The people. (Camden, S.C.) 1904-1911, July 26, 1906, Image 1

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VOL. III. NO. 26. CAMDEN, S. C., THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1906. Sl.SO Per Year 29 KILLED IN WRECK Frightful Collision on Seaboard Near Hamlet, N. C. ORDERS WERE NOT DELIVERED Seaboard Air Line Passenger Train No. 44 and an Extra Freight Train Come Together With an Awful Craah in a Deep Ont One Mile From Hamlet. Hamlet, N. C. S|>ecial.? Twenty or more were killed and twenty-three badly injured in a head-on collision between a Seaboard Air Line Passen ger train and an extra freight one mile from here Sunday niirlit . Nearly all those killed were colored passen gers. The known dead are: Lngineer l'\ B. Lewis, of the pas senger train. 11. S. Kyrd, Baggage master. 1* ireman Torn Hill, colored, of the passenger train. Negro fireman name unknown, of the freight. Probably 2."> others unidentified. Kail road men, citizens and the pas sengers who esc aped injury, are work ing heroically to recover the dead and injured imprisoned in the wreck age. Both the second and first class coaches were overturned and it is sad ly aguiiiented before the work of the rescuers is completed. i he rescuers can see a number of lifeless forms by the fitful light of lanterns and these they are striving manfully lo reach. Fortunately the lamps in Ihe coaches were extinguish ed in the crash and fire was not ad ded to the horror of the catastrophe. Thus tar the list of the seriously injured reaches t wenty-three ? five white ami eighteen colored. Others may be imprisoned in the overturned eoaclies. , The engineer and fireman of the freight train jumped and escaped with a lew bruises. The coach for colored people was completely demol ished and nearly everyone in it met death. Both locomotives were demol ished and the baggage cars and coach es jumbled together in an unsightly mass. The tracks are piled high with wreckage and will be blocked for Lours. The wreck oecurted about 7 :.'10 o clock. The passenger train, which lei I ( harlot te at .> o'clock, was wish out orders and was moving at the rate of forty miles an hour. With out warning the freight, an extra fruit train, west bound, dashed around the curve in Ihe deep cut one mile from Hamlet, and the !wo trains came to gether with an awful crash and roar. Engineer Lewis and his fireman were instantly killed nud death was almost as >wif| to the passengers in the col ored coach. The dest ruction was com plete and rendered more horrible by the cries and groans of the dvi.jg. Tlie dead and injured will be con veyed to Rockingham as soon as a snecial can be mad up and the track cleared sufficiently. Messages have been sent to every physician in Hain lef ami Rockingham, as well ns in the county. It is impossible at this time to as certain the names of the dead and injured owing to the con fusion inci dent to the catastrophe. Not all the dead have been identified, but it is Stated that the list will reach 20. The chief dispatcher of the Seaboard at Kaleigh has ordered IS coffins from the undertaker at Rockingham. The blame for the wreck has not been placed. The passenger train, it is said, had no orders to meef the freight, and if is the presumption that the freight overlooked its orders. One report ascribes the cans? of the wreck to have been a lap order, slating that the passenger train had orders to m?cl the freight at Hamlet, while f!ie freight 's orders were to meet the pas senger train at Rockingham. Lightning Strikes Depot. Scotland Neck, Special.? The depot and warehouse at Speed station, on the Norfolk & Carolina railroad, was struck by lightning and entirely de st royed. A considerable quantity of goods was burned. The station agent lost his trunk and clothes. The loss to the railroad company is estimated nt iftf.OOO, The thunder storm passed <\er the entire region throughout and lusted several hours. Mr, Newlin, a farmer living a mile or two