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P ^?tttT iHt % jK. n tt PYti ft PY PART ONE; PAGES ONE TO EIGHT UfOLUME XXV. LAURENS. SOUTH CAPOI INA wpnwpcnAv ma^u* ? .^^ IVO NEGROES SLAY : THREE NEAR PARKS Claude Ferguson and Jim Davis the Perpetrators. THEY SKIP COUNTRY Toney Anderson, Ida McCoy nnd Alex Kay Meet Their Death in Cold l?oodod; itrntal Manner. A A triple killing, the commission of which embraces some very unusual circumstances, occurred in the neigh borhood of Parks station, three miles east of the city, Saturday night, when Toney Anderson was murdered in the cabin home of Ida McCoy Nelson, the negress herself mortally wounded, dy ing a few hours later, and Alex Ray, living a mile distant, was called to his front door and shot through the body, falling dead in his tracks. Claude Ferguson, as the arch exe cutioner, and Jim Davis, both negro farm hands living in the same com munity, are charged with the crimes. They fled the country Saturday night and, although the sheriff. Iiis deputies and special officers, with the assistance of numerous citizens have put forth every effort to apprehend them, up until yesterday at noon the fugitives were still at large. It was reported that two negroes believed to have been the parties wanted, were seen near Cross Anchor, in Spartanhurg county, Sunday afternoon. Deputy Sheriff Culbertson and Rural Policeman Sulli van spent Monday in that country, but were unable to trace the negroes any farther. Yesterday Sheriff Owings and his deputy took another trip In search of the murderers. The cause for the triple tragedy Is said to have been the existence of trou ble too common among the colored race. Ferguson is known to have been insanely jealous of the McCoy woman and her daughter. All parties were involved in one way or another, so it is said. Ferguson has a pretty bad record. Only a few weeks ago he was liberated from jail after the settle ment, at the instance of his brother, of a charge of highway robbery, the brother referred to having been the alleged victim. For more than a year Ferguson and the McCoy woman had been on bad terms. In order to gain admission to her house, Jim Davis accompanied For. guson Saturday night. Both were arm ed, Ferguson with a single barrel shot gun, his accomplice with a pistol. Ida McCoy and two of her smaller children had retired, Anderson, who took his meals at her house, and Rosa, the grown daughter, being up when Davis rapped on the door. Rosa opened the door and instantly Ferguson and Davis rushed In, the former leading. With out a word he raised his gun and shot Anderson as he sat in a chair at a small table over ngainst the wall. De liberately reloading the gun he then fired into the woman as she attempted to raise herBelf in bed. With both hands practically shot off and other wise wounded, uhe managed to make her escape from the cabin and ran toward the house of her brother. Af ter proceeding about fifty yards, both men in pursuit, she was shot down in the road and left for dead. Then the murderers returned to the cabin and finished Anderson, shooting him again in the left side. The negress was tak en to her brother's where she lingered untlb about midnight. She was ration al for some time and made a Statement concerning the affair which was cor roborated by the testimony of Rosa as given at the Inquest, held Sunday. Roth statements as to how it happened have been given above, substantially. The scone of the double murder Is a one room cabin, located on the premises of Messrs R. (}. and W, 1). Franks. The Third Murder. After dispatching Anderson, Fergu son and Davis, it appears, proceeded directly to the home of Alex Ray, who lived with his family n few hundred yards west of Parks station, on the Columbia, Newberry & Laurens rail road. Here the order of procedure was Changed, Ferguson, for reason best known to themselves, doing the rap ping the door act nnd the subsequent talking. Davis the shooting. Alex was aroused and asked if he could chenge a dollar. He replied, after coming to his door, that he thought he could. Finding his purse, he reap peared in the doorway where he was Shot to donttt. KavV, Wife and one nr Iwn rw tUn CLINTON BUSINESS % MEN'S ASSOCIATION The Town Sacrificing Trees for Mere Street Traffic and Modern City Conveniences. Clinton, March 28.?At an enthusi astic meeting of the Business Men's Trotcctice association last Tuesday night speeches were mado by Mr. P. W. McClure of Greenwood and others, outlining plans for conducting such organizations. Mr. A. H. Henry who was elected secretary declined to accept the posi tion nn account of having so many other demandB on his time. No sec retary has yet heen selected. Work continues on the streets and