The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, June 27, 1901, Image 1
| The Bamberg Herald. jJ
|| ESTABLISHED 1891. BAMBERG. S. C.. THURSDAY. JUNE 21.1901. OXE DOLLAR PER YEAR. |jgj
HUNDREDS LOSE
Fearful Cloudbui
| ., West Virg
A SCENE OF DESOLATION
Mad Waters Rush Through the Pocahontas
Coal Region Leaving
Death and Destruction In
In Their Wake.
The entire section of Bluefleld, W.
Va., has been visited by a flood, the
extent of which in all probability will
equal that of Johnstown in 1SS9, so
far as the loss of property is concerned.
Early Saturday morning, shortly
after midnight, a heavy downpour of
rain began, accompanied by a severe
electric storm, which steadily increased
in violence until 10 o'clock in the
morning, then ceasing for several
hours and beginning again with renewed
violence. This continued
throughout the entire day and night,
and at 10 o'clock Sunday morning,
while the storm had abated, the lowering
clouds indicate*, another terrific
' downpounr at any moment. Many
miles of the Norfolk and Western railroad
track, bridges and telegraph lines
are enureiy aesiroyeu sau i-vuuiumtatkra
is entirely cut off west of Elkhorn.
so that it is impossible to learn the
full extent of the loss of life and property,
but officials of the coal operations
located in the stricken district hare
sent out messengers to Elkhorn, the
terminus of both telegraphic and railroad
communication, and have received
a report that a conservative estimate
as to the loss of life will easily
reach two hundred. Some the
drowned are among Vie most prominent
citizens of the coal fields.
The Pocahontas coal field is located
in a basin with high mountain ranges
on either side. Elkhorn creek flows
: _ , through the center of the basin,
v which ranges from one-fourth to one
mile in width. From Ennis. W. Va..
to Vivian Yard, W. Va., a distance of
ten miles, miners' cabins, coal company
commissaries and coke plants
fy x line this basin. Elkhorn creek, being
fed by numerous small streams coming
from the mountain sides, rises very
radidly and this waterspout came so
suddenly that tne entire basin between
the two mountain ranges was flooded,
and before the terror stricken people
realized what was upon them they
woro rarrfprf down bV the flood. Which
swept everything in its path.
A rough estimate places the numlr
her ot bridges washed away between
Bhtefield and Vivian yard, a distance
of twenty-eight miles, at from fifteen
- to twenty, and from present indications
it will be impossible to get trains
through to Vivian and points west of
there under a week or ten days.
This will render it impossible to
get relief into the stricken district,
and with those who escaped with their
lives, homeless and without food, indescribable
suffering is inevitable.
Details Are Meager.
Details of the great Pocahontas coal
field flood are hard to obtain, owing
to the inaccessibility of the mining
district where the fnry and havoc of
the angry waters caused the most appalling
loss of life and property.
At Keystone the water began to rise
at 9 o'clock Sunday morning, and by
11 o'clock the flood had spent its fury
- and at least two-thirds of the little city1
ha~ been washed away or demolished.
It is known that sixteen residents of
the north side lost their lives, and at
- TO ASSIST FLOOD SUFFERERS, i
West Virginia AuthoritiesTake Prompt
- Action to Relieve Homeless People.. j
, A Charleston, W. Va., special says.
Secretary of State Dawson, in the ab- j
' sence of Governor White, sent a mes-1
/ sage Sunday night to Colonel J. C.
Hewitt at Bramwell to take fnll charge |
of the situation in the flood stricken |
district and to wire the governor his
needs. The company of national
guard at Bramwell was ordered out to
assist in guarding the property, and i
more troops win be sent as soon as i
possible to get them there. A supply J
of tents at Bramwell was ordered to!
be given out to the suffering.
- % DR. KERFOOT DEAD.
Corresponding Secretary of Baptist
X Home Mission Board Passes Away.
Dr. Franklin Howard Kerfoot, corresponding
secretary 01 the home mission
board of the Southern Baptist convention,
died Saturday night at his
residence in Atlanta, Ga.. after an illness
covering a period of eight weeks.
Dr. Kerfoot went to the Southern Baptist
convention which met in New Orleans
May 9th against the advice of
his physicians, and, being too ill to remain
to the end of the session, returned
to Atlanta on the lltn, since which
time he was unable to leave his bed.
ANOTHER BOER VICTORY.
Redcoats Lose Eight Men killed and
Sixty Captured.
Advices from Cradock, Cape Colony,
state that in an engagement at Waterkloof
June 20th the British lost eight
men killed and two mortally wounded
and had four men seriously wounded.
In addition, sixty men of the Cape Colonial
Mounted Rides were captured.
a Boer captain was wounded
and a private killed.
REWARD IS OFFERED.
Governor Will Pay For Arrest and
Conviction of Berta Jacksorfs Slayer.
Governor Canaler, of Georgia, has j
offered a reward of $150 for the arrest,
wi*h proof to convict, of the murderer
of Berta Jackson, the adopted daughter
of R. F. Flowers, of DeKalb county.
