Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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1 . . ,41: 1 '■ijk'..' f,.- A THE LARGEST Circulation of Any Newspaper in the Fifth Congressional District of S. C. The Ledger. SEMI-WEEKLY—PUBLISHED TUESDAY AND FRIDAY. WE GUARANTEE The Reliability of Every Adver tiser Who Uses the Col umns of This Paper. A Newspaper in all that the Word Implies and Devoted to the Best Interests of the People of Cherokee County. ESTABLISHED FEB. 10, 1894 HAFFNEY, TUESDAY, JULY 21, 1903. 81.00 A YEAB. MROUGHOUT THE PALMETTO STKTE. Items of Interest of Passing Events. ALL OVER THE STATE. One L' rather spectacular. A steamer load of negro excursionists was just leav ing the dock when the man, who held a walking stick in his hand, was seen to leap into the river. He apparently made no attempt to swim, bat rose three times, each time brand- ifhing the cane in the air, as if sa luting some one on the steamer. At length he disappeared, but for a full minute afterwards the end of the cane was raised above the surface. •Cventa that Have Taken Place from Bad of the State to the Other Culled from Exchanges for Quick Reading by Scores of Busy People. The color line is being tightly drawn by the blacks and mulattoes of Georgetown. Thursday morning forty carpenters who have been engaged on the new ootton mill building of the D. E. Con verse Company at Glendale stopped work. They wanted same pay for less work. Governor Heyward Thursday upon hearing of the killing of Will Hall, a white man, by a nesjro near Bates- burg, wired the sheriff of Lexington to use every effort to prevent violence when the negro was caught. At the meeting of the newly ap pointed South Carolina Worlds’s Fair commission in Columbia Thursday night an executive committee was ap pointed to carry out the plans to have a creditable exhibit from South Caro lina at the great Exposition to be held in St. Louis in 1904. It is now a question whether John Brownfield, the negro who is alleged to have committed suicide at the Georgetown jail recently, while await ing execution for the murder of a deputy sheriff, really did killlhimself. The stomach and viscera of the man were examined and no ooison found. The secretary of State Friday issued a commission to the Myakka company of Charleston, a concern capitalized at $500,000. The company will engage in the lumber and naval stores business, having bought up large tracts of laud in Florida for the purpose. Among the stockholders are D. W. Alderman, of Alcolu, and L. D. Simonds and W. E. Huger, of Charleston. While rolling cars Friday on the high tramway at the coal yards of the William Johnson Company, at the foot of Line street in charleston, John .Noisette, colored, lost his bal ance and fell to the ground, a dis tance of about thirt/-fivo feet. He was seriously injured about tbe bead and was taken to the hospital. It is ’ not“thought that his injuries will prove fatal. Two negroes were lynched last week on account of the killing of Hall, near Batesburg. Tbe second lynching occurred Thursday night. The negro, Edwards, who killed Hall, has not been captured. The two victims were presumed to know Edwards’s whereabouts and were lynched because they would not tell. Both protested till the last that they knew nothing of Edwards’s abiding place. Adjutant General Frost Thursday officially notified Col. J. C. Boyd, commanding the first regiment, to en camp at Columbia week beginning July 20. This means that all equip ment will arrive in time. In addition a letter of instructions to all of tbe captains was issued. The letter states that each company must take its own cook and advises the soldiers to take their blue uniforms in addition to Ifbeir Kahki. The body of Walter Fisher, colored, was taken to Abbeville Fridiy from Latimer, tbe western side of that county, and buried. He is said to have been accidentally shot by Jim Sprowly, last Wednesday, while play ing with a pistol in a box car. Mary Nance, colored, also died there Friday afternoon. She was shot in the body with a pistolS Wednesday night in a street row. Maria Adams is with tbe shooting. Willie Davis, a negro boy of Co lumbia, was shot at midnight Wednes day by a negro named Lakin. Though wounded twice, tb; injuries were not fatal. Tbe two negroes became en gaged in a difficulty, and pulling a revolver from bis pocket Lakin fired twice, one of tbe bullets striking Davis in tbe bead and penetrating the scalp for a distance of about four inches. left thigh just behind the knee. Tbe supreme