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ISTORM TRAGEDY fire Perseae Were 81 W?pp*e Kills Opposite CktritMi HOUSE CARRIED AWAY The Pathetic Story of the Drowning % of a Mother and Her Two Young Children as Described by an Older Son, Who Also Battled For His lilfe in the Water. j The Newe and Courier Bays five persons were drowned off Wappoo Mills, in St. Andrew's parish in the storm of Sunday night The dead are as follows: Mrs Lottie Richter, Mary Richter, Mrs. Martha Qoodson, Charles Goodson and Lillian Stender. The death of these persons was from drowning dn the high waters of Wappoo cut late Sunday night, after they had been driven from the small cottage In which they were housed. This cottage was the home of Dennis Cassidy, watchman at Wappoo. Both r*aanfriv and his wife were saved af 9 ter a fierce fight with the wind and waves. The Cassidy residence was washed away by the high waters, and those In the home who were saved made r their escape by floating on the top of the roof and upon a small outhouse. These were rescued by a negro farmer by the name of Ford, who gave them clothes and food and assisted them on their way to Charleston. A peculiar feature of this terrible affair was that none of the occupants of the house were clothed at all. They had undressed for bed before the storm broke upon them and what night clothes they wore were torn from them by the wind and the waters. It is a sad story that is told of this drowning. Mrs Lottie Richter was a young women, just about twenty years of age, and her little daughter, Mary, who was also drowned, was but a babe of three months. Little Lillian c+An#iar wn? a ho ut. two years of age, m ^wuuva ff mm w- ? w " as was Charles Goodson. Mrs. Good- I w son, mother of the yonug boy, was about thirty-six years of age, and re^ sided at Waycross, Ga. There was a large crowd in the small cottage that was destroyed, the Cassidys, John Stender, his wife and child, Mr. and Mrs. Rlchter and their two children and others. From the story of the fearful occurrence, It seems that as the wa* ter gradually rose higher and higher the occupants of the cottage in a measure were prepared for the worst and both Stender and Richter sat in the windows ready to take to the water and swim for their lives. When the house was lifted from its foundations and fell upon one side, the various occupants clung to parts of the 0 wreckage as best they could?some were able to undergo the fearfiG or deal and others perished. In his arms, John Stender clung tenaciously to his little daughter until a heavy wave burst over him and dislodged the child. Endeavoring to keep up with the floating house, he made dive after dive for the little girl, but to no avail. She was drown^ ed and her body was recovered in the marshes not far from the scdne of the tragedy. John Stender was enabled to save himself by clinging to parts of the floating house. John Rlchter, his wife, Lottie ^ Richter and their two children, May and Allen were in the house. In the window sat the husband and father, shielding his two children, after his wife had admonished him to tae care of them and she would take take care of them and she would look out for herself. When the house fell John Richter was somewhat hurt in the crash, but he held on to the two children. Floating for awhile on part of the wreckage, Richter was enabled to keep May and Allen above |water, but before long he was struck by a piece of timber, blown against him, and knocked him almost senseless. His hold on the children was* broken and they sank into the water below. But upon recovering himself i somewhat, Richter made a number of dives, which were only partially successfully. He succeeded in finding his son Allen and brought him to a place on the roof, to which they were holding. Bait without avail were his efforts to recover his daugh ter May. Douglass Goodson, a young lad of 13 summers, who survived the terrible tragedy, told a graphic and pathetic story of the death of his mother and little brother Charles: /'Mother and us boys, Leroy, five years old, and myself, went to Wappoo mills about two weeks ago to spend a vacation with Mrs. Bertha Stender. We had a very pleasant time until Sunday afternoon. With lis at the time of the tragedy were a, IMr and Mrs. Dennis Cassidy, both of whom were saved. Sunday evening the rain began to fall very hard and In a few hours the entire house in which we were staying was sur| rounded by water. All of us became j freightened and ran out on the piazza, when the floor of the house fell in. The roof followed shortly afterwards, Then the front porch. Our lanterns were blown out by tho terrific wind and we were left in utter darkness. In the midst of an oni FALSE DATTA ISSUED GREAT INJUSTICE DONE THE COTTON GROWERS. Senator Smith Declares that if New England Yankees Had Cotton They Would Systematize* A dispatch from Chester to The State says a crowd numbering about 500, the majority of them farmers A t J f ? T * ?? 