from town had a valuable cow and calf killed bv ligntning about the same hour of the burning at Speed. Negro Mob Pursuing Negro Mnrderev. Pecatur, Ala., Special. ? A mob of negroes ore searching the woods around Moulton Heights, a suburb of tliif city, for iTeurv Howard, one of t:<ir own race. Howard killed nil otlur negro, Charlie l)avis, with a shotgun, in a quarrel over a woman. Howard is believed to be hiding in a ?Tramp near Moulton Heights. He will probably be lynchtu if caught. CZAR TAKES HIS STAND Troops Are Being Massed at Great ? Centers ? Revolutionist* Are Also ? Prepared For Emergency. St.- Petersburg, By Cable. ? An im|?erial nk?*e lias been promulgat ed dissolving parliament and fixing the time tor the convocation of the newly ?*le?-t ?*?1 assembly as March 5, 1007. A second ukase places St. Peters burg in ? state of extraordinary se curity by the declaration of a minor form of martial law. A large part of the province of Kiev, where armed uprisings are an ticipated in consequence of the disso lution of parliament, has been plac ed under martial law. The conditions for the new elections will be publish ed later. The emperor, discouraged by his failure to form a coalition ministry and the distinctly revolutionary paths which parliament has chosen, has aj> parcntly been (>ersuaded to risk a final apfieal from parliament to the people, or in other words, to dissolve paliament and order new elections on the basis ot universal suffrage. Thursday the iin|>erial ukase caus ing the dissolution of parliament was signed, and was enforced Friday at a final, momentous conference on the subject held at Petcrhwf. Exactly who was present cannot be learned, but it is understood that the grand dukes, (Jen. Trepoff and other officials and one or two ministers were at the piuace. Kxidently the government is not bi.iid to the lact that the dissolution of parliament will be accompanied by tremendous excitement, riots and bloodshed, if nothing worse. Troops are being massed at St. Petersburg, Moscow and other centres, prepared to a|>ply physical force and in addi tion to the guard regiments, which were hurriedly marched into the capi tal Thursday night, t lie entire Twen ty-third division of infantry arrived here Saturday from Pskov. This imposing military array is expected to overawe the masses. The Social ists and the Group of Toil in parlia ment have prepared for an emergen cy. I hey drafted an address for is suance to the country the moment the dissolution wa- declared. HIi.mI: !;? d nn a large scale with a dictatorship in the background is con sidered ?<? !??.? the inevitable sequel of I the di*s'.iiviioii ?,f parliament, but the supporters ??f a dissolution claim that the ci'ipcior must take the risk, ar gniutf that new elections may give diflfeient results and, in any event, that it is IcSfer to lite lit than to ab .V * t ly * u ? 'render to the levolutionarv parliament. Mr. ^ vi iii id', forn?r minister of ayrv ul'uie an) leader of the Con H'i vi:li\e ( cut ri -t s in the lower house, who several weeks ago vainly tried to form a coalition ministry, in con versation with the correspondent of the Associated Press declared that the situation was extermely critical. He was without hope that a conflict could he avoided. The stunt ion is so complicated.'' he said, '"that it :s impossible for ;ii.> .nan to predict the course of fu ? ?ne events, but I feel safe in predict ing two things: first, that Russia will con.' to a constitutional basis; I second, 'i.at there will be no great revolutionary cataclycism in the sense Hum i'om igncrs anticipate." Memphis Cotton Firm Suspends. Memphis, Special. ? The announce ment is made that Armstrong & Com pany commission brokers, has sns peuded operations. It is said the cor respondents of the firm demanded margins of cotton futures which could not be covered. A member of the firm said the suspension is only temporary. Georgia Bar Asociation Elects Presi dent. Warm Springs, < in .. Special.? The Georgia Bar Association closed its annual gathering by electing Judge A. h, Miller, of M.icoin president. The vice presidents chosen were: T. M. Cunningham, Savannah ; S. P. Gil bert, Columbus; K. P. S. Denmark. Vahlosta; \V. A. Witnhish, Atlanta, and S. 11 Sibley, V'nion Point, O. A. Pi.tk of Macon, wns elected secretary and Z. I>. Harrison, of Atlanta, tras iirer. A reception was tendered the association this evening. Whcant Crop Estimate. Chicago. Special. ? The daily trade bulletin issued the annual estimate of the wheat crop making a total yield of 7'j0,000,000. Including the supplies f:\rricd over the total sup ply for the yenr m 21.000,000 hush els. The estimated consumption is 450,000,000. husfecls. The aggregate of the world's crop is 80,000,000 bushels less thnan Inst year. 5 KiilED IN A MINE Lives Snuffed Out By Sudden Explosion BODIES TERRIBLY MUTILATED Explosion in the Dixon Mine in West Virginia Results Fatally to Five and Two Others May Die ? Bodies Hor ribly Mutilated. Blue field, W. Ya., Special. ? As a i result of an explosion in the Dixou mine nt linger, in I lie east end of the Tut; river field, at 8 o'clock Thursday night, Wallace Mitchell and four miners, Ernest Jones, Pal mer Harris and ltobcrt Harris, broth ers, ami John (Jilinorc are dead, and Bill ('rouse aaml Langdon Whiteside will die from burns and shock. The men were going on duty for the night ami had started down the shaft in a bucket. They had gone about half way down when the ex plosion occurred. The first five men named were blown out of the bucket ami down to the bottom of the shaft, where they were later picked up Their bodies were crushed almost to a pulp. The explosion was caused by the man having a gasoline lamp in the bucket, while descending the livtht igniting an accumulation of gas The safety lamps are ordinarly used in entering and it not known why the men carried the gasoline lamp. Peace Treaty Signed. San .lose, Guatemala, By Cable. ? A treaty of peace between Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras was signed on board the United States cruiser Mar hlchcad on the high seas. The News in Washington. Washington, Special. ? The State Department was advised of the signing of the treaty of peace by the repre sentatives of the belligerent republics aboard the Marblehead. A cablegram was received from Mr. Merry, the American minister to Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, announcing that a treaty of jkmcc had been signed on board the American warship. Killed By His Uncle. Columbia, Special. ? By an acciden tal discharge of a gun. a 12-year-old boy was instantly killed by his uncle in the county. 12 miles from the city, on the Wiunsboro road in the Camp (?round neighborhood. The name of the little fellow who was the victim of the lamentable mishap was Sam Sharp, a prosperous farmer of that suction, and the uncle, whose gun was <:;m harged with such deadly re sult. was I). T. Sharp. Mr. Sharp, the u::c!c. is only 22 years of age. A hcai trending feature of the tragedy was that the mother of the hov was standing nearby when lli" gun was discharged ami was a horrified witness of the entire affair. S-rr.ck by Lightning. Vnion. Spec "ml. ? During an elec trical storm lightning struck the wire frcm the power house at Neals Shoals, opening the circuits at l"nion and RulTalo milks ami power plant. Work at HuiTulo stopped about one hour, and at I'nion -about live hours. No | serious dr. mage was done. Steamer Sank. Richmond, S??teial.- ? The handsome steamer Pokanoket, recently placed in commission by the Petersburg, Newport News and Norfolk Steam ship ( ompnnv. sank at her wharf. A mutinous negro fireman was arrett ed charged with having opened her sen cocks. Horrible State of Affairs. Mcfcow, By Cable. ? A I: milord Tee ing from Bobrov, in the province of Voroncse/h. where a peasant upris ing Ikis taken pa Ice arrived here and gives a frightful picture of devasta tion. He described the losses in the province as colossal. The troops are powerless to cope with the peasants, who are inarching in large bands, de stroying practically everything. Not more than one-tenth of the estates are spared. The movement was started by the refusals of the landlords to ad vance the wages to farm women. The ripening crops are not harvested. Hoback Murder Trial. Roanoke. Special.