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VOL. XVI. A GREAT DISASTER. 1 Forty Thousand People Perished In a Fiery Deluge ON THE ISLAND OF MARTINIQUE. A Volcano Hursts i\ Mountain Asunder. Destroying All I<IIV' on liuntl and Sou. The World Was Shocked. i in- i'roncn cruiser suchet. arrived i a 1 Pointe-aPitrc, Island of (luadalupc, French West Indies, from Fort do Franco, Island of Martinique, Friday morning, bringing several refugees. She confirmed the report that the town of St. Pierre., Martinique, was entirely destroyed at 8 o'clock on Thursday morning hy a volcanic eruption. It is supposed that most of the inhabitants of St. Pierre were killed, that the neighboring parishes were laid waste and that the residue of t he population of St. Pierre is without food or shelter. The Hritish ltoval Mail steamer / I'lsk, which arrived at St. Lucia Friday morning, rcnorts havlncr n:K^ri W< I p * * St Pierre Thursday night. The steamer was covered with ashes, though she was live miles distant from the town, which was in impenetrable darkness. A boat was sent in as near as possible to the shore, but not a living soul was seen ashore, only tlamcs. The Quebec Steamship company's steamer Koraiina was seen to explode and disappear. The commander of the Sachet repot ts that at I o'clock on Thursday the entire town of St. Pierre was wrapped in tlamcs. I Ie endeavored to save about :to persons more or less burned front the vessels in the harbor. His olliccrs went ashore in small boats seeking for survivors, but were unable to penetrate the town. They saw heaps of bodies upon the wharves and it is believed t hat not a single person resident in St. Pierre at the moment of t lie catastrophe escaped. The governor of the colony and:.his staff colonel and wife were in St. Pierre and probably perished. The extent of the catastrophe cannot he imagined. The captain of the Hritish steamer lioddam was very seriously injured and is now in the hospital at fit. Lucia. All of his otlicers and engineers aie dead or dying Nearly every member of the crew is dead. Super Cargo Campbell and ten of the crew ef the. Koddani jumped overboard at St. Pierre aud| were lost. The British schooner Ocean Traveler of St. John's, N. B., arrived at the Island of Dominica, British West Indies, atB o'clock Friday afternoon. She reported that She was obliged to lloe from the Island of St. Vincent, B. W. 1 I., during the afternoon of Wednesday. > May 7, in consequence of a heavy fall ( of sand from a volcano which was erupting there. She tried to reach the Island of St. Lucia,.It. W. I., but adverse currents prevented her from so doing. The schooner arrived opposite St. Pierre,Martinque, Thursday morning, May 8. While about a mile olT . tlie volcano (of Mont Peloc) exploded and lire from it swept the whole town of St. Pierre, destroying the town and the shipping there, including the cable repair ship Grappl.erof the West India i and Panama Telegraph company of London, which was engaged in repairing the cable near thoGuerin factory. The Ocean Traveler while on her way : to Dominica encountered aqqanlityof < wreckage. DETAILS OF THE DISASTER i 1 That Destroyed the City and All of its Inhabitants. I A dispatch from Paris says the i commander of the French cruiser i Suchct telegraphed to t he minister of j marine, on Thursday night at ten o'clock, from Fort I >e France, Island , r if \f*i rt i tiWiii/i 'ie XX. .Mill VIII1\|UV>) un IV?IIVM?D, i "Have just returned from St. Pierre, | which has been completely destroyed by immense mass of lire which fell on the town at about H o'clock in the | morning. The entire population of | 25,000 souls is supposed to have per- < (shed. I have brought back the few | survivors about 3C. All the shipping , in the harbor lias been destroyed by tire. The eruption continues." ( The French Colonial Minister re- ] ccivcd at (5 o'clock Friday evening two | messages from the secretary general | of the government of Martinique, .1. | E. G. Lehurre, sent respectively at 5 < p. m. and 10.30 p. m. Thursday. The earlier cable reported that the wires ( were broken between Fort de France \ and St; Pierre but it was added in , view of the reports that the eruption of Mont Pelee bad wiped out the town of St. Pierre, all the Ixiats available < at Fort de France were dispatched to | the assistance of the inhabitants of | that place. The second dispatch . confirmed the reports of the destruction of St. Pierre and its environs ( and shipping by a