Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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.•< ' 1 . , ' . . : , . ; , - \ THE PEOPLE, BARNWELL, S. 0. “A MILLION!” .Synopsis.—In a New York Jewelry store Philip Severrf, United States consular aKent, notices a small box which attracts him. He. purchases it. Later he discovers In a secret compartment a writing giving a clew to a revolutionary movement In this country ostensibly seeking to overthrow the Chilean govern ment but evidently international In character. The writing mentions a rendezvous, and Severn decides to investigate. Finding the place men tioned In the writing apparently de serted, Severn visits a saloon In the vicinity. A woman in the place Is met by a man, seemingly by ap- poiijtment, and Severn, his suspi cions aroused, follows them. They go. to the designated meeting place, an abandoned Iron foundry. At the rendezvous Severn Is accepted as one of the conspirators and admit ted. He meets a stranger who ap pears to recognise him. nn * CHAPTER III—Continued. ■v ’ — - —-— ■ n* . 1 He pressed something in the side- wall, sliding back a panel, and disap peared, the rough boards returning in stantly Into place. I was left alone, staring at the spot where he had dis appeared. Beyond doubt the entrance awaiting me lay straight ahead, con cealed by the hanging curtain. I stepped cautiously forward, listening for some'guiding sound from, beyond that barrier, afraid to draw it aside and take a blind plunge into the un known*. I could detect the murmur of voices, several of them speaking Span-, ish, yet in such low tones I could dis- tmguish only an occasional empha sized word. There was no door be tween mH^only that thick, hanging cur tain, and rxventured far enough to draw this nsTHe sufficient to peer through with one eye/ Beyond was a reasonably large rooiuJ hut so dimly lighted as to be sCareelyNclsible from end to t*hd. I could discern rnyn pres ent, a number of them, lounging about on chairs, their outlines being fai revealed,^but the light was not suffi cient to gfVe me any impression of their faces. It seemed quite possible at I might slip in unobserved, and pass among tlfbm unrecognized except through accident. But the risk of dis covery was too great. I must find some other point of entrance. The private doorway through which Wine ha<t disappeared gave me the thought that there might also be oth ers. I dare not follow after him, but if.there was another opening to be found I was perfectly willing to ex plore into Its mysteries. The search I was brief, yet the-very nature of the rough hoard wall made concealment 1 impossible. Behind the dangling coats I uncovered what I sought, and ^iot a ! moment too soon. Even as my band | touched the exposed latch, a murmur of voices in the outer entry reached my ears—there were new arrivals be ing questioned, and' admitted. The panel slid hack' silently in Its grooves, and I peered through the re vealed opening into absolute darkness. All I could he sure of, as exhibited by the dim light of the passage, was a single step downward, and then ap parently a strip of earth floor. I dare not wait and meet those entering; there was hut one choice of action, f pressed through the oriflee, forced the. panel hack Into place, and stood erect In the Intense darkness and silence, listening for the slightest sound. I was still motionless, pay* heart beating fiercely, when several men en tered the passage I had just left: Pressing my ear against the thin crack I distinguished, words so as to piece together scraps of Conversation. IF seemed*-b* pie there wore three-voices —one spqaking >Sf»anisli efitiVcly. tbr others using English. Orte df'the lat- ’ ter spoke first. "'Tis a dirty night'out, but gftod for our purpose. You came- by motor, Alonzo?" y ; ‘No. ^Wine said that was too risky. I walked from tht^Var line. What’.s up? Do you knob-, Captain?" The fellow addressed exploded in Spanish. , ^ “Why you call qte tljgt? I tell you my name!" } "It’s safe enough in here, hut I’ll be careful outside. What-was this meet ing called for?” “It was a message from Washing.