Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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/ ./ * ; * * * o ?br lambrrg ^ntlb $2.00 Per Year in Advance. BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1921. Established in 1891. WEEVIL DAMAGE . AMAZES VISITORS TRIP BY YORK COUNTY FARMERS BRINGS REVELATION. In Infested Area. Growers Who Did Not Go Through Territory Told of Devastation. York, Sept. 5.?A gloomy picture of crop conditions in lower South , Carolina as the result or tne ravages of the boll weevil was drawn by John R. Blair, York county demonstration agent, who^ has just returned from an automobile trip, along with 75 other York farmers and business men, through the weevil infested territory. The party visited Swansea, North, Springfield, 'Blackville, Barn-> well and Allendale on their journey southward, returning by Bamberg, Orangeburg, St. Matthews, Columbia, Camden and Great Falls. The object of the trip was to gather first I hand information concerning the actual depredations of the pest and the best methods of combating it, so that York farmers may not be altogether unprepared against its attack next summer. "Much as I had read and heard of the boll weevil's destructive work, I * was not prepared for what I saw," declared Mr. Blair today in discussing the situation in the lower part of the state as revealed to him on the trip. "The pest has simply played havoc with the crop on the best farming lands in the state and the actual extent of the damage can not be accurately determined until the remnant "of the crop it has left has been gathered. We saw the work of the weevil at its worst around Blackville, Allendale, Fairfax, North and Swansea, though it was bad enough through all the other territory traversed. Taking the crops everywhere visited into consideration, the consensus of opinion among our party was that the yield will be about a bale to every six acres. And this, too, remember, on splendid farming land despite aggressivemeasures to combat the pest. "J. Skottowe Wannamaker, o? St. Matthews, president of the American - * * - * -? ? Cotton association, toia us mat m? farming operations this year represented an investment of $?0,000 and that he would sell for 10 per cent, on this. F. E. Cope,, one of Orangeburg's big farmers, estimates his yield this year as 150 bales against 700 in 1920. He has cut his acreage ft a little and used less fertilizer but r the principal reason for the curtailed ' production is the boll weevil. W. W. Wannamaker & Sons, plant breeders and scientific farmers, have suffered a heavy loss, despite the most modern methods to grow a crop in the face of the weevil. "The heaviest sufferers, though, are the one and two horse farmers, and their plight is indeed deplorable. They will make only one or two bales to the plow and it will take the most of this to pay their fertilizer bill. All they will have left is their corn, * peas and sweet potatoes and they did no? devote enough acreage to these crops to produce an abundant crop of foodstuffs. They are facing the hardest kind of hard times? something our farmers here know very little about. A Barnwell banker, Mr. Calhoun, is arranging to finance the small farmers on a new crop system?that of a considerable acreage In wheat, oats, rye and other similar crops. "Everywhere we went in the low country the farmers realize that the old system of subordinating everything else to the production of cotton will have to be advanced. They plan to curtail the cotton acreage extensively next year and to grow more wheat, peanuts, sweet potatoes, hogs and cattle. The change from * .:c liro all cotton to aiversiiivitiivii a.v stock growing is no longer optional vith them; is it obligatory." Despite various experiments and A considerable work in that direction, r no effective method of controlling the boll weevil has yet been found, according to Mr. Blair. Some of the farmers in the weevil territory, he said, thought they were winning! their fight against the invaders last June, when it ^as dry, by gathering the damaged squares and destroying them, but the frequent rains in July stopped this work and* enabled the weevil to quickly get the tipper hand. An early and o,uick maturing crop y (Continued on page 4, column 5.) REPORT SMALLEST CROP IN 33 YEARS COTTON SUFFERS MOST DISASTROUS MONTH IN HISTORY. Condition Lowest on Record. Boll Weevil Blamed?1,116,000 Bales Lost Since Last Report?r$.50a-Bale Rise at New Orleans. ? Washington, Sept. 1.?Cotton growing has just suffered the most disastrous month in its hjstory. The indicated crop will be the smallest in the last 33 years, while condition now is the lowest ever recorded in any month in the history of the industry. Ravages of the boll weevil are particularly the cause of the severe deline of the crop, amounting to a loss of 1,116,000 