Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Ledger Readers Patronize Ledger Advertisers. ¥ EDGER H-J. C. JEFFERIE4+- GAFFNEY, S. C. Attorney «nd Counsellor at Law. Practices ia Alt the Courts. Collections a Specialty. A Newspaper in all that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People of Cherokee County. VOL. IV, NO. 47f^ / GAFFNEY CITY, S. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1897. 81.00 A YEAR. THE HARRIS BROTHERS. THE TRIBUTES PAID BY THEIR FRIENDS. The Life and Character of the Men Who Met Death at the Hands of Judge Gerald Last Month. IW ti co Times-Herald.] Without any malice against any one or adverse comment upon the ac tions of any one, I desire to say something of the life and character of dead friends tor whom I hud the most tender regard in life—J. W. Harris and his brother, W. A. Har ris. Of the eider, J. W. Harris, first. James W. Harris, was born in Spartanburg, S. C., May 1(5, 18G8, and wheti a mere lad Jiis parents moved to Toccoa, Ga., where he was reared to manhood. When only about 16 years old his father died, leaving a widow and a large family of small children, of whom James was the eldest. He at once realized that whatever of preparation to meet the responsibilities thrust upon him, of caring for his mother and brothers and sisters,must be accomplished without waste of time, for the family was not wealthy. To this early apprecia tion of the value of time and the con sequent adoption by him of the rule to make each hour fruitful, is due whatever of success he accomplished in life. He never graduated from any college, but had a liberal educa tion, supplemented by close and con stant reading of good books. At the age 19 years he had fitted himself for the practice of the law. and was, by the supreme court of Georgia, admitted to the bar of that state. He successfully practiced law seven years, during five years of which he edited a weekly paper in Toccoa, Ga. When he was but 31 years old came on the presidential campaign of 18S4; and in the congressional dis trict in which he lived there was a strong and bitter fight for the repub lican ticket. The democracy of the district was not well organized, they ficeded a leader to carry the district for democracy. They turned to this rising young lawyer. He was chosen chairman of the district. When the reports came in, it was fully demon strated that they had chosen wisely. Democracy won by an overwhelming majority in the district, which had always been close. He occupied this position about four years. In fact he figured prominently In the poli tics of Georgia, and various enter prises until he left the state in 1886 and located in Fort Worth, Texas, where he soon engaged in the life in surance business. He came to Waco in 1892. He had already made a reputation as a successful life in surance* man. And in the fall of 1893 be was tendered and accepted the position as general manager for the United States Life Insurance com pany of New York, which company he represented till be became editor of the Waco Times-Herald. In 1895. at Philadelphia, he was elected vice president and member of the executive committee of the National Association of Life Insurance Un derwriters. His reputation as a successful poli tician followed him to Texas. So when it became necessary last year to appoint the ablest available man for couqty chairman of the democratic party, J. W. Harris was unanimosly chosen. The campaign which he conducted was confessedly the clean est, most dignified and most success- lul in the history of the county. Under his wise generalship popu lism was buried face down in this county, and the combined forces of the gold bugs and republicans were routed. To J. W. Harris, as much as to any man was due the wonderful success of the "May Kween Karnival." He was loyal to his town, his party, his state, his friends and his God. He was ever ready to give the best of his fertile brain to tfny enterprise for the advancement of either. He made an impress, not only on his home people, but upon the state, by his genius, his push and enterprise, his elo quence and good judgment. He was generally conceded to be the best material In Waco for our next mayor, and he would probably have been in the race bad he lived. The state executive committee had its eyes on him as the most suitable man in the state to fill the place of Hon. T. W. Blake, as state demo cratic chairman, should Mr. Blake resign. And not a few of his ad mirers were wishing that he might shy his caster Into the congressional race. With so bright a future just out before him, with the knowledge that he was just becoming one of the most energetic and potent promoters of the public good, it is little wonder that we stand In amazement