Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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"?>V> THOU LIBERTY GREAT. INSPIRE OUR SOULS AND il I LIVES IN THY'POSSESSION HAPPY. OR OUR DEATHS GLORIOUS IN TH Y CAUSE." voil BENNF^TSVILLEi S. FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1904. NO: 2. \T AWFUL CAL.lffiTY. Nearly Six Hundred Human Beings Burnt in a Theatre Fire. WOEBT HC BEOR OF CENTUBY. BcRon With a i?atiie Caused by a Fire that Started on tho Sta?;e. Tho Bodies Were Plied Twelvo Deep. The city of Chicago was the scene of one of tho worst calamities of the cen tury on last Wednesday, wnen over six hundred people were burned death in the Irlqut is theatre, the newest, the largest, and as far as human power could make it, the safest thea x>^gies*B'nii,1lcago. "?sti nates of the fatalities - %try. The poi''ce account of tho dead "is ,536. "The estmate bf the newspapers, is 500. Iles! iles this there are 55 people missing at mid night, tho majority of whom are probably arming the. dead in the morgue and various undertaking es tablishments. A few of these people were burned to death by Ore, many were suffocated by gas, and scores were trampled to death in the panic that followed the mad plunge of the frightened audience for exits. It was many hours before the number of dead was known and will be many days before all of them will be identhled. There are bodies lying by tho dozens in tho undertak ing rooms, in tho police stations and in the hospitals from which nearly i everything that can reveal their iden tity to those who knew them best ls gone. Their clothing ls torn to rags or burnedvto cinders and their faces have been crushed into an unrecogniz able pulp by the heels of the crowd that trampled them down as they lied for safety. BURNT IN THEIR SEATS. W'ff- The Ure broke , cut during the sec '''5?V"?f the play "Mr. Bluebeard," ;|swhlch was the llrst dramatio produc tion placed in the theatre since Its erection. The company, which was -^very large, escaped to the stieets in safety, nearly all of them; however, being compelled to (lee into the snowy streets with no clothing but their stage-costumes. A few members of the company sustained minor injuries but none were seriously hurt. The accounts of the origin of the fire are conflicting and none of them certain, but tho best reason given is that an electric wire near the lower part of a piece of drop sceuery sudden ly broke and was grounded. The fire spread rapidly toward the front of thc stage, causing the members of tho chorus, who were then engaged In the performance, ito ile?"with screams of terror. . Thc* lire-in itself up to this time was m t. serious and possibly could have been checked had not the asbes '?""txio- M????Ku^t? war?., .^.p?v.n as the l^^was discovered Eddie'Foy, the chief comedian of tile company, shouted to lower the curtain, and this was immediai ely done. .It descended about half way and then, stuck. The. fire thus was given practically a flue through which a strong draft was set ting, aided by the doors which had been thrown open in the front of the theatre. With a roar and a buund the llames shot through the opening over the heads of the people on the first floor and reaching those in the first balcony caught them md bumed them to death where they sat. Im mediately fellowing this nish o? flames there came an explosion, which lifted the entire roof or the theatre from its walls, shattering the great skylight into fragments. SUFFOCATED BY TUE OAS. As soon as the Hames first appeared beyond the curtain a man in the rear of the hall shouted "Fire, dre," atid the entire audience rose as one person and made for the doors. It is believed that the explosion was caused by the flames coming Into contact with the gas reservoirs of thc theatre, causing them to burst. Will J. Divls, mana ger of the theatre; stld after the ca tastrophe that if the people had re maineel In their s-iits and lad not been excited by the cry o;' fire not a single dfe would have been lost. This 1B, however, contradicted by the state ment cf tile li re men, who found num bers of people sitting In their seats, their fices directed towards the stage as if the performance was still going ) on. It was Ji be opinion of the fire men that these people had been suf focated at once by the How of gas which came from behind the asbestos ourtain. As near as can be estimated at the present time abolit 1,300 people were in thc theatre. Three hundred of these were bri the first Hour, the bal ance being In the two upper balconies and back of them. Tho theatre is mod lcd afl?i" the Opera'"Csmlque in Paris and from thc rear of eacli bal cony there arc three doors leading out to passage" ways toward the front of the theatre. Two of these doorways are at thc end of the balcony and one in the centre. The audience in its rush for the outer air seems to have for the greater part chosen to flee to the left entrance and to attempt to make its way down thc eastern stair way leading into the lobby of theatre. Outside of tho people burned and suf focated by gas, it was in these door ways on the first and second balconies that the greatest loss of life occurred. When the firemen entered the build ing the dead were found stretched in a pile reaching from thc head of the stairway at least eight feet from thc n door back to a point about live feet in the rear of the door. This mass of dead bodies in the centre of the door way reached to within two feet of the top of the passage way. HAK? WOMEN AND CHILDREN. All of tlie corpses at this point were women and children. The fight for lire which must have taken place at these two points is something that ls Simply beyond human power adequate ly to describe. Only a faint idea of its horror can be derived from the as pect of bodies as they lay. Women on top of these masses of dead bodies had been