bales in prospective production since last month's forecast. The department of agriculture in annnnnpi'ner trtdov its fnrPf??St nf H total production of 7,037,000 equivalent 500-pound bales, based on a canvass made August 25th, declared everything seremed to have gone wrong with the crop. An acre-yield of 127 pounds to the acre is indicated for fhe country as a whole this year. Never in the last 56 years has the yield been so low. The nearest approach was 129 pounds in 1866. Only 10 per cent, of a crop is promised in some counties of South Carolina. Parts of Oklahoma will have not more than 15 per cent, of a crop.) About one-third of a crop or less will be produced in sections of Texas, South Carolina and Georgia. A half a crop or better may be produced in llinninflnni T> 1", T> f Vl T T\ A 1 Q h S? TTI Q nnrth .uuui luv/1 j_i .jui*u?. ern Georgia and northern South Carolina. States on the northern edge of the cotton belt may have about twothirds of a crop. In commenting on the condition the department in a statement said: "The damage has been the great-! est in the area from central Okla-[ homa to northern central Texas, the! fall in condition amounting to from 25 to 30 points. Declines of from 10 to 20 points are shown for southern South Carolina, for Georgia, northern Alabama, the delta section of Mississippi and throughout the belt wesi of the Mississippi river except in the northern edge where some slight improvement occurred. [ "Conditions are especially bad, not above 15 per cent, in southern Oklahoma and not over a third of a crop is promised in the adjoining portion of northern Texas. In southern and central South Carolina the promise for less than a third and in some counties not over 15 per cent, of a crop. The central belt of Georgia and most of east and south Texas promise about a third. Everything Wrong. "Everything seems to have gone v;rong with the crop. In South Carolina, in Georgia and Arkansas and in j portions of other states, excess raini fall and cool weather have combined 1 * ~ "im o Kitr wood xvhirh thp hnll LU 51 ? C tt, Wlb " .. ( weevil in the flush of the early invasion has attacked voraciously, destroying all squares and bolls set during August and even attacking the larger bolls. 1 "From 40 to 90 per cent, of the bolls are affected in southern South Carolina, and the proportions run very high in other states. Westward from Georgia through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas and Oklahoma the weevil has multiplied far beyond the usual experience. In Oklahoma, notwithstanding heat and drought it is worse than ever experienced. In Texas it is the chief cause of deterioration. "The mild winter is held responsible for sparing an unusual number ? <! rr-nnfJlc- oe TiTkll OQ rtthor insp^ts. VI nccuio ao n Vii uu Ui.uv> , which have multiplied beyond measure and are devastating the new growth in practically all the area of its present range. The army worm is present in large numbers throughout most of Arkansas, Tennessee and north Mississippi, but the defoliation of the heavy growth is not looked upon as an unmixed evil. Boll worms and the hisual pests are present in ' greater numbers than usual, but their I damage is small compared with the weevil. ,In North Carolina and Virginia the long drought has been elmost a destruction as weevil elsewhere. "The northern edges of the belt, from Virginia and North Carolina through Tennessee, northern Arkansas and Northern Oklahoma promise (Continued on page C>, column 4.) f COURT PR FRANK STEEDLY ACQUITTED. Was Charged With the Murder of James Driggers Last March. Frank Steedly, charge^ with the murder of James Driggers last March at the home of his mother on the Charleston and Augusta road near Midway, was acquitted Tuesday morning in the court of general sessions. rr*t_ ^ A J lUil a a P f iue case cianaeu very nine uj. mc court's time. There were no witnesses to the affair except members of the Steedly household. The first witness was Dr. Robert Black, who described the wounds on Driggers. Dr. Black was called to attend Driggers by Capers Steedly, at the request of Frank Steedly, according to the testimony, and reached the wounded j man before he clied. The body wasj lying just outside the yard fence of j the Steedly home, where Frank Steed-1 ly and his mother resided. Dr. Black I also described bruises on the body; of Mrs. Steedly, seen some days af-1 ter the killing, which other witnesses ' said were caused by Driggers. Members of the Steedly family, innlnriirttr tha defendant. testified I that Driggers came to the Steedly home in an intoxicated condition and attacked Frank Steedly's mother; that he used a large stick in his attack, and that Frank Steedly fired a load of buckshot into Driggers in defence of his home, his mother and! himself. John Williams and James Williams, charged