- -The Fred Ho back murder case was called at Floyd, this being the second trial Hoback hns hud. lie was sentenced to eight years in the State prison ?t a formei trinl, tlie decision being reversed b\ the Court of Appeals. At Friday V session W. A. Sowers, editor of the Flod Press, was the principal wit ness. THE PRELIMINARY TRIAL Attorneys Getting at the Truth in the Now Famous Lyerly Murder Case ? The Witnesses. Public interest in the now famous Lyerly murder that occurred at Bar ber's .1 unction now centers in the 1 trial ol" the five negroes now in the Chariot**: jail charged with the crime. The first examination of witnesses for the Slate was held at Salisbury last Saturday, and the proceedings are given in substance as reported by Mr. H. E. C. Bryant, a start' corre spondent of the Charlotte Observer. 8tory of Murdered Man's Son. The first witness to make a state ment was Mr. J. G. Lyerlv, a son of the murdered man and a halff broth er of the children. He said: "Jim Taylor, the boy who had been work ing: for my father, told me of the murder about 4 o'clock in the morn ing. TayW had spent the night at Mr. K. F Cooke's, with Sam. 1 went wiih Mr. Pless Barber to the old homo. Kd. Barber, Charlie Brown and Ld Carter were there when we ar lived. 1 think Mr. Matt. L. Webb was the lust mar. on the premises after the giris left. He was aecom companied by a Mr. Watson, a cattle dealer who occasionally with my fath er. Watson was on his way there that morning to pet breakfast. 4 ' Soon alter 1 arrived there those who had assembled thought it be>t to arrest ,Ia<k Dillinpl.'im. as the girls had said something a omit a quarrel that father and .1 at i: i:ad had tlie d;;\ before. '1 'ie ne^io had said sonic. tU'iiir abot.l cursing father. ?MVl.cn we crlcr?d the house we t'<?u:id t Si<* front door < p n, jusi as ll.e siirls had left it. wlici they start t?l lo! Mr. Cooke's he n e. The hodtc of father and John were on the Jtoor. l)r. Chenault and myself hunted for and found the money, about $17."> tliat father kept in the house. Soiue of it was upstairs in a drawer, and remainder in the little rear room, ?tear, the kitchen. "The house n which Nease (iilles pie lived is located about a quarter < f a mile west of the Lyerly home. Jack Dillingham lived southwest, about MOO yards. '.'When we went up to father's home we saw a feather bed, a bureau drawer and a lainn in the front walk, where the girls had left them. The Lyerlys were all friendly. Father and his children were on thu best of terms. "Last Christmas I heard father say that he and Nease had had some words about their contract. Father had told Nease that he would have to work a crop, as he had promised to do, or g(?t out of his house. Nease cursed him. an, in turn, was ordered out of the yard. Henry, old Fannie (lillcpsic's son, left and went to Mr. Leroy I'owlass' to live. Nease eon tinned to drive for Mr. John Pcnning er, a saw mill man." Miss Mary Lyerly Makes a Statement. The next witness to take the stand was Miss Mary Lyerly, the oldest daughter, of Mr. Isaac Lyerly. She was dressed in black. Miss Lyerly is 18 years old, I. as an attractive face, light chestnut hair and soft, attrac tive brown eyes. Her lit?s are thin and sensitive. She seems intelligent and sprightly. After a most trying week she appeared fre-h and composed yesterday. Her manner was of a quiet. modest but plucky maiden. She neither backward nor brazen, hut willing and ready. "I knew nothing after I retired about 0. o'clock," said Miss Lyerly, "until Addic called mo, declaring that the house was on