at the pnovldenoe that suffered him to be -cult down at this time. jJls a Christian gentleman, he was above reproach. As a husband he was a model—so kind and tender. As a father he was loving and gentle —his four little ones idolized him. As a friend he was true as the needle to the pole. The soul of honor—uncompromising where honor was involved. Noble and chivalrous as any knight of the star and garter. A worthy lloyal Arch Mason. A true Knight of Pythias. He married Miss Nannie Rozar in 1886, and four children mourn his loss. W. A. HARRIS. To William A. Harris belongs the distinction of being in all things the most unselfish and unostentatious man I ever knew'. His devotion to his brother was unbounded. His fidelity to his friends never wavered. Modest as a woman, unassuming to a fault, ho never became so well known to the world as his brother. His nobility of character was better known to his God and his wife than to any one else. His paths were in peaceful valleys. His ambitions were for those he loved. His devo tion to his brother cost him his life. Rest the blame for the sad tragedy where it may, Will Harris was an in nocent victim, a sacrifice to his un faltering fidelity to his brother. He had only lived thirty years, but in those years he had so lived that many lives were made better and in the beautiful beyond many happy souls will greet his redeemed spirit with shouts of gladness. He came to Texas with his brother, and with him engaged in the life insurance busi ness. At the time of his death he was general manager for the Ger mania Life Insurance company. He had held a similar position with the Home Life for a number of years. On the 25th of November. 1891, he married Miss Edna Earl Richardson, of Gaffney, 8. C., and she is now left with three little ones to mourn an ir- retreviable loss. More than all things else, he was devoted to his family. He was one of those mild men who spent no breath 5a speak ing evil or idle words. For eighteen years both brothers had been faithful members of the Baptist church. [Baptist Standard.] On Friday of last week two of the best citizens that ever lived in Waco were killed. They were brothers. The elder of the brothers, J. W. Harris, was editor of the Times-Her- aid, Waco's only morning paper. The other, W. A. Harris, was a successful life insurance agent and was engaged in that business at the time of his death. It had been our pleasurs to know these men ever since they came to Waco, They were both Christian gentlemen of the h'ghest type and were members of the First Baptist church. J. W. Harris had, up to the time that he took charge of the Times-Herald, been a teacher in our Sundav school at the First Baptist church. When he assumed the ar duous duties of the editorship of a morning paper it was impossible for him thereafter to continue his duties as a teacher on account of the fact that his work necessarily turned night into day. J. W. Harris was an orator of su perb powers, and though he had been in the editorial field but a few brief weeks, he had developed a talent as a writer that was remarkable. His ed itorial work showed that he was able to grasp large affairs at a glance, and if he had lived there was before him a bright career ss a journalist. He was as brave and true a man as 1 ever knew, generous to a fault, kind and sympathetic and an inheritor of that kingly chivalry common to the highest type of Southern manhood. His stern adherence to whac he con ceived to be his duty cost him his life. He was brave, but not quarrel some. His work throughout his en tire career had demonstrated that he was a man of sterling integrity and superb qualities. We mourn for him and his dead brother, because in their loss we have lost two brothers in Christ and two good friends. On last Sunday the two dead brothers were buried in a common grave. The funeral procession which followed them to their grave was the largest ever known in Waco. The funeral services were held at the Bap tist Tabernacle, and there was noc standing room in that great audito rium. No such scene as was witness ed on last Lord’s day was ever before viewed by any eyes that beheld it. Strong men, brave men, true men, trembled like little children, and as if with one sweep of impassioned and pathetic grief, the great audience of thousands of brave men and true women was convulsed with tears. Rev. John G. Kendall, assistant pastor of the First Baptist church of Waco and Rev. Harvey Carroll, Jr., conducted the funeral services. Their words will never be forgotten. Those who stood in the presence of that great audience and heard the sobs of the bereaved wives and mother and little children, were impressed with the solemnity of the occassipn and with the fact that the