The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, October 03, 1912, Image 5
PRIMARY PROBERS
MAKES RAPID PROGRESS IN THEIR
INVESTIGATION
DUNCAN HAKES CHARGES
V A i A
y
Subcommittee Finishes Its Work at
Spartanburg and Greenville, in
Both of Which Counties Irregularities
Were Found in Several Boxes
and Illegal Voting.
A dispatch from Greenville to The
News and Courier Bays productive
of but meagre results in. so far as
interest to the public is concerned
were the two sessions of the subcommittee
of the State Democratic
executive committee, appointed for
the purpose or investigating alleged
frauds in the recent primary election
, hold Wednesday morning in Spartanburg
and that afternoon in Greenville.
Detective E. S. Reed, who is
said to be operating in this section of
the State, is in Greenville, but not
withstanding the fact that Mr. B. M.
Jeffries, of the committee, moved
to request that Mr. Reed testify if
he had anything to tell ho did not
appear before the committee; neither
was lie requested to appear. Chairman
Steverson ruling that the committee
li,ad no knowledge of Mr.
Reed or his work, and that it was
not in a position to bring witnesses
bt fore it.
The net result of the meetings
Wednesday were: Hearing reports on
the counties of the Pee Dee section
of the State, similar to those submitted
Tuesday by Sub-Chairman
J. B. Park, with substantially the
same result; a few irregularities
shown in Berkeley, Marion, York
Dillon and Dorchester, where it is
stated that 125 votes on the State
'ticket were placed in the county
box and counted; the disappearance
of the club rolls and^ poll lists in
Orangeburg, but a statement from
County Chairman Robt. Lide that
there was apparently no fraud; reports
of no irregularities in Charleston,
Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield-,
Kershaw, Dee, and Williamsburg;
no reports from Calhoun,
Florence, Georgetown, Horry and
Marlboro; deferring examination of
the Richland County rolls and lists
until the committee meets in Columbia.
which will be on Tuesday; refusal
of the committee to dlscomiss
the protest of Judge Ira B. Jones,
conteste, against Governor mease,
refusal to give Greenville County a
clean bill of health; an aflidavit by
John T. Duncan, who ran for Governor
in the recent primary, charging
the 'illegal use of money in behalf
of Ira B. Jones; and the decision of
tlio committee to meet in Anderson
to hear a report of the Anderson
citizen's committee on their findings
In that county.
Asked for Dismissal of l^otest.
At the conclusion of the hearing
In Spartanburg Counsel F. H. I)ominlck,
for Governor Blease, made request
of the committee to dismiss the
protest of Judge Jones upon the
showing already made; that it appeared
that granting all the votes in
question there was still an insufTl
? - -r A _ - * i 1 . _
cient numoer or vuiaie me election.
This request was dismissed for the
reason that the sub-committee, as
ruled by Chairman Stevenson, is constituted
to investigate the entire election
without specific regard to the
contest of any particular candidato,
and report its findings to the State
executive committee.
In reply to the request of Mr,
Dominick, Counsel Robert W. Shand.
for Judge Jones, stated that Judge
Jones, through his attorneys, would
take the evidence as submitted tc
the committee, compile the figure.2
and if it was found that there was an
iiMufficient number of so-called
fraudulent votes to change the result
of the election, then they would
withdraw their protest, not otherwise.
Mr. Shand took occasion to explain
Judge Jones's position in the matter
that ho was unable to carry on s
'complete investigation of alleged
ifrauds and that, as some of hi?
friends and supporters wei'3 about
to raise a fund for that purpose the
executive committeo moved to aci
cn account of the numerous complaints
made to it, look up the woi
cf i 11> ( sligation and that Judga Jones
was merely abiding the finding.; oJ
the investigating committee.
Duncan Makes Charge.
Mr. John T. Duncan invited the
committee to closely investigate conditions
in Anderson, Oreenviuo
Greenwood Orangeburg and Rich
land, charging the use of money and
unlawful betting on the election b\
Jones men. In Greenvillt, on char
gc-s that the Jones headquarters was
a scene of "flagrant breachers of the
criminal law and our election laws
in the matter of betting on the electioi
and the use of money to purchase
votes." He cites G. Heyward
Mali on as manager of the head-quar^tcrs
and says that a Mr. Whitmire
Assistant to tho conductor on the
" ? n 1.1? ? ?
noumem u;uiway, umuhidui hihi
r.reonvillo division, can tell about
these illegal practices. 'Mr. Stevenson
called for both Messrs. Mahor
and Whitmire, but neither could be
found. No one seemed to know the
Mr. Whitmire. Somo little merriment
was created by the reading ol
Mr. Duncan's affidavit.