although there is much dissatisfaction, i Mayor McMillan feels that it will dis i appear when the results are seen. Many valuable trees have been sac rificed and some people who have giv en thought to matters of civic improve ment feel that no results will repay : such a sacrifice. Hut, of course, most ! small towns go through the spasm of supposing bare, wide streeto orna ; mented with telephone posts, are love A great improvement to the town is the putting in of granite curblngs on several of the principal streets. .Mr. A. B. Henry ins rented a large store room in the Cold-Buster building and will have an up-to-date beef mar ket and green grocery after April first. Easter at Clinton. Clinton. March 25),?Easter passed very quietly, and with few festivities. , Mrs. C. M. Bailey entertained the [ Actaeon Book club in her usual charm ing manner on Friday afternoon. Lit tle Miss Jennie Goldsmith celebrated her sixth birthday inviting several of her little friends to spend the after noon with her on Monday. On Monday evening the college crowd surprised Misses Elise and Mar jorie Spencer and they spent a very pleasant evening. Among the Easter visitors were Miss es Dorothy Owens. Emmie McCl'avy, Pearl Willlngham of Clinton. Janle : Kennedy. LannisG Morgan and lVrrin Morgan of Spartanburg, Messrs. Will Bean, and Bivers of North Carolina, Fleet wood Lanneau of Charleston. larger children saw the mon anil recog nized both of them. Ferguson, as stat ed, did all the talking, but it is bo il ieved that Davis fired the shot that caused the instant death of Alex. It was not clear as to?the direction the murderers went after leaving Kay's, ; but on Sunday afternoon the shot gun. : blood stained and shell-loss, was found j in the wood near the scone of the last ! tragedy. Sunday, in consequence of the whole sale killing, was a busy day for Coron j er Hairston. The first, inquest held was that on Bay's body. The testi mony of members of Alex A family, as indicated above, was takem; Xono could say who fired the fatal shot. However, the jury fixed the perpetra tion of the crime on Forguson. In the cases of Anderson and Ida McCoy, both verdicts returned implicated For guson and Davis, the latter as aider and abettor in tho one, and as acces sory in the other. Later. According to information obtained from a negro by Sheriff Owlllgs yes terday afternoon. Jim Davis was in the vicinity of Parks station Monday nigiit The colored man giving this information claims that he saw Da vis. The officers spent, yesterday af I ternoon and last night in that com munity. Due West?At a meeting of (he board ; of directors of tho woman's college at Due West, Bev. P. B. BOVCO, I). I), of Atoka. Tenn.. was elected president successor to Bev. .lames Royce, D. D., deceased. Dr. Poyce is an alumunus of Erkskino college and Is ono of tho strongest men in the A. R, I*. church. Ho Is at present pastor of one of the boat churches of tho denomination and who has tho confidence of tho Whole church. The board aiso by formal rcsolu , tion reCOgniZOd thO effort ; Of the alumnae association In Interest of education and wishes to commend them in w'.mt they have dono toward , the erection of a memorial hall of nn estimated cr.::t of about ton thous and dollars. Tl ey also agreed to do. 1 nato five thousand dollars toward this fund, if thO nlumnne association POLK MILLER? QUARTETTE. "Old Times Down South" as Presented by Trained Company. Polk Miller and quartette of negroes will appear at tbe city opera house Wednesday evening, April sixth. The entertainment they will present is called 'Old Times Down South." A Boston newspaper, on the oeca. i sion recently of Miller's visit to that city, had the following concerning the entertainment: "At Chickering Hall last evening Mr. Polk Miller and his quartette ol negroes appeurcu for the first time lv public In Boston, although had already ; been heard here at private residences : und clubs. The entertainment, which ! its called "Old Times Down South,' is not like anything in the amusement line which has been given here before, The negro quartette is not composed of trained singers, but of men whom Mr. Miller selected because they could sing. Their singing was most enjoy able. The youngest one had a strong bass voice which be used to good ad vantage nnd it was a treat to watch ' the oldest of the quartette who had ; the swing and the shout of the old time negro. Some of the songs, es : pecially 'Old Dan Tucker' and 'Suwa nee River" given with the c adence and . peculiar intonation of the plantation blacks, were revelations to those who had only heard such pieces rendered in a conventional st> lo. The whole 'entertainment was simply delightful.' Death of .Mrs. .1. E. Adalr. Clinton. March 2S.? Mrs. Maggie Stone Adair. wife of Mr. .1. E. Adalr, and daughter of Mr. William Stone died In the hospital at Columbia last Thursday and her remains were in terred in the Presbyterian cemetery Friday afternoon, Dr. W. S. Bean of ficiating. The sympathies of the community go out to the bereaved husband and children. Easter in I,aureus. Kaster was a tine day in I.aurens; indeed it se.