The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, April 28, 1910, Image 5
CAR HELD UP
Mortarman Killed nod Conductor Fattally
Sbat by Highwajmeo.
ATLANTA IS SHOCKED
By the Crime of Three Negro Footpuda,
Who Attack a Street Car
ut the End of a Surburban Lino
ami Comjiiita a Brutal Murder
and Bobbery.
At the end of the Druid 11111b car
Hue, a lonely spot in the outlying
section of one of Atlanta's residential
surburbs, three negro highwaymen
Saturday night shot and killed
Motorman S. T. Drown and after
robbing Conductor W. H. Bryson of
$35, fatally shot him in the back
and made their escape into the near
by woods. I
Half hour later the crime was (lis-1
covered and Atlanta's entire police
reserve was rushed to the scene.
T lie re were no passengers on the
car. The oar had just reached Hie
end of the line and tho motornian
was reversing Jits trolley when the
attack came from the negroes, who j
had conoealed themselves behind a
clump of hushes. |
'Motornian brown was shot, down i
as he started to re-enter his car and
with revolvers leveled at the con-;
ductor's head, h was ordered to
throw up his hands. I
On complying, one of the men re- J
lieved him of all the cas.li he had i
on his person and then ho was told
to "hit tho grit." He was shot in !
t.he hack by one of the men after
he had run about fifty yards and
fell in his tracks.
Two Hhots penetrated his liver.
The injured conductor was rushed to
a hospital where It was stated that
Micro was no possible chance of his
recovery.
The dead motornian and injured i
a ,1 l.? i
conductor were luunu i>y
Tinsley and Conductor Royster, who
were in charge of the car, t.hat reached
tlio end of the lino just twenty
minutes later.
Brown was lying face downward
beside his car, a bullet through his
heart, and along the track fifty yards
distant was found Bryson. Before;
losing consciousness Bryson told of
the attack. !
"Motorman Brown was shot to
death by the negroes," lu" said, "and
then they turned their attention to
me. After taking all the money 1
had one of the yegroes yell <1 'hit the
grit,' and while running I was shot.
In the hack by one of t.he men. I j
didn't have an opportunity to get. j
away." * ,
The county bloodhounds wore at
once rushed to the scene of the holdup
and immediately took a trail,
which led in t.ho direction of a construction
camp, where a number of
negroes are employed on grading
work. The camp was placed under
a heavy guard, and early Sunday
every negro in the camp was forced
to submit to a thorough oramination |
at the hands of t.he officers. Several |
arrests were madie. Sunday whites!
were not permitted to go near the
camp because of the excitable condition
of the crowds.
Fifty police officers continued to
.enrmr tine woods in the vicinity of the
v. . v
Jiold-up and several negroes wore
placed under arrest, though wit.hout
any convincing evidences or guilt.
In a moment of consciousness Sunday,
Conductor W. H. Bryson identified
one of the negroes caught in
the police dragnet as probably one of.
the guilty trio. This negro and four
others w.ho are held on suspicion
are prisoners.
All kinds of rumors have gained
currency and the officers found it
necessary to prohibit negroes visiting
the neighborhood where the crime
occurred. T.here were even expressions
of disapproval from the crowd
at the presence of the fed negro
chauffeurs who piloted automobiles
to the socne.
? - ~ O c ?rsvnr>cs r\ P n,PT? UUil
nrowii witu i)u j cmo -
loaves a wife and four children.
Bryson is about the same ago and
married. Bryson is a native of
Laurens county, South Carolina, and
Jias a brother living at Rockmar1,
Ga. *
? ?
Killed Himself.
Dr. Mark W. Blackburn, member
of a wealthy and prominent family,
of Wilson, Pa., died Sunday of selfinflicted
wounds, following his recent
attempt to kill Miss Viola Getty, after
she refused to elope with him.
lllizzard in Wisconsin.
A blizzard was raging throughout
almost the entire State of Wisconsin.
Several inches of snow has fallen in
Milwaukee. Marinette reports a
depth of two feet. Temperatures are
below freezing. *
, I
mm
FOUND GURTY
\
WOLTKIi MUST CIVK HIS LIFH
| FOR KILLING GIRL.
