The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, July 27, 1905, Image 9
I'<? LIOUOR LAW
V m \
tacked at a Farmers' Meeting
by John L. McLaurin.
smith wumstey.
e President of the South Carolina
Southern Qotton Association Objected
to Politics Being Brought in
a Farmers Rally. Several
Fine Speeches Made.
Tuesday of last week was cotton
jwers' day in Dillon. The 500
lrdy sons of the soil who gathered
ere to hear the distinguished geuimen
who had been invited to make
drnOHAa tlAforA fr.h? rvnnt.o nnmmn
19VviMAVWWWU w*?v? w uuv; uuuiuu
I fen and exchange ideas On the culA
Ijjlire of cotton and other crops pecu
8 i Mr to the South, represent ing every
* I?otion of the old Swamp Fox County,
! |ut the bulk of the crowd came from
{! pe upper end of the countyyor what
IS known in local parlance as* "new i
1 JBunty territory." The gathering
I If ^ unWu? ,n t,iat the crowd assem <
lH P at l*10 ^ school auditorium and
Awk k composed of men of every walk
'Tpi fife?bankers, merchants, farmers,
Jnanufacturers, and professional men ,
f?with here and there a politician.
a The committee on entertainment
Shad selected well and it seldom falls
Jto the lot of a town as small of Dillon
1$ to have such a galaxy of distinguished
orators within its bonders in a single
day.- There was Kx Senator Mc
' Laurin and Col. Knox Livingstone, of i
Ji Bennettsvllle; the Hon. F. 11 Hyatt
| and Col F. II. Weston, of Columbia;
1 the Hon. Richard 1 Manning and the
iifM Hon. B D Smith, of Sumter; R, P.
h >} Ilamer, of Ilamer, and Congressman i
. <r J. E. EUerbe, of SellerA Each of
I 3 these gentlemen came with something
f i | to tell and they told it so well that
j those who listened went away bene- i
titled. The addres. es were rem irka <
ble for their force and logic and depth
and breadth of thought and the
t* ,'Hudience showed its appreciation for
/ % individual elfort by frequent
*~ou? sts of applause. County
J QtuolrVl Anon r*vr?.< i d Arl ? tn/I
/ ?iuu k)(.avjniiuujo ^iuhiuou uuu Hit}
xAnu was opened with a very el(j- i
^^<Ju6*nt and touching prayer by the i
Kev. J. D. Oroul.
1IAMKK AND MANNING 81'KAK. 1
The lirst speaker introduced was \
^ the Hon. E. P. llamer, who felt high'
ly complimented in being asked by
his home people to speak on such an (
important subject. Mr. llamer said
that this is distinctively a commercial i
age and every class of people was orgy
^ized except the farmer and par ;
t ularly the "c ?tton tot." He held (
\ ' 1) thorough organization would
, el .ble the strong to help the weak (
J and that there should be a fixed price i
at which to sell cotton, that is, a
price for those with obligations and a
price ior those in urgent need of money.
Mr. Hairier strongly advt cited
the ware house system and pointed
out that with the CDOperation of the
ootton and oil mills, ware houses
could be successfully and economically
run. Mr. Hamer is a practical man
and his talk being along practical
lines was well received. His remarks
were greeted with prolonged applause.
The Hon. It. I. Manning, who was
next introduced, urged the necessity
of thorough organization among the
farmers. Mr. Manning's speech was
spirited and at times eloquent. His
earnestness appealed to the audience
and he was frequently Interrupted
with applause, lie believed in the
/ bunded ware 'house and urged the
farmer to hold his cotton and borrow
money whenever the price was so low
that It did not pay him to sell. Mr.
Manning made a good impression on
his audienc3 and at the conclusion of
his remarks was followed by the Hon.
John L. McLaurin. Just here a genuine
sensation was sprung, which
created a furor in the audience.
TIIK DIHI'KNSAUY INTKODUCKD.
