The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, May 25, 1922, Image 1
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$2.00 Per Year in Advance. BAMBERG*, S. C., THURSDAY, MAY 25,1922. Established in 1891.
7 hree Murderers
are Resentenced
Columbia, May 23.?S. J. Kirby,
C. O. Fox and Jesse Gappins, convicted
last August of the murder of William
C. Brazell, a youthful taxicab
driver of Columbia, were sentenced
at Lexington today to be electrocuted
June 16.
The trio last August hired Brazell's
automobile on the streets of
Columbia to drive them to Augusta
and before they reached Lexington
they struck him on the head, half
stunning him. They then, while he
-rwtna V,-o 1 f Winor ATI the rilTITline' hflflrd'.
FT ao 'UOril AJ 1U5 VU - WM. ?J
stabbed him to death, Cox confessing
at the trial that he wielded the knife
f and "ground it in the wound." The
^ body was then thrown into a nearby
thicket. The men then proceeded
beyond Augusta with BrazelFs car
when they had tire trouble. Kirby, j
who was alone at the time, met a
chain gang guard and confessed. The
three men were locked in the Augusta
jail, which was later surrounded
ed by a mob from this state in an
effort to get the three men. For
three days and nights armed men patrolled
this vicinity in an endeavor
A J ? rv,kn VA f-rmi P Tras PY
to UUU cue JUIGU. iw Vivuww ? ?
perienced in getting the men to the
state penitentiary. They were sentenced
to electrocution on August 21.
The execution was stayed by appeal
to the supreme court.
FIRE DESTROYS FAIREY HOME.
Owner Overcome by Flames and
Smoke.
Branchville, May 17.?Fire destroyed
the home of M. E. Fairey
here Monday morning about ten
o'clock. How it caught is yet a mystery.
It is said that there had been
no fire in the house since Sunday
morning. The'fire was not discovered
until it was far under way as it
caugfht between the ceiling of the
second floor and the roof and as the
house had a galvanized roof the
blaze smothered and was not found
until the rafters were burned. As
soon as the alarm was given Mr.
Fairey rushed upstairs and opened
the door to the room where the fire
had started and was soon overcome
by the flames and smoke and had to
be carried out of the house. He is
recovered from his experience it is
stated.
Practically all the furniture on the
first floor was saved but that on the
second floor was a total loss. Mr.
Fairey had about $3,500 insurance.
. This makes the fifth house burned
on this block in the last five years.
This was the second in the past two
weeks.
Mr. Byrnes's Address.
We do not think that the objecPrtTrni*
"Pant Tiavo
IMSUa III IUC ivm-twnvi 4.?v?
r ever been stated more strongly or
more lucidly or more succinctly than
they were stated by Representative
Byrnes in his address at the College
of Charleston commencement Tuesday
night. Mr. Byrnes exhibited a
very complete grasp of the questions
which he discussed and his address,
which will be published in full in the
Sunday News next Sunday, is an exceptionally
comprehensive and informing
review of the conditions and
problems with which this country and
the world are faced. It can be read
and studied with profit by anyone
who wishes to approach the big issues
of the time understandingly.
Mr. Byrnes Tuesday night was in
the house of his friends but there
wer^ many who heard him speak for
the first time. Most of them appreciated
already that he is one of the
ablest and most alert men to go to
Congress from South Carolina in
/ years. What chiefly impressed his
audience Tuesday night, as the comr
ments yesterday clearly showed, was
his profound and unmistaKaoie sincerity.?-News
and Courier.
^ This B is busy,
f
So should you B,
And win a prize
Quite easily.
V.
I
| AsJ^s Revocation
Increase Ordei
Representative J. Carl Kearse Saturday
addressed a letter to the state
tax commission seeking a revocation
of the commission's recent order increasing
the valuation of farm lands
in Bamberg county from $4.69 to
$6.40 per acre for purposes of taxaHrm
infnrmation Of which Was PUb
lished in The Herald last week. The
letter, addressed to J. T. Durham,
chairman, which was accompanied by
a clipping from The Herald on this
subject, is as follows:
Mr. J. T. Durham,
South Carolina Tax Commission,
Columbia, South Carolina.
Dear Mr. Durham:
Our auditor, Mr. W. D. Rowell,
has just called my attention to the
fact that your commission has instructed
him to raise the valuation
of the farm lands in this county from
an average of $4.69 per acre last
year to an average of $6.40 per acre
for 1922, making an increase of 36
per cent.