Ibe reward was offered upon the request
of the ordinary of Dekalb county,
that county having no county commissioners.
The authorities have made
an earnest and thorough search for
the criminal, but without success.
Si?'
- '
. ?, . .
LIFE IN FLOODS
pst Sweeps Down
inia Valley.
least fifty of those living on the south
or lower side were drowned.
At Burke, a suburb of Keystone, a
number are missing and eign. are reported
as dead.
It is now certain that the total list
of the dead from one <md of the Elkhorn
valley to the other, will reach
two hundred. A full list of the names
of the victims cannot be ascertained at
this time. Hundreds are missing, having
taken refuge in the mountains to
escape the fury of the flood.
At leaat three hundred mine mules
were drowned, and at least twenty-five
could be seen swimming about in the
flood and making an unusual fight for
life.
But little damage Is done to mines
proper, as the drift mouths were high
up the mountain sides, several hundred
are reported flooded, but it is impossible
to ascertain the extent of
damage.
On the North Fork branch of the
Norfolk and Western, which is five and
one-half mi.'es long, there was no loss
of life as far as known, but hundreds
were rendered homeless and are at
preset*, camping in the mountains. The
damage to property on this branch is
very heavy, only one of ten colleries
located on this branch escaping, the
Ashland, it being located at the head
of the stream.
The McDowell Coal Company lost
twelve residences. The Roanoke Company
lost three boiler houses, and the
one hundred horsepower boilers were
swept four miles down the stream.
The Louisville Company's storehouse
is a wreck and the stock of
goods a total loss.
At Rolfe a large number of miners'
houses were swept away, as well as
the handsome residence of the company's
physician. Twenty-five houses
are jammed together in one complete
mass of broken timbers and debris.
At the Gilliam Company's colliery
the powder house and fourteen houses
are demolished.
At Indian Ridge the company store
was considerably damaged and the
stock lost The house of Captain Botsford,
the manager, is wrecked; also
the North Fork track is nearly all
washed away, all the trestles being
gone except one.
In the Elkhorn valley it is estimated
that the loss to the railroad and coal
interests will reach .nto millions. Out
of tfvelve miles of main double track
nnlv r>n? mile remains and all the
bridges are gone. Some of them were
of the heaviest masonry and iron, but
they could not resist the force of the
flood.
The Cozer Company, one of the largest
in operation, lost a thousand horsepower
electric plant and many buildings
and coke ovens. Their loss is said
to be $50,000. The Tierney interest,
consisting of four collieries, will lose
$75,000.
There are over twenty collieries
whose damage is great, many miles of
their tracks leading to ovens and
mines being gone. In some instances
nine locomotives and cars have been
swept for miles down the stream.
Fifteen hundred laborers have been
rushed to the scene to work on repairs,
and it is expected that telegraphic
communication will be established in
a short time.
Later advices from the Clinch valley
division confirm the reported
drowning of ten persons. A family
named Hook, living near the river at
Rounding Mill, were all drowned, six
perishing.
STRIKERS AND GUARDS FIGHT.
Trouble in Thacker-Matewan Coal
Fields Reaches an Exciting Stage.
The miners' strike in the ThackerMatewan
coal fields, in West Virginia,
is growing critical and resort to firearms
has been the result. The whole
field is in a state of excitement ?.nd
serious trouble is feared. Already two
or three conflicts have occurred between
the striking miners and guards.
The trouble has grown out of the |
non-recognition of the union by the
operators. The operators declare they
will not recognize the union and the
miners are equally as persistent in demanding
that they shall be recognized.
EX-CONSUL HAY KILLED.
Supposed to Have Accidentally Fallen
From Window of New Haven Hotel.
Adelbert S. Hay, son of Secretary
Hay and former consul to Pretoria,
was found dead on the sidewalk outside
the New Haven house, at New Haven,
Conn., at 2:30 ounday morning.
Mr. Hay retired to his room at 1
o'clock after spending the evening
with friends in apparently excellent
spirits.
At 2:30 o'clock a passer-by noticed
the body of a man lying on the sidewalk
by the hotel. The night clerk
recognized the young man as Adelbert
S. Hay.
DEMOCRATS SHY AT FUSION.
Refuse to Join Issue With New Party
Being Organized in Kansas City.
The democratic state central comnf
Vancac Vi a a rpfncpH an i n V i - I
| tation from the populists to join in
j the formation of a new fusion party
1 under a distinct name. This action
j was taken at a meeting in Topeka Saturday
night of the democratic commit!
tee. Twenty-three members of the
committee were present
BRITISHERS STUDY CANAL.
Question of Nicaragua Waterway
Again Taken Up By English Cabinet.
In a tentative, easygoing sort of
way the British cabinet has begun to
consider the Nicaragua treaty matter.
Lord Pauncefote has explained many
things to Lord Lansdawne, the foreign
secretary, and the latter is once more
grappling the problem. It is needless
to say that the foreign office has no
intention of hurrying, and in the
course of a month or so it may come
to a decision,
' irMfsnsjrsirsMMiMCN?j
I SOUTH CAROLINA 2
1$ STATE NEWS ITEMS.
cMCNjcMfsicMrvifsir^
DeKalb Tombstone Found.