* ton. orders majrjbe, that we act soon. I hope It.” - - "From Washington? Is Mendez here?" "Saprlsta, no! t Can he itaove with out a dozen spies at his heels? He find a messenger no one* ever suspect. She bring the word." ^ "She? A womarv?" * “Sure! that was better. Np one know her; no one ever see her with our people. It was a good trick, 'and It fool the pigs.” “But who Is the woman?" The other uttered a gruff exclama tion of disgust. **lf I know, you suppose I tell? Not much, but I do not know. They trust her—Is It not enough? ’Tis ray guess she come special for to do this.” “?the Is a Chilean then?” “Maybe; maybe American, Spanish. What difference If she be in our serv ice? They knfflw what she is; tonight she Is Marie Gessler—itiias the sound of Switzerland. Beyond this I Pare nothing.” ' - f ”’*. - “But.you have seen her, perhaps?” "Not a sight; none of the boys have. She was to meet Alva at Times square this noon. I went with him, but no girl—Just a messenger boy there with a note in code. Something had fright- ened the lady, and she made a night appbintment pvei; here." “Here! How did she know the way out?” “She didn’t,, for the matter of that; But she had been piped off on Jans’ place, and agreed to be there as soon as it was dark. I’m wondering if she showed up; let’s go in and see." The three moved off down the past- sage, still conversing in subdued tones, the sharp accent of the Spaniard most prominent, and I Isecame acutely aware of the black silence in which I stood. There was no occasion for me to risk my life farther in an effort to learn more. I had located the secret rendezvous of this gang of revolu tionary plotters. I was aware of their connection with the Chilean Junta at Washington, and it would be a com paratively easy matter now to capture them red-handed. I saw therefore no reasob why I should venture further, or endeavor to learn in detail the na ture of this message intrusted to the girl for delivery.. My duty now was I supposed I was morlng with the al most caution, every ’nePve on edge, feeling a way forward- with hands and feet. Once I stepped upon a shell of some kind which crunched beneath the weight, and again my groping hand dislodged a small block of wood, which fell, with a slight clatter. I halted both times, nay heart in my mouth, yet nothing happened, and'I moved for ward again-epnfident of not being over heard. I I could not have told what it was that halted me. I retnember I stopped as though shot, my very breath sus pended, one foot still uplifted In-a step forward, ray eyes staring helplessly into the black void. The silence was that of. a tomb, - I could feel the perspiration flow down' my face in # a stream; it was an instant of torture. Then an bnst-cn hand gripped me and an electric flash-light glared into ruy eyes. INSURANCE COMMISSIONER IS BUSILY ENGAGED SENDING v OUT FEE VOUCHERS. CHARLESTON HEADS THE LIST The Total Amount of this Remittence to the Several County Treaturen is $88,489.94. So Tightly Grasped at the Throat as to * Be Nearly Strangled. to report what I had discovered,'when the. prompt arrest of Alva, and a few •others, would., end the whole scheme. It seemed simple enough, if I qpuld only find my way out safely. But escape unobserved was far from being assured. Any retreat by way of the lighted passage was impossible; there v\;ere guitpis there at both ends; the oply hope lay in a blind effort* for ward. /. • I accepted the only course possible, and began to feel my way to tbe left, skirting the wall of rough boarding, until it widened out into what was ap parently the larger room beyond. No sound leached me from any direction the silence and darkness oppressing ine, its though they had weight. Yet One fact became more ivnd more clear—the deliberate purpose with which this deserted iron factory.had been prepared for a secret-rendezvous. Apparently, from without,- if stood grim, desolate , a ml deserted, yet the interior arrangements were such that conspirators could meet securely in side, protected from observation, in rooms through whose walls'no gleam of light might be visible from either street or alley. Only an accident, or constant vigilance without, could re veal the true use to which the building was now being devoted. This knowl edge rendered the peril of my own po sition the more intense. I could he killed, murdered, and no man "would ever be,the wiser. I would simply dis appear, Vanish, afld that would be the end. At that moment I had n,o thought hut to d's'-oyer some means of-escape. The knowledge of'the danger I was in robbed me of all courage. I was like a child afraid In the dark.. J moved forward,'inch by inch, feeling my way along the rough planking with one hand,' my limbs actually; trembling un der me. If I could only find some opening; see some gleam of light; break away from this terrible silent darknaaa* CHAPTER IV. I Become a Well-Known Thief. The sudden, - unanticipated attack, the burst of dazzling light in ‘my eyes, rendered me for the moment utterly helpless. 