The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, July 22, 1927, Image 1
i The Camden chronici-.f.
LuME XXXIX. ' ? ? r
CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY. JULY 25 i?97 ' - 11 ^ c'
* NUMBER 17.
[prohibition vviolatouh.
** r"
of (h? New Governor's Conntifril?ry
Reviewed by Correspondent
((By John K. Aull)
olumbia, July. 18.?Governor
bards walked into his office short-1
ifter 9 o'clock in the morning and
ad wailing for him there, among
ood many others, two members
hia State constabulary, who had.
returned from smashing a few
a and destroying some hundreds
gallons of liquor apd mush and
le some more arrests, and who had
ady given the details of their
vitie* to (Secretary Strieklin.
lie details are submitted to writat
the end of each month and
m the files. The Governor called
two officers into his private of,
where they also reported to him,
where he gave them further inictions.
In fifteen minutes or less
j were out again and headed noy
knew where except the Governor
his Secretary. An every-day oc'ence.
ot many days ago, following a
I in Horry county, one of them did
return. His remains were
jght back his comrades and
f rest today In a cemetery near=
old home in Saluda County. His
rer met a similar fate and his
fer's brother is awaiting trial,
"he number of these States consta*has
averaged between eight and
St. The total - appropriation for
Wsalaries Is $26,000, and none of
in may be paid more than $175 per
th. They are allpwed $16,875 for
eling expenses.
hen the constables had departed
?rnor Richards was asked the
t-blank question if he thought
ior conditions" or condition? jnflk
ect to (ihe illicit manufacture #wT
fie in liquor in South JvgrolWljt
getting better or worsC/rlflfiMBw j
e .said he could not tell
-red to the work whi
alary was doing, as *h#wn by
figures, but he was not' in
to say what the back^gib Yfii.
.her stills were going up to ree
- those destroyed-in short,
t,her, with all the woijk that is
g done in the enforcement of the
and the breaking up of stills and
arrests that are being made, the
ber of stills was getting less or
ving greater. Certain it is that
Governor is bringing every power
lis office, with all the means at
command, to an enforcement of
Law.
le figures for four months' work
he State officers and five months1^
k of the Federal officers will
some idfea of the proportions of
illicit industry .in this State. These
ires show only the stills and liqu- j
.destroyed, but they give an in-j
ition of how great a number of i
Is there must be in the State and
4e size of the liquor traffic that
ping on.
from the first day of February to
last day of Mayjthe State conbulary
destroyed 264 stills; 187,700
Ions of mash^ 3,365 gallons of
skey, confiscated 20 automobiles,
de 587 arrests a.nd conducted 398
estigatione.
from the first day of January
il the last day of May the Federal
icers operating in the State report171
stills destroyed; 4,768 gallons
spirits destroyed; 29,307 gallons
It liquor destroyed; 200 gallons of
ne brew destroyed;14i,112 gallons
mash destijoywl;? 26 automobiles
ted, and '169 prosecutions fp th#
feral court recommended.
)f course, in some instances, where
feral and State officers have worktogether,
there'may be some overiping.
But Vh^p ^ fis takem into
uideration thatthege figures aimr
give the num^er,p^jrtil?s and gafe
a of Hquor, etc., destroyed, and
not include the work Of local ofsri,
and thattfcereis and can be
' record of the illicit operations
fch have escaped the officers, qx
'those taking the place of the ones
*ed by thet officers, a startling
is told, whioh. will probably be
Relation to many good and indifcitizens?and
maybe to the
Wleggera themselves.
Nobody who knows conditions as
*7 are in South Carolina really bethere
is As much drinking no*
1 tfcere was in pre-prohlbition days
al ** tim?oroM on and prohibitior
?>ains, even the sincerest advocat*
Prohibition, who look below tin
lrftce and learn the facta, are be
'nning to wonder. If, with the sent!
*** ?f the people aa R is?becaas<
****** number of bootleggeri
7* ** thrive 4n the face of pub
*nliment-*<*daft growls
better or worse.
There is a fair test in South Carolina
now. Governor Richards means
business. - He is trying to stamp out
liquor. T^ere 'are no half-way or
half-hearted measures with him.
