Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VOL. XII LAURENS, S. C, TUESDAY, MAY 16, 189;. IHE AGRICULTURAL HALL CASE DECIDED. TUB si.YTi: IS AUA IN DBFBATBD. Wesley Gets tin- Building, but tho Bluo Ilidgo ltonds are Not Vali dated Tin- State Dispensary Will Continue its Operations. Columbia Register. The State lias lost tho Agricultural Hall easo aritl tho Stato dispensary will have to tnovo out sooner or later and seek other quarters. The follow* log* dispatch was received last night : " Tho United States Supreme Court has alllrmed tho deoislon of the Circuit Court for tho Circuit of South Caro lina in tho "Agricultural Hall " ease, involving the titlo to tho Agricultural Hall in Columbia, 3. C. bid ward B. Wesley, of New York, bought the property of the Commissioners of the State Sinking Fund, but there were alleged Irregularities in the purchase ami he brought suit against .1. 15. 'fin dal, the Secretary of tho St tie und J. K. BoyleSi who had been employed by the Secretary of the Stato to guard tho property, to secure possession. Tindal and Boyles, in the lower courts, contended that they woro mere custo dians of the property and that tho St;it ? could not ho sued, but the pos session of the property was given to Wesley. This judgment was alllrmed by the Supreme Court in an opinion by Justice Harlan, who held that tho Stato was not necessarily a party to the suit.'1 Governor Kllorbo was informed of the decision as soon as it was reeoivod. Ho said that ho would express no opinion until ho had seen tho decision of tho court. Attorney General Harbor was soon in his otlico and was shown a copy of tho decision. He said that ho expect ed it and was not surprised at tho out come. Ho said that th.* decision did not validate the Hluo Rldu. > bonds ten dered iu payment, but that it simply meant that Mr. Wosiey having tender ed money for tlio first payment and having fullilled other portions of tho contract was entitled to tho property. General Harber would not, however, discuss the situation, preferring to await the full report of tho decision. In ease the State should eventually bo forced out of tho building, Mr. Harbor saiil that ho did not know what would be done or where t ho busi ness would ho conducted. He said that in the usual course of legnl procedure It would taKe some days for the de cision to bo effective. The State has, however, no other remedy, and tho probabilities aro that Mr. Wesley will soon have possession of tho b tiiding. Ho can rent it to tho State and tho likelihood is that eomo contract of the < kind will he ent-jred upon. With tho I fixtures and plaut as now established it would bo an expense unwarranted to establish another plant of equal fa cilities. The situation is one, thero foro, not only of great Importance, but of vast interest to the taxpayers of the State. i Tho news that tho United States Supreme Court had finally awarded j the Agricultural Hall to Mr. Wesley I was hardly a surprise to tho Stato au- i thoritles, for they had expected it to come boooer or later. Hut supposing tnat tho dispensary aut iorities can not agree with Mr. Wesley on tho terms of rental, thirty days yet re mained before tho plant will have to bo removed. In that time the dispensary can he moved out to another building 1 and operations will go on as usual. j 1 Foi tho information of tho public it I may as well ho stated now as hereafter, | ' that even if the dispensary has to get | out of the Agricultural Hall building ' It will run along just as well. Tho de cision puts tho Statu to some expense, if a move has to tie made, but the dis pensary will go along as of yore, despito decisio ns of courts, Beokroge trunk* or anything else. The publication of tho decision brought out the fact that the Hoard of Control hi?s been Considering tho advisability of changing the placo of business, for financial reason-,. The drayage part of the husino.-s is a bit,' one in point Of money. To first haul the goods from a depot to' the dispen- , sary and aftor an order has been ro ceived, to again haul them back has been an expense that the Boh d of Control wished to avoid. Propositions have been made to them whereby cer tain warehouses immediately on tho lino of railroads could bo rented. There propositions have been undor con- > sideration for some time, and were not acted on, but in view of the fact that a change of base may be necessary they become quite interesting. For instance, it is said that Mr. J. Caldwell Robertson has offered the dispensary authorities tho uso of tho warehouse on Gervais street, bolow tho Union depot, which is now partially occupied aa a batting factory, it is understood that tho proposition rnado was that tho Stato could havo the building at tho same price it now pays for drayage. This proposition remains open. Another idea is to rent tho old Has kell cotton mill. It not only is a good building, but is on lino of railroads j and drayago would bo saved. Hut all of tho abovo la speculative. I If the Stato arranges with Mr. Wes ley proper terms of rontcan be made, but what will bo dono remains to bo scon. Governor Kllorbo was asked as to what would b.i tho outcorno, but ho declined to make any statement. He said, however, that there wore other places and the dispensary would not shut down. A very interesting legal question has arisen as to whether tho permanent ? " improvements" mado in the building la the shape of engines, pulleys, etc., I would go with it when Mr. Wesley got possession. Assistant Attorney General Town send refused to answer tho question, Intimating in his reply that tho ques tion might come up in tho courts. it Is generally conceded that Wesley will have a rieht to demand rental for at least eighteen months, that being j the time during which tho State's con tention as to tho ownership of tho building was ponding. What tho amount of the rental will be Is not known, no agroemont having over been had on tho subject. Judyo Townsond stated that tho amount would have to be dccldod oy a jury. In the mi aniline preparations aro hoing mado to getout of tho building by tho dispensary otllcials. A now building may bo erected on Gervais Btreet, near tho railroads, or some warehonso may bo rented In caso ar rangements cannot bo mado with Mr. Wesley. _ _ TUB BLUB III DOB SCRIP. Tho Recovery of Agricultural Hall Merely nn Incident?Validity of i lie Herip will be Tested, The Columbia State bays that the present status of the Agricultural Hall ca*o and the decision just rendered by the United Supreme Court virtually amounts to i olhlog when one considers the ultimate