Mr. Jeffries after the examination
on the stand of Mr. Avery Pattor
of the Oreenvillt Citizens' Committe<
moved to give Greenville a clean bill
of health as to the election. The
motion was ruled premature by the
chairman, who stated two reasont
for the ruling: first, "because th*
report of this committee could not
!> * prepared until the committee has
finished its work anu wo could not
give any county a clean btV. of health
until the entire report was made;
and second, because, the attorneys;
tir Governor Blease we;o reserving
the right to attack any county until
the hearings were closed and tha:
right would be taken awa/ by a
judgment at this time.'*
Mr. Avery Patton was sworn that
afternoon and testified to the statements
contained in the report made
Tuesday. Nothing new was brought
out, except the intimation, in the
form of a question from Mr. Dominlck
that there had been two hundred'
questionable votes in the Duueonibeo
street box. It was stated
that there appeared 34 7 duplicate
names in the Central box at Spartanburg,
and that 158 names were of
persons absolutely unknown.
in reply to cross examination from
Mr. Dominlck, Mr. Patton stated that
his citizens' committee made no
charges of fraud, but reported conditions
as it found them. He declared
it as his opinion that of the throe
managers of the Central box, Mr.
Poole was a Please supporter and
Messrs. McGheo and Davis were
Jones men.
The trend of counsel's questions,
was to show that the machinery at
Spartanburg wa s entirely in the
hands of Jones men. Mr. Dominick
o?(tin oniiftri for snecific charges and
Mr. Shand stated that his compilation
of the figures in the hands of
the committee, would constitute the
charges upon which Judge Jones
would base his contest, provided they
proved sufficient. The scope of the
comipittte work was thereby somewhat'
more clearly defined.
Ill short, It is a Court of Inquiry
into the methods and praitices of the
recent primary, and whether or not
there is a contest by any candidate
or candidates is left with those interested.
The Greenville session of
the committee was brief and quiet,
no large crowd having assembled.
Moving on to Anderson, the committee
will adjourn to meet in Columbia,
and nish its work prior to a meeting
of the State Democratic executive
committee, which has been called by
Chairman John Gar> Kvans for Tuesday,
when final action relative to
the election is expected.
M1CAH JKNKIN'S OFFICE GONE.
?
Internal Revenue Districts of South
and North Carolina Combined.
An order has been issued by President
Taft consolidating the internal
revenue district of North Carolina,
with headquarters at Raleigh. The
oflice of Major Mich Jenkins, colloc
tei of internal revenue for South Carolina
at Columbia, thus disappears.
The deputy will probably be stationed
at Columbia to sell stamps.
Who this oificer will be has not yet
been determined, according to a
statement made Tuesday at the office
ol Commissioner Cabell, in Washington.
The order of consolidation is
effective October 1, and follows the
enactment of the legislative, executive
and judicial appropriation bill
passed at the last session of Congress,
when provision was made for
the sixty-seven revenue districts now
in existence, leaving to the Presii
dent the designation of the districts
to be merged. One Texas district will
be consolidated and one in California*
The fourth district to vanish remains
! to be announced.
SAYS HE WAS HYPNOTIZED.
i
Man Who Kobbcd New York Limited
Ravs He Was Under Spell.
i Howard E. Edwards, tho highwayi
n\an who held up and robbed the
. New York limited train of the Loure.
ville and Nashville Railroad, near
i New Orleans, on the night of Sep,
ten.ber 4, Tuesday was indicted by
[ the grand jury. lie is charged with
assaulting mail clerks on the train
, and with tho theft of mail matter.
Edwards, who has been in the hos?
pital there with a fractured skull as
1 the result of blows struck by Engi,
neei llaer, who effected his capture,
i was removed to the parish prison to
t await trial. He asserted to newspa[
per men Tuesday that he was under
. the hypnotic influence of four strang[
ers, who drugged him when he com.
mitled the crime.