heart of Waco never wept as it wept that day. To the bereaved wives and children and silver-haired mother who weep over these fallen brothers, The Standard extendi the tenderest and most loving sympathy. None of us can know what their sorrow is, be cause wo have not felt such sorrow. But those of us who believe in God know that in their keen and whelm ing grief the Holy Spirit is their Comforter and Friend. We commend them to God—that God that J. W. Harris and W. A. Harris loved and served, and in whose faith they died. May he, with his beneficlent and lov ing sympathy and care, brood over the stricken hearts of those who wesp for these brave men who sleep their last sleep together in an untimely grave. Col W. D. Camp in Kansas. We take the following letter from the Union Times Souvenir edition.: Leavenworth City, K. T., July 8. —Mr. P. O. Lemmons—Sir: I take the present opportunity to drop you a line. We arrived here last Monday a week without accident, and I have been looking around ever since to see something to write about that might interest or amuse you, but can find nothing. We passed through a great many towns, and saw multitudes of people but to give a description of all the towns, etc., would take a quire of paper; so I shall not attempt such a thing. We are now in Leavenworth, a new city three miles below Fort Leav enworth, which you can find by ref erence to the map. This is quite a pretty place to its age. It is about a mile square, and nearly half its inhabitants are abolitionists, and are the most dastardly cowards you evsr saw. We struck a breeze of fun the other day. About fifteen to eighteen Yankees came up to this city. We suffered them to land, but took them and searched their baggage, and found twenty-two Sharp rifles, (Ward Beecher’s Bibles,) with powder, lead, caps, etc., which we took from them, and told the boys they might view the promised land but they could not enjoy it. We marched them to a boat, saw them on board and guarded them to St. Louis, tiien told them to depart in peace. About this time Uncle Sam’s boys got wind of what we were doing, and about fifty came charging in and called for our Captain (Capt. Clark, of this place). The officera had a private interview which terminated ail right. About this time a Mr. Murphy, a proelavery man, and an abolitionist bad a few words, when Murphy showed him how Brooks served Sumner, by practically demon strating the Southern application of a cane. The free eoiler, to show his celerity on foot, broke, when one of the boys fired a repeater at him, bttt no one owns it now. I expected we would have a full grown row, but did not. We then had a drawing for the guns that we had taken. I drew a Sharp’s rifle. Our company drew, in all, 8 rifles and carbines. We have to stand guard every night, as though we were in regular service. We are very well fixed here. We have a good house, with a mattress and two blanketstoevery twoof us. We have a bountiful supply of provisions, for the present, such as ham, beef, flour, sugar, coffee, rice, etc., and, withal,a cook,all of which are furniehed by the Emigrant Aid Society. With all this, and nothing to do but act the soldier, some of our boys are cursing the country. W. A. Lipscomb, M. F. Armstrong, and Wm McAnlin, have gone to work in a brick yard. They get $25 per month and board. The rest of us have done nothing. I have not been out of this city but twice. I then went down to Delaware city. I have seen nothing but prairies yet. You can imagine all that country, some ten miles each way around Limestone, entirely destitute of timber or shrub bery, with the exceptiou of a few trees, and here and there a hazel bush; the ground covered with flue meadow grass, from six inches to waist high, and you will have some ides of this country. The manners and customs of the people are the same at your own— take the ladies (God bless them) out. There are some ladies, bu^ they are mostly married. The number of inhabitants in this city is about 1,500, with 200 houses. 40 of which are groceries. The lands can’t be over-rated or misrepresented in point of fertility. Under the present excitement a man can't get wages. Ths bogus legislature convened at a place called Topeka, and there were about 1,500 Yankees there, armed with Sharp’s rifles to defend it. Uncle Sam sent some boys down to disband the abo litionists, but found them too strong. They compromised the matter, and tbs legislature broke, without spill ing any blood, or tbs Yankees being disbanded. I think we will hare a chance in a few days to try our pluck. W. D. Camp. Free to Ladies Only. To ladles who have taken Brown’s Iron Bitters will be sent free a beau tiful Floral Calendar, without adver tising on it. Send two 2o. stamps