overtaken by death as thoy were crawling on hands and knees over the hodies of those who had died before. Others lay with arms stretched ont In the direction toward which lay life and t-afei y, holding in their hands fragments of garments not their own. They were evidently torn from others whom they had endeavored to pull down and trample underfoot as they fought for their own lives. Aa,the police and firemen removed layer aftt?.' layer of dead in these doorways, the sight became too muob even for them, hardened as they are to such sccmes. to endure. Thc bodies were in siich an inextricable mass, and So tightly wore they Jammed between the sides of the door and the -walls, that it Was impossible to lift them one. by one and carry them out. Tho Ouiy possi ble thing to do was to seize a limb or some other portion of the body and pull With main strength. Men worked at tho task with tears running down their cheeks, and the sobs of the tcs cuers could be beard even lu the hall below where this awful scene was ho ing enacted. A number of the'men weve compelled to abandon their task and give lt over toothers whose nerves bad not as yet been shaken by the awful experience. As one by one, the bodies weiro dragged out of tho. water soaked, blackened mass, of corpses, the spectacle became more and moro heartrending. SCEHE8 OF HOKKOIt. There were women whose clothing was torn from their bodies above the waist, whose bosoms bad bp.en tram pled into pulp and whose-faces wero marred beyond all power of identifica tion. Bodies lay in the first and sec ond balconies in great numbors. Io sorae,place8 tney were piled up in the aisles three and four deep, where one had fallen tbe others tripping over the prostrate forms, and all bad died where they lay, evidently suffocated by the gas. Others were bent over backs of seats where they had been thrown by the rush of peopl. for the doors and killed with hardly u cbance to rise from their seats. One man was found with bis back bent nearly double, bis spinal column having bceu fractured as he was thrown backward. A woman was found cut nearly in half by the back of the seat,.she hav ing been forced over !t face downward. In the aisles nearer the doors the sc?nesvwore harrowing in the extreme. Bodies lay In every conceivable atti tude, half naked, the look on their faces revealing some portion of the agony which miist have preceded their death. There was scores and scores of people whose entire faces bad been trampled completely off by those who ran over them, and in one aisle thc body of a man was found with not a vestige of clothing, flesh or bone above the Wuiat. rusn TO TH Ein DEATH. The theatre had been completed but a short time and all 01 its equip ment was not yet In place. This svas unfortunately the case with a tiro escape ,in the rear of the building. The small Iron balconies to which thc iron ladder was to be attached wert up but the ladder had not yet been completed. When the panic was al Jis height._ai4i?j>tcnumber--ol.,womet rarrTof these fire escapes only towline as they emerged from the doorwaj upon the little iron platform thal they wore 30 to 50 feet from tbe ground, a lire behind and no methoc of escaping In front. Those W>M reached che platform first endeavorec to bold their footing and to keep bael the crowd that pressed upon then from the rear. The eirort was utterly useless and in a few moments the iroi ledges were jammed with crowds o women who screamed, fought ant tore at each other like maniacs. Tul: lasted but a brief interval, ano tin rush from the interior of the building became so violent that many of then were crowded off and fell to tin ground lu the alley below. Other leaped from the platform, fracturing legs and at ms, and two were picket up at this point with fractured skulls Having bceu killed instantly. George ll. Elliott, secretary of th Ogden Gas company, was In a bulldf-( directly opposite from the thcatn across this alley, and noticing smoki went down to ascertiln its cause. When he reached the streets the wo men', were already dropping into th? tiley and Elliott immediately rushet for a leadder in the effort to save a many as possible. No ladder wa: available and the only method of as sistance they were able to devise wa: to hutriedly lash some planks togethe and throw them across thc end firmh on the Iron framework. Before thl could be done, a fearful loss of Hf ensued, the women were being pushei over every instant into the alley an? by the time the bridge was complete? but few remained lo take advantag of lt. However, about two dozen, i ls believed, made their way across thi narrow causeway. F1KKPHOOF CUKTAIN FAILED TO WOKS In describing the commencement c the lire Foy attributed the extent n the catastrophe to the failure of tb tire proof curtain to work properly Because of this, he said, the flame rcdii'ly obtained access to the mai part, of the theatre and were by th draft, carrying with It gas as well a lire, swept up to the two balconies where the loss of life was greatest. "Tlie fire began In the middle c the second act," said Mr. Foy. "A electric wire broke, was grounded, an from this the flames were started 1 the rear of the stage. The stage unusually wide and there was so grea a draft the flames spread rapidly They soon had attacked all the sccnet in the rear of the bouse. I never bi lieved lt possible for the fire to sprea GO quickly. When it first started went tt) the footlights, and to prever alarming the audience said there w? a slight blaze, and that it would 1 better for all to leave quietly. Thc I steppqd back and called for the a bestos curtain to be lowered. Tbl when about half way down, refused I go further, and thus an addition: draft was created. This swept tl names out into the auditorium and knew that the theatre was doomed, hurried back to the stage and aide in getting the women