There* is no compromise. It is a
battle to the finish. What he can
and will be all that humanly
cafi be done with the means and the
Sm at his command?remains to
^R?eu. He needs the whole-heartC'Q-operation
of alls the local of{icials
to accomplish very much. He 1
P.. getting the whole-hearted co-operation
of some of these officials. In
kAbbygUn.nties of others conditions are
bad. *
The price at which it is sold is an
index to the plentifulness of liquor.
In Columbia it is fifty cents a half
pint:,It may be purchased in quantity
at six dollars per gallon or less. In
some of the counties the price is
much higher?but it can be had.
(Let it be understood that these
facts and figures are given on infoTmation
and belief. Personal testimony
is not being offered, nor will
the names of any informants be divulged
to anybody anywhere. But
from the source of the information,
it may be taken as pretty close to
being correct).
; >. Formerly there were two?or, at
most, three?cldsSes of liquor dealers
in South Carolina. There"* was the
manufacturer at the still, who was
also the wholesaler, and the retailer,
who went to the stil for his liquor.
The third class spoken of, which did
not exist in large numbers formerly,
was the wholesaler who purchased at
the still, and sold to the retail trade.
There were and are very few of these
wholesalers. Now, however, there is
another distinct class. The manufacturers
have about stopped delivering
their stuff to the retailed and the J
retailers have about stopped going to
the still for it; There are "runners"
who. get so much per gallon to carry
1t from the still and deliver it to the
retailer. The "runners" furnish
their own cars and take tlheir own
risk. They change their routes?that
if a "runner" will operate - between
Horry county and Columbia or the
up-country, or hetween some other
county, or maybe Georgia, and Columbia,
and the up-cOuntry, one trip, and
then change his baae of operations
entlrel y. ~ $Jeit time there will be
. another "runner" and another car.
The bfficers can't stop and search
i they see. 'As it is, nothing has done
. more to hurt the enforcement of
' prohibition than the stopping of cars
' of innocent persons by officers. And
:: bow ate they to knowf don't
> and can't.
A few of the counties are pretty
M dry. lit. those counties -those who
have the mone^ can Jtftve the liquor
t delivered to tbem in quantity .by
? some one in the business somewhere
' else. It costs mora this way than
. it does in othbr counties.
) All of the liquor is mean. and some
i is meaner. \n common parb
lance, it is rotgut in Columbia re
cently several cars have been captured
- with several hundred quarts of "real'
* liquor, as it is known, or "bottled it
r bond.? It is usually on its way. fron
- coast' of this or some eftfeer- 8t*ti
r on up North. It has adt bath state*
'
by those arrested them whether or no
they had any clients on the way
It is safe n say, however, that -li
quor cannot be judged every time?
or most of the time?by its labels
In the meantime, the Governor 1
i' waving a valiant fight, and m man;
of the cowrttea there is a real an
earnest effort by local officer-act
I stamp out the traffic. It will b
' stamped out when a majo Ky of tfc
I, godd people of the State want j
I -stamped out to the extent *.hai the
I ean't get a little Illicit liquor eve
! for "sickness"?and not before. v~ -
BETH UN E NEWS NOTESHappenings
of Interest as Told U)
^Our Regular Correspondent
Bethune, S. C., July iy.?The grand
son of Mr. Hoy Copcland, who resides
just below town, was buried on last
Friday afternoon at Pleasant Hill
church. The lad who was about 14
years old lived with hi? parents io
Bishopville and on Thursday afternoon
while at the swimming pool in
that town was instantly killed by a
bolt of lightning. The funeral services
were conducted by their pastor,
in Bishopville and the body was
broQght to Plea'sant Hill for interment.
Great sympathy for the family
was expressed by the quantity of
lovely flowers which covered the
grave.
Mrs. E. J. Truesdell and Miss Stella
Bethune have been attending a conference
of the Presbyterian Auxiliaries
in Montreat,' N. C.
Mrs. Lawrence A. McDowell and
children, of Tampa, Fla., arrived early
Sunday morning to spend some time
with Mrs. McDowell's parents, Mr.
and Mrs. W. A. McDowell.