Horrible Murder of Ruth Wheeler,
the Pretty Young Stenographer,
Will lto Avenged by the Luw.
Albert Wolter, u degenerate youth
of 19 years, who gloated over lewd
pictures and was "crazy" about women,
must die in the electric chair
for the murder of Ruth Wheeie-", *
pretty sixteen-year-old stenog-npher.
After only one hour and fifty mini
? J - I M it.. .. * h ^ r? V
IOS Ot Ut'li uui uiiuii in uue tum i ui
special sessions found him guilty of
murder in the first degree at 10*30
o'clock Friday night, bringing to a
olose a trial marked by its swift
movement and its testimony of horror.
The boy's counsel said with eloquence
that Wolter was too tenderhearted
to harm a cat but twelve
men decided that he had strangled
Ruth Wheeler and thrust her yet
[ alive in hi.s fireplace, soaked with
I oil. her crumpled body writhed and
burned. With the same waxed-faced
indifference that he .had shown
throughout the trial Wolter evinced
no emotion when the verdict was announced.
I With almost inhuman complanc*'
I he has been asleep in his cell?and
i sleeping soundly?w.hile the jury
| was deliberating on his fate. This
| was made known by a court attendant
who said that he had tc rouse
the prisoner to bring him into court.
He will be sentenced oh Wednesday.
I The jurymen themselves showed
emotion, while t.he boy who must
die showed none. As the jurors;
in ilin nrisonor was led into the I
room and took his seat facing the !
judge. Hi* face w:?s the color of J
putty, 1)iit his complexion is naturally
unwholesome, and its ashnessj
was accentuated by the brilliant
lig.hts of the court room.
When asked if they had found a
verdict, William V. Kulp, foreman
of the jury, answered in a shaking
voice, "we have." lie then announced
he and his associates had found
VVolter guilty of murder in the lirst
degree. All eyes immediately shifted
toward t.he prisoner, but he was
as stolid as a piece of stone. As he
was being handcuffed to officers prepartory
to being taken to the Tombs,
he looked around unconcernedly and
then wobbled out with his custodians.
No relatives of the murderer or of
his victim were in court to hear the
verdict. His aged parents were in
court during the afternoon, but as
he heard th? decision which means
death, he was alone among strangers.
Efforts were made to get a state
A r n,r?
II! HI I L 1IUII1 V\ UIH3I nil mo >t a.) n/ niv/
Tombs, but ho refused to talk. "I
don't want to talk tonight?I'm tired
and I want to get a little good sleep
fl rst."
Ruth W.heeler was killed on the
24th of March, failing to dispose of
her body in the fireplace, Wolter cut
it apart and left the bust and head
wrapped in burlap on a fire-escape
from where it was pushed into the
yard below. Tie was arrested on
the 26th and was placed on trial on |
Monday last, lie denied ever knowing
Rut.h Wheeler, but testimony
showed that she had been lured to
his rooms expecting to obtain work
as a stenographer. There Wolter
had attempted to criminally assault
her and had murdered her in t.he
struggle, strangling her with a rope
tied about her neck. *
SPARTAN INN lU'RNHD.
Other Prick Ruildhigs in Same RIock
Destroyed.
iFire at .half-past three o'clock Friday
morning destroyed an entire
block on Morgan square, in the heart i
of the business section, of Spartanburg,
entailing a loss of $75,000,
with insurance amounting only
$500. The 'Spartan Inn, one of the
principal hotels of the city, was
among the buildings burned. The j
number also included several impor-,
taut, retail stores. The origin of i
the fire is unknown. There was no ;
loss of life. *
Deputy Shot by Negro.
Posses with bloodhounds are now
scouring the vicinity of West Palm
Reach, Fla., in search of an unknown
nesro, wno, eariy jsunoay snoi hum
probably fatally wounded Deputy
Sheriff Robert Raker. Raker was attempting
to arrest the negro on a
minor charge, when the negro shot
him wit.h a shotgun.
.
Demands a Court.
