The Marlboro democrat. (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, June 09, 1905, Image 4

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? ROUTED ARMY. Japs And Russians Pictured On The March And In Battle. MUKDEN CAMPAIGN. The Capture of Two Whole Regiments of Russians, at One Time. Some Rus* sians Badly Frightened when Cornered. One Hundred Thousand Prisoners. Headquarters of Gen Kuroki's Army, near Tlehling, March 25.-The first realization of the immensity of the Ja panese forces was brought home to the observer when the two central armies rolled across the Shaho on the morn ing of the 8th of March in the wake of the retreating Russians. Hitherto during the battle parts of two'or tbree brigades of infantry, with a few batta ' lions of reserves, a doz sn or more bat teries, with pack trains and field hos pitals, were all that one person could see in the mountainous country of the greiib armies engagei. But, when tbe whole array "moved northward with its impediments following it was an im pressive host. Linking from the heights where the Russian batteries had been, one could see mauy khaki colon ri processions for miles on either hand, emerging from the valleys and passts where the Japanese had been concentrating since October, stream ing across the dry be? of the rivet and the narrow channels of ice and wind ing away amcy?g the bare hills and sandy plaip.s northward. It was a bus iness lik?army, swathed in dark blue andk.naki with no spectacular show of Rol j braid, nor brass, and hardly a foucb of color except the scarlet blank ets worn over the Bholders. Most of the ranks were boys yet, but they were toughened by a vear of campaign lng into hardy veterans. Tbey plod ed on silently, as usual with no show of rtjolclng over victory, without con fusion or excited officers. Japautsedo minion over Manchuria was spreading at the rate of two miles an hour. By the river banks were fields of kaoliang which had stood unharvested since fall between the lines of hostile cannon, and through these wereswarmlug men, women and children, reaping au ri ^tack ln? their crops. The chinaman frit ters away no time gaping at victorious armies when a few dollars are to bj gathered. For 10 days from that morning the whole ouutry within the erea of the fighting was covered with a midst of fine dust stirred up by the feet of more than a million reen and animals, it never settled for a minute, it chock ed the throat and bliudt d the eyes, lifted under clothing, made food grit ty and turned all water into mud. The Hames from burning houses and stacks of grain showeo turough it in the night like the moon throuKh fog. The sand storms, which be^an on the second day of the pursuit and continued at intervals for a week, ciinii trim the north directly into the faces of the Japanese and made the discomfort and hardship worse. There waa a great contrast between the c. untry south of the Shaho and north of it. The vii lages toward Mukden were larder and more prosperous, with better buildings, and the picturesque temples and tombs surrounded by groves of dark greeu firs made a welcome panorama to the eyes of the men from beautiful Japan, who had spent m mtbs among the dreary and monotonous hills Chinese families gathered in front of their houses and greeted the Japanese with shouts. Doubtless they were tqually ready to acclaim the Russians, and denounce thc Japs riese when it was politic Outside the large towns Chi nese officials wearing toe ir robes of cilice aud burtons on their cans, with banrers and soldiers in g?uriy uni forms, receivi d the Japane.-c generals, and Gen. Kuroki and his staff rode Into the vllbge whore his bea quar ters are. now through a d< uble lile of villauers kneeling on bulb slats of the road. TUB KU?SIAN KKTKKAT. The b^giunio^ ot tue R ,rslau re treat from the Shaho wa-? order ty ?inri they left a clean field. None of their portable effects worth taking had been abandone !, except huuoreds of stacks of tin cases In the trenches and hut , containing cartridges. Towan! evening of that day Gen. Kuroki's troops overtoi k their rear guards eight cr niue miles north ol the Sliaho and from that time the re treat became a seian bli: for safety. At the various supply stations hu^e piles of grain were tired and sm< ul. ered foi days. The pur.-.uit continued all through the night of the eighth and the right division of Kuroki's army came to the branch line of railroad running from Mukden to thc mines at Fushun. On the morning of the Otb the sand htorm be^'an, which threw both sides into confusion and made or derly retreat or pursuit on a larire scale irnpo sible. All the telegraph wires connecting the headquarters and the different divisions were blown down so that each contingent proceed ed largely on its own responsibility. The left division crossed the Hunho under cover of the thick dust clouds without a battle. Apparently the Hus siau con.mander was afraid to risk a defense cn such a day even in the elaborate works, whi3h should have made the Iluuho the most formidable line of defense, perhaps because his own men were, in a panio. Probably this was the decisive day of the bat tle, for the Japanese forces west of Mukden were heinn pressed hard and the brigs de on the oxtreme left was almost wiped out. Had Bildering re pulsed Kun ki two or three days at the Iluntio thy Russian reserves might have been able to turn the tide at Mukden Goo ) generalship and good fortune made history otherwise. Ku ropatkln had hurried his reserves from Mukden east to Fushun as the Jap anesehad planned that he should, and then hurried them hack to Mukden, but only too late. The Japanese, cen tre army from Kuroki's loft was push ing past Mukden to the north and Kuroki's left division was marching still further north protecting