court Wednesday sus tained a decision in the circuit court in tbe case of Daniel J. Scott vs. thi Seaboard Air Line railway. Scott was employed as a watchman on the Gongaree river bridge, near Columbia, and was killed by an engine on July 30, 1901. Suit was brought lor $20,- 000 for criminal negligence on tbe part of tbe road and • Lexington .jury rendered a verdict for $8,000. An appeal was made, but obe su preme court yesterday threw it out. A negro man committed suicide at Georgetown Wednesday by jumping off tbe dock into tbe river. He was probably intoxicated or insane, but the method and time selected by bim for drowning blmseif made tbe deed REDUCTION FOR PACOLET. A PERSONAL FRIEND OF THE PRESIDENT. Mr- Littauer His Closest Po litical Advisor. THAT GLOVE CONTRACT. friend and most trusted adviser of tbe President makes a profit of s;me ninety thousand dollars on Govern ment contracts, when the law says that no member of Congress shall orofit by such a contract, directly or j indirectly? Mr. Roosevelt has said that he pro poses to have everything about him | “as clean as a hound’s tooth.” Isn’t , it about time for him to buy a car load of tooth brushes? THE TAR HEEL STATE, From the Mountains to The Sea. THE POPE IS DEAD. A message over the long distance telephone received here yesterday afternoon announced that Pope Leo XIII died yesterday at 4:40 p m., which was 10:40 a. m. here. NORTH CAROLINA NEWS. State Board of Equalization Reduces Valu ation of Property. [Columbia State July 17.J The State board of equalization after bearing the petition of the at torneys and others representing the Clifton and Pacolet mills, decided to make a reduction on the valuation of these properties. As was published in the State yesterday morning it was feared that tbe valuation of these properties on tbe first day of January last might be taken as the basis for assessment, but the board met the issue squarely and decided that a re duction of 33 per cent, should be made on the mills in the Pacolet val ley affected by the destructive cloud burst. After tbe 33 per cent, shall have been deducted from the par value of tbe capital stock, the board assesses the value for taxation at GO per cent, of the remainder. Mr. Stobo J. Simpson presented the case of tbe Clifton mills and Mr. Ralph Carson and President Victor Montgomery made statements in re gard to Pacolet mills. Another mat ter came up in connection with the Pacolet mills. The company has built a new mill in Georgia, but the capi talization is in this State and under the laws of the State. Therefore, in or der to prevent that property from be ing taxed in both States, it was de cided to assess the Pacolet company at GO ptr cent, of $700,000—after the 33 per cent, reduction for the flood damage had been made. The capital stock of the company is $1,500,000, 1 but the new mill is included in that capitalization. All of the committees reported yes terday afternoon, their reports were adopted, and the board adjourned subject to the call of the chairman in case there are any protests which cannot be settled by tbe special com mittee appointed for the purpose of adjudicating such protests. This committee consists of Messrs. W. VV. Bradley, of Abbeville; J. L. Quinby, of A.ken ; R. G. Hill, of Union, W. D. Garrison, of Greenville, and J. J. , Vernon, of Spartanburg. The reports of the committees are in such shape that the figures adopt ed could not be obtained yesterday, for the clerks were busy making out the pay warrants of the members of the board, but Mr.Bradley thinks that; there has been a substantial increase over last year’s figures—.iue rather to new enterprises than to the rais ing of assessments. The Luwh Forbid a Member of Congress Taking a Government Contract and the Question is Asked, What Will Mr. Roose velt Do In the Littauer Matter? (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Washington, D. O., Jnly 18.