Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CAMDEN, 8.C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1908. tl.80PwV??r SOUTH CAROUNA NEWS lit MS Newt ?f laUrert Gteaatd Frwn Al Sectkmi of the StM? and ' Aimfd Per B?y Riadcre * - . ? Lxomrra mat bk bbvoqd. ? I ? : ? Iralkm Ufa SumaM Company Mixed ny With *e Mninole to ita Hon. On uwnnt of being dissatisfied with the statement made by C. J. Cooper, general manager of the Southern Life Inenranee Company, to Commissioner McMaeier, the latter has ordered tbe o dele of that com pany to show cause on January 18, 1900, why its license to do a life insurance, business in South Carolina should not be revoked. ' The commissioner in his letter to Mr. Cooper reviewe his statements m published last week which statement goes into the history of the deal -be tween tbe Seminole Securities com pany and the life insurance concern when the former bought the stock of the company. This statement, it will be recalled, shows that the par value of the stock waa $50 per share and 2,300. of these shares were sold at an average price of $108.33 1-3 and that other shares at not less than 150 per share. Mr. McMasters declares tbat he considers the company's affairs so hopelessly tangled with the affairs of the Seminole company that he has decided on this step. The Southern Life company was li censed to do a life inauranee busi ness in this State several months ago and at that time complied with all of the conditions required. Tbe law governing the oonduct of life in surance companies under the supcr vision of tho commissioner requires that 20 days' notice be given when a revocation of a license is contemplat ed. Commissioner McMastor, in ad dressing the said Cooper says: "A careful consideration of th?. statement* contained therein (Coopers report) seems to me to show that on July 16, 1008. the Southern Life In suranc company, through yourself as general manager, entered into an Hfreement with Mr. C. J. Hehert to adl th* capital stock of the company | to the amount of the difference be- 1 twsen $500,000. the authorized cap ita! and $165,000 already placed at a pries far in excess of t.be market and actual known value of the stock to fii^l^isd t ho other officers and directors of the company. The excessive commissions agreed to be allowed Mr. Bobert, the gen eral tenor of the contract of July j 15. and of the letters and telegrams which passed between the company and Mr. Hebert convince me that this stock could not have heen sold at the prices aereed upon between the company, and Mr. Jlebert if a true and honsst Representation of the con dition of the company were made to tbs public? the prospective fellow stockholders of tne present officers and directors of the company. ? "It seems to me that the facts shown in this agreement with Mr. Hebert, to which all of the officers and directors of the company were, or should have been, cognizant, pre suppose and are based upon inten tional deception of the public as to the actual value of the stock. "I find that while the contract of July 15 , between the Southern Lifo and 'Mr. Hebert, was on exclusive contract (and one very profltablo to both Mr. Hebert and the company), yet it is surpassed and supplanted, in a measure, bv the contraet made on September 23 with the Seminole Securities companv, whereby the un sold portion of the capital atock of the Southern Life Insurance company par value $50 per share, was to bo , sold by the Seminol* Securities com pany so as to yield tho Southern Life not less than $150 n share, and herein the interest of the Southern Life, the Seminole Securities com f>any and C. J. Hebert became so nextricably mixed as to make each practically a share in the methods as Well as in the profits to bo gained from the public. * Ths Commissioner sets forth at length that which forces him to sus pect that the officers of the Southern Life Insurance Co. were guilty of participation in a scheme to impose upon tnOee who would become stock holder*. He closes with the following para graphs: "If this be true, I am of the opinion that so long ns the company remains in the conerol of its present ? officers and directors it is not a safe and reliable concern. "This, therefore, is to summon you to show cause before me at mv of fice in Columbia, on January 1ft, 1000, st noon^wby your license to do bus iness in couth Carolina should not bo revolted On the ground that the South ern Life Insurance company is not a safe and reliable coneem, for the reasons above stated. This is done b accordance with the act creating South 0 trolls* Items? Th? tolored Ifsftfeie of ?erd Una art holding a meeting U Lau rtns. 1 ? ? . > ^ John 0. Brown ha? leased the Cheater Hotel, at Cheater, apd baa takes aotire