its right Hank. Having lost the 11 imho the Rus sian central army left Mukden to its fate and continued Its now disorderly retreat to Tiehllng. That ail their dead were left where they fell show ed what the retreat bad become. On the morning of the 10th, the left di vision again encountered the Russian rear guard in considerable forte north east of Mukden and as the Russians attempted to make a stand they were beaten in two eng ?gements, and in the afternoon tho clvlsion arrived at the town of Sana, 10 miles beyond Muk len, and on the main road from Muk? len to Tlehllng. MAKCHED DAT AND NIGHT. Until the 10th the army had been pushed forward day and night In the face of every difficulty to draw the at tention ol the Russians f rom Mukden, and the men were nearly exhausted by their forced march. The military roads from Fushun to Tlehllng wound along -the plains amoDg sharp hills and the division followed this to get to the north of Mukden while Gen. Linevltch took most of his men di rectly north through the mountains with the Japanese right army pursu ing. Several times the Japanese had sharp brushes with the rear guard but no important action until .the 14th, when tbeay approached the rar ge of high steep hills s .'yen miles southeast of Tlehllng which was strategically the strongest defense of the oity. There was a broad level plain in front of the hills and no avenue of approach for an attacking force except to cross this plain under such covers os could be found in the gullies and behind oc casional ridges. Consequently it wac deoided to a'.tompt the night attack with the bayonet once mote, and thus the first line of trenches below the hills was gained. For the general advance in the morning .of the 11th two battalions were a-signed for thc frontal attack, one for a diversion on the right and the largest torce of eight, on tibe left. A direct charge upon the main trenches was Impossi ble because the slope before* them was almost too p'j?bp co be scaled even with no resistance. A lower hill to the west and in front was vulnerable OB its west Hank and after an artillery engagement the main body occupied this. Night stopperl the fighting and hefore morning the Russians had re tired in haste leaving 200 dead, while the Japanase had HOD casualties. Tue last stand of the Ru: stans before Tleh iing was ona chain of bills 3,000 me tres southeast of the city equipped elaborately with a long chain of trenches and well constructed gun positions .while they held 24 hours. While the general of division was re conuoitering the positions on the af ternoon of the 15th another Japanese brigade from the south began to en gage one of the Russian batteries. This partly exposed the Russian flank to the enemy and 30 Japmese guns were concentrated in a bombardment of that position. Darkness again in terrupted the work after an hour's bombardment and again thc Russians retreated, abandoning without seri ous resistance their most valuable de pot between Mukden and Harbin, which W8S their strongest military po sition as well. Gen. Kuropatkln had been there In his special train until the afternoon of the 15th, it wat said. When the first Japauese com pany entered the settlement at 1 II the morning they captured the sta> tion master aud twoo?her< Ulcers whe had b en left with orders to apply tin torch at the lust moment, bil, only ? few buildings were bumed and then were valuable stores ol munitions un damaged. A DRAMATIC ENCOUNTER. No more dramatic encounter oe curred during this eventful wei-k thai the capture of the Fifth and Niue teenth regiments of Russian r. ile i b, Kuroki's left division un the mornlnj of the 11th. In the panic whloh pre vailed at Mukden then these two reg! ments left at 3 in the morning witt no general commanding them, aud j mixed crowd o? sjldlers from other or panizations and followers attaching themselves to the retreat. When th? two forces discovered one anot'^oi they quickly f irmed iuto fighting lio* and tbf Russians came on with th< officers in front of the ranks to-eui their way through. The contact wa so sudden that cht re was no ooufusloi at first, lu which the Japanese nene ral aud his stal? with two foreign at taches came under the tire of the J ;p anese rides and ?uns. The fight w.i? short and decidive. Tue Russian! could not. st'nd In the open ti elds un der the shrapnel and soon scatter c like sheep while mar.y parties wavec towels and handk rohiefs, tJ su.'reii der. Tue Japanese had (?lily 200 cns ualtics while dead aud wouarlei Rus slaoB were all over tho field. During the rest of the day t ie Japanese WOK occupkd bunill g for Russia* s In al tho. sur ouudinv! country. They iii' broken up into smdll parties, wer? llet ing iu every direct!? n, some try i iq to got tack to Mukdeu otho;s co ti ? roads of escape not Lu ward, ?ind main biding in the ravines and in Ch ne-;< houses. However brave, they wore h tight lng, when cornered s uno madi spectacles of themselves hardly to b fxpec'ed of men of a military raen Doubtless the men were unnerved b the strain of long fighting, but tin Siberians caplurt d earlier in the wa bore themselves with the dfgoity o . soldiers. Whi f u r the Europ .'ai , troops who have been sent, to tue eas . are the bast quality of the. Rus-iai array there ls no means of judging I i*ut certainly they have not comparei favorably in physique or fighting qual i itles with the Siberians, particular! I tlie east Siber'an slurpsb oters. Tba is thc opinion of the Japanese offices Tlje total of prisoners takeu that da; w? s nearly 4,000. They were a Herc and savage looking crowd, all wearinj big black or white sheepskin hats many In dirty fur coats, mi st of then heavily h-arded, all unwashed to days. Among tue (Ulcers were seve ral old mon. one of them, a veteran o the