The Marlboro democrat. (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, December 16, 1904, Image 2

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DO THOU, GREAT LIBERTY, INSPIRE OUR SOULS ANT) MAKE OUR LIVES IN THY POSSESSIO!"] HAPPY OR OUR DEATHS GLORIOUS IN THY CAUSE." VOD^IX. BENNETTS VLLLE, S. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1904. - * . rr.: 5TT? ? ' NO. mm A FAMILY Kl TOWNO House Burned to the Ground Over Their Dead Bodies. A MYSTERIOUS HORROR. Father, Mother and Two Young Girls Killed and the Dwelling Set Afire By Unknown Parties. The peaceful village of Trenton, where reBides Senator 13. It Tillman, was stunned Thursday by as horrible a tragedy as th3 human m iud can con ceive. Just as tiie day was about to break, the t >wu was awakened to Mud that one of Its be3t knowe and host respected families had been massacred, and their home burned tu the ground, with perhaps no human teing left who can teil the tale. In the rums were the charred bodhs of father, mother and two youthful daughters the womnn killed in their placid s'eep and the husband and father shut through the head. The victims of this honor are: Ben. B. Hughes, merchant and farmer, aged 42 years. TUtra U U IT...r-1_ --~ .... ?-?. ..U^ULU] ' uni nj AH inn Eva Miller, about 4? years of age. Miss Enily Hughes, aged 18. Miss Hattie Hugues, aged 15. TRENTON WAS SHOCKED. Trenton was slv eked and sorrowed and horrified when the residents learn ed the terrible truth. It was shortly after 5 o'clock that the house was dis covered to be on lire, the first person reach the scene being Mr. A. II. S. Day, who lives next do; r. The house was then almost consumed, the lire being too far advanced for any one to enter the building. The first thought of those who reached there was that the Hughes family had escaped, as nothing was seen of them at the win dows or doors. lb was only after the neighbors beean to inquire of each other that they rcal'zed the borrer. It was then too late, far loo late, even to make an attempt to get out the vic tims. Even then lt was supposed that the family had been steeply un able to escape after .the fire started-; perhaps s?ffcc?Xed by thc smoke or burned to death in their beds. It was not' until the neighbors had waited for the flames to subside and it was possible to go into what had been the house that they knew murder had been committed-murder In a most horrible manner. -'^vTHK BODIES FOUND. The house was a small, one stury, frame dwelling. Tue young womeu were sleeping in one bed lu a room ou the left as one entered, while Mr. and Mrs. Hughes occupied the front room on the right, across a i arrow hall from their daughters. There were no other members of the family and noone else staying in the house. The body of Mrs. Hughes was so badly burned that lt cannot be said for certain how she was killed, but there is little or no reason to doubt that she was murder ed before the fire reached her, since of all four perse ns she was farthest awaj from the point where the tire appear ently started. Tho wind was b owing acre.-s the house from the nom i ccu pied by the girls, their bed was in the 'arcorner and hence their b )dies were not EO b:.dly charred. It could be plain ly seen that their heads had been crushed In with some heavy, blunt In strument, sum ii? a hammer, fur the bbody matted hair told tue tale all too certainly. The innocent girls lay Bide by side, their positions showing -... ^tbat^ttiey_had not even made a strug gle for their lives. The strange thing ls that it was posj-ible to kill one after the other, without arousing thes< cond one, who must have survived her sis ter only for the time lt t.ck to ralae the weapon for iiouthor blow. The bodies of these two were still resting on tho springs of the b d, the Inflam mable part of which bad burned away. MrB. Hughes' body wa??Iso just where the bed had stood in her room, ai:d lt seemed that her head might have been under therplllow. THE CRIME A MVSTEKY. It ls ditticult to accept thc theory that the hus ;and and hither exterml nated his family, but the facts which lead to this tluory are by uo means such ns can be lightly disregarded. He was fully clothed, not hastily dressed as one suddedly awakened from sound Bleep to face a peril or a3 one roused to defend that most dear. He had n .t met his death in the flames nor in the manner in which dt.ath came to his wife and daughters. Mr. Hughes was shot through thc right side of the head, the ball ranging upward and coming out thiough the top of the skull. Eithi r h." shot himself or he wa shot by Hume Intruder agalnnt whom he had prepared himself to defend bib castle, sines a pistol was found by the outstretched right hand with one chamber explod? cl hy ecru nisi >n and the others exploded afterwards by the fire. The absence of any motive for murder and arson makes it seem un reasonable to i-uppose that the home was invaded. Mr. LI ugh? s and family ad always been on the best of term.