Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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' DEADLY STAMPEDE Eighteen Negroes Lose Life in Panic in Church. CRY OF "FIRE" THE CAUSE Congregation Rushed Pel! Mell Over Each Other in Frantic Efforts to Escape and Victims Were * Trampled to Death. ^ A wild panic following a loud shriek of "Fire!M brought death to eighteen colored, people, and serious injuries to a half hundred of others Sunday night in St. Paul's Baptist church, Philadelphia. The terrible rush to gain the street was of brief duration, and that more were not killed in the stampede was jprobably due to the fact that the church was not crowded. The smell of smoke added to the panic, and, despite the heroic work t of the pastor of the church, who tried in rain to allay the fears of the frightened worshipers, the terrorstricken people made a desperate rush to leave the church, only to be choked up on the narrow stairway. 'Those in the rear leaped over the prostrate forms of those who fell, and when the rush was over, eigh*> teen lay dead on the first floor and v stairs of the building. Death in nearly every case was due to suffocation or trampling. A defective flue set fire to the chlm;5 ney, causing smoke to issue through the crevices in the floor near the pulpit ^ The disaster occurred while a collection was being taken up. The pas. tor had just concluded his sermon, AminAiic fovt /vf tirhinh . c ;. . v, os vjuiiuvu^ bvau v* ??uiv^a was "Why Sit We Here Until We Die." Following the collection there , ? was to have been a baptism of- a man - and wife. Some of the colored peoK pie, owing to the lateness of the evening, had left the church, and others were about to go. ; As the pastor was arranging the * pulpit preparatory to beginning the baptismal service, a woman in one of the front rows of the left side of the pulpit gave a loud shriek of U "Fire!" Instantly all those about her >: ' were on their feet, looking for the blaze. There were no flames in sight, but those near the pulpit smelled smoke ' t. and started down the aisle toward the pulpit Then followed half a dozen cries of "Fire!" and the whole congregation became panic-stricken. The pastor in a loud voice, which only adgpd to the confusion, called to the terror-stricken people to be . v seated. No one listened, and, despite his frantic appeal, a rush started that meant death to many that were in the fcl-feS charcl1. . When the rush started those In the rear of the church did not fully real. ize and were slow to move. The frantic shrieks of the women and children became louder and more general and many were knocked down in the two aisles of the church. Then came the terrible rush down the stairways. For some unknown reason, everybody tried to get down the left side of the building, comparatively few attempting to leave by the right stairway. One eye-witness says that perhaps a dozen persons got safely down the stairs when several people tripped and fell and caused the narrow way to become Jammed. Several men on the first floor attempted to hold the people back, but were knocked down, and then the hu, man stream came tumbling down. Tho weaker ones fell only to be trampled ? upon and crushed by those coming from behind. The terrible shrieks sent up by the prostrate persons added to the confusion, and by this time even th9 , cooler ones in the rear of the fighting mass of men, women and children became terror-stricken. Dazed men, in fear that the building was falling, leaped over the heads of women and children and fought only for their own safety. : < WOULD BAR NEGRO CHILDREN. hi' ">' Mississippi Legislator After Negroes Tor i neir rou tax. In the Mississippi state senate Saturday Mir. Glover referred the concurrent resolution seeking to amend the constitution by providing that no children shall be admitted to the public schools where the parent is liable ? - for poll tax for the current year, and same remains unpaid. The effect of this amendment would be to bar nine-tenths of the negro' children from the schools, unless negroes pay the poll tax with more frequency than at present. FRENCH CHARGE BARRED OUT. Went Aboard Vessel and is Prohibited from Landing Again. M. Taigny, the former French charge d'affaires, having gone on board the French line steamer Martinique at La Guira, Venezuela, without legal permission, the Venezuelan authorities have prohibited his landing again in Venezuela and he must go on to Colon. x QID PRESIDENT PROMISE? ) Beef Packers Assert That Roosevelt | Assured Them Immunity ar.d Present a Letter as Proof. A Chicago special says: President Roosevelt has been the central figure around which revolves the entire case involving the pleas of the indicted packers for immunity from further prosecution by the government on charges of being parties to a conspiracy to combine in restraint of trade and commerce. Attorney William J. Hynes, for the defendants, in his opening statement, Monday, before the jury hearing the immunity pleas, read an excerpt from a letter written by President Roosevelt to Attorney General 'Moody in the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rebate case, which was a part of