members of ti company into the alley^. Some ? them were in their dressing roon and were almost overcome by smol before they could get down to tl stage and to the doors. "Thc simple fact that tho curtai didn't descend entirely was whs saved the lives of the company ti though it causeu nob a horrible c tastrophe in thc froajj of the nous After tlie curtain had'i ?if used tod scend, thcro came the eixViosion tho gas tanks, and with tbovburta j down all the fire and gas wouli ba ------; been confined between the rear wall of the?theatre-ant! tho Ure proof curtain In Tront. Under these circumstances lt would, not have been possible for a single, member of the company to escape alive uol?ss he or she had been standing lmrae.ilatcly ID front of tho door, leading to tho alloy. A? lb wns the'draft carried themas and tire out beneath^ the curtain and the company was saved, although* their salvation was thc death of so many poor peo ple in front." A ifeABP un DISCOVERY. The fl rat 'newspaper men on the ground also, carried out many dead arid injured. I'.ho building \was so full of smoko when the .firemen;. H rat arrived that tho full extent of'tile catastrophe w;"s not immediately grasped ?ut?l a fireman and c. news paper man cradled up the stairway leading to the lalcony; holding hand kerchiefs over their moo tbs to avoid suffocation. As they reached the idoorway. the (?reman, whoso vision -;was better trained in such emergen cies, seized bis companion by the arm exclaiming: "Good God, roan, don't walk on their faces." Th<\ two men tried vainly to get through the door which was jammed with dead women, piled higher than either of their heads. . All the lights in tho theatre were necessarily out and the only light came through the clouds of smoke in the Interior of the theatre. The two men immediately hurried to the floor below and informed Chief Musham of the fire dapartment that dead bodies were piled high In the balcony and prompt assistance must be rendered il any of them were to be saved. The chief at once called upon all o? his men in the vicinity to abandon work on the tire, and come at once tc the fescue. Thc building was so dark and the smoke so thick that it wai found impossible to accomplish any thing until lights had been secured. Word was at once sent to tho Orr & Lockett Hardware company, twe doors east of the theatre, and thal firm at ouce placed Its entire stocki of lanterns at the service of the de partment. Over 200 lights wen quickly carried Into tho building and the work of rescue commenced. So rapidly were the bodies brough! down that for over an hour then were two streams of men passing lr and out of the rio trway, the one carry lng bodies, thenther composed of mei returning to get more. They wen carried into Thompson's restaurant which adjoins the theatre on the east where all the available space wa given by the proprietors. TUB WORK OK REI.USP. The iead and wounded were placet upen e. lairs, tables and counters, on .? .uai. even being placed for lack o a bet ter place on top of a cigar case Because of the tremendous throni which surrounded the block In whicl the theatre buildlng-st iod, it was no p?nbilrl-- for- th-1 p</iioe-t.o -ctrry Liv dead and wounded any distance, an they were con pelled to await tv ambulances at i he theatre. Although all ".he patrol wagons an every ambulant 3 owned by trie cit was pressed in ;o service, they wet utterly Inad?quate to carry away th dead and in a short timo there v. as line of-corpses 50 feet long piled tvs and three deep on tho sidewalk i front of the theatre'. Io was foun necessary In ord :r to convey thc bodic rapidly to tue r.iorgue, and to thc vi rious undertaking establishment.-*, t impress trucks into service, and i these, upon cost iv blankets furni-ihe by the dry goods stores in the vieillit] and covereved with the same materia the dead were hulled away practical) like so much ord wood. The me chants in the vicinity of the 'thcati sent wagon load after wagon load < blankets, rolls i f linen and package of cotton to be used in binding up tl: wounds of the Injured and to tiov? the dead. The drug stores furuisbe their stock to anybody that aske for it in thc name of tue peop c hui in the tire. Doctors and traine nurses were on the ground by tl score within half an hour, after tl extent of the calamity was knowi and every wounded perr.oti who Wi carried lrom the building receive prompt medici aid. A number < doctors waited at the entrance to tl theatre with stethoscopes in ham and as soon as a body which looked ? though it might have life was carrie out it was at once examined and dead placed on the pile lying on tl sidewalk. The others were at on* placed in ambulances and whecU away to hospitals or to the ?nices physicians in tue immediate neigh bli hood. CHILDREN TRAMPLED UNDER KOOT A man who was in the theatre sa "there were few men in attendant: but 1 saw several of them pulhi and pushing women and child n aside us they fought like manics reach the exits. I saw a number little children trampled underfoot ai some of them arose again. In the bi cony thc scene was beyond my pow to describe. There was a big bia crush of human beiugs, each one a arcntly fighting everybody else. T balcony was so steep that many fell the first four rows of seats. Thc ex! to the fire escapes were chocked a those in the rear rushed with all t 8lrcni;th they possessed upon thc who were nearer to the doorway. "It was almost Incredible-t speech with which the llames r through the scenery, and although was but a second arter Miss. El mi jumped over the railing of our box the aisle in front tho st .was a mi of Hames. As I started up the aisli man rushed Into me aud knocked 1 down. I was so terror stricken tha grew weak and sank Into one of thc 1 diestra chairs, and after that I han remember anything. In some waj reached the main entrance, whe men were kicking against the do and shattering tho glass and panels their attempt to afford a larger sp? for the exit of the people. "Many fell as they reached t doors, where a few steps more woi have carried them to fresh air a safety. As I 1 >ok at it now 1 mi have been walking on prostrate bod as I struggled through the open.i Ali of our partj escaped in about I same m?nncr as I did, but all of th BUffervgC' ;. terrible In the matter cloth.jQ ? the first th?ng they 1 was to i* rlr J the stu. s to buy wn to cover tuem." GOYEENOR HEY WAHI* Presented With ' Silver Service By the State Constabulary.. rAS ? GENUINE S ?SPEISE. - ExvAttorney General Dell i ??or Acted AB Spokesman Ibr tho J.)onorn, Bud tho Governor Re sponded. Tho Columbia State says Gov.