-* with every one In the community and there ls no one who ls kn iwn to have had a grudge against him. Ile was not a conspicuously popular man, but not unpopular, regarded as a safe, conser vative business man and a close trader, and never known to be inclined to speculation. There was no reason to believe that the robbery of his house would prove profitable especially, and if robbery ls the clue the robber ls hardly a resident of that section. Oo the other hand no ono who knew Ben Hughes would suspect, him of a ten dency towards suicido, much less tho more horrible crime Involving his fam lly'fl extermination. He had his pe LLED IN ^TRENTON. cul I arillos Uko other men and now that he ie dead, mysteriously dead, there are persona who can recall what ih' y now say were recent actions more peculiar than were usually noted in his conduct. But this may mean noth ing. It is known his family life was happy, though he had his share of trouble and worry, bia wife having been on to Baltimore within the year for treatment. That be was bard pres sed for money or anytbing of that sort was not Imagined, as on the contrary he was supposed to be prosperous-and that was his condition in truth so far as is now known. A PEACEFUL 6CENB. Hardly 200 yards from where the tragedy occurred there ls almost com pleted an ornate and attractive dwell ing which Mr. Hughes was building and into which the family expected to m jve lu the next few data. The house , they were living in was merely their temporary residence until this other should be finished. The new house ls directly in the rear of his store, a general merchandise establishment ,-ucb as one sees in the a verane ?ouih ? Carolina town of this sizo. Here Mr. Hughes did a good trade among his neighbors of this excellent, prosper ous and progressive community. Acrcss the road-or street-from the destroyed house Hos a fertile and valuable stretch of land belonging either to him or to his wife. Two , doors from the burned house and just a crt ss the street from the new dwell- | lug ls the unusually handsome home ( of his brotber, Mr. Steven Hughes, 1 one of the best and most substantial , mee not only in this section but In all , Edge?cld county. The Hughes faml- ? ly and that of Mrs. Hughes, the MU- , lera, embrace a connection as substan- c Liai, as respected andas refined as any \ in the borders of S.aith Carolina. , The s irrow and tho horror which , this mystery has brought upon them j can not be told in cold, unfeeling type, , and the ciicumstances make the rela- , Lion of the facts a sad and undesired , duly. , Thursday afternoon, Just as the | December Bun was beglnnlrg to sink , In all Its chill splendor, four caskets were carried from the destroyed home to the little Baptist church where ' these good people had worshipped God In the purity of mind and heart whloh He gives to His elect. In this con gregation the father bad been a con sistent and unassuming member while the good works of (mother and daugh ters will live after them. No better woman was known to Trenton than she who had trained up her girls so that every coe lu eliu village tcourus their death Friday the funeral will beheld there in this bouse where they had so constantly attended, and tho four bodies will be burled at Ebenezer cemetery. TUB HOME WAS DESTROYED. The ruins were raked In hopes of tit.tiing the implement with which the ladles were brained, but nothing resembling that which must have been used was discovered except the pea of a steelyard. Other things, , such as a watch and jewelry, were ? found, although the bouse was as '. n arly completely const med with Its \ ctn te nts as lt ls possible to conceive, j If arson was employed to conceal the , greater crime of murder the guilty . party had reckoned well. The lire evidently was started at the rear of 1 the house and it had burned Its way well towards the front before lt was , seen. When the tlr.-.L arrival reached , tbe sci ne the entire roof was ina . h aze and before the other townsmen j got there the house was practically . razi d. With these meagre facts to go on snd the Improbability of anything ad- J ai tit nal ever being discovered, lt stems likely that tho coroner's jury . can only decide that the family of Mr. ( li n Ii. Hughes came to their deatb at the hands of panics unknown. The inquest has been adjourned until ( Monday In the hopes of obtaining further evidence, and both the coro ner and the solicitor will exert them selves to that end. ALL WAS QUIRT. It. has buen Bald above that Tren ton, peaceful village of the Bldg!', was stunned. No other word por baps will express the situation. Tbe horror shocked thes.i people, shocked th'.m not beyond action If there had been aught they c mid do In punish ment or vengeance, but In tho ah sence of evidence upon which action could bc taken they were merely hor nil ;d beyond expression. A Sabbath quiet, a sorrowed stillness, hung over the place. Oat of respect to their fellow merchant, the othor business men of tho town closed their st res ?md all hands turned to ho'p in any way that was suggested. Ic was not toe work of a few minutes, but of hours, to search the ruins and to pre pare ti e burned bodies for burial, and all day long a small crowd Bt jori ar; und the fateful spot. Not a curious or excited crowd of Idle goss1 ps, or fron zhd Irresponsibles, but? men who slood by to assist when neidcd, and always to wonder. There was no excite ment, uo sign except the evidences of sadness. Tender wt.men were there t.o rio what only women should do for tbe pure dead, and then lt was that strong men bowed their heads In re spectful sorrow. The village negro s hung around the ft nee, talking with one another in quiet, respectful tones and won dering, too. In and around the vii Ipge<f Trenton-as Trenton mea if character and sound judgment testl tleri-there are goos, rcspeotable and orderly set of darkie.-?, among whom no vicious characters are to be found. So lt was that white and colored looked upon the results t f this trage dy In peaceful, peaceable and undls turbed amazement.