Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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GREENWOOD VE FIRE SI The Oregon iu Ashes.? ing Hostelry Also E Estimated to Greenwood, March 3.?The Ore- | gon Hotel and its block of stores here was totally destroyed by fire j early this morning. Where once stood the famous hotel is now a mere smoldering heap of burning debris, with fragments of ruined brick walls and useless chimneys standing in the midst. The fire represents a property loss of approximately $140,000, with perhaps less than half that amount in insurance. The loss to the town is far greater than the figures would indicate. The Oregon Hotel has been one of the town's greatest features ever since its establishment, and to be deprived of it is a very great loss. Fortunately, no lives were lost, though some who escaped did so "by the skin of their teeth," and with little on save their natural skins. Origin a Mystery. The origin of the fire is unknown, j It was discovered about 2 o'clock this morning, the fire, alarm register shows that the first alarm was turned in at 2:15. A negro bell boy, Bert Lewis, was the first person aware of the fire; the smoke fill-. ing the down-stairs corridor aroused | > him. He says he tried to use the j emergency hose, but could not make ; any headway against the flames, andthrew it down to arouse Proprietor j Brinson and the guests. At that time j the fire was in the store room. From j most of the known facts, the fire must have started either in this room, which is just back of the pool room, or in the rear of a pressing club, adjoining. Spontaneous Combustion? Proprietor Brinson inclines to the opinion that spontaneous combustion may account for the fire, certain ma- j terials in this room making it pos- j sible for the fire to gain headway! very rapidly, if such were the case. This room is immediately abovg the boiler room, but Mr. Brinson is sure that it did not start in the boiler room. The negro fireman was in the room at the time, and says that he ran out to see what was the matter. Hearing a noise above, he found the building ! in flames overhead. The building was enveloped in smoke and flames in an . incredibly short space of time. Aged Guests Awakened. Mr. Brinson says that his first thought was to awaken a lady, Mrs. Howlett, of an advanced age. andi an aged couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thorn-j as, both rather feeble. Those on the second flodr were gotten out, but lost all their effects. Both Mrs.. Howlett and Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are from New Jersey and have been spending the winter here. Meanwhile, the work of arousing the guests was going on and some miraculous escapes were had by .those on the third floors who failed to real- j ize the rapidity of the spread of the flames and the dangerous effects of immense clouds of smoke rollingl through the entire building. Drummer's Narrow Escape. Mr. G. Strauss, of Atlanta, a well known traveling man, had the closest j call of any. He was on the third floor,; took time to dress completely, but i ?*kk a f ai? f into >\ lien ue ?cui, uui IUVV i iuui he was overcome by smoke. He did not know which way to turn to find ; air or an outlet. Rushing back into his room, he appeared at the window and screamed for help. Max Arnold, of Greenwood, saw his plight, made his way up the fire escape into the room and practically carried him out and brought him down the escape to safety. Mr. Strauss says he was helpless and re'ady to drop when he J was brought out. He was in bed this morning and very weak, but will be \ himself in a day or two. Slides Down Gutter. Mr. F. F. Beattie, a prominent' young attorney of Greenville, escaped down a gutter and lost his clothing. A. Mr. Blaugh, of Petersburg, Va.,! made a sensational jump and lost ajl of his clothing and effects. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, on the j third floor, fortunately, found a ladder near their room, one discarded ; by some painters, ^nd used this to 1 get to the second floor, thus being '< brought down safely. They barely got out of their room before being overcome with smoke. Xo lives were lost, though all the guests lost their clothing and baggage. It was a fierce fire from the start and swept over the building in a very short time. The merchants in the block lost all of their stocks, i practically little being saved. Losses and Insurance. As near as can be approximated today. the losses are as follows: Oregon Hotel and furniture, cost SITED BY JNDAY MORNING c Block of Stores Adjoinlurned.?Toted Loss be $140,000. $95,000, insurance $51,000; owned by Mrs. C. T. Bailey, H. J. Brinson, private linen, furniture, stock, etc., $7,000, no insurance. .ut-rvciicii _"ori a 11 a in x uiluluic ^uxiipany, stock $6,500, insurance $3,| 500. Holland Brothers, pianos, organs, etc., $5,000, insurance $3,200. Oregon Pharmacy, E. L. Xorris, I