4 -I 1 gauiereu in neurjr b wwub ai xx o'clock Friday morning for the big farmers' rally. Much to the regret of those present E. W. Dabbs, president of the State Farmers' union was unable to be on hand, and United States Senator E. D. Smith was the only speaker. J. G. L#. White, president of the Chester County Farmers' union, presided and seated upon the stand were Senator P. L. Hardin and Col. T. J. Cunningham. Mr White, in an interesting talk, in which he charged his hearers to exercise greater vigilance in endeavoring to obtain a better price for cotton, introduced the speaker of the day \Senator Smith began by referring to previous visits to Shester and the rapid passing of time since he enlisted in the warfare for better prices for cotton. He ridiculed the "Back to the Farm" movement as the conception of fellows who are too lazy to work and want the prices of the commodities of life reduced. He then proceeded to show that the South is the only place in the world exactly suited for the growing of cotton of the kind that the world requires, and said the total lack of business system is the only reason why the farmers do not obtain a living price for their product. He told of how the merchant and the horse dealer sell their goods at a price which includes payment of every necessary expense plus a profit, and said the farmer should adopt a similar plan. If the New England Yankees had the marketing of the cotton crop, he declared, prices would soon soar to thirty and fifty cents. The Brussels conference of spinners, Senator Smith declared, was a deliberate effort to lower the price of cotton by an agreement to cut down the output of the spinning mills. This was followed by the issuing of false bulletins from the office of t'he Secretary of Agriculture. He told of his visit to Secretary Wilson and the lattere disclaimer of any attempt to bear the cotton market, also his promise that such ? report should not be issued again. This was followed, however, a month later by another report of similar tenor, the effect being to lower cotton $20 a bale. Senator Smith told of what senators from the northwest did when it was proposed to bring Wheat In duty free from Canada. They rose as one man and fought the proposition, yet when a combine of forces beat down the price of the South'3 principal commodity the North sits by supinely, he said. Men had come to him, he said, asking him to let up in his fight on Secretary Wilson on account of the secretary's age. He realized this, he said, but his people's happiness and comfort meant more to him than the aged secretary's personal reputation. ? usually strong gust the entire building turned over on its side, mother the Cassidys, my brothers and myself clinging desperately to the side. Fortunately this side fell uppermost and we were able to grab hold of several l>eams which stood upright out of the wreckage. "Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy and my brother Deroy managed to find some protection under a portion of the wall left standing, but mother and we other boys were unable to make our way to the same spot. During the whole time mother talked soothingly to her three boys and two or three times cried softly. The house began to f loao dttnwehaOrhhta.pFstkgKv to float down the river and it appeared to me that we passed a fourmasted schooner somewhere during the terrible ordeal The wind blew harder and harder and it became very difficult to hang to out posts. Suddenly mother gave a low moan, and with Charles, who is two y^?