A dispatch from Columbia says
Col. Rrock has filed an application |
with t.he Governor for a court of i
inquiry into the row between him
and Gen. Royd. The Governor says
that he has not had time to consider
his action yet. *
UBE NOl
t
MANY HIT HARD
'
By tfae Issuance if Forged Cotton Bills ef
Lading te Buyers by
A I ARCF COTTON FIRM
XI LUlHUii VVI t Vll ? AAl&IA
Which Decently Failed at Decatur,
Ala., With Liabilities of Xottrly Six
Million Dollars uud Assets of Only
Fire Hundred Thousand Dollars
to Offset the Hugo Liabilities.
The Atlanta Journal says Southern
representatives of New York cotton
linns, who rushed to Decatur, Ala.,
from Atlanta and other cities Wednesday
and Thursday, to ascertain
the true status of agairs in connection
with the failure of Knight, Van- ;
cey & Co., declare that the gigantic
transactions involving millions, j
which preceded and precipitated the j
crash, may end in prosecution in the t
federal courts. j
It is averred that forged cotton,
bills of lading attached to drafts fori
heavy sums were sent to New York j
firms and to big cotton houses in
K11 rope. They say these drafts were '
honored and paid, and that investi- ;
gation has proven many of the bills
of lading worthless.
New York firms, they believe, have
lost about $1,000,000. while the total
losses of European houses may
run between $4,000,000 and $5,000,00
0.
No southern cotton firms have been
involved in the smash-up, It is said,
It seems that all banks with which!
Knight, Yancey & Co., did business j
are amply protected.
It is predicted, however, that the j
affair will revolutionize the cotton'
business in this country by destroy- |
ing the confidence of buyers in hills
of lading, which have hitherto been
honored as if thev were the actual
cotton itself.
The firm of Knight, Yancey & Co.,
is composed of J. VV. Knight, of
Decatur; VV. J. Yancey, of Memphis;
E II. Wsbitt. of Sdartanbura: audi
W. D. Nesbitt, of Birmingham. All f
of the men are prominent in cotton
circles. W. D. Nesbitt is one of tlio
best known business men of the
south, is a state railroad commissioner
in Alabama, and a close friend
of Governor Coiner.
J. W. Knight was in charge of
the Decatur office. In an interview
published in the Birmingham papers,
\V. D. Nesbitt declares that he has
not been in active touch with the
business for four years and that the i
crash was a terrible surprise and J
revelation to him. The irregularities.
says .'Mr. Nesbitt, appear to have
originated in the Decatur ofliee.
The question cotton men are asking
all over the world today is whether
or not the affair will end by a
criminal prosecution in the federal
court. While representatives of
V - i t \ ..11.. 1. !i ,1 ^
IIrills which r.ave neen neuvny mi uw
not hesitate to condemn the bill of
lading transactions, no one is yet
ready to take the responsibility of
saying that prosecutions will actually
he instituted, for the affair has not
yet been gone into deeply enough
and it. is not known what attitude
Knight will take in defense of the
transactions for which he is held
responsible.
The Knight, Yancey & Co firm,
one of the largest concerns of its
kind in the south, with q ft ices in
Decatur, Ala., Mobile, Huntsville,
Birmingham and other cities, went
into involuntary bankruptcy on Wednesday.
The business of the company has ,
been large, the hulk of which is
with European firms. Last year 00,- j
000 hales of cotton were shipped '
from the Mobile port to Harve alone.
Judge W. I. Grubbs, of the United
States district court, at Decatur, appointed
Frost & Lowell receivers for j
t.ho bankrupt firm. Their bond was j
fixed at $200,000. According to
Jore Murphy, referee in bankruptcy,
the liabilities of the firm will aggregate,
$5,777,008. The assets are
estimated at about $500,000. Creditors
of the company, it is said, hold
securities to the amount of $111,157.
Was Badly Hurt.
At Douia, France, Louis Breguot,
the French aviator, who has appeared
in numerous aviation contests,
suffered a fractured skull Tuesday ;
from a fall while making a flight.
His aeroplane capsized in a strong*
wind at a height of 00 feet. Breguet j
is iii 11 very serious condition.
Tragedy at Sanford.
