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THE COUNTY RECORD. Published Every Thursday ?AT? KISGSTREE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ?B T? LOUIS J. BR!STOW, Editor and Proprietor. ', gt v T "* Progress is reported in the matter /' " -of union between the South African 1 , . repnblie and the Orange Free State, and there really seems some probability that the Transvaal will succeed in swe^owing its little neighbor. I/." ' - ' A. Con^n .Doyle's detective stories ^ have been recommended to the police *>y a prisou society of England. Mr. | Doyle said that recently after the f publication of his stories he was almost deluged with letters telling d family mysteries and asking his aid in solving them. ? A British paper Uada journal, in v ^ aliudiug to the fine display of Amerir\\'. * can paper box machinery shown by an feN; English dealer who has lately returned from the States, says: "In this ,?k" matter our competitors ou the other t? i. - aide of the Atlantic seem to be very jfop*. . much ahead of us.-" . It appears that there are certain individuals in Pennsylvania whj are known as 'Taghums" and prey upon 1 members of the tramp fraternity. It must be hard to follow the occupation of a "sturdy beggar" with dangers on three aides, frora the watch dogs, the police and these armed depera* * does. * Joaquin Miller argues that the 'Klondike region was once a tropical ' country. The Rocky Mountains may also at one time have been holes in . I'-V. the ground or mere pimples on the face of the earth. When the poet begins to theorize he might just as well go the whole length and -give his Imagination a little vigorous ran for > ? its money. . A curious and somewhat pathetic aale by auction took place lately in a content near Tours, France. This *k ^aa the aale of nearly one hundred v pounds of human hair cut from the IMSr mwo VI UUtiVCO av IUb tuviuvuv v* WmS the veil. One cannot help " wondering if they regretted the loss of their crowning beauty or guessed how it would finally be disposed of. * The Outlook quotes from the London Times a letter of Mr. Walker AfcDermott, a secretary of a London company (Fraser A Chalmers) which manufactures mining machinery both in Chicago and England. Mr. McDermott says: "The English works ere as well fitted with labor-saving .machinery as the American. .The vera^e pay roll of the American works in about forty per cent, higher than % English. Owing, however, to the I fact that the American works hard and the Englishman works easily, the wctaal cost of labor on product is more in the English work3 than abroad. Jfany of the mechanics in the AmeriWaif shops are English. It is not, therefore, a 'question of inferiority of race, nor is it one of climate. Mechanics will go from England to America [ and work up to standards there with ont any difficulty and think they hare lettered themselves." , 1 The following extract from a private letter from a lady, now in Havana deesribes the awfnl distress of the foot reconcentrados in that city and ws file need of contributions for fc- their Belief: "This morning," the -writer says, "I wfit to help distribute food and clothing to some of the re-concentrados in an old warehoase, where a lot of siok were corralled. It - was the worst sight I ever saw in my life, and quite unnerved me for the day.' In the women's" quarters three .liad died that morning, and their laces were not yet covered. Several were dying, and one child died in convulsions, clutching my hand with ^ fingers that felt like bird's claws. The bones of all seemed nearly pricker hng through, the children were cov f: ered with sores and many of them i lied their feet and legs terribly swol5v lea?scurvy aqd dropsy, I suppose, from fever, starvation and poor food, when they have any food at all. Twenty-three thousand homeless orphans in this province alone, to say y nothing of the rest of Cuba, and the crick and helpless adnlts. It was 10.30 a, m. at the time of my visit to that particular corral, and none of them had had a mouthful to eat that day .and only one meal the day before, of <?onp made from salted pork and rice, wrhich of coarse the babies and the wick did not relish. They give the children condensed milk, with hot water, whenever they can get it." ?. ' ? * ' I!"' " N ^ - - . ' , f J. J+^\ | GOOD ROADS NOTES. ? Cry V/VVM/v/V'v'Al^'/xyv N *^SV\?/N^N'/^' yAJAWA ? nVivivivrvov\"o\^vivnviv(\/?viVT\^s OH on RorJi. Crude petroleum has been used with good effect to suppress dust on railroad beds. Now it is advocated as a good application for country reads. It is claimed that by excluding water it keeps the road good in wet aud dry weather. It will suppress dust and render the w\ter-cart unnecessary, and it prevents the formation of mud in winter. Better Roads For Mobile. They have taken hold in a practical ? .1?1? llrt ?n.l ATffrtni7Afl fx V. ay 1U .