fire ami that papa and mamma were dead. 1 was nearly suffocated. The house was full of smoke. "When 1 went down T found Ad die at work. She had already drag ged papa and John from the bed and was lighting the fire. I caught hold of papa and pulled him further out from the bed. We threw water "ii the bed and carried out the burning things. "1 went over and felt mamma's face; it was cold. She was lying just as she lay when she went t< sleep, except that her feet were 'm.!: inir out. I saw blood all over the pillow. T picked Alice, who was Mill alive, up in my arms and carried her out into the yard, where we tried ?<? bring her too. We could barely hear her hrcuthc. Addie went back up stairs and brought us some clothes, which we put on in the yard. We then left for Mr. Cooke's, Addie lead ing Janic and I carrying: Alice. Door and Window Open. "The front door and the window that opens into papa's room from the | porch* were open. The key was on the inside of the door. T always look ed the door at night but after papa went out and, on returning, forgot to turn the key. Any one could have gotten in through the window, with out much effort. "Papa's axe lay at the woodpile, for I saw it there the afternoon be fore. John and Alice had been cut ting wood. "When ! went t<? bed papa was faM asleep, snoring. Mamma was dozing off That wa* a few minutes before 0 o'clock. Addie and I slept together. I heard no noise. "The lamp, which had a porcelain bowl, was nearly full of oil, Tt had been filled the Saturday before. I know that it was sitting on the bo reau uu?l t li?? burner was on. When we anise. I lie lamp was on I lie hearth. 'John < lillepsie and Henry Jjce, son ami step-son of Nease, started a erop. They lived In the house with Nease ami his wile, old Kannie. One day Fannie eame down home and y<?t after papa for having lfriiry and his wife lvie in with them. She was mad beeanse they slept on her beds. Sat urday following. Nea::e eame and ask ed father what was the trouble with him and the boys. They had some ..eon vet sat ion and Nease mrsed papa, iwho drove him out of the yard, Oeo! Crenferd, who worked for us then, Maidtthat Nease declared that he would kill 'old Ike Lyerly.' Mr. Crauford told us about it the next uioruing. Nease was mad. Papa told him that he would have to sow the wheat or leave. "Mr. Crnaford went from here to his home at Ilildebrand. "Nease was down there once or twice after that but 1 never heard any more until a few days before the tragedy. Nease came down and ask ed papa what lie was going to do with the wheat. Papa told him 'thrash it.' "Delia, Jack's wife, and mamma had trouble Friday morning about the soap suds in the tub. After mam ma left 1 went down to the spring and heard Delia say: 4 If she (mean ing mamma) had said three more words I would have downed her.' ".lack and papa di not get along together. Jack had been there just about a week, lie told papa that he was going to work for Mr. Penninger. Papa said, 'Well Jack, if ??on ,ro there and work live days without hiving olT. I will treat.' "I heard Jack sav that he would uot i>o to work for no man before 7 o'clock. "Mr. Jim Taylor, who had been working lor us and sleeping in the house, spent last Friday night with Sam Cooke. T was straining the milk when In' let I. Sam Cooke had come over to our house to britiir a grain cradle which his lather had borrow ed that morning. Jack wis at the lot with Delia who helped us to milk the cows. Jim Taylor, Sum Cooke and Jack left together ??oing down the path toward the oritur. That morning Jack had worked for Mr. < ooke and then he went down to Mr. Penninger and secured work." On being questioned by the law yers Miss Lvcrly continued: "Papa kept most of his money in the bureau u list airs. Nothing in the house was disturbed. Kven Alice's little |>ocket hook, which contained 'J."