! The original tombstone of Baron De:
Kalb, who received a mortal wound at
J i-e battle of Camden in 1780, has been
: found, black with age, .n the cellar of
the Presbyterian church of Camden.
*
*
Machinists Not In Riot.
Directors of the machinists' strike
on the Southern railway state information
has been received from those in
charge of the strike at Columbia that
not one member of the machinists'
union were concerned in the riot, but
that it was started by Irresponsible
?vmno*hi?6pa trifch the strikers and
OJ w ?* *
without the local officers of the union
at Columbia. Every effort, the officials
of the district lodge, say, is being
made to keep down trouble of the kind
at Columbia.
*
* *
Alleged Murderer Arrested.
H. Harris, a negro who has been employed
as cook at the Sea Island Hotel
in Beaufort for some months, was
arrested a few days ago on suspicion
that he i3 Sam Jackson, wanted for the
murder of Sheriff Kennedy and the
wounding of Deputy Donaldson, near
Statesboro, Bulloch county, Georgia,
on October 12, 1898. Harris answers
perfectly the description of Sam Jackson
as set forth in .he reward offered
by the Georgia authorities for the murderer's
apprehension. The Statesboro
officials have been notified by wire
that the negro will be he.- by the authorities
pending identification by
them.
%
Road Made a Mistake.
A Columbia dispatch says: The Seaboard
Air Line management seems to
realize that they made a mistake in
coming into Columbia as they did. The
road, wishing to get near the heart of
the town, purchased Sidney park from
the city .or the almost nominal sum of
$30,000. It cost about $50,000 more to
cut down hills and flu up valleys in
the park. Then at least another $100,000
was spent In buying valuable property
for rights of way tnrough the city,
and the construction in getting into
and out of the park cost probably $75,000
more than if the road had come in
with the Southern and gone to the
union depot Now the old park is an
immense clay hole. The Kill sides are
caving in with every rain and will
have to be held up by retaining walls.
It will require heavy expenditure to
make the place sightly. And the Seaboard
has yet to build a passenger sta-1
tion.
*
* *
Gaffney Criminal Court.
In the court of general sessions at
Gaffney, Judge Gage presiding, Jim
Jeter, tried for murder and convicted,
was sentenced to hard labor for life
in the state penitentiary. Nero LittleJohn's
jury agreed on a verdict of
manslaughter and he was sentenced to
hard labor for three years.
Eliphas Dawklns, for burning his
wife to death last January, spends the
rest of his life in the penitentiary. Five
white men have. been arraigned for
riot and assault and battery of a high
and aggravating nature with intent to
kill. At the calling of the case their
attorney, G. W. Speer, made a challenee
to the array of jurors on the
ground that there was no law in the
state for the drawing of juries, and if
there was then it was unconstitutional
in that it was local and special law.
Judge Gage practically admitted that
the law was unconstitutional, but preferred
that the supreme court decide
the mater and overruled the motion.
The defendants were convicted of riot
and the case will go to the supreme
court. There were eight murder cases
at this term of court, but five of them
were continued till next term.
*
* *
Prosperous Year for Clemson.
Clemson college has closed the most
successful year in its history, i he college
has had 450 cadets on its rolls,
and has been forced to turn away dozens
because of lack of room. The
new barracKs being built will accommodate
150 boys, so that an attendance
of 600 is expected next fall.
The annual orator was Senator Tillman.
It was a characteristic address,
having a lot of hard common sense in
it. He uad not made any attempt to
prepare a speech, and declared he never
in his life tried to write a finished
address with rounding sentences?his
object was to get his hearers to think
as he did. The senator has been soft
ened in his views about some things.
A dozen years ago he spoke of the citadel
cadets as dancing dudes. In his
address on this occasion he congratulated
the management that they allowed
dancing. The boys should be given
a chance to meet the girls twice a
month. There was no harm In dancing;
like all other things, it might be
abused. He expected the preachers to
"cuss him out" for these views, but he
noticed the preachers' daughters entertained
the same opinions as himself.
*
* *
Georgians Anxious to Exhibit.
That the commissioners of our sister
state of Georgia are working hard
to obtain an exhibit for the Charleston
show is evidenced in the following appeal
Issued by them:
To the People of Georgia: The legislature
at its last session appropriated
$1,000 for an exhibit of Georgia's products
at the Buffalo and Charleston exnnsitions.
We went ahead and made
the best display we could under the
circumstances at miffalo. While other
states had their thousands for this
purpose, we had only a few hundred
dollars. The matter of transportation
and installation exhausted nearly all
of the appropriation.
We find that it will be impossible to
make a proper exhibit at Charleston
unless the liberal hearted citizens of
Georgia come to our relief. It will
take $1,000 to make any exhibit at all.
It is not necessary to prove to you
! the importance of Georgia being repre- {
seated at the Soutn Carolina and West !
Indfan exposition. South Carolina is
, our neighbor and we ought to be willing
to 6how them the same courtesy
I that this great state has always ex- ,
tended to us. We. therefore, appeal to J ,
; the citUens of Georgia to contribute j
: for this piypose.