rain of tire and ( said it was supposed that the whole ( population had been annihilated with the exception of a few injure d persons ( rescued by the cruiser Suchet. \ Some Americans f'erinhod. ' Tlie following cablegram nas just i liecn received at tlie state department: Point a Pitre, May 9, 1902. t Secretary of State, Whaslilngton: * At 7 o'clock a. m. on the 8th Inst. a storm of steam, mud and lire enveloped the city and roadstead of St. Pierre, destroying every house in the city and community. Not. more than 20 persons escaped with their lives. Flghteen vessels were horned and sunk with all on board, including four American vessels and a steamer from (Quebec named Poraima. Tho t'idted States consul and family are reported aiming the victims. A war vessel has come to (itiadaloupc for provisions and will leave at live o'clock tomorrow. "A vine, Consul. A dispatch from Pointe-a-Pitre Island of (iuadaloupe. French West Indies, dated Thursday, says: "The Mont Pelee (St. Pierre) crater ejected yesterday morning molten rocks and ashes during three minutes completely destroyed St. Pierre and the districts within a four mile radius. All inhabitants were burned. About eight, passengers from the Poraima of the Quebec Steamship company's line were saved by the French cruiser Sucliet. The inhabitants of the southern district, of the island, who were dependent on St. Pierre for provisions are menaced by famine." A dispatch from Jamaica says: "The llrst intimation of a disaster viu .Min i iuifiin*> '.vns inc nrcaking of I lie cables on Tuesday. The French cable to Mart lni<|tie from Puerto Plata, was broken Wednesday. Cable communication witli all the nort hern islands is stopped. The survivors of the Mritlsh steamer Itoddnm describes the scene at Pierre as being 'glimpses of hell,' beggaring description. The Koddam's men were killed chiefly by molten lava. The Uoraiina was wrecked in a terrible upheaval of the land and sea. The whole crew perished. Two ships were lost with all on hoard In an attempt to approach Martinique." MAJOR GARDNER'S CI1ARGE3. Some ol' lite Atli'ocilieH Committed l?> i ine Soldici'H. When the Philippine committee < met Thursday Senator Lodge presented u cablegram from (Jen. ChalToo giving the charges and specitication of Maj. (Jardner relative to Tayabas province. These consisted of allegations that troops bad burned building, illtreatment of natives by Lieut, C.eorge de(i. (atlin and rape of five women by soldiers. The cablegram is dated May t, and is as follows: Maj. Cornclious (lardner's tirst letter contained no specifications on which 1 could act. From his second letter, however, in order to comply with the present instructions I submit in the form of charges the following data which arc as complete as possible under the conditions in which I am at present situated: Charge The troops that succeeded the volunteers did not keep up the scouting and patrolling system. Specification?That the troops sta-1 tinned in the ( .nniml i',u?e /.f m...... 1 has, to wit: In Luchan, Tayabas.] Luccna and Saviayo, did in the spring! of 1001 for about three inontli fail to j scout or patrol the country except as escort to wagon trains 011 the main road. Charge Hurtling of barrios or villages. Specification?That troops during the fall of 1001 burned a number of barrios belonging to Dolores and adjacent towns. Torturing natives. Specification 1?That United States troops coming from San Pablo in or near the town of Dolores tortured a native by the water cure. Tills during t he summer of 1001. Specification 2 That the commanding olllcer of Laguiamanoc during the summer of 1001 maltreated or tortured 11 nat ive boy. Specification .'1 That troops coming from Lvcenc or Tayabas on several ijccasions tortured natives belonging to the Pueblo of Pabbilao. This during t he summer and fall of 1001. Charge?Harsh treatment of 11ati ves. Unanlllnollm. I 'ill?. ' ? * )|/v/v/iiiuaun'ii i l nut II1CII IJ(JIOnj(" ing to a detachment of soldiers stationcd at Candolaria looted ;t store in that town about the month of November, 1901. Specification 2 That a detachment >f troops took away from it peaceful dtizen of Dolores a pony, This about, the month of September, 1901. Specification That the house of t native of Candolaria forcibly taken tor ;i smallpox hospital and afterward aimed by order of the surgeon at iariaya; that the said native was not remunerated. This in Candolaria in luly, 1901. Snecifloat ion 1 Tluit i.imit floor^c de(?. Call