory that in tho pres
ent caso tho effort is to regulate the
ownership .. of railroad stocks by the
State corporations, and that such
ownership Is uot Inter state traill-. .
An effort was mado by tho court to
prevent knowledge of the fact that
the oplnlojf *Svas to be rendered today
from getting to the public, but nover
j thcless It was quite generally under
stood among newspaper men. attorn
eyff~aT?<J others for an hour or so be
fore the* convening of court today
that the decision would be announced.
When, therefore, tho members of the
cour^ filed Into the chamber at noon
they were met by nn expectant crowd
which filled every seat, both Inside
and outside. Seated among the at
torneys were Attorney General Knox
and Secretary Taft and ..an unusual
number of Senators and mombers of
the Houso of Representatives. There
was no surprise manifested when,
promptly on tho assembling of tho
court, Justice Harlar began the de
livery of the opinion. The fact that
ho had been selected for once led
A S
most people to conclude that tho de
cision would up hold the Sherman an
tl-trust law and u uataln tha canton
tlons of the government. The justice
had a right under the constitution to
wheh covered thirty pages and con
sumed almut an hour aild a quarter
In its delivery.
Charged Wfsh Bu nlng T wit.
Macon, Ga., Special.? An Amerllus
special to The Telegraph aaye Judge
LiUlejohn has ordered the . Amcrlcus
Light Infantry to proceed Immediately
tu Preston, Wcbyter county, to protect
two white men, Henry Morgan .and
Sidney Harrell, from lynching at the
hands of infuriated citizens. Morgan
was arreated Sunday, charged with
burning the town of Pieaton, Sunday.
It is sa?3 ho has confessed the crime,
and has implicated Harrell, his cousin,
who, he bays, employed him to set fire
to the stores, the loss amounting to
$30,000. At, 0 o'clock the Infantry was
on its way. The military company
made the run from Amcricua to Prea
ton, 25 miles, In 20 minutes, found the
fown calm, secured the prisoners and
brought them to Arr.erlcus for safe
keeping.
Cannot Attend.
Washington, Special.? Hugh Gordon
Miller. United States district Attorney
for Virginia, presented to the Presi
dent the? resolutions adopted by the
recent State convention of the Repub
licans of Virginia, Inviting him to at
tend, on May 1$, the celebration of
the two hundred aM ninety-seventh
anniversary of the first permanent set
tlement of Hngllsh-spcaking people on
American soli,- which oeeunred on the
J any* liver In 1607. The President ex
pressed regret that ho probably would
&! unable to attend the eerehjonlea^ "
Situation Unchanged.
St Peteraburg, By Cable. ? There la
no truth In the rumors that the Rus
sians have abandoned Forth. Arthur,
j Admiral Abaza, secretary of the Com
relation oa Far Eastern Affairs, au
? thorlzea the Asaoclated^ Press to deny
the story- He says the situation at
Port Arthur to uncban^ad" tad that
nothing. o( Importance has occurred
there In the laet twenty-four hours.
Report Metros.
Tokio, By Cable.? Viceroy AlexieflTa
report stating a Japanese torpedo de
stroyer wan aunk and the erulaer Tek
aengo heavily damaged by the shell
fire of the Rwaalana during the tourth
attack on Port Arthnr, is officially pro
nounced- untrue. The flssn?ed Japan
ese torpedo boat deatroyer caa he im
paired la one week, aad It will not he
eeceesary to dock thehi.
- . ~ j ?. " - .71 "
LIVE ITEMS OF NEWS.
Many M*ttcr? of (ltn?ril Inltrtii In
Short Paragraphs.
Uuwit in Dixie.
North Carolina has decided to estab
liKti another Sail-test farm.
Mark Dunn, murderer of Alfred Fen
ton, of Rushvillc, Mo., was hanged at
! St. Joseph, Mo.
It is stated Senator it. It. Tillman la
not recovering a? rapidly as whh ex
pected from an operation on his throat.