- ITey ward was given an uneasy Ave minutes Friday. All of tho Columbia division j of the dispensary constables appeared in his office suddenly and. It was evi dent that there was some significance In their coming. Mr". G. Duncan Bol linger, who was to be their spokesman, held in his hand a slip of paper upon . which the governor thought was writ ten a petition of some kind, perhaps for an Increase ia salary. As Mr. Bellinger began, bo speak, the governor watched intently, but could deriv? no intelligence of the purpose of tho visit which was skillfully veiled by the speaker to tho Very last mo ment. When tho constables, headed by Acting Chief Irby of tho local force," had entered the office, noting the look of inquiry on the governor's face. Mr. Bellinger said: "I would like to make a statement in behalf of these gentle: men hore. As your excellency knows very well, there ls some embarrass ment on the part of the constables' speaking for themselves individually, but these gentlemen here represent the entire constabulary of the State, and they have come to make a request of you to today. While thero is no power given to you in the law express ly to grant it, there is nothing that I know of prohibiting it; and, inasmuch as they and their friends feel that they have during your administration, and during tho term of ol?lco of each, done their duty to you as their supe rior and to the State as officers-they feel that they have a right to make this request. "Now it is no spirit of revolt, or in tended revolt or strike that they say that If lt ls not willingly, graciously granted, and does not afford you pleas ure that they as a body', and each one, will feel and will have, a right to feeljj deeply aggrieved at this. ;'" j "I wish to state to you for thom ? that this action is not prompted, and not suggested in any remote degree by any of their superiors, but it isa spontaneous act upon the part of t he entire constabulary. You, go ..nor, as they, are engaged In the ei u .eec-! merit of the law; you In a wider and higher field, perhaps, but they in one just as sacred and one justas responsi ble. "Gov xor, it is a glorious -thing, for a.\ oM't-unvo to.' confidence but the unfeigned affect ion of all who hold office by tho appoint ment under the executive; and these gentlemen desire to express to yo'i in tangible-form some slight appr?ci?t ion of the sense of obligation they are un der to you personally-although they are acting officially. "A man situated as you are must necessarily have handed down to him many heirlooms. These gentlemen de sire to present as a token of theil re gard today a silver service-which they hope you will hand down to your children as a heritage, and know ing the blood which Hows through the veins of lather and mother, a token they offer in appreciation for your ef forts to serve your State well, and servo your State as you see your duty. "In this we expect you to under stand that they desire you hot only a happy New Year but, a prosperous ad ministr?t ion, long lite and happiness. They ask y ou to accept this as a token of t heir regard and esteem.'' When Mr. Bellinger declared that the constables caine to ask a favor of .l the governor the latter was anxiously : waiting to know the - nature of the request, tiiu? when Mr. Bellinger indi cated the. nature thereof Mr. EL R. Culley, clerk of the constabulary, en tered from au ante-room .with a silver waiter on which was a solid silver tea service, each piece engraved with the Miers "D. C. IL" It was ex plained that all the constables in the State had contributed, lt is a hand some bit of ware, and the governor's pride in being the recipient was quite evident. And the request which t he constables made through their spokes man was that the governor accept it. flow many people come Into his otllce begging-and none giving. Daily he is importuned to give this, to do nate that ; to pardon this one to ap point that one; but it is seldom that the governor of a State is made to see that there is some unselfishness after all. In accepting the beautiful gift, Gov. Hayward declared that ho had been so taken by surprise that he real ly did not know what, to say. A great many honors have been con ferred upon me by the people of South Carolina," said the governor, "and these honors no ono can appreciate more than I do; but this, in my judg ment, is a peculiar honor, lt has been given t o mo by men who perhaps my \ orders have caused to do what to them I was disagreeable work. It is given | me by mon most of them not my ap pointees, but whom I found in olllco when I came here. They did not know mo-neither did I know them, and, therefore, we perhaps felt a certain restraint in entering upon this busi ness. "I have always realized the fact, since 1 became governor of South Car olina, that the greatest problem be fore me was the enforcement of the dispensary law of South Carolina. It is my duty ns governor to enforce that law. 1 told tho people on the stump of South Carolina that I would. 