validity of the Blue Ridge BO rip. That is the issuo which the United States Supremo Court will pass upon and Mr. Wesley has practically no apprehension as to the result. Mr. W. H. Lyles, who is making the fi?nt for Mr. Wesley, has returned to the city, and is 'in quite a happy frame of mind. Ho frankly said the secur ing of the possession of the property was merely an ineidout in the develop ment of the ease. lie said he hud called to seo the At torney Cenoral to havo a conference with him about tho rent and damages and future occupancy of tho building, hut found htm out of tho city, tfe says they have no objection whatever to the dispensary COUtluuiug in tho building, They do not wish to ouurge more than a reasonable rent and ue blro to adjust the matter on purely business principles. So far as tho bojtk rent and damages to the property aro concerned bo wishes to agree upon the figures ; if, however, be tinds that an agreement can't bo reached amica bly, Mr. Wesley holds good aud wurti ciont bonds to protect him and tho amount oan bo lixed by a reference be fore tho master or a judgment of the eourt. Giving his attention to the develop ment of tho ease Mr. Lyles said that t he tender of tho Blue Radge sorip has boon made. He will watt a reason able llmo for tho State to foreclose its mortgage for tho balance of tho purchase money and then, if tho Stato shows an inclination to give up tbe building rather than foreclose, bo will take tho proper steps to carry tbe ease on. lie has forestalled any such con tingency us that indicated aud is in a position to foreo tho caso to an issue. Mr. Lylos said that they bought tho property for tho purpose of bringing about a test of the validity of tbe scrip : that was no secret. It was back in the '70s that the Stato wus about to loso $4,000,000 of Blue Uidgo bonds which had been deposited in Now York. Money had been borrowed on them and they wero about to be sold ; they would havo gone into tho hands of bona tide purchasers. Tho author ities of tho Stato made application to Mr. Wesley to buy them up. This he did at 10 cents on toe dollar. Mr. Wc3 ley bought a chisel and with his own hands cancelled tho bonds, sending them here to tho Stato authorities and they aro now in the vaults of tho Stato treasury in that mutiliated condition. The bjnds, tho remnant of which these aro a part, havo boon held to bo valid by tbe State Supremo court and tho Stato has settled for thorn by giviug new consols at SO cents on tho dollar. Mr. Wesley was given Dy tho State, as collateral for his outlay in purchas ing tho bonds, $1 u05,00() in scrip. Of this $000.840 is at present in tho vaults of tho Carolina bank hero. Ho is simply trying to get back his money advanced to the State. There are two decisions of tho United States Supreme Court on cases involv ing the validity of this lilue Ridgo scrip. Neither was properly bought and tho decisions went olf on side is sues, the main issue having nover boon passed upi n. UEN. THOMAS 1MN CKNIS Y'ri IIOMI! Destruction of a Himorio Resilience In iho Low Country?Ijohs of Val uable BooIch and Painting*?. Tho Charleston Nows and Courier gives the following account of tbe de struction by tiro of Eldorado, tbe plan tation homo of Gen. Thomas Piuckney, on the Santee River: The home of General Pincknoy was originally "Fall 11 Id," bub uftur nis re turn Iroru Europe, whlthoi he had re sidud for some time as minister to Fug land and a s > to Spain, ho resigned Falrfield to his eldest son, and purchas ed another plantation, which he named E dorado, in remembrance of his Span it h mission, from tho golden buttercups which covered tho laud. (ion. Piuck ncy had married the daughter of Mrs. Rebecca Motto, and he and Mis. Motte, together built on tiie newly purchased plantation the residence, in which ti at illustrious ludy spent the remainder of her days, and which was consumed or. Monday. The spacious mansion which they planned and built with their own carpenters, was very suggestive of a French chateau, with Its wido corri dors, its lofty ceilings and its nigh peaked roof of glazed tiles. Situated on a sandy knoll, jutting out into tho rice Uelds, embowered by live oaks, with their wide stretching arms and lofty mugnolias, with their glitter ing foliage, it was indeed a typical Southern homo. Tho houso was surrounded on threo sides by tho native evergreen shrub bery, au verdant in January as Juns. through which winding walks, laid out by an English landscupo gardenor, gracefully ran, overarched by luxuri ant foliago and sboltereu alike from wintry wind and summer sun. Neither the Persian monarch, nor Louis XIV at VersallleB, nor the Turkish Sultun, over inhaled more royal perfumes than Eldorado otlored to the lovorsof nature, as ho sauntered through its sylvun g la Jos. Up to tho time of tho war the houso contuioed Gen. Pinckney's library, con sisting of about 5,000 volumes. The fato of this library, carefully gathered from England, Spain and France, was somewhat drumatic. Eldorado was so near tho mouth of tho river us to be exposed to tho visits of vessels from tho blockading squadron during tho war of Secession. The houso wbb shelled from tho 11 ?ot la 18(5:1, and bears, or rather, until Monday, bore tho scars of war upon its face. Tho library was moved to a place of supposed safety, higher up tho rlvor. When tho seaboard wbh 1 abandoned at tho ovueuation of Charles- I ton, Boldiors and sailors from the fl et ! at tho mouth of the river plundered tho rich mansions along its banks. The women and children had already fled in terror to tho Interior, and tho coun try was deserted by Its whlto popula tion. Finding the boxes containing Gem Pinckney's books at Hampton (tho I home of tho HutledgeB) tho maraudors ' broko them open in pursuit of plunder. Disappointed in their aim and lacking i the literary tasto of somo naval ofilcors who had curofully packed gomo of the planters' libraries and had them ship ped to New York, tne soldlerH left them In disgust. The negroes, who had followed tho soldlera, to pick up tho jackal's share, helped themselves to such volumes as attracted the eye. Tho rest tboy strewed about tho houso, tearing otT backs of some and splitting others asunder. The first planter who returned to tbe region to gather up somo fragments of his own property, found tho books so systematically Htrewn around tho houso that he could have walked tho whole circuit appar ently, without touching tho ground. For weeks they had been exposed to sun and rain, bo that three-fourths of them woro destroyod. The remnants, ; which amounted to about 