Mrs. 10 v a Ahernathy, formerly of Pet
ersburg, Va.. Ik Insane In New York, as
a result. It is stated, of the birth of
13 children before she waa 26 yuara old.
Qovernor Montague appointed MaJ. !
Robert \v. Hunter an Secretary of
tho Virginia Military Records..
Baltimore, Special.? The. physicians
lu attendance upon Former Governor
Rupaell, of North Carolina, who Is a
patient at John Hopkins, report Mon?
day night that Mr. Russell Is in an Itn
pvoved condition. ??
At The National Capital.
Secretary of War Taft, who went to
New York to interest financiers iu
Philippine projects, gaya the financiers
did not "bite very well."'
Attorney Crltehlow told the Senate
committee that, ltecd "Smoot anuounced
lii? candidacy for the Sonnte against
the wishes of the Mormon Church fttt*
thorities.
A number of women representing dif
ferent organizations adopted resolu
tions reqnestl^jt a general petitioning,
of Senators to 'vote against the reten
tion of Senator Smoot in the Senate.
The House committee on railways
and canals heard argument in favor of
the projected Chesapeake and Dela
ware Canal, but no action was taken.
The House passed a resolution to ap-*
point a committee before whom mem
bers of the Houso might testify and for
an investigation of the Brlstow re
port.
In executive session the Senate dis
cussed the nomination of H. Smith
Wood ley to bo Assayer at Boise, Idaho,
and of Gen. Leonard Wood to be a ma
jor-general. ?
A special 8enate committee began
the Investigation asked by Senator C.
M. Dietrich Into charges upon which
be recently was tried and aciquUted,
Admiral Walker told the House Com
mittee on Interstate and Forelgn''Com
merce that unless drinking saloons be
provided it will be impossible to ob
tain laborers on tho Panama canal.'
Almoxt the entlro day In the Senate
was devoted to tho consideration of
the army appropriation bill.
The Houso passod 32 claim bills'
and granted American register to the
ship Beaumont after considerable de
bate. - - - f
Before a subcommittee of tho
House Judge CharloB 8 wayne, who is
uurlnr impeachment proceedings, de
clared he was a resident of the Flor
ida Jtrtfleial district "y?" ll"
-presided.
The Senate committee oh appropri
ations has added $506, 000 to the forti
fications bill, making the total $7,687,
t02. "*"
At The North.
Tbo Pennsylvania Railroad Company
appropriated $20,500,000 {or Improve
ments. > ?
A mob attempted^?) complcto the
negro section of KprinKflwld, III., which
wiih almost destroyed by a mob.
Heavy storms have caused a groat,
deal of dftmago In Caliafomla and.
Utah. ?
Mr. William M, Canby. president of
the Wilmington (Del.) Savings .Fund
and a noted botanist, died at Augusta,
Ga. \
The headless body of a woman and
th ebody of it man were found In tbe
Delaware bay. Neither ha* been Iden
tified. t+.
-
Frofo Across The Sea,
Bishop Hartzoll, of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, who arrived from
South Africa, Bays the great need oif
that country is laborers.
Russian torpedo boata attacked the
Japanese ships at Port Arthur, and one
Japanese and one Russian torpedo boat
were aunk.
Twenty persons were sent to prison
for the massacre of the Jews at Kis
cheneff.
Crechs attempted to have an en
tire play of TIauptmann's read In the
Austrian Relchrath.
?Late cable dispatches Indicate that
the Russians have successfully blocked
tbe harbor of Port Arthur.
MI?e?Htnrou> llltltrL
It Is believed no service pension jaw
will he enacted this session.
Col. WtlHnm F. COdy (Buffalo Bill)
has entered suit for a divorce, allegin
that his^ifo- tried to potron him".
? A coroner's Jury foun dthat Abraham
Newman^ a rich diamond aealer, who
was found dead In hln office, L'CO Bow
etV, had been poisoned.
