University of South Carolina Libraries
By V0EXA1 HUMT. lOWTrtirbt, UN. br Amuloui PIN CHAPTKB HI OK THB TRACK. Although the paesage or •nnnel by which the mnrderer had In nil iwohg- blllty escaped from The Orange ha4 now been discovered, Darrent was obliged to own to himself as he stoo< upon the frown river that he was real ly no nearer learning the troth or solv ing the mystery. What had :»roved a mystorion* su pernatural factor in the crime In the eyes of the unsophisticated inhabitants of Norcombe and had set their imagi nations, snob as they wore, to work on the wild ideas of haunted houses ark r ghostly assassins had. after all, turned out to be nothing. Jnst what he had expected would b* the explanation from the moment the story was related to him by the driver .of the dogcart had proved to be correct —footsteps lending into the house and no return—so that it scorned to Darrent there was but one solution or rather - two riithor thetnardararv.’aaatllllnthe.I A (juayter of ...an, hour afterwi building, which was far from probable, or had escaped fty a secret passage, and the latter had proved to be the case. And yet, after all, ho mused, as he made his way across the grounds back to the front of the house, it had proved bis theory that the murderer of old Marsden was well acquainted with The Orange. Who should know tho ins and outs of the premises better than the dead man’s aon or ward, whichever he Stofi’ty and painfully they groped along In the durkncM. was. the one whose name the dying man had endeavored to write—Astray Maralen t Again all the circumstances against Astray forced themselves upon his mind What if it should prove to be no mystery at all? Yonng Marsden had returned, gone pcrhaiw straight to The Grange, quarreled openly with the old man and in a paroxynm of rage struck the blow which killed him. Darrent took the nujier from his pocket again and clow'.r scrutinised li •‘I am dying, murdered by Astra”— Astruy hail gone. Perhaps fur fear of blackmail, perhaps because he was guilty, but. whatever tho roasurv Dar rent decided bo must be stopped, and. scribbling a few hues upon a furtn, he dispatched ThemiMou to the telegraph office, and again entered the library. So far Jio had acted simply es a man of caution, bat wlthpat conviction. Be intended to stop Astapy’s flight not be cause he was ussurid of his guilt, but because he might tw guilty. As a det*'ctive who had earned fame he suspected everybody but condemned none until link by link ho had forged the chain that was unbreakable. As it was. so many incidents seemed to point to Astray, and yut one thing destroyed the whole theory—tho stolen thessmen. If he could trace thorn, he felt he wonld be a step nearer discovering the mnrderer and with them the motlva. That was the great difficulty in this c^pe, the apparent absence of motive. He was glad to be alone while from a few fragments he endeavored to make out what kind of man tho murderer was and to fix in his mind tho style of individual h«< had to look for. Did the murder arise out of a sudden quarrel, or was it premeditated find ao- • l And tried the posittotL it wnuk* one of comfort Tor ease he would have laid his whole arm full length upon the shelf and rested his shoulder against it The man who bad stood there was taller than he and close upon*if not over Six Yect in height -Bo far, be thought so good. The search liras narrowing. Surely to trace A man of six feet in that little town would not be difficult He wondered how tall young Mlnrien was; then, setting to work again, drop ped on his knees and carefully examined the fireplace. No papers had been burned. Only the dead ashes remained on the hearth and sonMhlng "ho had almost overlooked, but nfw canght up with an excited ex clamation and carried to the window— a plug of half burned tobacco that had boon cut out of a pipe, because it had been rammed in too tightly, and dis carded, dug out with the blade of knife, ft was obvious, for a dainty shred of meerschaum adhered to the sida • Another step—another clew I The murderer was not a tramp who had be guiled the old man to let him stay the night Tramps were not so wasteful of their tobacoo and did not smoke xneer schaums 1 Six feet high—smoked a meerschaum pipe I Darrent felt he was moving. when Policeman Thompt m return Tho Grunge, he found Herbert Darrent sitting in the library writing at top most speed in his notebook, with a fragment of thread, a plug of tobacco, a scrap of ivory, a carved ivory cheas- man and a few matches spread out on a sheet of paper before him. “Have yon discovered anything, sir f he ventured to ask as Darrent continued to fill sheet after sheet as If unaware of xis presence. Darrent quietly nodded his head and closed the book. Listen to me,” he said, ‘‘and tell me if you know any one who answers to this description! Appearance, very tall—say a good six feet—and broad in proportion, bronzed and boarded, strong