Rosso-Turkish war, with a whit beard hanging to his waist, who gav lils ago as 72 The next mornlni they went down the road in a bi| cloud of dust-a long and pioturfsqut i procession of dej cted looking Moujlkn with their olllcers riding in Chines i carts, aud jeering Manchurians run uing along the fl au ks-to join th army of Russians In Japan which no\ number nearly 100,000. Tcrrlhlo Tragedy. On Monday morning of last week F i J. Gunnels, a white man, drove fron his home at Covan to lils farm nea Olar. Here lie found Gloster Daniels a negro, who has always borne a gox reputation. Daniels was plowing am when Gunnels got near to bim he abo the negro in the left side with ? double barreled shotgun. The wound ed man ran in fright and terror about a half mlle, and then fell to tb ground, his wife following. She ant another negro carried him to a friend', home, where ho died Tuesday morn lng about dawn. The slayer has bcei in tlie asylum once or twl^e, it I: said, from the effects of whiskey, bul when sober ls rational. He has J large family connection and is a mai of considerable means. The cause o the shooting is said tobe that Daniell did not bring In some oats on Satur day afternoon, after being told to d< so by Ounnels. The white man wenl to thc negro's home on Sunday morn lng, lt ls said, and told Daniels' wlf< that lie would kill her husband, bul tho negress did not believe that ht would carry out his threat. A CATERPILLAR PLAQUE. A Train Stoppod br Multitudes ol tho Creeping inseof v. Sometime ago some sections of Georgia were visited by a plague of catorpillers, wbioh became almost un bearable. For several days reports bad been going into Savannah of the ravages of the luseots within a few miles of the oity. Finally a represen tative of the Augusta Chronicle visit ed the str token se ot ion and was as tounded at the situation. The cater pillars bad become a plague as de structive as any that ever visited the west or committed depredation in Biblical times. The pests actually overran a oburoh and made it unfit for uso. The streams wore so badly covered with them that when it was decided to have a baptizing one Sunday; brush brooms had to be employed to clean off the surface of the water. Two ne gro families have been run out of their homes by the great horde of hungry, hairy things, and Richard Dotson, who lived at Pooler, bad to put bis entire family of twelve at work to keep them from overrunning his home. These are hard but tiue stories of the plague. The residents about Pooler sur rounded their homes with ditches to keep the conquering army back. On the turpentine farms of Judge F. S Lathrop, chairman of the board of couuty com Lil: Moiicrs of Chatham County, work was at a standstill. All the turpentine boxes that had the least gum in them had to be dipped and thrown away, as the caterpillars had crawled into them, stuck there aud died. At Willis Station, on the Seaboard railway, a freight train was s: ailed by the caterpillars. The dead insects caused such a stench that the people passing that way were made sick. ALLEGED VuTE FRAUDS. Four Mon Arrested for Making Fatso Klee ! lon It rt ii rn M. Three managers of election, M. L Fox, George Busbee and J. A. Arm strong, and a partisan, named T. D Mitchell, were arrested Wednesday morning lu the town of Bro kland across the Congaree river from Colum bia, charged with fraud against the State eleclon laws and with cjnsplr acy on the grouud that they mad fa'se returns In the recant election held there for the choice of an inten dent. Busbee has turned State's evidence but ls too sick to be locked up. The others are behind the bars. Candidate Guuuells, who was c muted out hy three votes, alleges that he holds alli davits from 117 out of the 151 vot-rs who par?'clpate? in the election de daring that they voted for him. Fox ls a grocery man and alleged blind tiger, Busb-.e is a cotton mill ope tive. Armstrong is a mill operative andcleikand Mitchell was a witness for the defence in thc Jim Tillman murder trial. Intendant G. B. McCombs, In wbes interest the alleged frauds were com mltted, escaped after an excitin chase at 2 o'clock Wednesday morn lng, near Cay co. Learning that war rants were out he and Fox skipped together. They were overtaken by a party of three special deputies. When Fox and McCombs were headed off suddeuly, they showed tight. Mc Combs reached for his revolver. Fox thoo grabbed D.-puty Miyers and as the latter was throwing him to the ground McCombs escaped, just as the ot' er deputies came up Before Fox grabbed him Mayors lln.d twice at Me'Jombs without ttl ct. THE WU AT H KR IN JUNE. What ttio Iti'corcie Show ior tho l.r.nt Kijjliicon Years. The following data, covering a period of 18 ye:;rs. have boen compilrfd from The w.ather bureau records at Colun ola. They are Issued to show the conditions lint have pr. valied, during the month of June, for the above p rind of years, but rvust not b. c nist.ru.