—Still speaking of the Missouri delegation ; in the Congress of tbe United States, i it will not do to ignore the Hon. Maecenas E. Benton, of Ntosho, “the little giant of the Southwest.” Mr. Benton helofigs to the family of Ben tons of Missouri, of which Thomas H. Benton was tbe most distinguish ed. If he were alive to-day he would be proud of the modest little gentle man who bears his name with honor and dignity in the national House of Representatives. Mr. Benton is a very poor windjammer or hot-air mer chant. He seldom gets to his feet, but when he does there is some re publican who wishes he had kept his seat. He comes about as nigh know ing what he is talking about as any man in the Congress, and is one of the ablest orators in that body. He has had very little opportunity to in dulge in pyrotechnic oratory in the House, and indeed he does not care to do so. He knows, as does every one else familiar with one situation, that he is going against the coldest proposition in the world; that be cannot change a vote on the repub lican side of the chamber and that the democrats who would vote with him any way are either in the cloak rooms telling yarns or else writing letters, and will not pay any attention to his remarks. Mr Benton is the first man who ever was discharged from office for “pernicious activity” in politics. This occurred in 1886 when he was United States Attorney in Western Missouri under the first Cleveland administration. He was soon rein stated and served in that capacity until 1889. There never was a better democrat on earth than this original “offensive partisan,” and his con stituents compliment their own in telligence by retaining him in Con gress. * * * There is another phase of this glove contract matter that has never been exploited in the press of tbe country. The people know nothing about it and it contains a whole lot of meat for meditation upon the ways that are dark and the tricks that are vain, that Audry Nell, of Raleigh, aged 14, as practiced by the astute and uo- and Emma Williams, of Charlotte, scrupulous Secretary of War, Mr. aged 18, who were recently admitted Root. He is at present making a lot to the Crittenton Home there, have of fuss about investigating this glove suddenly disappeared and there is no FLOOD IN TEXAS. Interesting Items Concerning Oar Neigh bors Beyond the Line Which May Prove Entertaining Reading for Hundreds of Ledger Readers A despatch from Roanoke, Va., says contract, but he is doing the cuttle fish act. He is spewing out a lot of stuff that darkens tbe waters, and no one can see his work. Instead of placing the investigation of this glove contract in the hands ol the regular army inspector in charge, and who is thoroughly familiar with it in every detail, be sends for a new man. a Mr Garlington, who knows nothing about the true inwardness of it, and gives him his instructions as to how he is to investigate. He circumscribes and limits his discretion in the mat ter. He tells him to investigate everything except one, and that one contains the milk in the cocanut. That is the manner in which the con tract is drawn. It is drawn in such a manner as to call for a certain and specific kind of glove and that kind of glove is made only by the Littauer Brothers, glove manufacturers of New York. Thus, no matter who got the contract from the War Department he'would have to go to the Lit tauer Brothers to have the gloves made and they would reap the profits Will President Roosevelt please have that phase of the contract Telephone Company in running a line investigated? If he does, his “close ^through the Doggett Mountain sec tion of Madison county were waited on by a delegation of heavily-armed mountaineers and told they must “clear out” irnmndiaiely. This they did, and as they tied down the moun tainside over fifty shots were fired in their direction as a reminder that the committee meant business. “We will and we won’t; you shall, political and personal friend and ad viser” is in danger of wearing stripes. It is up to the President. Let’s give him a chance. Charles A. Edwards. LOWER CHEROKEE LOCALS. The Limestone Light Infantry. At an et thusiastically attended meeting last Thursday night in the hall over Maness’ store on Granard street, a military company called the Limestone Light Infantry was organized by electing Mr. J. Emile Harley, captain, and Dr. B L. Allen, surgeon. Seventy young men en rolled themselves in the company and * * * The Littauer glove contract is still agitating the War Department and official Washington. On account of the peculiar relationship existing be tween President Roosevelt and Con gressman Littauer, the question is on the tip of every man’s tongue. “What will Roosevelt do about this latest scandal that gets close to him?” At a Harvard College dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York on the 23J of February, 1900, Roose velt declared with pride and emotion that his closest personal friend and political adviser was Mr. Lucius N. Littauer, member of Congress from New York. To quote bis exact lan guage : “I want to tell you that it is a Congressman who is my most inti mate personal friend, and who is my Recent lla|>.