1 was blinded, and so tightly grasped at the throat as to be nearly strangled. I only dimly realized that my assailant was a man, ids grip that of a giant. Then, to my surprise, the fellow laughed oddly, snapping out. his light, and releasing his grip. “Well, if this don’t beat h—11,” he said, in the tone of cheerful disgust. “Come in here and let me look you over.” His hand closed on the sleeve of my coat,, and before I scarcely found time to catch my breath again I had been dragged thfimgtb a narrow opening and became aware ly bebimETfie/ ' \ The fellow gave me little omgtrtuni- ty to either act, or think. A match flared, and was held aloft to a gas Jet which instantly broke into a dull flame, sufficient to render visible the full ex tent of the small room in which we stood. In some semi-conscious way I was aware of bare walls, of a small table opposite with some writing ma terials on jt, and a short bench covered by a -blanket. I suppose I saw these things, yet Jill that I seemed to per ceive was the man fronting me. who stared in my face, a quizzical snnile c« his lips, as though still half uncertain of tiie reality of my presence. He was tall, a trifle angular, hut exceedingly well-dressed, with closely trimmed iron-gray beard and peculiar eyes deeply set In a rather chalky face. He broke the silence, evidently inclined to look upon, this meeting ns a joke. “Don't recognize me, I reckon? Well, that ain't to M wondered at, for likely enough- you never saw me before. Beats the devil though why you should drift in here; now I suppose it will have to be fifty-fifty." His words and manner gave me a ijew lease on life. Whoever the follow* might be he was seemingly friendly. I must meet the fellow in that same spirit ami endeavor to extrn'-f from bim some knowledge of whom he sup posed me to be. “I do not quite get tbe drift of all tbls.* I ventured. “You imply that you know me.” _ "H—11. yes. Over in Bow Street, on the other side. ' The Hart rebury rob bery case. I’d b(*jffi "hearing about you fwr years, and when that came on, I tiHflv a chance, and drifted into court one thjy juvt'tn see what you looked like. YVitiVe §haved your mu^taebe. and look ten yea rs younger, but I knew you, allnglit. T ne ver.f orge't a face. Say, who pntvyou onto this game —Waldron ?" I nodded, taking a chamsr. ’Td have 'bcrinn ! ‘ ITfe lie Was the guy. I might 'have known he would -double-cross me some way. Of course a tip’s a tipMii this game, and I don’t blame you for horning in. Naturally you never knew this was my game—how could you? Waldron never said a word ;.b«nt me, did he?” "Not once.” 4 ‘That is how I had it sized up, so I don’t hold any grudge against you. Now listen." and he bent forward <‘on- fidentlally, lowriag his voice, so I could barely distinguish ihe words. “We'll talk it a.M over later, when we're alone. Tain t exactly safe her?, for these walls are thin, and there is quite a buffcli around tonight. There's plenty for the two of us, if we play the cards right, and we'll let Waldron hold the hag. What do you say, Daly?" So my name was "Daly.” Well, that was interesting at least, although it gave me no new light. However,‘noth ing, remained for me to do except agree to Ids hlihd proposition * “Tlmt's mighty handsome of you. What's tiie figure?" "A million!” enthusiastically. “Wait until I get a chance to explain tiie plan; it looks like Providence had just handed us out the money.” “Why not explain the scheme to me." ' “Not now; there ain't time.” He glanced at.his watch, “and besides, for all I knoKKi some guy might be listen ing in to wbfM^we say. You see there is a bunch o’ hell-cats in there waiting for me to give them a song-and dance. Tni tl\e big end right now, but I've got to sing low until I'm sure what word these guys have got, from Washington After that I’ll know how to trim -sail You~walt until I come hack. Daly, and then we’ll plan this thing out. Too think I’m aiming to play fair, don’t you?" • . 