I was very much surprised to learn
of this order, and I am at a loss tc
understand how the commission
hopes to justify such an increase in
j the valuation of the firm lands in
! this county at this time. I feel that
this order must have been issued
without full knowledge of the conditions
that exist in the agricultural
sections of this county, -and it is foi
the purpose of explaining these conditions
that this letter is written'
! I feel that, whenVou have carefully
! considered the matter, you will
promptly revoke the order just issued,
and that you will issue a new
order, directing the auditor to decrease
the valuation in this county,
If there ever was a time when valuations
of the farm lands in this county
should be decreased, instead of increased,
it is no\^.
i Last year our cotton crop was cut
down by the ravages of the boll weevil
to about 4,16-4 bales, as compared
with an average yield of about 28,000
bales for the county; in other
words, the yield was reduced about
85 per cent, the farmers making
about 15 per cent, of a crop. It is a
known fact that the boll weevils are
-1? -fViic voir fhnn pvftT
more ituuuuam iu? j
before, so how can we expect a greater
yield this year?
Unfortunately, the people of this
county have not yet learned to raise
other money producing crops successfully.
Last year, the farmers tried
tobacco, but the crop was practically
a failure, and the price was so low
* * 1 TTrVl Of
i tnac everyone iuat uiuuc; wu. nuu>
! they planted. This year, the farmers
are planting a little truck, but the
industry is still in its infancy, and it
j is impossible to tell what will be the
result. ^
I was informed by our treasurer
this morning that about 20 per cent
of the taxes for last year have not
yet been paid, and I am sure that a
j great part of those who have paid
used money that was made in previous
years. I doubt whether a hall
dozen farmers in the county made
| enough on their farms last year,
above operating expenses, to pay taxI
es. Now, I ask, in the face of these
facts, is it fair to increase the valuation
of the farm lands of the county
i and thereby increase tne iarmers
I taxes?
The leading economists agree that
one of the basic rules for taxation is
"ability to pay." It can hardly be
said that the farmer's ability to paj
has been increased during the past
year, and, on the other hand, it caE
readily be seen that it has been decreased.
I realize that the present value
tion of $4.69 per acre appears rathei
low, but when it is considered tha\
less than one-fourth of the acreage in
this county is under cultivation?
that a great part of the acreage is
in swamps and low lands and is
practically worthless?it is then realized
that the present valuation
which reperesents an acreage valuation
of all lands, is not too low as
compared with other counties.
You will remember that the whole
trend of legislation last year was tc
reduce the amount of taxes on visible
property, and particularly on farir
lands. This was done because the
legislators, who are the represents
tives of the people, realized the strain
that the farmers were under, anc
sought to lighten their burdens. A
material reduction was made, the
levy being reduced from 12 to 7 mills
This will give the farmers and owner!
of visible property considerable ro
lief, but, if the valuation of farn
i
Democrats Ask
' for Lower 7 axes
Columbia, May 17.?The Demo
> cratic state convention today iiearti.
ly endorsed Woodrow Wilson and
wished for him long life. It extend>
ed greetings to James M. Cox. The
1 convention in its platform held that
the system of deflating was being
pressed by the Republican party, ana
that the gold bug is worse than the
> boll weevil bug. The platform rer
port then advises the adoption of
'> these principles; protection is criticized,
the agricultural bloc in Congress
is endorsed and commended the
members of Congress for working
with the bloc. It wants Congress to
provide a system of short-term farm'
credit. The platform favors income,
> luxury and excise taxes and demands
> that such laws be put on the statute
books. The lowest rate should be
1 placed upon lands that produce the
L living of the people. Indeed if pos;
sible, they should be exempt; the
! rkloffrtTm cnoo nn onrJ savo "tVlP h'S'h
pa.avi.wa.ua. ftvvu vu muvi 0 0 ?
1 est rates should be placed upon land3
held for speculative purposes and all
1 luxuries. Let the necessities be
free."
L, The platform holds that the coinL
mission form of government has provL
en a failure. The platform commit:
tee recommended, "We.condemn the
practice of our general assembly in
" electing members of their own body
I to the various offices required by law
to be chosen by it. We believe that
; all officers except judges should be
" elected by a direct vote of the people,
and thus kill the evil practice."
' The platform then suggests:
"Our judicial circuits should be
reduced to a number sufficient for
' the business of the state."
The report then says, "While our
' state expenditure may be extravagant
they cannot compare with the
" burdens imposed upon the people
through the defective system of
county government. It is astounding
how indifferent the average person
is as to what becomes of county
funds and the great loss resulting,
from the improper care and preservation
of county road machinery,
tools, supplies, etc.