charge. Will Black well, eolored, while a prison or in tho county jail at Aiken, attempted to burn the jail and piake his eseapc. the insurance department or South Carolina, approved February 24, 1(106. "Very tralj, 44F. II. McMASTER, 4 ' Insurance Commissioner." BB0ETVSB8HIP PRAYED. The lilwli Company in a Great Tangle ? Seems One of Three Ow* hined Schemes to Defraud. The Colombia State of the 17th Bays: "There baa been so much talk about the Seminole ' Securities com pany that a number of people baTe expressed an intereat to see the char ter of that company. In that connec tion there are two other companies promoted by Mr. Jno. Y. Garlington. The first of these, in point of time, was the Carolina Agency company. The second was the Seminole Sccuri. ties company and the laat is the Blue Ridge Investment company. Mr. Gar lington had been State agent for th? State Mutual Life of Rome, Ga., and had made a remarkable record aa a selcra of insurance. The Carolina I Agency company was organized to handle his renewals of premiums. The original officers of the throe companies named were: J. Y. Gar lington, president;; J. S. Young, sec reary. Mr. Young is from Laurens and is a first cousin of Mr. Garling ton. However, there has been a wholesale change in the list of offi cers of the Carolina Agency com pany." The first cf these was chartered March 25, 1907 ; sccond. Jan. 7. 1003, ond the third Nov. 6, 1003. The ob jects had many features similar. J. V. Garlington was t.he chicf figure in the three companies. The general purpose of the Semi nole corporation and the nature of business it proposed to do was: * 4 To act as agent and manager for finan cial corporations and insurance com panies of all kinds, and to buy, sell and own stocks and bonds and other securitiees of other corporations, both domestic and foreign. Motions with rcfcrcnce to the Sem inole Securities company have been made in the courts and there was of ficial action with reference to the Southern Lifs Insurance company, which is now a subsidary corporation oi the Securities company. The complaint is a caustic arraign ment, and if the charges can be sub stantiated will reveal a sad state of affairs. However, most of the alle gations are based upon "information jand belief' and mav not be credited for the full face value of the accusa i tions until the rcfense gets its turn i before Judge Watts, before whom one of the complaints was made. . | It seems that the names of unsus' pecting good men were secured to [give tone to the enterprise and solic iting agents used these names for all they were worth. After describing the offices and du i ties o fthe several defendants, the j complaint says: "Plaintiffs now be lieve, and on information and belief allege, that the real purpose of the I appointment of said trustees was to I lend tone, standing and credit to the | scheme of the managing officers of ; the said defendant company, and in fluence the unsuspecting public to be come subscribers to its capital stock.''* It is further alleged that the char ter itself was obtained fraudulently, "upon false and fraudulent certifi cates"' of tho corporators "procur ed" bv the said J. Y. Oarlington, and that if 50 per cent of the stock was I subscribed, as is required to get a j charter, it was done fictitiously, and ,20 per cent had not been paid in un less it bad been paid in by the pre tensive services of the said Garling , ton. The plaintiffs allege that such ros eate prospects wore held out that utockb in ihu companv were *old above par and premiums for insu rance were paid in advance of pol icies which were not issued accord ling to promise. Notes were accepted . and these notes dicounted at the .banks at as much as 40 per etn. I The company is alleged to be in solvent and the records removed from the State of South Carolina. The plaintiffs pray the court to enjoin certain banks from paying out sums to the credit of the company. Oarlington, the chief figure, claims readiness to fight out the matter in the courts. Aetna Mills to Resume January 1st. Union, Special. ? Aetna Cotton Mills, of this city, which were sold at a special meeting of creditors to a syndicate headed by Lewis W. Park er and Ellison A. Smith, prominent mill men, will resume full operstions January 1st, though the names of the ' president and manager have not yet jbeen announced. The mill employ* over two hundred operatives. Seminole Stock la Lexlnftoi. Lexington, Special. ? It has devel optd daring the 1m t few days that tbara are several gentlemen in Lex ington who own atoek in the Seni nole Securities company, which i* now being aired by iui investigating committee. j( ' ' The city ^onnefl of Columbia ha* reduced the members of the board of health from fifteen to