-Tho State. THE record of the football season, just closed ls thirteen fatal casualties and "lOserlouhly injurlel, the most se rious hiing broken collar bones and any number of broken and dislocated shoulders, arms, legs, and broken ribs and neises. Now for tho Bolemn annu al editorial discussion of tho brutality of football. TO COTTON GROWERS. Ciroular letter in Accordance With Resolution of Convention. MUST CURTAIL THE PRODUCTION. An Intelligent Address Mudo by tho Committee Appointed for tho Parp?se at the ? Late Meeting. In accordance wi tb resolutions passed at the cotton growers conven tion on Thursday night, the commit tee uppointed bas prepared the fol lowing for publication in this State: To the Cotton Growers of South Caro lina: We, the committee appointed by the convention which met in Colum bia cn Dec. 8 to issue an address to the cotton growers, wish to say that we hail with Joy the fact that the cot ton farmers of the south are beginning to realizo that upon their industry depends the prosperity of the entire southland and to a large extent that of the world, . d th ut speculation and manipulation of the market, for the purpose of depressing or raising the price, is of vital importance, not to him alone, but to all other industries, and that ne is not alone, as sometimes reformers or so-called reformers have led him to believe, but that he ls a partner In business with every indus try in the south, and that today we : wish to Impress him with the fact) that tbe baLkers, lawyers, doctors, merchants, manufacturers-every vo cation and avocation-are extending to him the hand of sympathy, not for brotherly love, but for the sole love af a dollar, and in this tight to main Lain the price of cotton at a remun erativo point that all that be bas to lo is to sbow to the world that be propos?s nut any more to be the slave )f his emotions, but that bc will stand and act according to the dictates of als real friends, successful business men, and that their advice to him, vulced in this letter to him tcday, is boat tho laborer ls worthy of his hire and that we, representing the differ mt ave cations and professions, extend Lo him ( ur promise, word and pledge t,hat we will extend to him In all egltlmate ways our moral and noan Mal aid. Now to specify: The speculator and the speculative market have no regard for the law of supply and de mand, hence our opportunity. The man who Las sold Jauuxry, February, Maroh or any future months has pledged himself to deliver that cotton on demand or pay the margins. De cember is here; thousands of bales bavo been sold f jr delivery in Decem ber. The same in every month run ning to July. Holding ?b" cotton JOT du days, allowing no spots to bs placed as hedges against future contracts, simply means that the speculator has either to pay the difference between what he sells that cotton at today and what tho broker demands of him as the margin or pay the price of the spots held for that to hedge his ven ture. The cotton mills, not through any fault of theirs or any antipathy toward the farmp.-, but simply because there has been no farmers' exchange, uo concentration of cotton through a farmers' organization, they have been forced to deal with men for their sup plies who could get lt in bulk. Hence the condition that exists today. That the broker, realizing the disorganize:! condition or thc farmeis and Ids lack of knowledge of the simple business laws, sells to these mills colton for future delivery, lt ls to his interest Lo depress the price of cotton because Lhe margin between what be buys lt at and what he delivers lt at deter mines the pile be make.' on the trans action. Therefore the mills have got Lo look to these brokers for their sup piles. These supplies are promised. The mills cannot spin goods, yarn or sloth out of the contract written on paper, lt bas got to c jine out of your :ottcu. Tte brokers have got to sup ply that cotton, have got to supply lt wben the mil's require the fullilltnent of tho contract. Hold your cotton-, set the price and on delivery day the broker will pay lt. lt ls manifest to any farmer that If l e has 100 bushels rn? TO C ?rn than is necessary for horre co ?sumptlon thar, lue has luO bushels fjr the market, if tho market ls for 50 bushels, he has 50 bush ls surplus. If he goes Into the market to sell his corn and no ono wants lt been use every ore has a sup ply, he must realize tiiat be must dis pose of that corn at a sacr lice or hold t h mse'.f. He cannot expect a man . if the trade to take h s corn whoo ,hey have no u:-;c for lt simply as a special favor to him. Tais ls not ousincss, so tba' next year, with that, experience In mind, he will either un derstand thc market, put himself in a position to keep p stod, and either plant s ' as to bate no surplus, but to ?neet the require mints of the trade Phis s an Illustration >i the c indi um Uiut confronts us in the cotton maiket. If we expect the world to .jay us a remunerative price for our cDttou, we mus1, either cary our surplus ourselves, lix a pr.ee on the amour, the world d?ma:ids o- raise Just so rnuci as ls necessary for the consumption of the trade. .Therefore, as a farmers' organization we call upon eacu man to exorcise god commou business set se, and If we have produced lo per cont, too mi en, which has coal a 50 per cent, reduction In the price, let us so regu late our next year's crop that we will raise Just what ls ncces*ary to meei t:,e demand at 10 per cent, belo