the communications between the two men called for by congress some time ago. This letter is taken by the packers as an admission by the president that the department of commerce and labor and the department of justice worked together to indict the packers, supporting the contention of the packers upon which they rely for immunity. The defendant packers endeavor to inject the letter into the case as evidence, just as if the president were here and testified concerning it. The letter was written by the president June 12, 1905, at the time the federal grand jury was sitting in Chicago on the beef inquiry. That part of the letter read by Attorney Hynes, and which will be introduced by defendants, if possible, as evidence from President Roosevelt, follows: "With my approval the department of justice, with the assistance of the department of commerce and labor, has for some months been endeavoring to find out whether or not they can obtain legal evidence of such wilful and deliberate violations of the injunction by any individual. If the grand jury "now sitting in Chicago finds an indictment against any individual connected with, the packing corporations it will be because in their judgment such legal evidences of the violations of the injunction has been laid before them." The letter is purported to be sign ed by President Roosevelt, and is5 taken by the defendants as proof of i their contentions. "That letter is a public document, and we will introduce it as evidence in this case," said Attorney John S. Miller, one of the packer's attorneys. "If the government contests it, we can only call for an original copy." The reading of the excerpt from the letter came as a climax to the opening statements of the defendants late in the day. MARINES GO TO BOTTOM. Brazilian Warship Sunk by Magazine Explosion and 196 of Her Crew Find a Watery Grave. The cruiser Barroso arrived in port at Rio Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, from Port Jacerepgua, with those injured by the explosion on the Acquidaban. The Acquidaban blew up at 10:45 Sunday night 'Nearly all the officers were killed or injured. The dead number 196, and the injured 26. The explosion occurred in the powder magazine, and the vessel sank in three minutes. The following members of the commission, which left the arsenal on board the Acquidaban, accompanying the minister of marine, were drown ed: Rear Admiral Rodrigo Jose D&rocha, Rear Admiral Francisco Calhoiros Ea Graca, Rear Admiral Joao Candido Brazil, Captain AIves De Larrigo. Two commanders, two German photographers and one newspaper reporter also were drowned. The Acquidaban was of 4,950 tons displacement and 6,200 horse power. She was built in England in 1885 at a cost of $1,725,000. The armament consisted of four 9.4-inch guns, four 5.5-inch guns and a number of smaller guns. She had five torpedo tubes. Her crew numbered 350 officers and men. CLOSE SHAVE FOR MSLDRIM. Greene and Gaynor's Attorney Narrowly Escaped Being Fined. Colonel P. W. Meldrim, leading counsel for Greene and Gaynor, narrowly 'missed, in the federal court, at Savannah, Monday, sharing the ex perience of his associate, A. A. Lawrence, who last week was fined $100 for contempt of court. Judge Emory Speer construed cer. tain remarks of the attornew as out of order and in contempt of ourt, I but accepted an explanation and passed the matter, thus closing an intonceiv dramatic scene. BREWERIES FORM COMBINE. All Beer Plants of New York City to Enter Merger. A plan is under way for forming into a combine all the big breweries of New York city, according to the Journal of Commerce. The beer combine, it is said, is to be composed of several smaller combines, each to be known as "series" and to have a paid-up capital of $10,000,000. RICH MEN BUNCOED Town Topics "Eorrowed" Big Sums from Money Kings. STARTLING ASSERTIONS The Stock of Vamoire Maaarine Worth Only $1o a Share Was Disposed of at $1,000 a Share, Says Colonel Mann. Colonel W. D. Mann, editor of Town Topics, testified at the Hapgood criminal libel trial at New York Monday that he had borrowed nearly $200,000 from J. P. Morgan, James R. Keene, W. K. Vanderbilt, William C. Whitney and other prominent financiers. Many of these loans never were repaid so far as Colonel Mann could recall and others were repaid in stock of Town Topics company at $1,000 a share. The largest single loan was obtained from James R. Keene, who loaned the Town Topics editor $90,000. From W. K. Vanderbilt Colonel Mann obtained $25,000; from J. P. Morgan, $2,500; from W. C. Whitney, $10,000; from Collis P. Huntington, $15,000; John W. Gates, $20,000; Charles M. Schwab, $10,000; Thomas F. Ryan, $10,000. Wihen Colonel Mann testified that many of these loans were paid In Town Topics stock at $1,000 a share James W. Osborne, counsel for Mr. Hapgood, asked if the par value of the stock is not $10 per share. Colonel Mann replied that it,was. A contract was produced showing that $2,500 was paid by William J. White of Cleveland for a subscription to Fads and Fancies, the book which was issued under Colonel Mann's direction. Mr. White's name was not in this book and Colonel Mann was asked . 