-ins that superb weathoi conditions obtained throughout tlx country. The churches hero were at ti ndod by large congregations and tin services were appropriate. The ser mons dealt with the Faster season, the resurrection of Christ, and special music was rendered by the different choirs. Some Local Political Dope. It is understood that among the dif ferent county officials and members ol the legislature, Treasurer Mock. Audi tor Dor rob, Supervisor Humbert, Sup erintendent of Education Pitts and the Hon. Jared D. Sullivan will stand foi reelection this summer. It Is probabli that the anouncement card of Mr Humbert and some of the others will appear next week in The Advertiser j Of course it is known that Judge : Thompson will be in the field?he baf ; said so. Life Around Itahun. Rabun, March 2ft.?Last Friday af ternoon Mr. Boyce Wolff, the Rabui teacher, gave the school children an egg hunt. Mr. Wolff marched the children from the school house to tin grove nnd told them the ones to fine eggs numbered thirteen and twenty three would bo given a prize. Mis. Alliene Baldwin, and Mr. Conway Boll were the prize winners. After receiving prizes from tholi teacher the children all formed a circle and wer? "treated.'' The teacher children, and visitors had a royal ge)o< time. Mr. Willis Cheek ami Mr. P. L, Cray of Gray Court spent last Tuesday witl Mr. (',. W. Dahb. Mrs. Rebecca Owens ami daughter Miss Edna visited Mr. and Mrs. Claude Wasson In the Friendship community Saturday. Mrs. Anna West of Poplar Springt section spent Sunday with her mother Mrs. Lizzie Check. Mr. Walter Baldwin T.nd fnrall) spent Sunday at tho home of Mr. Rob ! ert Dolt. j MrB. Williams of McDaniels mil speoit Saturday night and Sunday will her daughter. Mis. IlarJey AbercronV 1 Hit*. At the home of Mr. and Mrs. .linn. Summered near Hickory Tavern, S; ? j urday night, a "tacky" party was giv ; on. A largo number of voting people ? were present, and a prize was offeree ', to tlie coupie? dressed most lacUlly. Mr Walter Owens and Miss Lain Stone - - - ?? ? i - ? < ' ? r i ? ? , m/?i\vi I ?M FREIGUT THROUGH TRESTLE. Aecldeut on the Spartanburg Roud Wednesday Moir'ug. The caboose and three or 'our cars, forming part of a south-bound "ight on the Spartanburg division of tho Charleston & Western Carolina road, crashed through the trestle over Dun can creek, near Ora, last Wednesday Just before noon. Tho train was a heavy one, but tho locomotive and all but a few cars had passed ovor when i a Clinchfleld coal car Jumped the track, I struck the timbers of the trestle and carried tho bridge and the rest of tho rear-end cars to the creek below. Conductor Attaway of Spartanburg and a traveling man from the ss?n<? town were the only ones Injured. The trestle was repaired and through traf fic resumed within 36 hours. SPECIAL JUDGE FEATHERST?NE. Presiding Over Common Pleas Court for Abbeville. Hon. C. C. Featherstone, having been appointed by GOV. Ansel as special judge, upon the recommendation of Chief Justice Jones, to preside over the spring term of common pleas court at Abbeville, went over and opened the session Monday morning. Mr. Feath erstone is holding this court because of the illness or Judge Dantzler, and he takes it as quite a compliment from the Abbeville bar who on a former oc , casion united in asking that he bo . named to preside at a special or regu lar term, The present session will last two weeks, if so much be necessary. BARRETT MAKES DENIAL. j Farmers' Union Will Not Join Wltll Another Organization. Atlanta, Qa., March 28.?President Charles S. Barrett, of tho National Farmers' Union, made emphatic denial tonight of the newspaper reports that at the National Conference of Farm ers to be held In St. Louis, May 2-8, the Farmers' union would join with the American Federation of Labor In : the formation of a new national po ! litioal party. In an article published in numerous papers under a Washington date it I was announced that President Snmuol Gompers, of the Federation, would de liver an address at the conference of the Farmers' union in St. Louis, at which he would outline his plan for the alliance of tho two organizations in forming and furthering the propos ed new party. ' Whatever is done, in St. Louis to. ward forming a new party,-' said Mr Barrett, "tho Farmers' union will have