with the murder of one Brown a year ago, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to manslaughter and received sentences as follows: John ^lliams, four years, and James Williams tw*o years, at hard labor on 'the public works. Cape Dratiford pleaded guilty to sravated nature, and was sentenced assault and battery of a high and agto serve four years on the public works. PRISONERS PLEAD GUILTY. Horse and Mule Stealer^ Get Three Years and $10 Fine. / Three prisoners pleaded guilty Monday in the general sessions court and were given sentences by the f court. They were: I Alex^Johnson, who was charged with larceny, in the theft of a horse. Johnson had nothing to say in defense of himself, and the court im-( posed a sentence of three years at hard labor and a fine of $10. Robert Glover was charged with stealing a mule and buggy from the plantation of J. A. Wyman in 1919. He said, on questioning by the court, that "he did not exactly steal" the turnout, but that he just hitched up and was going to a picnic. However, he pleaded guilty to the charge, and was sentenced to serve three years and pay a fine of $10. Cardoza Jones pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and was sentencnr ed to pay a fine of $150 or serve nine months. Tuesday Tobe Glover pleaded guilty to manufacturing liquor, and was sentenced to serve three months; however, after serving sixty days, tM remainder of the sentence will be suspended during good behavior. The suspension was granted i rr, t !? ;i fn-n uecause wuver iias uccu m jan wi about two mojnths. Henry Cannon pleaded guilty to housebreaking and larceny in three cases, and Judge Shipp sentenced him to serve two years and six months in each case, the sentences, however, to run concurrently. Car Breaking Case Heard. r Tuesday afternoon the case against W. M. Walton anc? James Anderson was started. The 'two defendants, both white men, were alleged to have broken a box car at Denmark and to have stolen therefrom a quantity of goods, including shoes and tobacco. Good^ were found afterward in a seed ! house, in which was also found An derson. and Walton was alleged to j have had in his possession a pair of | shoes similar to some found in the I seed house, which, however, were not the alleged stolen goods from the I box car, and a piece of tobacco which fitted nicely into a hole made in the box of tobacco stolen from 'the car. Both men denieft that they had broke the car or stole the goods. The case had not been completed | yesterday noon. OCEEDINGSJ DEPRECATES CRIME WAVE. Judge Shipp Appeals to Grand Jury to Act With Firmness. When Solicitor Gunter handed out a nnmher nf oases to the srand Jury Monday morning. Judge Shipp directed some timely remarks to that august body. It was a great pleasure, said the judge, to again visit Bamberg. He complimented the jurymen on their presence, especially on a legal holiday, and a hot one. It shows, said Judge Shipp, that they have the welfare of their county at heart, and. shows their appreciation ofvthe importance of their positions. The judge deprecated the large number of murder cases on the docket, and said that It was rather unusual for Bamberg county to make such a showing, although, he said, it was not peculiar to this county, as it is a condition that is prevalent all nvpr ctntp and rnnntrv. There is a widespread crime wave, and the judge said that he could not explain its general prevalence. "It may be," ittid the judge, "the result of the world war and the wave of prosperity during the past few years, followed closely by the hard times now existing." The great body of the people, though, the judge continued, is lawabiding. He told the grand jury that the people have it in their power to enforce the law?not in an op! pressive way, but with firmness. He reminded the ?rand jury that their oath allowed them to know no [ man in the discharge of their duties; mai mey can suow uu idvuniisiu. There is a serious business confront: ing the law-abiding people of the county and he appealed to the jurymen to what they can toward remedying the present general disrespect o' the law. After going into the law on the various crimes mentioned in the bills of the solicitor, Judge Shipp handed out the papers with instruction.; to | act on the matters in hand. Goodwin Case Continued. Monday afternoon R. M. Jefferies, of Walterboro, counsel for E. L. Good? ? ?- * ?