*rs of age, clinging to her neck, was thrown overboard when the house g<ave a terrible lurch. I tried to catch her but my senses left me. When I came to the wind was blowing as hard as ever, and the next thing I knew we were floating over a portion of the new bridge, which I found out afterwards had been wrecked. It appeared to me then that the wind carried the house to a marsh. That was about 1 o'clock Monday morning. We remained in this position until 4 o'clock and then with great difficulty, made our way to the home of an old colored woman, who gave us something to eat. We remained with this woman until this morning at 10 o clock." Mrs Goodson is a niece of Mr. George A. Douglas of this city and of Mr. Charles M. Douglass of Augusta, and a daughter of the late Frank W. Douglass, who died at Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American war. Her husband is manager of a sewing machine company at Waycross, Ga. 9 I COTTON REPORT Dr*agV>?, Wnii and Warm Dmige ike Cr*pVery Materially. SIZE OF PRESENT CROP Estimated at Nearly Thirteen Million llales.?Condition on August 25th Shows (heat Falling Off Since the Report of Condition of Crop Made on July 25th. A total production of 12,918,200 bales of cotton as the final yield this year is indicated by the Department of Agriculture's official report of the condition of the growing crop of August 25, which the crop reporting board, from reports from Its correspondents and agents throughout the cotton belt, estimated Friday at 73.2 per cent of a normal. This estimate based on a ratio of the average yield for the past ten years to the average condition of the crop on August 25, for the past ten years, would mean a final yield of 181.65 pounds per acre on the planted area of approximately 34,000,000 acres, allowing for an abandoned acreage of 1,000,000 and provided the crop does not decline or improve from the date the condition was estimated to time of picking. These estimates of production, while unofficial, were reckoned by the official method adopted by tne Department of Agriculture and used by the crop reporting board in its monthly estimates of the final yield o^ the Important cereal crdps of the country. Unofficial advices from thee otton belt indicate the most important declines in the crop were due to severe droughts, hot winds and worms. Reports indicate that heavy shedding caused by hot weather was the chief factor of deterioration in practically all States, except Louisiana and Mississippi, where there has been excessive rain. Heat and drought very greatly damaged cotton during the month, especially in Texas and Oklahoma. Since the date on which the condition was taken?August 25?there have been rains which greatly relieved conditions and considerable improvement is looked for when the October report is issued. The condition of the growing cotton crop on August 25th was 73.2 per cent of a normal, as compared with 89.1 per cent, on July 25, 1911, 72.1 per cent on August 25, 1910, 68.7 per cent on August 25, 1910, and 63.7 per cent on August 29, 1909, and 73.5 per cent, the average of the past ten years on August 25, according to the crop reporting board of the bureau of statistics of the United States Department of Agriculture, estimated from the reports of the correspondents and agents of the bureau. Comparisons of conditions by States follow: Aug. July Aug. Ten 25 25 25 Year States. 1911 1911 1910 A v. Virginia. ... 96 102 82 80 N. Carolina . . 76 87 76 78 S. Carolina . . 74 86 73 77 Georgia. ... 81 95 71 77 Florida .... 85 95 74 78 Alabama. ... 80 94 72 73 Mississippi. ..70 86 71 76 Louisiana. . . 69 8 4 60 70 Texas 68 86 69 68 Arkansas ...78 94 78 75 Tennessee. ..88 92 78 82 Missouri. ... 88 96 78 82 Oklahoma. . . 62 88 85 76 California. . .100 99 95 ? ? HELD UP OX COUNTRY ROAD. Aged Man Attacked and Robbed By known Parties. Henry Garland, an old man, who lives near the mineral spring, just out of Darlington was attacked Tuesday night two miles south of town and severely bruised, and his assailant made away with $4.90, which he had on his person. It was about dark and Mr Garland noticed his mule shy in the road and was in the act of urging the animal on when some one struck him in the back of the head He'did not know any more until about 3 o'clock Wednesday morning, when he was found by an old negro who knew him and who carried him home in a semi-conscious condition. He is out, but was suffering considerable pain. No arrests have been made Coton and Itiee Suffer. A conservative estimate of the property loss in 'Beaufort, Port Royal and vicinity puts the figures at a million dollars. Rice crops, of which there are thousands of acres, are entirely destroyed by salt water, cotton has been stripped and the corn fields damaged 50 per cent. Storm Affected His Mind. F. H. Zerbest, a retired merchant of Charleston, committed suicide with a parlor rifle at his home on Sunday. He had 'been despondent for some time and it U thought the hurricane unsettled his mind. PLEASED BY REPORT SENATOR SMITH'S CONTENTION CONFIRMED BY IT. Says He Was Glad of Opportunity to Protest Against Reckless Estimate of tlie South's Great Crop. The State says when asked for a statement in reference