Mrs. Rogers and infant from Norlina,
N. C., came Iffst week to join
Mr. Rogers, who is working with the
Carolina Light and Power Company
which is now installing a new lighting
system in Bethune.
Miss Frances Pennington, of Hartsville,
is the guest of Miss Edith Clyburn
this week.
Mr, and Mrs. Hugh Oliver have
gone to Baltimore to purchase their
stock of fall goods.
Mrs. M. O. Ward is visiting relatives
at Ward, S. C._ "
the grkbnvillk m yhtkry
. ?
Pinker ton Detective luve?U|caU?
Check* Forged on Willi*
Relief that the checks forged on
Sheriff Sam I). Willis on June 11,
the day he was killed, may have bsflg
done by someone who know tftet
the officer was to be kilted seemed'
a possibility.
D, M. Harrelaon, representative of
th? Pinkerton detective agency, with
headquarters in Atlanta, is following
closely the clues furnished him
by
merchants who cashed the forged i
checks. He has interviewed several
who saw this strange person, but1
so far as is known he has reached
110 conclusion as to who is responsible
for the death of Sheriff WillU.
Harrelson has been in Greenville
about two weeks, but does not knodr
who is responsible for his being tent
here. He says he was ordered here
by the detective agency for whifji he
works, but has no information afe to
who is paying the fee. All his fiWi
ings, likewise, are sent to Atlanta,
not being divulged here. Hhj-relson
has closely questioned the merchants
and others who saw the person
who presented the checks alleged
to lywe been fotged on Willis. The
forger, a Greenville merchant stated
today, appeared at his Btore and after
passing the checks remarked that i)e
had assisted in cutting several stUAs
that day. He then told the boys in
the store if they would come down
to a certain hotel that free drinks
would be provided. All declined, saying
they didn't care to indulge in any
"moonshine." Nothing more was
thought of the ir^ident until it was
found the checks were forged. The
person presenting the checks was described
as being rather heavy, possibly
weighing 175 pounds, not very
tall and wearing a cap.
W. W. Rogers, state detective was
sent here by Governor Richards shortly
after the killing while Sam Henry,
Spartanburg detective, also investigated
the killing. The report that
the United State government had sent
two detectives here to investigate the
killing in the belief that whiskey run-ners
were responsible for it, was not
substantiated this morning. Percy
M. Caudle, federal prohibition director,
said he had heard nothing of any
such persons being sent here.
James H. Price, of counsel for
Mrs. Ethel Gray Willis and Hen y
Townsend, who are charged with
the death of Sheriff Willis, said he
knew nothing oif Harrelson's visit
here.
"I understand he confers witn
the state," Mr. Price said, "but it
is significant that he has not made
his appearance known to the defense.
I do not know who employed this
detective, but it would seem since
he co-operates with the state that
some one affiliated with the prosecution
must at least know something
about his being here."?Greenville
. Piedmont.
Pearman To Head Prison
Columbia, July 16.?A. Malcolm
Scarborough for four -years superintendent
of South Carolina's
penitentiary, resigned yesterday as
head of> the state prison and will be
succeeded August 1 as superintendent
by James N. Pearman of Anderson,
former member of the general
assembly, former member of the state
railroad commission, now a member
of the governor's state constabulary.
* < .-rev;, ?,vi v,. *.
Steinway Piano Man Dead
New Yorir/'Joly 18.?Frederick 'T.
Steinway, president ofrSteinway and
Sons, piano manufacturers, who died
yesterday at his summer home ir
Maine was one of the leading American
patrons of the musical arte.
Born ' in this city 66 years ago
Mr. Steinway was the grandson oi
Charles G. Steinway, one of four
brothers who came to this country
from Germany and founded the pi'
ano business which bears their name
Miss Lucy Kfrldand has returnee
from a visit to hsft sister-in-law, Mrs
t. .J. Kirkland, Jr, in Columbia.
george khame passes
Camden I,osvm Substantial and Useful
Citizen in Death of Good Man
Camden and the surrounding county
and those who live in nearby coun (
tie* were saddened Saturduy morning !
when it was known that George A.