-'ii- ii? ^ ? win? cnargea wna uie rnuruer un Jacob E. Carter, made a motion for the continuance of the Goodwin case, on the grounds that the wife of the defendant is unable to attend the court on account of her physical condition. Two affidavits were presented, one from her physician, to the effect that Mrs. Goodwin would be risking her health and well being to attend court at this time. It was alleged by counsel that she is a ma* terial witness for her husband, and an affidavit was submitted that Mrs. finndwin would testify, if Dresent. that her husband was at home a quarter of a mile distant from the killing, at the time the killing of Mr. Carter occurred. The court held that i under the supreme court decision in the Williamson case, it was not optional with him, and that he could not do otherwise than continue the case. Bottle Throwing Bad Business. Lucius Washington was on trial in court Tuesday afternoon for throwing a cocoa cola bottle into a passing: Dasseneer train on the Southern near Midway. The case presented some ludicrous sides, although the crime of "chunking" a train is rather serious under the law. Lucius denied that he was 'the guilty party. He alleged that one of the state's witnesses, Herbert Kowe, had told him privately that he was. the guilty man, whereupon Lucius devoutly wished he had a witness to 'hear him say it, but Lucius swore that Herbert teased him by saying that Viiq n-rti-rl troa o e trnnrl a a Tjicina'c in i the court room. On the other hand Herbert swore that he did not say any such thing, but, on the contrary, Lucius had told him he threw the bottle; further that Lucius said he had struck a man and had seen him fall; also that he threw the bottle to make the train blow again. In this Herbert was sustained by two other witnesses, Clip McCormick and Abraham Lincoln. Lucius maintained that he was the victim of untruth on the part of his friends, but he did not succeed in convincing the jury, which found him guilty. When he was called up for sen tence and asked if he had anything to say. he replied not. but called lustily for a white friend who had been in the court room, but alas, the friend had disappeared, and the judge imposed one year. r ' . / " ' v < . ?-.. 1Jr.. JUDGE MEMMINGER'S CHARGE QUESTIONED UTTERANCES TO JURY ATTACKED AND DEFENDED. In Tom Harrison Case. Some Hold That Remarks Will Constitute Grounds for Appeal. Greenville, Sept. 3.?The charge marlo tn the inrv hv .Tudsi-p "Upmminer er in the Tom Harris case is causing t a great deal of discussion in court circles here and may constitute grounds for an appeal, according to local authorities. The following from the Greenville Piedmont today indicates the interest in the case: Did Circuit Judge R. Withers Memminger commit errors prejudicial to the defendant in the case of the State against Tom Harrison, convicted of manslaughter in killing his wife, when he made certain utterances in his second charge to the jury when they came out after being locked up all night and reported that they could not agree? This question is being discussed generally by members of the Greenville bar. Some think . that Judge Memminger's remarks may constitute ground for reversal by the supreme court of South Carolina and others hold the contrary view. It is certain that the statements will constitute grounds upon which Harrison's attorney will appeal to the higher court for a new trial. , The error^ivhich it will be claimed Judge Memminger committed in his second charge were: 1. In telling the jury that in a case in Barnwell county he held a jury together five days and five nights until a verdict was agreed upon. 2. In saying to the jury: "Now, if there is somebody on that jury that is absolutely fixed and made up his mind and determined that hevwill not decide this case, then I am going .to find it out; it will be known and there will be some notice taken of it." It is contended that by these declarations his honor invaded the province of the jury and that their effect was to coerce the jurors into reaching an agreement. Cases Are Cited. Those who assert that Judge Memminger committed prejudicial error point to certain decisions of the su pi CillC tUUi I Ui ouu ,u vaiunaa xu somewhat similar cases. .Those who assert that Judge Memmincer did not commit prejudicial error point to certain other decisions, in somewhat similar cases, more detailed information as to which is also the points raised in this case are not on all fours with those in the decided cases and they hold that Judge Memminger has had too much experience in court procedure to fall into error of the sort alleged in this case. In sentencing Harrison yesterday Judge Memminger said that he was not conscious of any error of law committed in the trial and that he had used his best endeavors to see to it that the defendant had a fair trial. Judge Memminger has been on the bench about twenty-six years, having been judicial magistrate for the city of Charleston for ten years before his election to the circuit bench in 1905. He and Judge George E. Prince, of Anderson, are the senior circuit judg es of the state, both having been elected in February, 1905. He is generally considered one of the ablest and most learned members of our judiciary. - The supreme court of South Carolina alone