Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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HOLDS UP TRAIN Work of Lone Bandit Who Took Cash and Left TO PARTS UNKNOWN Compelled Train Crew to Unload Rullion nml Coin for 111m and Tlieu Orders Them to Proceed. Some of the Rooty Recovered, but the Robber Escapes, A dispatch from Eewiston, Pa., says ono of tho most audacious and startling holdups of a railroad train in the East for years occurred in the eastern slope of the Allegheney mountains early Tuesday, when a lone highwayman stopped a Pennsylvania railroad express with a dynamite cartridge and at the point of a revolver compelled the crew to carry thousands of dollars in coin and bullion from an exprc*? car to a spot in the wilderness. When the conductor of the train attempted to interfere with the robber's plans he was shot in the hand and the bold bandit succeeded in making good his escape. In the darkness, however, he mistook a bag containing 10,000 new Idnloln pennies for gold coin and staggered away with it, leaving the real gold bullion to be recovered. When the news of the robbery reached tho railroad and express company ofllcials they immediately ordered every available detective from the East and West to the scene in an effort to capture the audacious bandit. Hloodhounds were also put on his track, but up to a late hour Tuesday night no trace of the man had been found. The looted train was made up of an engine, three express cars and two sleeping coaches filled with passengers. At about 1:30 a. m. it was running through Lewistown narrows, when suddenly a dynamite cap exploded and the engine driver brought the train to a standstill. Then he was confronted by a masked man, with a gun pointed at him. "Are there any mail cars on this train?" demanded the highwayman. "No," was the reply of the startled engineer. The ongino crew was then forced at the point of the gun to accompany the robber to the first express car. A revolver was pointed at the messenger's head and threatening to blow up the car. The robber forced the messenger of the two express cars and engine crew to carry all the gold and bullion stacked in the first car to the side of the track. Conductor R. R. Poffenberger of Harriaburg, Pa., who came up while this work was being accomplished, J was ordered back by the bandit, who emptied one of his revolvers at him, one of the shots penetrating his hand and the others grazing his body. Despite the appearance of three passengers who had been awakened by the shooting, the robber. calmly ordered the crew back on the train and compelled them to steam away, leaving the bullion beside the track, it was recovered later by a posse sent on a special train. When the train was leaving ho called out: "Good-by, and good luck; I hope to see you again." It was reported that in addition to the missing pennies several thousand dollars in currency was missing, but the express company officials refuse to announce the exact amount of their loss. A iront ITmnmaker of Rewistown sent a safe to the scene of the robbery to receve six bags of pennies on which the seals bad not been broken, but which had, been cut open with a sharp knift to ascertain the contents and abandoned by the robber in disgust. Smashes lte<-ords ENDS IIEll LIFE. Mrs. ?T. K. Fant, Aged Sixty, Takes % Carbolic Acid. At Campobello Mrs. J. K. Fant, aged 60 years, committed suicic'e Monday by drinking half an ounce 0 tainof carbolic acid. No cause is ascribed for tl.e deed other than the aead woman n neen suffering for some months from dementia. Sho had been carefully watched but took .'dvantage of the fact that her daughter, Miss Bessie Fant, left her aloro for a short time. That the suicide was premeditated was shown by tlu fact that the windows and doors were carefully closed and a rude pallet prepared on which Mrs. Fant ?"?? A no /I Wrtn luunu u^uu? ^ She was the wife of a Baptist preacher who died about 10 years ago. She leaves three daughters, 1 Mrs. Wm. Cobb of Wilmington, N. C., Mrs. McMillan of Brunswick, N. C., and Miss Bessie Fant of Campobello. llomioide at Appleton. Stepney Glover shot and Instantly killed Peter Green Saturday evening In the store of Rhodes & Kill, In } Appleton. i?? w i ?i i?wmmmmmmmmmmmmm?. LAWN PARTY. Unjojable KfPnt ?t Cameron on Wednesday l'lTeniog. On last Wednesday evening the "Sporting Club," of Cameron, gave Its annual lawn party or moon-light picnic, at Mr. P. M. Dnnteler'u beaut 1 *.. 