to the government condition report published by the United States department of agriculture and the advance in the price of cotton, Senator Smith, who arrived in Columbia from Chester Friday night said: "Of course it was very gratifying to me that my contention was right. And also to see that the telegrams from the commissioners of agriculture were practically verified by the report from the agricultural department at Washington. it 1 ? # T o /I h A \r I 1 AfTA i urn gmu mai * uau tuo j/t >ivqv of being in a position to protest against the agricultural department at Washington using its immense official power in such an outrageously reckless manner. "I believe that conditions as they actually exist warranted a lower condition report. I have not had the pleasure of meeting any of the California cotton growers, but it is ludicrous and perhaps from another view, more than ludicrous for that State to be set down seriously in a cotton crop condition report as being 100. It might be interesting and enlightening to know what the comparison of the present crop in California was based upon. It has been in only the last two or three years that California has made any cotton at all. I presume the department scarcely sent an agent from the East across the continent to California to estimate the condition of the crop in California, as compared with the condition of the crop in the East. However, in spite of all this, it is gratifying to suppose that the secretary of agriculA * V? n nni'na f loaf m Anf Vl I. II It; IUVJIV LlltJ Jfdllin lino IUUI, inuiivo of ascertaining through his own personal supervision, some approximation of the real condition of affairs. "It is absurd, even now, 10 predict a yield of the present crop with any degree of accuracy, for the reason that the deterioration is still continuing. In most States the fertilizer are now exhausted. And therefore the plant being at its maximum in size or fruitage has little or no chance, under any weather conditions, of increasing its fruitage, but It is subject to deterioration. There are limited areas in the cotton belt where on account of the richness of the soil, the plant may continue to bear and a late frost might add somewhat to the yield in these localities. But I think I voice the opinion of every practical cotton grower when I say that the major part of the cotton area where fertilizers are used have reached the limit of any further improvement and is subject now to no change in condition ex copt on? of deterioration. "I think the September report will show a still further decrease in condition and a consequent shrinkage in the guesses as to the size of the crop. I take this occasion to state to all harties interested that even were a 15,000,000 bale crop made, he world have need for every pound of it. And if the value of cotton is to be measured by the price of other articles 15 cents a pound is little enough in all reason." * HIGHLY RESPECTED NEGRO. Sells Property for Seventeen Thousand Hollars. A special dispatch to The State from Rock Hill says Mayor John T. Roddey, has bought the Henry Toole business bloc 011 East Main street for $17,000. This is simple announcement, but behind it is a story that should prove interesting to people all O 41. II .. .. I r . ri'nAln fa U WI' OLMllll UillUillia. I iru^y i wuic 10 a negro; at the same time he is one of the most substantial and respectable citizens of Rock Mill?in fact, he is one of the incorporators of the old town of Rock Hill, for even at the birth of the town he was a free-holder. Me is a barber and for 41 years he has followed that trade until a few months ago, when he sold his shop. Henry has been courteous and industrious all of his life and he holds the esteem of every white man in Rock Hill. During Reconstruction days he was connected with the Ku Klux Klan. He served 4 2 days in the jail at Columbia for participation in that affair and has regularly voted the Democratic ticket since then, and ras always attended the white Episcopal church here. He owns a fine plantation in York County and another one .in Lancaster, and besides his home here he is in posses - ? -4* a.. TT? 1 ? A sion or oiner property, ne i? ti upiemdid example of what a negro can accomplish. * Hunter Kills 28 llattlesnakCR, While out hunting Cleo Johnson, of Wrightsville, broke the record on rattlesnakes. The dogs with which he was hunting treed and when he .found them, they had 2 8 rattlesnakes cornered. There was one monster snake, fully grown, and 27 younger ones, which nearly filled a ten-pound lard can when they were