4/hy Mr. White paid the money. He replied that he did not know, and, learning that Mr. White was a prominent Cleveland man, he had approved his subscription. The price of a subscription to Fads and Fancies was $1,500 and Colonel Mann was asked what Mr. White paid the extra $1,000 for. "He wanted four pages instead of two," Colonel Mann replied. Colonel Mann's dealings with United States Senator William A. Clark of Montana were taken up by Mr. Osbprne. The witness said he never received any money from the senator. "There was a series of articles abo'ut a member of his family," Mr. Osborne asked. "I am not aware of It," said Colonel Mann. "That series was stopped and you became friends with Senator Clark?" "Yes." "How did you become friendly with him without money?" "There was some' correspondence with him," said the witness. "The senator came to my office and talked for an hour or two. He said he was building a railroad. He said he was going to issue bonds only when the road was complete, and that I could hare some of the bonds then. From that day to this I have not seen Senator Clark." Asked whether there was a key to anonymous paragraphs In Town Topics, Colonel Mann said there was none. His attention was then called to two paragraphs in Town Topics, one of which is anonymous, but apparently about the same man as the other, and he was asked what connection there was between them. After the witness had replied that he saw no connection, Mr. Osborne, said: "Then, it Is in the inherent malice of inanimate objects." "That Is it, a matter of the galleys," was the reply. Russia Accepts Jap Minister. The Russian government Monday declared the new Japanese minister, Dr. Montono, now minister to France, acceptable to Russia. NEGRO STUDENTS ON STRIKE. Kicked on Employment of Southern White Man by Faculty. One hundred and seven students of Talladega, Ala., college, colored, as the result of the faculty electing L. O. Parks, a southern white man, as superintendent^ over the agricultural department. The students said: "We won't have a southern white man to oversee us." Talladega college is controlled by the Congregational Society of New York, and has a faculty of northern white teachers. There are about 600 pupils in attendance. SEVEN MEN BLOWN TO BITS. Boiler Explodes at a Sawmill in Wisconsin. A dispatch from Chippewa Falls, Wis., says: An explosion of a boiler in a sawmill four and a half miles from Holcomb, Monday afternoon, resulted in the killing of seven men and injury to three others, some of whom may die. The mill was badly wrecked. t GAVE POISONED APPLE,: Preacher Sought to "Eliminate" ExLegislator at -Camp Meeting. Victim's Wife is "Missing." Sheriff Crowe of Hall county, Georgia, with his prisoner, Rev. J. W. Austin, who remained over in Atlanta Saturday night to avoid a reported mob at Euford, left Atlanta Sunday morning and the prisoner is now in carcerated in the county jail at Gainesville. Austin, who was for two year3 pastor of the Methodist church at Bellton, near Gainesville, and who resigned from the North Georgia Conference at its last session, is under the charge * of having made an attempt to poison Hon. Bob Quillian of Bellton by means of a medicated apple handed the latter by the minister while both were at a camp meeting at Poplar Springs in Banks county late last summer. After Austin is alleged to have handed Mr. Quillian the apple, he mounted the platform and preached the afternoon sermon at the camp meeting. During the discourse, Mr. Quillian was seized with a desperate illness, and it^was only by the immediate use of emfetics that his life was saved. A few months later Austin resigned from the conference and suddenly left Hall county. About the same time the wife of Mr. Quillian left' her home and has not been since seen in Gainesville or Bellton. . The warrant against Austin was shortly afterwards sworn out by Mr. Quillian. The only charge was attempting to poison. It was reported that Austin had gone to New York city, and vigorous attempts to locate him failed. He appeared, however, in Lawrenceville, Ga., a. few days ago, and Sheriff Martin of Gwinnett county notified Sheriff Crowe of Hall. The latter went to Lawrenceville Saturday, accompanied by George and Turner Quillian of B9llton, brothers of Bob Quillian, and took Austin into custody. They reached Atlanta with*-him Saturday night and remained in the city on the strength of a telegram from Dr. Dillard of Athens, who wired that a mob had gathered at Buford to seize Austin. Hon. Robert Quillian is a merchant at Bellton and is one of the best known citizens of Hall 'county. Several years ago he served two terms in the Georgia legislature. He is about forty years of age, as Is hfs wife. Little is known of Austin in Hall county beyond the fact that in 19G3 he appeared at Bellton as the as signed pastor of the Methodist churcn there. He is about forty-five years of age. CASTRO GARRISONING PORTS. Wily Venezuelan is Also Furnishing Troops With Supplies. The Venezuelan government is actively engaged in garrisoning the pprts of the republic and furnishing , the troops with supplies. According to the advices received in Willemstad, the general public