4 «■ Columbia. The vpfflce of the state insurance commissioner was engaged in sending out vouchers to the various county treasurers for amounts to be paid on account of additional license fees on premiums collected by insurance com panies for the semi-annual period end ing December 31, 1920. The largest voucher was for $11.- 036.27 and it went to the treasurer of Charleston county. Following is the list of counties to gether with the amount called for in the voucher: Abbeville. $990.17; Aiken, $1,564.97; Allendale,’ $195.54; Anderson, $4,619- .45; Bamberg, $935,26; Barnwell, $1- 061.56; Beaufort, $461.46; Berkeley, $210 82'! Calhoun, $701.82; Charleston, ^MOTr^Cfcerokee; $1,071.02; Ches ter, $1,582.65; Chesterfield. $1,576.16; Clarendon, $1,366.20; Colleton, $709- .94; Darlington, $2,976.23; Dillon. $1,- 466.49; Dorchester, $462.77; Edgefield, $826.07; Fairfield, $1,076.38; Florence, $3,950.10; Georgetown, $954.85; Green ville, $5,987.28; Greenw-ood, $2,686.03; Hampton, $548.07; Horry, $436.84; Jasper, $139.36; Kershaw, $1,175.06; Lancaster, $988.52; Laurens, $1,753.10; Lee. $1,117.88; Lexington. $1,045.18; McCormick, $183.04; Marion. $1,376.51; Marlboro, ,$1,884.10; Newberry, $1,- 341.53: Oconee, $786.29; Orangeburg, $3,088.66; Pickens. $967.77; Richland, $8,283.64; Saluda, $559.70; Spartan burg, $4,832.38; Sumter, $3,743.93; Union, $1,470.23: Williamsburg. $1.- 204.75; York, $3,093.92; total, $88,- 489.94. Td Discuss Road Situation. Several hundred South Carolinians representing every vocation in life are expected in Columbia Wednesday, j May 18. for the meeting to be held It > Craven hall to discuss the roads situr ation in South Carolina. This meet ing has been called, by, the represen tatives of 14 statewide Organizations and is expected to be 'one of the most representative gatherings ever held in the state. All statewide business, professional, laboring and social organizations have ! been asked to name delegates, the j mayor of every city and town in ths state has been asked to name dele gates to represent his city or town, the president of every Kiwanis and Rotary club and the president of ev ery chamber of commerce his beeo asked to name representatives to at tend the meeting. Responses are already coming in from the requests and they indicate that the call will be complied with. Already some rivalry is developing among some of the cities of the state as to which will send the largest ^dele gations. College Students Suspended. Acting in consonance with a resolu tion passed at a meeting of the board of trustees of the University of South^ Carolina, March 31, this year the dis ciplinary committee of the faculty temporarily suspended 48 undergradu ates of the institution who confessed as being, or having been during the college term, connected with sub-rosa “Greek letter” fraternities. Of this number 17 are seniors. The suspen sion is for one week. The state law prohibits the existence of such frater nities. Preparing to Pay State Aid. « The office of the state superintend ent of education is preparing pay state 'aid for vocational training, in struction in agriculture, trade, indus try and home economics.. The money is to reimburse the several school dis tricts and boards which have been supporting this instruction during the : past year, beginning last July. The , payments will total approximately $9.0,000, it was said. One Month of Free Training. One month of free practical train ing will be given to a limited number of patriotic young men this summer at Camp Jackson. Based on the con gressional appropriation for this pur pose. only 1,200 applicants will be tendered this training in each one of the nine corpa areas. This makes possible the training of approximate ly 10,009 yoqng men throughout the country, and in what will be known as the citizens’ military training camps, which, in principle, embodies the plan of the Plattsburg camps, whlcti‘ prov ed so popular and practical in 1913-14- 15. Young men who attend the Fburth army corps training camp at Camp Jackson will come from the states of North Carolina, South Carolina. Geor gia. Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana, and tbe camp will open July 18. j Important to all Women Readers of this Paper -i- - » Thousands upon thousands of .. have kidney or bladder trouble and suspect it.. . ; W omen's complaints often prove tm to nothing else but ludhey trouble, or tto result of kidney or bladder dieease. If the kidneys are not in a healthy com- flition, they may caoee the other orgame to become diseased. You may suffer pain in the back, head ache and losa of ambition. ui* >0or hea,ttl “akei you nervoOe, irritm- bie and may be despondent, it m«lry+ Mr one so. , But hundreds of women claim that Dr. Kilmer a Swamp Root, by reatoriac health to the kidneys, proved to be jaet the remedy needed to overcome eoeB conditions. Many aend for a sample bottle to am what Swamp Root, - the great kidnev. liver and bladder medicine, will do tor them. By enclosing ten cents to Dr. Kilmer A Co., Binghamton. N. Y.. yo« may receive sample size bottle by Pared Post. ■ You can purchase medium aad large size bottles at all drug stores.-Adr. LACKING IN WILLIE’S MAKEUP Realty Not Small Boy’s Fault That Ho War Unable to Comply With ' rr - Mother's Advice. Senator McCumber, Chairman of tho senate finance commlttte, wag dUcuflO- ing-those exposures of terrific profit eering on the part of dollar-a-year patriot!. f "We must not be too hard on these misguided men,” he said with a wink. “They occupied positions of groat temptation, you know. It Is easier to sermonize about temptation than to re* ■fst It. -• “These weak, culpable and yet woD- nteanlng men remind me of little Willie. "Little Willie stole a quarter one day out of mother’s pocketbook. His mother detected the theft aod trounced him severely. Then toe preached him a long sermon conclud ing with: ‘‘It’s all a - matter of resistlag temptation. Always, always turn * deaf ear to temptaflon, son.” “Little Willie stopped his sobbing long enongh to say: ” ‘But, mom, I ain’t got no deaf ear.*" Many Make Income Returns. :. s South FaroUnlanst and South Caro lina business houses to th* 1 number of 1 38.006 made returns to the internal , revenue department during the pres- | ent year for the incomes and'excess profits of 1920. according to the report Nine Tractors Have Arrived. Nine of the 11 ten ton Holt trac tors awarded the state highway com mission by th£ federal government in the recent surplus from the war de partment were unloaded by the de partment here. All these tractors wtl be used for -state maintenance on roads in different, parts of the state. Work on Bridges Postponed. Work on the Pee Dee- river bridge near Mars BJuff may be indefinitely of W. B. Bradley, collector This is postponed due to friction arising in the largest number of returns ever ! made in this state. Receiving Teachers’ Papers. j Examination pa nor? from various ^county s^ats are being received at the : offices 6f the state department of edu- j cation, according to J. E. Swearingen. state superintendent. -The: tearffiers* | examination were held May 7, and I some counties rep#rt an unusually large number of applicants. Florence and adjoining counties am also to failure' of -the Florence coun ty commission to sign the contract for the construotion of the structure, it was learned from ' highway depart ment officials. “HI Say I Was!” Mrs. D. Plrle Beyea ame to Kansas City last week to attend the nurses’ convention. Her visit to the Middls West resulted in renewing many ac quaintances made during her foor years’ service as an overseas nurse. Many of her patients were men from the Eighty-ninth and Thlrty-flhh divi sions- who fought in the.Argonne. * At Eleventh and Main streets she spied a familiar figure directing the traffic. ^ “Sayr* buddy," she called, "weren’t you in the army?” ._ > ’i’ll say I was,” replied the trafltc officer, ^Weren’t you., with the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh?’’ ‘Til say I was.**— "Do you remember when you were going through tl»e village of Ben Quit Vaux and the little fat nurse who brought you a bowl of soup?” “1*11 say I da; were, you that little nurse V’ - • “I’ll say I was.”