1,200 books, were gathered by him, howuvor, and carried back to Eldorado, and woro burned on Monday. Whoa he ondoav ' ored to ahamo the negroes fo,* tho wanton destruction of the hooks, they roplled that they had no spite against the owners, but a* the whlto people got nil their sonso out of books, and thus kept tlietn in subjection, tbey de tor uiined to destroy the means by which thoy had maintained their superiority; a very strong testimony of ignorance to the valuo of education. Besides those remnants of General I'inokney's library, there were destroy ed on Monday some very old and beau tiful furniture and valuablo family portraits, and it is feared silver. A fow lettors from (Jon. Washington to Gen. Pinokney were also burned, but mo-t of the collection of his letters pre served at Eldorado, happened to bo iu Charleston, as whs also, most fortun ately, Gen. Plnoknoy's Court suit. It is feared, however, that many things, priceless in that they cannot bo re? placed, ?voro destroyed iu the historic old bovise. Eldorado is tho property of Captain Thomas Plnckooy, und was occupied at tho time of tho fire by his nephew, Mr. Hamilton Seebrook and his family. It is understood that thoy saved almost nothing from tho Dames. KNOWLEDGE! IS POWER. Don't Ijct Weeds Rob Your Crops of Water ami l'lant Food. T. 11. Terry Iu Practical Farmer. When stirring the surface of tho sol to make an earth mulch, to proven' evaporation of moisture, wo may savi considerable in another way at tin same time. Wo may keep tho weed from growing. Koally one can hard I j do perfect work in tho lino of keeping an eari h mulch on tho surface withoui destroying tho woeds. But it is woll t< understand just what harm tho weed do. Then wo may be very careful to havo our tillage such as will proveni tboir doing us any injury. Wo aro told that it takes from oOu to ?00 pounds o' water to grow one pound of dry matter in woeds and somo crops. This large amount is evaporated through the leaves of tho plants while they are growing. One hundred pounds of dried weeds per acre would probably take from the soil while growing about 2U tons of water. You sco that i<* not a groat amount of weeds, but in a dry season it would bo water euougb to be of considerable) valuo to tho crop of corn or potatoes, or whatever you might bo cultivating. Has not many a farmer lot more weeds than this grow ?peri aps ten times over?and had a short crop for lack of water? Is thif businesslike? iiut this is not ail by any moans. Sit down and think a minute. What do you put manuro and fertilizers on your land for? To feed youroropa, of course And tboro aro three elements in them of value in this line. Thoy aro nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Tboro are jiibtso many pounds and ounces of these elements in tho manuro and fertilizer that will be available to the crop that year. Then there will be somo more pounds and ounces mado available in tho soil that season by the processes Ol naturo. Now, hero is tho point: It is not probable that on one farm in one hundred whore tho P. P. goos, there is enough available plant f od on all the cultivated acres to grow a maximum crop. Wo have very little land riol enough* now, except in somo parts til the W.-st, to grow the largest possibh crop. There aro a great, many farm?, where the yield per acre Is no more than half what it might be. Now, every pound and ounce of this plant food that you let tho weeds use takes just that much away from your crop. Think a littte while. Haven't 1 tola the truth ? , You can't help but seo it. When thore isn't plant food enough in tho soil to grow the crop and tho woeds, and the weeds take some, tho crop must got along with so much less. The reduced crop is not a matter of luck, ususl y, but of poor business management. If an t< o much to do ? Undertake less. You may half d'> as many things as you pi aso and you nevor will succeed Laud so wet early in season you could not got on it and woods got tho start? Drum tho laud. Then stir tho surface, always on tlmo. with planting toothed harrow after planting, and weoder after crop comes up, etc., etc. ff a weed comos up and grows a fow i nob es It has robbed your crop, even if you destroy it then. Tho way we believe in is to destroy tho weed wbilu in the soil by the stirring of tho surface. Kill it before It gets out of tho ground, so far ad Is practical. Thousands of farm ers in tho Bast still hoe their corn and potatoes. Where tho land is very stony or rough this may bo necessary. Iiut over most of tho country woods can bo kept from growing, and an oarth mulch can bo formed very rapidly by horse power. Wo havo done very little hand work of lato years, because a horse ami proper tools will do it many times cheaper. And then it is dono so rap idly that tho oarth mulch is mado on time and tho weeds aro kept from seeing daylight. It is tho ''stitch in time." Now, friends, if any of you area little behind on this point, lot mo beg of you to got into shape as fast as you can to keep tho weeds from robbing you. Don't lot them take from you more money than would pay your taxes, and per haps Bomo years several times over. Thore is nothing suggested in this ar ticle that wo havo no' doue on our farm and found entirely practical. We havo tiio drained wot places that used to keep us out oi tho Hold until tho woeds got started. I laid every tile myself. We dug under and buried large stonos, and picked up smaller ones, many tons of thorn. Wo got out overy stump and tree and root, ovorythingin tho way of fast tillage with light tool-t. Have just got out the lust stumps on plow land we bought throe years ago. Woeds used to rob us. Now, as a rule, we keep them down a'., vory slight cost. There is money in it. I havo told you how they stoal from you. You havo tho Knowledge. Knowledgo is power?if you put it into praotioo. ?Governor Ellorbe at last has "Sally." M>ijor F.vans turned her over to him Thursday evening, but she was stabled at Strickland's until morning, when Bho wus tiken to tho mansion stables. Governor Ellorbe drove around the cltv Friday with Governor Atkinson and Mr. Turner, but ho didn't have "Sally" in the team, though everybody was expecting to see her prancing around with hor sister. "Lady Smythc," hitched to tho guber natorial carriage. Major Evans is now driving another huo hor 0 named "Lolla T " ?Tho carrier pigeon when traveling never feeds. If tho distance bo long it files on without stopplag to taku nutriment, and at last arrives thin, exhausted and almost dying, if corn bo presented it refuses to eat, contents itself