WILY FILIPINO WEPI
Cailles and His Band of Warriors ;
Surrender to Americans.
A SrtUAlllLAK lArlllJLAIluN
I
To Music of Native Bands Insurgent
Leader Marches Into Santa Cruz,
Gives Up Arms and Receives
Congratulations.
Advices from Santa Cruz, Province *
of Laguna, P. I., state tnat when Gen- j
eral Cailles surrendered there Monday with
650 men and 500 rifles, he entered i
Santa Cruz to the music of native
bands, which were drawn up in six <
lines in the churchyard. Cailles and
his staff entered the church, where
mass was celebrated by Chaplain Hart,
of the Eighth United States infantry. I
The column passed in review before
the United States army headquarters,
with arms at port, returned to the con- <
vention enclosure, there surrendered <
their rifles and received receipts en
titling them to thirty pesos each 1
During the surrender of the arms i
Cailles and his taff, who were outside i
the inclosure, wept ]
The officers afterward walked to \
headquarters, where Cailles tendered i
his sword to General Sumner, who gal- ]
lantly handed it back. General Sum- ]
ner also handed back the revolutionist i
flag. Which Cailles will, personally, pre- j
sent to General MacArthur. ]
General Sumner congratulated i
Cailles on his r -render and the latter ]
responded mat it was a happy day for j
Laguna province.
Frank Mekin, the deserter of the j
Thirty-seventh infantry, who had been \
acting as a lieutenant with the insur- ]
gents under Cailles, was placed in
irons. i
I 4
MacArthur Reports. ,
General MacArthur has cabled the ;
war department announcing the sur- j
render of General Cailles in Northern
Luzon, with 396 rifles, 4,000 rounds of
ammunition and 600 officers and men.
Cailles has taken the oath of allegi- <
ance.
General MacArthur has announced
the arrival of Lawton at Manila, with ,
Companies k and L, Eleventh infan- .
try. # i
MANY THOUSANDS HOMELESS. !
1
Details of Flood In Pocahontas Coal
Region Shows Terrible State ]
of Affairs. {
Advices of Monday from Bluefleid, 1
W. Va., state that details of the flood (
in the Pocahontas Flat Top coal re
gion iuuy Dear out ine worst tears ut i
the extent of damage done. The work (
of repairing railroad tracks, telephone
and telegraph lines is being pushed
"with the vigor that the occasion demands.
(
Thousands of people are homeless
and it is feared are without food, or at
the best with only food enough to last }
several days until railroad communica- ]
tion is established. Men are at work ,
clearing away debris, recovering the 3
bodies of the dead. The dead are be- ,
ing augmented hour^gjj* Relief trains ]
are running between Bluefield and the (
stricken district and everything possi- 3
ble is being done to relieve the suffer- t
ing and destitution. l
The latest estimate is that It will .
take ten days to repair the Norfolk j
i and Western track. Information from {
| the Tug river district is to tne effect :
I that the damage to the coal operations
in that region is not great, but that
the lumber interests have suffered coni
siderably. :
Over 100 miles of track belonging to (
the various operations are practically .
a total loss. The rails are bent and j
twisted like wires. Even the heavy j
j iron girders of the collapsed railroad j
j bridges were rendered useless. The
j force of the flood is better understood
when it is explained that by reason of
a long fill and a low iron bridge the
flood was dammed and a monster body
of water accumulated, probably as
large, a volume as was contained in
the famous dam at Johnstown When
this obstruction gave way it let down
an immense volume of water on the
village and mining camps below.
QUAKERS CANNOT BORROW.
Philadelphia Fails to Dispose of Nine
Millions For Improvements.
For the first time in the history of
Philadelphia a loan offered by the city
has failed. The municipality recently
offered 3 per cent for a $9,000,000 loan
to be used in improving the city's water
supply and on Monday, the time
having expired, one bid for $5,000 was
receiveu.
Mrs. McKinley Still Improving.
Mrs. McKinley continues to Improve
and the arrangements to go to Canton
| are unchanged. The date of departure
has not yet been fixed.
WANAI..AKER OFFERS FORTUNE.
Is Willing to Pay Three Millions For
Erstwhile Free Franchises.
A Philadelphia dispatch says: Following
his offer to Mayor Ashbridge
last week to pay the city $2,500,000 for
me street railway franchises granted
*.o certain capitalists in u.is city and
.. oAfm/nH tn whirh hft re
U) U1C UIJ LUUUVK, vw
ceived no reply, ex-Postmaster General
John Wanamaker hriday night sent a
communication to Robert H. Foerderer,
one of the capitalists to whom franchises
were granted, offering him a
half million dollars for the franchises
in addition to giving to the city the
sum already offered.
ACTEt9 FOR SELF PROTECTION.
Negroes Vynched Because They Were
Avowed Enemies of the Whites.
The lynching of "Prophet" Smith
and F. D. .dcLand at Benton for connection
with the murder of John Gray
Foster, caused no commotion in
Shreveport. The two negroes were
regarded as dangerous characters, and
there is little comment on the mob's
action.