Tn a negro restaurant at Sanford,
N. C., Sunday afternoon a quarrel
arose between Edward Woniack and
Fred Mclver, both colored. Womaok, |
shooting Mclver through the heart,
killing him instantly. Woniack then
made his escape. Both were drinking.
i
'
Itf TO
"BAD" WHISKEY KILLS
?
HKVUX DIK FROM DRINKING PRODUCT
OF DRUG STORK.
Kittle Towns Wei1? Kui'o Modern Borgia
Was Ijooho, Rut It Was Only
Caused by Wood Alcohol In Booze.
As the result of drinking whiskey
of the "made-while-you-walt" brand,
three women and four men are dead
in or near Westerly, R. I., and so
great in the -excitement over the
tragedies that the Attorney General
at Providence, R. I., has ordered
an investigation into the deaths and
also the places In which socalled
medicinal whiskey is mado and sold.
The d.ead are Lena Blanchard,
Mrs. Ellen Murray and Mrs. Albert
Tucker, of Westerly, R. I.; Edward
Dougherty, Charles H. Hood and
Henry harrow, of Pawtucket, Conn.,
and W. D. Perrin, of Hopkinton, R.
I.
Thus far responsibility for the
deaths has not been placed, but the
Westerly authorities have information
that they were duo to the blunder
of a drug clerk who used wood
alcohol instead of the grain product
in making the whiskey. An arrest is
looked for soon. So far as can be
learned all the whiskey was purchased
in the same drug store, and
the symptoms shown by the victims
in each case, all of whom died suddenly,
are reported by the attending
physicians as identical.
One physician has reported that
.his analysis of the contents of the
stomach of Dougherty showed the
presence or wood aiconoi 111 quantities
large enough to produce death.
Coroner Brown, of Stonington, who
has some of the whiskey remaining
in the bottle from which Barrow and
Hood drank just before their deaths,
says wood alcohol is present in it
in sufficient quantities to produce
death when taken freely.
The first of the deaths from the)
whiskey was that of Mrs. 'Murray,
who died last Tuesday. An empty
whiskey bottle was found at her side,
but the physicians stated that heart
disease had caused her end. While
the authorities were investigating
the Murray case they learned of that
of Mrs. Tucker, Wednesday night.
Then on Thursday came those of
Hood and his father-in-law, Harrow,
at Pawtucket. On the same day the
doatli of Lena Blanchard occurred
at Westerly, and then that of Perrin
011 Friday, and Dougherty on Saturday.
Until it was fairly establishded
that the mysterious deaths were due
to drug store whiskey, t.here were
wild rumors to the effect that a Borgia
had found her way into the lit"r.
? *"> mi il too om,1 wfia
? IT V V/lli III llil < l UIMI ? u?J uvi Iiiiixuvvi
ing the poison my wholesale. Families
stopped their milk supply and
were extremely cautious as to where
they obtained raw food-stuffs. Westerly
is a no license town, and t.he
result is that the druggists have been
doing a thriving 'business in the
sale of all kinds of substitutes. In
the last few years several druggists,
two of them men of prominence,
have been convicted and sent to jail
for selling liquor. *
1>IFI> A It FA I j H101 tO.
Lost His Life Trying to Itescue a
Neighbor's Child.
At Chicago Nelson Harris. 4 4 years
old, was burned to death while trying
to rescue a nellighbor's child,
which .ho supposed was sleeping on
the second floor. Mrs. Elanor Harrison,
his wife was badly burned and
will probably die. The four children
wene severely burned. Harrison, who
slept on the first floor, was aroused
by the smoke. After helping his
wife out lie went upstairs and aroused
the children and after getting
t.heni out he thought that a neighbor'
child was still upstairs and he
went hack. His lifeless body was
found hv the police after the interior
of the building was practilly do-j
o iv\ ^ I
on yj J cu
* #
Five I In 1*11 to Death.
Near Ponca, Nel>., Mrs. Jerry Miner
and five children were burned to
death Sunday morning when their
cottage caught fire. Miner saved .his
2-year-old baby by throwing it out |
of the window. The father made a j
desperate effort to rescue the other
members of the family and was burned
so seriously that he is not expected
to live.
