The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, February 19, 1920, Image 1
*
I
I
i
i
(Jljr Hamburg Jjmtli
$2.00 Per Year in Advance BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1920 Established in 1891
MURDEROUS SPIRIT j
RUNS OVER STATE
WILLIAMS SAYS FIGURES SHOW
HOMICIDE DAILY.
Also Many Thefts
ninety-four Commitments for Homicide
in 38 Counties in Three
Months?Other Statistics.
Crimes of the graVest nature have
shown a marked increase in number
in South Carolina during the quarter
ending December 31, 1919, according
to a report issued by the state
board of charities and corrections.
Ninety-four commitments for homieide
were issued in 38 counties.
The report as given out- by the
board of charities and corrections is
as follows: /
"The state board of charities and
corrections has completed its analysis
of the crime statistics of South
i Carolina for the quarter ending December
31, 1919. This analysis shows
reports from 81 per cent, of the counties.
There are no reports from Calboun,
Darlington, Georgetown, Horry,
Lexington, Marion, Pickens and
Richland.
"A startling condition of affairs exists
in this state. The gravest crimes
have had a marked increase over the
preceding quarter. It was expected
that crimes would--.decrease in the
face of prosperity among people and
because of the leadership of the governor
and his helpers for a diminution
of felony. However, despite the
efforts of the constituted authority
and the vigorous protest of the press,
life and property have been violently
assaulted.
The last quarter shows 94 commitments
for homicides in 38 counties.
This is more than a homicide a day.
Perhaps in no other part of the civilized
world, where war and tumult
does not exist, is there so high a percentage
of homicides. During the |
quarter immediately after the war,
whop passion was running high and
the war fever had not abated, the
^ number of homicides in this state
was 81. Popular interest was kindled
by this revelation and great anxiety
about the condition of affairs was
ehown. Now peace seems to have
settled down on the state, and yet a
murderous spirit is running uncurbed
through the land. Were all those
that were killed by their fellowmeu
tn South Carolina in the peaceful year
1919 stood up in Main street with
their hands stretched out touching
one another the line would extend
, from the Jefferson hotel to the State
house. Were the coffins of these people
that were killed at the hands of
their fellow citizens piled one upon
Another, the grewsome stack would
be over twice as high as the tallest ,
skyscraper in the state.
Property Suffers.
"Not only human life has been held
lightly, but property has also faired
ill ai the hands of the lawless. The
number of those committed for larceny
was 304. The highest number
committed prior to the December
quarter was 204, which were com
initted in the June quarter. Burglarly
%has also thriven, the report shows
that 96 commitments were made for
this'crime. The increase of thieves
and rogues can not be accounted for
on the grounds of want, for the state
? was never more prosperous than it
is now. There is plenty of vwork to
be had, and at good wages too.
"The violations of the proh'bitron
law were 45. The officers of the law
have pursued with great energy those
who distilled alcoholic liquors, but it
seems that wherever a rabbit can exist
a still is set up. Every brush
heap is an object of just suspicion.
Gives Other Statistics.
"It may be of interest to know that
"besides the crimes enumerated in the
preceding paragraph there were 32
* commitments for forgery, 139 forr assault,
86 for vagrancy, 81 for fraud, seven
for arson and sixteen for rape, j
There were 1,765 commitments; not!
an excessive number, yet composed ^
of such ugly elements that its evil j
cnaraeter startles us. !
"The underlying cause of this evil;
state s the utter contempt that many j
of our people have for law. They j
do not feel that the state of South'
Carol na has any power to curb them
in the'r evil passions or the r nn-j
i rigktQovs yreed. The courts of justice
are challenged, the sovereignty of the
ste+e *s footed, and the prote tion of
life Rod property is menaced."
^9 n rrn ? am
Waterman Fountain Pens always
at Herald Book Store.
OX BEING A FELLOW GUEST
OF FEI1SHIXG S
By W. C. Patrick. ^
In one respect, at least, they are
all alike?the shoe drummer from
St. Louis; the motor car magnate
from Detroit; Abe Kohn w.th his,last
word in ladies' ready-to-wear from
New York; the suave oil promoter
from the southwest with his welldressed
person upholstered with fascinating
stock certificates, a drawl in
his voice, a cast in one eye, and a
manner far smoother than the oil
which his high-class properties seldom,
if ever, produce; the rich, rotund
and retired Mississippi Delta
cotton planter whose chief object in
life now is to be known as a citizen
of Memphis and a permanent guest
of the Chisca hotel; to say nothing
of the flock of small fry grocery
drummers whose purpose in life is to
make home by Friday night or Saturday
noon, take the weekly "bawling
out" from the boss, get a good,
hot bath and a little rest and renew
contact with civilization for a fewhours?they
all have an abundance
of curiosity. \
On Saturday* the Commercial Appeal
heralded his coming on Sunday
and accented for every hour of his
short visit in detail, but aside from
a characteristic remark or two from
an ex-doughboy here and there, carefully
deferred until assured of his
freedom from the despised saluting
?and making it "snappy" every
shave-tail among the seemingly
countless horde, there was not a ripple
of excitement to indicate that on
the morrow John Joseph Pershing,
commanding general of the armies
of the United States, would honor
Memphis with.ihis presence.
