Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TI-WEEKLY EDITION. WINNSBORO, S. C., JULY 27 189.1844. FA PLEA FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 'UNTERESTING AND AN ABLE EX. HIBIT OF TH'E SUBJECT BY Won, W. J. Montgomery in His Ad dress to the Alumni of Wofrord College. The following are the most impor 'taut portions of the address to the alumni of Wofford College recently de livered at Spartanburg by the Hon. W. J. Montgomery, of Marion. S. C.: , It will be conceded no doubt by every thoughtful and patriotic citizei ithat at no time in the political history of the American Republic has there been a greater necessity for a careful examination of thestandards of princi ple upon which the Government is 'founded than the present. This is necessary in order that a correct ides 6f the relation of the citizen to the Grovernment may be formed, therc being an evident tendency in thy ,frenzy of pclitical partisanship to di's t-egard the simple tenets laid down by Itre fathers and to ignore the fact that reverv citizen is an integral part of the Governmeut, making the measure of public duty the amount of money whi..-' may be made out of the Governmeni by hol'ling public office or otherwise. In other words this may be correctly styled the mercenary period in the lif vf the Government. i The speaker then went onto explain in detail the anntu-belluin School Policy, and also education since the war, and proceeded as follows: Under its present laws the State has but two ways of raising money for ipublic sehools, viz: The poll tax and Itbe constitutional two mill tax. Many of the more wealthy and more popu tons communities of the State, recog nizing the fact that an illiterate citi zenship means a degraded and corrupt citizenship, have imposed upon them selves extra and additional burdens o! taxation in order that their children may have the rudiments of an educa tiQn. This is no part of the State's educational policy, and for it she de rerves no thanks. These Echools are local, and have sprung up from abso lute necessity. * In the $532,000, reported by Mr. Mayfield as raised for public schooh last year, the amounts arising from .these special tax levies in the graded school districts of the State are includ ed. When. ihey are deducted one fifth of the amount raised is taker siway, and the comparison becomes E rng. It is legitimate to . inqn ire why the State from its earliest history to the present has pursued such a liberal policy towards higher education and has given comparatively such small 'consideration to public or common school education. -May it not be an swered in a word, that a wealthy, cul - tivated, slaveholding element domi nated the affairs of the State from the earliest days of her Statehood. until - after the war, and that her educational policy was shaped in accord with their taste and conceptions of what was the "proper education of youth," as stated in the preamble to thecAct establishing the South Carolina College. Since the two mill tax provision be. came a law, nearly twenty years ago, the public school system as such, ha had no favoring legislation from the State. Doubtless in the temper of political sentiment as it has existed since that time any scheme that might hrive been pronosed wonld have met defeat at its inception because the negegropopulation would share its bene' tits. While this short-sigh ted political sentiment has ruled to the ends of the * State for the past thirty years, the pu 1e se ooI systemn has been an ac - knowledged farce, and a large percent age of the poor white children, mut and helpless have been, and are still, groping in the black darkness of hope. lees illiteracy. It is submitted that b3 this course of action not only a grea' wrong to these children is being per' petrated and perpetuated, but theji vested rights ignored, the great princi p)!es upon which the Commonwealth i! founded set at naught, and its higi mission threatened with defeat on ac 'count of an ignorant citizenship. While -thus being stabbed to the heart ove: the shoulder of the unfortunate negro, the white illiterates of the State migh wvell say to both factions of the Demo cratic p'arty in South Carolina, in the language of Mercutio: "We ar' hurt." "A plague on both you: houses." Higher education, however, has noi been dealt with so unkindly. It hai had and still has friends in the halls o! Legislature and on the huetings .Whei the white people returned to power ir 1876 the South Carolina College an the Citadel were re-opened and mone: Aowed freely out of the State treasur: for their support. The South Caro lina College took on the univereity sys tem, and an effort was made to popu larize it by making its curriculum em brace every duty that it was though would run current with popular favor It had at one time, as I remember, 2i professors for about 200 students. I then became an issue in polities on ac count of the free tuition feature, aui because the farmers contended the; wanted a college of their own, wher applied agriculture and mechanic might be tau ght. A new order c things came about. The South Care linu~College was emasculated, but it appropriations continued. The Citade was criticised and threatened, but it appropriations continued. The be quest of Mr. Clemson was made lh nucleus, the name of Mr. Calhoun wa used to conjure with, the prejudices the farmers appealed to, large apprc priations of money, including tb naosihte royalty and unlimited1 num ber of conviet, resulted in tht m-'g niticeit institution with a espacity for 600 students.located udi.r h( of the Blue lidie. liighr!