Mr. McLaurin had been speaking
but a few minutes and had paused
after an eloquent and touching description
of the horrors of the reconstruction
period, when a young man
walked rapidly across the front of the
sfai/e ar.ri handed him the following
note: )
''Senator: At our committee meeting
yesterd.iy we oecided we were all
of one accord on the cotton question,
having read much or.the subject and
having many able spe 'Jiers who will
f follow you here today. For that
it reason we di elded that '/e would re
E mind you that the brrnlng question
f of the hour with us is, and will be for
* the immediate futur&v dispensary or
no dkpeusary, and If you have no
serious objections would like to hear
your vjews on the subject. What do
t you* fbik of the dispensary law as it
^ Is written on the statue books of this
fState, as it has been, is, and probably
111 be, as long as it is a law executed
y those In authority.'
"Wade Stackhouse,
"W. T. Bethea,
M.Wm. M. Hamer,
I . 'bt V. Moore,
} V t&T Hamer."
As MV- WtoLau/yti read the note a
half amused smile played over his
features. Then turning to the audienee,
with a dramatic wave of his
band, he said that his reoord in the
Senate was evidenoe sufficient that he
had never been afraid to express his 1
views on any question, and although 1
he had come here prepared to talk i
about ootton he would at the request
of the oommlttee state his views on
I
the most corrupt institution that ever I
cursed a State. This announcement '
was greeted with shouts of applause, i
MCLAUKIN APPLAUDED
Instantly the doorways and wirdows
became crowded and men leaued 1
forward in their seats to catch every j
word that fell from his Hps. Although
a delightful breeze was sweeping the {
vast auditorium the Ex Senator dl (
vested himself of his collar and tie, *
which he quietly laid on the table s
beside him. Twice the chairman *
called time on him but the last time 1
he was told that his time was up 1
Messrs Weston and Hyatt sprang t~> ^
their feet simultaneously and gener- 1
ously offered him live minutes tach of 1
their time. His arraignment of Till- 1
man and the dispensary was severe *
and occasionally some staunch sup- 1
porter of the institution would 5
arise and quietly walk out of the hall 1
Mr. McLauriu argued strongly that
the people could not hope to escape 1
from the dispensary through legisla *
live action and that therefore the (
policy should be to vote it out by c
counties. The protest of the election f
in Pickens county, he declared, was 1
merely a ruse of politicians to prevent ,
the effect that tho prohibition victory I
there would otherwise have in counties
where eleotions are pending. The
Ex Senator was uusparing in his arraignment
of Senator Tillman's course
and at times he showed considerable ,
feeling in his references to the chief
dispensary champion.
The speech has been the talk of the
day in Dillon. While Mr. McLaurin
in his speech made no statement of ]
his personal political plans and did ?
not commit himnftlf ir? ar\\t wjv
?? - w 1L4 vrnimj ?? ?/ I uugin
are mauy who believe that he expects a
to be active and aggre&sive In tbe 1
light against the dispensary and In 1
favor of prohibition by counties. 8
They say that this will inevitably 8
place Mr. McLaurin in the forefront,
as representing the sharpost antagon- 1
ism to the Tillman dispensary idea *
and that he will naturally make his
tight by becoming a candidate for the r
United States Senate in li)0(h 1
At the conclusion of his speech Mr. s
McLaurin was loudly checked and sev- 1
eral gentlemen sprang upon the 1
rostrum and grasped his hand. It 8
was clear that he had the audience 1
with him, although there was a large (
sprlnklii g of strong dispensary advo- *
eates in the crowd. '
T1IKEE MOKE SPEECHES. 1
The next speaker was Mr. F. II.
Weston, of Columbia, who discussed (
the Cotton Growers' Association from (
the banker's point of view. Mr.
Weston is a strong and vigorous '
speaker and easily held the attention 1
of the audience, lie advocated the 1
building of bonded ware houses and i
bold tbe farmers that they would have (
no diiliculty in borrowing almost up to 1
tlie limit on their cottou if it was f
properly housed. He referred elo- 1
quenfcly to the period Df reconstruo- J
tion and pointed out the independence 8
of the Southerner of today. lie was 1
frequently Interrupted with applause '
and loudly cheered at the conclusion 1
of his talk. 1
Mr. F. II. Hyatt caught the audience
with a series of original anec- ]
dotes. He begged pardon for branch- 1
lng oil on good roads, but just couldn't 1
talk before such an audience without
telling his hearers of the manifold '
advantages of good roads. He advised (
planters to make their farms attrac- 1
tive and keep the boys at home and 1
wound up with a strong argument for <
tbe diversification of crops. 1
Congressman J. E. Ellerbe was introduced
and brietly reviewed the 1
work of the Association thus far. He '
said he felt that a great deal had been 1
accomplished, but that the work had 1
only begun. He referred to the re- i
cent rise in the price of cotton as an !
indication that the South had at last 1
caught the ear of Wall street specu- 1
lators. If so much had been accom- I
plished in such a short time the pos- 1
sibilities of sucsess could not be exag- '
gerated. Mr. Ellerbe was received
with prolonged applause. 1
PRESIDENT SMITHS CONDEMNATION.