an ox; tcmi»cr very passionate; dress of hone'spnn cloth'; soft hat; smokes a meerschaum pipe; lately re turned from somewhere abroad, prob ably Houth Africa. ” Thompson, with his eyes wide open, gazed in astonishment at the detective and shifted uneasily from foot to foot He wears a heavy gold signet ring on tho little finger of the left hand and has recently cut the forefinger of tho right Do you know him!” No, indeed, sir I You’ve nude a mistake Ho wouldn't do it Ho could not” “Ah! Then my description fits some -i” ' • sir. onel’ “Hoes you discovered anything, sitf oompllshed in a few moments—the en trance, the murder and then flight f .. He began by supposing that it was tho outcome of a quarrel; that the two men had been in conversation before the fatal blow was struck. The old man probably sat in his chair on tho right hand side of the fire. Dar rent took, that chair himself, and the visitor—where Y He had the assurance of the officer that nothing hod been moved. There was no chair convenient ly placed for a visitor. It might have been moved, or the stranger might have stood during the interview. That being “It is Astray Marsden to tho life, but he didn't commit tho murder. ” That is to bn proved. Ho was at this house on tlie night of the murder Yon mot him on that night ” * “I. sirr" “Yes, you. Thompson You’ve got to do your duty, whether it is palatable to you or not Astray Marsden loft the town nearly two years ago, came back lore the night of tho morder and left next morning If you did not meet him that night, you would not know he an swered to my description. A man does not look the same and certainly does not dress flu. same after an absence abroad of two ytvira. Whom did yon meet bimT” “Near the Palooo hotel ” “What timet” ”A little after!! o’clock in tho morn- “Was it snowing T” “No, sir; it had stopped. ” “What did ho say t Did ho seem ex cited T” Ho did teem rather , rattled Ho said that he’d come buck to try .and bo I'lieuds with old Marftdco, bnt no one conld bo, and he was off again. ” “Very well; then one thing Is cer tain, and that is that Astray Marsden was in this room on the night of the murder. It will rest far him to clear limself or for the law to bring the charge homo to him. Marsden himself opened the door, and the two men en tered this room. Marsden sat in his chair there, the chessltuard was on that small table- beside him, and he was un doubtedly working out a problem when ho was interrupted It needs only a glance at the bookcase to show his hob by. Old Mardsen sat there, the hoard jeslde him. Tho yonng man stood here’’ —Darrent took up his position by tho 'ender again—"his oltfbw upon the mantelpiece—so. You can see whore the elbow rested Ho must bo a tall man who stands so, Thompson. That gave me an idea us to his height; this thread of wool, tho texture of his doth'a He smoked as ho bilked— smoked a coarse cut ship's tobacco, not the sort that a man of his breeding would smoke unless he had boon down in the world, knocking about from one country to another, and therefore bronzed, and, as a man does not take particular caro of his appearance at such times and certainly does not give ten minutes every day to shaving, benrdt>d. Yon see, Thompson, things are very clear when wo look carefully.” “Yob, sir,” the officer mechanically reput'd, gazing at Darrent, bewildered. “Tho young man stood hero, and they talked Perhaps yonng Marsden wanted money—they generally do—and tho old man refused taunted him. Yon know old, men can taunt, Thompson. Tho words got higher and higher, the you man’s temper hotter and hotter, am then he launched into a furious out burst, emphasizing each point by bring ing his fist down upon tne oak mantel shelf. Throe times ho did that, Thomp son. You see throe marks made by the concussion as his ring struck tho wood The strength in that blow would kill a man, so be careful if you ever have to 'deal with young Marsden. The old man was frightened and faint and over turned the board with the pieces upon den, so Darrent rose and took the place of the supposed visitor and, as human nature Is so prone to loll, felt an incli nation to rest his arm upon the high mantelshelf He smiled a quiet smile of self satis faction aa be glanced at the shelf and noticed the impression left in the dust where an arm had recently rested It was a high shell too, and the impres sion in tbs dust was that of an elbow only. Tbs man had stood with his chin In his ham} and his elbow mi the shelf __ 1a well so. ktKWoukl have stood opposite Mors- it as he started to his feet, and Astray gave him some brandy In that little glass from the decanter on the side board. As he handed it to him he placed bin hand upon the mantelshelf, tbia time the right hand You see by the impression the forefinger was bound up Dust-is a very valuable thing, Thomp son, don’t forget that Then young Martflun collected the choHmen and placed them in the