for postage. Write address plainly and be sure to mention this paper. Brown’s Iron Bitters Co., Baltimore, Md. ROCK HILL’S PHILOSOPHER DI CUSSES THE PROBLEM OF COTTON. The Lien Laws of the Southern States Are Responsible for the Large Cotton Production and Causes Dishonesty. To the Editor of The Register: Prof. R. Means Davis, of the South Carolina College, has vritten a very thoughtful article, published in The State, in which he takes the position th At the farmers of the South will make a great mistake if they attempt to organize, either to reduce the acreage, or to combine to bold a por tion of their crop from market. He takes the position that trusts and combines are wrong in principal and if the farmers go into a trust they will endorse a principal that they have condemned and will be giving aid to the gang that have been preying upon the industries of the country. He brings to our attention the fact, that if we curtail the production of cotton in the Southorn States of America, that the European countries will by the use of capital, encourage and de velop the production of cotton in Egypt and other countries until the world will become independent of the cotton belt of this country for the supply of cotton, I do not intend to discuss this point in his argument, for it may be true or not true, but the main question to be decided is, can the cotton growers of the south raise it at five cents per pound? If they can, then we are fooling away our time by holding cotton growers conventions. If we cannot then as reasonable men we ought to formu late some plan by which we can en hance the price. I want to call the atttention of the farmers of the south to the fact that millions of dollars are being expend ed by our people for articles that ought to be produced by the farmers of this section. This money is being paid out for imports that should and ought to re main at home. Take the article of wheat flour, and nine hundred out of ftery thousand pounds used in South Garblina comes from abroad and takes so much of the cotton crop to pay for It. Then the hay that is consumed in the state, nine-tenths of which is imported. Then bacon that is brongbt in our towns and cities by the car load is a wonderful drain upon the resources of our people. Take these three articles of flour, meat and hay of which can be raised in abundance in South Carolina and the amount of money paid out for these three articles in the course of every twelve months will not lack a great deal of being equal to the price of the cotton crop of the state. Thon there is a number, of other articles imported that ought to be raised by our people. Irish potatoes, cabbage, onions, cabbage seed, oats, turnip seed, cheese, and many other things that we buy from abroad that ought to he produced at home. We buy our axe-handles and mattock handles, when we have the best native hick ory in the world. In a word, we are decidedly the most extravagant and improvident people under the sun. We are growling and grumbling when nature has placed all around us the means of living in ease and comfort and independence. Every farmer who owns his own land in the south has within his reach an independent living if he would only use common sense and prudence. He can have milk and butter, chickens and eggs, potatoes, peas, cabbage, corn, oats, wheat, meat and every thing necessary to a good living, and his cotton crop ought to pay his expenses no matter what price it brings. The farmers of the south are undertaking to make a living by raising cotton, and expect not only to make a living but also to make money besides. It can’t be done and the sooner they realize this fact the better for them. You might as well try to go to the moon as to try to fores the world to give you what the world has not got to spared We have in our hands what we are calling on the world to give us, and the balance of the world is calling just as loudly for the means of living. Wears trying to combine to do the very tbing that every man of common sense in the south knows he ought to do. He can’t eat cotton and cotton seed and he knows it. Then why be fool enough to raise it to the exclusion of the very articles your family needs. And If your neighbor is determined to play ths fool why not let him have a monopoly of that kind oi foolishness. This is a question that every individual farmer must decide for himself. Ask yourself the question, can I make a living for myself and family by rais ing cotton at 5 cents per pound? If you decide that you cannot, then you are a fool if you attempt it. Don’t doit, but plant such things as you can eat, provided you can't sell them. What we need in South Carolina and in all the southern states, more than we need cotton growers