Contrary, however, to the usual
Sunday morning custom of hotel
guests, there were few late sleepers
and the breakfast room at the Chisca
was well filled at a tolerably early
hour with guests who quite frankly
gave the "double O" to the morning
paper whose front page displayed a
good sized picture of General Persh
ing alongside a column and pjore of
details of the day's programme. I
read it from force of habit and with
hardly'more than passing interest until
out from the printed page leaped
the words "?will lunch today at the
Chisca hotel." Funny, isn't it, how
a few little words like that can
arouse a personal interest, or, am I
curious, too? At any rate, I soon
knew that I was gett'ng excited and
what's more others seemed, to have
contracted the same malady, even
though all of us tried strenuously
to suppress the symptoms. What
was a general any way, couldn't a
fellow hop over the Mexican border
a few miles and find every third male
inhabitant wearing that rank as naturally
as he ' wore his sombrero?
"Sure," said a wise one from the mid-]
die west, "I've seen that bird many
a time." But I noticed that he did
not lock himself in his room when the
hour scheduled for lunch approached. |
To one without knowledge of the
impending occasion there would have
been little in the appearance of the
rather numerous lobby-loungers who
comfortably filled the hotel's commoduious
lobby and occup'ed all the
available "chairs, unless it might have
been the tenacity with which they
clung to seats likely to be points of
vantage, until along about noon there
appeared a fussy little bald headed,
Dow-ieggea muiviauai wnn a muuui
of such comfortable size it was not
hard to see that it had been designed
in the good old days of the full,
dinner pail. His apeparance on the
scene, accompanied by the clearing
away of all obstructions in a fairly
good sized, quadrangular space close
to the niche into which I had fitted
my person, and the marshalling of
numerosu chairs into irregular
groups which refilled the aching voiu,
seemed to be the cue for letting
down of all restraint and a general
buzz of conversation immediately indicated
the first sign of felief from
the strain. The chairs, it came out
pretty soon, were to seat the local
musicians ,the most of whom, it
seemed, had come to blow General
Pershing to a good time, and after
the customary jockey'ng for position
by the^e embryo Arthur Pryors and
John Phillip Sousas, the crashing of
the band into a patriotic air disclosaA
+ V?o fo t tliot TPV fripnd of the
generous mouth in laboring manfully
over the bass drum was endeavoring
to beat his fellow musicians to it.
There was a sudden dry'ng up of
the streams of guests which flow so
cont'nuousiy from all directions toward
that magnetic marble device
known as "the desk," addying and
purling awav serenely after contact
with the dignitaries entrenched behind
it whose k'nd words give back
APPROPRIATION TO
FIGHT THE WEEVIL
SOUTHERN MEMBERS SUCCEED
IN RESTORING MONEY.
4
Active Part by Byrnes
Enough Republicans Come Over to
Democrats to Reverse Action
of Committee.
Washington, Feb. 14.?Southern
members of the house today succeeded
in restoring an appropriation in
the' pending agricultural bill which
wuuiu euauxe me uepai luicul ui agriculture
to conduct experiments in
Carolina and Georgia in the arsenic
treatment against the boll weevil.
This treatment has proved highly successful
in Louisiana and Mississippi
but needs to be tested more thoroughly
in the Georgia-Carolina section.
The item of the agriculture bill for
investigation of insect pests affecting
Southern field crops was reduced to'
the extent of $25,000 by committee
of the house. The $25,000 rncluded
the amount which was to have been
used especially for the boll weevil investigation
in the southeast. On motion
of Representative Byrnes, of
South Carolina, a vote was taken on
the item by the house today and
enough Republicans came over to
the Democrats to reverse the action
of the committee of the whole and
put back the $25,000.
the stream in peaceful ripples or who
dash it into fury with a cold eye and
rude reply; the room clerk suddenly
ceased to inquire "have you a reservation?",
the mail clerks or female
persuasion forsook their posts and
in company with the telephone girl
sought high ground in the bookkeeper's
mezzanine office above, while below
the hotel's guests had become so
numerous that standing room was
scarce and the sitters were forced to
stand in order to see beyond the human
walls surrounding them. The
balconies above were draped and decorated
with many varieties of femininity.