> cents, was lei t <?ii the bureau by her bed. "We did not go by Jack Dilling ham's house, which was close to the path that leads to Mr. Cooke's, for we were afraid thai Jack might hear us. We slip|>ed by, fearing that he miirht kill us too. Sister Janie. who is 10. going on 11. said that she heard talking in Jack 's house as we passed. I was then about 1 1 :.10 o'clock. W'e arrived at Mr. Cooke's at 11 :.V>." "A lire was burning slowlv hut steadily in the middle of the bed. The bureau drawer lay inverted upon I he breast of John, who lay on his stomach. The drawer was hurnimr. John's feet extended over the edge of the bed. I pulled papa and John to the floor and called Mary. We worked i" the dark. "Alter we had put out I he lire I run upstairs and got some clothes loi ns. I did not see any liulit or hear tinv talk as we passed .lack's house. '' Miss Addie corroborated oilier statements made by her sister. On being interrogated she the made the {following ? additional declarations: "When I went down mama's face was covered with a pillow. feet was on the tloor. Little sister lay beside her on her back, just as she iiiol >lep|. ^ "When papa In rued off the (Jil lespie hoys, Nease came down and asked him why lie had done it. Papa him i hut they would not work ?If? land, and they had to #et out. Nease was ordered away and as he wo"t ?'<! muttered something but I ? mid net understand what be said. M.\ Crauford told uiis that Nease was > a vititr that he would kill 'old Ike l.\ erly. ' "Jack' wife said that if manuka had uttered three more words she v.ould have downed her. Delia, that is .lack's wife, knew how we slept," Mr. Matt L. Webb, an illiterate white man drove a wagon for Mr. Penninger, stated that he and Nease had worked together. In part he said: "Three weeks before the trag edy, in conversation with me, while loading lumber at Mr. Powlass', Nease brought up the subject of wheat lie declared that he thought the crop would be pretty good this year I told him 'yes.' Then he said: "Well, old man Ike Lyerly can cut mine but he won't eat it, or get the money for it. I told Jones Thompson what Nease had said and he declared that Nease wasn't dangerous." Little Henry Tells Hi* Story. After the foregoing j>ersons had bad their say a small, bright faced, eurly haired boy, with blue eyes, and pretty features came in. He' carried a little white, soiled hat in bis hand. His lips twitched nervously, and he seemed uneasy. He looks more like his Anglo-Saxon father than he does bis African m??lher. When asked who his father was he called the name of a well-known white man. "Do you like Nease Gillespie t" flome one asked. "No, lie lias been mfun to me," was tin* quirk reply. Solicitor Hammer took Henry be tween his legs, pulled off his hat ami patted liitu on the shoulders, Faying: "Boy, we're Hot going to hurt you. Nobody wants to harm you. Now you must tell us all you know.*' 4 ' Nease (Jillespie beats me. He's in y grandpa, lie whipped me last Friday. Pa (meaning Nease) and John met Henry Lee and .laek at the branch, this side of Mr. Ike's. Fri day night. That's what pa and John said when they came haek. Pa said that he didn't eare what they did with him after he had done what he wanted to d??. Maw, old Fannie, ask ed paw where lie was uointr and lie said 'It's none of your business, but you'll know when 1 come hack.' She said no more. Paw and John eame haek before day. I was in bed with maw. "When paw aaud John eame in they set down by the tire and maw asked paw where he itad been and he said: 'I've been down to old Ike Lverly's. I went down there and kill ed them. 1 told you I was going to kill them, and so, by God, 1 did.' 44 It skeered maw nearly to death when paw said that. John didn't say nothing. Jack and paw done it. l'aw said that Jack's wile held the lamp. All met at the branch, l'aw took his axe with him. I saw liiin (ret it. He washed it olT ut the branch but there was some blood left on the pole. He and John said they washed it. We saw the axe tin* next morning and there was a speck of blood oil it. l'aw said he killed Mr. Ike and Miss (ius sie (Mrs. Lverly) and Jack killed John and Alice. "Maw never asked no more, for she was skeered. 