v con sumption and realize the ?0 per c- nt. pr., flt. List year taught the 50 per cont, prc ti lt. Tills jeir has very force-fully taught the .00 percent, los it has been said, arid truthfully, that an agitation of redue'lou of acreage meauB an increase of acreage, and, act ing upon the presumpt'ou that the o ".her man ls truthful and that ho isa Uar, the firmer pledges himself to re duco his acreage, goes home and In creases his acreage In order to reap tho benlfltof the other man's sacrificio.. We aro not fools any m ue, so by reso lutions adopted last night we have ap pointed that there shall be township organizations, and each man's name who goes on the list pledges a reduc tion in actoagc and in cuumerclal fertilizers that docs not reduce shall be published In tho list after May 22d as being the maa who made a promise and in order to oatoh the neighbor napping tried to profit by his owl) de ception. We offer this advice as to a reduc tion in aoreago and in c m mer lal fer tilizers because we believe, in fact we know, that each individual will be profited who heeds it, whether his neighbor does it or not, for this rea son: If so much cotton be raised next year as to depress the price below the cost of production and he has curtail ed his crop and raised his own sup plies on the acreage not planted In cotton, bc has h:st less money than bis neighbor, who has ignored his ad vice and raised cotton at a loss aud bas no supplies to fall back on. Hence, from every standpoint, from every economic view, a reduction of the cot ton acreage means lnoreased prosperl ty to tbe south and to every individu al. lt. is needless for us to multiply words. The wayfaring man, though a fool cotton farmer, need not err. We wish to appeal tojjvery farmer simply to use every effort in his power to 3avo the pro li ts that be ls now in posses sion of, the cash that he bas realized from last year's blch priced cotton, to live more economically now than he has evei done before; not to exhaust his cash surplus, so that.ho may have a fund upon which to fall back in case of disaster of any kind. We note with pain the disposition among our farmers to spend their money for that which is not essential, such as new boggles, il why harness, showy appearance, when the old would have served the samo purpose and left him his cash, which could have been us-id in the permanent improvement of his home and farm. In conclusion we are glad to say that there is a concert of action through the cotton belt looking to the reduction of acreage and tho mainten ance of a remunerative price in cot ton. Tex??, Oklahoma, Indian Terri tory and Georgia wired un last evening that on the 17th day of December meetings will be held in every county in the States mentioned for the pur pose of withholding their cotton from the market, and no man in South Car olina having cotton for sale need be afraid to withhold it from the market for the next 30 or 00 days. Respectfully submitted, E. D. Smith, Ohm. P. O. Hyatt. P. H. Weston. . Alfred Aldrich. R. P. Stackhouse. THE SCHOOL MONEY. VOIT Lar^o Amount Given Out This] Year by the Dlnpangary. The comptroller general last week | sent out to the various counties a total of 875,000 of dispensary school | money to be distributed on the enroll ment plan. Tbis mates a total of the year of 827G.454.55, In addition to 85.000 for tho summer schools. -On February 10th there was a distribu tion of $13,9113.74 to the various coun ties to supply the deficiency. Tbore was also a distribution at thc same time of $122,487 81. In May there was another distribution or $65,000, and the sum sent out last week makes | the total given above. The total dis tribution in 1003 was 8150,424.03, and a cash balance of $95,703 38. This I year the only balance left will be the mouey turned over from now until January 1, as lt is desired to g^t all of the money lu the hand*? i f the I schools at once. The distribution by ! counties ls as follows: Abbeville. 82,358 81 Aiken. 2.181 81 Anderson. 3318 Hamberg. 1,108 Ham well. 1,725 OS Beaufort. 1,087 03 Berkeley. 1,302 28 Charleston. 3,554 85 Cherokee. 1,208 40 Chester. 1.521 Chestertield. 1,105 27 Clarendon. 1,002 80 j Colleton. 1,431 33 ! Darlington. 1,072 51 Dorchester. ooi 82 Edgerleld. 1,643 83 Barfield. 1,007 12 Florence. 1,062 00 Georgetown . 1,050 01 Greenville. 3,435 08 Greenwood. 1,871 73 Hampton. 1,181 02 Uorry. 1,484 04 I Kershaw. 1,178 201 Lancaster. 1,400 35 Laurens. 2,040 58 | [Lee. 1,127 42 Lexington . 1,002 80 Marlon. 1,872 45 Marinero. 1,430 00 Newberry. 1,821 87 Oconce. 1,410 13 Drangeburg. 3,810 32 Plckons. 1,205 37 Richland. 2,108 57 Saluda. 1,373 251 Spartanburg . 4,242 25 Sumter. 1,712 13 1 Union. 1,557 54 Willlamburg. 