? ? ?
l SPANISH TRAINMEN STRIKE.
l Government Using Every Precaution
Against Outbreaks.
A general strike on tho railroads
5 of the province of Catalonia, Spain, is
^ to ho started by the employees at
" midnight Tuesday night.
: Tho Government has taken stern
' measures of precaution against out*
' breaks on the part of the men. Mllr.
* - 1 i?- i
lary Uiiu^i upnui ? nave uccu iJiawu in
charge of all the instruments at the
> stations which are guarded by troops
while soldiers of the engineer corps
? have been placed on the trains to rck
place the engineers and firemen who
I leave their posts.
' ? ? ?
Auto Hit a liig Tree.
} Dr. John L. Hughes, health officer
1 of Mt. Vernon, N. Y., was killed and
5 Mrs. Louisa S. Clement was perhaps
' fatally injured in an automobile ac'
cident near New ltochelle, N. Y. 'Mrs.
' Clemeilt? who is a wealthy divorcee,
' had been a patient of Dr. Hughes,
? and he was taking her home from his
? otlice in Mt. Vernon when the auto|
mobile struck a rut and skidded.
L The machine cyrashed into a tree,
" throwing out both occupants.
1 ?
| Itonib Kills Wealthy Planter.
Ambushed assassins believed to
i have been members of the Dlack
Hand, dynamited the home of John
[ Mondella Sr., near Shreveport, La.,
killing him, after he refused to pay
5 (hem $1 0,000, demanded in a letter.
I His wife and three sons wero injurj
ed.
j , ?
j Steeplejack's Long Tumble.
) George C. Winders, a steeplejack of
t Cambridge City, Ind., fell from the
i top of a forty-foot smokestack he was
: painting. Rolling a cigarette, ho rigi
god up another scaffold and finished
. ............
THEIR WORK BEGUN
THE SUB-COMMITTEE HEARS REPORTS
ON PRIMARY
NOISY CROWD PRESENT
Many Irregularities in Some of Counties?
Roll Called for Reports From
- - - - - 1 ~ 0
Chairman.?kuicn ior rroou ui
Charges Adopted, -r- Meeting Disturbed
by Crowd in Court Room.
The Spartanburg correspondent of
The State says although not quite
sensational, the two opening sessions
of the investigation of the sub-committee
cf the State Democratic executive
committee to conduct an inquiry
intc charges of fraud in the primary
election of August 27 there Tuesday
proved far from quiet. The noise of
the two sessions was furnished by the
crowd that practically filled the court
house in the early afternoon and at
the later session packed the place
considerably beyond its seating capacity.
The majority of the "fuss"
came from the spectators. In a more
dignified manner continual objections
from attorneys for the governor kept
tho proceedings from being monotonous.
Despite the constant interruptions
of practically all the first session and
over half the second the committee
made a good start in the investigation
it set out to make. The subcommittee
was organized; a plan of
procedure was reached and put in execution;
reports were received and
admitted from J. B. Park's division
of the State, including the ^counties
from which ho has received information;
the routine work of the committee
was disposed of and when the
committee met Wednesday morning
at 10 o'clock W. B. Wlison Jr., will
make his report of the counties investigated
in his division.
Kxplains Their Side.
At the opening of the first meeting,
called to order in the court house
at 1 p. m., attorneys for the governor,
chiefly through F. H. Dominick, exnlolnoH
jit snnin lenirth to the com
inUlee the position taken by them. At
the afternoon session S. J. Nichols
had much to say. At one time in the
first session cheers and yells of applause
for J. M. Greer by the spectators
consumed considerable time
and at the aftersoon session the
crowd cheered lustily in approbation
of remarks by Mr. Greer and R. M,
Jeffries. In the crowd that filled the
court room were many supporters ol
the governor and some of the Blease
leaders of the Piedmont as well at
Spartanburg county. Visitors from
several nearby counties were inevideuce,
including Cherokee, Unlor
and Greenville.
The most exciting Incident of the
day came shortly after the committee
met at 3:30 o'clock after the din
ncr recess. Just after the commit
tee had indorsed the action of W. F
Stevenson, chairman, in mapping oul
the work of the committee frorr
Charlotte, J. iM. Greer demanded in i
loud tone "your" authority for meet
ii.g members of the committee ir
Charlotte. This created a demon
stration that deepened in a momeni
into an uproar. Cries of "Give it tc
'cm, Greer," and "Go to Charlotte '
came from various parts of the lial
and men in all parts of the hall ros<
in their seats and pushed toward tin
inclosure around the judge's stanc
where the chairman sat with th<
members of the committee groupe(
jus.: outside the railing.