with drinking a little water, and thon sleeping. Two or throe hours l:itor it begins to cat. with great mod eration, and sleeps again immediately afterward. If its fi ght has been very prolonged tho pigeon will procoed in this manner for 48 hours heforo recov ering its normal mode of feeding. ?A Wl?oonsln girl has refused an ' offor of marrUgo on tho ground that her lather was not able to support any ' I*gr*ir family. / TiLLMAN DFMANOS AN INVESTIGATION. HIS WORDS AUF VKKY WAliM Tho Solicitor I>eclr?rr*? That Ohuri{ph Mude Should Do Proven or Sliowiv to bo FuIho bytlto Sonnte?"Gut at the Truth nml I'tmiuh tho Guilty or Shut Up." If Senator Tillraun has his way thero will be another Investigation into tho obargos against speculating Senators. Wtien ttio Chuptmin resolution was. before tho S mate on Thursday, Till man, with characteristic foroo and oandor, declared that Chapman was not tho issue, but that ttio Senate Bhould punish Senators who speculat ed in stocks all Voted by legislation. Uo referred to newspaper oh arges that within tho past fow ilaysa Senutor hud speeulutod in sugar and baJ mudc *.'1,')UU In one day. Tne Sonutur charg ed is Smith, of Now Jersey, and tlio oharge was made by Oreelman in Tho Now York Journal. Smith denies tho charge. Tiliman wants un investigation ; he tloos not h<>ii? \n |n mpk'n? Chapman * !rj . .... r iuuutuiiuc lor ^u.ity Sen* utors. if he has hi^ way there will bo another investigation, The resolution rolittivo to bringing Mr. Cnapmun to the bur of the Senate ?vas taken up as soou as tho routino business was out oi tho way. Mr. Al len said hw desired to present some additional faets bearing on tho sub ject. Mr. Allen said ttio Sonato should, in justice to itself, tako this matter In ii and and deal with it promptly. Ho could understand, bo said, the anxiety ol Ooapman to shield those around bim from the coubcquenoes of tho sentence. "Hut, as tue reprensenta1 ivos of seventy million ol people," pi occeded Mr. Ailon, "wo cannot afford to per mit Mr. Chapman, tho representative of a powerful organization which, it tins been charged, oxerclsos grout in tlueuco ovor this body, to go un whip ped." Tlio discussion assumed a legal and technical phase, Messrs. Faulkner, of Wi6t Virginia, Wliita of California, *ud Spooner, ol Wisconsin, arguing on ibo law applying to Chapman. Mr. Hoar moved to refer tho resolu tion to tho committee on privileges und elections. Mr. Daniel, Deineorat, of Virginia, proposed a modification of thu resolu tion so that all refereooe to executive clemency be strickou out, leaving tho resolution to require Ooapman to ap pear boforo the Senate and purge niinsolf of contempt. Mr. I'ettus, Democrat, of AUbama, argued that -no investigation be opened afresh, re- i ilHiring witnesses to appear and testi ly, instead of punishing them for past misdeeds. Mr. Chandler, of Now Hampshire, a-ked why, ll a petition was being cir culated in tlio Senato for the pardon of Chapman atul Senators wero being im portuned to sign it, it was not proper ? o consider u resolution on tho subject. Was it mceesury, he asked, that a |>e titiou in remonstrance bo prepared? TILLMAN TAKES A HAND. Wbeu M,*. Tiliman, Democrat, of South C ?roiina, attempted to question Mr. CnuuUior tho latter suggested 1 unit tue Soutli Carolina Senator ob survo ttio rulo of Bitting down during too reply. " Whon you play bail, you always stand up," said Mr. Tiliman amid j 1 laugh tt r. \ Mr. Chandlor went on to say that if there wero any Senators who had on Hilled in speculation in sugar stock? wnicii God forbid is tho caso?then four years have obliterated ttio evi denee. Tho old Investigation had fanou; thu tree had fallt n aud it ought to Uo. It would bo it, preposterous pro position, ho said, after cue tribulations of tho committee, of tho courtd und of tlio newspaper press, tbat Cnapmun should be pardoned. Mr. Cnandler said that he could not conceive that any uxecutivo sliould grant such a pardon. Senator Tiliman was then recognized for a speech, aim this caused a distinct sensation on the Qoor and in tho gal leries. His remarks wore as follows : "it seems to mo, sir, that wo are not after Chaptnun ; that tho original In vestigation was not intended to punish Chupoiun, but to discover whether any Senator 00 this uOOr had been guiliy of using his < llijial position to make money by speculating in stocks which woro in flu need by his uotion as a Sena tor on tho committee which reported tho tariff bill, it is not worth while to try to cover up this matter witii badinage and flippancy. Tho Senator from New Hampshire will cxetiso me. I do not intend that as any reflection upon his language, but it does appear to me that he treated it rather flip pantly. "There are to day in tho newspapers of this country direot charges lloating about und hoing nont broadcast, signed by correspondents in tho gallery, to tho etYoct that last week, whon tho new tin ill bill was reported witii a change in tho sugar schedule, three Sonulors had speculated in sugar stock. Wo havu unotner:' /Uch on our hands, aud Instead of it ooing u differential in favor >f tho trunt of a third of a cent, as that was, it is now two-thirds of a cent in favor of tho trust. " Thero aro two correspondents who have, ovor their own signatures, charged that Senators have spcciutcd j within tho last week and made money. Now, if you want to investigate, you i have anew reason to Investigate. If you intend to get at tho truo inwaid uesB of tho matter, to (ret at tho truth and to puoitdi those who aro guilty, say so and do so. d- eiso hush. That is thu wholo sun. u id substance of it. Wo do not want to punish Chapman alone. Wo want Ilavomoyer. Wo want the man who bought Senat irs, i if they were bought. Wo want tho man who boughlyour Republican com- , uiiM.ee last week, if they wore bought. Tliut is what wo are hero for. And now lot the Senator who has moved to refer the mutter, and who loveo thu dignity of the Sonate us much as any other man, tako the resolution to his committee and bring hack a measure here that will moan something. " We can now inaku thoso mon who have charged that Sonators have speculated say whero thoy got tho in formation or wo can punish thorn for contempt, Wo can call on Havi meyor and tho sugar-trustgrrndees and mako them answer or put thotn in jail for contempt. Either investigate so as to And the truth and punish tho criminals or hush. Wo want an explanation of those ohargOB of corruption in connec tion with tho sugar schedule, und any thing short of that is mere child's play and a waste of time." As Mr. Tiliman