Several speakers followed McLaurin
before Mr. E. I). Smith, president of
the South Carolina division of the
Southern Cotton association, and the |
last speaker, was introduced. Another
sensation was at once sprung. Ad- j
vanning to that part of the stage
where Mr. McLaurin was seated,
President Smith made fiery denunciation
and condemnation of the effort j
to inject politico at the meetings held
under the auspices of the Southern
Cotton Association. He informed the 1
audience and the committee that they 1
were met here not to discu'8 polltios,
though he did not question their righ*
to grant any privileges they might
care to indulge. "One thing only has
called us together toda>, the beneHo
of Southern farmers, and as your
president I do not intend that this
purpose shall be side tracked even
for the miserable, damnable dispensary."
Just h'ere a curious phase of "meetings"
was evidenced. It was clear,
while Mr. McLaurln was speaking,
that the splendily representative audience
was entirely in sympathy with
him. There was no mistaking the
loud, ringing applause that constantly
interrupted him and the great interest
manifested in all he had to say.
It was eauallv clear and immiaKoi/?KU
as to the direot purpose of Mr. Smiths
remarks and for whom they were intended,
and this same audienoe gave
him loud and Ion? oontinued oheering ,
and applause. ]
A OOOD 8FKAKKH. ,
Ool. Norment, who reported the <
meeting for The State says Mr. Smith f
Is a remarkable speaker and he oould i
bo beard in every community In South i
Carolina with great benefit. Lack of <
space prevents anything like even a 1
synopsis of this fine speech which was <
listened to with the closest attention i
for about one hour. He gave some <
Interesting details concerning bis
work, of Its discouragements and its
successes and showed some dangers
threatening the association. He went
Into the depths of his subject, showing
the great principles involved and
rave figures showing that the work
'had put more money into the pockits
of Southern farmers" than idle
iritlos would ever understand. Three
itrong points in closing were emphailzed
amid the undivided attention of
ibe undiminished audience. Those
were, first, that cotton was the cur ency
of the south; second, that there
vas no substitute for this greatest
product of the world and that the
Imited area for its growth was conined
to the south, aud thirdly,
his combination gave us a great
nonopoly. Mr. Smith made a telling
ipeech and he must have been gratlled
at the reception given him.
In the afternoon the speakers were
carried to the handsome rooms of the
Commercial club where "things" were
loue up in style. ChampaKue, fine
figars aud camaraderie made pleasint
moments go rapidly by and gave
lnisliing touches to a hospitable
velcome to a fine town aud to a fine
people.
A ST. LOUIS SENSATION
In Which a .South Carol InaiaiiH and
His Wife Figure.
''DeLorme?Hattie Weber DejOrme,
died; mother of Mamie, Helen
ind Homer aDd John F. X. DeL >rme,
ind wife of Homer DeLorme, July 17,
i905, at 3960 north Eleventh street.
Funeral seivices in South Carolina
imong relatives. News and Courier
ind State please copy."
The above notice was published In
he St. Louis papers last we k, but a
ipccl&l ispatch from St. L tuis to
L'he State say* Mrs. DeLorme is not
lead. Dr. DeLorme was simply mis,aken.
lie explained his mistake to
io01 e sorrowing friendi who called uf,er
reading toe death notice in the
nornlng paper. Others he waved
iway with a revolver. Ills explanation
was that a relative in South (Jarilina
had dird, n t his wife. Never
jheless the doctor did not take down
ihe purple cloth doing duty as crepe
>n his ooor.