box again. ” “The old man might have done that, * Thompson exclaimed anxious to test the skill with which the puzzle was be ing put together. - “The yonng maa did it, One had rolled under the sideboard Old Marsden would never have shut up the box and put it away with one miss ing Tho chossmen are put sway, the old man becomes more amiable, and they sit down again. He goes so far as to offer young 1 Marsden a cigar. You* see one has Wn taken from this box. a new box, which yonng Marsden opened with his clasp knife—you know the ugly kind of kilfe, Thompson The murder was committed with tjie same weapon. He opens the box. takes out a cigar and lights it, then puts tho knife here by his side and sits on the edge of the tabla “Again they talk, again the odd man taunts, and again the young man losqs bis temper and crashes his hand down upon the table His fingers touch that awful knife, and in a second it is over. For a moment he is paralysed with fear and, rnshing to the sideboard, pours out a glass of the brandy, for himself this time, spilling it upon tbs wood work and the carpet, atgl then stands and hesitates. He dare not leave by the front door in case he is seen. Suddenly he remembers the passage through the rockery on to the river. No doubt the water at the bottom of the tunnel would be frozen, and be oould escape that way. With one glance over his aeroaathr dying, the gt hall through the opposite room and the conservatory, then out into the grounds along the covered walk and by the tun nel on to the frozen river. *011 Marsden, left for dead, oomes slowly bock to semioonscidtisnesa He is and he knows it. but be swears guilty shall not escape, and even with his falling strength he will da- nonnoo the murderer. “ > * Darrent finished his dramatic word picture and then, taking the slip of from his pocket, held It of his comrade. “I am dying, murdered by Astray,”' gasped Thompson. ~~~ And Astray has skipped” Darrent interrupted —. . Thompson conld only stolidly nod in acquiescence. Loath as he was to be lieve that Astray Marsden, whom he remembered in years back always had a kindly word for every one, was a mur derer. he had been led away by Dar- rent’s dramatic recital and the paper written by the dying man seemed to clinch the matter. Yes, thero conld be, no question about It now Astray most have done it It looks rather black against young Marsden." he said, at last finding his* tongue. *TToq suspect himf“ Thompson nodded moodily. “Well look here, Thompson,” sad-' denly snapped Darrent “Don’t yon be in such a confounded burry to jump at conclusions. Now, if we find presently that Astray Maradea («n prove an ab solute alibi, what becomes of these de ductions, eh T Astray Marsden is not the only man in the world who stands siz feet high, wears a rough homespun suit, carries a Norwegian knife and dikes to have his signet ring on the lit tle finger of his left hand. “ “But the paper Y” “Well what of thatY *1 am dying, murdered by Astra’— The *y’ is miss ing. and yon jump to tho conclusion it must be Astray. Now. suppose, Thomp son. that the mystery has a deeper ~oot; that it concerns Astray all the same, jut not as a murderer. Huppose old Marsden intended, fur ex mple, to write ‘murdered by Astray’s brother’ or any other relative, and died before he oould write the last word. What becomes of your evidence thonY” And. having calmly and deliberately demolished the structure that he had so carefully and elaborately constructed, kurent took a cigarette from his case and, lighting it, strolled over to the window. ,, . 1 told you.” he said between the whiffs, “Uiat the man stood with his elbow on the mantelshelf. Well so he did. That’s obvious. And then I showed you throe dents that looked compara tively fresh, and* I sold that they had )een made .by the ring on the little linger of the man’s hand. Weil perhaps they were, and porhajis they were done weeks ago by old Marsden himself. Perhaps the man’s elbow never rested on tho shelf, bnt old Marsden had put something there and afterward removed t I shouldn’t like to swear to any of A I’ve put 4 lot of little things togeth er, but they may be all wrong, every one of them What do yon think, eht” “I think they all fit too well ” “They fit w^ll enough, but they prove nothing, atisolntely nothing. To be a successful detective one must bo ready not only, to forge chains, bnt to set to work directly afterward and break them, if they can bo broken, test every link and if there’s a flaw find It One must not persuade himself, because a few circu::mtance6..fit, that that,-and that only,, must 1k> the troth. Why, I have made many as good a chain of cir cumstantial evidence before, and every link has lieen faulty, the whole thing worse than worthless. ”, “But, Darrent. the papers say that you an^’— . “Tlw American Lecoq, precisely, bnt I am very much afraid that their knowledge of M Lecoq has only, been derived from French sensational, novels, according to v Inch ho m v^r tjrred, was absolutely hifillihl" I think M.