Demands Order.
Mr. Stevenson announced that un
less there was order the committer
would adjourn to a room where tin
audience would be so small it wouh
have to be orderly. Mr. Greer shout
ed "You can't do it." The cry was
taken up by many in the crowd. S
J. Nichols made an appeal for order
Mr. Stevenson reminded the crowt
that if any man is declared the nomi
nuo for governor it will bo on the re
nort of this committee and if tin
committee could not proceed in tin
court room the work would be con
tinned elsewhere.
In the midst of the uproar J. T
Duncan, appearing as a contestant
spoke at some length, and the yell:
of the crowd turned to cheers fo
Du ncan.
"We are glad to have an audience
but I will ask that members of tin
audience will not participate in tin
procedure of the committee and wil
refiain from voting 011 motions,'
cautioned Mr. Stevenson after orde:
was restored.
Not long after the demonstratior
tins roll of counties was called, am
with the reading of more or les:
lengthy reports from sub-committee!
in the various counties the ardor o
I the crowd waned and a largo ma
{polity of the GOO persons left tin
court room.
Chairman Sustained.
Just after the convening of tin
committee for the second session or
motion of Mr. Park, the work of tin
chairman in apportioning the wort
of the sub-committee was "approver
and confirmed".
Convening at 1 o'clock, the com'
m it tee, with every member preseni
and attorneys on hand representing
both Judge .Tones and the governor
began the work. R. M. Jeffries anc
T. I>. Hutier wore nominuum iur s^urotary,
but Col. Butler declined the
honor and Mr. Jeffries was electee
by acclamation.
Mr. Stevenson in a statement explained
the position of the sub-committee.
lie reviewed the three sources
of evklenco?information in the
hands of the contestants and the contesleos;
reports from people throughout
the State who had informatlor
which this committee would not be
able to get unless furnished by the
f
people who had the Information, "as
it is not gifted with the art of mind
reading and could not possibly interview
140,000 voters " and last the
records to which the committee has
access. j
To get the evidence from the public.
therefore, notice and time was
retjuired to be given to the public
and to get the records required time.
"Some criticism has grown out or |
the postponement, which, I think,
waf made without considering the
situation as it existed," said Mr. Stevenson.
"As the report which this committee
makes must be used in justification
and must show an endeavor
to get the evidence from reliablo
sources who were desirous of fur- L
nishing it, and if it then reported that
everything was all right then the [
public would not have the right *
theieafter to rise and condemn us
for not getting information which it J
itself failed to furnish upon invitatioi
and sufficient time given. That c
is the reason for the organization of
the work as it was done, and for the *
postponement of this meeting until
that organization could have the op- 1
nortunity to do this work.
Tillman's Criticism, !
"Criticism of the probable outcome f
of the investigation has been made j
by our distinguished senator." said ]
Mr. Stevenson, "whose advice will
always be duly considered by me and ]
whose wisdom I will always respect, |
whether I follow his advice or not. \
Because I differed politically from j
the governor, I am not responsible j
for being on the committee, was not <
present when it was ordered, and for <
one or two days declined to serve but ;
finally did reconsider and decide to ]
serve."
The chairman then reviewed the .
appointment of the two sub-commit- (
tees and the division of the State. He ]
pointed out that the chairmen of
these sub-committees are two young,
vigorous methodical attorneys who
have never been connected with poll- :
tics, and ho had separated himself j
absolutely from such evidence in or- (
(1 ( r to avoid "the implied inference
that our senior Senator said would be .
drawn." lie reminded his hearers ,
alsi that the public mind is now in a (
condition to accept evidence that may
be brought out without unnecessary
t. "The cooling time has been
beneficial to the body politic," lie
said.
Mr. Stevenson suggested that a
motion was in order to adopt a set of
rules and suggested a plan previously
outlined by the chairman through
the South Carolina daily press. "I
won't make it," exclaimed Mr. Greer,
and this stirred the first outburst of
the day from the crowd. When the
noise subsided Col. Butler moved the
r\t nrnnn/lnrn
I cluujmun yj 1 HID 1 UJV.O u 1 j<i uwum v
, previously suggested by Mr. Stevenson.