in did strike with lis first natives of Luccn.i for failing to take olT their hats to him and did forcibly with threats compel a native to deal cards for him. This aiiout September, 11)01. Specification That first Lieut. ieor^odoG. Catlin at Calanauan did keep in the guard li<?us?i for three lays a nat ive without food or water, rids about September, lt)0i. Specification 0 That First Lieut, leorge dcO. Catlin did strike natives In the face for failing to remove their lats. Tills wlille he was In command it that post. Specification 7 -That a party of solders attacked with pistols three natives working on the roads near Lu ena. This about Novcmlier, 1901. Specification S That certain soldiMs belonging toa troopof cavalry staloncd in Tayabas i'ubelo did violate ivc women of that town by force, l'hls in the month of .January or Feb'uary, 1901. Tlie dates are approximate, and the 'acts from complaints made to me itated to the best Of my recollection. Chall'ec. If fll CONWAY, S. SHOCKING TRAGEDY. Paul Leicester Ford, the Novelist Murdered by His Brother. WHO SHOT AND KILLED HIMSELF The Family a Wry Itirh Om* an* the Murder Was ChiisciI liy a Family Ti'oul)lo About Money* Paul Leicester Ford, the novelist was shot and killed Thursday by his brother, Malcoin Webster Ford, writei and athlete, who immediately sent ; | bullet into his breast, dyinir instantly. The shooting occurred at 10.'JO a. ; in., in tlie handsome new mankloi which Paul Leicester Ford had built at :tT Fast 77th street, in the city ol Now York, and had occupied foi about a year. At the time of the shooting then were in the house besides the t\v< 'brothers, Mrs. Paul Leicester Ford, Miss Elizabeth II. Mail, the novelist's | secretary, and the servants. Tlu novelist was silting at his desk in one corner of his library, a laryro, altraej lively appointed room at the back ol I the house on the second tloor. It b supposed he was busily engaged at some literary task. Miss Jla!l was at her desk in another corner of the room about .'10 feet from Mr. Ford. Mrs. Paul Leicester Ford was io her own room at the front of the house on the third lloor. Maleom \V. Ford called, as he often had done, and went to his brother at his desk. Words were exchanged in a tone so low that Miss Hall could not hear what was said, t hough she says that possibly she might have distinct ished the words if she had been paying any attention to this particular meeting of the brothers. Suddenly there was a revolver shot and Miss Hall. Jumping up, darted from the room. Then, according to tin; statements of the police, Miss Hall said to herself that she must act more bravely and reenter the library. Meanwhile Malcolm Ford had called her. As she turned towards him, he placed his revolver to his heart; tired and fell, dying instantly. When Miss Hall turned to look at Paul, he was still standing at; his desk, but rapidly losing strength. She helped him to a sofa and then ran next door for Paul Ford's physician, Dr. Fmanuel Darnell. In less than live minutes Dr. liarueh arrived and the dying man, still conscious, was carried up to a room beside his wife .sand placed on lii.s bed. He spoke to his wife, and asked the doctor for his opinion, showing that lie cvno'tofl ?l<?.iii? o.wi ....... 1111*1 v??.-> miing to meet it calmly and bravely. A few moments later, about 20 minutes after lie was shot, Mr. Kurd died. The bullet which killed Paul Leicester Ford just grazed the top of his heart and passed through a large artery ascending from it. The bullet which killed Malcolm Ford was tired with t lie same accuracy of aim, for itmade a wound scarcely an inch lower than the one which killed his brother. In fact, the wounds were almost indention!. .lust what disposition of Malcolm's body was made, immediately after the shooting, could not be ascertained, but it appears from the statement of certain persons acquainted wit h the details of the tragedy that the body lav where it. fell, on a rug in the library for sometime, possibly for several hours, so great was the excitement in the house, in fact the murder and suicide were not known to the coroner unt il about, 2:.'to p. m., and not to t lie police until 4:2f> p. m. Dr. Haruch said that the time between 10:20 a. m., and 2:.'U> p. m., passed so rapidly that no one in the house realized it. Much of the t ime was occupied in trying to telephone to the father of Mrs. Paul Leicester Ford, IOdward II. Kidder of Lrooklyn, who was the lirst person to arrive at