1,763 48 York. 2,070 90 Total. $75,000 00 Kcmcmbor Thia. The merchants who advertise In this paper have made extensive prep arations for the Cbristmas trade a id the stock from which the citizens will select ls so complete and ample that lhere will be no occasion for sending elsewhere for gifts. That should be understood from the start and tho people of this city ought to buy from tho local merchants. They will profit by the transaction. In tuts connection tho shoppers should appreciate the Importance of making early purchas es. They will bo able to make better t-electlons, they will not have to walt until the last for the remuants, and lt will prove a great convenience to the merchants. There ls no sense In walting uutil the very last moment when thc rush begins, for it ls trying on the clerks and unsatisfactory to the shoppers. The citizens, therefore, should bo reasonable and prompt, and thone who delay will be the ones to suffer. RKV. Dr. Zimmerman, of Balti more, asks: "What shall wo do with our old men?" To which thc Wash ington Post happily responds: "Adopt the reciprocity plan and care for them as they oared for us." "HOLD?TOUE HOLT." Farmer i <jf the South Adviied to Hold Their-Cotton "UNTIL 'IRE PRICE ADVANCES. - This la th > Advice Given Them by Cotton Kti>K Brown of New OjiCftiin and General Butler. ' W. P. ??rown, of New Orleans the great colton king, has issued an ad dress over- hi? signature as follows: 'Tu thc Planters, Merchants and Bar.keru of the South: Cotton has declined th a point below tbe cost of production. Are you going to sell at present prices, or hold until you can get the market value for the balance of your rftddlrg3? The decline is un warranted. To be conservative, 1 will say fiat the balance of this crop should br(:ng at least 10 Cents at the ports, and, according to my judgment the only j?ay to obtain au advance lt for tho planter to keep his cotton or bis plantation'Until the actual demanc ls sufficient to enable buyers to paj tho prof^r value for the stuff. Th? merchants who are carrying cotter should not force what they have ot the market, but stand firm and de mand higher prices, ur not sell. ''Thev-banks all over the Bout! should arands by the merchants ant planter, and not force them to sel their cotton at present prices, whlct they aH know ls below the cost o production. These prices mean ruii to tho south. It affects every brand of trade\and the ocly-' tbicg to do ii for every man that ls interested ii any manner, shape or form to st ant together. "For(the Bake of argument, ad mi' the crop is 12,000,OCu bales (though J do not believe lt is), the cousuruptlot at thes? price i will be at least ll, 500,00(' bales, and the other 500.001 bales v.ill be a small quantity to gi Into mill reserves. Tue spinners o American cotton throughout tin world should, at least, add this yea to their depleted stocks 500,000 to 1, 000,00;"i bales. The visible supply a the end of the season, in order to pre vent 'ciqueezes' and 'corners' shoulc be at l?&st 1,250,000 bales. Any wei posted cotton man knows that this 1: practically correct, hence I see ni reasoner tbe holders of cotton b get fco&red and sell at anything Uk present prices. '.Slice t:ie bureau report was ls sued CA Saturday we have seen a grea many Telegrams frons some of the ver best cotton merchants scattered ove tbs ?t'?V.i-tc the eff?ct that they be lievedjthe estimate was too large, mention this to show you that I an not the only one who thinks the estl mate too large. However, it bas tb effect t of putting middling cottoi down to 7 1-2 cents in the New Ot leans market. "The South went broke raising cot ton at {?il 2 cents, and 0 cents pe pound in 1897-98, and during tba period everything was cheap, as we as cotton, and the cost of raising cot ton was small, as compared to th present ".rop, which is the most es pensive one ever grown. It woul pay the farmers to sit still and nc market another bale of this crop ur til be cm get above 10 cents aud rt duce bi3 aoreage another season a least 15 per cent and instead of rail lng another bumper crop, raise onl enough to supply the world. Tr last crop was only 10.000,000 bale: ind lt brought more money than an crop ever raised-much more tba ;hls crop will bring, unless the ba atice left brings much higher prie than those ruling today. With co ton at 7 1 2 cents at the ports, oottc plantations are worth toda? J jstaboi half what they were at this time la year. Now, every mau that is Inte ested in the south, re^ard ess of tl character of his business, should 1 Interested in keeping up the price cotton. Cjtton 1H one of the fe things that the world must have, ai thc south has a monopoly un th? te rltory where lt can be grown, y they won't take advantage of the si uation. "There are so many things th can be raised In the south profitabl why not turn your attention to otb things and raise less cotter? We ha been told that we needed a twol million bale enp this year, and, n< that you have raised ono close to th figure, they say you must sell it al give away price. "Stand together, both inorchan farmers and bankt rs, and you w come out all right, but if you thr your holdings on the market you m rest assured that tho spinner will b it just as low as he possibly can, n I don't hlamo him for doing so. Isn't the spinners of the world at t time who are forcing the marl down, It is the bear speculate: Spinners In every country of I world, with a few exceptions, I do ng the best business In the bisti of tho trade. They can afford to | from 9 to 10 cents per pound a make a good profit at tho presi prices goods are bringing. Thc o suming world is in a position finai ally to pay higher pricis today tl they have beep for a great mi years. "Low priced cotton really oughl be a thing of the past. "A 12.000.000 bile crop ls wortli cents and tint ought to bo tho price for a great many years to coi and lt rests with thc producer co whether or not ho will raise morct! thc requirements of tbe world and come a pauper, or whether ho raise a moderate crop another sea and grow rioh. "But thc present moment ls most Important one. Hold fi stand together and don't give j cotton awav at nresent prices." GEN. llUTLKIt'S ADVICE. Gen. Butler, wrltlug to tho Au ta Chronicle from Woodlawn, S. says: But for the faot that it ls a serious ma'ter to the producers of ton the recent speculation llurr; the cotton market would be ali ludicrous. 