1 1 mi _1 \ I _ a m V.UUI mwu. i ue ciuo is composea or four "old bachelors." These gentlemen give picnics, fish friea and parties in tho summer, which are onjoyed and appreciated by all. Not only wero the guests from Cameron and community, but several parties came from St. Matthews and Klloree. The usual routine of games wero played and on joyed, as wero the ref reshments. The happy crowd was chaperoned by Mr. and Mrs. IT F. Gates, Mr. and Mrs. S. 11. Ilouck, Mrs. V. E. Wlmberly, Mrs. M. T. Evans, Mrs. Thos. Tyler, and Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Dantzler. Those who wore fortunate enough to attend were: Misses Louise, Bertha and Noalie Tilley, Annie Hortzog, May Tilloy, Grace Bull, Cnrrie and Ruth Haigler, Enalee and Lola Evans, Virginia TIalgler, Ollle Livingston, Lessie Ulmor, Laurie Friorson, Viola and Virginia Dantzler, Adele and Julia Thomas. Annie Dantzler, Daisy Fischer, Myrtle Haigler, Grace and Etllo Zimmerman, Ellen Haigler, novice aim inzzie Haigler; Messrs. C. J. Whetstone, Thaddeus and Rates Ilouck, Sober Haigler, D. II. Taylor, Capers Holman, Virgil and Flaveous Evans, Jessie Haigler, 11. M. Koller, Irvin Evans, J| E. Cramling, W. L. and Enietto Haigler, David Dantzler, J. C. Ret man, J. A. Murray, R. R. Furtick, J. D. IJliner, O. C. and E. R. Hull, Eddie and Royco Ulmer, T. C. Porter, Julian Tyler, Thaddeus and II. II. Haigler, J. T. Greene, P. W. Hull, J. N. Clover. C. T. and G. W. Ulmer, C. F. Evans and M. A. Dantzler. "M. D." TIED TO TREE. After Reing Robbed and Loft for Forty-e!j(ht Hours. Lumbermen arrive] nt Gulfport, Miss., Monday night from the Nugent section, ten miles north of Gulfport, report that three highwaymen held up an employe of tho JngiamDay Lumber Company, near Nugent two days ago and after robbing him of forty dollars, tido him securely to a tree in the woods. In order to silence him while they were making good their escape they stuffed hl3 mouth full of paper and rags and then left. The man remained in this position for almost 4 8 hours and when accidentally discovered, was in a pitiful condition. Without food or water, and suffering agony from tho numerous bites of gnats and mosquitoes, it was several hours before ho could even bo partially revived. BITTKX 1JV MAI) DOG. Two Well Known Citizens of Union tho Victims. A dispatch from Union says tho people of that county fool a decided interest in the case of the Hon. H. C. Little and his brother-in-law, Mr. Stokes Porter, who are now undergoing treatment at the recently established institute at Columbia, in charge of Dr. Cowan. A week ago Messrs. Little and Porter were bitten by a dog and the head of the animal on examination showed rabies. The men at once went to Columbia to undergo treatment and are there now. Mr. Little was for a number of years a member of the Legislature from that county and is widely popular. It is hoped that neither he nor Mr. Porter will suf! fer any harm from this misfortune. * SLEEPING CAR LOOTED. Burglars llob Sleeping Car on Side Track at Memphis. F. M. Jackson, capitalist, of Birmingham, Ala., sidetracked on a sleeper at Memphis, Tenn., with his wife and three hoys, awoke Sunday morning to discover that during the night the car had been entered by a thief, and ho had been relioxed of cash, bill of exchange and other valuables to the amount of over $1,000. The family were en route to the Seattle exposition but their through sleeper was held over at Memphis all night by roason of a missed connection. They slept on the Pullman, in the yards by courtesy of the Pullman management. Tito onr 1 ~ 1.~.1 ? .??> vi?i ?? uo lUUIVOUf but the door was forced by the robber, who carried away satchels and grips. S. P. Keith, Pullman conductor, was also robbed. Still Another Victim. At Lowell, Mass., an accident that resulted fatally marked the first day of the practice runs in preparation for tho week of automobile racing which opens there Monday. The victim is Henry Otis, who was struck by a powerful racing car driven by Jo? Matson. The accident happened in a dense fog just as Matson was entering the track and before he had started his machine at a high speed. j smashes record LAST TKAIVH CX)TTON CHOP TI1K LAlttaKST KVfcllt MAI)K. Secretary Hrster Figur?? Out a