- - it seemsn' had now b"'co a't fl.th State had three insiiti i the Winthrop N Sr:dl Schoul. .. s there wre seventeien other p %t male and feaile instituti' fo b e education in tihe Stalte. ntwiti' - ing the cry of poveity w3 h.!i throughout the State, and the ta-h cier was iht r.dly grindiiig the fas the poor. In all iih liberatl p d ions m:ile for higher eduntion by the State, woman's interes4A had not been provided for and. with a unaui:ily of politicnl sentiment not bitherto niani fested for years, it was decided to es tablish a great industrial school for women, v.lih is now about complete. Last year S3:,000-and all the con victs needed, and this year $75,000 and all the convicts needed, have been appropriatAl to build this institution. It in qy ic safely asserted that dur - ing the past five years the State has expended at least oe million dollars oD higher education, and the surest road to higher political preferment has been found in soie one of the schemes pr oposed for higher educa tion. Even in the last State canvass every speaker from the candidates for Governor down was vehement in his allegations of what great things had been done and were being done for higher education by the State; indeed it might have been presumed from the tenor of the speeches that every boy and girl in the State between 6 and 1G years of age was prepared to enter the freshman class at Wofford -or any other college of similar grade. This imperfect review of the com parative support afforded by this State to higher education must make bare to e indid minds the gross inequalities of the policy which has been puroued. Without turning aside in this dis cussion to question the right of the State as such to go beyond providing the rudiments, the three R's of an ed ucation, for her children, it is charged that sound poltical economy teaches no doctrine that favors spending mon ey with such a lavish hand for the hither education of the few, when il literacy, the deadly enemy of a gov ernment which depends for its strength and stability upon the intelli gence of its citizens, holds in its grasp according to the census of 1890 45 per cent of its population of the age of 10 years and over. If the policy persued in this State could be justified on the ground of necessity it would furnish some apol ogy for its adoption, but it cannot be forgotten that for years prior to the war there were and there nre today institutions, colleges, if youa please, throughout the State, seventeen in number, ample in facilities and schol arship, ready to furnish higher edu cation to every young man aed wo man in the State who cuter their gates. In all the viesssitudes of the State their doors have stood wide open to the young men and women of the State seeking higher education. Indeed, it should never be forgotten by evcry true patriot that during that uai'rkest period in the State's civil histor '.!rom 1868 to 1877, when this proud Com monwealth was known far a:, wide as the 'Prostrate State," and her higher institutions of learning were under the domination of the alien and the stranger, the boy soldiers and those who had grown to manhood and womanhood during the wvar, many of them ''without scrip or purse," lunock ed at the doors of those institutionis. Their doors were thrown wide tpen and a hearty welcome accord d t. each and to all, and from the mintage of these colleges men and womecn were sent forth bearing their stamp, that of true manhood and womauheod upon them. Yet,. strange as it would be to relate, were it not in accord with that ingratitude for whlich republies are noted, no sooner had the. Statei been restored to th.h control of her mwn ci t izens did she not onmly fail to recog mIW the service they had rendered imt [*e came their shiarpett competitor lby offering free tuition. Well miht these n ,ble old institutions sayV to any of their sons w~ho have assisted iin adopting this policy, in the lanuguacge of King Lear: ''How sharper than a serpent's tooth'tis to have a thanless child." It is pleasant, however, to know that many, it is believed all, of the alumni of these old institutions of the period referred to, echd one of whom can say from his heart: The mother may fonegt her -:hiikt She fondled at her knfee, But I'll remembe r thee, Ga'waiirn, And all that thou.: ha~t ilone for me. The foregoing retlertlons have been directed more to exposinmg the ine1111l4ity of the legislation of this ;state and1 its fect