Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Weei AL EDGER. A Newspaper in all that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People it Subserves. YOL. II. NO. A GAFFNEY CITY, S. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1895. *1.00 A YEAR. ITS DRAWING TO A CLOSE. THE CONSTITUTIONAL CON- VENTION WILL SOON END. During the Past Week it Has Been on the Home-Stretch—-A Re view of the Work Accom plished. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Columbia, S. C., Nov 24.—The great debates are ended, the close of the session of the constitutional con vention is in sight, and the weary law makers will soon present to the people of the State a new constitu tion, Many will say that it is a code rather than a constitution, that it deals with details rather than gen eral principles, and that it is legisla tively largely in its character. This may be true, but the majority of the people of the State will accept it as u constitution after their own heart, and one in which the good is much in excess of the evil. And probably it is well it is a code. If the consti tution of the United States had dealt more in detail and not so much in general principles, maybe slavery would have been recognized and there would have been no civil war. Maybe a state would have been given the right to secede, and there would have been no fighting over it. Maybe protection for protection’s sake would have been prohibited, and we would not be suffering from unnatural con ditions, unci a high protective tarill. So maybe it will prove well that South Carolina will have a code rather than a constitution. We shall see. During the past week the conven tion has been on the home-stretch, and whip and spur has been laid on mercilessly. The capitol at Wash ington was in the eye of several of the leading members and they saw that unless the "automatic mouths” were closed that the convention would not be through its work in time for them to reach Washington for the opening of congress next week. So on Wednesdey Senator Tillman proposed the appointment of a steering committee which would take charge of the convention, and lay out the work to be done, and ap portion the time to do it. The com mittee was appointed and consists of Messrs. Stanyarne Wilson, W. D. ms and George Johnstone. Right w^li have they done their work. At first there was much kicking on the part of the members who could not tell their thoughts in ten minutes, or less time, but the majority of the convention stood by the committee and the orators had to say less. The committee provided for three sessions a day and the members have been earning their pay, even if they have doubled the $2 appropriated for them by the legislature. The article on education had been finished before the committee took charge. Monday and Tuesday hud been given to the discussion of it, the larger portion of the time being taken up in discussing whether the legislature should be required to sup port the existing State institutions for higher education, or whether it should only be permitted to do so. ‘‘May” was adopted rather than “shall” though the friends of the higher institutions were largely in the majority in the convention, hut they did not wish to tie the hands ot the legislature. Claflin College for the negroes is to be taken from de nominational control, and is to be conducted purely as a State college. Wednesday the convention after an hour’s discussion decided not to go to Atlanta, but this will probably be reconsidered, if the work is all done by Tuesday night, as now seems probable, and the majority of the members will go. Then came the steering committee which was adop ted after a long discussion. The county government article came up for its third reading, and the conven tion refused to allow Rock Hill to be excepted from the provisions of the article, and decided that the court bouse was to be taken as the point from which a new countv line had to be run, and not from the cor porate limits of the county-seat as the old county advocates proposed. Thursday the homestead section of the legislative article was considered, and after a prolonged discussion the convention left the provision us it is in the old law, with the provisions that after a homestead is set off that it cannot be mortgaged. It can be •old outright, but it cannot be placed under a lien of any kind. An un married person is allowed an exemp tion of property from attachment or levy for debt to the amount of $800 and all necessary wearing apparel. Then came the miscegnation clause which as passed virtually provides that marriages between a white per son and a person of less than one- eighth negro biood is legal, of more, is illegal. The legislature is to limit the amount of laud