Evidence was discovered sc clearly
establisning the identity of Smith and
McLand as enemies of the white race
and dangerous elements among the negroes
that their extinction came to be
regarded as essential to the preservation
of order in the parish.
AS 11 UCLUUIC LUt" gcuuai ucun umi
Prince Edwards, the negro accused of
the killing of Foster, would never be
captured, the mob determined to act
without further delay.
Smith confessed, just before he was
lynched, that he loaded the gun with
which Foster was killed.
Many letters of an incendiary tenor
written by Smith and his followers,
were found. Indications of conspiracies
against Cniei Lake, of the Shreveport
policy, Foster and others ran
through the missives, and In connection
with the minutes of a meeting of
the "Church of the Living God." of
which Smita was the head, precipitated
the lynching.
WILL ISSUE MO/IE STOCK.
Plant System Lines to Be Consolidated
Under 6. F. and W' Corporation.
A special meeting of the stockholders
of the Savannah, Florida and Western
Railway Company was held in Savannah
'jL-.ursday, and it was decided
to issue 155,671 aaaitional shares of
stock. The par value wil. be $100 a
share, and 125,000 shares will be preferred,
witheut voting power, while
the remaining shares will be common
stock, wltn full voting power. The
meeting was held in accordance with a
plan reached some months ago to consolidate
the lines of the Plant system
inder the corporation of the Savannah,
Florida and Western. The roads to
be consolidated are the Savannah,
Florida and Western, the Charleston
and savannah, the Brunswick and
Western, the Alabama Midland, the
Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf and
the Tampa and Thonotosassa. All have
long been under the Plant system,
with the slock ownea by the Plant Investment
Company. Another meeting
Df stockholders will be held on July
1st, when further details will be completed.
PRESAGES CONVICTION.
Sallows or Long Sentence Faces Jessie
Morrison, Slayer of Mrs. Castle.
A special from Eldorado, Kas, says:
Thus far the second trial of Jessie
Morrison, on the charge ef murdering
Mrs. Clara Castle, is very much
against her. The defense has not introduced
evidence of any consequence
to support its claim of self defense.
What is considered a very important
point was gained by the state Thurs3ay
morning in the refusal of Judge
kikman to admit as evidence the clothing
worn by Jessie Morrison on the
lay that she gave the mortal wound
to Mrs. Castle. The clothing is cut
and blood-staiifed. At the first trial it
was all admitted to the jury, while the
nothing of Mrs. Castle was excluded.
VAST COLONIZATION SCHEME.
Officials of Santa Fe Railway Send to
Italy For Colonists.
A Chicago dispatch says: The management
of the Santa Fe railway has
begun to carry out a vast colonization
pian, which will result In bringing
many thousands of Italians to this
:ountry and in locating u.em on lands
In Southern California. New Mexico,
Oklahoma and \exas. Agents of the
road have been sent to Italy with literature
for distribution. These books
*re in ihe Italan language and are
plentifully illustrated witn views taken
from picturesque spots along the line
>f the Santa Fe in the states and territories
mentioned.
Casualties Among Insurgents.
A Manila dispatch says: It is estimates
that forty insurgents were killed
or wounded during the recent engagements
which have occurred in Albay
and Sorosogon province?. Many
Insurgents are returning to their
homes.
FOUR STORM . ICTIMS.
Storm Near Pittsburg, Pa., Causes Fatalities
and Great Property Damage.
A special from Pittsburg, Pa., says:
The storm and flood which broke over
Allegheny county on Saturday afternoon
besides causing much damage in
ever}' part of the county is known to
have caused at least lour deaths besides
bringing injury to others.
Chaffee Is Military Governor.
Following the order issued Saturday
making Judge Taft civil governor of
the Philippines, an order has been issued
naming General Chaffee as military
governor of the archipelago.
GEORGIA STATE FAIR.
Work Well Under Way for Big Show
at Savannah In November.
The date for the Georgia state fair
to be held in Savannah next fall has
been fixed for November 6th to 16th.
It may and probably will run beyond
the latter date. The premium list has
been made up and will soon be distributed.
It aggregates $14,759.75, exclusive
of the purses which will be offered
for the races.
DIPLOMAS LONG DELAYED.
Princeton University Recognizes Two
Students Who Graduated in 1861.
Captain J. H. 0 Deal and Thomas
Helm, prominent citizens of Jackson.
Miss., have received from Princeton
university the degrees which should
have been conferre.. on them forty
years ago. They were members of the
graduating class of 1S61, but left the
university several weeks beiore commencement
and returned home to join
the con/drate army, inursuay iue>
received their diplomas for the B. A.
degree.
/ ?
i DEATHAND DISASTER |
I
1 *
I Follow In Wake of Two Terrific.
Explosions Among Fireworks.
! ?
! SIXTEEN LIVES REPORTED LOST
! Many Harrowing Scenes Witnessed
While Building Burned?Force [
of Concussion Was Felt
For Many Blocks.