all killed and placed in the receptacle. ARE IN BAD FIX S#ith CarcGia Ctttti Mills Face a Very Scrim PnUea SHADOW OF THE WEEVIL Certain Kinds of Cotton Used by Some of the. Mills in this State Can Not be Had Hecause of the Quarantine Against the Section Where it is liaised. The State says the cotton manufactures of South Carolina are facing a serious situation as the result of the announcement that the boll weevil cotton quarantine will be strictly enforced arter sept. iu. it is said that the stock of raw cotton of many of the textile plants in the State is verd low, and that a majoritl of the mills will depend on shipments that were to come from the boll weevil territory. It is the Intention of the State entomologist to enforce strictly to the letter the act against the shipment of cotton into this State from the boll weevil territory after September. In the event the law is enforced, it is said that many of the mills may have to close operation As already announced, Ellison A. Smyth, the president of the Cotton Manufactures' association of South PnrnHnn hna rpn liPKtf?d fl COllfereilCfi with the State entomologist and the commissioner of agriculture to discuss the situation. The following letter asking for information on the situation has been received at the State department of agriculture from a well known cotton firm of Greenville. "We have taken notice of the statement in the papers recently issued by Mr Conradi, State entomologist, in regard to shipping cotton from the boll weevil infected districts into South Carolina and note that the State will quarantine against such points actively beginning September 10 "We have addressed 'Ml*. Conradi asking that he advise us what territory the State considers weevil infected. We have also asked that he advise us where we could procure a ?? ?.l? A M M i n 1 yv/l 4- /iMMi f map Hiiuwiug. 1110 mir^icu ici i uui y . We are very desirous of working in harmony with the State authorities in this matter, and as we bring a great deal of. cotton from Alabama and Mississippi into the State, wo do not wish to conflict in any manner. "Mr. Conardi is at present out of the State, and we are unable to learn when he will return. If you can give us the information requested of him, we will greatly appreciate it." The situation in which the textile industry in South Carolina finds itself as a result of the cotton quarantine has arisen a little earlier than was expected, according to the State commissioner of agriculture Mr. Watson said that Just exactly this situation has been expected for some years by the department and at Asheville in June, at at several places since, notably at Darlington on Friday last, he called particular attention of manufactures and growers to the necessity and sound business sense of raising upland staple such as the Columbia, Keenan, Hartsville, Coker and Webber, for consumption in our home mills in place of Mississippi catton which is now being brought in to the extent of upward of 400,000 bales out of the total of about 765,000 bales now aannually consumed in the South Carolina mills. The attention of Lewis W. Parker and of the Textile Manufactures' association, he said, has been directed to this particular and uneconomic condition of affairs for the past two years, and this and the knowledge that the spreading of the boll weevil over the Mississippi delta would under the law close the source of supply, has been the reason for the vigorous campaign that has been pushed particularly for this year, with a view tc getting the farmer to raise his cotton from selected seed furnished him and to sell it directly to the mills. The knowledge that this cotton would arise has been at the back of a vigorous effort along this line and the commissioner adds, the knowledge that the boll weevil is hastening at the rate of 75 miles a year towards South Carolina, has caused him to endeavor to shape the agricultural development policy in this State to the end that the people would be in a state of unpreparedvo lw> firefr rtrnslmiP'ht nf IIUC1D tV/ I V/VVI ? l/IIV/ I I i m v \/ .?o. ?