upon hiighe~r and common school ducation than in attemprtin to show phe necessity in our Sta?te for uniiversail education. At the risk of stating mat ters which before an atudience of this intelligene may be considered comi monplace a few stateinents on this point will be ventured. -Thoughtful students of onr State's history for the past twenty vear's have the greatest apprehenisioni for the future of our p~olitical institutions without an absolutely pure zuallot, and candor compels tis speaker to say that he shares these apprehensionis. A pure ballot is of necessity predlictedl upon an intelligent ballot: and there r cannot be an intelligent ballot until the masses are sufficeiently educated to ap 'preciate its vast poer.' Mr. Waylau d ein his work on Political Economy says f 'the dissemination of knowledge among a ple)l will be made to the sextent that provision is made for thier i unversal instruction in the elements a of a common school education." '-The - :interst," says he. 'of every man de e mandsthat all his fellow-citizens should be able to read and write, to keep ac Scounts, to understand geography and -thus possess the mecaux of self-govern e nent." As a prineip'al nmeans to effect -a stiulte this ditfusion of know ledge this author furither says: "The right of suffrage should be re stricted to those who are able to read and write and that proviion should be ia'le i- every neighborhood for the education of all children under a cer tain age. This was sound political doctrine in 18.37 when Dr. Wayland wrote it and has gained additional strength since Lby the failures that have been inade where its teachings have been ignored. The application of this doctrine ini my humble judgment would be a mesing to South Carolina to-day. It would, however, be manifestly un fair to fix an educational 4iualitication for sulrage and not to provide the ciTIzIn an opportunity to qualify. The crying need of the hour, accord ing to my apprehension of our political surroundings, is more and btter com meni11 schools; not schools alone for the classes but schools also for the masses; not sehools in the thickly settled well to do country coinmunaities alone: but in the voorer and sparsely settled sectiois also; not schools for land own ers children alone. but for tlidr ten ants as well; in a word public schools. Pry up the masses with the leverage f'uniersal education and thus re jest themni from the bondage of illiter It nay be suggested that this sounds well in thore. l)it that it cannot be cari t practice on account of ()th. ..s poverty, (2) the negro in our r!d:4. 'Tt the V cst suggestion it iilit-d (1) stop I iese extravagant appropriationas for higher education until tLe masses have at least the three R's of ani education and give more money to the common schools. Bet ter tear down these massive buildings and sell the debris for tirewood than have an ignorant and consequently a deproved citizen-ship. (2) Make the attendane upon the common schools compulsory. To the second suggestion it is re plied that the negro and his friends are takiUn care of his education. Dr. Currie, gvont of the Peal body fund, startled the (eorgia Legislature a few years ago telling it that the negroes were making more rapid strides in the attainment of an education than the sa' e 2ss of whit udnd other thought ful clbsvrvers coLtirm the opinian ex presed by this tminent authority. Besides Northern money has been and is being poured into the South to ed ucate the negroes. Dr. Mayo is authority for the statement that at least $530,00'000 has been spent in the South since the war t- educate the negi o. It is well known that there is not a city of any considerable size in the South but .has one or more in stitutions for the education of the negro supported wholly or in part by Northern money, and many of them, such as Claflin in this State, are doing fine work. So it is needless to halt longer in extend ing aid to common school education because it will aid the negro, evenif it were conceded, and it is not, that the negro should not be educated. The policy I have indicated would not only inprove their citizenship but give a fresh impetus to every institution for higher education in the State. Argu ment is not needed to enforce the state ment. Every boy or girl who has the desire for an education once awakened, though born in a log hut, will shake off his or her surroundings as the lion hakes the dew drops from his mane. Brethren of Wofford, you have my message. You will doubtless acquit me of intending by its delivery to win political favor or applause, because you will recognize that the positions here taken run counter to much that is in favor with the public just now.. he issue, however, which _h marks suggest is one that 'as in the past enlisted the sympaithy and sup port of the best taletit of the best men of our nation's history, and we can make no-'iistake in following where they have led. It means the upbuild ing and maintenance of our common country- It battles in b~ehalf of the