Production of Nearly Fourteen Million IlalM. Statistics showing that more ootton was handled during the commercial year ending at midnight Tuesday night than ever before and that all records had been broken in the amount of cotton consumed by Southern mills was the features of the annual crop statement of Secretary Hester of the New Orleans cotton erchange. The document forms the preliminary report of Secretary Hester's annual review of the commercial year. The count of the commercial crop showed It to he the largest on record, 13,825,457 bales. The previous largest commercial crop was 13,565,585, marketed In 190 4-05. Last season's total was only 1 1,571,966. The very large total for this year's crop was a surprise to the trade, including both the .bulls and the bears, and if the figures had been issued while trading was going on it is probable that they would have had a depressing effect on prices. The most Important features in the report next to the size of the crop itself was the statement on the amount of cotton consumed by Southern mills during the season which closed Tuesday. Here all the records were again broken, the total being 2,559,873 bales. This point was regarded by the bulls as being even of more importance than the size of the crop itself. It was taken as official confirmation of the many stories of the great expansion of cotton manufacturing in the South. The figures compared with 2,1 93,000 last season and 2,439,000 two seasons ago. In the" point of port receipts another record was broken. Net receipts at all ports of the season were put at 10,062,845 bales, against only 8,579.842 last year and 9,919,555 two years ago. Livternool will -? ?.?. ? v V UV iil chance to trade on the report. The trade is ahout equally divided in opinion over the effect of the total, hulls claiming the hearishness of tho big crop is more than offset by tho bullishness of the big consumption in spite of the claim of the bears that it is a decidedly bearish document. CLTS THROAT WITH RAZOR. L. A. Rickle, Mail Clerk on Looted Train Ends His Life. Ti. A. Rickle, white, aged 43, an ex-mail clerk on the Southern railway, almost severed his head front his body with a razor at his home at Augusta Sunday morning. Rickle had been in ill health and it is said that his mind was unbalanced because of this and recent bereavements in his family. Tie happened to be mail clerk n Southern train from Charleston on the night of May 18 last, when thr express car was rifled and when the train reached Augusta the mes-nage? was found in a chest. The messenger claimed that he had been knocked down by masked men and ? meed in the chest. O. P. Humphreys, baggage nas er on t luk tl'oln fin t lifi 1- . - ? " - I .IV. >,1 Hill UII liiC III^IIL 1)1 nil! robbery, e\it. his throat two lonths ago, dying almost instantly, heeai.Le ho was suspoctod of tho robbery. However, the express officials do not connect Filckle with the robbery, but it is a fact that the detective, a few days ago, questioned him regarding tho case. NOT CAUSED BY CORN. Lady Has Pellagra Who Never Has Eaten Corn at All. At Atlanta a case of pellagra, the victim of which claimed that she had never eaten corn bread or any corn products was revealed in tho death of Mrs. Kate Tlarto. Dr. Frank Eskridge, who claims to have treated many cases of the disease, save he doubted his own diagnosis and thought she might ho a victim of "sprue," a disease known to the troi^ics, with symptoms resembling those of pellagra. Ho called in a physician who had had years of experience in the tropics and foun J that lyis ^original diagnosis was correct. "f 11111 pnni/ln/>n/l "? " L ..... uuiitiiivcu iiuw, no says, "that the disease does not come from musty corn." Two City Rlocks Sink. Much damage was done at Scranton, Pa., Sunday, hy the sinking of a mine cave from two to eight feet, throwing houses from their foundations, cracking walls and otherwise damaging buildings. The disturbance is estimated to bo about 1?9 feet below surface. Fissures extending to the surface and three feit across the tops show themselves in a number of places. Rats by the ; thousands ran through the Assures and scampered over the streets. SERIOUS DAMAGE liKINU DONK BY THE WIKH WORMS TO OOLLKTON CROPS. The Killing of tbe Field Iau?ks Said to bo the Cuuse of tlio Destructive Oat break. Secretary James Henry Klee, Jr., of the Audubon Society of South Carolina, who lias just finished a tour of the eastern counties, arrived in n rn 1?