no part, parcel or direct or indirect connection with It. The fundamental . law of the Farmers' union explicitly ? prohibits that Order Indulging in pnr . tisan politics. "Men of all shades of political be lief, some of the most distinguished Amerh ans, will participate In and be I the guests of the Farmers' union con i ference. Hut I cannot reiterate too emphatically that wo will not bo party '? to the formation of a new party, and that partisan politics will bo eschewed . i scrupulously." i President Barrett said that ot tho II St. Louis conference tho "needs of 11 the farmers, the status of tho farmer ? and thi- wrongs of the farmer" would I be discussed, "but we will not de nounce or praise any political party. i Nor will we countenance any such procedure on the part of the invited guests if wo can help it. . SPECIAL MEETING Ol TRUSTEES. I Resignation of Dr. \ dams Before Board for Consideration! Clinton. March 29.-?A special ses i Blon of tho board of trustees o." the Presbyterian college is being held here tills afternoon. It is understood that . the meeting was called for the purpose of giving consideration to the resigna tion of Dr. Robert Adams, for tho past I several years president of the college, / At this hour tho board Is still In ses sion and nothing definite can be atat > , od at to what has transpired. The Medical Association. I 1 The monthly meeting of the Laur m County Medical association was hold Monday at noon. At this meeting re port;; wero heard from difi'< rent com , mlttoes named eomo Umo ago to ar range for tho entertainment of the mem!) :? ; of tho Pottth Carolina Medl , cal association when it meets hor< I April 10-21. These ronoris indicated that nil plans were being wdr] id but and that the nrs'nngcnionli n cesshVy will Ur> ^.mi.l.i<-l ??? HORSE LEADS TRAIN IN HALF MILE DASH Animal Quits Track and ltuns Into Wire Fence, Resulting in His Death. Crob HUI, March 28.?Last Monday Dr. Peak's he so got out of the stable just as the 2 o'clock train was leaving i for Clinton. The horse ran up the j track in front of the train half a mile i and left the railroad at the crossing near Mr. H. A. Austin's. It ran into a wire fence, turned a somersault as it fell, and died in a few moments. Mr. M. L. Bullock of Ncwberry was m town insi Tuesday. Loin, the five year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Doyce, was crit ically ill the past week. Dr. .!. 1). Austin of Clinton was called here In consultation With all the local doctors, She is still seriously 111. Dr. Theodore Peake came from I.au reus one day last week on bis motor cycle, a distance of 1"> miles in thirty nine minutes. That is "traveling some." Miss Qriffln of Newherry is visiting her sister. Miss Lizzie Griffin. Misses llortense and Pearl Lowo arc visiting their parents. Mr. and Mrs. S> W. Lowe. Mr. I.owe has been very ill There was an interesting Easier ser vice at the Methodist church yesterday The pastor preached a good sermon suitable to the occasion and the mush was exceptionally good. Miss Wllinei Ramey sang a solo, and she ami Mis; West a duet. Mr. Hugh Pinson as sisted the choir with his violin. "NUMBER PLEASE." Appreciative Sketch of the Lady of tlx Telephone ExchaugC. She Is more than five feet tall, sho b OS lie:- cent, unmarried; she Is neat; ' she is never deaf and dumb; she Is In visible when most effec tive; she is the girl who must be consulted before you can get the telephone you want Though not much of a mathematician She deals in numbers, wholesale and retail. Tin? govenment experts find that sin can answer 22? calls a minute without shedding a hairpin, but do not men lion that she can give won the same wrong number three times in five min utes and cause attacks of apoplexy and indigestion at both ends of the wire. Sins must cither he very patient ot very Indifferent, this operator in tin conversation exchange, for she dealt with many men of many tempers am with many women with many tongues And if sh<- can emerge! from a day ol conflict with unrulllcd temper am smiling face, she* must bo a wonder. The re- she' sits, the lady of the tele phone, calm, polite, like- Patience? on i monument smiling at Page-. From out \ the- wreck of matter ami the ruin ol worlds coine> undisturbed her evei , tone-s. "Number, please .'' Baltimore ' Sun. WADE HAMPTON'S BIRTHDAY. Statue and Grave Adorned With lletvr crs .Monday. Columbia, March 28.?Tho statue ol Wado Hampton that stands on tin ? state house- grounds sv:js te,elay be ' ep e ke-el with wreaths and his grave ill Trinity churchyard was covered will Mowers, for this wan tin- anniversary of tho birth of South Carolina's groal cavalry b-ae|e>r ami statesman, This afternoon at a meeting of the local chapte