weak, the poor, the unfortunate. It seeks to provide that which gives to the State a better citizenship, to the indi vidual a friend that never forsakes. Richs may take wings and fly away, the fountains of love may dry up, but an education, in its true sense, once obtained flows on with the gentleness of the Gulf Stream and with the con stancy of God's own sunl?. DISASTER ON THE DEEP. Terrible Loss of Life in, a Collisioni at Sea. A terrible accident, resulting in the loss ot 13 lves, eeurred near the mouth of the G f of Spezzia. Italy, on Sunda . At halt pst 1 o'clock in the morning the steamt Ortigia andl Maria r. ran into each other and the atter vessel was so badly damaged that she sank~ ini a very short time. The Maria P. had .2n bI ar.. 1in addition to her c'ew. 178 pones boundi fromn Naples. for the- i iver P:at. ly far the larger part of whom were em igrats. T1ii' 'olli'ion occurred ofT Isola Del Til,. Tia On jiia left, Genoa at ten o'clock at 2ight. The. Maria P. was b'ound. for (Geioa, wer" the 'igrants on board1 her w-r" to hav b'a 'rans-ahipped to the steam'er Sid Amori 2t, whi'th was to convey them to the v'r init'. It was learned that the lookout m-n on the Ortizia saw nothing' Of th" ojther staer until it was too late to aivert a c!i sh . Thue officers of the Ortigia say t hat no' boats were lo wered by the Ma ria P. a l t heir vessi savedl all the survivors. Thle~ Or!i.:in rminedi ii' in the vi''inity of the ;ie'idenit for s'.vral hours, hopiag that she might b~e abl to r.'s-n others. The bows of the Oridat have in them a rent four yards long just above the water line. Gold Fields of Alabama. .The sum of 650,000 in cash was deposited in a Chattanooga bank for the purchase of gold fields near Heflin, reported to be fabulously rich in gold ore. An option of only seventy-five hours was given on the pro perty, consisting of two hundred acres, but the guarantee was raised in that remarkably short time and the deal closed. The new ompany will be capitalized at $500,000 and tock will be at once placed on sale. The disputed district in French Guiana will acording to ani agreemnut b -twe"n e-.-c a B-ral be governed by dual rule. PALMETTO PENCILLING. INTERESTING ITE31S FRO31 ALL OVER THE STATE. Condition of Kershaw Crops. The cror-, in around Kershaw are in first-class condition, in.ofar that they have been well worked and have had plenty of rain, but the cotton generally is very small. The most conservative estimates place this year's yield at about one-half. compared with last I year's. An exceptionally large area in corn is under cultivation, and the indi cations are that a much larger crop will lie raised than has been for years past, IMPROVEMENTS AT KERSHAW. Internal improvements continue to mark the progress of the town of Ker shaw. The Kershaw Banking and Mercantile Company have concluded to erect another large brick store-house adjoining their present large building. Work upon the proposed structure will commence at an early day. The an- t thorities of the Ohio River and Char. leston Railroad Company will also, in a short time, build a new freight and passenger depot there. Condition of Cotton. All reports indicate that cotton con tinues small and is from two to three weeks late; it is generally in healthy condition except in portions of Pickene and Greenville Counties, where lice have appeaced for the first time in the history of cotton culture in that see tion, 'and in portions of Barnwell County, where it is firing and turning yellow; rust has also appeared in vari ous se Ittered localities; it is putting on squares, blooming and fruiting freely, but owing to the small weed the crop cannot make more than a poor average, it is said. Sea Island cotton only half its usual size at this time of the year. A New Railroad. The matter of most importance to the peopte of Anderson county now is t the bunilding of a railroad through the ountains to Knoxville, Tenn., from Anderson City. The prospects are bright, and a proposition to vote an is sue of $50,000 of oonds in aid of the project is meeting with favoe. Such a road would add $520,000 of taxable property to what the now has, besides increasiug the value of the land along its line. t The people at the Knoxville end of the line are willing to meet the people (of Andersou m're than half way; and it is expected that the movement will take definite shape very soon. t The Governor Offers Rewards. Governor Evans on Monday offered the following rewards: Two hundred and fifty, dollars for the arrest of the party or 1.artics, with evidence to con viet,' who lynched Ira Johnson in the city of Greenville; $100 for the arrest, I wiih evidence to convict, of the party r pairlties who killed Constable R. A. .ettigrew near Spartanburg; $100 for the arirest and conviction of Henry1 Pister, who is charged with the kill ig of Jas. T. Knox.t A Tobacco Barn Burned. About two miles above Cartersville a tobacco barn belonging to Mr. James A. Rocse, was destroyed by fire on Sun-t day. The barn was full of tobacco< and