irr liic pnysictan. Mr. Kidder refused to make any statement in regard to the shooting except, a brief memorandum which was given to the police. In this it was said that, the cause of the si looting could be only surmised. I nformation from other sources makes it appear t hat Malcolm Kord called to get money from his brother, and meet ing with a refusal shot him. I >r. Itaruch said that the murder was a result of temporary mental aberration on the part of Malcolm ford, due to nervous exhaustion. m is said that there, was enmity between the two brothers, and consequent bitterness, and that it was of 11 ycars's standing; that never since the death of their father have they been on intimate or brotherly terms. This alleged enmity on the part of Malcolm is said to have been brought about by the fact that the father of the boys disinherited Malcolm, and that this action on the father's part was because he did not wish Malcolm to devote himself to an athletic career. Police ('apt. brown said Thursday night that Malcolm \V. l?'ord had for sometime been causing much uneasiness to the family through evidences of an unbalanced mind and declares that, in his opinion, he attacked Ids brother during a period of temporary insanity, then taking his own life. "The cause of Malcolm Font's act^ said Capt. brown, "can be expJaATied by inference. For some tlnuxpast his financial affairs have bej)Ki pressing him and he has repeatcjtty asked and received material a^mtance from his brother, it is. 'presumed that his im I C? THURSDAY, M / port unities haul l?een such and iiis demand so excessive that his brother had been forced to refuse further aid." l'aul Leicester Ford was 87 years ' old, a novelist of much note, "Janice | Meredith" being Ins most popular novel. lie was married about a year ago to Miss (irace Kidder, daughter i of IOdward II. Kidder of ltrooklyn. i lie was a son of (iordon Lester Ford of ltrooklyn, who died II years ago, and left an estate of some $-,000,000 ; 1 divided bet ween his children, wit h the 'exception of Malcolm \V., who was 'disinherited by the will. Mr. Ford was la member of the Flayers, Reform and ( roller clubs, the Century association and Sons of t he Revolution. Malcolm W. Ford was born in > Mrooklyu Feb. 7, 1802. He was cdu. cated at the ltrooklyn Folytechnic institute. He took up athletics while 1 at school and for a number of years i won championships in this country and Canada and in the hundred yard run. two twenty yard hurdles, running broad and running high jumps, j I le was the all around amateur champ- i Ion for half a dozen years. He was so I" passionately fond of athletics that he c is said to have neglected everything else to devote time to running and jumping, lie married a daughter of Robert Craves, a wall paper manufac- ( - i hut. iuiv i ney wore (moreen. lie was a member of the Lawyers' cluli. A Misunderstanding. The lialeigh, \V. Va., Wegister. says ' a funny tiling happened over at (ireen Sulphur a few days ago. A young man was court ing in that vicinity and h kissed Instill, when she blushed and ; pretended t<> be offended and threatened to tell her father and rushed out t ? i the bade porch where the old man was oiling his gun. Ity thej iine sh i reached her father, her anger had eool' ed and to account to hey lather for her sudden appearance, said, "l*a, Mr. i Kissum wants to see your gun." Tak< ing up the gun the man went to the parlor door, and the young thllnw seeing him with the gun thought he was i going to be shot and jumped throug.li the window and lied. Thk4 old man thinking he had gone insane went ' j through the window after him. lie never stopped running until he t bought i he was safe from the old man's wrath, > who returned to the house where his daughter explained.' It took a twenty 1 page letter 'for the girl to explain the situation, and now things are running smoot hly again. III*IT Most 1111(1 tllO IjIIW. Ilcrr Most, the New York anarchist, i was sent to jail for one year in New York Monday. Most, had been found I guilty of circulating incendiary literature some time ago and sentenced, II but his lawyer appealed the case. ! Pending a decision, Most was out on bail and spent his time, circulating i more literal ore of the same kind. The I case was decided against Most and he was informed Sunday that he would j be arrested that night. The anarchists in ,\i'\v 1 on< gave lit in a rousing send j oil, and tin* police had great ditllculty j in getting Most out of the