r Of the- Daughters of the , Confederacy, (Jen. r. P. Brooks eh-iiv e-re-d an address on Incidents in con neetl?n with tl.t- lite- of fjon. Hampton Mobile Reunion in April. The- general Confederate' reunion wll be- held at Meddle-. Ala.. April L'O. L' and 2S, instead e>f May as announce* in another part of this issue-. A Reserved Tribute. in the story about Clinton, printei today in The- State', we dare sugges p..at there Is more- truth than poetry which ti.e- write-r purposed shemM ho , although it lo sprightly vorso. Mean while, we- i aspect that among the? val uahlcs ilii't rnnko a town the- heat ii .iSouth Carolina a really cle ve r one , I watchful coiTcspondcni ought nlwayi te> be? enumerated along with cottot , mills, railroads rnd orphanages. I . any one (should fay thai Miss Frond , Kennedy, The f ate's Clinton corrc l eponeh tit Ie the lop of the list of first rat - correspondents, The State? wouh ? av ? 11 m< on ? <?It o t" dispute- it. Th ITEMS OF INTEREST IN S0?R0LINA Culled and Condensed for Busy Readers. RESUME OF PAST WEEK Current Events of Interest In This Stute Selected and Briefly Noted For Advertiser Headers. Columbia. -According to figures pro pared by Commissioner Watson the corn crop for Inst year was 1S.000.000. On March I. la pet cent of '?!:;? Olitlre crop was still on the farms in the state) Only 1 per cent of the crop lust year was shipped out of the county in which It was grown. Of tho entire crop of corn, K'.i per cent, was merchantable. This was a decided Improvement over the crop in 1908. Tho average value) of the corn grown last year on March 1 was us cents per bushel. On tho same date of last year it was !?(? cents per bushel. Spartanburg. .1. Henry Caldell, ti farmer living near hero, Hiis afternoon broke tip nn acre of land with eight hundred charges of dynninlto, the ex plosive oeing used for breaking tho land for cultivation instead of lllft plow. Mr. Caldwell claims that blasting land with dynamite is the best method for silbsolling and that it can he doilO more cheaply than with a plow. Many persons from the city and the country were present to witness the novel method. i Columbia. All roads in South Car olina will lead to Charleston on April ( 12, when the silver service will be presented to the battleship South Car olina. ICnsIgn (Irnhnni of the battle* ? ship Dixie, has been detailed by tho i secretary of the navy to net as an OB . cort to Oov. Ansel. Mr. 0 rah am la , a native of Hamberg. I Hales burg.- Clinton Rhoden, n mor I chant of this place was short and ln A Bluntly killed at i o'eiook Thuviuluy nfternoon by W. II. (Renn, city elec trician. The shooting occurred on tho ? principal street of Mat esbtllg, which . j was crowded at tin lime. I Clean surrendered and was taken to jail at Lexington. There bad been ? : bad reeling between the Iwo inch for ? some lime. As 01 mil was going along ; the streel past Khoden's 'lore tho lat I lor called to him (.:< nn iinswered, "If you want tne you can i nine out hero r j for me." I Rhoden then lefi his store and went, toward (ilenn. A few moments con versation ensued, and (hen Rhoden II was soon to strike (llenn. Several 11 blows passed, and then tllenn drew at M pistol and Died four shots at Rhoden, i Tho first went wild, but the next three ; tool: deadly effect. Rhoden was about years old. Ilo I is survived by bis wife and five chil dren. Clenn, who Is about tho satno age, also has a wife and live children. ?| Greenville, tlreenvlllo's newosl In dustry Is an underwear factory, and r plans are now being perfected by J. 1 D. Ollrontb and associates looking to permanent organization and in 1 corporation of a llfty thousand dollar 1 concern. l! Columbia. Deputy Insurance Com-* mlssloiier Whartotj has been unable lo? ? read: Abbeville on account of the ill > j it ess oi one oi' :,i;' children, lie wllil - Investlgato the lire at Abbeville juaU as. soon as ho can reach that city, fw . the meantime testimony i.; being col lected. Insurance Commissioner Me Master has received this notification I from Mr. Wharfoil ami from tho mayor pro leili of Abbeville. Columbia. A man from Oroeoylljf) writes asking Commissioner '?'?'?.* ion to examine a sample of Hour nnd soo if it i-; blear-bed. The carload is now ' on tho tracks. Commissioner vat-en 1 replied that tho new purr- food Insp?C ? tlon law doesn'l go Into effect until ? May 1, and until that lime the dopnrt ' menl has not authority Iri the matter \ Sparenburg, licg'nning April l 1 the postoffice (h p-i' mMil Will c h llsh mall y rvien on th ? ('.. C, an I O i road between Spartanburg np'1 ' f Va. At pr< ??? nl i I ?? pp* in I ? ? U ' stops at IN. ! i r, N. ('.. some ' tilj \ row - ngo i lid el a n her <?' comn'n reo too! u|