1 . find the following statement In your Issue of the 3rd. Inst.: . COTTON MOVEMENT. New York, Deo. 2.-The following statistics on the movement of cotton for the week ending Deckmber 2 were compiled by the New York exchange: W KKK LY MOVEMENT. 1903 1904 Port receipts. 387,467 376,765 Overland to Mills and Canada. 39,087 61,236 Southern mill takings (estimated)... 67,000 67,000 Gain of stock at In ! terlor towns. 47,068 5 085 Brought into eight for the week.631,212 488,065 T-TAL CHOP UOVKIIENT. 1903 1904 Port receipts.4,607,282 4,018,089 Overland to Mills and Canada.... 305,331 ? 242,334 Southern mill tak ings (estimated) 678,000 680,000 Stock at interior towns In excess of Sept. 1. 624,902 413,260 Brougnt iu to sight thus far for the season. 0,115,610 6,200 089 This shows 5 200,089 bales for 1904 against 0,112,510 bales in sights same time for 1903, making a difference of 848,827 bales In favor of 1903. Now if this statement is correct and the 'ate report from the Department of Agriculture showing this year'Bcrop to be 12,100,000 baler,. is oom cb, there must be out of sight preaum ably in the hands of the farmers, 6?? 893,301 bales. Of course my sources of information are lccal, but we live in a section of the cotton belt which is about Un average outside the delta lands of the west, and lt is entirely within bounds to say that cotton is practically all picked and ginned In thin latitude. A pretty close observation of the cotton production for the last few years pat is iles me that the agricultural depart ment report is greatly exaggerated. The reports from the gins in the cen sus bureau ls much the most reliable, and that is only approximate, as the farmers are beginning to realize that ab ut the only persons beneQtted by any of these reports are the bear spec ulators, manipulated by them in suob a manner as to suit their purposes. I am unabled to see how or where they benefit the farmers. You may recall that Mr. Secretary Wilson took Issue with me as to last year's orop, and said that If it did not sell for 7 or 8 cents "he would present me with a hat." I suppose he meant a new hat Ile has not yet honored me with the bat al tho' cotton went soaring soon after his deliverance in ex cathedra fashion of his opinion, to 15 and x be 'laved at ohe time as high as 16 ana 17. cents. 1 beleived I prefer to take the distinguished secretary's estimate of tho grain orop, as he comes from the finest grain section in the world. If there are 6,000,000 bales In the hands of the farmers lt supports the theory that they are in very sound fi naucial condition, a condition they ought not to be frightened out of by bear speoulntion. In other words to borrow the homely phrase of the old darky to his coon dog in a fight with a coon to 'hold his holt until the coon gives up"-The farmers onght to "hold their holt" until (to borrow another phrase from a distinguished sportsman) they can get ' 'a s quare deal" with the bears. Yours truly._M. C. BUTLKB. Method Injured Trade. The Charleston cotton exohange last week adopted the following resolu tion and sent a copy to the chlet statistician for manufactures, censub bureau: "R solved, That lt is the sense of this exchange that .the census bureau in ihsuing the report of cotton ginned In installments, instead of In sum to tal, as done by said bureau in previous years, has been a serious detriment to ! the cotton trade this season, unsettling | the market values of spot cotton, and creating erroneus impressions as to I the dual outcome of the cotton ginned And lt ls further "Resolved, That the ohief statisti cian of census bureau be respectful ly asked and requested to issue all fu ture reports of the cotton ginned in a I monthly form in Its entirety SB was lu his mauner of doing same in the ' previous season. Married Wrong Woman. Mrs. Elizah Signers Toy, of Offings ville, Ky., flied suit there for divorce I against Joseph Toy, her husband of a month, charging abandonment. She j also wants 83000 alimony. Toy, who ls a wealthy farmer, was reported engaged to Miss Ella Otis, when he met Miss Elizah Sanders at | church. This Beemed to be a case o', love at first sight and a month ago Toy and Miss Sanders came here and wore I married. Tho pair sat In the buggy while the csremony was performed. Ni xt day Mrs. Toy alleges Toy r.woke | from a stupor and wanted to know why she was there and upralded her bitterly, Baying he thought he was I marrying Miss Otis. A few days later 1'oy disappeared, leaving a note and a 8200 check for his wife, telling her to get a divorce. Toy, it ia said, then went to Miss Oils' home and she slip ped out of an upstairs window and joined him. It is believed they have gone to Oklahoma. Will Hold Cotton. A dispatch from Salley says the fumers of that section held a meeting Wednesday for the purpose of forming plans by which they can keep what, cotton thoy have out of the market for any length of timo, two years if necessary. There were about 350 of of tho most prominent farmers of this section present at tho meoting. They are all out of debt and have money enough ahead to carry on their busi ness without drawing on their cotton All tho 'armers at this meeting sign ed a pledge not to market any cotton for less than 10 cents per pound. ' It 1? Neoded. Secretary Wilson says the bonn lay enough eggs In a month to pay the intorest on the national debt for a year. Secretary