proprietor, stock and fixtures, $12,000, insurance $5,000. A. Latour, barber shop, fixtures, value $1,500, insurance $500. Lion Tailors, clothing made to order and pressing club. Estimate could not be secured this afternoon; stock around $1,000. T. S. Chipley, automobiles, had three E. M. F. cars in store; all were taken out, but damaged considerably. Hotel Probably Rebuilt. The Oregon Hotel was built by the late Joel S. Bailey, in 1899, and opened to the public that year under the management of Mr. H. J. Brinson, who has kept it continuously since. Last year Mr. Joel S. S. Bailey, Jr., for his mother, added the annex, a handsome three-story structure with four stores on the first floor, doubling the capacity of the hotel. While the owners -are not prepared to give out definite plans, , it is very probable that the hotel will be rebuilt. To have to do without it, attam Cr\r* c-Ama mnntVlO Yl*ill ho 51 PTPflt ' CVCil IV1 ovm^ mvubuc, Miii m. 0i discomfort to the travelling public and its non-existence will be felt by the town also. Almost every citizen takes the'matter as a personal loss, so large a place in the town's life has the l^otel occupied. A Dynamite Freak. "Not long ago," said W. F. Kava- < nah, a Leadville, (Col.) mining man, "there occurred to me one of those freaks of dynamite in one of the deep : shafts of the Carbonate Cam^> that might not happen again in a thousand years. "Two men at the bottom of a shaft had put in a five four-and-a-half-foot 1 holes which were to be exploded with 1 dynamite cartridges one and one-half i inches in diameter. As is usual in such cases, they gave the customary ] signals to the hoisting enigneer, and, after lighting the fuses, stepped on ' the bail of the bucket and started 1 upward. When about ten feet from 1 the bottom one of the men had an ( epileptic fit and toppled out. His ( partner tried to reach the bell cord to ( stop the bucket, but it was too late 1 The bell cord could be reached only J from the lower part of the shaft. ( When the engineer saw only one man < come through the collar of the shaft ^ at the surface his face blanched. " 'Where's Jim?' he asked excited- f ly. < "Quickly the miner related the * circumstances and exhibited his f hand, bloody from contact with the t sharp rock in an effort to reach the ' bell cord before the bucket entered the timbering. The men, their hearts beating wildly, listened in suspense for the five explosions of dynamite i that would tear their unfortunate c comrade to pieces. They heard five r faint reports, one after the other. ( They were simply the detonating caps j of the cartridges. Every one of the ? charges of dynamite had missed fire j ?failed to explode. I have known of g one or even three shots out of the r five missing, but I don't believe there j is another Ncase on record where five c missed as providentially as in this f case."?New York Press. c Readjustment Likely. Washington, March 1.?When the c f interstate commerce commission s investigation of express companies and * their methods was adjourned to-day 1 until March 25, a readjustment of not " only the methods and practices of 1 the companies, but also of their rates ? was in sight. * Just how the question will be solv- " ed, if at all, has not been determined. " During the recess, committees named c bv Commissioner Lane will conclude j their work and may be able to report. It is not unlikely that the inquiry will be ended shortly after it is re- a sumed. , i Testimony was submitted at the c hearing to-day by S. J. Wright, agent s of the American Express company in i London. England, Otto Kuhnberger, of Hamburg. Germany, and Paul 1 Dardignac, of Paris, concerning the t operations of express companies and i parcels posts in Great Britain, Ger- i many and France. In general, the testimony showed r that the express service in the three e foreign countries, while lower in 1 cost,, was not comparable either in ? speed or in other respects with that c in the United States. 1 BLOODHOUNDS TRAILED NEGRO. Negro Reported to Have Struck White Woman and Fled. Aiken, March 2.?Bloodhounds from the State penitentiary reached Aiken to-night at 8:30 o'clock and were carried to the winter home ol C. Oliver Iselin, where last night a negro is reported to have made ac attempt to assault a maid in the em O ^ ^ AU T i *-i /-? tv i tv o r\ i t c* r\ f five *>11. lacnu, auu iu ui nit fact that 24 hours had passed since the fleeing negro made his escape across a rye patch, took the colc trail and followed it for more than a mile. A negro, Clifford Way, was arrested at the winter home of Col. Kuser but was later released by the sherifl because his shoes did not correspond with the prints made in the soft sol of the rye patch. According to the story told by the young woman, who is from the North she and other maids were returning from the Catholic church last night and when they reached the Iselir estate her companions