-Lecoq himself would t. il a very different story We have Mhiwi-d one s.--t of circum stances dos ly and . well with the re sult that U brands Astray Marsden as the murderer Veiy well; now we’ll Darrent took a cigarette from his case. amerent track. WHM Mine mys tery connected with ths sgi of Indian' chessmen Y Let M look hi this question a little. "(I) Why have they been stolen, and by whomi * *1(9) If Astray murdered old Marsden to obtain any secret oonnected with the chessmen, why dtf he leave them be hind Y ' ■ r — “(8) If Astray murdered old Marsden and only discovered afterward the hid den value of the chessmen, where is the motive of the murder Y “(4) If Astray did not commit the murder, who did Y “Once find the secret of the chess men. and you’ll find the murderer. Now, what have We got as our dew— the one piece here, a pawn, missing from the set (there cannot be many sets like this one, Thompson), and a chip from another piecef Still we can not go into everybody's bouse and ex amine curiosities and brio-a-brac to dis cover if they have the • set we Are in search of. Now, dew- the second is more valuable, and that is the knifa You see it is of an ordinary Norwegian pattern. With a spring blade, but the letter ‘A’ is branded into the yellow wood of the handle. Find to whom it belongs—if ‘A’ means Astray, if young Marsden ever owned this knife—and wesEall behearer {He hamrFhafsfroct the blow. Now, then, Thompson, who do yon thin* committed the tnurderY” “Well I don’t know, dr. The way you put it, it might be any one. ” “80 it plight ” Darrent replied. “It might, be any one. and perhaps we haven^t got within a thousand miles of the right one yet Still I've done all I can till I get news from Chicago, and I’m going for a skate on the river. I’m not a slcuthhound longing for blood, but I’ve been longing to get on that stretch of ice ever since f’ve been in Norcombe. ” [to bs ooimiruxDwl THK PASSING OF TUB BANJO. hems and IU III. l.iarl Clair their choir con- The Negro le Lcee Mirthful and Improvident—More Meroee More Melancholy. Waterburv (Conif) American. David F. St. Clair has been revisit ing the South of his birth after a ten years’ absence. He contributes to the Criterion various evidences of the change which has passed over the ne gro of the South, developing out of the “ old time darky,” “ a self conscious colored man, less op Imlstlc, leee mlith- ful, lass Improvident,, perhaps, more mnroee, more melancholy, with a more acute sense of pain and suffering.” in short, under tne new conditions. t‘e Southern negro le developing a sensi tive nervous system like that of the white man, and with il the white man’s complaints, such as dyspepsia, sleep lessness. nervous headache, eie, etc.* One sign of the changed negro Mr. St Clair finds in the passing of the banjo. “1 taw a number of colored excursions made up from both the town and country, and out once did I hear a banjo. But Instead well-groom ed colored men from town thrummed a guitar or sdher, or were busy winding up a music box.” Mr. St Clair attri butes this to the deei. aof the Southern negro to do a hat tbs white man does. With the pa—log of ihe banjo has also passed the •pooiaoious love of song “ the sort of sock one war wont to bear at the oorn-hutklngs, log-rollings, house buildings and railroad-buildings in tho 70’s and MO’*.’’ in a small town In North Carolina Mr. St t a r mw fifty young negroes laying water piues, * working in aneolute silence and ibsir faces as glum as to many Italian pipe layers In New York.’* He nszed 00a of them to start a song, but “ the re sponse was so feeble that the tune soon collapsed.” The foreman explained to him: “ Dese niggers can’t sing no more like dey used to.” Mr 8t. Clair thinks the txplan.i t>>., "Boy’s mood,” seem* to g- l near tbr of the secret” For another . M ing, Mr. St. notes the change of the negro In churches. The modern or k an, and educated ministers bold the grtgatlon’s emotions well la deck. He recently’ .witnessed a scene in a colored church in *h Southern illy, where the elegant and i scholarly preacher dropped into a strain of oUj- time fervor and stirred ev«UL man smi woman in the house to an Wvcnst* ex citement. Attempting in vain to calm the storm be had raised the pi ea bi t I down in utter disgust. Mr. St Clair heard a half dozen sermons from educated colored preachers *04 uui once was the word " hell ” meniioui-d. One minister explained to him tusi this was due partly to a change in the* ological views, but also to (he fact that ” we cqpnot restrain our people if go on talking to them about hell. W« are now trying to teach our people to rea son and think.” In Mr. St. Clair’s opin ion, the sclf-consciousness of the new negro has brought with It self-restraint, and that not more than 5 per cent, of the negroes are guilty of the outrages