1 nave always realized it would be im possible for me to do so to tho satis faction of the peoplo of Sout h Car olina unless I should be properly sup ported by the constabulary. Arid 1 want to say today that you have loyaly, ea- "" and zealously mip supporte?. me in my efforts, and I thank you for your support. "And 1 want to thank the entire forco, through you-tho entire con stabulary of South Carolina-for all that* they have done during the past year In looking toward- tho enforce^ of thc dispensary law. Tn liking you for- tho silver which jip?! have presented, yon do rot know iiuV much I appreciate this token Of yMr esteem, i thank you sincerely. Bul lonly wish that I had liad some wi ?hing so I could have found words ?M*.h?nk you. "I cannot lind words to tell you how rjfthank you. I have these thoughts, I cannot express them. I want to say to you that I thank you sincerely, inti want to shake hands with all, and through you to thank the entire force In South Carolina." How l.*eonlo Are Hobbed. How mary hundreds of thousancs pf rjeoplo in the United States have belia'.taken in and done for during the year Just eudtd,. we shall never know. 10 closing oat an estate In Pbiladel-. pb a the other day, 400 shares of stock i ti pertain companies whiob had a mar ke^ value of over 83,000 at the height ut [the boom, brought thirty-five cents. Over 700 shares in another company at one time quoted as worth 11 100, brought 81.10. What shall be nid o? financial conditions that euable those pretentious organizations to Im pose upon the creduility of hundreds of thousands or people? And would suvh "publicity" as Republican physi cians prescribe have robbed them of ihdr meritorious fascinations? " Hard ! jj. What ls needed ls, that all swin dlers, whether they deal in "high nuance" or the ordinary plain flam (.aine, shall be punished. All should bu treated alike. The three card tribute thief, who robs his victim by exception, is not a bit worse than i. t'n of the Pierpont Morgan stripe, wjho rob people by palming off on them worthless stock In all sorts of wild cat ?tfporatioiiB, like the busted steel rgnnbinc, for instance. Murdered IHtTVife. A dispatch from HjArell Hill to The State says, Bob Fields, a well known negro of this vicinity, com-j T?'ted an awful crime near hore sev-1 enil days ago. He and bis wife, Em- ' ma Fields, had several Oghts and quarrels previously, but It seems that on this occasion he had fully made up his mind beforehand to commit the awful crime, it appears that "Bob" and a Mr. Daniels bad been out on a snjiirrel bunt and on returning stepped IjiifjO a neighbor's bouse where .be aud hiji'wifc became engaged in a desper ijjnflght. His step children, who are li OT age, joined in the tight with ir mother and were a^bi^ut to whip lr father, wb.en be ran out, seized lu? shotgun and shot his wi foin the U-'t side, causing death immediately. Iii-, has escaped. It was repoited last \Yeduesday night that he was seen at af'frolic" near Eastover. 8he Waa Alive. A negro woman supposed to bc t'< ul was placed in a collin at Durham, a 'J., and shipped to ber former f' jae in Persoa County. When thu . .. -..ri-u^ i :it,.-. Hirn:tiQn...w!iere lt i? .ul to oe sliippeu "over uuOthLu lim1 it! was found that the woman wa,s alive. The box was put off '.he traiu ap the junction about 10.30 a. ti while at tie railroad static i at the junction on : of the clarks heard x noise In the box. The lid v? is taken off the box and the collin op ned. lt was founcktbat the woman, .lthougi only seml-c mssious. was al. ve, an j hjld ber haud to ber thro..t. She lived, however, only a shot t>rae, an i atj 12:15 what seemed to be unmistal aple evidences of death wein appar ent, and tte body was then sent oi ti> Cunning! am for Interinen >." Free iront Monumentality, Stories or betrothed lovers marr) lng when one of them wi? s going to die Immediately have alw./s a gool deal of pathos and romance in then , hut nothini like the practical pru dence and vt isdom of the one in wlilc i a Hoboken } iii recently move:! as tba principal ti<ure. She went to tbs Philippines to marry ber soldier boy lover, found bim pretty nearly deal from const mption, took the tint steamer bac f, and on ber way foun 1 another wo >er, whom she espouse! as soon as t ley came ashore. Starl - ing off with such a fund of good sense and freedorr from sentimental notion!, they ought to "live happily ever a:' tcr" according to the formula of story books, which ofttimes take things for granted with more liberality than the general run of experience Justillos, lie Wa M llounccd. When Mr. U. B. Hammett was made chief constable be issued an or der that every constable whom be found drunk would be discharged. A diagreeable case was reported from Charleston and the constable has been fired. The man ls named Hughes and is a native of Charleston. The charge against him isthat he tired his revol ver at a police olueer. There was some criticism in the Charleston pa pers because the governor did not act promptly, but this Mr. Hammett says was not deserved, for the chie f of tin Charleston district suspended Hughes promptly, that being the limit of.lils powers, and as soon as Mr. Hammett received Holmes' olllcial re port the suspension was approved and Hughes was removed from the force permanently._ KcKurdliig Suirrnj*e Law. The secretary of state bas received from indna several requests for in formation regarding the suffrage re quirements in the state. The trend of the letters indicates that thc sub ject ls being used as queries for school and college debites. Among the points upon which Information is desired are: What per cent. Of thc taxes arc paid by the nc^ro popula tion; has there been any increase lu the appropriation for educational pur poses since the adoption of the present suffrage laws. The secretary or r.tiit.i' gave to some ot the applicants such Information as could be obtained without any greatamount of research, while others w?re referred to Senator Tillman's speech which was delivered about two years ago In tho senate. A Cou Thief. At Chicago, 111 , Frederick Lind strom, cushier for the hau of Friend, Moss & Norris, Wednesday called up his employers on the telephone and announced that lie had stolen $12,000 from them and was about to leave the city. Mr. Friend, with whom lu-eon versed ovoi tho telephone, Induct d Lindstorm to come to the pilleo, atd he was arrcitcd. It ls said L. mister.n lost the money betting on horse races. ?ST?LL UxNSOLVEJ). 