hall. The I New York papers state that Most and his associates have been going amongst the newly arrived foreigners of the J city and exciting great sympathy for j I themselves by posing as martyrs, op- i I pressed by the government, and, as a consequence, have gained many coni verts, who will in the future give the police much trouble. Says It In True. Mr. Adam Loskoskie, an Anderson boy who has been serving in Uncle Sam's army in the Philippines, has been spending a week or so with relatives in and near that city. Mr. Loskoskie fully corroborates the stories that have been printed in the newspapers about the cruelties practiced upon the natives by the American troops. Some of t lit; atrocities I hesoldiers have been guilty of are, lie says, almost beyond believing, lie saw the noted "water cure" ad- ; ministered numbersof t imes, and on one occasion he saw a batch of 15 natives taken out and hanged because they would not give certain information regarding the insurgents which they were supposed to possess. He said that the orders given by the oil leers were often very distasteful to tm: i-riiisMMi men in carrying out these cruelties, awl that there was much dissatisfaction. Hunted :i Whole Year. The Jacksonville Times Union and Citizen of Saturday says: While the fire which started on May .'I, 1001, and | devasl ated t he city was under cont rol I within seven 1 lours, yet it has been burning for the past JUf> days. J. II Kooker, William I laker and a Times 1 | Union and Citizen reporter went to the ruins of the Old Mohawk block, j and with a shovel dugolT the top of the pile of broken brick and mortar. Three or four inches from the top the < place was warm and smoke was seen to come from the hole dug. Disking still deeper each shovelful became hotter as it. was taken out. Digging lit tie deeper, red coals were found, I and as soon as the breeze fanned it ' it, blazed. The lire department was notified and a st ream of water was turned on. Horrible Accident. Dour men were killed, two fatally injured and two other terribly burned by being caught In a torrent of molt en Mn;uai luwutiy in liio rcnpsylvania Steel Works at Steel ton, Pa. Allot" the men were Austrians. The men were at work in the pit behind the "checkers" when the Iron .ore boiler over the furnace burnecUsnut and the ent ire pit was tniusd'into a pool of lire. /The Dockctt, gave it of warning as the Iron commenced to flow Into the pit and three of the laljorers escaped fatal injury. The others thinking evidently that the overllow was a slight one, similar to those which occur frequently pressed 1 against the side of the pit and were caught in the awful llood. I - VY 15, 1J)()2. ! A SPICY DEBATE. Senators Carmack and Dollivrr Compliment Each Cthcr AND THEN LAUGH ADOUT IT. Tim Two HfMintoi'M Mivctl on t lit* Philippine Hill. \Vhicli In Now ItcillK Disciimkctt ill fill* Semite. Discussion of the Philippine hill in the senate, while it scarcely abated in bitterness, took on an amusing phase Tlnirsdiiy. in a breezy speecli Mr. Dolliver of Iowa made such a good naturcd, and yet such a sarcastic arraignment of M r.Cannaek of Tennessee 1 that, senators and oeeupants of I he thronged galleries were convulsed with laughter. While seemingly considerable temper was aroused I?y the debate, good feeling was shown by the active participants in I lie war of words Mr. Dolliver and Mr. Carmack who cordially shook hands and laughed over I he encounl er. Mr. burton of Kansas concluded the speech which he began Thursday, lie referred,as instances of asl rocious cruelly, to the bat I le of Wounded Knee, to the Mountain Meadow massacre and to the massacre of t'nion soldiers tit l'ort, Pillow and contended that the action of the American troops in the Philippines was, in most, instances, entirely within the regulations of civilized warfare. Continuing, Mr. liurton referred to the remarkable speech delivered in the senate Wednesday by, Mr. Tillman of South Carolina, lie paid a t ribute to the woik being done by Hooker Washington for the colored race and suggested that if t he colored people would follow his advice they would be successful. CAltMACK "LOOSKNH Ul'." Mr. Carmack of Tennessee replying to M r. I >u r ton, made a hi It ci denunciation of (Ion. Funston. lie said lie did not question his physical courage huta few acts of dare devilt ry in the Philip pun's (mi nm make a hero. When Funstou had stated that Augiiinaldo had buried .'too people alive at one t i me, , said