-d as a forecast of the. wcath er conditions f. r mo coming month. TcTj.o.a u'o-Mi iii or uora;al tem pt r^tur?! 7!) degrees Ch?, warnet .Liontti was tb i.1 of 1890, with an uv ir ?ga of 81 degree-1 Toe coldest mouth was M'a:, of 1903 with an average of 74 riegris.,. Tue highest tern j perjture was lo;i degress on Juno 10th, ' 1889. The lowest temp: rature w^.s 47 degrees on J une 1st, 1889 Tnelate.tt ue on whioh last "killing" frost oc curr cl In spring, April 17.h, 1905. Precipitating (rain or melted soo*) -Average for the month, 4 16 inches. Average number of days with Ol e>f an ireh or more, 5 The gicatest monthly preclpi atiwn was 9 97 lr.ches in 1903. The least monthly precipita lion was 1.13 inches lu 1890 The great? est amount of precipitation recorded in any 24 consecutive bi urs was 3 (50 inches on June Uth, 1903 Thc greatest amount of snowfall rt corded in any 24 consecutive hours (record extending to winter of 188? sn un ly) was none. Clouds and weather-Average num ber of clear days, 10; partly cluudy days, 13; cloudy days 7. Wind-Thu prevailh g winds have been from the southwest. The aver age hourly velocity of the wind is 7 miles per hour. The highest velocity of the wind was 42 miles from the west on Juuc 7th, 1902. Macln Ulm Coolers. At Knoxville, Tenn., lnlluenced by a sermon which bc heard from the Hps of Rev. Sam Jones, the evange list, Wm. S. Keller Wednesday de cided to con fens his part In election rottenness. The Knox county judge ship ls now being contested in a local court on a charge of election bribery, etc. Keller has twice been on the stand and has twice refused to answer certain pointed questions. Wednes day he again appeared and voluntari ly asked to testify. The privilege was granted him, and he then told, among dr.!matte scenes, how he, as officer of election, had stuffed the bal lot box In the eleventh ward, and had marked from two to three hundred votes for the straight Democratic ticket and had stuffed them Into the ballot box. In his confession he also Implicated several city officials for al leged parts that they played in trying to cover up evidences of the rotten ness by adding names to the poll lists 11 of the ward to make them conform to JI the votes polled._ Jap IJDHHOH, Japanese reports say total losses of Japanese number ab mt eight hun dred men. Three torpedo boats euuk were all the war vessels lost by Japan. Tue admiral says lt will be several da}s ber io a detailed report of losses as wi ll as of tho captured men can be made. COTTON LETTER, )f Theodor? H. Price, With Pigures Pointing to a Small Crop. lia lie ix) rt, Covering; the Cotton Belt, shown n Decrease of 20.B Per Cent. Over Last ?ear. The following ls Mr. Theodore H. Price's cotton crop report for the I non th of May, Issued from New York: I Herewith I submit my monthly re port on the cotton crop, made up from | 7,34(3 replies to a postal card inquiry I which comprised the following ques tions: What is the precentage of increase j )r decrease in cotton acreage In your | lection as compared with last year? What percentage of the total con templated area bas been planted upon the date of your reply? ' Is the crop with you earlier or later | than the normal, and how many days? , Expressed in percentage, what Is the present condition of the crop in your section, assuming 100 per cent, to be tbe standard of normal or reason ably perfect development at this sea son''' This is one of the most extensive I irquiries ever made by me. Replies' have boen received from 3;386 towns in 800 cotton producing counties. The total number of cotton- producing counties, according to tho last Census returns, is 822, so that the entire belt| may bere^-ar .'ed as having been effec tively covered. The average date of my replies is | May ll)th, end the statement of con dition does not, therefore, reboot thc heavy damage caused by the excessive rains In Texas on May 21 st. For thlB reason the Government re port, which is made up from replies as of the date of May 25th, may per haps show a lower condition than that given by my correspondents. Last year the condition as reported by my correspondents on the 20bh of each month during the growing sea son averaged wit ?lin 4 points of that reported by the Government, and the average of my correspondents' crop estimates published by mo 'on the 3d of November wasl2,177,603, or within 14.003 bales of the estimate of the Agricultural Department published a month later. The details of my report, State by State, will be found below. The indicated decrease In acreage, as compared with last year through out the entire belt-, ls 17 3 per cent. The condition of the crop, assum ing 100 per cent, to be the standard of normal or reasonably perfect de velopment at this season, 70.8 per cent. Of thc total contemplated area, my correspondents report that there had been planted up to May 19th 70 per cent. On the average tho orop is reported later than the no-mal by 17 days. SUMMARY. State. Replies.,Decrease Condition Acreage per cent. N Carolina (515 20.0 70.4 S, Carolina 735 15.2 70.3 Georgia 1,194 14.5 83.5 h lorida flt) 17 . 80.5 Alabama 854 12.2 83 8 Mississippi 070 10.2 GO.? Louisiana 324 19.5 02.0 Texas 1,483 38.2 \ 58 8 Arkansas 522 21.9 ? 62.8 Tennessee 202 18.4 1 81.4 In Te/ritory 100 18.8 ( 74-9 Oklahoma 133 23.1 4 83.7 1 Missouri 14 15.9 ( - 82.8 Virginia 15 24.5 I 89 Total 7,340 17.3 avg 70.8 av Tne outlook, as suggeslea Dy these Usures, is of thc gravest import to the tracie. The aggregate reduction and acreage as compared with the Government's ligures of last year o; the same date, indicate an initia) contraction In the producing capacity ,of the cotton area planted, or to bt pl inied, of 29 5 per c nc. Admitting that ihecrop ot 1004-5 wa-; 14,000 000 bales, the pusmt indications point to a crop of 20.5 per cone, less, or 0 870, ooo bales, a suming tuat the condi tions l>' reifter are as phenomenally and unusually tuvorab.e as the ?row ing a: d picking sa ison of la*t yea; proved U be. Tuls ls hardly prob ible. Toe deterioration in the crop con ditton, as reported by the Govern ment b cv-e< n the first of June and t e U> sb t f 0.5t ber last year was only 7 2 p. r csu:;., the least ou record for tho past, ten >ears, f.he average de berlorabion during the t-ummer and ?isiumu for tho previous niue years n vii.g been 20 p?r cent. The indlea^ed acreage for the c^m lng season is 2 074,ooo aeres less tba? t i a . planted two years ago, and whlcti pr. doced a commercial crop of only 10,055,000 ;.alts. Thc cm Uti n as reported by my correspondents ls 2 3 per cent, lower man tho couciltion reported by tin Government In 1003. Only 