Lieut. Carl Beseke, of tho German
army, his fortnne gone, gave a circus
paity, then poisoned his wife, daugh
ter two sons and himself.
Apostle Francis M. Lyman under
went a severe cross-examination by
Senator Hoar at the 8moot Inquiry.
Tt la stated within five weeks %11 legal
details will be arranged for th* begin
ning of work on the Panama (Anal.
Secretary Taft declares Sixto Lopes
cannot tetnrn to the Philippine* nnder
any pretext until be takes the oath of
allegiance. ' , % , <*? ?
Justice Clabangh. of the District of
Colombia fripreme Oowrt, la hearing
proceedings ki the suit of Pension At*
tornoy Henry T>. Phillips, against ex
Comntlssloner Bvsns, for $100,000 dam
ages. - ? ? v-vV.V
Further details of tho Hbu?* com
mittee's investigation Into postojfc^
tHTatrv were made pUbUc.
John Kennedy, the train wrecker,'
who was ioWe horn hanged Friday,
escaped from BUttsUm jafL > ?
The Methodist Kptsoopat Confer
ence sseeU at Alexandria next Thnrs
PALMETTO POINTS
GIVEN IN BRIEF!
T
Death of Con|reiim?n Croft.
A Washington special to The Colum
bia Btntn of Friday says:
Shortly after 7 o'clock Thursday
morning (leorge William Oroft, repre
sentative In CongreHH from the second
South Carolina district, died at his real
donee, No. 2, Sixth Htreet, N. K., from
blood poisoning. Tho body wan tuk^ii
South on tho t? : 50 train, accompanjed
by members of his family and a con
gressional delegation. The hour for
the funeral will be get after the ar
rival of the train at Alkon.
Physical exhaustion was tho Immedi
ate cause of Col. Croft's death, but this
was tho result of the blood poisoning,
fi'om which ho ha# been suffering for
some tlmo and which was brought on
by a small splinter in his thumb.
Up to Wednesday It was thought that
Col. Croft would recover. lint early
Wednesday morning hope was aban
doned and his sonH, Theodore (jioft, of
Aiken, and Randall Croft, /Of Provi
dence, II. I., were tolegrapUcd for and
jirrlved several hours after the death
of their fathof. Col. Croft was seized
with sharp pains in his thumb about 8
weeks ago. His niece, Miss Florida
Croft, who Is a trained nuTse, extracted
tbo splinter, administered a hot witch
hazel application ?nd for some time
afterward the pain was eased and. Col.
Croft was tybout the capltol as ?i?ual.
A week later, however, the pains re
curred, the thumb began to Hwell and
Dr, Fred Thompson, of this city, was
called In. Meantime Col. Ci'ofl's
brother, Dr. F. W. Croft, of Aiken, was
sent for and upon his arrival a consul
tation botween n?mself, Dr. Thompson
and Dr. I* L. Freedrlch was held. The
swelling wan declared to be due to
palmed abscess and an operation was
at once decided on. The doctors made
an incision extending to the elbow lu
the hope of affording the patient re
lief. But instead a second abscess
formed on tho finger and shortly after
ward blood poisoning set In.
At his bedaido when death Cftiiift
were Col. Croft's brother, Dr. Croft, hi*,
niece, wl\?> has nursed him devotedly
from the very outset of his llluess, and
his cousins, MIkk?s Mary and Matilda
Croft, of this city.
Tho death of Col. Croft has proved
a.Hever shock to the Southern colony
here with whom he had become well
acquainted already, although serving
his first term lu Cdhgre?s. There were
scores of his confreres from the house
and of friends who called to offer tholi
condolenco. Many l>eautifut flowera
wore carried South on tho funeral train
the sympathetic expression of frlendi
here.