conventions, is the repeal of the lien laws that has been a curse to the country and an incubus upon its prosperity. The lien law of South Carolina has done more to retard the prosperity of the state and degrade and debauch our people than all else that has been wrong in our economic policy. While a few have prospered and fattened the many have suffered and grown lean (by liening). Right now all over South Carolina you can see mules, horses, cows, buggies, and wagons being brought into the towns and villages to be sold at a sacrifice to satisfy liens and mortgages. These liens were given in the spring when cotton was 7^ cents per pound, but to make the lien safe and ironclad, chattle mortgages were taken upon personal property. When cotton in the fall has fallen in price to five cents the crop wont pay these liens and mortgages and the consequence is the crop and the property all be comes a sacrifice. Today all over this fair and God- blessed southland the cry of the la borer is going up to the ears of the God of salvation. Those who have tilled the soil and reaped the fields are in want of the necessities of life, and the very men who are responsi ble for this want and suffering are calling for conventions to take into consideration a remedy for the suffer ing and want that they themselves are absolutely responsible for. The thousands of tenants are compelled under their task masters to plant cotton and the lien law upon our statute books is responsible for the great overplus of cotton production. In ante helium days a man who would not voluntarily pay his debts could not get credit. In those days whatever property he had was liable for his contracts withoutfa lien. Now. under the operation of the homestead laws, every man is supposed to be dishoneet, and is so dealt with until in point of fact we have raised up and educated a generation of scoundrels. Three-fourths of the real estate own ed by the men of South Carolina is in the name of their wives, and can not be taken for debts contracted by the husband. What kind of an ob ject lesaion is this for the boys and girls growing up in our state? Is it not teaching them prlnciplea of dis honesty? When Elder B and Deacon C fail in in business, and their fine city resi dences and elegant furniture is ail claimed by the wife, and she can show papers when this property was made over to her years before, look ing to the time when the husband would fail and defraud his creditors, what can our young people think of the religion that these men profess? This state of things have gone on in this country until our people have be come to think it is right, and a man who fails In business who has not secured against seizure and sale a large part of his real and personal property is regarded a fool, by the business world. This is a false principle of ethics, and is bringing forth bitter fruit. We often hear our forefathers spoken of as old fogies, but they bad ten times as much sense, and forty times more honesty than the men of;this generation. They had clear views of economic.government, and well knew and understood the fact that in or der to maintain confidence in each other, and thus form a strong govern ment, that the people must be taught to be nonest, and that they should not defraud each other. But how is it now? : This accursed lien law, that has so long been a blotch upon our body politic, and stinks in tne nos- trels of all honest and God fearing men, allows, the men who holds the lien to seize the crop and put it upon the market at whatever price it may bring, and the man himself usually appropriates the property fixing the price himself. What is true in South Carolina is true in all our southern states. There may have been a necessity for the lien law when It was first enacted, but that necessity has long since passed away, and if this law had been repealed twenty years ago, the south today would have been the most pros perous section of the United States. This law operated to take the control of labor out of the hands of the farm ers of the country and put into the hands of men who used it to raise cotton to the neglect of food and forage crops. There is not an inteli- gent man in this country who is fool enough to deny truth of this propo sition. And this vile and unright eous law has increased the cotton crop millions of bales, where the la bor which produced this cotton would have otherwise been expended in raising food crops. The world today looks on the people of the south in amazement, and are saying what fools we are to raise so much cotton, and spend millions of dollars for the products of other states that would grow almost spontaneously on our own soil. They forgot the fact that under the operation of our laws, that the