dosed tho-o was no applause, hut for a moment thero was a stir in tho gallery which promis'-d something o( a demonstration. The dohuto promptly proceeded, however, again branching into legal channela? Hoar, Chandlor and Al on taking part. Mr. Gray, chairman of the sugar; In ? vostlgailng committoe, said ho unveil . with tho Senator from South Caroltua i (TiTlman) tbat what the Senate was concerned in was not tho contempt of Chapman, but the ascertainment of facts relative to speculation in sugar storks. Mr. Griy reviewed tho course of tho committee and tho inquiries put to in dividual Senators. Tho remarks of Mr. Cray, of Dela ware, woro directed mainly to tho in vostigatiou throe years ago conducted by a Senate committee of which he was the chairman, und his introductory woidsgivo so clear an insight to tho real forco and hearing of that investi gation that thoy aro copied herewith. Tho witness Chapman comes before tho Senate now on account of the pro ceedings three years ago, when he re fused to answer tho questions put to him. Mr. Gray said : "Mr. President, 1 agree with tho Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Tlllman) that what we havo been con cerned in is not tho punishment of Hlvertou It. Chapman, or of any other man who has been guilty of what is called contempt of tho Senate, hut it was to ascertain tho fajts and to proso cuto an inquiry with which wo woro charged, in order that the truth might bo elicited and found in some judicial shape for the action of the Senate. "It is now throe years this month since a committee was formed by order of this body to investigate, among other things, certain charges that had appeared in the newspapers, to tho ef fect that Senatois had been engaged in speculating in sugai stocks pending the discussion of the tariff bill in this body, or while tho tariff bill was pend ing in this body. Of that committee I had the honor of being chairman, by the courtesy of the Senate. Its report of all its proceedings havo been placed before the Senate and the public. Tho course of tho inquiry that was had and all tho results that were reached have been known now nearly three years. *' It is truo that we did subject every member of tho then Senate to an in quisition personally as tj tho subject matter of which wo were charged to Inquire. Every Senator then a mem ber of this bony camo before tho com mittee and submitted himself to an in quisition, which will be found to he, when the record is consulted, a most searching ono as to his personal icla tlons to any of the charges that had boon mado in tho newspapers and about which tiie committee was instructed by tho Senate to inquire. Every Sen ator appeared before tho committee and answered tho questions that were put to him, and there has been no one whom I know who has ever said since that those questions were, not truly an swered. " Yet wo did proceed further, and, prompted by information that camo from various sources, we summoned eertuin parties before tho committee and asked them, notwithstanding tho sworn testimony of each Senator, whether any Senators had through their agency been guilty of speculating in sugar stocks. There were certain witnesses so summoned who refused to answer, and refused to answer on tho ground that it was an undue intrusion into private affairs and an inquiry that the Senate ha no right to prose cute Tiie committee insisted upon tho answering of those questions. In re gard to too particular witness whose name has been so much used hero to day, Mr. Chapman, he usked for time lo consult counsel before declining tt) auswor. The next day, on appearing before tho committee, and the ques tion being renewed, he said that he had consulted counsel and had been in structed that it was his right to decline to answer those quObtlOOS." A Floral Clock.?John D. Rocke- | feller, according to report, is to havo an extraordinary Ii >ral novelty on the grounds of his country seat on the Hudson, near Tarry town?a clock made entirely of growing llowers, which wilt toil tho timo of day with much accuracy. The floral clock is tho sug gestion of Mrs. Rockefeller, with whom botany Is more than a fad, for she has I.n- many years been an earnest student of floriculture. It is btiid that before! she was married to Mr. Rockefeller, and while ho svas yet a book-keeper, she was a teacher of botany. Thoro has never been a Qoral clock plantetl In this country, hut tho Baro ness Burdett-Coutts had one, and so did tho Duke Of Westminister. The one that it is expected will be seen up tho American Rhine will he of home design and tho llowers us'-d will be for tho most part those that grow wild about Tarrytown. There aro sixty-soven varieties of flowers that have certain hours for opening and closing their petals. Tho white lily opens at 7 a. m and closes at 5 p. m., anil in the country districts is called tho "day lily." The design for Mr. Rockefeller's clock, it is said, has just been completed by an Ohio landscape gardner, who has sokcted the common yellow dandelion to rep resent the hands. These llowers open at ;>.;U) a. m. and close at about 8 .'10 p. m. For the :'. p. m. the llawksetd has been suggested, as the liest, as it closes at that hour to the minute. Tho snow thistle, also common to tho mea dow, closes its little white 11 iwer at exactly 1 p. in. The best 11 a. in. plant is from tho pasture, and is called the cow thistle. It opens at 5 a. m. nnd begins to cl >so at 11, but is not com pletely closed before noon. From a distance the clock will havo the appearance of a Qowor bed, hut no ono will on close inspection mistake it for anything other than what It is. ?In tho course of an address at.tho unveiling of a Confederate monument at Dallas, Texas, Judge Reagan took occcaslon to defend Jefferson Davis from tho charge of being self-willed, imperious and stubborn. "More than four years of constant contact with him as a member of his cabinet," ho saitl, " enables me to say that this was a great mistake. His habit was, when ho took up a public quqstlon on which he had to act, to exhaust all available sources of information on it before coining to a conclusion, always Con sulting freely with tho members of his cabinet, and with othora who might bo able to glvo information. After doing this and reaching his conclusion, tho matter was settled with him, un less tho presentation of new facts re quired further consideration." ?Tho origin of South Carolina's so brlquot " tho Palmetto State." is thus expialnod : " On June 2S, 177(1, a forco of less than iJO Carolinians, und?.' command of Moultrie, protected