Congressman fftQrar Wmiartt ? Ctofl
was born in Newberry county, Decern*
ber 20th, 1846. Hia early education wm
at the common schools Jn Greenville ;
In 1863 he entered the South Carolina
Military Academy eft Columbia.
r Mr. Croft enlisted .wifth the cadeta ol
the acad?cpy and continued to aerve un
til the close of the war. 11^1860 una
1867 Mr. Croft attended the Univer
sity of Virginia, and subsequently
studied law under Governor R. F. Per
ry, at Greanvlllte, and- was admitted U3
the bar in 1869; and In 1870 he located
at Aiken, where ho haa continuously
practiced hia profession.
Mr. Croft has been prominently iden
tified with Aiken county ever since it
became ? county in 1872. He has been
a member of the South Carolina Sen*
ate. and served two terms in the House
of Representatives. He was also twic?
elected president of the South Carolino
State Bar Associations.
4 ,Mr. Croft was elected to the Fifty
eighth Congress from the second dis- .
trict in 19M, receiving 5,184 rotes,
against 247 for W. 8. Dixon, Republi
can.
Mr. Croft was married to Miss Flor
ence Ethel McMahan, of Alabama,
^Aprll 17, 1873. His wife and six son^,
survive him. ITIb sons are: Theodora
O. Croft, his law partner; W. McMahon
| Croft, Randall B. Croft, now in Provi
denco, R. I.; Laurie and Edward Croft,
students of South Carolina College, and
Munon CrofL
Palmetto Items.
Mr. T. A. Cl?rk, who lives near
Florence, lo?t hi* dwelling hou?er>and
barn by Are Saturday. The ' fire
?caught between the roof and the cell
ing and aa Mr. Clark was not at home
had got too much headway to be stop
ped when Mrs. Clark had summoned
help. The total lota on the dwelling
waa $1,500. covered by about fSOO In
aurance. About onc-tWrd of the house*
bold good a were saved
At a gae$tln*r of the-board xxt dUec~
tors of the Chtquolil Manufacturing
Company, of Honea Path, held In tbehr
(Aire there Monday, It was decided to
submit the question of increasing their
plant from 15,000 to 40.000 spindles to
a meeting of the stockholders to be
held on the 12th of April, Thure is no
doiibt that the suggestion will be adopt*
ed by the stockholders. Already more,
than 16 per oewt, of the money asked
for baa been subscribed. The Chlquola
Mill waa built In 1908 and hat made
money from the beginning.
Charlie Lomax. a colored employe of
the Pfofcena oil Mill, became entangled
la the machinery at the mill Monday'
afternoon and received Intarlea from
wbteb bo died oarly not morning. He
waa a worthy negro. His home waa
In Oreenvllle.
The extensive and cftdatderablo Uek
of Vebulldlng the tbre^bllftona, whose
splendid mill properties were swept
away by the wafer* of the raging Faco?
let last Jane, U about concluded. For
KILLED FIVE MEN
Startling Confession of One o? Jbl
Famous Train Robbers
THE MYSTERY fS CLEARED Ufw
The Car Barn Rstullt Clears Up till
Mystery of the Chicago & North
western Express Robbery Font
Yearn Ago.
Chicago, Speclal.?Guatave Marx, one
of the three car barn bandits 7UOW _
under sentence of death, declared in a
confession made Sunday that he was
(?no of tho three men who held up the
Chicago & Northwestern Kxpress train
at Tower "W," near DeKalb, four years
ago. The crime, which bus paused into
hlbtory as one of the most desperate
over committed in or about Chicago,
has never been fastened upon any olio
?f the many suspects arrested, and the
identity of the bandits; has remained, a
mystery to the police until now.
Marx aays both his confederates in
the crime are dead, and refusos to gtve
their names. One of thm, he declares, '
"died with hi* boots on." The railway
authorities admitted a loan of $100,000
b> the robl>ery. Marx said Iho robbers
scoured only $8,000, the rest the-"
JXUMey .having been destroyed by the
explosion of dynamite used to cyadK*
the safe.