left her to gc to the homes of the people by whoir they are employed, she turning tc enter the Iselin grounds when a negro passed addressed her and ther struck her on the chest. The blow she stated, was very slight, but she screamed. W. W. Holly, Jr., whe was passing on the road a short distance away, heard the woman screair or>r? n-ant tn lior a <5<;isfa/nre Mr Hnl lv saw a negro fleeing across th( rye patch adjoining the Iselin place and took after him chasing the negrc for several hundred yards. Following close on the heels of the mysterious assault made Monday night upon Mrs. Frederick 0. Beach when she had her throat slashed by some unknown pearson, who tried tc murder her in the yard of her home and which mystery has not yet beer explained the affair of last night has caused considerable excitement here to-day, and Sheriff Rabon this morning sent a wire to Columbia foi bloodhounds. To-night when they arrived a large posse was quickly formed to follow them when they toot the trail, among the crowi being a number of the Aiken winter residents. The police are still hard al work on the Beach mystery, but are no nearer a solution than on the night of the attack. Lose Lives in Train Wreck. Birmingham, Ala., March 1.?Twc persons were killed and 19 injured, two fatally, when westbound passenger train No. 35 on the Southern railway was wrecked at Oxford, Ala., 61 miles east of here this morning. Mrs. Augustus Denny, of Anniston, Ala., .")ne of the victims, died at her home it Anniston to-night as the result of Purns. Her baby daughter also received burns which caused death earlier in the day. The wreck was caused by the passenger train split:ing a switch and then sideswiping a switch engine on the siding. The lead: Mrs. Augustus Denny and baby laughter, Anniston, Ala.; C. M. Burns; Cora Roseman, colored. A relief train was sent to the scene Tom Anniston and the injured were ;ransferred to that city and placed in lospitals. The engine, mail car, baggage car, day coach and sleeper left he rails and traffic was delayed until 7 o'clock. Richeson Shadow of Former .Self. Boston, Mass., March 2.?Clarence V. T. Richeson, former pastor and confessed slayer of Avis Linnell, will lot live to meet death' in the electric ffiair, three months hence, accordng to the statements of his keeper it the Charles street jail. Physically le is but a shadow of his former ;clf and mentally he is a victim of nelancholy. He seldom sleeps, eats ittle and without appetite and only iccasionally reads light magazines of iction, which long ago took the place )f the religious works in which he ieemed to find solace at first. Richeson is constantly moving ibout his cell, from bed to chair and rom chair to bed. At the slightest loise in the corridor, he crouches n a corner and tries to hide him:elf. Even Butts, the good-natured legro convict who was placed in an idjoining cell, no longer interests lim. Richeson will talk only with sheriff Quinn, and from him he gets ;uch news as he Wishes from the mtside world. "'ire Companies Fight Burning Oil. Minneapolis, March 2.?The main varehouse of the Standard Oil Com)anv in this city was destroyed to lay with a loss of $75 000. The itructure was a one-story brick buildng. The blaze is said to have started rom a big tank of benzine inside he warehouse, while Foreman Paul Anderson was drawing a pail of ben:ine. Three alarms called 50 fire compares to the scene. Tank after tank ixploded inside the building. Collmns of flame tore the room away ind shot high into the air. The con:ussion of the explosion shook the leighborhood. HEAD BETTEN TO A JELLY. : Quarrel in Oconee Ends in Tragedy. Slayer in Jail. > Walhalla, March 3.?Oconee has 1 added another homcide to her rec1 ord, both parties to the killing be: ing negroes. Saturday afternoon, i about 4 o'clock, John Simpson and i George Singleton met in the public road about 12 miles above Walhalla s and a quarrel ensued. Both are said : to have been drinking. Just what i took place has not been brought out, I but the result is that Singleton is l dead and Simpson in jail. Simpson used an oak stick about four feet - long as his'weapon, and Singleton's , head was literally beaten to a jelly, c Simpson has but recently been re1 leased from jail, where he* was servl ing a sentence for violation of the internal revenue laws. It is sa;d i that family trouble while Simpson , was serving his term in jail led to ; the renewal of an old grudge, and , the killing is the result. Singleton | was not married. Both negroes were about 30 years of age. Albert Brown and Robert Hunt, two prominent white citizens of the section where the killing occurred, arrested Simpson, who was lodged in jail early this morning. Whole Family Hurt. Jacksonville, March 2.?S. Silverstein, a German merchant, is dead, his wife lies in a hospital with a fractured skull and their two children, a boy and a girl, are badly injured, as the result