that aliens may own in this State, was another sec tion adopted. At the night session the judiciary article was taken up for its second reading, and the steering committee got in some good work. The supreme court is to consist of four justices, three of whom must agree to reverse a decision of a lower court. The justices are to be elected for terms of eight years. Tlie next legisiature is the fourth justice, and the 3 present ones are to serve out their terms. An attempt was made to elect the judges oy the people but it failed. The circuit judges are to be elected for terms of four years, and must be chosen from their respective circuits. County courts may be established All fees to trial justices in criminal cases are abolished, and ali trial jus tices are to be paid salaries. The judiciary article remained u: - der discussion, and finished. Sena tor Tillman succeeded in having an amendment inserted requiring tin* courts of the State to recognize di vorces granted in other States, when the marriage was performed outside of the State, or when one of the eon trading parties was neither a native or resident of the State. On Saturday the article on declara tion of rights was finished, and so were the articles on jurisprudence and corporations. The most impor tant matter of the day was an amendment to the jurisprudence ar ticle, providing that the legal rep resentatives of a person lynched may recover $2,000 damages of the county in which the lynching takes place, without regard to the action of the officer of the law, and the county in turn may recover the $2,000 from the lynchers. This finished up the work of the week, and it is probable that every thing will be done by Tuesday after noon, save the ratification of the con stitution. It is probable that the convention will then adjourn until Saturday to allow the committee on order, style and revision to go over the constitution carefully, hnd pre pare it for ratification on Monduy December 2d. During the recess tlie majority of the members of the ron- ventionjwill go to Atlanta. < > take in the exposition on South Carolina day. F. H. McMaster. HARD TO BELIEVE. The Sun's Hays Responsible for a Murdei for Which an Innocent Man Was Tried. In a western paper lately appeared an account of a strange accident, in Which a man was killed by the dis charge of a gun while lying asleep on a lounge in his room, the weapon being discharged by reflected rays of the sun falling upon the cartridge chamber of the firearm. Since the publication of the story a York (Pa.) man writes concerning the accident and refers to a similar case, in which, through the efforts of a clever Cincinnati lawyer named C. (J. Wallis, the person accused of murder and sen tenced to be hanged was set at liberty, the circumstantial evidence on which he was convicted being entirely ex ploded by a witnessed demonstration as to how the accident really occurred. The York correspondent referred to volume 13, of the Criminal Law Maga zine, page G07, on whicli a full account of the case appears. The case was that of the state of Tennessee against Avery, tried in Henry county, that state, and is one of the most remark able in the history of criminal juris prudence. In June, 1887, Charles Ensley, the cousin of a man of the name of Avery, was killed in his room, while lying on the lounge, about three o’clock iu the afternoon. The weapon whicli caused death was u small rifle, sending a thirty- two caliber ball through Easley's brain. There was no one in the house at the time but Ensley. An empty rifle was found on a rack on a wall of the room in which the killing occurred, and the bullet fitted the tube. Avery was arrested for the crime, as he was the only living close relative to Ensley, and by his death profited to the amount of about one hundred thousand dollars. Avery was tried, pleaded uot guilty, but was convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged. He appealed to the supreme court and engaged Mr. Wallis to defend him. The supreme court remanded the case back to the circuit court on techni cal errors. Two mistrials were brought about, and then came the strangest part ot the story. The brilliant Wallis struck the keynote of the mystery. In Aug ust, IS'.H, he had the rifle loaded ami hung on the wail. A white sheet, with the form of a man marked on it, was placed in exactly the position occupied by Ensley when lying asleep, and u heavy cut glass pitcher of water like the one found iu the room was placed on the shelf above. The temperature was ninety-nine degrees in the shade, one of the hottest days in the year. The pitcher acted as a sun-glass and the hot rays of the sun shining through the water were refracted directly on the cartridge chamber of the rifle. Eight witnesses were in the room, and n few minutes after three o'clock a puff and a report occurred, and the ball struck the outline form back of the ear, in the exact locution where Ensley whs shot, un.d the theory of cir cumstantial evidence went to pieces. The incident being witnessed and •worn to readily explained itself to the Jury .