<eningx in the Neighborhood Around Etta .lane, (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Etta Jane, July 18.—The perturb ed state of “A Ledger Reader’s” mind which our failing to say anything about the Fourth of July picnic at Howell’s ferry has occasioned, will stand as an apology for our making mention of it now. “A Ledger Reader” is mistaken when he thinks that we, or any of ours, were present. In a letter from Col. M. P. Tribble, who is getting up for the war depart ment, the rolls of the Confederate but I shan’t,” is the attitude that has been assumed by thj and Seaboard Railways in regard to the erection of tbe union passenger station in Durham. But the corpor ation commiesion has stepped in and said “you shall,” and the matter is now in the hands of tbe courts to see whether or not an act of the legisla ture, passed with the view of compel ling public carriers to erect union de pots, has any force. A party of about 80 negro men, women and children, left Charlotte Saturday night, via the Southsrn, for the North, and it is estimated that soldiers who went from this State to during the oast three months 300 ne- the war between the States, we learn groee have emigrated from Ctiarlotte that the work is progressing finely, and vicinity. Of the negroes who left But there is much to be done yet be- the larger number of men went to fore the work is complete. Every the coal fields of Virginia and West veteran should aid him in his work , Virginia; the others went to Char- by seeing that full and complete lists lottesville, Va , to work on the double track of the Southern Railway, and the women went further North to hire as house servants with the exception of a few who accompanied the men. RallroaUa Washed Away and Man}’ Crops Destroyed. (Correspondence of The Ledger.) Harts Bluff, Tex., July 13—Dear Ledger: Siuce I have read about the flood out there we have had one here that destroyed considerable railroad property and many farms by washing them away. The crops are almost, if not entirely ruined. The cloudburst occurred about one hundred miles west of here and the overflow has wa ter almost everywhere one looks. Farms of three and four thousand acres are standing today under water that wculd float a steamboat, and the Lord above only knows where the end of it is. Most of these farms are cultivated by poor, hard-working men who farm for a living. It's a sad sight when we lookout over such a wreck and ruined pros pect and think of how many were de pending on this bottom land for a living; but we are compelled to bow our heads in humble submission to tbe will of Him who dosth all thiogs well. Red River is reported higher than it has been since 1842, when people in the bottoms had to be rescued from their houses through the win dows in the top stories by means of skiffs. Your correspondent has about ten acres that will be destroyed. How ever, maybe there will be enough made to preserve life. Crops are generally locking well on high lands; bu: .itev are at least a month late, both ootton and corn. Work is very well up considering the opportunities of the people and the start they got. It rained here from the first of last Ootoher till the first of April, and during that time the Southern ground wasn’t dry enough to plow. I koow it’s a sad sight to see the cotton mills in Spartanburg county, to say nothing of tbe other ruin and the loss of life. I will try to^give you a later account of the overflow when the water subsides and the damage can be seen. Mr. Editor, you ought to be out here to see tbe mighty waters and help us kill turkeys. The high water runs them out of the bottom lands on to the hillsides in gangs of one hundred or more at a time. There are lots of deer here, too. I have just returned from the garden and saw where they had been having a march around through it. Will write again soon. J. R. Blackwood. trace of them John Brown anc Charlie Webb, two negroes employed as hod-carriers at the new Burwell & Dunn building, in . .... Charlotte, fought like tigers Tnursday j ust reache i this place. It s morning over a woman. Webb was cut in several places and seriously wounded Brown (luded the police officers and is now hiding. An important meeting of colored farmers will be held at Biddle Uni versity iSaturday, August 8th, when the fourth annual session of the Mecklenburg farmers’ conference will convene. Every colcfred man in that county engaged in any agricultural pursuit is invited to be present. The “Old Nick” Williams rectify ing plant