Rha me had died, after a short illness, j
caused from a paralytic stroke of his
left side. Last year about the same
t)jne Mr. Khame suffered a heart attack
and remained in ap extremely
critical condition for weeks. He rallied
however, and had gone back to
Ida accustomed place in his firm and >
?ttd apparently almost fully recover-!
ed, and his sudden death came as a
his friends. I
George Ashby Rhame was born in
Camden on September 24, 1881, the
son of the late Mr. and Mrs. George
I Sinclair Rhame, and received his early
| education in the Camden schools, and
| went to work as a salesman in youth,
[in the store of Springs and Shannon,
of this city. He proved himself an
| apt salesman, and his genial personality,
coupled with his strict attention
[to business and his progressive spirit
soon made him popular and he cameinto
possession of a host of friends
who stuck to him through life. After
serving a long while as salesman, he
learned the bookkeeping business in
the office of the store under a former
; bookkeeper and at the resignation of
|the regular bookkeeper he served in
^that capacity until September 1911,
^"hen he and his two brothers formed J
I the partnership of Rhame Brothers?^
| George Rhame being the guiding
I hand in a large mercantile business]
! whose patronage not only covered (
.Kershaw county but extended into
.neighboring counties. The firm grew j
fiom the beginning and has made
' good to a remarkable degree.
Not only did he serve his own business
and his associates well, but he t
, found time to take an active part in
the affairs of his church and city
government. He served several
termB as alderman in the city council,
from Ward Four, and was also an
^officer in the Methodist church and
an officer at one time in the Sunday [
school. Those in need always found ]
in him a friend and he did a lot of;
charity work that only his intimate
friends knew about.
Long since recognizing his good
business ability he was made a director
in the Bank of Camden, one of the
foremost banking institutions in the
county, and in this capacity he served
long and well. He was a member of
the Masonic fraternity and a Shriner,
and took an active part in all things
relating to the welfare of his town
and county.
Mr. Rhame always took a lively interest
in sports and athletics of all
' kinds. He was one of the first members
of the did horse-drawn volunteer
fire department, and took part in
many of the fire tournaments held
in those earlier days. He was a member
of the championship team that
won the state championship in Newberry.
( On April 16, 1908, he was happily
. married to Miss Zoe Hall, of Sumter,
and the following children came to
[bless thaf. union: George Ashby, Jr.,
j William,' John Murr, Joseph Burns
and Betty Zoe, the last named being
only ten months of age?too, young to
remember her "Daddy." George; Jr.,
is a lad of fourteen years. Besides
his widow he is survived by The following*
devoted sisters and brothers:
Miss Zuleme Rhame and Mts. C. M.
Coleman of Camden 'and Mrs. J. C.
1 Peer? oif Orangeburg; and Messrs.
| John E. Rhamrj and Boykin iy.
Rhame, his associates in business.
' I The funfcral was held from the
i Camden Methodist church . Sunday
morning at 11 o'clock conducted by
J'his pastor, the Rev. J. T, Peeler, twi
I the burial was at the Camden ceme
Boykin Rhame, Jr., Wifltei
j Rhame, George Coleman, . Clarksor
j Rhame, , Marvin M. Reasonover anc
'; Robert Brown of Sumter acted ai
I pallbearers, while the honorary pall
j bearers were members of the clt;
council, members of the police de
partmcnt, employees of the Bank o
t Camden and an escort of * tweWi
, Knights Templars. The funertf wa
- one of the most largely attended eve
I seen In Camden, a good many coloreL
friends turning out to?pay their las
H tribute to a man who had been goo
y to them/ At the cemetery the grav
$ .was banked high with the season'
0 choicest floral wreaths sent by admii
e :-ng friends who were deeply g.ieve
1 at h t up?ttu e in the prime of lif<
lt:. .. _ '
y Miss Francis -Btssle is at Hon
n again a delightful visit to Chart*
^ V , - y t r.. . j - - ^
-raggs????_
MINK NOW A HA \ DON KIJ
Oner I tus \ Sernr Now Dotted By
Ruin* mid W*Ur Holes
j Mendle S. Fletcher', of Kershaw,
writing the Granville I)al|y News of!
| Sunday, furnishes that paper with
photos and the following story relative
to the old Haile gold mine, located
a few miles northeast of Kershaw.