fivo member*. CARNIVAL Of GRIME Flw Att?lli aft mwu is ?jjftM InTi (Mr li Two Days?Two Beocwftd Attoiyta. Spartanburg, Special. ? Since Sat* urday night Spartanburg county has been the scene of two killings and three attempt** at murder. Both the men killed were negroes, one being Will Cox, an Atlanta negro, who waa ?hot to death last week by an un known negro at a railroad eamp on the line of the Carolina, Clincbfield ft Ohio railroad, near the North Caro lina line, while the other was Jess? Leake, who waa killed late Saturday night by Dump Dorroh as tbcy were returning from a negro frolie near Switser. Dorroh in iu The murderous assault on Mrs. Sal lie Oreen, the aged woman residing near Campobello, will probably result in her death. George Mints was ar rested in Greenville county on the charge of committing this erimo by Special Constable Moss Havnes, and is now in jail hero. It is said he has made a partial confession. Two other attempted killings oc curred on the line of the C. C. & O. near the city. The first was a diffi culty at the Leonard & Beckman camp, near Cowpens, when Foreman Charles Carter was perhaps fatally eut by a white man whose name is not known here. The second difficulty was Saturday night between negroes of the Ross camp at the edge of the city. Ed. Johnson had his throatt cut by a "new negro" who has disappeared. Johnson will get well. Greenville, Cherokee and Laurens counties all report killings last week. Farmer's Union. Chest ?r. Special. ? The Chester County Fanner's Union met here, the principal purpose of the meeting be ing to elect officers for the coming year. The meeting was fairly well attended. The election of officers re sulted as follows: J. G. L. White, president; J. B. Atkinson, vice presi dent; C. C. McAlilcv, secretary and treasurer; Walter Simpson, door keeper; II. T. Boyd, <onductor; J. A. Hope chaplain; Mr. R. II. ICillian declined reelection as secretary and treasurer. Mr. J. S. McKeown also declined reflection as business agent, but will continue to perform the duties of the office until the first meeting in January, at which time the place will be filled. At the meeting on the second Mon day in January Ira Williams of the United States department of agricul ture will be present and will make nn address, as will B. Harris, presi dent of the South Carolina State Farmers' Union. It is planned to have a big rally at this time, the gen eral public being invited. The Union passed a resolution en dorsing the public cotton weighers of tl\e county and expressing the hope that the system will be continued. State News Items. Laurens, Special. ? A jail delivery in which five whito men secured their liberty for about two hours, occurred here this morning at about 8 o'clock. The escape was effected by burning the wcoden door around the bolts which held the locks, a poker being used for tho purpose. Four of the prisoners were captured in less than two hours, among them being W. A. Foreman, who is in jail for beating a rido on the train and is being held for deserting the United States army. Tho only one not yot captured is Albert Riley, the young mnn from Greenwood, who was arrested for stealing a suit case and some clothes from the Owings boarding house. ? It is reported that Y. C. Duncan "has organized a company and hn? bought the Aetna Cotton Mills. He has been living in Tennessee since his noted connection with tho Buffalo and Union cotton mills. It is estimated that about $900 000 a year has been lost to tho State by the Texas fever tick among cattle. A vigorous educational and quaran tine ccmpaign is being carried on by co-opcrative Stato and Fedoral vet erinarians. Inetruetivo and persuas ivo efforts when unavailable, will be followed by tho strong hand of the law to effect the eradication of the pest. Lexington' county enjoys a rare record of longevity. "Aunt" Ma tilda Wise died on the thfrd -instant at tho age of 117 years. She was otic of the good old timers and was much beloved for her good characteristics. It is announced authoritatively that the two large cotton mills at Fort Mill will resume work regular ly January 4. These mills havo been shut down since the first of August. Most of tho help has moved away so as to obtain employment, and it is doubtful whether there will be suf ficient help to run all of the machin ery. - A correspondent of The State finis Whitmfro, Summerville and Hones Path and their adjaeent territories on the returning wave of prosperity. Hard times sre no longer complained of. The surprising statement is made that thn Chieola cotton mill has run all through the panic and has made better profits than ever before. It is almost an assured fact thnt the Southern will build a new and very much enlarged depot at Spar