Mr. Carmaek, lie told a deliherate and premeditated lie. The sudden waking up of Republicans, he said, was for the deliberate purpose of reviving sectional hate in order to divert this debate and t he at tent Ion of the people from t he atrocities which have been permitted in the' Philippines. "I suppose it is in obedience to instructions from the. White House," said he,''that the effort is being made to reopen the wounds of the country that, have been healed." Facing the Republican side, and speaking with evident emontion, Mr. Carmaek said: "i shall be ready to j meet every slanderer of I he soul h and every defamer of its honor, whether i the assailant comes from some part of the country beyond the borders of the south or whether it be some recreant and degenerate son who has proved a traitor to the womb and bosom of his mother." Mr. Carmaek said, referring to the! charges of lynchings, etc., in the south: "You cannot help us by denudation. The best thing you can do is to keep your mouth shut and let us alone." DICVILISII IMriJDKNCK. Mr. Carmack declared that. Mr. | Lodge was dishonoring the American army and the American senate hy defending orders wtdch looked to I lie murder of women and children. Such orders of deat h, a brutal and inhuman order, could not he justified hy anybody; yet these were t he orders which senators had the*'devilish impudence" to Justify. "I>oos the senator think,"asked Mr. Spooncr, "thatsuch a phrase, 'devilish impudence' is proper under the rules of t he senate,?" "No, I do not ," said Mr. Carmack, "and I withdraw the expression." Mr. Carmack said that Mr. Lodge had not suggested any reason why Gen. Smith should not be hanged as a common murderer. "Smit h lias not," said Mr. Carmack, "burned people at the stake, lie had done nothing hut butcher a whole people in cold blood, lit; lias dishonored the whole American army." Mr. Korakcr inquired if Mr. Carmack thought it was the purpose of I'resident McKinley in taking over the Philippine islands to provide a theatre Of scoundrelism. DIFKKltKNT I'CKI'OSKS. Mr. Carmack replied that McKinley's purpose was that of "benevolent assimilation:" tlie purpose of the llepubllcan part y now is malevolent dlssimllat ion." (Laugter.) Mr. Dolllver rosirl :i n nrlitnri!>l f wmi I a Memphis newspaper upon Mr. Car- j mack's recent speech on the 1'hlllp- j pine question In which that paper took sharp Issue with t lie Tennessee senator as to Ills conclusions. Mr. Polliver's comments upon the editorial as he read it were highly amusing and both senators on the floor and people in the galleries laughed heartily at his sarcastic allusions. Til.I.MAN Ol TTAl.KKO. in reply Mr. Car mack said lie had no Idea of "tossing jawbone with the redoubtable tongue slugger from Iowa." He said that where his language was not witty his gestures were ridioullous. "So far as his argument Is concerned," said the Tennessee senator, "lie might just as well have liceri swinging by his prehensile tall from a leafy hough.'' lie said tliiit tin* newspaper from which Mr. 1 >?>11!v?>r road was awiu'd largely by Luke K. Wright, a member of the Phlllpplno commission, lie charged that Mr. Dolllver in Ids speech Just itled murder in I lie Philippines and defended the order of (Jen Smith. "Poor old Smith." he continued, tile scoundrel the murderer the butcher. I am glad to say that the senator from Iowa is the only man thus far that lias risen in his place to defend that bloody old scoundrel. "I do not call the senator from Iowa o order," said M r. Carmack. "If he had been any other senator on that side I would have done so. I did not call him to ordet, because I knew that to require him to speak the luntfuaifc of decency and courtesy in <! hate would have been to condemn him to absolute silence for the rest of his life." x A ( ALL To OllDKIt. "I call the senator from Tennessee to order,"su jested Mr. lloarot Massachusetts, "and I desire a ruling from the chair on my point of order." "The language," said the chair, I "was clearly out of order. Put the j senator lias taken his seat." " 1 do not ." Interpossed M r. Dolllver. "regard the I m^ua^e of sulllcient im-j |?