of the visit of a daring negro burglar to their store and residence in the Brooklyn suburb late Saturday night or early this morning. The dead bcdy of the merchant and the prostrated form of his wife and son were found late this morning through the little girl, who ventured to the street with blood gushing from an ugly wound on the head. It was she who told of the assault. The child says that after closing hours Saturday night a negro came to the house and asked her father to sell him some groceries, and it was while he was in the store that he struck the merchant over the head with an iron pipe, then assaulted the woman and children. The cash drawer in the store was robbed as were trunks and bureau drawers. The police have no clue to the guilty party. Early 3Ioming Fire at Laurens. Laurens, Feb. 28.?Fire originat' ing in the negro graded school about 2:30 o'clock this morning totally destroyed that building, jumped to the ' adjoining building, which was the 1 negro Baptist church, and totally destroyed it, and then jumped to the ' house of Thomas Sanders, a negro, superintendent of the school, and 1 almost totally destroyed it. In round figures the loss will total $6,000, with partial insurance. The graded school building was owned by the city, the church was owned by the congregation, which is called St. Paul's, and the house occupied by Thomas Sanders was owned by himself. It is understood that provision will be made at once for school work, and it is not thought that the term will be interrupted but for a few days. No real clue as to the origin of the fire has yet been discovered. Some hold the opinion that the fire was caused by lighted cigarettes left by gamblers in the building, while others hold that the fire was the result of spitework within the church. The police have begun to work on the case and probably developments will follow within a short time. The work of the fire department was hindered by low water pressure, the main at this point being only four inches in diameter. Len Rounds, assisting the firemen, narrowly escaped death by stepping on a live electrically charged wire. The current reached his body through the medium of the water on the ground, the wire being a few feet away. His companion, Guy Watson, seeing him fall, quickly grasped him and pulled him out of range of the current. Negro School Building Burned. Darlington, Feb. 29.?During a fire here last, night about 8 o'clock the negro school building on Russell street was totally destroyed at a loss of about $4,000. In their dash to this fire one of the firemen, Mr. Archie Muldrow, was painfully hurt by falling from the back of the hose wagon. Wo mc crivon morfipal flttpntinn 3fi soon as possible and it is not thought that his injuries are in any way serious as he is resting well to-day. The department did splendid work, having reached the scene and turned three streams of water on the building in five minutes after the alarm was sent in. Several nearby buildings caught but were put out by the quick and energetic work of the firemen. It is not known how the flames originated but from the manner in which the fire was burning when firsi discovered it is believed to be of incendiary origin. SHIP REACHES PORT AFIRE. M. and M. T. Co.'s Steamer Berkshire and Cargo Damaged. Jacksonville, Fla., March 3.?Fire was discovered in the lower hold of I the steamer Berkshire, of the Mer- | chants' and Miners' Transportation ' Company, this morning, as the vessel was coming up the river from Philadelphia. Capt. Howze had the steam turned into the cargo and upon reaching her pier the fire department was called out and after pouring * streams of water on the fire for three 1 hours it was extinguished. The vessel was damaged to the extent of about $100, but the damage to the cargo has not been learned. HOW OLD PEOPLE ' 1 May Prolong Their Lives At an advanced age waste Is more rapid than repair. The organs act more slowly and less effectually than in youth. The circulation is poor, the \ blood thin and watery, the appetite poor and digestion weak. We want to say to every aged person in this vicinity that Vinol, our delicious cod liver and iron tonic (without oil) will prolong life. It creates : an appetite, aids digestion and makes ? "* -a l - wi ???-.-n sm* good DIOOQ. in mis natural mauuqi Vinol retards waste and replaces weakness with strength, giving new life to the worn system. If people In this vicinity only realized how Vinol invigorates old people we would not he able to supply the demand. Try a bottle of Vinol with the un- J derstanding that your money will be t returned if it does not help you. j Peoples Drug Co., Bamberg, S. C. FARMERS' UNION MEETINGS. t The local Bamberg Farmers' Union meets at the court house in Bamberg 1 on the first and third Friday morn- t ings in every month. Meeting at 11 o'clock. Applications for mem- 1 bership received at every meeting. Let all members be present. J. W. STEWART, c J. P. O'QUINN, President, j Secretary. * | w. P. RILEY |! | Fire, Life S Accident 1 x INSURANCE BAMBERG, S. C. 4 < 444444444444444+4444444444^ ^ AN ITCHING SKIN Is about the most troublesome ^ thing there is. You know it if you've ever had any kind of skin trouble. But they all give way, disappear, every last one?every < pimply, scaly, itching, eruptive kind of disease of the skin?when J you treat them to a box of HUNT'S CURE i well rubbed in. Nothing like it to make the skin healthy and smooth and free from sting, or itch or pain, jrrice is ou etuis a, uw.