by the I rude fortification on Sullivan's island In Charleston harbor, mado of tho I trunks of the palmetto repulsed tho j attack of a British fleet, under com I mand of Sir Peter Parkor and whon tho Stato of South Carolina was or ganized, tho Stato seal, which was first used In May, 1777, was mado to Commemorate tins victory. A palm tree, growing erect on tho seashore, represents tho strength of tho fort, while at Its haso an oak tree, torn from fho ground antl deprived of Its b-anehod rt-oailj tho British fljot built of oak timber, overcome hy the pal I metto." ANDY JOHNSON S ROMANCE}. Tho Courtship of a Tailor Who Re oaino President?A Laurens Wo man Rejected the Future chiei Magistrale. National Magazine. Three-quarters of a century ago, in tho little village of Laurent*, in tho State of South Carolina, there lived and labored at the tailor's trade u young man who was destined to play an important part in the affairs of his nation. Of humble origin and having had practically no educational advan tage-, he had in his character tho ele ments of true manhood, and by force of bral i power and ability attained tho highest position of honor and trust in the republic. Andrew Johnson left bis homo in North Carolina by reason of some trouble with his employer and went to tho then ultra-exclusive and aristo cratic village of Laurens. Ho had no Influential family connections, and was as poor as the traditional church mouse, his worldly possessions consist ing only of the clothes he wore. To one acquainted with the social condi tions of tho antebellum South, the difficulties incident to obtaining recog nition by a man handicapped as John son was can bo readily imagined. Tho sterling worth of tho young tailor, however, made itself felt, and demand ed the admiration and respect soon accorded him oven by those who were wont to consider one not to the manner born deserving of but condescending notice. Soon aft^r reaching Laurens John son secured a position in a tailoring establishment, and this ho. held with perfect satisfaction to bis employers until his return to his North Carolina home. Ho was a painstaking laborer and took commendable pride in doing his work as perfectly as possible. A coat cut. fitted and made by Johnson is s'ill in (Xlstence. It was made for Colonel Henry C Young, a prominent lawyer anil politician of upper Caro lina, and is now treasured by his de scendants as one of their most precious possi ssions The fact that the coat is still in a good stato of preservation may possibly b i taken as an evidence of the excellence and durability of the work. Johnson's f?tay at Laurens, brief us it was, marked a very Important epoo in his life. It was there that he met his lirst love, Miss Sarah Word, a charming young woman of > ducation and refinement, who saw in the modest and retiring young journey men tailor a man of cb.iract r and .strength and promise. Johnson's regard for Miss Word was reciprocated, and the young people entered into an engagement to marry. They were thrown constantly in each other's BOOioty, attd tho future president of the United States once assisted his tiancee in laying, stulling and quilting a quilt. This is now own ed by Mrs. .1. P. Holt, of Laurens, granddaughter of Miss Word, who subsequently married William Hance. On either end of the quilt are Miss Word's initials, " S. W.. ' which woro made, stuffed and quilted by Johnson, unasslstod. The enthusiastic young lover was very desirous of placing bis own initials beside those of his sweet heart, but this Miss Word would pi ' permit. This quilt was on exhibition at tho Atlanta exposition in 1890, and attracted much attention. The irresistible tendency that young men in love have to carve their sweet hearts' names on everything movable and immovable in their immediate vicinity was not wanting in Johnson. On the back of an old split bottomed chair he engraved the inscription " S. W.?1820." It is needless to say that it was the chair in which Miss Word was accustomed to sit on the porch of her homo. This chair is now in tbe i possession of Mrs. Holt. Having satisfactorily adjusted tho trouble with his former employer in North Carolina, Johnson decided to rsturo and resume bis place. H fore leaving Laurens, as a token of his af f et innate regard, be gave to Miss Word his dearest possession, the goose with which be bad worked at his trade. This act shows the tender simplicity of the young tailor. He had no false pride about the matter. He was leav ing tho woman he loved for an indefi nite time, and not ashamed of his lowly calling gave her something that would be a constant reminder of him and his work. After leavlns Laurens diffeienees arose between Miss Word aril Johnson und their engagement was terminated, but the tailor's goose was never returned, and is now owneo by Mrs. Bolt and valued above price on account of its romantic history. Miss Word rejected the tailor and married William Hance, a saddler. The tailor became president of the United States. Johnson's biographers bavoall main tained that in early lif j ho was un couth, illiterate and ignorant, with no ri ?Dement Or grace of manner. It has been stated that he could neither read nor write, and that his wife taught him both after marriage. This error has become so firmly fixed that it is generally accepted as a historic fact, and school children are told the ro mantic story of how a man who after ward became President was taught to read and write bv a woman who was am bitious for bis advaeeraent, This story may bo a beautiful object lesson on tho grand possibilities of American youth, but it has tbe fatal defect of being un true. When Johnsonlived in Laurens, he could both read and write, and was considered a young man of exceptional intol'igonco. Miss Word, to whom ho was engaged, is authority for the stato ?.nent that boo received many notos and letters from hlrn, and that he wrote a good business band. She has also friquently said that he was a man of moro than ordinary intelligence, of oiegant addre?