Two or three large nails held It securely,
nor did he open the windows
>r shutters, despite the Intense heat
To all outside appearances the DeLorme
home Tuesday of last wer k was
i house of mortal grief. Neighbors of
jhe family stood in the street in little
<roups and talked In low tones of the
loctor's actions. "Don't go near
bhere, he'll shoot you," they told perions
who started toward the house.
Mrs. A. E. Kiltmeyer, sister of Mrs
DeLorme, was met at the door, she
?ays, by the doctor with two revolvers.
Fie told her, she says, that his wife
.vas not dead and not ill. There are
\>ur children as named in the death
notice.
Wednesday at the request of Mrs.
DeLorme's brother, Chas. Weber, poice
accompanied by Weber descended
jpon the DeLorme residence and took
Dr. DeLorme and Mrs. DeLorme,
*hom they found within, to the sixth
ilstrict police station. Dr. DeLorme
lad refustd to permit Weber to see
ais sister and had telephoned the
chief of police for assistance in ejecting
Weber.
Dr. DeLorme explained at the station
that he had announced his wife's
leath hoping to stop his persecution
oy his wife's relatives. "I want to
he alone.." ht> vt ra noT n?mn
? , ..w AIA I o. ly^i J Ji UIU
laid she had no complaint to make
So after a short detention all were
permitted to leave. Dr. DeLorme removed
from the door the crepe that
had hunt? there all Tuesday and also
the notice warning his wife's relatives
against visiting her. Dr. H. A. De
Lorme, a native of Sumter and graduate
of the South Carolina Military
academy in the class of 1890, is a
physician in St. Louis.
A Florida Tragedy,
A double tragedy occurred at Evlnston,
Fla., Thursday, in which John
P. Hester, a prominent merchant,
ihot Postmaster W. O. Barron and
ihot and killed his son, Watt Barron.
For several months, it is understood,
Barron and Hester have been on bad
terms and recently, it is said, Hester
reported Barron to the postotflce department
in Washington, charging
mismanagement of the affairs of the
Evinston ottice. Wednesday afternoon
Hester sent a messenger for bis mail.
Postmaster Barron refused to deliver
the mail without a written order and
r >formed the messenger, requiting
til Hi to return to Hester and secure
i written order. Instead of complying
with the request, it is said that Hester
picked up a shotgun from his store
ind proceeded to the postotlicc, when
the shooting occurred, the postmaster
inif tnvnmlu 1*7 A-4. I ?
wiups nwuuUCU, TT <11/ll UttT'
ron, son of the poslmaster, was loading
a car with watermelons a few rods
from the scene. Hearing the report
rf the gun he left the car and proceed'
3d toward the store to ascertain the
trouble when he was met by Hester
ind instantly killed. Hester mounted
i horse and made his escape after the
tragedy.
stronger Than Ever,
General Hatjanoff, oommander of
the Third Russian Maochurian army
reoenbly declared that the Japanese
were unable to advance, both on account
of the strengthening of Russian
positions and because they have
sot fully recovered from their own
loss at the battle of Muken. "Never
Jurln* the whole war" he said "has
the Russian army been so strong in
avry respect as at present. The Japanese
know this and therefore they
wish for peace.
NOT WANTED.
Members of Spartanburg Cotton
Association Snub McLaurin.
NO CANDIDATE A^KKI)
To Speak at the Association Meeting,
and the President Says If McLaurin,
Who Had Been Invited by Outsiders;
Appeared, Meeting
Would be Called off.
A special dispatch to The Greenville
News says the Spartanburg couuty
cotton growers recently made appointments
for several special meetings In
the county. The date at ^Cherokee
Springs Is July 29. These meetings
were Intended to increase the mem
bershipof the association and to arouse
a more general intert st in the movement.
It was expected that they
would be farmers meetings with no
strings to them. President K, L.
Archer of the Cotton Growers' A.ssoci
ation was noli tied Friday tliat some of
the citiz?rs of Cherokee desired Col.
John L McLaurin to make the address
on the 29th inst.
It is said that recently McLaurin
upon learning of the meetii g of the
farmers, at Cherokee Springs wrote to
a friend in that section In forming him
of his willingness to address the larm
crs en that day. The curly headed orator
did not indicate thai ills speech
..,OU ? .. - t " ? 11*1" 1 - 1
uw in. in iv \j 'in iu i ii iiuro oil
when President Archer of thi. county
fcss elation was informed o' the fortnor
Senator's offer he promptly told
the recipient of the letter that owing
to a previous action of the committee
on invitation ire could not allow Mr.