—Kansas City Star. McMahan Forwards Vouchers. —Insurance Commissioner McMahan announced that vouchers were 0 for warded to all the town treasurers in the state for the 1 per cent premium ;tax. Charleston leads with $5,809.69 OlNMitls to be Represented. a 11 ' 1 Columbia is second with $4,400.64, South, Carolina will be well repfe- i while Greenville comes third with -Arts of Expression. “That last speech of yours wo* what I call commonplace." remarked the cold-hearted constituent. T was only endeavoring to spoak the simple truth In plain terms,” re plied. Senator Sorghum. “You wait till I try to put something across when nobody's looking and I'll show yob Koine phraseological ingenuities thatll sound perfectly brilliant." . sented atYhe annual convention of the I 53.506 18 Interstate Oi1\ Mill Superintendents’ : association to beTjeld in New Orleans, June 14, 15. 16 and'TT, approximately 60 oil mill men from thi^ state being expected to make the tri Class in Phytio^gy is ffl? Commission Makes Second Call The state tax commission is makii a second call on fertilizef^plants, cot ton .mills, trusjt companies and ^other corporations for- the financial state ments as of January 1, so*the commis sion can place The assessments. Four Stills Are Captured. Federal revenue agents raiding in Sumter and Lee. county jast week captured four llllcit stills and arrested three men charged -with operating the booze mills. Two big outfits were taken in Sumter county and one 6mall ne, while another small mill was cap tured in Lee county. Fourteen Stood Bar Examination. Fourteen persons stood the state Reduced Rate's for Convention. A special reduced railroad rate of obe and a half fare for the round trip has been granted, to the South Caro lina State 'Sunday School convention bar examination before the 8 , ate i »bich meets at Wintbrop college. Rock board here, tWe tests being completed. 1 »"• June *• »• «>• “•''»» J>™»Pe«lvo delegates may avail themselves of il Statewide Roads Meeting.' > W. A. McOuirt of Wilmington, N\ C„ nresldent of the North Carolina -Good Roads' association, has accepted an j invitation to d Q liver an address at the statewide roads meeting in Columbia, May 18. under the auspices of 16 state wide organizations. North Carolina is preparing to snend $50 000.000 on its highways and it was through the North Carolina Good Roads associa tion that tbe sentiment of the state was w-orked up to the Importance of expending more money on the high ways.’ / ‘Gentleman George.’ <TO BE CONTINUED) Cowage may be largely callous •os; hut that kind la valuable, too. Judge Whaley Refuses Petition W. L. Edwards, dealer in oil land, was arrested on Main street, while he was seated In his car. The arrest (was made on advices from Sheriff I Blease .of Newberry county. Attot* neys representing Edwards immedi ately sought to secure the release of their client by habeas corpus proceed ing and Judge Whaley heard argu- ; meats and refused the petition. An- |other motion to obtain $412 which was taken from Edwards when no was searched at the coonty jail was denied. ^ McSwaln Amendment Defeated. ''"Wdsfrin-rton. fSneolal).—Efforts to Increase 4he $1,200,000 carried in the army appropriation bill for vocational training of enlisted men, failed In the ’’ouse, an amer^ment^ offered by Representative. McSwaln, democrat. South Carolina for an addition of from $100,000 to $500,000 in the amount for salaries of instructors be ing voted down. “The army is organized for fighting, pot for going tq school.” Represan*a- tive Greene declared during the dU- cossion - A Plea for Economy. * , Washington (Special). — Disagree ment on the naval appropriations bill between the senate and house was in dicated when Representative Steven son, Dehiocrat, South Carolina, speak ing In the house, urged membefs to show “back bone" and refude to agree to increases proposed by -the senato. Republican leaders in the senate ho said, plan to support the action of their naval committee in adding $100.- 000.000 to the bill which as approved by the house carried approximately $191,000,000. > Teacher—Where is fW? heart lo cated. • . " „ . Little Jimmy (silent). ' Teacher (places hand on boy’a chest)—Don’t you feel the- beating?' I 4 ittle Jimmy—No; I usually feel It on the other side a little lower down. A good thing ceases to be a goe thing when we get too much of It. FDR WOMEN For over hi Ttrrrs Lm soli for ton PBJAKhtol of forty-eight: “I have i TUTTS PILLS for Bows tlan ouuqryean. Ian: vlbead that tftoy ora aba tha ouuqr at: would to I hova Md •A lew tare aO right’* Dr.Tutts Liver Pills MITE MAUKIA DOT OF IHE STSIB A GOOD TO TIC AW© A^PK'dim Cuticura Talcum Always Healthful