which have caused the lynchings. He adds that “in private the severest critic of these brutes is the negro him self.” Owing to tfae race feeling, how ever, the negroes are not ablo to de nounce these outrages in public. Mr. St. Clair adds that “ when a negro preacher Is able to declare from his pulpit, 'Your race wilf outlaw you if you commit this crime,’ then the drime will no longer be committed.” Mr. St. Clair says that the colored man, keenly conscious of his hard lot, is rushing into tho towns and cities, where he Is crowdad Into tho foulest quarters, entailing effects the most ap palling, especially developing consump tion and insanity, whoso ravages have hitherto not been great among the ne groes. '-He thinks that the negro is a deeply disappointed creature because of the failure to give him the ballot, and that every time he hears the word “’lection” he has “some such sink ing feeling as a disinherited son has over hit lost inheritance.” Despite this; however, there Is no race develop ment of malice. The negro’s crimes, he says, are largely the result of ignor ance and irritation. “ But,” he con cludes, ” Kith all the changes that are takiag place, the nsgro still remains the best judge of a gentletBan ln tfae 1 South. When he r tells you this white man is a gentleman and the other Is not, you have got an oplnloa from an Instinct that Is nevor fooled on this de licate point.” TO PURCHAAS SOUTHERN MIMA A New York Syndicate off Capitalists and Bankers Axe Working to Form a Great Combination In the South. Tha Manufacturers’ Record an nounces the organization in New York of a syndicate composed of toms of the leading capitalists and bankers of that city in connection with leading South* ern bankers, to purchase and combine a large ntftnber of Southern cotton mills. The syndicate proposes to pur- chase outright and pay cash for good Southern cotton mllll, then to combine them with a view to developing their trade to the utmost, giving special at tention to the upbuilding of the export business. » Thomas Branch St Co., bankers of Richmond', have for some time been securing options on a large number of leading Southern mills, and they hale now made a contract with Mr. Charles R F.lnt, of New York, and hfs as 0- elates, representing the heaviest finan cial interests of that city, who have agreed to furnish all the capital needed for this undertaking. This contract provides that the option shall be de posited with one 01 the largest and strongest trust companies in New York. The syndicate has agreed that it will pay all cash for the stock of Co., who represent the Southern end of this work, and the wealth and poel-~ tiun of Mr. Flint and his New York as sociates, Jt is safe to say, insure suc cess, even should the undertaking eventually represent 150,000,000 to $100,000,000 of capital, as Is now ex pected. From such information as the Manu facturers’ Record has gathered, this will represent one of the largest in dustrial corporations organized In tke country, and by far the largest ever undertaken in the South. Such a combination, while in no way interfer ing with independent mills whose stockholders do not care, to sell, will have sufficient capital to push this In dustry to the utmost extern and to ma terially aid in making the South take Its rightful place In the textile manu facturing interests of the world. In dividual mills, especially the smaller ones, are hampered In trying to create a foreign market for their goods; and, however valuaoie their stock may be intrinsically, it U not regarded as good collateral outside of tnetrywo neigh borhood, and there Abe supply of money Is often too limited for us fret use In securing loans ; but this combi nation will have tho capital and abil ity to put Its product in ail the open markets of the world, and the stock will be listed In New York and else where. , Tne incoming to the South of the millions of Northern capital for the purchase of the properties will turn loose for other local enterprises a vast amount of local money invested to thess mills, which means, therefore, a practical addition In cash to the active capital of the South. It Is understood that the mills will, in most cases, probably be run by tee same men who new uooti. l thi m, but by operating under one ton* ml mna- ngement, them will be a gr* *t de crease In the erst of mauuincturlng and marketing gcj_s Considerable progress baa already been made 1c securing options on mills; enougti, It is said, to (.cure the orgnolsslion of n very In: „o company, and all of the v«pttal noedec, however much may be rrquired, has, it Is stated, bjfen guar- vnt'nd. It Is understood that this combination, backed by vast capital, will not only purchnse mil s now in profitable operation, but will buy many new nxiile, and thus push to the uttermost extent the textile develop ment of the South, -mnicnaily aiding In giving tbo South Its rightful poeltlon as the