^ i'i/1 u xr niirh 1 A u lit wv/1 II III I/Iit * > I\?u J ii it i X* a vu the nienacLiig outbreak of wire worms in Colleton county which has infested a country lit) miles long by 15 broad, practically destroying all the crops, Mr. ltice had the following to sua': "The outbreak originally came from the killing of meadow larks, or field larks, as they are generally known in South Carolina. It has been gathering volume for three years or more, and is now spreading. To what extent it may finally spread no one can say; such outbreaks have covered whole States and have caused millions of dollars In damage. "A gentleman connected with the government recalled a few hours ago that in one year South Carolina Itself suffered $5,000,000 damage to the corn crop through the work of wire worms. "The Clemson authorities and the department of agriculture are both seriously concerned over the present outbreak, which began within a short distance of the town of YValterboro?just across the swamp. "The worm makes a thorough job of the crop by attacking and destroying the roots, and because he is under ground no bird, except a boring bird can be of any use in destroying wire worms. The lark is ideally adanted to this end nnd foods largely 011 them." On being asked about the origin of the worm, Mr. Rice said: "The wire worm is the offspring of one of the click beetles, or in plain English, snapping bugs. The eggs are laid in May and June and are about the size of number eight 1 shot, white in color. They are laid near grass roots. They soon hatch out and the larvae develop slowly, passing the first winter in the larval or worm form. The next year they develop greatest destructiveness. attacking first grass, grain, corn and then almost anything that comes in their way. They have somo 14 joints, each joint being flanked with a tiny spine and the head is armed with sharp mandibles. The life history of the wire worm is in all respects similar to the life history ol the white grub (commonly known as grub worm by the small boy? the offspring of the May bottle 01 Juno bug.)" "It would be Improper for me tc discuss what the entomologists ar< doing until they are ready to mak( their own report public, but I dc not hesjtate to say jthat nothing can avail against the wire worm ex cept the work of the field lark anc of this the entomologists are full: aware. "The infested territory is danger ously near the great trucking bel around Charleston and should th< pett spread back into this belt tin destruction will be enormous, ant the consequence frightful. We cai only hope that its spread will b? cofined to a narrow area. "When the larks are allowed t( come back and feed unmolested the: nni capaoie or checking any buc! outbreak and of keeping it well with in bounds. It will be worth the les son, costly as it Is, if it shall serv< as a warning for the future. As it is many farmers have lost every thing and are downcast and dis heartened over the outlook." * TOUCIIKD WIKIO AM) DIED. Experiment of North Carolina Hoy Ends Fatally. Harvey Ritchie, 20 years old, climbed into one of the big transmission towers of the Southern Power Company, at Albemarle, Stanley county, N. O., Monday afternoon, tc ascertain if he could get a shock by touching the wires. As the youth touched the deadly wires his feet bursted from the terrific current that entered his body, and he dropped to the ground, dead. The tower is one of the series of steel structures employed by the Southern Power Company to transmit nioftrifloi - vtvw vi i V/141 VII" orgy from the Catawba rivor stations, In this county, to tho mills of tho Piedmont section, and the wires carry eighty thousand volts. Thoir Prophecy Failed. Disappointed because their prophecy that Tampa, Fla., was to be wiped off the map by a great disastei September 1 failed to como true thirey footsore and weary dlsclplet of the "Unknown Tongue," returnee to that city Thursday from Durant twenty-five miles from there. Sev oral days ago tho porty sold theli all at Tampa and moved to Durant which they were told would be out side the stricken zone. "NL'MBKIt, PI.EAHE." That Im tlio Way ti?o Telephone CJIrl Must Answer Mow. "Old you nse the telephone to- ' day?" auks the Columbia Record. "Then