This was done.
The chaiman in response to the
\ query from Mr. Dominick held that
. neither party to the contest waives
| ary legal rights they may have in apj
pearing before the committee.
{ The rules as adopted are as follows:
i Rules Are Adopted.
"1. That the burden of proving ir?
regularities or fraud sufficient to an.
nul the election or reverse the face of
. the returns rests upon these charg.
ing the same.
"2. That since the entire public Is
I as deeply interested and have been
! invited to furnish evidence of crookt
edness if known, the public will have
? ?t t. A A- a 1* V* AM m d I ? ftli t\ M f /"\ f
i !it; rigui iu uo ucatu 111 ou|jpun ui
x charges made and those making
. charges whether tho public generally
t or the contstants should produce
j theii proof in opening.
"3. That tho contesteo has then
1 the right to offer proof in rebuttal
3 and the contestants in reply.
3 "4. That where no proof is prol
rlueed as to county, either by the con3
testants or by the public as liereto1
fore requested, and the records as
furnished the committee show nothing
wrong, such county shall be passed
on correct, proof of crookedness
not having been forthcoming to ovl
erthrow the presumption of correctJ
nces which always prevails.
"f?. That applying such rules, only
3 those counties will be investigated ,
where tangible specifications are in
nana, eitner proaucea uy contestants,
j the public or appearing from tho rec_
ords collected by the sub-committee
_ appointed heretofore, and it will be
a the endeavor of the committee to
3 take up the counties and complete
_ them, one at a time, beginning at
Spartanburg this course to be varied
as justice fniiy require, of course.
"6. The character of evidence and
^ the method of production will have to
p be determined by the committee from
time to time as the questions arise."
At the second session of the day
3 nvuch discussion was had by tho at3
torneys for the governor as to the
\ procedure of the committee and the
? method of inquiry adopted. Appear-!
r ing for Judge Jones at the hearing
are It. W. Shand and W. II. Town3
send. The governor is in the city,
j but did not attend the hearings. He
3 is represented by F. H. Dominick, E.
s S Please, J. M. Cannon and S. J.
f Xicholls.
A roll call of the counties in tho
3 district apportioned to Mr. Parks was
made and reports from the counties
entered in the record when available.
Spartanburg was first considered.
3 T. A. Phifer, for tho sub-committee of
1 the county Democratic executive com3
mittee, presented tho report. Mr.
: Phifer presented spcifications of all
leged frauds. The sub-committee has
not completed the work of making
- the probe of the county, hut presentt
ed numerous alleged irregularities.
> Instances are given of persons voting
. tw'ce, negroes voting who are not eliV
-ft 1 A ?- A _ % 11.1 J . r _ . ^
1 gioie 10 casr a uauoi aim 01 persuus
* voting who did not have their names
i on the club rolls. The partial report
1 admitted Tuesday gives a large number
of names arranged as a precincts
- as voting where their names did not
- appear on the club rolls. A further
i investigation must be made by the
j county sub-committee to ascertain
- whether or not certain votes cast
- more than oce under the same name
i are repeaters or persons of the same
i neme.
A Abbeville county was called. A
CONFESSES ROBBERY
'FAKED OFFICERS WOULD SUSPECT
HIS BROTHER.
lank Clerk Tells How He Arranged
Bogus Package and Took the
Money.
William H. Bell, 2 0 years old, a
>ank clerk, Tuesday night confessed
hat ho robbed the local First Nationit
Bank, Tuesday, of a package conalning
$55,000 of the Louisville and
Nashville's payroll, and substituted a
jogus package in its place. Fear
.hat the olhcers would suspect hrs
jrotlier is said to have caused Bell to
:or fess.
The young bank clerk has been In
he employ of the local bank for two
fears. In his confession to detec
ives, be declared that be bad planled
to secure tbe money a week before
the pay-roll was made up. Last
Sunday he made a bogus package,
similar in shape and size to the pay
roll package ?f money filled with
magazine slips.
On Tuesday afternoon, when the
Louisville and Nashvillo pay-roll waB
being fixed for shipment he slipped
the package containing the $55,000
Into his locker and substituted the
package of paper in its place. No
one noticed the change and the bogus
package together with a shipment of
$'20,000 was taken to the express of
tiee ana receipted.