—Buffalo £spr*M> PRESIDEHTAL POLITICS WILL BE PRESENT IN THE NEXT SESSION. Both Republicans and Democrats Will Work for All there is to be Gained by it, While the Populists Look on. [Correspondenceof The Ledger.] Washington', D. (’., Nov., 25.— There will be more presidential poli tics in the present session of (• •ngres.- than in any single session for a long time past. According to those wh • usually know what is going on, Ex- i’residcnt Harrison has met I lie com bination whicli the frhmds of Mr Reed and Gov. McKinley formeo against him some time ago, by mak ing an alliance. olTetisivo and defen sive, with Senator Allison, of Iowa. This divides what lias been known a- the republican "big four” into two pairs, and before congress adjourns it will probably be apparent which b the strongest pair. Roth of tlies. combinations have shrewd friends in the house and senate who will lose no opportunity to forward their inter ests. Mr. Reed, as speaker of tin house ,will give ids side the advan- lage in that body, while Senat >r Al lison is expected to hold the advan tage for Ids side in the senate, bin both will have sturdy opponents in their respective camps. There will also he presidential pol itics on the democratio side, notwith standing the present dubious out look for that party. In the senate Gorman and Hiil, although not cs- peeiaily friendly towards each other will j'tii. hands in sticking pins in tin third-term balloon every time it get.- within their reach, and in the housi Ex-Speaker Crisp is depended upon to stand up for the silver democrats and also to thump the third-term idea if it should grow big enough t<> need it. r i he populists are most in 'crested in the democratie game, be cause they believe it certain that President Cleveland will succeed in getting thut party to adopt a gold platform and nominate a gold candi date, and timt the silver depioeruis will then join them in supporting a sliver candidate for president. Senator Thurston, of Nebraska, who only 1 ho ot her day resigned as chief counsel for one of the Pacific Railroads, has a hill providing for a settlement of the indebtne.-s of these roads to the government. It woulo have been more likely to have found favor with congress had he allowed somebody else to father it. I’eople cannot forget ids long salaried rela tions with the company for which his hill would legislate. If congress follows the recommen dations in the annual report of Com missioner Stump, of the immigration bureau, it will adopt some radical legislation. For instance, Mr. Stump wants a bill passed forbidding per sons or corporations engaging in tin business of procuring employment for alien immigrants until they have procured a license from and agreed to the terms fixed by the immigration bureau as to what shall he charged the immigrants for the service; also, providing that ail persons contract ing for the labor of any immigrant within one year of his arrival shall pay'wnges directly to the immigrant, under penalty of being liable for tlie wages again if paid to others. This would, if enacted into a law, knock llie bottom out of the notorious Ital inn padrone system. and other- equally nefarious hut not so notori ous, under which certain parties be come wealthy at the expense of tin intelligent American laborers who are supplanted by the ignorant con tract immigrant laborers bocuust they can be hired cheap from tho pi ratical dealers in human sweat. When Secretary Carlisle was in New York several days ago lie was approached by u Gotham millionaire with the proposition that the govern ment could raise ail t lie money it needs or is likely to need by estab lishing and selling patents of nobil ity. Tho man wasn’t joking either, lie was in dead earnest Ho told Mr. Carlisle that he believed there were more than one hundred men be sides himself that would gladly pay $1,000,000 or more for a title similar to that of Duke in England and the prvilegoof a lifetime seat without pay in an American house of lords, whicli it is u part of ids scheme to es tablish. That man isn’t crazy. He is simply a victim of tho millionaire fever, lie, like all his kind, wants to buy something to distinguish him from ordinary men who possess only a few thousands or hundreds of dol lars. Tho prediction of a short session, whicli always makes its appearance just before the meeting of a new con gress was on schedule time this year. Rut just hear in mind that this is not going to be a short session. A Remarkable Letter. [Published by request.] This interesting article user 200 years ago, fell into the hands of o M rs. Towson Mrs. 1.. E cousin to ex- lit Ii , of Yu.. IL * v. P. E is now living ii the Trihum is tho first ye: ars of it.' for 1871) w i 111 i hey might not iurn it over, i here came a littl >r seven years ol< family living near Stafford County, who during all this lapse of time kept it in their possession. It was 'landed down from one member t• mol her until it has reached 01. 