it Venezuela received the news of the rupture of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and France with the utmost indifference, but diplomatic circles at Caracas are indignant at the action of the Venezuelans in not allowing M. Taigny, the retiring French charge d'affaires, to return to the shore after he had gone on'board a French steamer at LaGulra, January 14, in order to obtain his correspondence. QUICK VERDICT FOR HAZING. Courtmartial Required Only Seven Minutes in Bloebaum Case. The trial of Midshipman Chester Bloebaum of St Charles, Mo., on charges of hazing was concluded in Annapolis Saturday. The court martial occupied only seven minutes in reaching a verdict inu the case of Midshipman Blobaum ?by far the shortest period in any case. INMAN IS PHILANTHROPIST , Who Will Give $100,000 in Aid of the Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Henry H. Sweets, the secretary of the executive committee of ministerial education and relief of the Presbyterian church, has made public the name of the philanthropist who some time ago offered the committee on endowment a fund of one hundred thousand on condition that one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars be raised in addition to this amount. Hugh T. Inman of Atlanta is the man in question. CHARLOTTE INVITES CHINKS. Manufacturers' Club Wants Visit from Imperial Commission. The Southern Manufacturers' Club of Charlotte, N. C., has invited a committee of five of the Chinese imperial commission now en route to this country to visit the city, participate in a luncheon and see a njimber of the cotton mills in and about the locality. _ t GOT A BIG SHARE * ! Southern Ports Show Up Well as to Export Trade. FIGURESONBREADSTUFFS ??? Value cf Grain Shipped Out of Gulf j and South Atlantic Ports Showed Increase of 66 Per Cent Over Last Year.* That southern ports are increasing their importance as exporters of breadstuff* is shown in the latest issue of the Manufacturers' Record (.Baltimore), which says:' "During the twelve months of the past calenoar year, the value of breadstuff experts from this country increased over that of the preceding j ear from $92,311,812 to $146,110,962, or by $53,1*99,150, equal to 58 per cept. The increase at leading southern ports was from $30,015,517 in 1904, to $50,049,696 in 1905, or by $20,034,179, equal to 66. per cent "Six southern ports ? Baltimore, Newport News, Norfolk Portsmouth, Galveston, Mobile and New Orleans? exported more than a third of the total ' exports, and the increase in value of their exports was more than 37 per cent of the increase at all ports. "The trend of this traffic toward the gulf ports increasing now for a number of years is. destined to become stronger still. The twelve months lately ended has seen the completion of a new line of railroad down the valley of the Mississippi after several years of shrewd and diligent engineering. "Not far west of this another system is building the first section of a hundred miles or so of a road that Is eventually to reach the gjilf. Still another route has just been finished to make an easy connection from points on and near the lower Missouri river across country to the Mississippi valley, following an existing line of the same system to reach New Orleans. "A fourth company is by piecemeal building a road that is soon destined, to enfer New Orleans, while the contract was lately awarded for a fifth enterprise which will build links to connect up several railroads for the purpose of making a New Orleans and Denver through line. A sixth plan is that of another large system to get Into the Louisiana metropolis by means of a line which at present swims to be no more than a lumber railroad. * "On the Atlantic side of the mountain ranges three new lines are now under construction to give coal routes to the coast. One of these is from fuel regions in West Virginia, another is from the Kentucky and Southwestern Virginia fields, and the third is to extend out of the Birmingham district of* Alabama. "Other roads are in prospect, and, beside, one important line in West Virginia has only lately been finished, a road which through its intimate connections will reach tide at Baltimore. "There is another traffic movement which further efforts are being made to accommodate. It is that of road from Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia to the great lakes, and two or three plans for lines northward from nature's great store houses of fuel in those three states will prob.ably be realized in a few years by actual construction of new coal roads." A KICK FROM PORTO RICO. Islanders Dissatisfied Over Rule of American Officials. Broad charges as to the indifference of American officials in Porto Rico to the wishes of Porto Ricans were made by Mayor Robert Todd of Juan in a hearing Friday before the house committee on Insular affairs on the proposed bill to reorganize the Insular government WALLING WAS NOT ARRESTED. Report Came from Jew Source .and Proves a Fake. The correspondent of the Associated Press at St. Petersburg having been queried concerning the reported ar naci nf "William Rnelish Walling In that city for revolutionary activity, telegraphs that Mr. Walling has not been arrested and that the report to that effect is without foundation. The Associated Press received the statement from Abraham Cahan, edfI tor of the Jewish Daily Forward, in New York, and accepted it as correct. ENSIGN WADE EXONERATED. Not Responsible for the Explosion on the Bennington. A Washington dispatch says: Ensign Charles T. Wiade, charged with responsibility for the explosion on the gunboat Bennington, in San Diego harbor, California, some months ago, has been acquitted by the courtmartlal in his case. PLACES FOB.'iHAS?E?NS? Secretary Root Expresses in Satirical Vein the Chief Evil of American Consulate Service. A Washington special says: Secre- j?i! tary Root, while appearing before the .'