Frauds perpetrated by contractors
and others filch from the county
' treasurer thousands of dollars annu"
1 in wortftmmaTid. I
any. a state <tuuuui 10 icwv/miuvuu. |
ed. Strict enforcement of all laws is
i demanded especially the prohibition
i statute. In convictions the platform
. insists on prison sentences and no
[ alternative of fine.
The platform condemns legislation
on Sunday. A section is devoted to
; education and a full seven months'
i term is demanded for every white
i child in the state. Liberal support is
: asked for all educational enterprises.
i Congressman Dominick was oppos
ed to a general approval of the agri.
cultural bloc.
. Mr. McCleod defended the bloc and
held that the bloc was committed to
oppose W. K. R. Harding's reap[
pointment on the federal board. Mr.
Dominick feared Democratic support
? for protection as a result of combina,
tions.
Road Contracts Let.
j Contracts fey the state highway
from Barnwell through Elko to the
Aiken county line were let Friday.
. Simpson & White, who are just completing
the Kline-Barnwell road, were
k awarded the contract for the stretch
from Barnwell to Elko, their price
J being $19,629.79. There was just
$250 difference in the bids of the
r
three lowest bidders for this job. Mi.
Teague, of Augusta, who has done
1 considerable road building in Aiken
county, received the contract for the
1 " A ?- n11-* A {IT-AT) />Aiinfr 1
roa& irom hiiku lu luc >nacu UUUUWJ I
line, his bid being $9,194.57. These
figures are considered very low and
the county officials are to be congrat1
ulated on saving the taxpayers some
money on the johs. It is understood
[ that work will begin immediately.?
Williston Way.
, lands is to be increased 36 per cent.,
what, rplief will the farmers receive?
5 Surely, it cannot be contended that
the actual valuation of the farms
i have increased. It is t?o well known
> that they have materially decreased,
i I trust that, after youT commission
l has carefully oon^ldered these facts,
> you will revoke your order eall
ing for an increase, and that you will
t lea've the valuation as it is at presl
ent, or, if any change is to be made,
l that you lower it in accordance witn
? the actual decrease that has taken
. place in the value of the farm lands
5 throughout the county.
Very truly yours,
i J. CARL KEAR9E.
Storm Damages
the Olar Section
Olar, May 22.?A severe wind, rain
and thunder storm struck Olar at 5
o'clock this afternoon and did considerable
damake to property, but
tnere were no personal injuries.
About thirty-five shade trees were
uprooted and several residences
slightly .damaged by trees being
blown across them. Dr. C. B. Ray's
automobile was damaged in like
manner. ,
Part of the roof was blown off
Cleveland Morris's store. Part of a
skylight was blown from the Rizer
Automobile company's garage and
the front glass broken..
C. H. Brabham's car was carried
up the street as if being driven at a
rapid speed and the top was taken
off by the wind.
Doubtless considerable damage
was done to the crops.
BOARD NAMES TEXT BOOKS.
1
For Use in Public Schools Next Five
Years.?Advance in Price.
Columbia, May 20.?Adoption of
text books for the public schools of
South Carolina was completed by the
state board of education yesterday
after several days of conference on
various texts which had been submitted.
The board of education has
-been in session several days and yesterday
announced that its work had
been practically completed.
Approximately 32 contracts with
book publishing houses remain to be
signed up, but this work will be completed
within a day or two. Representatives
of various publishing
houses have been in Columbia in
numbers recently and many texts
have been brought to the attention of
the board. The books for the next
five years will be somewhat higher in
price, it was understood yesterday,
than they were under the old contracts
as the cost of practically everything
that goes into their making
has advanced in recent years.
J. E. Swearingen, state superintendent
of education, when asked
1 ' -6 i.1
yesterday lor a 11st 01 me uwaa
adopted by the board, said that a list
had -not been prepared for publication.
He said, however, that the list
would be available in a few days.
The law of the state, as is generally
known, provides for a readoption
of text books for the public schools
every five years. The books adopted
by the board at its meeting will be
used over the state in the schools dur
ing the next nve years, rrovisiuu ia
made with the book companies
whereby old books may be exchanged
in part payment for new books, this
arrangement saving much money to
the people of the state.
MULMNS CITIZEN SUICIDES.
R. Mills Shoots Self After Wounding
Merchant.
Mullins, May 17.?R. Miles is dead
and Ben Snyder is possibly fatally injured
from shots alleged to have been
fired by Mr. Miles in Mr. Snyder's
store about 10:30 o'clock this morning.