79 per cent, cf tue a.ta has been planted |an i the crop i-> 17 days later than the normal, whereas last year's crop was generally admitted to be two weeks earlier Mian the normal. Spinners' takings for the current season wi;l proably reach, If they dc n?t?exceed, 12,500,000 bale*, and the present ratJ of consumption undobted ly calls for another cr. p of 12,000,00C bales or cvar to adequately supply the world's demand. There seems to be no pru-poet of any such production, buta p .'SslbillLy on thc other hand of a crop u-.it over 10,500,000 and possib ly less than 10,000,000 bales. THEODORE H, PRICK, '1 lu: Du feat lOxpiatnctl. Thc cardinal causes of Rojestven sky's defeat have been the subj ?ot ol general discussion hore. One Japi nese expert gives the following ana alysis: "Kirst, and imper foot reconnols ance and Incomplete faculty and mis leading intelligence. "Second, an Imperfect battle forma tion which indicated that IVijeatvcn sky did not expect to meet Togo oil Tsushima. "Third, tho weather, the direction of the wind and the sunlight were un favorable to tho Russians, Togo hav ing the sun behind him and firing with the wind, while tho Russians had the sun light In their eyes and tired against the wind. "Fourth, tho Ru islana wasted their ammunition and eventually ran short. It ls believed that the surrender ol NebugatolT was necessary beoause, bis ammunition had been exhausted. "Fifth, the marked Inferiority of the Russian gunnery." Vom kerijani Wae Killed. Roar Admiral Voe'kersam, com mander of tho battleship squadron of the Russian li:et, was killed the first day of the battle, May 27, in the con ning tower of his llagship, the battle ship O dabya, ono of the vessels sunk by the Japanese. It was Voelkersam's iquadron, according to a report, which tired on the Rrltlsh trawlers in the North sea, mistaking them for Japan ese torpedo boats. PROTECT YOUR COTTON. Good Aa vic o to Those Who Are Hold? Ins the Staple. The Wilmington Morning Star says it has refrained from the occa sional course of Its contemporaries ot giving gratltous advice to its friends behind the hoe who are the bone and sinew of the country, and who are, in these enlightened days of progressive farming, generally better Judges of practical questions than many who take a superficial or sentimental view of the situation. The Star ls, how ever, in a position to know that many of ita friendB are suffering serious loss by tho unwise exposure on tho planta tions of thousands of balts of cotton to the continuous Spring rains this season, which has been estimated, in many instances, as high as 30 per cent, of the market value. It has been claimed by Borne of those who have no storing facilities that the bales will not suffer much injury in the open if they are kept on their edge upon poles which hold them a iew inohes clear off the ground; and, if the bales are turned upside down after every rain in order that the moisture absorbed may bc quickly evaporated. It 1B also claimed that the cotton so treated wilt gain io weight to the farmers' advantage and that the risk of loss by Ore is reduced to a minimum without the expense of insurance. It must be manifest by experience, however, that these specious olaims are not sustained by results. Ex posure to the sun and winter rain warps ard defaces the bagging, rusts the hoops, and makes au unsightly paokag*\ while the later warmer rains of the spring heats the cotton, fer mentation follows and in many in 8tancea thirty to sixty pounds of rot ting and worthless cotton must be re moved and the bale repacked in a crude and un.atts'actory way before lt ls tit for shipment. We have Been in Wilmington recently thousands of damaged bales waiting for the slow and expensive process of picking be fore they can be shipped as merchant able. Many of these bales must prove a loss of at least a cent a pound to the farmer. Moreover, the practice of exposlrg cotton at the plantations seems to be largely confined to our own section that ls to say, the Carolinas. Farther South a better method prevails and the warehouse system ls used by many farmers who have no storage facilities. It should not be overlooked that mill buyers and exnorters prefer the lots that have been protected even by a temporary and inexpensive shelter which ls within the means of every producer. There is, then, no question ?S to actual weights and grades, nor any delay In settlements, nor any re lection of mis-shapen bales. We are informed that some of the principal buyers are now refusing to bid on exposed and damaged cotton because of recent be&vy reclamations from mills at home and abroad. We also learn from representatives of Marine Underwriters that insurance against country damage will be diffi cult to obtain next season, even at advanced premiums. It behooves the cotton planter with these facts before him to pro tect his cotton crop from damage by simple and reasonable precautions af ter it has pissed the inevitable vicis situdes of frost, drought, excessive moisture, rust, Insects and other natural and unnatural foes between the planting and the picking "of this royal gift or God. B?Y? ?JSD GIRLS In tho Grarlnd schools or tho State* Who Graduate. Three years a.ro the Observer madi a comparison of the number of boys and girls "graduating" lu town and city graded soho >ls, the number ot gjr?j then being far lu excess of the boys Ntttlclng th;} newspaper re ports of t^nool "commencements' this sprint/, we And that the prop >r tion is about Mie s\m ? as lt was threi years ago. Tie following Instanos are representative of the condition that prevails throughout ?he srat?': ?OVS OIKL3 Anderson.? 10 Barnwell.I 5 D irllugton.4 7 Florene?.1 0 Ltiucarter.3 10 Laurens.2 1 Lr xi og too.1 9 Mirlboro.2 7 Newberry. 