tanburg. KNOX SEC. or STATE Pennsytvanh^ Senator Accepts Highest Piece in Cabinet T | MR. ITAFT IS MUCH GRATIFIED "i 1 After iMttvtaf a Telegram From - Philaada* 0. Knox, Signifying Bla Willingness to Accept, Mr. Tnfl Annotmoea' KW Appointment m Secretary of Staf e. Augnftta, Oa., Special. ? William H. Taft, Prcsidcnt-clcet of the United State* Friday night announced the appointment of United State* Sena tor Philander C. Knox, of Pennsyl vania, as Secretary of State in hit Cabinet. The announeement followed the re ceipt by Mr. Taft of a telegram, which cams late in the afternoon, conveying the information from Mr. Knox that he would accept the pre miership of the Taft Cabinet. Mr. Taft without dtlay made the an nouncement that the matter was set tled. In giving the details of the ne gotiations he said that the offer was made to Mr. Knox last Sunday morn ing in New York. That since the offer ho had :not heard from Mr. Knox urtil the telegram he received Friday. After a consultation with Secre'nry Roat in Washington last Sunday afternoon, Mr. Taft said he made an effort to see the Pennsylvan ia Senator there but was informed he was in New York to attend the dinner of the Penusylvanin society. H? wired Mr. Knox to gee him at the Henry W. Taft residence Sunday morning. The appointment was kept Mr. Knox concluding his visit in time for Judge Taft to attend morning church services, but remaining at the Taft residence nntil after Judge Taft had gone to ehurch. "J feel that I am to be congratulat ed in sccuriug the services of Sen ator Knox in my Cabinet," Judge Tatf said in making the statement with the understanding that he was to be quoted. "In selecting a Secretary of State I wanted first a great law yer, and, second, a man who would fill the publie eye, not only here hut abroad, as man who stands out pre ' eminently as a.. great American. "Mr. Knox was a great Attorney General; he was a prominent candi date for the presidency, and he is recognized in the Sor.ate and else where as one of the grpat lawyers of that body." Judg Taft also feels that from a political viewpoint the selection of Mr. Knox is most happy. He ex plained that there was often a feel in* that the State of Pennsylvania, with its nssurrod Republican major ities, often was slightly in the mat ter of recognition in the high coun sels of the party. That this will not be the cape in the noxt administration was indicated by the annonncement by Mr. Taft that he should invite Senator Knox to eome to Augusta, Ga., that ho might consult him freely with reference to filling other places in his Cabinent. In faet, he said that he felt the need of such advice a she should be able to obtain from Mr. Knox regarding not only the Cab inet, but many matters preliminary to the beginning of his administra> tion. That Mr. Knox's influence will he pot on t was freely admitted by Mr. Taft. , The hesitation of Senator Knox to make a more speedy decision is inter preted here to his desire to arrange with due regard for the interests of the party and bie State for relin quishing his seat in the Senate. Mr. 5 aft evinced many evidence* of grat leation at the deeiiion which has been reached. Root Will Hot Rod gn, Washington, Special ? Report! -that Secretory Root contemplates resign ing his son t in the Cabinet in the im mediate futuro because of the trouble which he is experiencing from hit knee which was injured while he was in the West making a speeeh in be half of Mr. Taft, are denied in re sponsible quarters. Harriman Oaeo Decided. Wushington, Rpccial. ? In deciding tho cases of Edward H. Harriman and Otto II. Kahn vs. the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Supreme Court of the United 6tates held that the commission is not entitled under the interestate commerce law to press questions relative to private transac tions, even though they involve deal ings in the securities of interstate railroads, when the investigation of which such questions are a part has been begun on the commission's in itiative. rive Million* For OtntL Washington, Speeial. ? A request for an urgent deficiency appropria tion of $5, MS, 000 to earry on the work on the Isthjpian canal at the present rate during the balsrtc? of 1 the fiscal year and for new projocts was received by tho House Friday from the Secretary of War. Last year a defleienoy appropriation of i $11,990,000 waa made, _ THE WORK OF CONGRESS Snopda of Die Proceedings of tka National House and Senate. Saturday's Session. The House of Representatives Sat urday wss. in its old-time form. No particular programme had been map-1 ped out, but under a eall of commit tees several measures in which ttit members were, especially interested, and in some eases vitally concerned,' were considered. With