At the coroner's inquest this after
noon the veridct was that *\tt. :viiies
came to his death by gun shot wounds
imfiicted by his own hand."
The bullet which ended the life of
Mr. Miles was fired into the temple.
Dr. J. 'Hagood Smith, who examined
Mr. Snyder's wounds, is of the opinion
that the bullet entered Mr. Snyder's
back, ranged the full length of
the left lung and barely missed the
heart. His condition is very grave.
The story as told by Mr. Snyder is
' tlia ofnro oaplr
th3.t -vir. iviiujs ucimc iu tut. ?i,utv vw..^
this morning for a settlement- for an
iron safe which he had sold to Mr.
Snyder. It is alleged that Mr. Miles
contended for a sum in advance of
the agreed price and that the shooting
followed in consequence of Mr.
Snyder's refusal.
Mrs. Snyder was in the store at the
time hut knew nothing of the misunderstanding
until the shots were
heard.
Ike Sheer, a brother-in-law of Mr.
Snyder and a clerk in the store, had
Iert ttie Dunaing a ie? unuuicj uv
I fore.
Mr. Snyder is a nephew of Mr.
Miles and both have been in the clothing
and dry goods business here for a
number of years. Mr. Miles was the
oldest clothing merchant in Mullins
and by hard work and attention to
J business he had amassed a small fortune.
About 90 days ago he sold out
| his business to Mr. Snyder.
Two Will Die;
One Gets Life
Columbia, May 20.?With expressionless
faces F. M. Jeffords, Ira Harrison
and Glenn Treece, convicted
here this evening at 6:16 o'clock of
the murder of John C. Arnette on the
night of May 6, heard their sentences
pronounced by Presiding Judge W. H.
Townsend, the two former to die at
the state penitentiary by electrocuI
tion on June 15 and the latter to
serve the remainder of his life behind
prison walls. Treece ^as recommended
to the mercy of the cc art.
There was absolutely no demonstration
in the crowded court room as the
jury filed in with the verdict after
it had been out three hours and nineteen
minutes. The prisoners were
placed in the dock with a heavy cordon
of officers around them ana
Judge Townsend cautioned the audience
that none would be allowed to
leave until after the court had completedUts
business. All doors werfc
then closed.
The three men were sentenced at
6:30 o'clock. There was no noi39 to
break the calm judicial pronouncements
of the judge except the sobbing
of some of the women relatives
of the condemned men. As sentence
was pronounced they were taken to
the state penitentiary, two to be placed
in death cells, and the other,
rr'? - a A Anf f Via 1 nnor voora
1 reece, iu i<iuui uut mc
of his life in custody.
Today the trial went into its fifth
day. It was coupled witiit the arguments
of attorneys for Treece and
Jeffords and the closing argument of
Solicitor Spigener. The jury was then
allowed to go to its meal.
On the night of May 6 the dead
body of J. C. Arnette, joint proprietor
with F. M. Jeffords, wa^ found in
a partly overturned automobile in a
innalv Hall at fnlnnifll Heights, a SU
1 \J UV/iJ ?*V vv*v?? w J
burb of Columbia, with his head
crashed. The theory of the case as
developed by the state, was tha: the
i deed was due to a conspiracy between
Jeffords and two employees of the
filling station, Ira Harrison and
Glenn Treece, for the purpose of obtaining
$4,000 in partnership insurance,
through which complete interest
in the business could be bought
by the three.
It was contended that the three
men had a conference two weeks before
the commission of the deed and
decided on its its methods. The idea
was to entice Arnette into the rear of
! aii,*ncr ctotirvn c1nv him takp him
IULU
to a high viaduct, dump the automobile
containing the dead body, thereby
simulating accident. Two attempts
to murder Arnette previously had
been made, contended the sthte, on
two nights previous to the actual
commission.
It was contended that Treece
watched while Jeffeords and Harrison
slunk in the rear of the filling
station awaiting the proprietor.
When he came back he was hit on
the head with a stick by Harrison,
- * ' " T.iie j.
but not renea; men jeuurus imcw
Arnette, choking him into insensibility.
Both men then took Arnette between
two automobiles, Jeffords
crushing his head into a pulp with an
automobile axle, it was charged. Arnette's
body was then thrown into
the front seat of his own car, Harrison
getting in beside it and Treece
climbing into the rear. The car was
then driven to the point designated
in the conspiracy, but the presence
of two street cars prevented its propulsion
over the bank. It was then,
with Treece out of the car, taken to
the spot where found. The state then
oAntotidod that, the ear was rolled
slowly down a deep declevity by Harrison,
in the endeavor of overturning
it, making the crime appear as a
natural accident.