Close to where I stood on
the lobby floor, half concealed from
general view, there was a motherly
old lady whose benign countenance
was the evidence of the purity of her
soul and whose ready smile might
have betokened an impaired hearing.
She had evidently heard in part, at
least, the statement of a neighboring
spectator that "Pershing is a full
general" when a pained expression
came into her eyes and I heard her
rather haltingly say: "Dear me, I?
I didn't know he drank!" How fortunate
that I was hidden!
Suddenly there was a commotion
" ^ ^ iVi w/nta rr /\r? fVtA a f tVlQ
(tlllUilg UiO 1111 UUg UU buc giue ui i.uv
lobby opposite my position and 1
knew by the sudden climbing onto
chairs and the scattered shouts out
near the street entrance that the man
who led the men who made the fight
that broke the power of the Hun was
close to us. Directly, in company
with the reception committee and
members of his staff, General Pershing
made his way to the hotel's register
where he boldly inscribed a page
which has now become a part of the
history of the hotel and community.
While this wa sbeing done I was
making a desperate fight to peer out
from behind the wall of humanity
that had suddenly sprung up in front
of me which, owing to my shortness
of stature, was being accomplished
slowly and with difficulty when my
view was suddenly obscured by the
skirt of an overcoat and I realized
that I was becoming, against my will,
the base for a human pyramid very
much the same as that shown in the
circus's "strong act." It was the
wise one from the middle west. T'p
to the time when my interest in other
things began to exceed my interest
in him he had been seated beside me
in an arm chair apparently oblivious
to his surroundings and engrossed in
the newspaper which he held, but no
sooner had the first leather lunged
shout of "hurrah for John Pershing!"
been uttered in starting the waves
I of cheering and calls for "Black
j Jack" and "Jack" which followed,
| this wise one from the middle west
found that the arm of his chair d d|
n't raise him h'gh enough and he
i proceeded to climb onto me, even
though he had "seen that bird many
a time."
Extricating myself as hastily as
possible from the foundat'on of the
human pyramid I also climbed upon
the wise one's chair and was just in
t'me to see emerging from the densest
portion of the crowd at a brisk
pace a grizzled haired man of health
INTEREST CENTERS
?IN SIMS'S REMARKS
BYRNES* SPEECH STARTS SOMETHING
AT CAPITAL.
Whaley Takes Hand
mi turn
In Letter From Sick Congressman He
Goes Even Farther Than
Others.
Washington, Feb. 14.?The effort
on the part of the Republicans to use
Admiral Sims in attacking the navydepartment
under the Democratic administration
has been seriously crippled
at the outset by the speech of
Representative Byrnes.
Admiral Sims at first testified that
he did not remember meeting the
congressmen in Europe at all. Later
he said that he did not tell them that
the American army had broken down
in its line communications necessitating
the granting of the armistice
but that when he told them this he
| told them it was not true but was
I mere propaganda that they might
I hear and should correct.
Congressman Whaley who had been
sick wrote the committee, making j
statements even stronger than those
made by Mr. Byrnes. Among other
things, he said:
"In October, either the 30th or
31st, 1918, Mr. Glass, Mr. Byi\ies and
I called upon Admiral Sims at the
Hotel Crillon, in Paris, in response
to an invitation extended to us over
the telephone by him. During our
conversation with the admiral the
I mioQtirm porno nn ahmit the errantmST
f w ^
of the armistice. He was asked why
it was necessary and his reply was,
that the American transportation had
broken down, that ammunition and
supplies could not be gotten up to
General Pershing and that the Americans
could not be advanced any farther.
This astounded us all as we
had been down to Tours some weeks
before and had been informed by
General Harboard and General Hagood,
his chief of staff, of the splendid
work of the S. O. S. There was no
intimation by Admiral Sims that this
was propaganda by anybody, but was
a direct, concise statement of facts
by the admiral and was made to us
for the purpose of giving us the inside
information as to why the armistice
was being made."