* v? n > v v? ?the weevil on the $98,000,000 cotton crop instead of being found in a state of unpreparedness, as were many of the people in the Southeastern portion of the bolt. For five years the campaign has been waged for diversification, giving other money crops and something to eat to take the place of the money which is received for the cotton when cotton alone is relied upon. ? ? < Merchant Caught in Own Trap. O. F. Cooper, a merchant in Blue Mountain City, Ala., may lose a leg as a result of being shot by a gun he eet as a trap for burglars at his store. He forgot the trap on entering the store on the morning of the accident and received the full discharge of birdshot just above the knee. WENT FOR THEM WHIPPED FOUR MEN FOR INSULTING HIS DAUGHTER. Accusing Them of Attempt to "Mash" the Young Lady, Aged Congressman Used His Fist. /Representative Charles D. Carter of Oklahoma, created a sensation in the heart of the smart shopping centre at Washington Friday by assaulting four clerks, one of them whom ho allAiroH inanltod >iia 1 S-voar-olii daughter, Miss Italy Carter, who was with her father on a shopping expedition. Having dealt summarily with the four clerks, Representative Carter, who is 7 6 years old, sent his daughter home in an automobile and proceeded to the nearest police station, where he explained the incident which led up to the trouble. He was not detained and considers the incident closed unless the four clerks demand an investigation. (Representative Carter assailed the first clerk, Joseph Josephson, with his fists and when three of the young man's companion's cam? IU lUUir lllt'UU ? tuu IIIU KJtS. UtllWlIli* congressman brought his walking stick into play and wielded it vigorously until he was master of the field. A'ocordfng to Mr. Carter, his daughter described to Josephson a certain kind of a coat which sho wished to purchase. He declares the clerk thought Miss Carter was unattended and sought to engage her in conversation. "Continuing his advances, which were followed by repulses," said Mr. Carter, "the young man became insulting. When I politely asked the clerk the cause of the trouble, he became infuriated and said uncomplimentary things about my daughter, I told her to accompany me from the store, and as we reached the door he called me several names. I returned and preferred to strike him, U'hnn Vie* atartarl nwrn-Ho mn T Hian V "VU II V UVUi WV'VI VW ?' UI VIO JL VUV7IA gave him as good a licking as my long experience on the plains and as a boxer would permit. I then started. to leave when three of his assistants took up the fight. I was plainly outnumbered but I struck righ tand left with my sane and finally routed the bunch." PLUNGED TO HIS DEATH. Loses Balance and Falls Out of Third Story Window. In New York Simon Heinback, 60 years old, tumbled out of the third story window In his home at No 326 East Fifty-second street Friday, and was mortally njured. Heinback waa putting on his trousers near the window which looks out on a rear court yard. The window has a very low sill. He got one leg in all right and was raising the other leg to complete the act of inserting himself into his trousers when he lost his balance and pitched headlong through the window. His wife managed to catch hold of the loose leg of the falling man's trousers, but the garment came off in her hands and the heavy man fell clear of the window to the cement pavement. , LAST YEAK*S COTTON CROP. Amounted to a Little Over Twelve Million Rales. Secretary Hester of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange makes the total commercial cotton crop of the United States for the season of 1910~ 11, which ended Friday, 12,12 0,095 bales. The items in the crop are: Port receipts 8,838,037; overland to mills, 973,492; Southern consumption 2,363,610, a total of 12,175.145 from which must be substracted 55, 050 bales consumed at ports or ship peel rrom ports to soutnern nuns. The crop being gathered will not be any larger than last year's is the opinion of many. ? Contracts Cattle Disease. Bruce Broussard, a farmer, la suffering with charbon, a disease fatal to cattle, the disease having been contracted by Broussard while removing the hide from the carcass of a cow killed by the disease. Cattle In this section are dying by the score despite the efforts of the authorities to prevent its spreading. B.roussard's condition is serious. Captain Ijost Overboard. The steamer Ogeecheo, bound from New York for Texas City arrived at Brunswick, Ga., Thursday in distress, as a result of encountering the gale on Sunday off the Carolina Coast. News was received that Capt. Coleson of the steamer Dover, was wash J ?1 .... .1 .> .. .1 tir Kilo At% l'(l DVt'ruUJl I'll ttllu (IIUuhcu ? liiiv u u route from Jacksonville to Miama, Fla, ? ? ? t First for the Year. The first homicide to the year for Lee county occurred at Btshopvilto on Monday night, when Jos. W. Waltors shot and killed Lawton Mat use. The men had been at outs for soma time. While Matuse was sitting In a buggy Walters walked up and shot him.