caught from flues while in thet (l!.ing process. Total loss was about $00. The tobacco crop is very line in that section'. Tlhe cotton crop is also good but later than last year. South Carolina at Atlanta. Governor Evans has had the Atlanta Exosition authorities consent to make Thak<vi ng Day "South Carolina D ":the Exposition. Everybody is to go from South Carolina at that t ime. The State officers, the Legisla tre, the Citadel boys, the Clemson cadets, and all are to go on South Car olina Day and make it one of thegreat est of the Exposition celebrations.1 Tobacco and Riec. T'bacco harvesting and curing is under way, and the crop so far gath crd is said to he of superior quality: the entire crop is a fine one. Rice on tle Cooper and Ashley Rivers is in fine growing condition, and it looks prom ;sing in the Georgetown dlistrict; up lad rice is doing well generally. i Shot a Convict.1 At Seneca, James G. Breazeale, a pty sheriff of Oconee county, shot: seriously wounded ani escaped ne c. onvict from the county chaiingang n die resisting arrest. Wednesday morning of last week the. ;ot load of watermelons ever ship ped from Darlington was sent off. ie that date nine other earloads have gone, and on Tuesday wagon' loads of melons kept the street leading to the depot dusty. The summer school of ihe South Caralina College at Columbia a cijourned on Saturday aftcr a most successful session. TIhe attendants held a meet ing and passed aseries of resolutions thanking the professors of the College for their valuable work and the sacri fice of their rest. WAS!! OWENS RESENTENCED, He Will Hang Sept. G. The Fourth Jury Acquits Cuinnlnghami. At Laurens, Wash Owen's, color#d', oivited of the assassination of M r. D)orroh Hairston while at his supper table in 1893, and to whom a ne-.g trial was denied on appeal, was on Fridiy resentenced to be hanged on Sept. 6. cUNNINGHAM ACQUITTED. I Cunningham was acquitted on h A SOLID BLACK IDELEGATION. 3eaufort Negroes will Send a Batel of Colored Republicans to the Convention. A special from Beaufort to the New; 6nd Courier says: The cry of white su )remacy by the press throughout thi 5tate and the oft-repeated determina ion to eliminate the negroes fron )olitics, without disfranchising a sin le white man, has had the effect o: olidifying the race into an antagonisr nd has forced them to make a race ssue in selecting delegates to the com og Convention rather than a mattei >f policy. They are, therefore, almos' olidly in favor of sending a solid Re )ublican delegationto the Convention. vhicb, of course, means an assertior f their large majority. Being led b3 he usual leaders of that party there ,an be little doubt as to who will com ose the delegation to be nominated )y their Convention. The negroes argue that there will bE )ut one ballot box and one ticket, ant hat there will he no mistakes in voting heir large majority, usually ballled b too numerous array of ballot boxes, )ut will make the election of their icket effective by exercising their mumerical majority to the utmost ex ent. The better class of negroes and those rho do their own thinking, of course, ok upon present conditions as most infortunate for their people. WhilE hey are in a hopeless mi'hority and lerfectly powerless to help themselves vith the mass of ignorant and irrational -oters that will be guided by the worst lement of their race they do not esitate to admit that the race is most nfortunately circumstanced in the ounty. They feel that the delegation most ikely to be sent, consisting of old >arty hacks and selfish politicians, are aore likely to do harm than good. heir presence in the Convention,they ay, besides furnishing the white peo Ile the very we'tpon they need, will irove nothing more than shaking a ed rag in the faceof a mad bull. They an see no earthly good to their race o cole oit of it. The most thoughtful ones think that bree, atloawt,of the most conservative lhite men, selected indiscriminately roin th two factions of the Demo ratic party, should be concentrated pwo and solicited by their people and rged to go to the Convention to re resent tihe whole people upon a ileral, non-partisan platformn, to eier with two of the most intelligent udI worthy of their race. They bel:eve hat in that way they could secure far nore favorable conditions in that Con eItion and entitle theiselves to a, nuch l:rger poitionof the respect and Ympatly f justice-loving people. ut., of course, they have no hope that heir counsels will avail. The cry of vhite supreiaey, they say, has raised coiunitt r cry of negro protection as ,)elieved to be for their best interest. BROTHER HOOD IN UERKLEY. L Conference of Reformenrs -rd o: servatives and What ievy Did. A conference of representative nvn Berkeley was held at Monek's Cor icr. After a full and fre disc ussiov, 1-1 the remarks showing plainlyl that he speakers believed a mnajo rity of he 1a-ople favor'ed a division o0 deleI rates to the Constitutional Conven tion. mt that now a division being i'nprae icable~k. some