? I
Sixteen people are believed to have
been killed and a number injured Frl- J
' aay in a fire following a series of ex- j
, plosions among a quantity of fireworks ;
j in the store of Abraham M. Rlttenberg,
at Paterson, N. J. The store wtu orf
: the ground floor of a four story frame
tenement building. The cause of the
explosion is not known. The property
I loss will not exceed $35,000.
The explosion occurred shortly af- .
; ter noon and many of the occupants
| of the building were out at dinner. The
| building in which the explosion oc]
curred was a frame tenement, four
l stories high, with stores on the ground
j floor. The middle store was occupied
j by Rittenberg. Ten families occupied
; the flats in the building,
i So great was the force of the explo!
sion that a boy playing in the street
j half a block away was lifted from his
j feet and hurled against an iron fence.
One of his legs was broken. A trolley
car was directly in front of the building
when the explosion occurred. The
hurst nf flamp hlown out into the street
scorched the sides of the car and singed
the hair of the passengers.
A number of those who were on the
upper floors of the building when the
explosion took place were either stunned
and then burned to death or found
escape cut off and were suffocated. After
the first explosion there was a series
of smaller ones and then came a
second big explosion, which was muffled
and deadened and probably occurred
in the cellar."
Every window 6eemed to be emitting
flame within a minute after the first
explosion. A woman, with her clothing
on fire, leaped out of one of the
windows and fell to the yard below.
Her dead body was dragged out of
reach of the flames, but tue flesh was
roasted and dropping from the bones
She later proved to be Mrs. Williams.
Mrs. Williams's husband was a cripple.
His wife is supposed to have remained
longer than she could with
saiety in an effort to save him. He
was found burned to a crisp in his bed.
Some of the occupants of the rooms
dropped from the windows and were
bruised; others hung from the windows
until the firemen came ana twenty
persons were taken down in this
way through the fire and smoke by
the firemen, while others dropped into
life nets.
Dan Dooly, who was in the yard
. when the explosion took place, saw the
two Rittenberg children in the rear
room and rushed into the flames for
them. He got one of them and carried
it out and tried to go back for the other,
but the room was then one mass
of fire and he was too late. He was
baly scorched in rescuing the first
child.
While the rescues were going on the
firemen were fighting the flames. Captain
Allen led with a hose line in an
efTort to keep the fire from the upper
floors, where it was said many were
penned in. The men had hardly taken
their positions and begun on the sidewalk
to throw water into the npper
floor when without any warning, the
whose upper part of the building above
them sagged outward and fell. The captain
and two of his men were buried
under the blazing debris. One of
u.e men is badly hurt. The building
in which the explosion occurred vu
entirely destroyed.
MOTHER AND BABES BURNED.
Pathetic Tragedy Caused By Explosion
of a Kerosene Can.
At Rogers, Texas, Friday Mrs. Miley
Calhoun and ner three children were
burned to death by the explosion of a
kerosene can with which Mrs. Calhoun
was filling a lamp. One of the children
struck a match causing the catastrophe.
Mr. Calhoun was alto badly
burned.
Rockefeller Donates to Cornell.
At a meeting of the board of trustees
of Cornell university at Ithica, N. Y.,
Wednesday, President Schurman pre
sented a letter from John D. Rokefeller
donated $250,000 to the university
on condition that an equal amount is
contributed by others.
Carnegie to Erect Monument
Andrew Carnegie will erect a monument
to James G. Blaine. A personal
friendship for many years and a warm
admiration for the great champion of
American industries inspire the philanthropist
in this his latest undertaking.
COLORED PARSON LYNCHED.
Charged With Assaulting White Woman
He Meets the Usual Fate.
D. B. Jone6, the negro preacher who,
it is alleged, attempted to assault Mrs.
j Noah Davis near LaGrange, N. C.,
; Tuesday, was taken from the guardi
house in that town Wednesday night
j and lynched. Little can be learned
I at LaGrange cf the affair, as the mob
j did their work very quietly.
BIG REWARD OFFERED.
j Seven hundred Dollars Will Be Paid
For Murderer of Atlanta Policeman.
i Chairman English, of the At&nta,
: Ga., police board, and Chief Ball held
j conferences with Governor Candler
j and Mayor Mims Friday fooking to the
offering of rewards for the capture of
Policeman DeBray's slayer. The governor
agreed to offer a reward of $200
and Mayor Mims recommended to
council that a reward of $300 be offered.
The council tfnted unanimously
to offer the reward. Tills makes tfc?
rewards $700,
- - ... . - . . .J S
SAYS BROTHER IS MURDERER.1 (
Negro Implicated In Assassination of
Atlanta Police Officer Makes
a Startling Confession. ^
Monday afternoon Ike Hammond
made a confession to the Atlanta detectives
in connection with the murder
of Officer DeBray, which occurred J
in West End one night last week, implicating
his brother, Tom Hammond,
as the man who fired the fatal shot ^
and Oscar Hammond and Jim Erwin
as the two men who were with Tom
when the policeman was shot to death.