McL:,uriu to speak at the meeting
which was railed by order of the association.
Mr. Archer feels that in
declining t: e ex Senator's proposition
he is but carrying out tho agreement
entered into by t he ctllcers and members
of the association when It was organized.
lie therefore declined to ex
tend an invitation to Mr. McLaurln.
It appears that some time ago when
arrangements were being made for
the (Jhrrokee meeting several names
of available speakers were suggested
by members of the. invitation committee
and all were, duly considered, it
is said that both Senator Tillman and
ex-Senator M< Lain in were among the
prominent ones mentioned an 1 were
rejected because hol oniy wa* politics
to be avowed tut even the semblance
of It
President Archer made the following
statement Saturday: "These
meetings were appointed for farmers.
If the people at C ierokee desire Col.
McLaurln to address them on any sub
ject they have a right to invite him
Hut If he Is to be there on the 29th
Inst, the farmers' meeting will be called
off. When the committee met to
consider the appointments, the names
of Col. MoLtturin and Senator Tillman
were mentioned. It was decided that
they would not be invited, as no real
or probable candidates were desired at
these meetings, which are to be held
by farmers for farmers, and notice is
hereby served on candidates for ollice,
and vote seekers, that they are not
expected to speak at these meetings
r ?.? v
x uaic liu uujcuiltui IU pUJ I L1UI HUM fid V
Ing their o*n meetings and airh g
their grievances or boasting of thejr
great achievements, but they will not
be Invited to speak at the farmers'
meetings."
BROWN RR BNTKD IT.
Ho AdHAlled a Keoent lCditorial in
the Barnwell Sentinel.
The State says news has come to
Columbia, via Camp Fuller, to the effect
that Mr. Clarence L. Brown and
Mr. G. Marshall Moore engaged In an
altercation In Barnwell Monday. The
aforesld altercation was a bloodless
affair, and It is hoped that it will end
with the meeting Monday.
Mr. Brown is the dispensary inspector
who suffered the misfortune to
lose $2,000 recently. Mr. Moore Is
the superintendent of the schools at
Barnwell and is also editor of the
Barnwell Sentinel, the paper which
was owned by Mr. Brown before he
sold It to Mr. Moore. In the edlto
rial p/iliimna t\t hhla nano* ??
.... W.UU.UU v.? vuia |/a(J01 UUC1C ap*
poarefl a paragraph commenting upon
Mr. Brown's m.sfortune in a way
which was distasteful to the inspector,
and he demanded a retractl< n.
The affair happened in the principal
business part of town. Mr. Brown,
pointing to the objectionable para
graph, expressed his opinion in regard
thereto with a great deal of force
so lb Is related.
The witness who reports the affair
says that Brown, after making a statement
to the effect that Moore had his
hand In his pocket, drew his revolver
with an invitation to Moore to do the
same thing. A. Mr. Moody ran up
about this time and separated them.
Brown put up a cash bond for $16 and
forfeited his revolver to the town of
Barnwell. The Barnwell Sentinel is the
weekly paper whloh attracted some attention
a few months ago by attacking
H. H. Evans, chairman of the dispensary
board, and the editor in turn was
threatened with a libel suit. It is said
that ou account of Mr. Moore's positive
stand on public questions he Is
having trouble to be reelected superintendent
of the schools. There has been
a deadlock In tne board for 30 days.
poison kd flour
Shipped To China And Results In
Humber Of Deaths
Will Not Only Hurt lrado In That
Commodity Hut In Other*
?Tho Story.
The Washington correspondent of
the Columbia Record bays a report Just
received in the United States shows
that American hour shipping interests
In China are likely to receive a heavy
blow soon, unless something is done
to correct a report that American flour
men are Betiding poisoned flour there.
The business of shipping flour to some
sections of China, especially to Amoy
and Chaugchau, is enormous. Last
year it amounted to 9353,502, and the
year previous to 9285,204. Not long
since a certain shipment of flour was
sent from llong Kong, and out of that
shipment somewnere between thirty
and forty people have died as a result
of having eaten a poisonous mixture.