0 4 Rock Hill.4 4 St. Georges.0 4 St. Matthews.1 3 Sumter.9 G So it appears that about three timep as many girls as boys are completing the work in the graded schools. One rea-on for this difference ls that boyi are eager to get into business and t( begin the work of money-making Another reason Is that nearly all the teachers in the graded schools an women, and boys do not like to bi "oossed'' by women. The proportlor of boys and giris who complete th? graden school work ls about the pro portion that go the colleges. The wo men of the rising generation are belnj; much better educated than the mea, -Newberry Observer. Tho Stupid KituBlariH. Russian torpedo boats from Vlad! vostok captured the Japanese stearne) Daishen off Hokkaido and placed 2 prize crew on board with orders ti take the vessel to port. By mlst&ki tho Russian commander of the Dai shen headed for Gensan, Korea, ane met a Japanese transport. The lattei seeing the Russian Hag Hying fron the Daishen intended to recapture the vessel when the Japanese captive! aboard thc steanmr on seeing theil compatriots attacked the prize crew, recaptumed the vessel and evsntuallj took her to Ceusan. SontoiicctI to Death. A special from Cullmau, Ala., sayt that thc jury In the case of Johr Williams, charged with tho murder oi Stato Senator R.ibert L. Hipp, re turned a verdict of guilty of murelei In the tirst degree Wednesday auc tlxod punishment at death. William! was sentenced to be hanged Juno 14, Williams' son, aged 20, begged tin court to permit him to bo hanged ir his father's stead. Williams ls a far mer and shot Hipp while he and a deputy sheriff were attempting to lev} upon some of Williams' property. At appeal will bc taken to the supreme court. In Opun ltovolt. The Russian army in Manchuria ii said to be tn a bad state. According tx a dispatch from St. 1'otcrtiburg the I roo p.. are In op u revolt and cannot be depended upon to do much fighting The news of RoJ< .itveusky's defeat li given as the reason. GREATLY REDUCED. Mr. Smith Challenges the Government j Pigores on Cotton Acreage. He Gives Mach IntercatloR Dat? About the Growing Oropa aa Well ?a Labor Conditions. The Cotton Growers' association has won its fight, if all reports be true. The State says Mr. Smith, who was in Columbia Saturday tbinkB that Mr. Jordan should have made a spirited challenge ot tbe report made to the government hy its agents re cently. Tbe colton association re ports tbe reduotlon in acreage to be 18.43 per cent, and the government reports fix the estimated reduction at ll per cent. There it- quite a differ ence In these estimates, amounting to 840,000 bales in the aggregate. While the cotton association has no orcp condition ligures of its own from last year l-> go by, still lt appears that the report of the government agents is ottbjeot to criticism from a compari son with its own figures of last year. The government report indicates that the condition now is 77 and 4-10 of a perfect orop, whereas with almost ideal weather last year the condition was reported to be 77 and 8 10, just a little better than this year. Mr. Smith thinks these figures must be wrong. Texas ls ten weeks late, whereas last year the orop work was kept right up to date. While he was in Texas a short time apo be saw for himself how the crop in that State ls in bad condition because of the raluB, and a Baptdat minister just from the Southern Baptist convention at Fort Worth states that tbe orop is at a standstill-just the same as it was four weeks ago. If this be true, and Mr. Smith has every reason to believs that lt is, the orop will be very, very short in Texas, for what will be plant ed late will be food for the boll weevil. Another thing to whloh Mr. .Smith directs attention is the faot that last year one hand could attend to a full crop because the seasons were propi tious. But this year one hand can at tend to only half what he could last year, and those who have planted largely are complaining of the scarcity of labor. Their crops are run away with by the grass and unless the farm ers decide to let part of the crop KO, they may lose all in trying to save the whole acreage from grass. Another thing which puzzles Mr. Smith is how Mr. Theodore Price can see such a wonderful change in the crop within ten days. A fortnight ago Mr. Price published widely a state ment declaring that thc crop would be short 17 per cent. Within the last few days be bas published a subsequent statement in which he thinks the crop will not be so much short after all. Mr mlth discredits Mr. Price and callr. upon all southern people to turn a deaf ear to this cotton speculator. The Southern Cotton association is sending out reports compiled from the statement from the various States in the cotton belt, These reports sh'jw that In Alabama every county bas sub mitted a resort; Arkansas, 70 out of 71 counties; Florida, 22 out of 23; Georgia, 110 out of 127; Louisiana, 50 out of ' 52; Mississippi, 61 out ol 74; North Carolina 51 out of 68; South Carolina, all but one; Tennessee, 25 out of 42; Texas, 145 out of 184; Okla homa, 17 out of 22; Indian Territory, 24 out of 26 In all 17.754 replies have ;een received and were tabulated at he meeting at New O . leans last Thursday, 634 being frcm this State. A great number of replies came In after Mr Weston had forwarded his report to New Orleans, but these mere y verified what had beeu sent on. Following is the acreage report a> abu lated from the sia.ements sent tc tue Now Orleans meeting: COTTON ACREAGE. Percentage Acreage Acreage Dee. 1004 100.'? Alabama.lj.0:t .1.01:1,000 3,526,23.1 Arkansas.2:<.75 2,'J10, 00 1,685,12! Florida.10.83 aoo.OO.i 240,45t Georgia.?l.?l 4,4.M),0OO 3,032,02( Louisiana.18.07 l.'.iio.ooo l,577,so: Mississippi.20.03 3,743.000 2.077,27! North Carolinn..2I.2G 1 :>:!