T- ? ? ? AtA ?ta an for flQ
IBttttt', iiUWCKI, U1M UW Jjv ?v 4M? ww
to say anything about his being in the
plot or about decoying the officer into
the death trap. *
The three negroes wnom ho accuses 8
deny any knowledge of the affair. Ike ^
Hammond is the negro who was with j
Officer DeBray when the latter was
murdered, and he was held by the po- 8
lice on the suspicion that he was con- i
nected with the killing. a
Harry Baker, a white boy of 256
Decatur street, makes a statement ?
that may furnish the last link in the j
line oi evidence pointing to the guilt ?
of Jim Erwin and the three Ham- j
mosds. Young Baker says he over- \
beard the plot to kill Policeman Defray?heard
the four negroes whom *
le later identified in earnest conversa- ?
tion on Lee street and distinctly heard ?
them instruct one of their number, j
fsaac Hammond, to go back and get ]
he policeman in order to lead him into ?
.he trap.
The statement of the youth is clear j
md straightforward, leaving no doubt i
in the minds of the officers as to the
juilt of u.e men unaer arrest. i
Hammond's Confession.
"I want to tell the truth," he said
ko the detectives, "for I am not going
to stay in here and maybe get hanged
lot somebody else, even though it is
my brother. Tom killed Mr. DeBray.
I saw him and Jim Erwin and my
brother Oscar together going down
Gordpn street I met Mr. DeBray and
told him about three suspicious negroes.
I knew two of my brothers
were there, but I wanted to help the <
police. I knew them niggers were up
to some mischief. Mr. DeBray locked
bis bicycle to a water plug with his
handcuffs and we walked together
down Gordon street The three ne
groes were ahead of us and they went
beyond the city limits. I started to go
home, when Mr. DeBray asked me to 1
stay with him to see if the negroes l
would come back. We hid under a <
tree, and soon saw the negroes coming
back. They went into the middle {
of the street and Mr. DeBray stepped j
out and called to them to halt Jim ]
Erwin and Oscar stopped, but Tom (
kept going sorter sideways across the ;
street I saw him keeping his hand ,
his side coat pocket and I knew he ?
meant to do Mr. DeBray harm if he
could. I saw Mr. DeBray's pistol in i
his hand and I thought he would be i
able to take care of himself. Sudden- ,
ly Tom whiled around and shot at Mr. (
DeBray and then he ran. As he was
running off Mr. DeBray shot at him ,
twice. Tom then wheeled and shot .
again and that shot killed Mr. DeBray, <
for he fell in his tracks. That Is the ,
truth and the whole truth."
i
GOVtRNOR ASKS AID. J
V 1
West Virginians Are Asked to Gener- M
ously Help Flood Sufferers.
Governor White, of West Virginia, <
issued an appeal to West Virginians <
only asking for "generous gifts of <
money with which necessary supplies 1
can be purchased" for the flood suffer- 1
ere. 1
The governor also sent a reply to a (
telegram from Governor Nash in part i
as follows:
'The suffering probably will be
great. Aid must be sent via Bluefield, i
which requires roundabout circuit 1
through Virginia. Any outside aid had i
best be in money and can be sent to i
the adjutant general at Charleston, or t
to any bank cashier in Bluefield. Thousands
of miners are homeless.
"A. B. WHITE, Governor."
Institution is Sectarian.
Joseph Br&dfieiu has begun suit in ""
Washington against the treasurer of
the United States to enjoin him from
paying $50,000 appropriated by con- (
gress for erection of a nurses' home at
Providence hospital, a Catholic insti
tution, on the ground that it is a sec- j
tarian institution. i
PROFITABLE LAND DEAL.
Valdosta Citizens Make Big Money <
Handling Florida Real Estate.
The Georgia and Florida Land Compnnv
had a meeting in Valdosta the ,
past week to divide the profits which
inn company has earned since it was
organized a little lass than two years
ago. The dividend amounted to $58,- 4
000, making a profit of something over
" * lV- TOO. nrffOn.
$75,UUU since me cuuvau/ v.e?
ized with $25,000 capital two years
ago.
The company invested in timber
lands in Florida which were held for
awhile and then resold. Half of their
holdings brought $90,000.
RAN |NTO OPEN 8WITCH.
Five People Killed and Forty Badly
Hurt In Wreck of a Train.
By the wrecking of train No. 23
north-bound on the Pittsburg and Lake
Erie railroad, which ran into an open
switch an Monaca, Pa., twenty-six
miles from Pittsburg, Mcmaay evening
and went over an embankment twentyfive
feet high, two persons are dead
and three fatally injured and forty
others more or less hurt.
PLAGUE INFECTED SHIP.
Arrives at San Diego?Five Deaths
- I
From Bubonic occurred on dv?
Surgeon General Weyman at Washington
has been Informed by Dr. McKay,
quarantine official at San Diego,
Cal., of the arrival at that port of a
plague Infected ship.
The vesel is the Carlisle City, sailing
from Hong Kong May 16th and
coming via Yokohama and Honolulu,
reaching San Diego late last Saturday.