dominating cotton manufactur ing centre of tha world. Reports to the Manufacturers’ Its CCrd from a large number of Southern bankers, as to the conditions of buel- ness and the outlook for tbo future, a.atarib tftitoaiiLout In stating that trade cooditiop* »ore never more favcabie, that Industrial interests are puttied to the utmost, and that while the form* r low price of »tton has had to Himu extent a depressing itfljence ou cotton plauters, it has at the same llmu pucuurageU a diversification of agriculture, thus making the South uortr’ieifisiipportlBg, and that with the recent advance in the price of cot ton tic outlook for the farmers is much more cheering. AN INUUkTItl %L COMBINATION, ed, which would meaa a wonderful ad dltlon to the wealth of that And •• U would ba elsawhere. More over, a oombinatloa of this kind, backed-by vest capital, oould balld many new tnllle. enlarge thoee pur chased aad push the product of Ua mllle Into au foreign markets. The scheme seems to be one of vest benefit to the Sooth, aad, ao far aa tbe llaau- faoturers’Record can learn, the Yuan who are behind It hnve not heretofore been investors to. any large extent In the South. This' vast enterprise, which, it is thought, may run up to from 160,000,000 to $100 000,000, will moan a deep interest In the South by the foremost financiers of the country. It will probably mean the full turni of the tide of capital southward, a its influence must be felt in every line of business. In a recent issue of the Manufactu rers’ R cord it was stated that the real battles of the world today are the bat tles for Industrial supremacy, and t at If the South wants to gain power it must do so on the field of eoonomlopro duction. Nature has given us the van tage-ground, and it rests with us to say whether or not we shall fight with the old muzzle-loader against those who use the Krag-Jorgensen or the Mauser; or, in other words, whether we w 11 ad here to tbo methods and traditions of the past simply out of veneration for what our forefathers did, or .whether we will use modern methods. As the such mills as are taken. Tbe wealth Krag-Jorgensen has supplanted the old aad bus 1 ness.-oonneotione, ol - Branch A muzzle-loader, sc modern machinery has displaced old systems The com bination of capital or of industries is simply tie modern machinery for doing business: it is the repeating rifle ag ainst tbe muzzle-loader, and unless the South falls iuto line and equips it self, Its natural advantages will count for but little. In a late number of Gas- sier’s Magazine Mr. Charles R. Flint one of the foremost business men and financiers of New York, in discussing ’* Industrial Organization,’’ said : “The wars of today at a industrial w»rs ; wealth Is secured by production Instead of by plunder; diplomats de vote most of their time to studying trade conditions for.tbe benefit of their home Industries, and the most favored treaties are thoee of reciprocity and commerce. We might as well expect to win the Industrial battles of today by old methods as to expect victory with old types of war vessels, manned by men wbo, as Joe Jefferson said, " bad never had any rehearsals,’’ as against those modern combinations of steel, etactrleity, powder and dynamite bandied by men who bad rehearsed. “Tbe time has gone by when It 1s necessary to argue as to the right to exist of large aggregations of capital for the purpose of Industrial develop ment. Every great movement In the word’s progress has been opposed. Machinery has 'U>bc more to benefll labor than all the acts of reformers and governments, yet origlnslly the class most benefited endeavored to pre vent Its use. . "Thn Introduction of fast coach* s in Great Britain was opposed to such an extent that petition* were presented >o the King aad council, asking that no public coach be permitted to kd more than thirty miles a day. Mac mlay, to - ommeming on this historic f C, •as prophetic when he wrote : * W« smile at these things. It Is not Impossible that our descendants, when they /«ad tne opposition offered by cupidity aad prejudice to the lapfovcment of tbe nineteenth century, mny smile In their turn.’ ” Mr. Flint was writing of the Impor tance of iodoatrlal combinations la aiding thn Ut,u«4 Staton to develop our manufacturing Interests nod to gain tor* Ign markets, an 1 If this ba tru> as it surelv Is, for the country at largr v w much more Important Is It for the South to appreciate the need of these new methods. Unless the Souin « tbe world’s lead in Industrial combinat'oo it will be fighting its bat tles with the muzzle-loader against tbe wor d's Industrial army fully equipped with repeating rifles. Wh> re we should stand In tho end Is only too plain. This great oottoo-mlll combina tion ought to become the South’s most powerful weapon for gaining the c*m- trol of the world’s cotton manufacta ring Interests. In s letter Magazine one of ite for years studied