-uuuuc, a.ia., uuv? ? Good Reads Ciub. with a view to having the city streets improved. The call for the first meeting stated that Mobile "has the worst streets of any city in this country" and that "the few that are paved are fast becoming unrideable." The newspapers are already with them; so, with constant agitation and persistent work, tae oatlook is encouraging. Good Goads I'roiit.ibl*. The Road Commissioner of New Jersey, Mr. Budd, points out that it costs three cents u bushel to haul wheat on a level road a distance of five miles, and at least nine cents to hanl it the same distance on a sandy road, which goes to illustrate the practical economic importance of good roads. This is a point which deserves the serious attention of farmers. Sandy and rough roads are wearing out their horses and vehicles and increasing the actual cost of their farm supplies and of the marketing of their produce. Though little recognized, this is a fact mo^t patent to the careful observer, and most pointedly and truly expressed in Mr. Budd's report. When this fact penetrates the minds of farmers more generally, they -will begin to realiza that money and labor expended on road improvement will aave money for them in reducing the actual cost of hauling and in saving vehicles and horses. It is high time to dispense with the idea that good roads are luxuries, mere fancy frills, and to regard wellmade highways as among the necessities.?Easton (Penn.) Free Press. A Commendable Policy. In a recent letter to the State Highway Commission of Connecticut Colonel Albert A. Pqpe said: "It is a commendable policy to build in the very best manner possible, so that the common ways may be of advantage not only to us but to generations yet unborn. The mistake of the past has been that this work was done for a day or a season, a poor investment which resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. "A few years since the price of hay in Springtield, Illinois, was $30 a ton, and the market was supplied by railroad from outside the State, because, though hay was plenty at $10 a ton, the farms within radius of a few miles were completely embargoed by mud; and yet not long ago the Bichardson Bill, the terms of which provided that the cities in New York would pay three-fourths of the cost of State-road construction, was defeated by the fanner element "If a saving of 22 J cents per ton per mile conld be effected in hauling to and from the depot the way-freight carried annually on the, New York Central Bailrcad the saving to the community represented would be $9,000,000. "The Connecticut Highway Commission is entitled to unanimous support in building only the best Macadam and Telford roads, and I believe the press of the State should take hold of the question, and by a freo discussion of the subject convince the people that 1 1 it. -ik goo a roaas are me uuiy uuts wuriu building. As a rule, those who complain most loudly about the first cost of roads are the very ones who, in the end, reap the greatest benefit therefrom." In the >'?? Tork Lt^ilatare. I In his message, Governor Black, of New York, advocated highway improvements, or, at least, dwelt on the advantages of good roads, although he did not offer recommendations as to how they are to bo secured. He said: "I call special attention to this subject because the need of improvement is apparent and admitted, and because the benefits following it would be extensive. Many sections of the State, unsurpassed in beauty and fertility, are neglected and almost unknown, (because the condition of the highways affording the only approach makes tnem difficult of access. A'good road is one of the chief elements of the value of a farm. If its fertility be slight, it may still be desirable if its location and surroundings are attractive, and the approaches suitable. "In many parts of this country, notably in New England, farm valnea, which had been reduced by the competition of the West, have beeu, in great measure, restored by the demand for summer homes. Every such community finds itself benefited to the the extent of its power to attract investments from the towns and cities. Its markets are enlarged, the price of all commodities is raised,railroad facilities ore improved, and those ohanges which the expenditure of money is likely to oreate are largely realized. New York has natural advantages unsurpassed by any State. Better roads will bring them more generally into view." About half a dozen bills dealing with various phases of the subjeot are* likely to bo introduced into the Legislature. One provides for a State bureau to gather facts and statistics, and act as a medium of information and advioe; levies a tax of five cents on each $1000 of valuation, and divides the cost of roads, fifty per cent to State, thirty-five to countv\and fiL f ' V i teen to town. Its other provisions are permissive, leaving it to each locality to take action in the matter, and mak- : ing.it thoroughly local option. The roads, when completed, are to bcconio 1 county reads. Another