(> ooo 1,047,24: South CarolUuu.l3.0S. 2573,000 2,22:1,07: Ten omea. 8 07 3711,000 72:?,-J01 Texas.21.11 8,701,000 C.SU?,?8i Oklahoma.24.40 50.',000 :>!)7,-Jli ludiuu Tor.20. 036,000 G'.l.liK l'otal acreage.31,730,000 25,080,051 This report S?IOWJ Texas, Arkan sas, Ljuislaua, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Indian Territory to be three weeks late with planting. Alabama is two weeks late and Georgia and the Cbrollnas are each one week late. The only fertilizer reports are as follows: Alabama, reduction of li per cent ; Georgia, 20 p2r C'.ut.; NortL Carolina. 24 07 per cent ; South Caro lina, 11.00 per cent. Labor conditions-Alabama and Ar kausas report "very soiree;" no re port from Florida and North Carolina all other States report "scarce." Progress of farm work-Alabama Arkansas and Louisiana report "verj grassy;" Florida and Mississippi, ni report; Georgia, North Carolina, Ten nes-ice, Oklahoma and Indian Terri t >ry report "fair;" South Carolina "grassy;" Texas, "bad." The following remarks are publish ed: Alabama-Much now planted wil be bandoncd. Arkansas, bad. Louis lana, too much rain, 10 per cent, no planted. South Carolina, too mud rain. Hight Sailors Hung. Details from a trustworthy sourc leave no room for doubt, says a dis patch from St. Petersburg, that Ad mirai Nebogatoff's sailors mutinied ii the battle of the Sea of Japan ant either threw tho admiral and man] ofllcers overboard, or, according t< another version, bound them in thel; cabins and hoisted the white Hag Eight men in Nebogatoff's squadroi were, it is again asserted, hanged fo: mutiny while they were still In th? l.\d sea. Chilli Drauk Poison. A most distressing accident ocourrct at Chester on Wednesday. A Utth two yoar old son of Mr. and Mrs. W T. Woods, got access to a phial oi medicine whloh was . used by tbi child's father, and tho little one tool an overdose. In spite of prompt at tenthill by a physician the child diet In about two hours. The parents los last year their firstborn, a bright Ht tie girl. Their many friends sympa thtzs with them in their fresh grief TUE Birmingham Ledger says tin United Stales government ls aotuall: sending some bloodhounds to the Phil Upplnes to run down the colored mei who do not like our way of controlllnj them. History repeats itself. It t not a Democratic administration tba is doing this. Nor did the suggeatloi come from a Southerner. Medical Advice .from an Ex pert Specialist. Dr. Hathaway Offers to Counsel and Advise Every Pereon Free of Charge, On. any Disease. Twenty-five Years of Remarkable Success in H?B Recor d WRITE HIM AND SAVE YOUR DOCTOR'S BILL. "No extra oIinrRO for medicines." "No misleading statement or doccp tire proposition* al? lowed in my advise* monta." DR. J. NEWTON HATHAWAY, Whoso Knowledge is free to tho Slok. If you aro feeling ill, and d-> not know jost what ?a tho matter with you, do not make tho mistake of calling on your looal doctor for consultation but just siim?y writ? to Dr. J. Newton Hathaway, 88 Inman Bldg, 'Atlanta, 0a" just how you snlTor, nnrt ho will coun sel and ndviuo you for nothing, whilo your homo doctor will charge you anywhere from *.l to $10, for tho wuuo service, und again, Dr. Hathaway's advice ia worth ton finns moro to you, for his wido exporionco in tho treatment of those diseases (25 years), enables him to at onco understand tho exact naturo of your trouble. He will also send you a Solf-Exnmi nation Blank and a valuable book on your disease, of which ho ia tho author, froo of charge. Dr. Hatliaway'a_ specialty is diseases of a chronic or lingering nut in o, and theso ho has successfully tron'-ed for ovor twonty-Qvo yoars. Tho success bs hus mot with is some thing remarkable. Ho has roached tho head of his profession and his titlo of "tho recog nized authority on Chronic Diseases" justly belongs to him. Not only lias ho cured thous and of Bufferers who cull athis otfico for treat ment,-but nearly ovory S Uto in tho Union is represented on hia list of cured patienta whom ho was able to cure by his method of home treatment. Ho has hud Bpeciul success in cur ing cases of longstanding and of a complicat ed nature, after soveral doctora had given thom up as incurable, but whether your caso is of long standing or not, you should at once seek tho advice of this great specialist. It will bo of great benefit to you, oven if you do not Uike treatment. Ho has a positive and permanent cure' for diaeases of m<-n and women such aa LOST M VNHOOrr STRICTURE, VARICO0ELE. NERVOUS DEBILITY, ENLARGED PROS TATE, RHEUMATISM. SPECIFC BLOOD TOISON, KIDNEY AND BLADDERTROU BLE, HEART DISEASE, STOMACH AND BOWELL TROUBLE, DIABETES, BRIGHT'S DISEASE, URINARY TROU BLE. ENLARGED PROSTATE, FEMALE TROUBLE, WOMB TROUBLE, OVARIAN TROUBLE, LEUC?RRHEA, ETC., and if you are alllictod with any of these diseases, you should lose no timo in consulting this famous specialist. His treatment for theso diseases is based on ovor a quartor century of closo study, and when ho once discharges you as cured, you need havo no fear that you will over be trou bled with your disease again-hiacures are per manent. Dr. Hathaway is tho author of oight valuable medical books which should be in the hands of every ono afllicted, or every head of a family, and ho will send nny ono of theso books to yon on rocoipt of your name and ad dress. 1, dis asoa of tho throat and lungs; 2, kidnoys and urinary, tract; 3, diseases of women; -1, akin, rectal, rheumatism; 5, blood poison; fj, nervous debility and vital woaknoss; 7, stricture; 8, vnricocolo. His .book for mon entitled "Manliness, V?!?or and Health," should bo in thc hands of ?vory man. Wrlto for it, it is fiec. If you do not suffer yourself send him tho namo of some ono that does. Do not forgot tho address. J. Newton Hathaway, M. I)., 63 Tnmnn Bldg, . Atlanta. Ga. THE GUINARD BUICK WORKS, I COLOMBIA ?. O. 5 Manufacturers Brick, Fire Proof Terra Gotta Building Blocks, for . 