1> "ever passed out of the family uoti 1870, when one of them on her deal! oed gave a copy lo Mrs. M. F. Tow- son. a near neighbor, gave a copy to her nie Fletcher, who is a first Governor William Sr and she gave a copy to Rev. Fletcher, her son, who in Rome and from whoi procured a copy. This i ime during t he 1,700 ■ xistence that it lias ever been ii orint. Those who have a copy ot ihis wonderful letter written by tin blessed Saviour’s own hands prize it very highly and believe in its gen- lineness. It was copied Mrs. M. F. Towson. Aug. 21st, mil given lo Lon E. Fleteher n r blessings, Feb. iotli 1800. HISTORY OF THE FINDING. Glory lie to God, peace on earth. ;ood will to all men. Reing a letter Written by our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, and found eighteen miles from Econium, -ixty-five years after our blessed Sa vior’s crucifixion, translated from she holy city by a converted Jew. faithfully translate'* from the origi nal Hebrew copy now in the posses- soin of the Lady Cubasses family at Messopotamia. This letter was vritten by Jesus Cli-ist and found mder a great stone, both round ami long at the foot of the cross, eigh teen miles from Econium near tin- village called Messopotamia. Upon ;he stone was written and eng r rav» d. "Rless.nl is he that shall turn me >ver.” All the people that saw it prayed God earnestly, and desired hat lie would make known to them he meaning of tins writing that tempt in vain to i the meantime child about six and turned it over wit bout help, to the admiration of til the people that stood by and un- h-r this stone was Cabasses family md in this letter was written the commandments of Jesus Christ, signed by the angel viubriel, ninety- tine years after our Saviors birth. THE LETTER. W hosoever works on the Sabbath lay shall be cursed. I command you to go to church and keep the Lord's day holy without any manner if work. You shall not idle or inis- -peml your time in bedecking your selves in superfluities of co«tly appa rel and vain dressing for 1 have or b-red it a day of rest. I will have tiie day kept holy that your sins may be forgiven you. You shall not break my commandments, but ob serve and keep »hem, they being written with my own hand and spo- ■am witli my own mouth. You shall not only go to church yourselves, but also your servant and your maid servant. Observe my works and learn my commandments. You -hall finish your labor every Satur day at six o’clock in tho afternoon n which hour the preparation of the Sabbath begins. I advise you to fast five Fridays in tho year, begin ning at Good Friday and continuing t he five Fridays following in remem brance of tlie five bloody wounds I received for you and all mankind. You shall diligent ly and peaceably labor in your several vocations where it hath pleased God to call you. You -hall love one another and cause them that are not baptized to come to church and receive that holy sac rament, that is to say, baptism and t he supper of the Lord and be made a member t hereof and in so doing I will give you long life and many olessmgs; your land shall replenish and bring forth abundance and I will comfort you in the greatest tempta tions and surely he that doeth to the contrary shall be cur.-o l. I will also send hardness of heart on them till I have destroyed them, but especially on hardened impenitent, unbelievers. He that hath given to tlie poor shall not be unprofitable. Remember to keep holy tho Sabbath day for the seventh day I liave taken us a rest ing day to myself. He that tiuth a copy of tliis letter written with my own hand and spoken with my own month and kcepeth it without pub lishing it to others shall not prosper, but he that publisheth to others shall he blessed of me and if tli.eir sins be us man) as there are stars in tlie sky and if they truly believe they shall be pardoned and they that believe not this my writing and my commandments I will send my plagues upon you and your children, goodiand catlle and all their worldly enjoyments that I have given you. Do but once think of what I have suffered for you. If you do it will he well witli you both in this world and t hat which is to come. Whosoever shall have a copy of this letter and keepeth it in their house, nothing shall hurt them, neither pestilence, lightnb'g nor thunder, ami il any w unan he in birth and put tier trust in mi-"sliall lx- delivered of iier birth. You snail hear no more of me hut by llie holy scriptures until the day of judgement. All goodness ami pros perity shall bo in tlie house where a copy of this shall be found. Finished. COL. McKISSICK COMMANDER OF THE SECOND DIVISION S. C. CONFEDERATE VETERANS. It You Know Anything of the Late Struggle, Chronicle it, or, it You Have any Relics, Pre serve Them. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Etta Jane, S. C., Nov. 25.—Tlie water is so low in Broad river that the flat cannot run all the time. A. F. Kendrick, of Sunny Side, ex pects to remove witli Ids family to Greenwood, S. 0., tliis winter. We hate ti> TtVse as good--neighbors as Mr.ju*d Mrs. Kendrick are. We com mend them to the good people of Greenwood and feel that- they will find in them good citizens. Mr. Ken drick will have a sale before he moves il which iu* will offer some valuable property both in the household and farming line. Capi.J N. King, our veteran bridge builder, was in Union last Frida\ nuking after some of his work in tld.- .-minty. At tin* Confederate Veterans meet ing in Columbia on tlie 12ih and 13th instant Col. I. G. McKissiek was elected commander of the Seeond Hrigade S. ('. Division United Con- ft derate Veterans, wldch is composed of all camps west of Rroad river, (Irangeluirg and Rerkley counties. In the division of the State into military districts we have no north ami south, i trust that all persons who feel any interest in tin* late struggle will pre -erve all tin* relies and historical mat ter they have connected with it. These will, <n the near future, be in valuable , not only to the historian but to those who furnish them for his use. Who is to do the work of compiling the history lias not as yet been definitely settled. Rut we want an account of it fro.n the men who stood at tin* front witli their breasts exposed to the pitiless storms of leaden hail—who charged breastworks and often carried tlieui witli (lie bayo net oral the point of the satire. From General Hampton down to tlie hum blest private in the ranks thedispo- -'•tion is to represent the men who tlie lighting aid the suffering. I hey must now tell tho talc for them selves or forever in-reafter hold their peace while their former enemies write their history. Tlie work on Skull Shoals bridge is progressing very well. Supervisor Sentt desires to put all oqr public roads in good order before Ids present term of office expires. Rev. Mr. Shuler preached at Mes- sopotanda yesterday iiis text was II Peter 3:J8, "Rut grow in grace, and in the knowhdgeof our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” I regret to learn that Mrs. Judge J. M. Greer is still quite unwell. Site lias had a long spell and lias suffered severely at times. "Old Glib” is still picking at me, but I uint going to get mad and covert around like some of the cor respondents do, or go to pawing up the yearth about what lie says. The first thing he knows I’ll take him up, turn him round and set him down again. Mr. Buster, 1 don’t keep tin* Sab bath as 1 should, and I am not us near a saint as I ought to he, hut I ain’t broke it with banjo picking. Brother, a ’otnun down here thinks from tlie way you write that you don’t think it any harm to pick a banjo on Sunday, and, if you don’t, you come down in this community and try and get some one to i ymo” you. Our people have quit such hor rible practices, and tlie boys who committed this thoughtless act very much regret it and they now say "its time for tool correspondents to drop tlie matter. We are tired of it.” I hope to hear nothing more of it in the future. In last week’s issue I should have stated that my answer to M. B. Owen s problem was 12 7-f) yards in stead of 12A yards in length. I must beg his pardon for not understanding it. He writes me that he expected all tlie loss from shrinkage to be; added to tlie length. In that case { the piece would have been more than 18 yards in length. Let us hear from you again, brut her. | A and B buy 100 acres of land at $5 per acre, and pay equal sums of money. A says to B:- "Give me my choice, and we will divide tlie land so that when divided my part will cost me 75c more per acre than yours.” How many acres had each man and what <iid il cost them p>racjre? The vJiildrcn of Salem Sunday school have sent their contribution to tlie Thornwell orphanage to lie iu readiness for distribution among the children by Thanksgiving day. T. L. Robbs of Spartanburg, Inis been down on ids plantation for sev eral days. j. l. s. Good advice. Never leave home tm a journey without a bottle of ('liatiilieriain’s Colic, Cholera mid Diarrhcuu Remedy. For sale by \Y. B. Dui’re. Flaw Picker’s Repentance. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Dratonyille, S. 0., Nov. 27.—I’ve got a good joke on ole Flaw that I’ve •»iri wantin’ to tell ever sence it mis- happened but some how er nother I ••mild never pick up courage anuf un til t’other day when I found where fiit said "an honest confession is good fer the soul.” So here it goes: On one Saturday night along in my younger days, when I was about t wenty-five years of age—I remember it as well as if it were only last Sat urday night-—I got to messin’ with •le corn an’ I got as drunk as it was possible fer a fool to git not to fall m mud holes, guard houses an’ Bitch other places us it is possible fer Irunk fools to git. About night I 'farted a possum huntin’ with my dog (Rattler), lantern, ax an’ bottle. On my way to tlie woods I lost my iiottle stopper an’ (now, understand, I’m not braggin’ on this dastardly carouse I was on) the fust house I past I stopped to baig one, an’ sir, don’t you believe I got into a Rook- os? But I went on to the woods an’ finally I broke my lantern globe, an’ ihere I was in tlie dark, didn't have sense anuf to git out, in’ so I laid d >wn an’ went to sleep. Next morn- in’ (Sunday) when 1 waked up I didn't know a bit more where I was ilian a cat would after you carry it a mile in a bag to keep it from findin’ i lie way back. But here is where i lie joke come in. I picked myself up that Sunday inornin’ an’ gethered up my fragments—ax, lantern frame, wliistled fer Rattler an’started the way I thought home was. Honestly, I was ashamed to keep Rattler com pany back to the house, but I went, an when I got Miar I give tlie inci dent a thorough study, an’ with a heart heavy as lead an’ big as the moon, I got down my ole Bible an signed a temperance pledge—never to drink another drink of intoxicating drinks us a beverage, Well sir, it leaked out, an’ the boys carried me high, but I’ve stuck to it so far an even up to now I’m the strongest prohibitionist you’ll find in tliis country. It’s a dogone shame for a man to git drunk, an’ a man that will do it an’ not feel ashamed over it afterward is void of conscience. There is another thing that is a eonsounded sight worse than the above that I would like to call your attention to, that is talkin’ about your neighbors. I wonder how a man feels in Ids conscience when he tells a lie on ids feller man an’ gits him in a fuss with another feller. The world is full of jist sitcli dad- goned cusses an’they ain’t fit to be in n community. They are worse than a snake in tlie grass. Many an innocent neck lias been broken on account of lies told by its neighbor. Tlie women folks of tho land can heat anybody raisin’ rows, musses an’ hard feclnins that I ever beam tell of. I do believe they glory in it. An’ it, all comes from malice and de ceit. Hit ginerally takes me about six months to find out what’s in a womans gizzard while I can size up a man party well in two or three weeks —the more deceit the harder to size up. I remain yours ever faithful an’ devoted. Flaw Picker. All Good Items from Allgood. [Correspondence of The Ledger.] Algood, 8. C., Nov., 25.—We learn that W. P. Love, of Shelby, is going to move to Ids plantation here in the near future. Mrs. A. W. Tindall, of Spartan burg, is visiting relatives at this place this week. Mrs. Polly Lavender visited her daughter, Mrs. W. D. Byars, Sunday. A. G. Parris, of Berry, was here last week on business. Messrs. J. E. and W. L. Gardner, A. W. and R. L. Mnith, Thos. C. Huskey and others, were in the push ing city of Gaffney Saturday on busi ness. Miss Ola Daniel, whom we reported sick with typhoid fever some time ago. is still very low. Thos. Campbell is quite low with typhoid fever. We learn that J. C. and J. B. Price and John Padgett went up into North Carolina not long since and bought twenty-five bushels of corn, or paid for that much and started on their way rejoicing. When they got home and measured it there was only nine anda half bushels, but not one of them could tell how it came to be so. Too much mountain dew, I guess. Subscriber. Free Pills. Send your address to H. E. Bucklen tfcCo., Chicago, and got a free sample box of Dr. King’s New Life Pills. A I rial will convince you of their merits. These pills are easy in action and are particularly effective in the cure of (-oust i pat ion and Sick Headache. For Malaria and Liver troubles they have been proved invaluable. They are guaranteed to bo perfectly free from every deleterious substance and to be purely vegetable. They do not weaken by their action, but by giving tone to Htomache and bowels greatly invigorate tlie system. Regu lar size 25c. per box. Sold by W. B. Du '.’re, Druggist.