Heavy Snow Storm.
Chicago has been in the grasp of a
hoavy snow and violent wind storm
for several hours and there are no,
signs of its abating. The snow fol-!
lowed one of the heaviest rainfalls |
of the year. The wind Saturday was
so strong during the night that it
lifted the roof of a barn and drop-1
jx'd it on the cab of a passing
locomotive.
/
THE HOI
NIPS THE CROP
Saow, Sleet and Very C*Id Weaiher in
Many Parts of the South.
! CAUSE OF MUCH ALARM
Record Breaking Weather Through*
out tho South land, Damages the
Young (\>tton and Other Crops to
tho Amount of Mill ions of 1>o1Jars,
If They Are Destroyed.
An Atlanta dispatch says with
snow storms of blizzard proportions
raging throughout east Tennessee,
northern and central Alabama and
tho greater part of Georgia, and
freezing temperatures in other sections
of t.he South, this section of
the country Monday faced the greatest
loss in early cotton, fruits and
vegetables experienced in many
years.
In Georgia alone, according to tlie
Commissioner of Agriculture fully
50 per cent of the cotton crop is
killed. More than 90 per cent of the
crop was above ground and reports
indicate that a scarcity of seed will
prevent replanting of vast acreages.
It was sleeting in Atlanta Monday
night.
A snow and sleet storm struck
northern Alabama Sunday nig.ht and
Monday morning, and according to
the weather bureau in Birmingham
extreme cold weather is general
throughout the State. At S o'clock
Mntiilni; imirninir the thermometer
registered 33 degrees, with no indications
of it going up. Reports are
coining in that fruit is being damaged,
w.hile truck will be killed altogether.
The records show this to be
the coldest April day in the history
of the State.
Reports received Monday from
many sections of Louisiana and (Mississippi
indicate that thousands of
acres of cotton have been severely
damaged by the cold of Sunday nig.ht
and the night before. In many instances
replanting will be necessary.
Truck and fruit farms have suffered
considerable injury.
At Nashville, Tenn., snow began
falling between 3 and 4 o'clock Monday
morning and continued until 8
o'clock with a fall of 1 3-4 inches,
the tirst snow in April since 1SS(>.
There was also a trace of snow the
first of last May. The government
thermoinieter registered 3 2 degrees at
(1 o'clock Monday morning.
While early vegetables will no
doubt suffer from this unprecedented
cold snap it is believed that fruit
will escape serious damage by reason
of its protecting foliage.
A special from Adiarsville, Ky.,
reports a snowfall of six inches at
that place Sunday night, and Monday
morning.
Reports from Ronton. Polk county,
show a two-inch snow in that section
Monday morning proceeded by a
heavy frost Saturday, which it is
believed practically destroyed the
fruit crop and growing vegetables.
Snow and freezing weather extended
as far south in Alabama as
'Montgomery, the greatest losses failing
in the northern part of the State,
where the damage is estimated at
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Light snow is also reported in Northern
Mississippi, while extreme cold
in northern and westi rn Texas has
also wrought considerable damage to
crops of all k ds.
Cotton growers in the vicinity of
Memphis declare that the present unprecedented
visitation of wintry (
weather has killed or injured all
the crops. Replanting will be necessary
in a wide area. Monday the
mercury registered HO degrees at 10
o'clock. The records show no parallel
in 4 1 years.
Five inches of snow covers the section
about Hopkinsville. The cold
found many persons unprepared for
it and there has been some suffering
among t.he dependent classes. Advices
from Columbus. Miss., says that
snow and sleet fell Sunday night.
Farlv cotton and fruit was killed and
farmers in the Prairie section of
the State will be forced to replant
the cotton crop. Advices from Dallas
Monday state that eastern Texas
is experiencing the coldest weather
ever known. There was a light frost
Sunday night and cotton will be retarded
in its growth. Fruit was
badly damaged.
Died Under Auto.
An automobile plunging from a
15-foot culvert in Chicamauga park
on Friday night resulted in the in-1
stant death of Arthur Barrett, bookkeeper
in t.h.e bottling department of
the Chattanooga, Tenn., Brewing
company, and the serious injury of
James P. Byrne, traveling saleman
for the same company.