>| iiiiiu: l<? iiuy ill ll'lll |()ll 1(1. " 4'Thai set ilot ii8iiId Mi. <!armnck, "if the senator from Iowa thinks it of mi import a nee it earned lie. However Mr. I'resident, since the chair rules that my lun^ntifte Is out of older I will withdraw it With this statement I he e\ han^e of persnnalit ies between t he senators from Tennessee and Iowa ceased. A Ia.ost immediately Mr. (.'arinaek rose from his seat and walked over to Mr. I > 'Hiverand shook hands with him cordially. Alter chatting a minute or t wo in evident jjood feeling, the Tennessee senator st epped down to the . desk of Mr. Iloar and shook hands as cordially with the vonerablcscnat.or j from Massachusetts. Thus I he sharp debate between senators was ended in perfect jjood humor. >li\ Domiiiick Kxoiiernted. The'joint legislativecommittee in session Wednesday afternoon to investigate the chtir^es made against licpresentative Domlnick, after a lengthy session, exonerated Mr. Dominick. Several wit nesses were, examined, but nothing of a sensational character was developed and at six o'clock t he commit tee went into executive session. At s..'to they came out, hut would not make public the text of this report, hut it was ascertained that all members of the conference' committee will lie exonerated. The committee it is understood will hold that the testimony shows that the actions of Mr. Ifominlck in attempting to amend t he hill In the way lie did was open and not accompanied by iiikroin'otfiii'iU"" ..e ( ....( ? 1 1 > ? ",! ill l .111,1, Af. HI I lit' complaint t.liat Ik; tried to insert foreign matter, it is said thai the attempt. was made openly and he supported the proposition upon the tloor of the house at length in a speech. The report will attach no hlamc to his actions except insofar as the committee does not approve of such legislation though if has hecn indulged in before. A Novel I'nrdon. (lov. .ielferson Davis of Arkansas pardoned Thompson, a negro, on condition that Thompson go to Massachusetts witliin the next .'to days with the intention of becoming a citi/.cn of tiiiit State. Tliompson was convicted in Prairie county of assault with intent to kill and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary. The governor makes t lie following endorsement on the application for pardon: ''Having just returned from the north and having heard many expressions hy t he citizens of Massachusetts for what they were pleased to call t he poor oppressed negro of the south and desiring that they shall have an opportunity to reform a certain portion of the negro population of our State. Therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, governor of the State of Arkansas by virtui"o of t he, const itution and authority-vested in me by the constitution and the laws of Arkansas do grant unto Andrew Thompson, a negro, a full and free pardon on condition that he become within the next .'to days a citizen of Massachusetts." A ItegroMaide "Accident." The War Department Wcdnedav evening received the following eahlegran from Manila: Adjutant General, Washington. Gen. George W. I>avls reports Saturday afternoon, May .'t, prisoners that liad been disarmed sitting on open hill top and surrounded hy strong guard, at a concentrated signal sprang to their feet and rushed down the 111II. Several endeavored to slezc lllleS from guard. and one succeeded while soldiers was drinking from canteen. Direction of the l1l|<tiL such aA to bring them to the rear of the company so that tiring upon the Moros would endanger our men. Guard and one company opened tire without orders killing Nine were recaptured and the others escaped. Regret this ac-I eldent as it, was desired to release the | prisoners, except a few of the leaders and encourage the return of others to peaceful labors. Chaffee. Have Yon Hands? To the W.ditor of The State. This department is in receipt of a number of inquiries in regard to farms in the State suitable for settlers. An urgent request comes front parties in San Luis Potosl, who want descriptions of locations. Information will be gladly given to those who will correspond with such parties. Respeotfully, .lames O. (iibites, State Land Agent. Columbia, S. C., May 7, 1902. NO.42. Tin Til OK HISTORY. Senator Vest, of Missouri, Speaks for the Confederacy. IIE DENIES A FAMILIAR STORY \Ihmii tin* Hampton I'oikIm Confercncc, Which Wan (Quoted hy Senator It. It. Tillman ol' this State. Iii i lie roiled States Senate tin Thursday Senator Vest called attention to the statement of Senator Tillman made Wednesday, which he said lie was compelled to take notice of in jtist Ice hotli to I lie living and t he dead. That statement, which had lieen found in tlie public press and up< n the lecture platform for the last three years, was that at the historic conference in Hampton Roads in 1801 between