-? and a brilliant conver sationalist. Ab Miss Word was, by virtue of her relations to him, closely associated with JobiisoD, tho correct ness of her statement;* can neither bo doubted nor contnn -netl. More than this, Colonel T, B. Crows, one of tho Oldest citizens of Lauren and husband of Miss Word's daughter, says that over half a century ago, when he first wont to Laurens, ho had friquently hoard from old residents that Johnson was a great reader?In fact, a veritable bookworm. He bad often beon scon seated on his tailor's board with a book by his side, roading and studying. From this evidence It would appear that the story of Johnson bolng In oar ly life an uncouth ignoramus must bo nbandoned as obsolutoly false. Tho facts prove just tho contrary, that ho was a young man of raro intelligence and refinomont. ?Contempt for holy things 1b tho highest road to Infldollty. Onco let a nan begin to make jest of any part of Christianity, and I am never surprised to hear that ho is a downright unbe liever. ?Watch orystala are made by blow lng a snhnro of glass about one yard in diameter, after which the disks aro cut from It by mnanii of a pair of com I passes having a diamond at the ex I tremlty of one leg: a GREENVILLE PaRHBR. Improving Land Without Fertilizer* and by Raising Cotton?Cleau Cut turo t lie Secret of Success, Lar.y Gantt in Piedmont Headlight, Last Wednesday my friend Bob Hoi lams, of Greenville, came down to see mo and tike in the sights of Spartan burg. Bob is one of the bigger-heart ed fellows iu the State. Ho is con structed on the ftoa-bitten sorrel order of beauty, but what Hub lacks in looks be makes up in cleverness. Ho is tho son-in-law of dipt. White, of tho Windsor Hotel, and brother-in-law to Dllliogham. Wo think his satanlc majesty must have owe.I the Captain a grudge and paid him oil in BOns-ln-law, Hut the Captain says bo Is proud of bis byys, and would not object to bOtne more old dobts being liquidated with tho same kind of two-logged currency. Hob Heliums has been living in Green ville for lo these many years, and "f course on reaching the bustling, busy city of Spartanburg he felt like Pooa hontas when she lirst landed in Lon don. Hut it don't take long to a cli mate Hob Heliums, and he soon made himself at homo. He spent the greater part ol bis time at Becker's drinking soda water and eating goober candy. Hate In the evening we met our friend, and he was indited with Boda water lif e a balloon, and so stuck up with molasses candy that you could havo used him for fly-paper. Hob wauled to know where they got their sweet ened 'vater at, and if it came from the Glenn Springs be bad heard so much about V Hob Hellams runs a furniture storu in Greenville, and also owns one of the best farms in the South. It only con tains 111! acres, but for years he has made a net profit on the place, besides supporting his family, of $1000 per annum. 1 have heard a great deal about his model farm, and unravelled my friend of the. following informa tion : Mr. Hellams pays that when he first bought the place his friends ridiculed the idea of making a living thereon, undone facetiou-ly remarked that it was tho best place in tho country to haul corn corn to. The land is a thin grey soil. But Hob went to work, and without the application of any manure except guano, and with the production of cotton as his principal otop, he last year made on 55 acres GO bal ?? of cot ton weighing I'.MJ pounds each, and hut for the drought would have made 75 bal s. The total value of the entire crops produced on 05 acres was $2,300. Now, tin?- Bhows what can bo accom plished on our poor lands under scien tific tillage ami good management. ? tasked Mr. Hellams what kind of manure ho used, and if ho sowed down his land iu cow peas? He replied that the only manure he used was the usual quantity of guano per acre, and as cot ton was bis only principal crop, and it took the whole year to make und gath er it. be could not Improve his land by artifleialimethods. Hut he always made it h rule to raise bis own supplies. Mr. Hellams then went on to explain that he had brought up his lund*oy clean cultivation ? never lotting a blatte of grass or bush grow to be cut green. Ho explained that when vegetation was growing and you destroyed it in the green stage you also destroyed tho germs and substaoeo of the soil around it.. Take, for instance, 0 forest tree. To cut down that tree while the sap is up means loss to the land for many feet around it, for the fertilizing properties have gone up into that tree with the sap. It is the same way with }>rass, weeds or any other vegetation. If you permit them to grow, and then before thoy tiie down and tho sap goes back into tho soil, cut them up, you rob your lands of its fertility. It matters not how small the sprig of gra-s, when cut green, you take that much BUbstance from the ground around it. Mr. Hellams then went on to explain the reason sorghum cane improverish od ground was cutting it while green. If you pi tut your land in cane and let it die down and the substance contain ed therein go back into the ground, it wiil be the richest spot on tho place. Mr. Hellams says there is no crop that will so rapidly bring up our thin lands as cotton, if you never let a sprig of grass grow in the fields. It thoroughly matures, and returns to the soil each year more feitility than it takos out. Hob Hellams is also a chicken fancier anil has promised me some of his line fowls. gion. an Dili: W pick. ENS. Hin Monument nt old Stone Cliurelt lias Been Mutilated and is Now iu (?re<Miville I'or Kepairs. Green ville Mountaineer. Tho tomb-stone which marked tho resting place of Gen. Andrew Pickens was received this week by Clark .v Cooper, the well known stone cutters ol our city, in O.'dor to be repaired. The stono was erected over tho grave of General Piekcns in tho cemetery of the Ohl Stono 0 lurch, near Pendle ton. Somo thoughtless students of Clcmson College, in an overweening desire for souvenirs, have sadly multilated the upper portion und one edge of tho slat) by clipping off pieces of the marble. This mutilation was curried so far as to completely destroy the curved top of the slab and to obliterate the letters " Gen " of the title and ens" of the surname. Five students were arrested in the act of mutilating the stone, and to escape the legal penalty therefor agreetl to pay tho expenses of having the stone properly repaired, and it was sent hero for that purpose. The itone is of a very bard marble, and is about four feet long, about two feet wide and two or three inches thick. Nearly one-half of its length was buried in the ground, thus leaving an abundance of surface for tho letter ing, but as there is not enough space at tho top to replaco tho obliterated letters tho whole of tho lettering must bo renewed. A fac-simile of the in scription will be taken so is to getan exact copy in order to make the re lettering as much alike to the. original as possible. The COSt of the repairs, although the mutilation Is confined to comparatively small limits, will ameunt to but a few dollars short of what is necessary to buy a new stone. When