Mr. Whaley then detailed how as
a result of this conversation he and
Mr. Byrnes went to Tours the following
day to learn the details of this
breakdown of the army and General
Harboard and General Hagood convinced
them that it was absolutely
untrue. As to the conversation with
Admiral Sims, he wrote:
"During this interview he made the
statement that America* should not go
into the merchant marine business
and should get rid of its merchant
ships and allow England to control
the merchant marine. I did not take
part in this conversation to any extent
except to listen with astonishment
to his statements. Mr. Byrnes,
however, did ask many questions on
this line and my recollection is clear
that he was very emphatic in hiL
opinion that America should not go
into the merchant marine business
on any large scale.
"I am told that Admiral Sims has
made the statement that when he told
us about the*'breakdown of our line
ful, ruddy complexion and clear eyes,
a strong, clean-cut jaw most often
described as the steel trap tpye, and
a physique so splendidly proportioned
that he looked every inch a soldier.
The smole on his lips plainly
told that the cordiality of his reception
had pleased General Pershing
and my discovery that his line of
j progress lay directly toward me also
| pleased me. Being in close proxim:
ity to the elevator whoch was soon ta
| bear him aloft to the banquet hall
in which luncheon had been prepared
for this guest of honor I was able
to get a close-up of a real, live, full
| general! I'l say he's full, too! Full;
| of "pep" and vigor, and evidence of j
clean living, a man whose deeds havej
been erreat and whose modesty equals !
! h's deeds.
| After all the Irish are lucky some
! times, and the one who writes these I
| 1 ~2s feels that he has been unusually !
j fortunate in having been a fellow ]
guest of the greatest general of the
I world's greatest country, whose j
i ereatest work in the world's great-!
!
j est war was furnishing the finest j
j body of men to make the strongest j
I fight in breaking the power of the;
| world's greatest menace?Kun m:"li- j
j tarism.
j Memphis, Feb. 15.
L. M. KEITT SCHOLARSHIP.
Awarded Old District, Inc luding Bamberg
County.
Dr. W. S. Currell, president of the
'University of South Carolina, has received
a check for $5,500 from the
estate of Miss Anna N. Keitt, of St.
Matthews, which under the terms
of Miss Keitt's will is to be used to
establish a scholarship and orator's
medal at the university. The check
was signed by J. S. Wannamaker and
J. A. Merritt, executors.
As provided in the will the interest
of $5,000 of the bequest will be used
to found a scholarship to be known
as the Lawrence M. Keitt scholarship
after Lawrence M. Keitt, father of
Miss Keitt. The scholarship will be
bestowed upon some student from the
old district which her father represented
in congress. This district now
comprises Orangeburg, Bamberg,
Barnwell, Lexington and Calhoun
counties. The interest on the remaining
$500 is to go to offer an annual
medal, to be known as the Lawrence
M. Keitt medal, to the best orator
in the university. The details
of the contest are to be decided by
the university debating council which
will set a date and arrange eligibility
rules for a contest at an early date.
All students of the university, including
graduate and law students,
are expected to be allowed to compete
for the trophy, the first contest
to be held some time this semester.
Rules governing the awarding of
the scholarship other'than those
specified in Miss Keitt's will are to
be decided by the university faculty.
Such details are to be considered at
an early meeting of the faculty and
announced immediately.
^ ? > m
FOR LACK OF CHILDREN.
Marriage Annulled in Italy on Unusual
Grounds.
The annulment of a marriage has
been obtained solely on the grounds
that it was childless, says a Mil&n,
Italy, dispatch. This decision is expected
to be followed by numerous
applications for annulment on similar
grounds, for there is no divorce in
Italy.
The action of the tribunal is endorsed
by the Ital'an press as a
whole, and the socialists have gone
so far as to prepare a measure for the
introduction in the chamber proposing
that marriages shall be compulsorily
annulled if no children result
from them.
of communication back of the American
army, that at the same time, he
advised us this was propaganda that
was being circulated and he wanted
to warn us that it was incorrect. I
desire emphatically to say that this
is absolutely untrue. Had Admiral
Sims told us any such story it would
never have been misunderstood by all
three of us, nor would we have, at
great inconvenience, traveled 150
miles in order to ascertain the details
of this alleged disaster. Had
Admiral Sims told us it was propa
ganda we would never nave reported
I it to General Harboard and General
| Hagood, and I am absolutely clear in
my memory of the conversation with
j Admiral Sims that it was a direct
| statement and charge aga'nst the
American army and his explanation
now of the matter is simply an afterthought
in order to avoid his statement
which reflected disastrously on
the American army in France."
Senator Glass corroborated the
statements of the two South Carolina
congressmen in every particular.