you noticed a difference In the way the telephone tflrls answered your call, didn't you? What? Of course you noticed that little "please' that was tacked on after the call number? Just think a moment and you'll remember. Here's the way It w 51 U Tfiutoflil i\f haul n cr t lw? ? ?.w. ...uw ??vi vi no f nih nav H IV- J phono girl answer 'Number?' when you called, she answered 'Number, please?' That's exactly what It was, anl there's a reason for It. "It may seem a small thing for the telephone girl to tack on that little please' at the end of the answer to the calls, but the Southern Hell Telephone and Telegraph management doesn't think so. The company thinks it's amply worth while, 1 consequently an order has been Is- ? sued to every telephone exchange in ; the Southern Hell Company's ter- i rltoy, which extends over seven States, that every operator answer all calls in the future by 'Numebr, ! please?' Instead of simply Inquir- ! tng 'Number?' ? The order is effective at all exchanges of the company. It Is believed by the telephone management that the change in the answer made by the telephone girls to the calls 'hat are received will improve the service and be thoroughly apprcelatel by the public. Now, don't think because you fail to get the new an- ' swer that the telephone girls are not on the job as the order calls for. It's just a case of having gotten the naitii- see'.' (live them a little lime | to tack on the 'please' and see If yon don't feel better with the new . order of things. You'll he delighted with that sweet little 'please' before you knw it." ^ We are not so particular about the "please" as we are about having our | phono work satlsactory. * CATHOLIC OIU'IlANAOi; IH KNLI). Seven Hotlictt Have Ikvn Taken So ' 1 Far From the \Vr<M'k. . The police report that the bodies ( of seven children have been taken ' from the ruins of St. Malichy's home, a Roman Catholic orphanage 1 at Itockaway Park, L. I., which burned Monday night. Other bodies are believed to he in the ruins. At the time of the lire it was believed that all of the children were rescued through the quick execution of the fire drill. The fire was discovered in the laundry in the north wing at H [ o'clock Monday night. Three hundred and fifty small children were in their cots 011 the third and fourth ' floors of that wing, and some of the > older children were attending the . evening prayers in the chape). As . the alarm sounded, the older children marched from the chapel to , the board walk along the beach and j nurses and attendants rushed to the , work of carrying the little children j from their cots on the floors above. r The firemen assisted in searching the halls and dormitories and found j a few children lingering In the halls, f too frightened to leave the building, but the rescue work had been conducted with such dispatch and good order that it was believed until Tuesday that all children were out of the building. 1 WHITE FIENI) CAI'CjIIT. i An Alleged Papist Found and Accosted in Atlanta. 7 \ A special from Lancaster to The - News and Courier says Cecil Hroom, - the prominent young business man ? of Waxhaw, N. C., who is charged s with criminally assaulting a young - lady in the Van Wyck section of - Lancaster county on the 23rd of Ju? ly, and who fled the country afterward, was arrested in Atlanta Wednesday, at the instance of Sheriff J. P. Hunter, who has been inde in iiik cnoriH to catch hifl man, spending over $200 In detectives' hire, traveling expenses, telegrams, etc. Under the assumed i name of W. C. Jenkins Broom has been traced by the sheriff In several cities, among them Charleston and ' Savannah, finally locating him ? Wednesday morning in Atlanta. The chief of police of that city wires that the young man will return without requisition papers. Sheriff Hunter has gone to Atlanta after the fugitive. I Auto flit by Train. A. A. Robinson, owner of the Commercial Supply Company, of Detroit, Mich., his wife, and Mrs. H. 1 E. Tremaine, of Bay City, were In1 stantly killed in Bay City Sunday afternoon, when their automobllo was struck by a fast Michigan Central train. A daughter of Mrs. Tremalno Is thought to be fatally In j ured. Dies of Wounds. i Deputy Sheriff J. W. Sikes of Norl folic county, Va., died Monday night from wounds inflicted by one of three . negro highwaymen. They had been r placed under arrest by him and two special officers In South Norfolk . Saturday night. The negroes ?scaped and fled. , (li , r yy SAVES MANY ? i Wireless Operator Sacrifices His Life to SAVE PASSENGERS sticks to Ills Post Till llio I'arilk Liner Went Down?11 in Call Drought Two Ships?"