can and will decide the question thus raised. Judge Memminger's Charge. The first part of the second charge to the jury, to which exception will probably be taken by the defense, was thus reported by The Piedmont on Wednesday: "It was further pointed out by Judge Memminger that in one case he had held a jury in Barnwell county over for five days and five nights be fore tney nnany reacnea a vermci. | The jury was told that they had a j duty to perform, and that, if it wer$ possible they should reach a verdict. They had comfortable quarters, he said, and while they may like to be allowed to stop at the best hotels, and go to the theater every evening, and might be willing to stay on the case for a month under these conditions, such was impossible and they would have to put up with the reasonable degree of comfort which was THREE LOSE LIVES NEAR GREENWOOD FORMER SERVICE MAX KILLED BY POLICEMEN. Fired on Officers.. Woman and Child Also Die at Hands of Jealous Negro?Country Merchant Hurt. Greenwood, Aug. 31.?As a result of a series of homicides in this county last night, Willie C. Herring, a Thirtieth division veteran, is dead, shot to death -by Policeman T. E. Dukes at Ninety-Six after Herring had shot six times at officers; and two negroes, a woman and a two year old child, are dead, having been shot to death by Nathan Wardlaw, a negro, at Hodges last night in a fit of jealousy. Sheriff E. M. White and his deputies are looking for Fred Chiles,'charged with a third shooting affair in which W. C. Hill, keeper of a country store on the Green - ... .V wooa-aaiuaa line, was siigntiy' wounded in the face this morning with Shot from a shot gun. Willie C. Herring, the former ser- v vice man, who was shot, had stopped in the business section of Ninety-Six late yesterday afternoon^ according to the officers, and was cursing and creating a disturbance in the streets, Officers T. E. Dukes and J. C. Rush started toward the scene and Herring begun firing at them as they ap- ' proached. He is said to have shot four.times at Officer Rush, the officer v. returning his fire, aiming at his feet in the hope of forcing him to surrender without killing him, the officer declared. Officer Dukes covered Herring with his gun and ordered him to surrender after being shot at ofice. Herring is alleged to have thrown. up his hands, exclaiming, "I won't hurt you, Mr. Dukes." The officer drop ped his gun 10 nis siae, ana as ne aia so, Herring is > said to have lowered his own gun, firing directly at the officer's head. Officer Dukes dodged and returned the fire, the bullet taking effect in Herring's abdomen. The wounded man was brought to the Greenwood hospital last night, but died shortly after midnight. He'had been treated for the effects of gas % received on the French front. His twin brother, Jimmie Herring, was killed in France and he was severely gassed and shelled shocked. The police officers came to Greenwood and surrendered to the sheriff this morning. Andrella Belcher and her two year old niece, Tommie Romans,N negroes, were shot to death about 10 o'clock last night near Hodges in this county by Nathan Wardlaw, according to Warlaw's own confession. He ' was arrested this morning .and lodged in jail. Rebecca Belcher, the dead woman's mother, and her sister, Maggie Romans, were also shot by the negro, but not seriously hurt. Wardlaw claims he found Tom Harris at th^ home of the Belcher woman and began shooting. He fired once through the wall and once through each of two windows. The two-yearold child was killed instantly. The woman bled to death. provided for them." The second part of the charge was thus reported by the official court stenographer, Frank H. Anderson: "Mr. Price: Would your Honor permit us to request that no juror is bound to give up his 'honest opinion in order to reach a verdict?" The Court: "Well, of course, that point is correct. No man should give up an honest conviction in order to reach a verdict. It is not simply a question of guilty or not guilty. There are numbers of verdicts which can be reached as already stated. It can be guilty; it can be guilty with a recommendation to mercy; it can be guilty of manslaughter; it can be not guilty. "Now. if there is somebody on that jury that is absolutely fixed and made up his mind and determined that he will not decide this case, then I am going to find it out; it will be known and there will be some notice taken T om o/ldroesin? VOU fireutle ui 11. x cj.juul auui vww*M0 ^ ~? w men as fair and honorable men of this kind and I have had no occasion to believe at anv time when I have held v court that a man that went on the jury behave otherwise. I z.m satisfied you gentlemen will give it a fair and deliberate and careful consideration and not stay and hold out on some bold idea that you have not to serve one side or the other." j M I