?f th, Hai]?. ,;ol<| mj
ill Its (lay this stau- s Jn()Bt f|?urjn)l.
>ng mining property, and the longest
worked mine in the East, is rumored
here, although no definite announcemem
has been forthcoming from the'
Northern interests owning the land.
he mins, situated several miles from j
here, wan a famous gold-producing
property and was the place where the
'chlorination" process of gold ore reduction,
but has been practically
abandoned since 1912, and all of the
buildings and equipment have fallen
into disrepair.
Where once 200 men toiled doily
in taking the precious metal from
the earth, now only the casual visitor
is seen, and the once busy shafts and
pits are filled with water. The only
activity to break the monotony of
the spot in recent years was the mihIng
of pyrite during the war, the
material being used by the government
in the manufacture of munitions.
"It was the greatest thing in this
part of the country," said W. J;
(Uncle Billy) Jones, an 87-year-old
resident of Kershaw, when speaking
of the mine.
The mine property was owned before
the War Between the States by
Captain Ben Haile who had no idea
that he owned vastly more than 1,900
acres of "ordinary land." Soon after
the property passed into the hands
of his heirs, gold was discovered by
two. men Hinson. The heirs ,
Jones stated, staked off cer&tn
amounts of land for stipulated sumi,
but soon sold the entire 1,900 tares
m n' A' M" N" Taylor of Charlotte,
N. C., for twenty thousand dollars In
Confederate money. Mr. Taylor and
a Dr. Asbury mined for Copperas.
Soon after the war, the mine was
bought by James Eldridgc of NeW
^ ?i k who later located
and operated Hobkirk Inn.
The mine, still under Northern interests,
was equipped along about the
70's with new machinery and under
the superintendency of A. Thies, a
full blooded German and far sighted
miner and engineer, entered Upon its
! most prosperous period. Mr. Thies'
I according to Dr. Stephen Taber of
the Geology department of South
| Carolina university, developed at the
Haile mine the "chlorination" process
of mining which was later used
in Arizona, Nebraska, California, and
i other Western mines. This process,
however, has been supplanted by the
Cyanide process which is now the
j most common method in use.
The year >1904 witnessed probably
the greatest disaster in the history
,of the mine when a boiler explosion
killed Ernest Th^s, who had succeedj?fl
his father as superintendent of
jthe mine, and resulted in the death
(of two others. The explosion proved
I to be the beginning of the decline,
j although gold was minedv to a certain
j extent until about 1912.
' No further operations were carried
en> Mr- Jones added, until the World
war when pyritewas mined. The
jgovernment iwing to the fact, that
the supply of pyrite from Spain was
cut off, Wat forded to get this mineral
f -wherever it could. Large trucks operjited
day and night but aince the mine
I made this contribution toward the
' manufacturing of war munitions 11
' i has -done no more.
I Once where an observer saw the
homes of some 186 or-209 workmen,
[including an Englishman, a German
" j a id a family of Swedes, he see* to?
day just a few empty houses. Wher<
j lie saw a school house and church
* he sees only two empty bttildingi
I What waf ?t one time a store ant
f post-office in now a sagging frame
* The large ^ superintendent's house
which had every convenience of it
*}4ay, ie slowly pasting away. Th
* , great pits?Hfcile, Cross, > Bumalc
J -'Beguelin which were inhabited by irte
S aifd machinery now contain wate
t and bite of wreckage. In
answer to the question, the*
i 'ny gold in the mine now?" Wllbu
* L Libbey, superintendent when tl
' ;nin? warn closed in 1912, said in thi
ear in his report to the board <
uivectors: "It is not possible for ai
'>!?<; t< make a statement aa to. tl
* of ore that ia available f
* that snu
e is in shape that from a mining enir
g'neer's technical poi.it of view it
te could only be said that there are great
it possibilities commercially, and from
II practical minei** p*int of v#?w ijr
>hem are abundant reasons for belie
Uvlng that \beie afe enoymous bodies &
or .f :?s good otohere e* hayp ?v*r yet
ill ^ten m- -.?t and-tv*ttd and that the
*f| c van b# hanilM *l.h profit/'
? 9555*
UARI CH To hk SPEAKER
Nati\e of ( ?,?<!?,! ()? Clenuon Program
For Farmers Wrrk
( lenuion (ollvge, July 16. Jler"ard
M Barueh, noted New York
financier, petrolic South Carolinian,
greatly interested m agricultural and
other economic conditions, has been
(secured us one of the speakers at
genera) noonday echelons of Farj
meiV Week, to be held at Clemson
College, Augu.t 29?September 3
"is presence will be one of the
strongest drawing cards on the program
says Dr. W. W. Long, Chairman
of the Farmers' Week committee.