\, unu one box is guaranteed to cure any ^ one case or you GET YOUR MONEY BACK. , A. B. RICHARDS MEDICINE CO. Sherman, Texas. , Sold by:? PEOPLES DRUG CO., Bainberg, S. C. BANK STATEMENT. Statement of the condition of the Ehrhardt Banking Co., located at Ehrhardt, S. C., at the close of business February 20th, 1912. RESOURCES. Loans and discounts $49,438.69 Furniture and fixtures 1,151.78 ~ Banking house 2,250.00 Duo from banks and bankers 45,049.39 Currency 2,876.00 Gold 222.50 Silver and other minor coin 346.36 Checks an0 cash items 5.50 TOTAL $101,340.22 LIABILITIES. Capital stock paid in $20,000.00 Surplus fund 6,000.00 ' Undivided profits, less current expenses and taxes paid 3,464.36 Due to banks and bankers 454.77 Individual deposits sub ject to check 43,615.78 Time certificates of deposit 27,682.11 Other liabilities, partial payments 123.20 | TOTAL $101,340.22 1 State of South Carolina?County of Bamberg. J Before me came A. F. Henderson. J Cashier of the above named bank. , who, being duly sworn, says that the above and foregoing statement is a J true condition of said bank, as shown J by the books of said bank. A. F. HENDERSON. Cashier. Sworn to and subscribed before me. _ this 2 6th day of February, 1912. J. M. KIRELAND, * Notary Public, S. C. Correct-Attest: J. L. COPELAND, M. D.. .TAFOB EHRHARDT FRANK H. COPELA'XD, Directors. _ CHICHESTER S PILLS ' THE DIAMOND BRAND. A Ladles! Ask your Druggist for A\ ?_, U Chl-ches-tee's Diamond Brand/VW 1'llls in Red ^d Void metallic\V/ boxes, sealed with Blue Ribbon. \ f M Take no other. Buy of rour * / ~ Of Unetl*). AsefotCIII-Cires-TERS W IP DIAMOND 1IKAM) PILLS, for 25 If H years known as Uest.S.'.fest, Always Reliable ! SOLD Bm'GiiiSTS EVERYWHERE G xxx The Famous McKay Steel Roller Searing Stalk Cutter, with a full sup>ly of repairs, for sale by D. J. DELK h BAMBERG, S. C. This cutter has won the highest jrize at every Fair above all other gutters. We invite a competitive ield test, and will pay expenses if our mtter is decided against. DECIDE YOURSELF. rhe Opportunity Is Here, Backed by Bamberg Testimony. Don't take our word for it. Don't depend on a strailger's statenent. Read Bamberg endorsement Read the statements of Bamberg 4 ntizens. And decide for yourself. Here is one case of it: Mrs. R. A. Delk, E. Church St., Bamberg, S. C., says: "I can say hat I have been greatly benefitted by Doan's Kidney Pills which I pro- ^ ;ured from the People's Drug Co. I ,ook them for backache and pains in ny loins and they also removed rouble that had existed with my kid leys." For sale by all dealers. Price 50 ^ :ents. Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, ' ^ew York, sole agents for the United States. ' Remember the name?Doan's? i md take no other. >. G. MAYFIELD. W. E. FREE! MAYFIELD & FREE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BAMBERG, S. C. Practice in all the Courts, both t state and Federal. Corporation Practice and the winding up of esates a specialty. Business entrustrusted to us will be promptly atended to. DR. J. G. BOOZER DENTIST, DENMARK. Graduate Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Class 1907. Hember South Carolina Dental Association. )ffice Rooms 1-2 Citizens Exchange Bank Building, lours: 9-12 and 2-5 every day. H. M. GRAHAM * Att orney-at-Law. ( Vill practice in the United States and State Courts in any County in the State. BAMBERG. S. C. J. F. Carter B. D. Carter CARTER & CARTER Attorneys-at-Law Bamberg, S. C. 4 Special attention given to settlement of estates and investigation of land titles. G. MOYE DICKINSON INSURA X C E AGENT WILL WRITE ANYTHING { Fire, Tornado, Accident, Liability, Casualty, in the strongest and most reliable companies. 'Phone No. 10-B. Bamberg, S. C. "LOMBARD" ! Improved Saw Mills, ? ? miATiAii rrrn fitmnff. Aecuritd VARlABLt rwionum rim Best material and workmanship, light running, requires little power; simple, easy to '.andle. Are made in several 3izes and are good, substantial moneyj making machines down to the smallest* x 3ize. Write for catalog showing En?| ?ines, Boilers and all Saw Mill supplies. Lombard Iron Works & Supply Co. J AUGUSTA. CA. FRANCIS F. CARROLL Attorney-at-Law Office in Hoffman Building. * GENERAL PRACTICE. Aldrich Wvman E. H. Henderson Wyman & Henderson Attorneys-at-Law BAMBERG, S. C. . eneral Practice. Loans Negotiated i ? i *