Tuesday night Bell took the package
of money to his home In a suit
case. Activities by detectives ai|l officials
when the robbery became
known caused him to return the
mcney Saturday. He wrapped trie
package in a newspaper and after
notifying the cashier of the First Natioi
al Bank where the missing money
would be found, placed it on the
bvck st^ps of the bank building.
ccrtest there was recognized by the
county committee and two boxes?
Cold Spring and Antreville?were
thrown out because the managers
and voters were not sworn.
Charges in Aiken.
Tu Aiken the sub-committee has
not reported but specifications as to
alleged fraud are made.
The report of the sub-committee or
the county committee in Anderson
was put in evidence. After reading
onl\ a portion, further reading was
dispensed with and the document was
entered in the record.
The sub-committee of the Bamberg
ennntv executive committee has not
filed Its report. No report has been
received from Barnwell. In Beaufort
there Is no evidence of fraud.
A report from Cherokee stated the
xlstence of Irregularities but no proof
of intent to commit fraud. The primary
was conducted in a slipshod
manner, according to the report.
In Edgefield no irregularities were
noticed.
A report from the sub-committee
of the county executive committee in
Greenville says: "There were numerous
irregularities appearing of one
kind and another but in the main we
can not find evidence that these irregularities
were with fraudulent intent
or accomplished a fraudulent
purpose." The committee is inclined
to believe many negroes enrolled are
fictitious. Central box at Greenville
was freely considered. "Many names
on the club roll there can not be
identified. At each of the clubs examined
ten per cent, to 15 per cent,
of those who voted can not be identified.
Numerous incidents were discovered
where persons who are dead
or removed from the county are recorded
as having voted."
ureen wooers report was not reaay
when that county was called.
In Hampton the sub-committee reports
tho primary conducted loosely,
but no more so than in previous
years. Mr. Jeffries announced that
in Jasper tho county chairman said
that ho was not advised of an investigation.
Would Not Move.
When Laurens was called Mr. Fark
announced tVnt his request for the
at pointment of a sub-committee was
not regarded. J. M. Cannon announced
that under a telegram received
from John Gary Evans, State chairman,
a recount was made and a reso1
ui ion passed calling on the State
committee to exonerate that county
from the charge of fraud. Mr. Park
announced that his request for the
appointment of a sub-committee in
Newberry was not heeded and F. II.
Dominick told of the correspondence
between himself and Mr. Park already
familiar to tho public. No report
was on hand from Pickens and
Oconee. It was announced that Saluj
da had refused to appoint a subcommittee.
as did Union. Mr. Greer
Isri'.r the Union county chairman had
reported to the State executive commit
fee.
Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock
\V. It. Wilson Jr., presented his reports.
Mr. Stevenson announced that he
had taken up the question of the
number of male whites of voting age
in South Carolina and from Director
Drrand had secured the following
figures for 1910: Native whites
159,000; foreign and mixed parentage
but native born, 3,4 05; unnaturalized,
1 002; first papers taken,
aliz.ed, 1/002; fllrst papers taken,
184; aliens and unknown, 239; unknown,
83 0. The chairman announced
that ho hoped to get the .figures
for each county in a few days.
It is expected that the inquiry
made by members of committee, it Is
believed that the scene of investigation
will be shifted to a nearby county,
possibly Greenville or Anderson.
V It hough no announcement has been
Uiofn U! (1 1 lin nrtnfilnilml vnefrtt?/l'> v
IUV 1 v.' n HI V W II I II VI v vl ^ UOtVA UUJ
? ? ?
Something should be done to make
fhe primary so fair and honest that
no suspicion would ever arise as to
any election held under it. This can
and should bo done.
WAS LEFT IN HER
WOMAN SUES SURGEON FOR HIS
CARELESSNESS.
PERFORMED OPERATION
For Two Years Mrs. Ginther Carries
About a liinien Napkin a Foot
Square Ileforo She I-earns Truth,
and Then She Sues for Ten Thousand
Dollars Damages.
The New York World says Mrs.
Charles Ginther of Newark, N. J.,
not only has lived for two years with
a twelve-inch linen napkin implanted
in her side, but is well enough
al'tei her unusual experience to get
angry about it and to ?ue for $10,000
damages.