1 The Mysterious Disappearance of a Boy from Columbia. STRANGE NEGRO SEEN AGAIN. Widespread Interest Caused by tho Disappearance of the Imd Who Went to Get Holly Sometime Ago. The Staie says tho mystery sur rounding the disappearance of young Stephen Howell, of Assembly street, Columbia bas not been cleared. Thc police are unable to lead others Lo conclude, as they- have done, that lt is a commonplace matti r. In spite of their dlsdalnfu. and somewhat im patient solution that the boy had simply run away, the disappearance of the lad bas excited much interest, and wild rumors-which get ^started in some strange manner-are given a ready ear. No disappearance case has ever ex cited more general interest here. And this is due not the prominence o thc principal, but to the out of the ordinary features of the case. Co lumbi., is too large, too busy and too cosmopolitan a city for an ordinary incident of the kind to attract gen eral attention for any length of time. IL is seldom that the interest keeps to the point where false rumors gain any general currenoy. But this feature is developing in this case now. For each of the last three days the report has been running that thc body of the boy had been found in Inc woods with his head split'with the .ixe which has been missing. This report starts up fresh almost as quick ly as it is denied in print. The State received several 'phone calls Friday to know if the report was true. There is not even one fact on which to base such a rumor; nor yet such a fact to support that other report which gained currency Friday afternoon to the effect that> the head and uot the body-had been found. A MYSTERIOUS NEGRO. Next to tlie remarkable fact that nobody has bien able to Identify, rind or name the mysterious negro who went to tho country with the "boy although this negro from all accounts was not only a vagrant but was ap parently in good circumstances and must have had acquaintances here - is the positive and confident wayjn 'which Mr. Ben Johnson tells of seeing the boy in front of J. M. Green's store in Main streat Saturday afternoon. This was tive days after the hoy's family had been looking for him, but on the day before the story of the dis appearance was published in Tho State. That publication was the first information Mr. Johnsoiv. had^that tho boy was missing. Mr. Johnson, Sititit raub ?-ii lile** tu re on''?ppT?vj>?*ain street, says that ho cannot bo mis taken, that he ls sure and confident in his own mind that lie siw Stephen Howell, who had worked' for Johnson six weeks. He saw t?ie boy flora thu opposite sidewalk, bu j got a gt od look at him, saw bis face well and was lu the apr^f,tgill?lTPft DM hand to salute Ho'^?l when the'uoy turned ais face ""uifd looked down, fois c;.p wa:i pulled well down over his ?toes, as ht gener ally wore it. . After reading the newspaper-ac count of the disappearance Mr. John son remembered that Howell wore a black overcoat, a pair of gray trous ers and a cap, but being a careful man Johnson first repeated this toa friend and the two went to the mother and asked her to describe the clothing the boy wore .he morning he left home. The description blocked out Independently tallied in the smallest detail, an J afterward other other details wore recalled. The supposition that Vir. Johnson was mistaken seems unre .sonable, and yet the theory that the I cy had been wandering about the st -eetsso long and escaped the notice i-f everybody else-when lie was being looked for seems Impossible to acce pt even if it is granted that the boy was not strong minded, which intimation from the police his mother indignant ly denies. TOO TIMID TO RUN AWAY. In view of the widespread interests ?vhich tlie case has elicited and the consequent demand for information on the subject, a reporter of The State made another tour of investigation yesterday, hi the course of which he again interviewed the boys mother and made inquiries of Mr and Mrs Phillip Epstin of Gervais street who baa em ployed the boy and the negro. Mrs. Howell is one of those persons who ac cept quietly the trials and sorrows and other disquieting intluences of lifo. She believes tlie boy bas been murder ed and thinks tile police should at least find the negro. The boy lias had a running sore in his ear since he was an infant, caused by a case of measles settling in his head, but though she lias never had this attended by a phy sician, because she feared stopping it would prove Injurie us, she never had any reason to suspect that this or any thing else bad affected his mind. Though of viol mt temper at times, lie was a timid boy who was silwaysat home when he was not at work, and slie cannot therefore accept the theory that he has run away. He was afraid to go to bed without a light. Mrs. Epstin also believes the boy has been murdered, thought she does not attach importance to the fact that thc axe was uot returned, saying Stephen was careless and.heedless and a time or two before had left Mr. Eps tln's axe in the wood. The boy bein" extremely quick-tempered and, lu spite of the reputation hts iii?thei gi vos him for timidity, being easily provoked to a fight, Mis. Epstin'* belief is that in a quarrel out in thc wood thc ne^ro struck thc boy a fata! blow. S.ie did not like the appearance of the negro, who had Insolently curl ed his