All sorts of rumors have been spread
broadcast, and anti foreign agitation
has received a great impetus.
This shipment, which was sent from
llong Kong to Amoy, was consigned
to native Importers and was distributed
In the ordinary course of business,
and to a'l appearances was not different
from many shipments which had
been made before. The flrst trouble
onme at a Chinese restaurant where a
man who was eating a meal became
suddenly 111 and In a few moments
died. The keeper of the restaurant,
being accused of having adulterated
the flour w ith poison, agreed to eat
some of 11 le bread in order to show
that there was nothing the matter
with It. In the course of a few hours he
also was dead. His wife and daughters
also died from eating bread from the
same flour.
The story spread rapidly, and wherever
the flour had teen shipped the
Chinese died like so many dogs. In
Chaugchau, a city of 1,000,000 lnhahI
t\_l nip * IwA VAfl.li- 1- *
tuuuio, tua icaum iius L?UUU 10 almost
stop the rtcalp s of foreign Hour from
any port, llundreis of small store
keepers and takers have small stocks
of goods on hand which they are ua
ahlo to .sell on account of the fact that
the people are afraid to buy Imported
bread and Hour. The loss to these
little merchants, while considerable,
amounts, as a matter of fact, to nothing
in comparison to the enormous
loss of profits which will accrue from
loss of business which has taken many
years to build up. Unless the present
trouble can be bone away with., there
will .be a permanent loss, for Chinese
consumers will again become ace is
tomed to purely native food, arid the
ground gained there by Americans after
many years of ellort and labor will
be entirely lost.
There Is no explanation of the
trouble, but it is probable that Chinese
merchants made an effort to smuKgle
in morphia In sacks of Hour and
that the packages of poison were
broken, and the Hour was thus affected.
The duty on morphia is very high,
while that on Hour Is only 5 per cent,
ad valorem. Whatever the truth about
this matter my be, there Is no doubt
of the fact, as stated, that American
interests In the Hour shipping business
will be materially affected unless
relieved soon.
Fell Three TIiouhjuhI Keet.
Daniel Maloney, who made numerous
successful ascpnulnnu ujlih
_ Tf IVil X 1UI .
Montgomery's aeroplane, Tuesday fell
J,000 feet to his death at Santa Clara
Col. Maloney made an ascension from
the grounds of the Santa Clara College.
About 2 000 persons watched
with Interest the machine as It shot
upward from the college garden, attached
to a huge balloon. At a height
of 4,000 feet Maloney cut loose from
the balloon and began maneuvering
the aeroplane. He sailed gracefully
about, then essayed a deep dip. Suddenly
the machine swerved, hesitated,
and then turned over. It righted Itself,
sank down aconslderable distance,
and turned over again. Maloney was
clinging desperately to his seat, and
was evidently endeavoring to regain
control of the aeroplane, but all his
efforts were In vain, Again the aerop
lane turned In the air, the wings came
together, and the man and the machine
plunged straight downward, while the
horrified spectators gazed helplessly.
Killed l>y lilve Wire.
Samuel James, a white carpenter,
A (I -* -
-?u >co.ia ui ?ku, unmarriea, was killed
Wednesday by coming in contact
with a live wire at the Charleston
navy yard. James was employed by
the New York Continental Jewell
Filtration company on the dry dock.
He was on a scaffoldiug when he came
in contact with the wire. The wire
burnt him around the neck, .ausing
death instantly. The inquest was
held Thursday James wsts a native
of Baltimore. He has been residing
in Charleston and working at the navy
yard ror some t<ro^v
Hud km War.
The interstate oommero) commission
of Washington has issued a
builetin in walch it is stated that for
the first three months of 1905 there
were 28 passengers and 204 railroad
employers killed and 1,651 passengers
and 2,062 employes injured?making
a total of 232 persons killed and 3,713
injured in railroad accidents.
A New Nwindlf,
The Columbia Record says a young
white man named Spann was arrested
by Policeman Forde Thursday charged
with swindling. The alleged scheme
was to place a Mexican dollar with
four American dollars and ask that a
$5 bill be given for It. It is said
that several victims were oanght.
THIRTY YEARS
At Hard Labor in the Penitentiary
for Attempted Assault
ON A LITTLE GIRL
At New Sumter About Ten Days Ago. It
Took the Jury Nine Minutes to Decide
the Fate of the Fiend
Who Deserves to be Hung
for the Crime.