4 4 Jack used Mr. Ike's axe. He and Mr. Ike fell out about a horse, l'aw and John said they set' the bed a tire. 44 Before day paw put his old over alls with John's, in a hed tick of straw and burned them, lie burned his shirts, too. We saw them burn ing; them. They burned them be cause they had blood on them. Blood was ail over the shirts and the over alls. ??I left home earlv that morn ins; and told Mr. Mann Walton that paw had killed Mr. Ike and Miss (inssie." "Do you know where you would i.o if you were to tell a story, Hen ry?" asked Solicitor Hammer. " Yes. sir, to tin* had place," ans wered Henry. "Who made you?" 44 The Lord."' was the ready re ply. "l'aw said they threw the lamp in the brier patch. 1 saw a church lamp at Jack's house the day ma and me went down there." The hoy started wlun Mr. lliini uier called to some one in a loud voiee. and .-aid: "They are not goiii!i to hurt me are they?" lie was a->nred by a number of his country acquaintances thai lie would lie all lit; li t it he told the truth. "I saw the lamp on t lie mantel piece, l'aw said that they threw it in ;? brier thicket." This little net'iu tells a nio-t in terest ing story. His words are full of nieaniinr and the State nni-t rely largely on what lie says to convict the negroes who are now imprisoned in the Charlotte jail. Ilcnrv is dis nossed to tell too much but liis story tallies, in the misiu. with the one lie told the day alter the murder at the coroner's inquest. He is smart and very bright. If bis story is true Nease (iillcsi?ie. John Henry, ticorye Frvin iind Jack and his wile will hansr. No lnlf-yrown boy ever had more rcsponsibilit v resting upon him. t| a ones! ion of life or death. The testimony of the nc'.ro women contradicted tlifit of the bov. num ber of witnesses are -till in reserve 'or the St;itc. Painfully Hurt. Knoxville, Special. Mr. (Jeorge Manning was painfully hurt on (jay street, near the corner of Commerce avenue when he attempted to board an electric ear. Mr. Miinning evi dently thought the car would stop for 1 1 i in at the corner but this it did not do ii 1 1 < I while it was going at a lively r;ite he attempted to board it. As a result lie was thrown and drag ged some distance. One of hi* shoul ders was dislocated and he was other wise injured. Foot MajBhcd Off by Train. Dm ham. Special. - A white man by the name <.f Henry Humphries, who says that his home is in Hoxboro, was found on the right of way of the Southern road, in the western part of the city, with his right foot mashed off. An ambulance was called and be wan taken to the Watts Hospital, where his right leg was amputated. His injuries are not serious. Humph ries refused to make a statement as to how the accident occurred. Town Annihilated. Boonoville, Ind., Special. ? Fire ?upponcd to he of incendiary oririn destroyed the town of 'Lynnville, 1,000 population, causing loss of $200,000. The town is practically gone out of existence. Thomas Taggart declirvd to tcsji-' fy under oath in the French Lick Ho tel investigation growing out of a raid on gambler*. SOUTH CAROLINA CROPS Condition of South Carolina Crops for Week Ending Monday, July 16, 1906, as Oifen Oat by the De partment. Like I lu* preceding week. the cur rent one wus deficient in mushine. Few thunderstorms and no high winds occurred. Both the average tempera ture and the average precipitation were he low normal, although exces sive precipitation occurred in the ex i treme northwestern, southern and coast sections. The teni|>erature range for the week was from a minimum of l?l decrees at ( i reenville on the 10th to a maxi mum of 04 degrees at Conwa> ?n the 9th. With the Exception ot <>Me day when maximum temperatures ? ? l" IMk degrees, or above, were noted ewr practically the whole State. th?