lip almost snarling at her whee she told him to come back for his mon ey when be reburied with the wagor Monday afternoon, t 'ough she rcmem bored being impressed wi til.lils bein^ so much better dressed than tho "whit* i boy. NEO HO BEEN WEDNESDAY NIGHT. Howell told her that morning thai thi.? nc/ro know of some flue liollj with plenty of red berries on it nea his home about three miles in th. country. Whether this Indicates that the negro is not a stranger after al! but a resident of the county, or was a fabrication of the negroo's to induce tho boy tc? go out with him, or whether vbo boy was merely offering* excuses to get thc team which Mrs,, Eptin was about to refuse him, it ls difficult to say. Heretofore it has been supposed that the last seen of the- negro . was when he came back tbe second time about dark to Epstin's home to collect for the day's work, but Epstin said Friday that ho came back to the store Wednesday evening about 8.30. The only other person in the store at thc time was a Mr. Hornsby, who refused cither to stay in the store and watch the negtc while Epstin went out .tc look for a policeman or go oat and look for a policeman himself. Epstin reported this to the police the follow ing day. . This incident seems to sup port tho theory of the police, as it if improbable that the negro, if he had been responsible In any way for thc j disappearauce of the b ?y, would pre j sent himself at a place from which he had every reason to suppose the first inquiries would go out. But then no body would believe that tho negro could have presented himself at that store in the circumstances without be ing arrested or at least without some sort of explanation being gotton out of him. The disappearance of Howell is still a mystery. Wanted to Lynch Ulm. Nellly Zimmerman and George Burke, the negroes who narrowly es caped lynching at the hands of an in furiated mob, at Council Bluffs, Iowa, were Wednesday taken to tho state penitentiary at Fort Madison, foi safekeeping. During the afternoon the men were taken before Judge Wheeler and waived preliminary ex amination. The judge signed an order for their removal. During the day Sheriff Cousins learned of an organiz ed plan to lynea Zimmerman and Burke Wednesday aud again made a request for aompanyof militia to guard the county jail. Feeling against the prisoners increased and dunns:-the. afternoon small groups of men gather ed in the vicinity of the jail to"discuss the matter. Sheriff Cousins theu de cided that the t-afer couree was to re move the men from tho city and ap plied for an order of removal. Four assaults within ti week similar to those made on Mrs. Sparks and her daugh ter had wrought up the working peo ple of the city t>o a pitch of feverish excitement. Goes Over Palin. At Niagara Falls a rowboat con taining a man who was waving his arms wildly ?as carried down the river and over vile Horseshoe Falls Thursday afternoon. The little craft and its solitary occupant were noticed tlfst at some distance above the cata ract. The man was gesticulating frantically :t'-l! the time, but ner?ous WHO assemUleu alu - Oe uhoro aii? ran'toward thc falls w?Le as helpless as the doomed passenger. With bated breath they watohed as. the boat tipped on the brink and disap peared in the waters below. The man went to his death crying his de spair. No one has reported a missing boat, and the name of the man bas not been learned. It Killed Her. At Sharon, Par? M/s. Margaret rA<iUaxaiau. aged GO/ 4??|?|?led after a brief illness, s?forto l?^H ifjyaused : by her failure to recover a suppbacu j fortune left by a relative in Phila delphia. Mrs. Ackerman a few ' months ago was notified 'that she had j Inherited property worth several mil ; lion dollars. She went to Philadelphia j and learned the story was a myth. A j house that was left to her she sold foi ?$1,800. The sudden shattering ol ' her hones mad 5 her 111, resulting ic death._ Search foran Heiress. A dispatch from Mobile, Ala., sayi Mr. J. M. Hasty, uncle of Miss. Ethe Rovelle, the nissing heiress to ; fortune of eight million dollars, lefl her by an aunt in Colorado, arrived it that city Tiursday night fron Meridian, Miss., to search for tin young lady, who is supposed to be ir Mobile. Mr. Hasty said tho youn& lady told him several days before bei disappearance she had wanted to corni to Mobile to visit the family of Mrs Lee, who came to Mobile some timi ago from Birmingham. An Knglnecr's IOrror. At Fort Wayne, Ind., one was kill ed, two seriously injured and sever: others moro or less hurt in a headoi: collision between Pennsylvania limit ed train No. 5, westbound, and east hound freight train at Larwill, station last Wednesday. The wreck wai due to a mistake by Engineer Crowell of the freight train, in reading orders He had been given orders to meet thi I j limited at Larwill at 5.30 but misreat II his orders as 0:30 and waa taking hi: time to make the meeting point. Much Small Pox. A special di match from Gordon Ga., to the Augusta Chronicle say thc small pox iiituation there is as summing a critical aspect. As yet n steps have beer taken to quarantin the town, though the postot?lce i practically closed an account of th mall clerks on the train refusing b exchange malls with .the postmaster The postmaster and several member of his family aro down with the sinai pox. Cp to this time only ten case have developed. itefuBe-d to Hurry Him. "What are w?