A special dispatch from Sumter to
The State says the jury declared Jesse
Nelson guilty of assault with Intent
to ravlsii after nine minutes' deliberation,
on Thursday afternoon.
Judge It. (). Purdy sentenced Nelson
to 30 years at hard lahor in the South
Carolina penitentiary. The sentence
to begin at the expiration of his sen
tence to the Clarendon county chaingang,
which will be July 0, 1910.
The case wis called Thursday mornInn.
The court appoints d Mr. L. I).
Jennings to defend the prisoner. Maj.
Marlon Molse assisted Solicitor Wilson.
The State had only a few witnesses.
Very little time was consumed
In examining them. The young
lady and her little sister were very
positive Id their Identification of the
pr'soner. They told the story of the
crime In a clear, convincing manner.
There was no hesitation. These were
the only eye witnesses. Tne young
lady Is not yet 1(5 years of age and her
sister but 10.
Tne ground rail of the testimony
was the search for a negro of Nelson's
general appearance?the clothing
worn, cap, etc., when captured, the
exact description given by the young
lady immediately after the assault.
Supervisor O.vens told of his escape
from the Clarendon county chalngaug
last Thursday.
Nelson was the first witness for the
defense, lie retold the s*orv that ho
never left the railroad between there
and Mayesvllle, except, to get water at
the Hetts mill, lie denied the attack
on the young lady and said he had
never seen her until carried l>efore her
on Monday.
J im Taylor was sent for so that the
jury might see the difference between
the two.
Mr. Jennings certainly did his duty.
He reviewed the testimony carefully.
He wanted the right man punished to
the limit of the law, hut a^k the jury
to be sure and convict the right one.
He spoke earnestly and forcefully. The
negro received a high class service
gratis.
Solicitor Wilson laid bare the facts.
He spoke of the proud record of old
Sumter county. The citizens are lawabiding.
He mentioned two or three
horrible crimes, aggravating in the
extreme, hut the majesty of the law
was upheld and the outlaws punished.
Maj. Marlon Moise's speech was very
eloquent. The court house was pack
ed when he began to speak and close
attention was paid to his argument.
Judge Purdy's charge to the Jury
was short and explicit.
The jury retired at 6 13 and at 0.22
reached a verdict of guilty.
Before passing sentence the judge
said he knew the b?y's father and
mother, and they were good old darkles.
tThe beginning of Nelson's trouble,
like all other boys, was when he wondered
away from home, getting from
under parental lnlluence. He had no
doubt of the prisoner's guilt. If he had
lie would set aside the verdict as would
be his duty, though many people at
New Sumter were his warm personal
friends. Asa judge he must rise above
the opinions and feelings of his fellow
man. He held up the terrible punishment
the boy must receive and said
this should serve as a warning to white
and black that to do right was the
only safe course In life. He had sentenced
to life imprisonment the other
day a black man for the same crime
against one of his own race in the upcountry.
He then sentenced the boy
to 30 years in the penitentiary.
Nelson is about 19. He was sentenced
at on July 6, 1904, by Judge Aidrich
to six years on the chalngang for
assault and battery on an old colored
woman.
I'oiHoning SiiHpcottul.
Suspecting murder, the police are
investigating the sudden death at. hi*
home in Mannington, W. Va., of J.
N. Pay ton. lie, his wife and a man
who-te name has not been disclosed,
are said to have been drinking on Sun
day night, and Mrs. Pay ton announced
her husband's sudden demise Tuesday
morning, attributing It to the drinking
of wood alcohol, to which he is understood
to have been addicted. The
autopsy is reported to have revealed
the effects of other poisons, however.
A chemical analysis of the stomach of
the dead man will be made. Three of
Payton's near relatives by marriage
are said to have met mysterious
deaths from poison.
The Widow's Site.
A woman In one of the small Pennsylvania
towns recently put two postage
stamps In the contribution box at
her ohuroh, as she oould not afford to
give any money. The stamps looked
Interesting to the minister, so he took
them to a dealer and sold them for
$1,000. Later, says an exohange, the >
two stamps were sold to a Russian no- /
bleman for $6,000. /