The three men then joined, Jeffords
and Harrison later going back
to the filling station, setting it afire
in an effort to destroy evidences of a
struggle in the rear of it. The fire
was discovered in time to prevent destruction
of the building.
The three men were arrested shortly
after the commission of the crime
and Harrison confessed to the police.
The case has created decided interest
in Columbia and vicinity, an? not
in recent criminal history has such
crowds thronged the Richland county
court house.
According to the best obtainable
information tonight, there will be no
appeal from the verdict.
Tough One.
"Do you call that a beefsteak? It
makes me laugh!"
"I'm glad to hear it, sir. Most people
swear."?Kasper (Stockholm.)
Branchville Man
Shot on Highway
E. A. Cole, an employee of the
Cameron Lumber company, sustain
ed painful injuries Saturday night in
the lower part of this county as he
was returning from Branchyille.
Just as he crossed the river on the
Branchville-Smoaks highway, he was
shot, it is alleged, from ambush. The
matter was reported to the Bamberg
county authorities, but up to Tuesday
afternoon no arrests had been . '
made, although it was stated that
there was strong suspicion as to the
perpetrator of the deed. The following
despatch concerning the mat
ter is c~_ ped from Tuesday's State:
Branchville, May 21.?Saturday
night about 10:30 o'clock E. Alex
Cole, sawyer for the Cameron Lumber
company, was painfully but not seriously
shot in the left shoulder while
,
going home.
He had been to Branchville with
his wife and children and just as he
crossed the river bridge on the road
from Branchville to Smoaks some one
shot him. J
From tracks ip appears that the , j
party was standing only about ten
feet from the road and about the
same distance from the river. Fortunately
most of the load of birdshot
and slugs went into the rear of
the auto seat.
!
Blood hounds arrived from New,
.3
berry about 10 o'clock Sunday morning
but were unable to do anything.
It is generally thought that the shot
'* v
wa? meant for some one else and not
for Mr. Cole. . ^ill
WAS ENEMY OF WHITES.
Waiska, Proud Chippewa Chief, Passes
to Happy Hunting Grounds.
Peter Waiska, 87 years old, the
last of the Waiskas, proudest branch,
of the long line of Chippewa Indian
chiefs, is dead.
The aged Indian carried with him
to his grave the strain of pride and
all of his hatred of the ''whites,"
which for years made the Waiska
Indians the outstanding braves of
the many tribes inhabiting the Great
t -i ? tt_ _a >
l^aKes seutiuu. ne uieu. ui CA^USUIO
to the cold, an element which for
years he scoffed at.
The Waiskas inhabited the region
now known as the Bay Hills and the
Waiska river and bay district in
Chippewa county, Michigan, when
the first white missionaries and settlers
pushed their way into the wilderness.
The tribe, with its centuries A
old pride, looked with disfavor on
the white man, who came and cleared
their lands and then broke them
with a plough.
Peter Waiska until the last main- . -3
tained the same feeling of hatred
IUa finol onrtrinf Vila
llidl UCULtUU l/LL^7 UUUl OUl T *? v* va.
race. His friends say that he gTew
more and more melancholy year by
year as he watched the forest disappear
and the white man's modern inventions
take their places.
WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN. .
Policy of the Men to Keep Them In
T rVikrvainn AO
X^UUftOUW*
Like the Arab, the Afghan consid-.
ers it unnecessary and even unwise
that women should learn to read or ^
write. No girls are admitted to the
bazaar schools and no mullahs are
employed to teach them, and Afghanistan
knows nothing of women
teachers.
.'a
The trade of Afghanistan is moved
entirely in caravans and is largely in
the hands of Hindoos and Tadjiks.
There is not a mile of railroad in the
kingdom, the Amir fearing that steel
highways would make isolation impossible.
Apart from rugs, a few xylophones, *
some crude adornments for women, a
little silk and felt are a few simple
woven tissues, no products of native
skilled labor are on the market. And
even much of what is produced in
these few lines is merely an imitation
of western or eastern art. Small
industries supply only the most urgent
needs of the lower classes.
The rich people buy their luxuries
from abroad and the poor make
shabby shift with the cheaper fabrics.?Asia
Magazine.
Specimens of Magnificence.
Teacl^pr?The -word , "grand" is
used in the sense of "splendid, sublime,
noble," and the like. Can you
give an example of such use?
Little Bobby?Yes'm. Grand dukes
and grand larceny.
v
r,