other course wiould have o be adoptedi, whereby the 1people (1uld prove their words by their deeds, he followinug prembile andi resolution rere )assed withmout a dissenting vote: Whereas, factional feeling among ie white people of Berkeley County is lasted already too long and it is smr sincere desire that we be a united >eople, and recognizing that the comn ng Constitutional Convention, called or the purl-ose of raking a Constitu ion under which all the people of iouth Carolina ust live, offers a ;raud opportunity for such union, and elievina that we voice the sentinents ifa large nummber of our citizens: Resolved, 'That an invitatwar is ierebv extended to all candittes for he danstituitionlal (Convention to at :end the meetings appointed to be 1eid at St. Stephen's on the 24th in. taut, Holly Hill on the 25t and Wass:iasaw on the 26th, and we romie to do all we can to suppress i factional feeling, and to urge the >oleI to aeccord all speakers a respect ul hearing, and to support the canidi ltes at time comning prin ary accord rig tos their imerits and regardless of sast factijonal aihlliations, ad to abide iv the result oft saidi prinmary. t now rests wyith the Conservatives mmd Reformuers to rid themselves of heir ini uriouis distrust of one another tad all " ill be0 fair sailing in Berkelev .Xlluiy. SOUTHERN PRlOG RSS Manufacturing Enterprises Unr- Wayv On a Large Scle A large water-pow'r in N'.rth C: in has been purchased, awli will Ibe d-slpein large scale. A $3,000,000 comi n hm b' organized in the same State to j.o r!da-. an other water power. and build a 15.000 min dIe cotton mill~with the ex pe-:tatio'n of iar;> y increasing the size of this mill. In South Carolina. a $150.000 o"ttona mIil comoanly has been organizI1 :mi ram:4.i nd at Weldon, N. C.. a contract hsb let for a 12.000 spindle mill. Two cotton-seed-oil-mil co 'm pa i bre been organizsed, one in Texas anl un* ini South Carolina. Among other enterprisos rep-setal r e week were a basket fa':tory to .mpi-.y~ 101 ands in Alabama; a cotton ?.::ni- and ompress company. to erelt.::in on jr- . in Arkansas; a $20.000 goI1-miin-: omny in Atanta;a 69000 Il 'trie plant in M is.' "tri: $10,000 na.-hinery c(omprany in Ma:rylmad: and a large number of mii.-:llaneousl1 enter rises throughout the South. He Was Poison~ediby H is Wit'e. At Montgomery, Aia., the coronaers jury, investigating the cause of the death of WV. H. Spivey, who died four weeks ago, returned a erdict that the deceased died from the ef fects of poison administered ioy his wife, who I now in iail. WEATHER-CROP BULLETIN Of the South Carolina Weather and Crop Service. Mr. J. W. Bauer, Director of the Weather and Crop Bulletin, on Wed nesday mued the foflwing report for last week: Correspondents, as a rule, report that the condition of all the crops continues satisfactory, but there are many exceptions from all parts of the State. Good rain is the indicated need for a great portion of the State as it was the case last week, only the need for rain has become urgent. The reports indicate that in Williamsburg and Union counties the drouighty con ditions are most severe and th, re corn is firing badly. In portions of Aiken, Anderson, Pickens, Greenville and Barnwell there has been considerably less than the usual amount of rain since the crop season began; in fact, with the possible exceptions of Newberry, Richland and Fairfield, where there hars been plenty of rain, it appears that in every county there are large tracts where the summer's rain fall has been below the usual amount, and in such sections the crops are poorest, being slightly under an aver age condition, otherwise they are above an average. The winds were generally from the south, southwest, and west-very hot and drying. The highest temperature ie-ported was 102 on the 17th at Gillisonville; lowest was 62 on the 17th at aites burg. The mean temperatvie of the week for the State wAas about 82, and the normal for the same perlodt is ap proximately 82. As indicated above the general con dition of the crops in this State is no longer as uniformly good as hereto fore, except that cotton has made great improvemeut ev-rvwlere, the weather having been just right for it. In places it is turning slightly yellow, and in a few places growing twv: munch to weed. In some !ocalities it contiu ies small, and in others has :tta:ined it seasonalDC growtb. but everywhere it is fruiting well with very little shed ding. Lice have entirely disarpeared. Ruist has lormetd on sandy land in a lew places, otherwise the crop is clean anl free from pests. it is being, or has been, laid 1ygenerally. In the castern portions of the Slate and where rains were sfiicient the early corn crop is safe and is a fine one; westward and where the rains were wanting it is in a critical stige, but as yet looks promising. Bottom lnd corn is ,ookiug fine everywhere .nd is being laid by generally. The preent prospect is that the cutile corn crop will be an - extra large one this year, only :a - -smali porion of which is alrealy made. The pea crop has improved and a good stand has been attained in most places. Some being scin even row. In places pods are large enough for picking. Sweet pot.to lips are doing well, out the crop . promises to be l ss thkan an average one owing to the re duiced acreage. Second crop of Irish potatoes being planted. Catting and euring tobacce is the order of work in Williamsburg, Flor ence, D)arlinigton, and to a less extenit in ai few othuer counties. TIhe entire croii is said to be a finme one of~ supe ior. qimlity.