! He stated that it did not impress him
that Sims was wilfully trying to discredit
the army, but that it impressed
him that Sims was telling them
what he believed to be true. He said
that he told Sims that Pershing imI
pressed him as being opposed to an
armistice at that time and Sims said
in reply that it made no difference
whether he was or not, that it had
| to be granted because of the break-|
! down of the line of communication I
of our army. He was most positive
I that Sims did not tell them that this
I was propaganda or that he did not
believe it. Senator Glass declared
that he remembered the conversation
in reference to the merchant mar ne
just as did Mr. Byrnes and Mr.
Whalev.
There has been much speculat'on
as to the motive of the attack by
Adm'ral S'ms on the secretary of the
navy. While it is stated that Admiral
Sims is bitter against Daniels because
Dan-'els refused to give h'm the assignment
asked for last summer, it
is also bel'evel that Admiral S'ms
enterta'ns the hope that the Republican
party, if sue essful next fall,
will prove grateful and that the custom
of appointing a civilian as secretary
of the navy will be temporally
J suspended.
i I
SECRETARY STATE
LANSING RESIGNS
MEMBER OF CABINET LEAVES
AT ONCE.
Suggested By Wilson
Executive Not Satisfied With Course
of His Chief Aide in Calling
Meetings of Cabinet.
Washington, Feb. 13.?Robert
Lansing ended his career as secretary
of state today after President Wilson
had charged him with ursurping the
powers of president by calling meetings
of the cabinet during Mr. Wilson's
illness.
Mr. Lansing denied that he had
sought or intended to usurp th? presidential
authority. He added, however,
that he believed then and still
believes that the cabinet conferences
were "of the best interests of the republic;
that they were proper and
necessary because of the president's
condition and that he would have
been derelict in his duty if he had
failed to act as he did."
As the record stands Mr. Lansing
tendered his resignation and Mr. Wilson
accepted it. The resignation was
offered, however, only after the president,
under date of February 7, had
written asking if it were true that
Mr. Lans'ng had called cabinet meetings
and stating that if such wer*>
the case he felt it necessary to say
that "under our constitutional law
and practice, as developed hitherto,
no on? but the president has the
right to summon the heads of tho
executive departments into conference."
Mr. Lansing answered two days
later?last Monday?saying he had
called the cabinet conference because
he and others of the president's official
family "felt that, in view of the fact
that we were denied communication
with you, it was wise for us to confer v *
informally together on matters as to
which action could not be postponed
until your medical advisers permitted
you to pass upon them."
Ready to Resign.
The secretary concluded by saying
that if the president believed he had
failed in his "loyalty" to him and if
Mr. Wilson no longer had confidence
in him he was ready to "rel'eve you
of any embarassment by placing my
resignation in your hands."
The president replied last Wednesday
that he was "much d'sappointed"
by Mr. Lansing's letter regarding "the
socalled cabinet meetings." He said
he found nothing in the secretary's
letter "which justified your assumption
of presidential authority in such
a matter," and added that he "must
frankly take advantage of your kind
suggestion to resign."
"I must say,"-.continued the president,
"that it would relieve me of embarrassment,
Mr. Secretary, the embarrassment
of feeling your reluctance
and divergence of judgment, if
you would give up your present office
and afford me an opportunity to select
some one whose m'nd would
more willingly go along with mine."
Strong Man Retires Prom Police.
New York city has lost one of its
famous "strong arm" pol'cemen today
when Patrolman Selg (Ajax)
Whitman, retired after a picturesque
career of twenty-six years, says a
recent New York dispatch. The fifty-six
year old veteran, who was
known nationally as a strong man,
was injured more than a score of
times in halting runaway horses and
received official commendation for his
bravery seven times. He will receive
an annual pension of $950.
He was chosen ten years ago to
form a "strong arm" squad to break
up the notorious "car barn gang."
The gangsters landed either in jail
or in the hospital.
"Ajax" gave exhibitions of hia
strength on a tour with th e late
John L. Sullivan before the boxing
champ'on. fought "Jake" Kilrain.
Among his noted feats were pushing
a loaded freight car weighing more
than twelve tons, and l'fting by his
teeth a hogshead of water upon which
stood several men. He was credited
with lifting a 1,030 pound dumb
bell with his teeth and also with
successfully w'thstand'ng the efforts
of a s ore of men pull;ng a long rope,
one end of which he held between his
teeth.
<o> ?
Wh'te Spanish Peanuts for seed,
also North Carolina, King early big
boll cotton seed, early Dent seed corn,
any quantity. S. W. Copeland, Ehrhardt,
S. C. 2-26a
' _ /