the farmers, writes as follows; “The great and pressing need r for an educated Intelligence to direct in the farm and field; for a jponn is no more born a farmer than a doctor, lawyer or machinist A little fund Of . practical information started in the school room will set minds to work that may have no awakening otherwise. So important is this small foundation that itahould be a sine qua non in the public school ed ucation. There should be less of cram ming with something else, if necessary, to secure il We must have a change— a system for the schools that will ac tually meet the educational needs of those confined to them; otherwise we can continue in the old rats anta the farmer sinks hopelessly into the posit ion of the hewer of wood'for which his intelligence will abundantly fit him.” Commenting upon this the Southern Farm Magazine says:» '> This is an earnest plea for an adapta tion of the instruction of the public schools of the South, particularly in the lower grades, to the needs of those who constitute the greatest number of pupils. It does uot imply, necessarily that the public schools are to be tnrneid into agricttHqralcollcgeSj butthaUhek teachings shall bo such that the minds of tbe pupils may be directed into channels which will enable them to se cure a firm foundation for their life work. The trouble has been that or- lizera of public school systems have ten too prone to adopt almost bodily methods which may have succeeded in other localities where the need* are entirely different from those of their own. In this'way the objects of educa tion have been defea.ed. Children have been taught to accumulate a mass of stuff of no valno at all, and if thoir minds have been given any bent, it has been from the direction in which they might find happiness and comfort Our correspondent has the correct position, and his numbers should increase in the South. * —r A v ^ World’s 0^de«t Trek.—That old cypress which stands in the square of the church iu Santa Maria del Tule, near the city of Oajaca, in Southwsat ern Mexico, is said to be the oldest tree in the world. Some botanists, includ ing Decandolle, sny it is A,000 yean old, while othen put il down to 12,000 years. Cortez, it was teld, in his con quest of Mexico, in 1619, camped with his whole force in tbe shadow of this tree, and according to native history spent a night full of care, ou which ac count the tree received the name “Ai- bol de la noche triste.” Five feet from the grountlthc trunk has a circumfer ence of 10*2 ieet giving it a diameter of about 32 feet. ‘The height la 120 feet. The branches begin at about 90 feet I above the ground, spivading into a crown, tbe circumference of which is about 520 feet. Prof. L. H. Bailev, of Cornell Un- ivesily, conclude- an article, entitled “Does Farming Pay?” in the Review of Reviews, with this statement: “The $2iJO-a-year income farm le a more im portant factor in the national welfare tkau Uie $50,000 income farm le. The I one is in the reach of any industrious and Inlelligeot man. The other is in rear If of the few. The one is safe and steady. The other is speculative and uncertain.. Wo need the moderate and modest farm to make citizens. We use the other to make money. The large money making farm is a useful object lesson. It shows that business and ex; eculive ability can make money from the land as well as from a salt mine or a bicycle factory. But it is a fallacy to I hold it up as the ideal in American farming.” —Dampness has ruined the lomb of I t. ; * _ui_ President Garfield, In Lakevlew oems- J?,®” ^ in s cow s pea tery, Cleveland, an 1 the structure will •^‘Ut? to gnre » good quantity of rich have to be _ entirely rebuilt. The "wlk, Vii it is easy to have that poeaibli- bronze casket containing tbe body la ty ruined by poor feed and care in to be removed pending the completion bringing op and developing. On tbe of this work, which will occupy several " ~ ' weeks. The Garfield monument la also It is the best outward application or we would toon go out of business, as we guar antee Alligator Liniment to prove satis factory In the relief and cun of Bheuma- tism, Keuralgia and all pains that a pens Dating application would seem advisable to use Try 1} 1 Don’t take anything else. —Tbe Asiatic fleet at Manila is being made formidable. Developing Cotton Iu the South on a A Movement lor Alanurmci urlng Large ttcale. . . Manufacturers’ Record, September 29. Some years ago the Manufacturers’ Record very actively urged the desira bility of Hating on me stock exchanges of Baitifuore, New York and Boston the stocks of leading Southern cotton mills, in order to make them good as collateral for loans in all money cen ters, and also with a view to attracting the attention of investors to Southern cotton manufacturing. This sugges tion was warmly seconded by a number of mill-owners, but it was in advance of the times. * The idea itself was, however, right, but