2 Flue linings and Drain Tile. Prenared to till nrd?rs fnr r.hniiR.mrla S lings and Drain Tile or millions. Machinery Supply House for the State. WE SELL EVERYBODY. Headquarters for EVERYTHING in MACHINFRY SUPPLIES. All kinds of Injectors, lubricators, Pipe, Valves, Fittings. Supplies for Saw Mills, Oil Mills and any one In Machinery business. Large stock of Weil Pumps and Cylinders. Get our price. COLUMBIA SUPPLE CU*. i ohiinbta ir? *~ Th? marl inery Supplv hons* of the Stat* Anlsko ilorphint Ulgaret I A.;.1 />rug and LVuiv.tu? '?blt, I Habit ? Habit | Habits. Cured by JKIeeley institute, of ?$ 4? .329 Lady St vor P. O. Box 75) Columbi*, S. C. Cton Mentis.' oorr'-ru se citd WEATHKK AND CROPS. Grassy Fields tho Complaint. Qreat ?scarcity of Limber iteportcd. The following report as to the con dition of the crops has been issurd by Section Director Bau-=r: The first half of the week ending Monday, May 29th, was much c so!er than usuai; the latter half had nearly normal temperatures. Tnere WJ s a harmful deficiency In sunshine. High easterly winds prevailed generally, though the winds were light at the close of the week. Light frost was repsrted from Cherokee county on the 22nd and 23rd. There were from four to six days with rain, and in places the precipita tion was excessive, notably in Darl ington and uhestertield counties where lands were badly washed and bottom lands flooded. The weekly amount of rain was largely in excess of the nor- S mal, and at Oberaw over five inches g were noted. The rainfall was about M normal in the centri.l counties, but ? the ground was kept wet so that only e from one to three days plowing and ? cultivation were practicable. Hoeing ct made better progress. j ? Farm work was further delayed and ? e is backward, with many fields very ? f foul with grass and weeds, and there i is a continued scarcity of farm labor ers in all parts of the state, so that the grassy fields are becoming a se rious menace to crops. While a few reports indicate that cotton ls doing well on uplands, more especially on red and clay lauds that have i.een cultivated, the majority of the reports indicate the crop tu be in an unpromising condition with the plants small, and red or yellow, aud their growth checked by the cool nights. Many fields are grassy and the probr. billy ls that some will be abandoned In all part? of the state, owing to their foul condition and the impracticability of cleaning them. Plants continue to die on sandy lands. Lice have appeared in a number of counties. Chopping made fair pro gress, but has not been fit.ishcd in the Westeren counties. Sea-island ootton ls in a poor condition. Early corn that has been properly cultivated is promising, but the larger portion of the crop is yellow and sick ly. Planting of bottom lands made slow progress during the week, and there ls still much to bo planted Wheat is ripe and some has been cut. Oats aro generally fine, especially r spring oats. Fall oats are ripening 3 and harvest is under way. It has c been too wet for tobacco and some is firing. Some peas have been sown, 11 and sweet potatoes transplanted, b I Truok shipments have about ended. The wet weather has caused peaches to rot badly. Pastures are fine, and gardens are doing well. A Proposition of Interest To all readers of this paper, whe call or write for treatment within the n?xt ?? days I will cure them of tue following diseases for ONE-HALF my usual charge: LOST MANHOOD, SYPHILIS (blood poison), GO NO RH E, GLEE C, STRICTURE, VARI C?OELiE, RUPTURE, CATARRH and all CHRONIC DISEASES, of both sexes. Diseases of women cured without operation. PILES cured under guarantee without the knife or any tying or burning operation Consultations, Examination, Advice Free. i T. S. HOI LEYMAN, M. D., THE SPECIALIST Rooms 421 and 422 Leonard Building, j Augusta, Ga. I NrB. CatH rrh of worst form cured quickly afc home. i Pianos Orsraiis You want the Best. We have exactly what you want. Don't walt to feel exactly ready. We an make you able. Our prices are LOW-our terms are EASY. Write us at once for catalogues, prices and terms. Address MALONE'S MUSIC HOUSE, 3 f COLUMBIA, S. C. ?vOO?u2??MtMtaoa<>??MM? GUARAB / TEED BY A ?fe PS flflf% BMK DEPOSIT V|_JP^C;VU'MJ/MJ' Railroad Fara Paid. 500 fiSSSGnBBPJBsHH Board K CoUr\fFneTe\& :FOiMrifi.M??AMA?USIIlESSCOLtEGE.rJacoa.G9 LEARN TELEGRAPHY And R. R, AGKNCY--Wo nlso train yon for The U. a. SIGNAL CORPS. School estab lished 17 voars. Chene board, low tuition, and Our Pian INSURES poaition. Catalogne froo. GA. TELEGRAPH COLLEGE. \ Senoia, Ga. Drowned Muli and Children. Mrs Tip Sanders drowned herself and children in a creek near her home, two miles South of Sulphur Springs, Texas, Wednesday. The oldest child was a boy of six years of age. The other children were two girls, aged three years and ton months reapeo lively. The tragedy, lt ls said, was the result of demestio troubles. San ders, thc husband, left home In the morning to work on the public road. Returning L?nne for dinner he found a note on the table from Mrs. Sanders, telling bim that he would lind the bodies of his wife and ohildreu In the oreek. Deserted Ills Wife. Robert C. Davidson, a former mayor of Baltimore, has deserted his wlfe| Wo agree with the Washington and run off to Europe with Miss Laura, Post that the standpatters are going B. Noyes, a trained nurse of Port De- ' to have some difficulty in convincing posit, Md. Before going he converted the country that it ls a crime for the his property, worth 8200,000, into Panama ommissiouers to buy Roods cash and securities, whloh Le oarried on terms that will savu the people with him, leaving his wife nothing. money.