?.31 house appropriations committee in re- Vj lation to the expenses of the state department, spoke frankly concerning the shortcomings of the American con- ; ;-|i sular service. The statements of Mr. Root, which M|H have just been made public, show that in response to questions by Rep resentative Livingston, the secretary "There are a great many consulates ^ that have been in that condition and -%mI . there are some that'are still in that condition, and the fact arises from ' ,^9 several causes. One causer is that consulates are used and regarded here not as places in which active and ef- -Jgt ficient work is to be done, but are used as places in which to shelve es- Mil timable and elderly gents whose friends find it necessary to take care of them in some way. "Now, I have got old enough to be able to say that sort of thing without ;|| ' * anybody being offendetL I don't think that when a man has ,lived out the activity of his life and passed beyond his ambition and his energy and his desire to make a career for him- . self, I do not think that then Is the time to start him out in a new place where he has got to learn a new Jf$_\ business and push the commerce of the country." The following statements were then. 'sMsi made by. Mr. Root in reply to qnestions of members of the committee:; Mr. Brundige: "I quite agree won you, Mr. Secretary, as to that, but ou whom rests the blame for that con- ^ (Secretary Hoot: "It rests on a long ^ S standing custom, whereby the execu tive is expected to appoint to import* ' .J ant consulates important men from the different states." Mr. Graff: "But you have a system of examination?" , "Yes, so far as the young fellows go. You can put the screws on them J?| and make them come up for examina* .Vjj ; jsgj tion, but when an eminent citizen?** Mr. Livingston: "An eminent ex* senator or member of congress?" Secretary Root (continuing): "Yes;^^*^ when an eminent citizen comes around ?||g you cannot examine him in geography . and arithmetic. He resents it and 8 there is the dickens to pay all ajong. -iM (Laughter.) It is a custom that haa grown up?just like this deficiency custom. When you step in to change Ajj a custom you cannot change it by piecemeal, you have to jar something." '4| i? LUKE WRIGHT AMBASSADOR. Governor General of Philippines leyS -W. Given New Pott In Japan. v Luke B. Wright, governor of the Philippines, has been named by the 4^9^ president as the first American am* ' bassador to Japan. In accepting the new appointment Governor Wright sacrifices $3,000 a year in compensation. It is believed 4 that congress will accept the recom* ^ mendation of Secretary Root that in connection with the elevation of the Ifffljf** American legation at Tokio to the rank of an embassy, the compensa* || tion of the incumbent be raised from $12,000 to $17,500, but as Governor f|? 4# Wright's present salary is $20,500, h*,;v:J9e;g will still be suffering a considerable : financial loss. /|? THREE DIE IN COLUSION. |i Freight and Switch Engines Crash To* gether Near Atlanta. j|g A head-on collision occurred I tween a through freight train and & switch engine on the Seaboard Air Idne railroad at'Mina, seven miles |l from Atlanta, Friday evening at 5:32 > | o'clock, an dthree men were killed /1|| and two injured. An engineer and fireman saved their lives by jumping. . ^ The dead are: Walter S. Taylor, engineer of switch engine; leaves wife ;:3& and two children. E. B. Bock, tele- ^ graph operator; leaves wife and five children. Thomas J. Eden, fireman '^cl on the switch engine. ^ - . VARDAMAN STANDS ALONE t In Proposition to Have Trusty Convict :-'Wk Porters Uniformed. A Jackson, Miss., dispatch says: ;|3b Governor Vardaman's recommends* . ^ that the negro porters at the state house be discharged, and that trusty convicts "uniformed in gray or some. other suitable color," be employed for labor of this character, is a subject of much comment around the state house, and the chief executive is about the only member of the capitol commission who favors the change pro posed. . MEXICO IS HOLDING HER OWN. All Scurces of Mexican;Revenue Show \^&jg Most Flattering Increase. Customs revenues in Mexico for November were $3,883,The five -3M months of the present fiseal year show " jj an increase in customs collections of some $2,000,000. All source?"of gov- V ernment revenue are in a healthy condition, reflecting the great prosper- J ity of the country. _.|p|