* G.-neral preparations are being mnle for planting fall vegetables. Some turmips bejing sown and a large murmgeinicated. Fruit contins plem.~ dntifuil generaliy, hnt ini Florence county is K:id to be se:re. A peples appear generamlly to be infrior ande unsound. The second cro of fipoie to be a iarg:e one ini the eiStern po'rtionl of the State. Large :,himients of water and musk mel'un wi: made to Northern andi Western markets, nevertheless the local m::rkets are glutted and the ii ices very low. Gardens ar-s practizally ruined over a large pcart of the State, as the wet h'r hais been too hot and dry for them. y,-t fine okra and to:natoes are in abundance. German milcet is growiiing well, and so are sorghum cane, rice,peantuts, and pasturcs. The prospects, in general, are very encouraging at this the mid-summer season, when nearly all crops have been laid b'y and are entering their third (or last .sta.ge which ends with fructeseence. A WHOLE FAMILY SHOT. Three K~illed and More Wounded While Quietly Eating Supper. At Terre Haute, a flag-station on the Val. Iy road. 20 miles north of New Orleans, the Gordino family were seated at the sup per table when Frank Nosea and another Italian, name nnknown, fired upon the fami ly with a double-barreled shot gut. Bosie Gordino. B-'nnie Gordino and Charlie Cala mar. wvere instantly killed and Rossa Gordi na. the rather of the family. was seriously wounded. Thmree~ children, aged ten and six year=. and thcree months, were also wounded inor or less severely by the murderer's vol 1ev. Thme wounded children and their father were brought to the Charity Hospital at New Or'aans for medical attention. The cause of the wholesome attempt at murder is un known, but it is supposed to be a typical Italian feud. Weekly Cotton Statistics. The Weekly cotton report from Liverpool says: Total salaries of the week,48,O00 bales, American 15,000; trade takings, including forwarded from ships' side. 45,000;aetual ex port 9,000; total import 17.000. American 13, 000; total stock 1,481.000, American 1,54,000; total afloat 62,009;American 30,000; speculators took 200, exporters took 2,100. Found a Boulder of Silver. One of the largest silver nuggets on record ~as found about four miles from Peach Springs, Ariz., several days ago. Two pros pectors, Williams Tuc'ker. John Doyal, on their way from Death Vailley to the Colorado River, dlis-overedl a boulder weighinseveral hundred pounds ando connIp;.-d or noarly pure silver. The value of the 111nd is pla--:' at about $10,000. -ms is a great year ror aprieots m ioutn eri Calirornia. The crop in Pomn-na Valley .a.,.. will a mont o about 1603 tons. 1O1 E Af IBESI Furious Wind and Rain Storms Sweep Over Several States. A CLOUDBURST IN ILLINOIS, Nearly ETery Smokestack in Findlay, Ohio, Levelled-St. Clair, Mich.. Hard Hit; One Life Lost and the City Hall Partly Demolished---Great Damage tv Railroads and Crops In Iowa. Several lives were lost and great damage to crops and other property was done by storms in Middle and Western States. A dispatch from Findlay, Ohio, says: One of the most destructive windstorms evet known to have psssed over this part of the State occurred in and around Findlay, caus ing much damage to property which lay in its path. All day long the heat had been in tense and a storm was naturally expected. About 3 o'clock dark clouds appeared and a s'ight breeze sprang up from the southwest. In lial ran hour rain began to fall and with scarcelv a moment's warning the gale burst forth - and steadily increased in fury until it was nothing short of a tornado. It was of short duration. however, lasting only five mientes. but it swept everything movable before it. The rain was blown along in such volume that a person coul-l not distinguish objects a few feet away. Several houses were unroofed, but the occupants escaped serious injury. The so uth wail and a portion of the roof of the Huber School building were demolished. Hardly a smokestack in the city was leff staudimr. The fire tower at the central enine-house was blown down, and in falling smashed in a portion of the stables. the horses narrowly escaping. Por I ions of the spires of the First Methodist and Lutheran Churches were blown away. Nvarly every awning and sign in Main street waa either'partially or totally destroyed. fSveral large plate-glass fronts were broken. A large wagon of the American Er lressA Company was blown over while crossing Main street. and the driver was slightly injured. Hundreds of