in Yadkm county, owned by the well known distiller and politi cian, Glenn Williams, which was seized last week, proved a fruitful subject of discussion in revenue cir cles Saturday. Tnere were packages of whiskey in the establishment at the time of the seizure valued at something like $16 000 Fifty negroes emp oyed by the Bell the election of tbe two lieutenants closet political adviser. I 4 ‘ \A/ Y\ rv i a V-i rr 9 7 7 sturvNA and subaltern officers was deferred to a subsequent meeting. Capt. Harley is a promising young attorney, and having served as first sergeant in the , First South Carolina Regiment in the ; Spanish war, well qualifies him to command tbe Limestone Light In fantry. Dr. Allen is a rising young physician and the young men who have enlisted are high standard Piedmont boys, and furnish first-class material for the remaining officers and a first-class military company. Capt. Harley received fifey uniforms yesterday and others and arms will charged goon arrive. We are pleased at this move of our patriotic young men and wish fur them the success they deserve. A Midnight Alarm. Saturday night about 12 o’clock, the fire alarm was sounded in ward five, and there was a general rush of the machines and tbe people to the scene. Improved to be Dr. 8. B. Who is he?” came from all sides. “Lucius Littauer.” said Roosevelt. The laws of tbe United States for bid a member of Congress to take any Government contract. The New York Sun, a republican newspaper, friendly to Mr. Roosevelt, of course, reveals the fact that Mr. Littauer, during the Spanish-Americacan war, manufac tured some five hundred thousand dollars worth of gloves and other sup plies bought by tbe United States Government A man named Lyon got the contract from the Government, and Littauer made the gloves for Lyon. In a letter to Lyon, Littauer asks whether be (Littauer) shall go and see the responsible War Depart ment official. General Luddington, “in regard to other glove contracts.” And Littauer’s brother actei as bonds man for Lyon in the procuring of contracts. What will Mr. Roosevelt do under the circumstances? Will he instruct the Attorney General to investigate the matter? He cannot doubt that of the dead, as well as the living, are made out. Col. Tribble was a private soldier io the army and his highest ambition (now is to see the private soldiers get that recognition they so much deserve. He was one of our army scouts, and “Old Mitt” was a good one, too Together with a short sketch of his life, The Yorkvi'le Enquirer, of Tues day last presented a p- rait of the venerable Thomas McGill, of King’s Creek, who has just passed bis 90ch birthday From our early jhildhoc d we have know Esq. Thomal McGill. He is, perhaps, the oldest white man in Cherokee county. He has lived within the boutyls of tbe present J. UaukN Li I t'H. [Greenville Mountaineer.] The Spartanburg correspondent of the News and Courier, io speaking of a visitor from Texas, says: “He m, i « u ..L reports that he often sees Capt. J. The opening sales of tobacco on the , F . Wilmington market established this year will take place tomorrow (Wed nesday) and a number of first-class buyers are expected. It is expected that fully 100,000 pounds will be sold. The steamer Sanders, which arrived in Wilmington Friday afternoon, car ried about 6,000 pounds from Little River, S. C., a section in which tobac co culture was introduced this for the Wilmington warehouse, said that fully 100 acres are planted in that section and that farmers are county of Cherokee for seventy-one hi hly phased with their experiment, years. His life has been a successful The other bell entered ‘the Cr.wl.y’e eook.rooo., bdt.the tl.ar.e hle ledoreemeet ot Mr. Litt.eer would had been extinguished with water, from buckets before the machines arrived. The fire originated on the outside steps and tbe flames ran up the side of the door and caught a lit tle shingle roof projecting out over tbe door. At first it was thought that tbe fire was incendiary, but no one could conceive of any motive any one could have for destroying Dr. Crawley’s property. After casting i about it was remembered that a member of the family had left a box of ashea on the steps the day before, which furnished a solution of the cause of the fire. Chief Lockhart happened to be in that part of tbe city at tbe time and discovered tbe fire In its tnoiplenoy and gave the alarm, or tbe reiults might have jeen serious. have great weight with the War De partment. Mr. Littauer may not have known, in spite of his offer