1RY HER
YOUNG GIRL VICTIM
r
NEW YORK HEAL ESTATE MAN
ACCUSED.
His Scheme Was to Entice a Maiden
to Ilis Office and There Assault
Jier.
The police of New York City have
effected the arrest of Joseph T. Shipman,
a real estate operator, on the
charge of attempting to assault Miss
Emily Richie, who appeared at his
office in answer to an advertisement
for a stenographer. Hearing in mindthe
recent Wolter case iu which a
young woman was assaulted and
murdered when she appeared at an
ofTice under similar circumstances,
Miss Richie invited Mrs. Emma McCully
to accompany her. The presence
of a third party, who carried
an infant child on her arm, was no
protection but it did lead to a disclosure
of Shipman's methods and
will put an end to his activities for
some time to come.
When in his coll in the Fulton
street station. Shipman gave his address
as 144 West Twenty-second
street, but changed it later. At that
address Mrs. Anna Hillsliire said that
nine weeks ago she had rented a
room to a man named Shipman. Fie
remained there five weeks, spending
his time writing advertisements and
answering those girls who wrote for
inquiries. She said that more than
25 girls had called to see him and
that she became suspicious and finally
put a stop to his activities and
ho left her house. Another woman
called and claimed to be his private
secretary. lie directed t.hat she write
to New Jersey and secure bail.
A woman who said she was Mrs.
nb J \ i t * * 1 "
onipmau, [tciu'VGs nor nusDane is innocent
of the charge brought against
him.
Miss Richie is about 18 years of
age, and had been working as a
stenographer in Brooklyn. W.hen she
read Shipman's advertisement ofiferthe
hope of bettering herself. Shipman
stated that he was not able to
hire a first class stenographer and
for that reason -he advertised for
young girls whose experience was
not such that they would demand
the highest wages. He explained to
the girl that a lodge went with her
position and t.hat he would show her
to those quarters on Lexington avenue.
Mrs. MeCully went along.
When they reached the lodge they
found it contained two rooms. Shipman
directed Mrs. MeCully to one
and then locked himself in a room
with t.he Miss Richie. Then, ac
corning 10 ner siory, no seized ner,
liol<1 his hand over her mouth and
tried to choke her. He threw .her on
a bed in the room, but she kicked
and screamed and struggled so that
ho finally released her, she said.
Then she unlocked the doors and
bot.h she and Mrs. McCnlly ran away
as soon as they could get out of the
hotel. The girl related her experience
to her mother, who in turn
lost 110 time in informing the police.
The arrest was effected by Capt.
Gallagher and Detective Qninn, when
Mrs. Uie.hie, together with Miss Richie,
directed the ofllcers to Shipman's
quarters. *
?
1IOMK or FOKMKK LOVFl?.
DynamiU'd by the Young Woman H?
Had Deserted.
At Prairie City, Iowa, the residence
of Jesse A. Quick was demolished
at midnight Sunday night by a
charge of dynamite which had been
placed under the front porch, near
the sleeping apartments of Dr. Alex
Hall and his bride, formerly Miss
LMiyrtle Quick. Miss Mary Guthrie
of Carthage, 111., was arrested on
suspicion. It is understood the doctor
and Miss Guthrie were engaged
to be married at one time. None of
t.he other occupants were injured.
The house was valued at $12,000.
FATAL ItOTKL FIRE.
Four Rodies Are Recovered and Two
More in Debris.
Three bodies have been recovered
from the ruins of t.he Hotel Thomo
at Cincinnati, Ohio, which was burned
Saturday night. The bodies of
the men were found in a ruined upper
story, where they had been suffocated.
For more than an hour
adjacent property, including two
theatres, was in imminent peril. The
fire spread from the cellar, where it
started, to the roof with great rapidity
and pedestrians who were early
on the scene assisted scores of guests
in escaping by windows.
Drowned by Automobile.
Margaret Rrennan, a nurse, twenty-two
years of age, was drowned in
two feet of water in Muck Creek, 19
miles from Tacoma, Wash., Friday,
being pinioned under an automobile.
ALD