fruit and shab le-trees were broken off like pipe stems, retD-lerinz so:ne streets impassable. The storm did not extend far beyond the city limits. and consequently no damage was done in the oil fields or to growing crops. A dispatch from Lewiston. Ill., says that a loudburst in that neighborhodd did great damage to growing crops. Samuel Shaw, a well-!nowa citizen. was killed by a bolt of lihtning. Several - - thousand feet of the narrow. guage railway. were washed away by . the downpour of rain. tSevere storms occurred in various pirts of Illiniois and Indiana. At McComiJIl.. light ning struck a shed in which eight men .and ixteen horses had saught shelter. .John B:-lav, Jr.. was killed, and Rolaud.McAlis ter and William Cale severely shocked. At Lgan:sport. Ind., Edward Carson~. a farmer, was killed bydightning. Several barns were I brne.l and .cattle 'were killett. At Peoria, Ill.. the heaviest rainfall in forty years oc eurred. Joseph Stunmers was drowned in Cole's Creek; near Peoria. -- A fatal -windstor'-atnfipai-by a heavy raidfall. burst upon St. Clair, Mich.. soon after 1 o'clock p. pn. For several w:eks prayers had been offered -for rain. Before the storm had spent itself a child had been killed, two men injured, and much property destroyed. The City Hall was partly demolished, . hundreds of trees were blown down, roofs were taken off buildings by the dozen, two large craft were blown aground in the river, and general confusion reigned. The eleven months -old child of Elmer E. Black was killed instantly by the wind wrecking the Black home. The horse of Joseph Dam was blown into the river, and in attempting to rescue it he sustained serious injuries. A horsebelonging to Julius Belknap was also blown into the river. together 'with a shed which the wind eset down in Pine River. Joseph Goutlait, a workman at Belknap's brickyard, was injured by- a -flying brick. The roof was torn off the Hotel Cadillac. A librypole now stands upside down through teroof of one of the largest store buildings . in the city. Ilain, wvind and hail storms over large parts of Iowa did much damage to crops and' pr')perty. In the north part of the titate a stormj swept a strip twenty-five miles wide in Palo Alto. Emmett and Kos suth Counties, and small grain was badly damagd. The corn will recover except in: places where it was beaten down by hail. In the mliidle of the storm strip was a section about five miles wide, in which there was a fiere hailstorm. and there the damage to rops was imnmense. In the eastern part of the State another storm did almost as much damage. It staurted just east of Des Moines and swep.t over the country as farasthe Miss issippi ILiver and south to the State line. At Brooklyn there was a waterspout which amounted to a four-inch fall of water in a-bout an hour. It covered a wide section and the streams were flooded. Bridges were carried out and there were many washouts on the railroads. At Keokuk the storm was almost a tornado and: many buildings were unroofed and other damage done. There wa more or less hail and crops were badly. injured. The Ilock Island "flyer" was dithed near iowa City by a washout, audi the fireman had his leg broken. The pas sengers were badly shaken up, but no one was seriously injured. BOYS K(ILLTHEIR MOTHER. Stab~. tder in the Heart and Played Cards m7 the House Where the Body Lay. w>~ boys named Combes, one thirteen and the other eleven years old, were brought be f)re a ma istrate at London, England, upon the charge of having murdered their mother. The accusation was substantiated by their confessions. Their home Is in Plaistow, an eastern suburb of London. The boys stabbed their mother through the heart ten~ days before, and since then have occupied the house alone with the body. The husband of the murdered woman and father of the two boys Is a ship purser, and Is absent from home on a sea voyage. The house has all the requirements of a comfortable home. After the b->ys committed their crime- they 'awned several valuable articles which they found in the house and visited many places on the river and nearby cricket grounds. When they were arrested they were playing cards in the house containing their mothers body. A half-witted man was with them, and they apparently were getting the high est degree of enjoyment from their pastime, despite the odor that pervaded the rooms. The magistrate wac amazed at the cool de meanor of the boys. He said ho could not believe the youngsters sane and remande:l them pendin;g a niental examfinlation. The minds of the bovs s',e:n to hav-e been upset by reading nojvls which ma h heroes cutthroats and robber.. A chair of politicail economy, is to e erected in Glasgow University to to tie memory of Adam Smith, ibe famIous. author of the "Wealih of Na tion." 'The chair is to be name-i af ter him. An nunJtsnal groth is notLice'l in tt> garen of George D. Cait, at Norwicu, Con. A wistaria vaie his entwine I itself aroun 1 an elii to tightly that ib is rdally strangling the growth ont oftelattr