* of the maximum tempemtur* * wan from lil t?? 70 decree*, except in the eastern (tortious where the range was from 72 to 77 degrees. The precipitation was gene rally I e low normal, although frequent light showers occurred over the en t ire State and kept the soil amply su|> plied with moisture, while the exces sive cloudiness, and low temperatures prevented the ground from drying out rapidiy. Small streams overflow ed their hanks in a few localities, hut the larger rivers have maintained their stages only slightly abvve their normal gage readings. The Tax Assessments. ^ I he State hoard of equalization Friday adjourned to meet again at the call of the chairman, Mr. H. <j. lh|{ ot I niou. At the next meeting the matter of assessments on real estate will he considered. 1 lohahly as many as tea auditors have not yet mailed their abstracts to the comptroller general, and for that i eason the matter of assessments on real estate eould not be considered. The auditors are not to blame, for the chairman of the board wired tc each delinquent and found that there was a valid excuse in each case. The assessments on cotton mills, fertilizer plants ami cotton seed oil mills were adopted upon the reports of | he resfH'ctive committees. The ! committees which reported on the valuation ot these mauui 'act uring properties were as follow*: < otton Mills: A. Ziminerinrn, Oco nee; J. P. Dei ham. I lorry: Moi ris Israel, Charleston; \V. JL Murphy, Spartanburg; II. II. Foil-:. X.-u berry; ?I. I., (Jniiihy, Aiken; .f. St. ChiiYo White, Berkeley; ,1. I'. Cox. Ander son; ,|. J,. (J. White, 4 'hot cr ; P. L. Johnson. York: .1. A. land; J. .1. Lane, Marlboro; If. M. < '!< veland. <i reenville. Fertilizer Plants; I!. \\*. < nn:.ou, Darlington ; W. .1. t 'ui.ni-.gha in. Lan caster; A. .1. K i?'h I >o i ? rir, Clarendon: K. A. Cochran, Kdgeileld : M. <Ja? vin, Dorchester; .1. Berg. Beanl'mf. ML, S. McLccmK Lee; If. M. Clalh. Ornuge ,,n|"g'. S. C>. fines*, Bamberg ; .1. ,J. GrilUn. Barnwell. Cotton Seed Oil Mills; .f jf ]\|r. Kenzie, Hampton ; H. J. McLaurin, Sumter: M. Lipscomb. Cherokee; ,J. M. Sowed, Kershaw; B. O. Price* Alex. McTaggart. Florence; L. S. Frich. Georgetown: Thomas L. Truy lor, Fairfield; J. \V. Alton (Jree'n wood. I{. P. Adair, Lauren; ||. (\ J 'vouch, Saluda: F. IL llendrix, Lex ington; C. C. Flicks, Pickens: ,1. JO. Loinax, Abbeville; 1). M. Ballentsne, Chesterfield. 1 he assessments on fertilizer plant* werejnereased from $:{,(?7-l.."> JS to 8'f7,77f>, or an increase of $7. ">0,000. I he cotton seed oil mills were in creased from $2,70L4.'{t? to $S'.02(>.S:m, an increase of $2.'lf?,:i?H. principally ii! new business enterprises. I he cotton mills show an increase of nearly 10 per cent., from $1 1 ,f>07, 204 to Jr'40, LW ,000. The immv concerns put on 'he tax books | his venr are Jackson mills. $2(i..'i00 ; Ailing and Green Knitting mills, $.">,000: Tfoynl Bay and Yarn company. 1 ,000 : Globe Manufacturing company. $10, 000; Westminster Knitting mill*, 000 ;Ani"i ic an Press Cloth Com* pa ny, $10.. >00 ; Jordan Manufacturing company. $2.*),000; Necly ManufacMtr~ ing company. $00,000. Pressing Pardon Petitions. GoiKMnor Hey ward, who has ,iu"t returned from Virginia, finds some pressing pardon petitions on his I hand*, there being half a dozen hang ing* hooked for early August. f?<* has issued ? call for n speeial meet ing of the pardon hoard to be held August 1st. The attorneys for Bof> Smalls, the North Carolina white man sentenced to hang August :tr.1, have been srranted a dale for a hearing be. fore the Governor July 24. The nar done board has already passed ad versely upon this cafe. Bank of Maysvillc Closed by Exami ner. Mavsville. Speeial. Stat'1 Bank Examiner Hollemau closed the doors of the Bank of Mavesville Saturday night pending an examination into its affairs. It is not thought that there is anv shortage, simply clerical errors in the account and probably a too lenient hand in lending out hank funds. It is hoped that the bank will ?oon be able to reopen its doors.