The defendant is Dr. Charles L. Ill,
head of the surgical staff o' St. Marfin's
Hospital of that city. He is one
of the most famous surgeons in the
country. He perfomed an operation
upon <Mrs. Ginther in 1910 and sutured
up his incision, it is alleged,
without making sure that all the
surgical dressings had been remove!
by his attendants.
To be sure, Mrs. Ginther didn't
know she was carrying the napkin
about with her until two months ago.
Who would? It is scarcely to be supposed
that, knowing slie was toting
about a foot length of linen, internally,
she would let it remain where
it was.
Hut. she decided. after findincr it
aid getting over her first feeling?of
amazement?that slie had suffered
$10,0 00 worth of serious discoir
fort.
it was a gravo operation that was
performed upon Mrs. Ginther in
1010. l)r. Ill was assisted by several
of the sister-nurses of St. Martin's,,
who are noted for their skill and
carefulness. The operation was a
success r?nd after a few weeks in tho
hospital Mrs. Ginther was able to
return to her home at No. 55 Cottage
placo in better health than sho
haa been for years.
Sho was perfectly well until tho
latter part of last July, when an apparently
trifling eruption appeared
upon her skin, close to the scar left
by the incision through which tho
operation had been performed.
She did not pay very much attention
to this until one day she saw
a hit of lint protruding from the
end of the old incision. She pulled
this out and was surprised beyond
belief when it grew to an inch, two
1 /ill /\c? t /\ ii m I /ill /\n r\ ?i 1 #( n n tlir n f irt\
iiii/iKJD, i u in intiii o auu liiiauj w
inches in length.
Then she was afraid to go any
further with the linen, and hurried
back to St. Martin's wnere she showed
the strange souvenir to Dr. 111.
He used the knife again and withdrew
the rest of the napkin, it was
intact, even to the red embroidered
laundry mark.
Mrs. Ginther recovered from the
shock and pain of the second operation
within a few days. But she felt
that sho had gone through much
unnecessary inconvenience, and so?
she sued.
It is not charged in her complaint
that Dr. Ill personally was responsible
for the napkin being sewed vip-^
within the woman's mile, but since
he was in charge of the operation, he
is blamed for the queer accident.
The record-chart of trie operation,,
examined at St. Martin's, shows that
ho nurses reported thwy had removed'
every dressing inacea in tne incision.
Physicians said that probably
no permanent harm h.?d been done toMrs.
CJinther by the presence or the
big piece of linen.
?
YOUNG GIRfj SAVKS A TRAfN.
+
Prevents Wreck by Finding Mass of
Rock on Track.
, Miss Peulah Chandler, 18, prevented
llio wrecking of Norfolk & Weston:
Passenger train No. 1 when sho
discovered tons of rock on the track
at a curve near Rhierord, W. V.,
Wednesday. Sho was walking near
the spot and heard the train approaching.
She took off her apron
ra* down the track ana flagged the
train which ran up to and touched
the side of rock. Passengers cheered
her and took up a largo collection
for her. Norfolk & Western officials
took her name and cue will be rewaided
by them also.
MASTODON SKRIiliTTOiN FOUND.
One Tooth Unearthed in Ontario
Weighs Four PoumlN.
The skeleton of a mastodon has>
been found by Penman Mawiey, near
M.'lahide, Out. The Rones have not
.? I l .1 ?..i A nil : t
?u iinn wiik uut ,vi'i, i in' nuH uicagur*
five feet in length. The vertebre
joints are as big as a small sized
frying pan. The upright bones from
the- vertebrae joints measure from
eight inches to 10 inglies in length.
Om tooth has been unearthed which
weighed four pounds and is 1 1 inches
aiound. The skeleton was found on
the banks of a ravine. This seems to
be the largest skeleton ever discovered
anywhere. +
l>ropped Dead at Depot.
At Sumter, Mrs. Minty Thomas,
of that city, dropped dead at tho passenger
station Thursday, when, after
walking rapidly there, she found
her tain pulling out Just as she arri\ed.
Mrs. Thomas was originally
from Marlboro County and had been
living in that city for about six years.
? ?
First Victim of the Season.
At Merrill, Wis., Joseph Lincoln*
Va* Rosson aged 14, who was kicked
in the head while playing footballa
week ago, died Wednesday.