In u sort of footnote to this startling
^onfeHHion, Marx admits the killing of
flvVi men in his career of crime,
"Resides John B. Johnson, killed at
the car barns; Detectlce Quinn, killed
at the time of my arrest, and Otfa
Huupre, whom Roeskl la generally sup
posed to have killed, I have killed two
other men," said Marx*. "Bight years
ago Neldermier and I want to Jftnes
vllln M!ss? to rob a train, and bid our
dynamite alongside the track. A track
walker or railroad detective ? I . have
never learned which?came upon ua
and asked us what we were doing
there. I shot blm, and we threw his
body' into the Hock river. The other
man whom I killed I had done criminal
v-ork with In Michigan. I mat him "at
Camp Qoldfleld, Col., When Nelder-^
niier ftttill?.were-4bere last tali; ftCi
Toiew too much about me, and I killed
him and left, his body lying In the
suburbs of the camp. Both these crimes
can be verified' $>y the pollae."
Letter From President.
Norfolk, Spocial.? President Roose
vctt sent the following letter to Secre
tin y'Hheperd, of the Jamestown Expo
sition Company, endorsing the tercen
tenntai to be hetd In 1907, as demand
ing the united eHortOfthewhule HI"
tion in commemorating the real birtfe
of the nation:
''White House, Washington, D. C.
March 9, 1904.
"My Dear Sir: 1 trust I needi hard
-ly soy ?e you how apt I lugaid ill# '
proposed (tercentennial celebration to
be held on the borders of Hampton
Roads in 1907. This tercentennial will
mark an epoch in the history of onr.
country. The first permanent settlement .
of ftngllah-epeaking people of Ameri
can soil at Jamestown in 1007, marks
the b^glniMng of the history of tbe<
United States. The 800th anniversary of
that event must be celebrated by the
people. of our Union as a. whole,
'? with beat wishes, believe he,
Sincerely yours,
: "THSOBORB ROOSBVBT.T.m
General Fitahug Lee, president of the
Exposition Company, will probably
take charge of the headquarter* to be
opened in Washington to work tor a
national appropriation. ;
AlexUff's Report i
Viceroy Alex left has sent the follow
ing message to the Emperor:
"In the fight between our torpedo
boata and the Japanese crulaere on '
March 10, Captain Matteuaaevltch, En
sign Alexandre?, and Mechanical* Engi
neer Blinlff, received alight wound*,
and Ensign Zaelff wa a eeverely wound
ed In the head, losing an eye.
"The commandant at Port Arthur re^
porta the following details of the bom
Ltrdment of ?the- fortrea*"t1l8ffe 06
March 10: A?sooii aa the enemy open
ed (ire our batterlea replied. Six of the -
enemy's ships, remained behind tha
Mao Tiahin promontory and opened fire
oii the fortresa over that shelter. The*
ceased bombardment at 1:15 p. m. Tfe* ,
enemy fired about 200 projectiles. One
shell from the battery No. IS, on Elec
tric Cliff, damaged a Japan oatJ cruiser
seriously; ;
"The results ot*. the bombardment
were significant. Six soldier* "were
wounded. Three InhabHarie of the
town wounded. "
"According to General ,8toessKs re
port the offteerr and soldiers In the
Shore batteries displayed exemplary
courage and *red tbel* gwn# in perfect
order.'' - .
Senator Tillman Better.
>Wa?hlngton, Special? 8enator TIU
n>an, who .for-a-w*o? hae hadaertopy
trouble with hie throat, is rei>orted to
? 1 ><- very much Improved and the confi
dent expectation Is expreeaed that ha
->(il be able to leave the city for the
Honth during tho present week for a
jierlod of recuperation . The Improve-'
r.ent is due tQ the relief experienced
from the lanelag of another- aboeaa.
The Senator aweftowa readily 1
is able to'
This moratu tl
nreme pain. 1U
*han anyhe ba*^
throat aOeetkm ft
But 6atturda?**opar*iJc*
vain.
C. Tate, of
F'Wgiift V j
1 "'"""wsF 1
m miMKImTim
Hi<m ' 1 1 *