the time was not propitious. Any careful student of Southern business conditions Is forced to the'conclusion that the spirit of un rest and dissatisfaction has oeen large ly due to the fact that tbe South’s best bankable hssete*-lta cotton, raw and manufactured, and Its cotton-mill stocks—have not been good collateral for loans at moderate rates of Interest. Railroad stocks and bonds Can com- maud money at all times, but the South’s money is aot largely invested in railroad securities. This Inability to use cotton—intrinsically, one of the best collaterals in the world—Is the reason for the great enthusiasm with which the Sduth has received the idea of bonded cotton warehouses. Now comes another plan, as outlined in our news columns, for the purpose of purchasing for cash the stocks of a large number of Southern cotton mills, and by combining them into one corpo ration, to. create a market for their se curities in all leading financial centers. So far as tbe Manufacturers' Record can see, this proposition has in it many strong advantages for the South, with out auy-veriotr* drawback amL any danger to the besHuterests of the whole South. It simply means that a good many millions of dollars, all of which, we are iaiormed, has been guaranty* d by tbe foremost financiers of New York, will be put into South ern mills, and thus turn loots -that badly in need of repairs —Prof. Leonard Stejoger; a Unite States government expert, says that whiskey instead of being an antidote for snake bites, according to the gen eral belief, Is really an aggravation of the trouble, as it accelerates the circu- latlon of the blood and hurries the poison through the veins and arteries with greater rapidity than it would otherwise have. amount of local capital bow invested-ia those mills, Increasing to that extent tbe available money of tbe South. Take Augusts, Ga^ for Instance, aad suppose that $5,00(1,000 of outeida money should be put into the iaIIIs of that otty. This wonld simply release the $6,000,000 of capital thus supplant- WELCOME WORDS TO WOMEN. Women who suffer with disorders pecu liar.to their Sex should write to Dr. Pierce ancLrcerive flee the advice of a physician of oVer thirty years’ experience—a skilled and successful specialist in the. diseases of women. Every letter of this sort has the most careful consideration and is, of course, regarded as sacredly confidential. Many sensitively modest women write fully to Dr. Pierce what they would shrink from telling to their local physician. The local physician is pretty sure to say that he can not do anything without “an examina tion.” Dr. Pierce holds that these distaste ful examinations are generally needless, and that no woman, except in rare cases, should submit to them. Dr. Pierce’s treatment will cure you right in the privacy of your own home. His "Favorite Prescription” has cured hundreds of thousands, some of them the worst imaginable cases. It is the only medicine of its kind that is the pro duct of a regularly graduated physician. Some unscrupulous medicine dealers may offer you a substitute. Don’t take it. Don’t trifle with your health. Write to Dr. R. V. Pierce, Buffalo, N. Y. ( —take his advice and be well. Mrs. R.D. Mon fort, of Lebanon, Warren Co., O., writes: “Idrop you a line thu morning to let you know that I have received the Medical Adviser, and how mx, am r new could not tempt me to part with it” On receipt of n ©De cent stamps, to pay coat of mailing only, we will send free to any address a paper-bound copy of Dr. Pierce’s great 1000 page book, "The Com mon Sense Medical Ad viser." Or. tbe aame book bound In fine French cloth will be sent for 10 cents extra to pay the cost of this more handsome and more durable binding. Address World’s Dispensary Medical Ash'd Buffalo, N. Y. other hand, no amount of food and care will iodnee a cow that gives thin, poor milk to turn about and give milk which TiTKlTih solids. Good feed and gooth can/ will help develop many cows that have been neglected, bnt if there is ady decided improvement it will be made with cows that are born to bejood, but have not lust the opportunity.. To get the most out of any cow,.good or bad, good food and care are necessary, but it is Uie good cow that gives tho best returns when well fed and cared for.— Dairy World. Experience and observation are onr best teachers, hence the necessity to visit our next Slate Fair. PITTS’ Antiseptic IniontoM FOR The Stomach, ->- The Liver, The Bowels, The Kidneys, The Blood, The Nerves, Contagious Disk Asia. * Antiseptic Inftgorator is a germ-killer, a diuretic, a blood purifier, a stomach and nerve tonic, a stimulant for the liver and bowels Manufactured by * Pitts’ Antiseptic Invigorator Co. THOMSON, QA- For sale by druggists everywhere. Sold by CARPENTER BROS., Greenville, 8. C. . ALL PAINS ^ Seat by pr« pal* express on rveeipt of Me ALLIGATOR LINIMENT OO. • ^ ' X Oaarieston. s. a OSBOflNrS