planting of this vast area in cot ton is not voluntary, but that a large percent, of our farm laborers are in Egyptian bondage and are of necessi ty forced to plant cotton or get no supplies. This has gone on for years until these laborers make no calculation to live otherwise except upon a lien from February till Sep tember. If the cotton growers of the south really and honesty desire to reduce the cotton crop they can do it effectively and quickly by wiping the lien laws from the statute books of every soutturn state and amend the laws relating to chattle mortgages so that all sums over $10 will require a judgement from the circuit court be fore they can be collected. Do this, and you will atjnce reduce the cot ton crop, and Degin to educate our people to be honest, and they will at once go to work to make a living, and will cease to fritter away their time from one year’s end to another to raise cotton to pay for their bread and meat, sold to them at a hundred per cent, profit. Let the cotton grower’s convention in Atlanta discuss this question, for turn it and twist it as you may, this is ths great source of and lies at the foundation of all our ills. Professor Davis is right when he says our laws are responsible for the oppression of the industrial classes of our people. Repeal our lien laws, give us the free coinage of both gold and silver, re peal the ten per cent tax on state banks so we can have a flexible local currency, and modify our tariff laws so that they will not prohibit im ports and will furnish revenue for the expenses of our national gover n- menfc, and in five years from today our country will be prosperous and the cry of hard times will be heard co more in the land. Pike. Rock Hill, S. C., Dec. 12, 1897. Devinne Dots. (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Devinne, Texas, Dec. 19.—We are all right now, the wave of prosperity struck us on the 10th of this month, W. J. Bryan came down on the 11 a. m. train from San Antonio and everybody and his cousin turned out to see him and to honor the gallant leader of the Democratic party. Bryan is a fine looking young man. He was on route to Mexico to look up the free silver Industry in than country. President Diaz has invited Bryan to be his guest while in the city of Mexico. I suppose they will work up the silver business while to gether. Mr. Bryan will take on a lot of Mexican hot tomolleys and mescal for that is all the go in Mexico. Last Sunday the I, & G N. R. R. gave a big excursion over their road to Laredo. All the boys took in Mexico and a lot of mescal and chllie. The boys say they had a good time. The road ran three trains, each com posed of eight coaches, and sold 1,300 tickets from San Antonio to Laredo. I spent the holidays last year in Gaffney and would like to dp so this year, but can’t. Next Saturday is Christmas, and hope The Ledger will come in al right. Tell some of the boys to send me some of Ben Tillman’s XXX for Christmas. Friend Gossett has gone to Houston to attend the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Fraternity. w. m. d. Elgin Notes. (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Elgin, 8. C., Dec. 21.—Please al low me space in your valuable paper for a few dots from Elgin. Will Morgan, col., was shot and killed yesterday by Joe Harper, col. Morgan’s intimacy with Harper’s wife was the cause of the trouble. Harper was arrested and lodged in jail. Lynching is being threatened by the colored people- Capt. J. W. Moore was bitten last p. in. by a dog. which he is very much excited over for fear it was mad, and he has gone to Charlotte to have the mad stone applied to the bite,to ascertain as to whether or not the dog had hydrophobia. We hope not. The Capt. is very much excited over it. ___ A Scribbler. A Household Remedy, And it never fails to cure Rheuma tism, Catarrh, Pimples, Blotches, and all diseases arising from impure blood, is Botanic Blood Balm, (B. B. B.) Thousands endorse it as the best remedy ever offered to mankind. The thousands of cures performed by this remedy are almost miraculous. Try it. only $1.00 per large bottle. A PHYSICIAN’S EVIDENCE—AN HONEST DOCTOR. Although a practitioner of near twenty years, my mother influenced me to procure Botanic Bloxl Balm. B. B. B., for her. She had been con« fined to her bed several months with Rheumatism, which had stubbornly resisted all the usual remedies. Whithin twenty-four hours after commencing B. B. B.. I observed marked relief. She has just com menced her third bottle, and is near ly at active as ever, and has been in the front yard with "rake in band," cleaning up. Her improvemeLt is truly wonderful and immensely grat ifying. C. H. Montgomery, M. D., Jacksonville, Ala. For sale by druggists.