few excep tions they engendered the liveliest sort of debate, and it waa disclosed that the forces for or against them were fully lined up for the fray. Parliamentary tactics were freely re sorted. to, with the result that five times tbe roll was called. The first rangle occurred on a reso lution fixing the boundary line be tween the States of Colorado. Okla liomn and New Mexico, which was agreed to bv a majority but not with out two roll calU. The House then by a decisive vote refused to further consider the bill providing for arbii trory settlement of disputes between employers and employes. Next turning attention to the bill providing for the protection of aliens in 1he United States the subject was threrhed out at length. The measure had rough sailing and it was passed by a slim majority after the roll had been called twice. Tho Brownsville Affair. nearlt fhT.Ti!,e "ffair turned #>ntJre session of the Sen ed fh? fl/' Sonf,?^ Fo raker obtain ed ?aily ,h-? da* an<* I he Twentv flf IT" I? SoMier fE! Regiment telling of Ijvr P-?red",? of P?vernment detee from hL nWPv" ** ronf^ions from him. Mr. Fornkor introduced an Amendment to his original bill for the re-enlistment of these soldiers providing that a commission of three retired rrmv officers be crcated to de ermine whether discharged soldiers are inno<ent of complicity in the shooting up of Brownsville as a pre? sT?nT ? ,for :,hrir re-enlistment in^ tead of leaving that dutv with the President as provided by the Warner Frllowinfr closely upon these re marks the President 's message giving tbe results of the War Department's inves.igat cn of the Brownsville of &LTK fl ",nd Mr- Fo'?k" "Win me" sa? flf0r '? comm?1 "Po? <he ?^]a,or f Ir,pr announced thnt he would "Peak upon the postal savins rtad? ?i ?n? -V[!U,d n8k <hat il be Senate unt,n,8hed business of the In the House. afTW. ? C<??ldeljng bills dealing with tha h?'J Distnet of Columbia the Hou.se passed a measure provid Th*e K?li nt ffas in Wn-"bington. The bill now goes to the Senate as well as another bill abolishing "buck et shops" in the District. 'nAH,iiI1 PI?7W,n* for ^ee lectures down P schools was voted ?VerPt b/ Representative 4 Te*?9? to obtain a change n the reference to a bill prohibiting ?l fnture contracts on gricultural products brought forth he promise from Chairman Scott, of iL committee. that his committee would soon grant hearings to formers unions and others on this subject. The House voted to adjourn .Tannsrty4?leC0rT1Ser J?th' to Monday, 1"V? ? fid.lo?rned for the A Special Mcrs&ge. On Tuesday Congress received a special message frcm the President bearing upon the Panama Canal mat ter. fhe message was directed ~ New York Wo, Id a?T4,a '!rI,b",'r' demanding that the editor ofh.T^r^i^put in pri!?n "nd th^r?5'ed iPC?i,S ?J ,ai,Kht<>r greeted the reading in the Senate of the open ing paragraph of the President's mes. Bflge on the Panama canal chargct. secretary read the statement i.wt! f CMr^8 wer* in P*jl}?V1.ar' 8enator Bailey laughed ? 'rij5l." h* w?" passing along the rear of tho ohamber to his seat. Oth. Z! TJtii? "!>& iIdcB of th? Cham her joined with him, and when the reader reached the statement that a ??gr\ ,n "newspaper which he mentioned would not be believed,' ^AS *?n?ral merriment from both sides of the chamber. There was only a small number of Senators present when the reading was begun and it was hurried thro.igh, the papers aceompanving the message not being read at all. The House Interested. The message elicited the greatest interest in the House of Representa tives. The members gave close at tention during the reading of the doc ument and there was a ripple of aughter over tho President 's charac itn?# tu ?xr Cvh tPuIi,zer. publish er of Tho New York World. The message with its accompanying pa pers was referred to committee. Accompanying the President's mes *ago was a large bundle of documents bearing upen the transfer of the eanal property to the United States. Many of these documents were in French, without English translation. There was nothing which showed di Urn iiio nnn porr?Lns wko received the $40,000,000 paid by tho United States, -?n nwowa sincluded a list of about <,000 stockholders in the old and new Panama canal companies, nil of them fit if ens of France and of the Colom bian republic. ? There was not the name of a citizen of the Unilod I Stotflfl ?n tna onhro li?