(Joodbyc, My (loil, I'm Was His Final Mcrno^o to tho I .and. The coast linor Ohio, of the Alafir. <a Steamship Company, whose loss ivas reported in our '"at issue, struck i submerged rock in tho Pacific off Steep Point while pushing northward in a fog from Heat He to Valdez with 12H passengers aboard . All the passengers were rescued by other vessels which rushed to the Kinking steamer's aid on the call of tho wireless "C. Q. I)." Purser l'\ J. Stephens, of Seattle, sank with tho ship an he was still lowering passengers over the side info the boats. Wireless Operator Heorce C. Eccles went down sitting at liis. machine and >stil1 sending the story of tho wreck to the operator at Ketchikan. Tho quartermaster and two seamen also wore lrowned. At I o'clock Saturday morning United Wireless Operator Hooth, of he Ketchikan station, was sitting n his cramped little ofllce fronting he sen, on the South Alaskan archipelago, when the receivers began icking frantically the wireless danger call for help, "C. Q. I).! C. Q. D!" Tio.oth hurried hack his answer, 'What ship?" he demanded. "Whcro ire you?" "Steamship Ohio!" came the qulek reply. "We've struck rock off Steep ? r* 1.1 - _ i i ^ [ winu roup si 11 k 1 n g. one hundred md twenty-eight passengers aboard. Jet help at once or everybody will he lost." Booth knew the Steep Point Rocks fire a hundred miles off the mainland, opposite Ketchikan ? and he knew that the Ohio must have fouled her course in a fog. Also he knew the steamship Humboldt and Rupert City, of the same line, must be threading the tortuous channels not far from whero the rock-wrecked bent was going down. Five minutes afterward he had turned his machine to their wireless apparatus, had signalled both of them, though they were a league apart at sea, and had sent t lie in full speed to the rescue. Then came another desperate message from the Ohio. "Ship sinking fast," it ticked la frantic speed. "Cannot hold out another hour. Passengers being taken off in small boats. Captain and crew will stick to tho last. (Signed) "Eccles." Booth, in his little cage at Ketchikan, could do not more than flash word to Eccles that holp was on the way. Then ho picked up the Humboldt and Rupert City again. "Both headed for Ohio," they Responded. "Reach her in half an hour." Booth was ticking this out to Eccles aboard the sinking ?hi n tuKon __ . _ r r~f m ij * )/ *r n^ll (ho latter broke In with his final message. Tt said: "Passengers all off and adrift in small boats. Captain and crew going off in last boat, waiting for me now. Goodby. My God, I'm" Booth at the land end of the wireless dispatch knew that Eccles, of the Ohio, had gone down in iho final plunge of the wrecked ship stl. 1 flashing out his message. Details of the disaster came in later from the steamship HumhohP, which had rescued the surviving passengers and crew from open bo<v.*. a league from the so-'.e of the wieck and an In n after Iho Ohio .vent down. The big liner, edging slowly northward, had verred ten miles from her course. A great hole was s'ove In her bow and she was far down by the head with five feet of water l? her hold before the crew could even arouse all the sleeping passengrs. Tiie panic that followed was quelled by officers and crew, who stood at the berth doors and kept all the men and women passing out in line and across the deck to the ship's boats, which waited at the davits. Three seamen went down with Purser Stephens and Eccles, because there was not time between the striking of the ship and her sinkln-g to get all Into tho boats. Among the passengers was Clarence Cunningham, the Alaska coal land operator, who lays claims to mines valued at an enormous sum and whose title has been ordered Investigated by President Taft. He joined with M. J. Heney, another rescued passenger, in sending this wireless from the Humboldt to Ketchikan : "Stephens and Rcclea went down saving the lives of passengers, instead of looking to their own safety. They are heroes.'* The Ohio was worth $300,000 and carried a rich cargo. She lies sunk In twenty fathoms of water.