Wils m ought to sup port the Louisville Courier-Journal's proposition that if wo aro to havo a new cabinet portfolio to be called the Department of Mines, wo should also havo one to be oalled the Department of Heos. eOOTH CAROLINA POSTOFFICES Some Very Iutereetlnjr Facta and Statlatloa Oonoeratng Timm. lathe annual report of Joseph L. Bristow, fourth assistant postmaster general, made publie Tuesday, some interesting foots about the postoffices of South Carolina were made public. The report is for the fiscal yea. which ended June 30,1604. There are forty-four presidential pos to til ces in South Carolina, two of which are first class, Charleston and Columbia; nine Becond-olass, and thirty-tbree third class. Since June 30, 1003, there bas been an increase of five presidential pcstoffloes. Ander son and Rock Hill were promoted to presidential offices during the year, tbe firmer wltb fuur carriers and the latter with three. South Carolina bas 1,110 fourth class postoffices, and In this respect ranks twenty-one among the states In number of fourth-class postofflces. The average annual salary of thc fourth oiass postmaster in South Carolina ls $151.70. The total re ceipts of all the offices, presidential and fourth-class, was ?684,434.50. The aver ga amount expended per capita in use of the malls was 48 cents, making the state rank lost in the list of states. In the lost fiscal year ninety-three new rural free delivery routes were established in South Carolina. Up to that time there had been 238 rout s in operation, making thc total at the close of the year 331. The pos* office d?partant, made 183 adverse reports on applications from farmers in South Carolina, lt will be seen tbat the ad verse reports almost doubled the num ber of routes established. In most of he other states tbe number of routes established exceeded the number of adverse reports. This wou'd appear that South Carolina hart been discrim inated against, or else the roads were not in flt condition to warrant the es tablishment of the route desired. South Carolina has one county a?u? vice, which ls tobe found In Ander; ' . o unty. Tue Anderson counts . vice was established in iQQL^fjB there are thirty-seven jcctr^H county alone. Almost every^^H lo thc c ?unty ls reached by a ruWH free delivery carrier. During the year the 33'i carriers in South Carolina delivered 7,097.357 pieoesof mail, and papers constituted over one-half of the total. The beneficiaries of the rural routes received 4,361,490 papers during tbe twelve months. Regis tered letters delivered numbered 4.545; letters, 1,948,163; postals, 454, 645; circulars, 945,837, and packages, 282,668. The total number of pieces collected to be mailed was 1,532,151, 1 most of which were letters. The value of stamps canceled by the car riers was 829,058.56. 1 The sitarles of carriers are based upon the length of tho route which they servo. The highest salary ls paid to carriers who have twenty-four miles or longer. They receive 8720 per annum. Carriers whose routes are from eight to ten miles long get 8432 a 1 year. Last year the postofflisa depart ment paid tc the carriers in South Carolina the Bum of 8168,7.69.99, the average salary being 849.52 per month, or 8594.24 per year._ Aimed at tho South. Senator Platt, of New York, intro duced the first bill in congress this ses sion for the reduction of Southern rep resentation In congress. Senator flatt's bill did not follow the usual line of calling for reduction of the rep- , resentatlon of those states which have ? violated the provisions of the four teenth amendment, but was directly at the South, designating the states, if the bill should pass the South would lease nineteen members in congress. The following states would be affected with the loss of congressmen: Virgin ia, two; North Carolina, two; South Carolina, two; Georgia, two; Florida, two; Alabama, two; Mississippi, two; Louisiana, two; Texas, one; Arkansas, two; Tennessee, two. Mu?t be Maintained. Congressman T. W. Hardwlok, of the Tenth Georgia District, a few iayi ago wrote a letter to Senator A. O. Bacon, of Georgia, asking his views on the present political situation. Sen ator Bacon replies at length. Tte Sen ator says there ls an effort to Rcpub llcH.nlzo tho South. Ile declares that white supremaoy must be maintained n the South and everywhere; that the prosperity of tho South ls due to white supremacy. He advocates tho repeal of tho fifteenth amendment and Insists that unless that shall be done the people of tho South will be forced to maintain their position of white supremacy;_ C. hot It Alone. | Gov. Heyward ha3 written wisely and well to the seoretary of tho Na tlonal Child Labor Ass oolatlon in dis approval of the agitation that is being made for further legislation in South Carolina against employment of chil dren in the mills. Tue movement is for a further restriction upon the em ployment of ohlldren. Tue law now puta the age mluimun at twelvo years for employees In the mills and lt ls proposed that this be raisei to f gur teen years. Gov. Hey ward points out th .a the law ls working to the satis faction of everybody and there 1B no good to como of a further agitation at this time. Tho Governor Is entirely right. _ j No Wator for Stock. Drought in Central Kontuoky ls tho worst in tho history of the State. Pasture lands that have been in grass for twenty years will have to bo re sowed, even tho roots being parobod. Creeks, ponds and wells are drying up and stock la out down to one drink of