# WE MAKE_A PROPIT 1 Favorable OkmetuMc of tte rotten Tn4* of tko UniUd States for 1008 ? Booline in Value of Im port* it General ud Aoountf for DooroaM ii Total Valve Prices of Foodstuffs' Remain Stationery ? Gains in Prioee of Corn, Wheat and Bacon Exported. Washington, SpeciaL ? Falling prices for imports rising prices for uports, are declared by the annual report of the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Com nerce and Labor, to be a characteris ie of the foreign trade of the United States in the fical year 1908. this s especially true, he says, as to the manufacturers' material im{x>rted ind foodstuffs exported. In manu facturers' materials, whether raw or partly manufactured, {he ~a>^rape trices for the year are, savs Ufaej-e *>rt, materially lower than those for ;he preceding year, and were also nuch lower at the end of the fiscal fear than at the beginning of the rear. The average price per ton of iemp in June, 1008, was but $H>1.02, igainst $174.78 in June, 1907; *<jf ma nia, $137.74, against $20/2.01 in June, 1907; of sisal grass, $100.20, against $152.57 in June, 1907; of goatskins, >er pound, 24.5 cents in the (losing r.onth of 1908, against 31 cents in ;he corresponding month of the prc Jeding year; of hide* of cattle, 10.9 cents in June, 1908, against 15.4 rents in June, 1907; of Iudia rubber, ?G cents per pound in June, 1908, igainst 67.1 cents in June of the preceding year; of raw silk, $3.23 per pound in June, 1908, against $4.03 in June, 1907; of pig iron, 27 cents per j round in June, 1908, against 39.1 rents per pound in June, 1907; and >f clot lung, wool, 17 cents pt?r poivixl n June, 1908, njrainst 26.7 cents in June, 1 907, while other duvscs of ?vctl nlso show a similar reduction in >rice during the year. The decline in the total value of mports, which ocelli's in nearly all >f the principal articles forming the neat groups, foodstuff*, manufactur ers' materials aud manufactures, is lue in n considerable decree to this ''ailing off in prices, though in uianv .?nses there i* en actual dccline in quantity. This is particular true in ?nanfacturcrs' raw materials, which ?slow a maikcd dccline in prices per tnit cf quantity, the declinc in value 'jeing thus much groat er than that 11 quantity. In fibers, for example, the fall in value is from 42 million lollars in J007 to 35 millions in 1008, \ decrease of 10 per cent., while in quantity the fall is from 312,083 tons ?o 303,848 tons, a dccline of but 3 >er cent. In Indian rubber the fall in value of imports is from 59 mi lion lollars in 1907 to 30 1-2 millions in IOCS, a decline of 38 per cent.; but "he fall in quantity is only from 77 million pounds to 02 million pounds, l dccline of but 20 per cent. In hides ind skins the fall in value of imports is from 83 million dollars to 55 mil lions, a declinc of 34 per cent., while in guautit.v the fall is from 371 mil lion pounds to 2S3 million pounds, a declinc cf but 24 per cent. In pig Topp:r the value of impoits fell from 39 milieus dollars to 21 millions, a let line of 40 per cent., and the quan tity fiom 108 million pounds to 145 raillicn pounds, a dccline .of 27 per ^Ont. In pig tin the value of the im portations fell from 38 million dol lars to 25 millions, a decline of 20 per cent., while the quantity fell from 00 railliou pound? to 77 million pounds, a decline of 20 per cent. In raw wool, the value of the importa tions fell from 41 1-2 million dollars in 1907, to 231-2 millions in 1908, a decline of 44 per cent., while the quantity fell from 204 million pounds to 120 million pounds, a dccline of 38 per cent. Thus in practically all the principal articles used in manu facturing the falling off in the value of imports as compared with those of last year is due in a greater or ltss degree to a reduction in prices per unit of quantity, though in most of these articles t here i? an actual reduction in quantities, much less, however than would ho indicated by a mere consideration of figures of value only. Food stuffs do not above. as ft rule, n tho decline in values, either as to mports cr exports, which Is eharoe teristic cf manufacturers' materials. The average import price of coffee in 1008 was 7.0 cents per pound, against 7.9 cents in the preceding year; or raw sugar not nnove Wo. 10 Dutch standard in color, 2.33 cents per pound, against 2.11 cents in the preceding year; end of tea, 17.3 conts per pound, ntfiiinst Ki.11 ?-nts per pound in 1007; while in mnnufart ur ers' materials fibers show nn average price in 1908 of $117 per ton, against $136 per ton in 1907; hides and skins, 19.3 cents per pound, against 22.5 centr per pound in 1907; India rub ber, 58.fi r*nts per pound, against 70.6 crnts per pound in the preceding year; raw gilk, .