Dr. McKay reports that there were
six deaths en route, five of which were
certainly caused by plague,
.: & *-vt:
:alled on the lord |
legroes Prayed While Meeting i
Death at Bands of Hob. ||11
fCCUSED OF FOSTER'S MURDER M
lob at Benton, La., Finally Satiates
Pent Up Anger By Hang- /;.,5
ing "Prophet" Smith
and McLand.
A special from Shreveport, La., says:
''rank, better known as "Prophet"
imith and F. D. McLand, held at Benon
for complicity in the murder of .V-||
ohn Gray Foster, were taken out by sWm
i mob Wednesday night and strung
ip to a tree. They were left dangling - ^
side by side.
The lynching occurred on the Arkan- ^
:as road about one mile and a half t'M
rom the jail. Both negroes made -d
statements before death, denying that
hey had anything to do with the killSmith,
who was the head of the
'Church of God" movement in that . $
section, and was blamed as being reiponsible
for the sentiment against. * *~/J|
he whites which led to the death of
Foster, died praying. McLand was
tilent as he was swung up.
As Smith was being led from the
ail prior to the execution he was
leard to say: i-gSM
"Lord, you promised to be with me
There were about 200 men in the :fd
nob and they overpowered the sheriff
and Jailpr, taMng the keys away "qja :
'rom them. The lynchers claimed that -'-j$
the execution of these negroes was p!
necessary to the preservation of the .'i ' - ?
lives of white men in this locality.
MET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. 3
Coroner's Jury Investigating Brutal
Murder of Little Berts Jackson 1.',
Holds Fourth 8ession.
The fourth session of the coroner's ^ fury,
investigating the murder of Berta 'jjj
Jackson, was held behind closed doors'^^S..,
it Decatur, Ga., Wednesday afternoon, w
the newspaper representatives being ^ |
excluded as well as spectators. ^
When the Jury filed from the room, m
ifter four hours of work, the an-. "f_| aouncement
was made that nothing
txad been done which could be given ^ ~
out The only matter that Attorney
Hooper Alexander inade public was
that the jury would meet again June
Judging from the witnesses who tea- |S
tifled before the jury, the same old ' ?
ground was gone over for the fourth
time. The witnesses were R. S. Flowers,
Berta Jackson's adopted father;
Mrs. Flowers, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Flow- '-B
era' sister; the negro boys, Gathro En- g;?p?iish
and Matt Willingham, and Lewis ;
Gillanj, a negro who works on a farm
sdjolnlng Flowers' dairy.
All of these witnesses had been before
the coroner's jury, and they
inKatanHfliir the sAmfl statements y
that were made at prior sessions of -'IBBThe
Jury seems to be out gunning jgjj ;
without any ammunition It is the m
concensus of opinion mat if a skilled ||
detective had been placed on the case jj|
Immediately, he might have been able Is
by now to furnish the jury with some- j|3 ,5
thing more tangible than suspicions. $&
Outside, werk by a detective has been g M
needed as well as inside work by a |
It seems now as if suspicion is being lip .'
directed to Matt Wijllngham. He Is amthe
one witness who was caught in a M
number of contradictory statements
as to his whereabouts on the day of p
the murder.
NEW BANK AT ELBERTON.
Hustling Georgia Town to Have Her > ja
Financial Institution. I
days a new bank will
be organized* and^ready for trusinesa^
in Elberton, Ga., wuh a "f *
000. It will be located in the Long - :<?
building on the public square. This
will be Elberton's third bank. The offleers
have not yet been selected for
the Institution.
FIRED ON NEGRO SALE8MEN.
White Employees of a Mississippi Rail* '|j
road Draw Color ^ine. ;3
A report reached Jackson, Miss, jj
Thursday that a Gulf and Ship Island ? % 'M
freight train was flagged down hy
white men near Magee and fire negro
salesmen in the caboose were fired 9
upon and one was instantly killed. %
The other negroes aboard escaped by
jumping and taking to the woods. The
affair is the result of a declaration by ! " 1
white employees thai negro salesmen
shaii not be allowed to work for the
read, and this is the method taken to
get rid of them. ' ,
Big C6tton Blaze at Houston.
The compress owned by Inman,
i.elms & Co., at Houston, Texas, was "j?*!
burned Friday morning with 2,300 ' jf|
bales of cotton. The loss is placed at pJf
$123,000.
Governor's Salary Not Raised.
The Alabama constitutional conven- VffS
tlon Friday refnsed to increase the " /M
governor s salary from $3,000 to $5,000
per annum, but adopted resolutions re- ,y?S2;
questing-the legislature to do so.
43&ES
* r
???
GRAND JURY INDICTS ''Hi
? |1
New Turn In Alleged "Slaverj^paeee
In Anderson, S. C.
A Columbia, S. 0., dispatch says:
The Anderson grand jury has found "7;
true bills ki four cases against J. 3.
Fowler and J. Q. Hammond for
spiracy, false tmprisonme^w assault :f
and battery of a high an^PRrayated isSj:
nature and against six othee^kndercott ~
plantere on the same charge in one f#9
case eaeh. It had not concluded work. |? : i
These are the famous "slavery c?|flj$j9v'|l
exposed last March,' ||
H