water in bwenty-four hours in many I sections. Railroads and farmers are! buying water at oity wr.tor works and hauling lt miles. The Lexington,res ervoir is practically inexhaustible and alfords the only hop : about Lexing ton. The big Blue Grass stock farms are In dire straits. Wheat is ruined in some places. THISY mako short work with negroes out In Reno, Nevado. A dispatch from that ol ty saya the chief of police bas ordered all the negroes to leave tho town within 24 hours. They aro leaving by every train. The aotlon ls the result of a number of dopreda tiona committed by negroes In Reno during the last few weeks. FOULLY M??JDERBB . A Woll-KnowQ Farmer of Ihfixvfioa, Ga , tho Vio tim. TWO 1?SGROXB CONFESS OBJ SUB. Thor Bax They Killed Mr. Storr Ec? OROJOO He Would Not Allow Them to Attend * Fan** . r*l Borrico. Mr. Bod. G. Story, a highly re s pee ted gentleman of Thomson, ?a.. was brutally murdered two mil? north of that place on Thursday. The following particular of the mur? der v7tTtako from the Augusta Chron icle: . Mr. Story had been bothered for some time 07 haying parties steal cot ton from some of his tenante, and he left his home shortly after dlcner Thursday evenir g and went over to investigate the matter, and ?? la thought that a fuss arose-"hetween him and the parties who were ace used of tho stealing. While returning home he was ??ylaid' and knocked on the head with an . axe, three terrible wounds having been made on the back of his bead, crushing In the skull and causing the brains tn ooze out. After the murderer or murderers had 'killed Mr. Story they took bis body and threw lt into a canebrake about 20 feet from where the crime was com mitted. Mr. Story falling to return homey Thursday night, bis wife easy and gafo ^healarm. party waa orjf gent search was found/ Story, aj H. Si o'c dat gro gtrT that ho anoT had a fuss and shot him. So far ti show any gunshot or wounds, buta more thorough, el tion will be made Monday morning Mr. Story, the deceased, waa 47 years of age, and leaves a wife and several oblluren t J mourn bis sad death. The mystery surrounding the mur der was solved Saturday when two ne groes, Guy Reid and J olm Butler, on* fessed to the crime. The r, worked on Mr. Story's plantat Wednesday afternoon t?30y WP ' go to a funeral, but were refut> mission by Mr. Story, who . them back to the cotton fiele cotton. Mr. Story stayed arc v "_/ woods nearby the cotton fields tb sse that the negroes went to work. They, however, left their work and started towards town and came upon Mr. Story, who had been watching them. Mr. Story asked them: "Hello, boys; where are you going?M Then Butler immediately drew his pistol and shot Mr. Story in the face. Story turned to run to escape the negroes, as ho had no weapon to d?tend himself with. The negroes pursued the wound ed man and overtook him and with an axe crushed his skull. The negroes, to hide their crime.. Immediately hid the body In the canebrakes, where it was found. A spacial court has already been held and the murderers sentenc ed to be hong on December 27 th. Will Have lu ' Wo have Been lt stated that sinoe Cherokee County voted out the dis pensary that a Jug lina has been established between Gaffney and Blacksburg and Charlotte, lt ls said that in one day over one hundred Jugs were put off an express train at Gaffney. This ls not all. The Spar tanburg Journal says "the cit .zens of Cherokee county, when they voted the dispensaries in Gaffney out of business, struck a 11 JW that will havo a most beneficial effect on the dispen saries in Spartanburg, for, aa a result of the action of the people of Chero kee, the bujlnojs of tue local dispen saries has increased wonderfully. The pe pie in Gaffney are no different f rem those In other counties In tho state. There: aro those who will drink whiskey, and Spat tanburg be ing accessible to the oltiz-jna of Gaff ney and Cherokee, and a most delight ful place to visit, they will naturally come here when they want booze to satisfy their thirst. A local dispenser has been quoted as saying that since tho people of Gaffney voted out the dispensaries that the sales of his dis pensary were ?100 more per week than they were before the dispensaries were voted on In Cherokee. He said ho expected a still greater increase in bis business. Hundreds of people from Cherokee county visit Spartan burg every week and it is an easy matter for these wio visit the ottyjto purchase whl .key, not only for thurn selves, but for their friends." Bellt ?ed To Oe Joost. The three masted schooner William I Churchill, which ?ailed from Boston. Mass., November 7 from Wilmington, N. C., has not yet arrived at her des tination, and the owners believe that the vessel has been lost. The trip I should have been completed in from 10 to 15 days and the Churchill has now been out 33 days. Capt Jossen was In oommand and shipped a crow of eight meu, all foreigners, from Boston. Mn. Jos. W. Stewart has resigned his position as traveling passenger agent of the Seaboard Air Line, with headquarters In Columbia, to become business manager of tue Columbia Dally Record. Mr. Stewart has been with the Seaboard several year*?, hold lng important positions In Columbia and Savannah. He has been uniform ly successful aa a railroad official, and we feel sure that he will bo equally as successful In the newspaper business, which we believe was his first love. We congratulate tho Record on se curing the valuable services cf Mr. Stewart, bot what will the Airline do.