I'resident Lincoln, Wm. II. Seward, secretary of state; Alexander II. Stevens, vice president of the (Jonfederate States: It. M. T. Hunter, former Till ted States senator, and John A. Campbell, formerly justice of the United States supreme court: President Lincoln wrote upon a piece of paper "save the union," then handing it to Stephens, said, Alex., take this paper and till up for yourselves the conditions of peace between the two countries." Mr. Vest said the story had been denied hy John II. Reagan of Texas, who was t he last surviving member of the Confederate cabinet, lie knew personally, said Mr. Vest, without having been present at that combined In M'rvunv t nut llie Incident was without the slightest foundation. "If true, ' said he, "it would place the government and ollleers of the Confederate States in t he category of criminals, because it, olTercd the Confederacy all t hat it ever demanded In the wildest hope of the most extreme partisans of that cause If they would only return to the union." "l AM Till*: ONLY 8UKVIVOH." A deep silence had fallen upon the chamber and every member on the lloor listened to him with rapt attention. With tfreat deliberateness he continued: "If true, it would mean that the Confederates could have placed on that sheet of paper the perpetual establishment of slavery and the ritfht of secession, the most extreme demand that had ever taken locally even in the dreams of any Confederate." Krom the lips of Stephens and Hunter had come to him, he said, t he details of what took place. Upon the return of the commissioners of t he Confederacy he heard their olllclal report as Mr. I teaman heard It, he Imintf a mouther of the cabinet and himself a member of the Confederate sen ate. "I am today the only surviving member of the 2<> gentlemen who acted .i> v '>nn-ucraie senators," he said. WHAT LINCOLN SAID. Mr. Vest then stated that what did happen at Hampton 1 toads beyond question was this: That when the president and Secretary Seward met l lie commissioners of the Confederacy, Mr. Lincoln, addressing himself to Mr. Hunter, whom lie know well, said "In the first place, gentlemen, I desire to know whether your powers and instructions from the Richmond government," avoiding, said Mr. Vest, as Mr. Hunter told him himself, the words "Confederate States." Mr. Hunter, to whom the inquiry was addressed, said: "Mr. President, we. are instructed to consider no proposition that does not involve the independence of the Confederate States of America." "Then," said Mr. Lincoln, "the Interview may as well terminate now, for I must say to you gentlemen, frankly and honestly, that nothing will bo accepted from the government at Richmond except absolute and unconditional surrender." Mr. Vest then said that this terminated the interview and as the Confederate commissioners retired, President Lincoln, addressing Stephens, who was the last to go out, said: "Stephens, you are making a great mistake. Your government is a failure and when the crash comes, as It soon must coin*.1, there will lie chaos and ,iiu.... vi.n.im,?;i ?yiiiuii wo cannot now roresee which must come to your people." "This account of that Interview," continued Mr. Vest, "substantially and almost word for word as 1 have gPven It came tome from Mr. Stephens and Mr. Hunter." Till'. TRUTH OK III8TOUY. Mr. Vest, said that ho considered It ills duty to make this statement in order that the men who were said to have refused this offer at the hands of President Lincoln, should not l>e made to sin in their graves, adding, "for If they had refused what was said to have liecn tendered to them by the president they would have been accessories to the murder of every man who fell from that time In defense of the Confederate cause, and they should have given the lie to the intentions which they professed when they riska/1 t l! ?.- ? <.. ? ,i ij i 1111x, uveiyunng mat is Held dear amongst men in defense of the Confederate cause." A SOI.KM N DKNIAL. While the deep silence still reigned In the chamber as he spoke and with every eye directed towards hfcn, Mr. Vest concluded as follows: "it may Ik4 hut a very short time till I shall join the 25 colleagues I had in the Confederate senate, and 1 did not want this statement to go into the record of this country without my statement of these facts and my solemn denial that t here Is no shadow of truth In this assertion which has been going the rounds of the newspapers of the country for the last few years."