*4.13 per pound, against $4.20 in 1907; clothing wool. 225 cents per pound, against 26 cents per pound in 1907; combing wool 27 cents per poinH, ajrainst 30 cents per pound in 1007; and carpet weel, an average price of 14.5 ecnts per pound in 1908, ajrainst 15 eents per pound in 1907; all of the abov? being import, prices. On the export side, corn shows an average export pricc of 64.7 ornts per bushel, cga:nst 53 crn's in 1907; wheat, 99.3 rents per busheJ, against 79 cents in 1907; bnroa, 10.5 cents per pound, apainst 10.0 eents per pound in 1907 ; and lard, 9.1 cents per pound in 1908, against 9.2 ecnts per pound in the prooediug yoar. THE TOBACCO TRUST Declared to Be a CoajbifMtfen in Restraint of Trade And IT SHOULD BE outlawed United States Circuit Court of N?W York ftands Down , a Decision Which Declares the Ajuerican To bacco Company an Illegal Combina tion in Beetraint of Trade. New York, Special. ? The decree of the United States Circuit Court in the government's suit against the Ameri can Tobacco Company and others, which was filed, declares the Ameri can Tobacco Company, the American Snuff Company, the R. J. Reynolds Company, Pierre Lorillard and the Black?vells Durham Company a mono sad engaged in an illegal com bination The decree restrains these hold^ig companies from engaging in foreign and interstate commerce un til comp^ftU|ki between them is re stored. The decree denies the re ceivership asked by the government. An appeal which has been taken to the United States Supreme Court will act as a temporary stay to the de cree. Nine companies with their subsid iaries are named as constituting an liegal combination in the final de cree filed in the" United States Circuit Court, putting into effect the judg ment recently obtained by the gov ernment in its suit to dissolve ho so-oallcd tobacco trust. The corn panics named are the American To b'acco Company, t lie American Snof Company, the American Cigar Com* panv. the American Stogie Company, M^cAndrew* and Forbes Company, P. Lorillard & Co., R. J. Reynolds Tobac?o Company, Black wells Dur ham Tobacco Company, and the Con lev Foil Company. Each of the first five of the'se com* panics, the court declares, is in itself a combination in violation of law. The order enjoius those companies from continuing as parties i nthe com bination and rost rains them from en gaging in interstate or foreign trade until " reasonable competition" be* tWeen them is restored. Nor may the companies named for their subsid iaries acquire by conveyance or other wise the plant or business of any other different corporation wherein any one of them now holds stock, or exercise any control whatsoever over its corporate acts. Both Sides to AppeaV Both t lie government and the de fendant companies will r.t once take appeals from the decree. Such action on the companies' part will make ef fective one highly important clause-? that which provides for a suspension of the injunction during tbe pendency of such appeal. As the matter stands therefore, the companies may con tinue business as heretofore and until affirmation of the judgment is ob* taincd in the Supreme Court. Twenty days is allowed for an appeal to be filed. The government will ap peal on what it considers errors and ommissions in the decree ?nd tlie de fendants will appeal from tbe general decision of the court. It is understood that one ground of the government's appeal will be ths failure of the court to declare that tbe American Tobaco Company, the Am erican Snuff Company, the Ameriean Cigar Company, the American Stogie Company, MncAndrews and Forbes Company, and the Conley Foil Com pany have each attempted and are at tempting to tfrce a monopoly. An* other grqnnd for the government's appeal wjTl be t^ie denial of its ds "mand for a receivership for the 4s? fendant corporations. Dutch Capture Second Ship. Willcmstad, By Cable.? -The Duteli battleship Jacob von Ilcemskerk ar rived Tuesday morning towing as ? prize tho Venezuelan cosstguard vessel "23 de Mayo." The flag sf The Netherlands had been hoisted to the peak cf the Venezuelan shop, and astern of the Dutch flag floated the Venezuelan colors. Florida Man Shot to Death. Jacksonville, Fla.. Special. ? A lele trram received here by Dr. M. B. Herlcnjr, n prominent physician, stated that V. A. llcrlong, his brother and foreman of tbe MeCIebcc Lumber Company's mills at Woodstock, had been shot to death by a negro em ploye and that a posse had been formfd snd were in hot pursuit of the negro, who hsd escaped to a nearby swamp. WcodMick is a settle ment in Baker county snd many eit-? izens joined the white men at tha mill in pursuit of the hls*k man. No particulars of the murder could bs learned. Woman Assaulted In Horns. Sp?seer, X. ?., Special. ? Criminally assaulted in her own home Tuesday afternoon at Moss' siding, nrar Whit noy, Stanley county, Mrs. James R. Mr.ss, a higfcb 'respeetcd lady ot t^t plaee. is in a precious condition on account of an attack made upon her bv Henry Young, colon:*. axed about 2i> years, who was Into Tuesday af ternoon landed in jail at Albemarle charged with the crime.