to see a certain official, that Lyon really got tbe contracts on tbe strength of representing Mr. Roosevelt’s intimate friend. But what will Mr. Roosevelt do? He has not hesitated to give us bis views of official purity. He has said, “Words are good when backed up by deeds, and only so.” Will his words be backed up by deeds in this case? Or is there a difference between an ordinary individual and the Harvard graduate who happens to be tbe President’s “closest political friend and adviser?” Tbe people would perhaps like to ask Mr. Roosevelt this question: What can be expected of the Post Office people If the intimate political one. He has accumulated a hand some competence and has never lived a controversal life with his neigh bors. For many years before tbe war be was magistrate, and, so far as we ever knew or beard tell of, he filled the office with ability and credit both to himself and tbe community which he served. For sixty years (ever since its organization) he has been an elder in Smyrna A. R P. church, which office he yet bolds with credit and Mr. McGill belongs to one of tbe oldest and most influental families of Western York (now Cherokee) and we congratulate him upon his long and useful life and hope he will live many, many y(ars to enjoy the fruits of his labors. Another rain would be acceptable to tbe farmers of this community. The land is getting hard in places. Hon. W. D. Kirby was in this sec tion this week buying up milk and beef cattle. Miss Mattie Lee has been quite un well for a few days. Some dogs in this neighborhood make their living by banting and killing their neighbors’ cbickens. A good dose of stryobnine or buck shot would be a due recompense of reward for their trouble. The children meet twice a week to practice for children’s day at Salem. J. l s. Eugene Dolpbus, colored, an es caped convict from tbe Patterson gang, in Mecklenburg county, and one of the most notorious negroes in that section, was captured Saturday morn ing at 1:30 o’clock by Policemen Pitts ani Summerrow. The capture was effected in Ward 3, in the south western part of Charlotte where Dol- phus was strolling down the railroad with some dusky maids. The officers bad been on the lookout for tbe con vict for some time. He was serving an eight months’ term on the gang for an assault with a deadly weapon Little Jack Duncan, tbe six-year- old son of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Duncan, of Charlotte, who was accidentally shot while pitying with a 22 c&libre rifle Wednesday afternoon, died at the Presbyterian Hospital Thursday morning at 7 o’clock. Tbe child had obtained some cartridges and took tbe rifle from a closet while his mother was at the house of a neighbor He loaded the weapon and while he and his nurse were playing with it, tbe cartridge exploded. Tbe bullet entered tbe front of tbe lower part of the abdomen and penetrated through tbe body lodging next to tbe skin in the back. Banks Liles, who went from Gaffney to Texas about thirty years ago. He is now teaching a private school in the Indian Territory and has a fair patronage. He still wears the Con federate grey and uses very emphatic language in regard to his friends who wore tbe blue.” This has reference to the wearers of the blue in South year Carolina during reconstruction times It is of whom he has a lively and unpleas- antjrecollectiion ;)but his old comrades in Jenkins’ brigade vill be glad to learn that Banks Liles is yet m the land of the living. Raker Hie Rake. Lexington N. C., July 16—John D. Raker, who left Monday night with the wife of John Koonts, re turned to the city last night and left again in a short while for parts un known. Raker leaves a wife and sev eral children with no visible means of support. Mrs. Koonts also leaves several little children. Raker was at one time chief of police here and has borne a good reputation heretofore. Who la He? Who is it that makes the Fewer* gallons; weara*longer paint? The Georgia legislature has pro vided common schools for colored children at tbe expense of the white tax payers. EmphaMizeg lt» Superiority. The best test of an article is tbe way it sells. Bransford Mills, at Owensboro, Ky., where “Clifton” flour is made, run night and day, and yet they cannot supply tbe de mand for “Clifton.” In tils city, ae elsewhere, it is the standard by which other flours are guaged, and tbe statement that “it is just as good as Clifton” only makes ice superiority tbe more pronounced. W. J. Wilkins & Co. 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