repaired, tho stone will bo set up on a baso instead of being put up right iato tho ground as It was origi nally. To somo of our readers the inscrlp tlon on the stone may be of interest and for tho bent lit of such wo hero with transcribe it. It runs as follows GENL, ANDREW PICKENS wr.6 :-orn 13tu September, 1739, and died llTH Aua ost, 1817. H > was a Christian, A Patriot 6t Soldier. His Character & Actions Aro Incorporated with tho History of h's Country. Filial affection & reBpcot raise this t>tone to his memory. WAYSIDE UATI! BRINGS. , nits 01 Humor and Nuggets of Truth Ibr tho Multitude. ?There are more Germans than Irish in the United States. ?There is inort sntifT used in Boston than in any other city in tho Unitod \ States. ?The United States last year pro*" dueed 3(1,000,000 barrels of fermented liquors. ?Tho habit of jesting about saerod things implies the possession of a low and coarse nature. ? A sound discretion is not so much indicated by never making a mistake as by never repeating it. ?One hundred and twenty firemen are required to feed the furnaces of a first class Atlantic steamer. ? A caterpillar is so greedy that in one month it usually devours 0,000 '?'?ues its own weight in food. ? Happiness consists not in having vast and rich possessions, hut in being fitted to enjoy what we have. ? To have friends we must nmko our selves friendly, and thus can wo hopo to widen the circle of our usefulness. ? Do good constantly, patiently, and wisely, and you will never havo causo to say that life was not worth living. ? Fear of what people will say hasa more religious t fleet on the world than the fear of what tho Lord will think. ?Of the .'!"> cities of tho Unitod States of 100,000 population and up ward, l!7 own their own water plants and do not. ?Governor Grout, of Vermont, is a maple sugar farmer, and issai l to have made 12,000 pounds of sugar ami syrup t h is season. ?Ex-Senator Coke, of Texas, is suf fering from paraly.-is which involves his brain, and is believed to la- beyt .;d hope of recovery. ? A harmless lotion for removing freckles is as follows: Lemon juieo ono ounce ; powdered borax, one-half dram ; sugar, one-half dram. ? He?'?Carrie, will you make mo the happiest of men ?" She?"I should like to, Harry, but I think I prefer to remain the happiest of women." ? Ro.-es discovered in tombs con taining lOgyptiun mummies often havo their co.ors perfect, oven though some of those found must be over ?'100 years old. ? In Bulgaria the proprietors of a medicine, by which tin y claim to euro a special disease, are liable to Impris on men t if the medicine fails to produce the desired i licet. ? A large proportion of the accidents and much of the sickness from which eolts ami horses sutler, are due to neg leet and carelessness on the part of those in charge. Prince Wittgenstein stands at tho head of Germany's landed aristocracy, lie owns 3.000000 acres. Fourteen other tit hit landlords own hetweon them 0,000 UDO acres. ? A salesman of Cincinnati is said to be tiie tallest man in the world. Ho is '. feet ~i inches in height. ?v?ueen Victoria presented him a gold watch when he WUS in the show business. ? Usually, the greatest boasters aro tin; smallest workers. The deep rivers pay a larger tribute to the si a than shallow brooks, and yet empty them selves with Ic-js noise. ? it does not seem to be generally known that tho turkey \r:vs domesti cated by the Indians long- before the discovery of this continent by white men, but such is the case. ?True happiness never Hows into a man, hut always out of him. Hence heaven is sometimes found in cottages and heil in palace-. Heaven itself is more internal than external. ?Those who have tried it nay that if two or three dandelion leaves bo chewed before going to bed they will induct! Bleep, no matter how nervous or worried ono may be. The island of Puerto Rico is more populous than Cuba, quite as rich and productive, and utmost aa disaffected. The Spanish government ha- boon ob liged to lut reuse its forces there for fear of an outbreak. ?Too often, as; a very respectable looking professor of religion dashes by in his pb.eton, with his wife and daughters drt ssed in the most costly garments, the remark is heart!, "if 1 hat! what belongs to me he would not cut Buch a dash. ?" 1 thought you advertised that you were selling out at cost," growled the. customer, throwing down tho re quired 26 cents for a small package of note paper. " Yes, sir," replied tho stationer briskly. " That's right. We referred to our postage stamps." ? A queer llbol suit has been in stituted against a Qowspuporin Indiana for averring lhiit the plaintiff's horso was fed on soup, being too old to eat torn. He claims $2,000 damages, alleging that he has suffered great mental anguish on account of tho pub lication. ? An old Marquosan chief, on being told by a missionary that in heaven there, was no war, nor hunger or thirst, nor sickness or death, replied, " That will boa good place for cowards, and lazy folks who are afraid to light aid too la/.y to climb broad-fruit and cocca nut trees." ?" W horo do you wish to go?" asked the railroad ticket seller, as a some what unsteady man slapped down half dollar before him. "Sh-poae it'sh?!. Got any tickets to there '.-' ' said tho applicant. "No! OWcc for that place across the street," saitl tho railroad man, pointing tea liquor saloon. --Dr. Bablugton used to tell a sloi of an Irish gentleman, for v hoin he prescribed an emotlo, saying: M> dour doctor, it is Of no use your g > log mo an emetic. I tried it twit ? Dublin, ami it would not stay Oi stomach either time." - Lemons aro a simple and excel lent remedy lor biliousness. Take the juice of out! or two lemons In as much water as will make it pleasant to drink Without sugar, before going to bed. In the morning on rising, at least half ad hour before breakfast, take tho juice of one lemon in a tumbler of cold water. ? Not long since a party of movers passed through a Kansas town on route from the we.-tern part of the state of Missouri. Thoy bud a woe-begoro, homesick expression on thoir faces, which was further emphasized by the legend painted upon one of tho wagon sheets in big black lottors: "Going Homo to Maw." ?The distinction of being tho great est, dandy in the world has been ac corded to Prlnoo AI bort of Thum. His annual bill for el >thin<>. amounts to no less than $15 00<V Ho woars l 000 neckties during tho year, an average of tl?reo a day. and, though he never wears his linen more than twleo, a j laundry ompioyiog 12 people Is k.ipt I specially for washing It.