Other noted "peckers?educators,
economists, editors?are being secured,
some of these already dated
[being Mise Florence Knapp, of
Syracuse University, New York; I>r.
X la re nee Poe, editor of The Progressive
Farmer; Mr. C. A. Cobb
editor of The Southern Kuraliet;
Charles Schuttler, of the American
Country Life Association; Dr. E.
W. Sikes, president of Clemson College.
These und others will discuss
various phase* of agriculture and
eonomics, rural life betterment, etc.
At these general sessions there will
'be a series of lantern slides ugricultuial
conditions and progresa, ' und
other features to please and stimulate
the big audience.
The evening session* also are
planned for the gerwMral edification "
of the entire attendance. There will
be special music programs by South
Carolina talent including the big
Clemson student baud; one or more
rural plays; ?hort talks on several
phases of Thomas C. Clemson's life
and work and the Clemson type of
education; a"'stunt night; a boys'
and girls' program, movies, etc.
Class and lecture work, demonratfjtions,
conferences, judging contents,
etc., will occupy mornings and
afternoons?but that's another story.
Marriages in South, Carolina
Washington, July 18.?The De|
partnient of Commerce announces
that, according to the returns ~ received,
there w^re 23,791 marriages
[ performed in. South Carolina during
the year 1920, Hs Compared with 2^1863
in 1925, representing an increase
of 1,108, or 4.8 per cent.
The estimated population of the
State of South Carolina ol^July 1
1926, was 1,820,000, and on July 1
1925, 1,804,000. On the basis of thesj
estimates, the number bf marriages
per 1,000 of the population was 13.1
in 1920, as against 12.7 in 1925.
The number of marriages performed
was furnished by the judge
of the probate court of each county,
except in Sumter County, where
the number was furnished by the
i c'erk of the court, and the number
of marriages annulled was furnished
by the clerk of the court of coni- 7
mon P'eas of each county. The figures
for 1920 are preliminary and
subject to correction.
No divorces are granted'in South
Carolina, but there were four marriages
unnulled in 1926.
The figures for Kershaw county
here ^ foUQwing?Marriages in 1925,
821; in 1926, 8J0. '
; ? r
Jill on Serious Charge.
^ rtsvllle, July ' 10.~Lawrence
Munn, young white man, wae amityasUrday
inCallagn Hatghta, _4U
uburb of Hartsville on a chaigt 6t
criminal assatjlt upon 4 I2-ye^dld~
f ' HPS lod*fd in th? D*rlingpn
lin* *** *' was made by
Hurgl Policeman John Gardner: The
( child Is seriously injured according
; 4<>, r?Ports from physicians.
Storm Delays Publication
The Chronicle Will be late "reaching
r of its reader* tlstr weak oWtflg'?:
^ ^ many iiiUfri uVUoni Caused' by
the electric lines being put out of
commission. Along witli others who
use electricity we have lost many
hours of work this week from the
electrical disturbances. All of the
' machinery in The Chronicle .plant is '
electrically driven and when * the "
power is off we have to wait until
repairs are made.
I* ? w" ' ?
n Miss Olive Nettles * is vyisitin* ?
r friends in Sumter. *
:' TV* .. . . ... . t -* 1 ? '
" " ' 1 L_