> coming to," asks Th State, which goes "on to say that "; Philadelphia hearse driver left a cot lin tn the hands of the pallbearers, re turned to the stable and surrenderee his job when hu ascertained that th occupant of tie coffin was colored And Philadelphia is the city c Brotherly Love and Pennsylvinia i tho State of unspeakable hugeRcput Hean majorities*. Tele/tram of Sympathy. In the following tolegram to Mayi Carter H. Harrison Gov. Hey ward ba ? j expressed the deep sympathy of tb 51 people of South Carolina for the dis tressed oity of Chicago: "Thc peop! of Soutli Carolina are touched to oh I heart core by thc sorrow in tho home / of yeiur olly, and In behalf of th r State I tender you heartfelt symp: thy." /, ANOTHE? HERO HONE Ge?"i James B. Longstreet Joins Hi? Comrades Ou the Other fide. HE WAS A GEEAT SOLD?E-B. The Iiost But Ono of the Rank? inj? Generals of tho Con? ft deracy 1'U<;S?J? Awuy On Saturday. A special dispatch from Gainesville, Ga, to the Augusta Chronicle Bays General James Longstreet, hero of the Mexican war, thc last of tho ranking lieutenant generals of tho Confed eracy, except Gen. Gordon, United States railway commissioner, author, politician and sta teaman, died at the " home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Estin Wheichel, College avenue, this eity, at 5 o'clock Ra'urday afternoon of pneumonia. His death was sudden anti Created the greatest surprise to bis family and friends. Ills wife, his dttughter, bi> .-ons John G. and F. Randolph Longstreet, were at his bedside when death ensued. At 5 . o'clock he had a hemorrhage, fell back upon his bed, lapsed into un consciousness, and' died in a few mo ments. Through his mouth abd the tdd wound in his throat received by him at tho battle of the Wilderness, through mistake of his own men, blood gushed and medical aid could avail nothing. The pallor ot death encircled his features and the greatest warrior of modern times passed away. General Longstreet recently re turned to Gainesville from Chicago, where he went for treatment ofr bia eye which had gone, out from cancer. The afflicted member was X-rayed o it and he returned here in apparently better health than lie had known for a long time. Until the contraction of a cold a few days agu, he felt wen and moved about his home in apparent ease. He evidently did not anticipate death so soon for only Friday he discussed wl'. h his children contemplated improve ments in his farm near town and seemed cheerful. He will be burled in Gainesville,^->whi home since the Civil war Only a I'arJor > . A Spartanburg dis*** Feas State says Jack, the 13"yUi,n,flr Capt. WrE. Burnett, wasacch! shot and seriously wounded Un noon at 1.30 o'clock. He was lu gun repair shop of J. M. P. Youn j, whore he had carried a parlor rifle for repairs and Improvements. Several slugs had lodged In the barrel of tho gun, and when the lad called for his hunting piece the owner.of the repair shop, Mr. J. M. P. Young, was away, and a negro boy nam-jd Wlllio Wright," handed him tho gun. The negro, to ascertain if the gun was lu good con dition, thoroughly examined lt, and ct tixV>:?.??i!i<i*sf.: o? tm* hoy. loaded if. .;. and discharged the weapon. The r bullet aud two slugs entered the throat of young Burnett, inflicting very grave wounds. It is thought that the windpipe was not perforated, nor the Jugular vein, and while seri*-, ously. wounded, the chances aie that the young follow will recover. The discharge of the firearm was purely accidental._ A iii? Save The State says: "It seems that every variety of graft has prospered In St. Louis. The city has beeu paying $l;iu;uov/-vuear to a political contrac tor for the " :^-v>i.qnd reduction of garbage and now, thr0ub**..r,j,?. annul ment of the contract by proceedings growing out of the celebrated bribary: charges, it is found that the work can j be done for nothing. A company that has been doing the work in Denver for several years proposes to toke over the job in St. Louisen the same terms. A reduction of $1SO,000 in a, city's yearly expenses Is no small item, and Circuit Attorney Folk's vigorous in vestigations have done that much at least."_. Th? Way to Farm. The Columbia State says: "The Orangeburg farmer-told of in Tho State-who gota check for817,040.01 for his cotto.-. crop and has more than sulllcient supplies to run him next year, all home raised, is as well fixed as a man can reasonably wish to be. The high price of cotton is of little advantage to the farmer who buys his supplies in town and gives a lien on his crop in advance, but it ls a fino thing for the fellow who. first raises his own supplies and plants cot ton as a money crop. Be the price high or low, he is on the safe side of the market, and stands to win. ' . Sixty-Two Barrooms. A dispatch from Macon says only sixty-two barrooms applied for Uce?se to do business in Macon in 1004. The number recolveing licenses dur , lng 1903 was 70. It Is thought there 3 j will be a similar showing by the ei^TI of 1901. The license is ?500. It ha of this amount after July flrsj Thc city council declined to regula] the Macon saloons under the Afclanf plan. A hard llgh& was made, btibl council decided that the laws, govern ing saloons are already sufficiently rigid. ________________ Killed HIH Sister. A dispatch to The State says white a little, son of Mr. M. A. Chapman of Cross Hill In Laurens County ww loading a parlor rifle Saturday, after noon last, the guu was accident ly discharged, killiug his 3-months-old sister, who had Just been put in har bed In the room a few moments before by the mother. It was a deplorable tragedy and inuoh sympathy ls ft lt for the afflicted family. Four Tliouaaml itiio. A dispatch from Philadelphia says : as a result of thc high price of cotton 1.1,000 a:en, women and children cto ployed lu textile mills in that city 8 i have been laid off hideflnltely. This enforced Idleness will continue un Ul cotton quotations tumble. Several other textile employes have been idle since Christmas while the milln and machinery are being repaired. Four Burned. At Baltimore, Texas, J. A McBeth, his wife and 6-ycus-old daughter, and. his brother-in-law. Bort West, were burned to death Wednesday In a fire which destroyed the funiture store of J. A. Ostertag. The property lose is $35,000.