bill contemplates, as nearly j as possible, a continuous road across ! the State, followingthe leading rontes through the various counties, and appropriating S"),000,000 per year, be- j ginning in iayy, uaut iuu wuru , done. Other bills propose to sabsti- j tute a money tax for labor; for postroa.ls to be bailt in conjunction with the general Government; for taxing wheelmen to build side paths, and for the employment of convicts on the j highways. The advocates of good roads will probably make a strong showing, and expect to be able to secure tho passage of some satisfao- i tory measure. frbblrn. Narrow tires and heavy loads. Soon will spoil the best of road'. A roa.l properly built and cared for will shed water instead of absorbing it. There are three principles of road building: Drainage, drainage, drainage. Neglected and abandoned farms are one result of the costly transportation caused by bad roads. Wagon manufacturers aro turning out farm wagons, some of them witli metal wheels, having tires four inches wide. ^ Brooklyn claims to have done more during 1897 in the way of street improvement than any city of its area in the country. Mayor Boynton, of Port Huron, Mich., is*activelv interested in the , Good Roads Association lately organized in that town. Over thirty thousand dollars havo been awarded this year in Berks County, Pa., in condemnation proceedings for free turnpikes. Hard roads yield large returns when intelligently constructed and suitably cargd foTj It is only when badly made and shamefully neglected that they prove an expensive luxury. The Poughkeepsie Eagle suggests that a good plan would be for each town to improve its own roads, under the supervision of a skilled engineer employed by the State, and that the State afterwards contribute a portion of the cost. Nothing is more ruinous to a macadam road than water. Ruts hold water, and, therefore, should never be allowed to exist. To guard against their formation and development is one of the principal parts of proper care of a roadway. An object-lesson on. the value of good highways is being furnished by Robert MacKinnon, of Little Falls, N. Y.. who has been grading the road j between Little Falls and Utica, and putting gravel on it at his own expense, hoping that it will interest others in road improvement. A great many of the statements made about the cost per mile of roads are apt to prove misleading. ' A fair comparison cannot be made without knowing the width and depth, the amount of grading required, methods employed, and many other details which seriously affect the price. California'* Gold Outpnt. In connection with the recent observance of the se^ii-centennial anniversary of the discovery of gold on the Pacifio Coast it is interesting to note the magnitude of California's gold output during the past fifty years. To begin with the amount of gold dug from the mines during the first year succeeding the discovery aggregated only $245,301. But with a tremendous bound the value of the output for the year following mounted up ' to $10,151,360. In 1850 the output! aggregated $41,273,106; in 1851, $75,-1 938,232, and in 1852, $81,294,700. Since 1852 there has been a gradual falling off in the annual output of the yellow metal. At the present time the amount of gold mined annually in California ranges in value from $15,000,000 to $18,000,000. Since the first discovery of gold on the Pacifio Coast in 1848 it is estimated that California has produced not less than $1,300,398,779 worth of the yellow metal. In view of what California owes to the discovery of gold, the people of that State have not been extravagant in holding such a brilliant festival as the one which has recently occurred on the Pacific slope.?Atlanta Constitution. Theories Concerning the Voice. One very interesting theory held by some vocalists is that the natural register of the speaking voice indicates the individual character of the speaker, as do the lines on the palms of the hand. For instance, a high soprano voice expresses joy and merriment. Complex natures, who carry on two qualities of thought at once, speak in harmonies, with several notes at a time, and have magnetic voices. The minor voice betrays lack of confidence, the major voice indicates intense vitality. The mental attitude shows itself in a voice with a sliding downward scale, as in most teachers' voices. Other instructors' methods go so far a3 to say that all who can talk may sing, if willing faithfully to devote their time and energy to the cause.? The Chautauquan. Why the Blind Do Not Smoke* . A peculiarity about blind people is that there is seldom one of them who smokes. Soldiers and sailors accustomed to smoking, and who have lost their sight in action, oontinue to smoke for a short time but*soon give up the habit. They say it gives thein no pleasure when they oannot see the smoke, and some have said that they cannot taste the smoke unless they seeit. ? t<L3ag*d*&amaz-*M* - /.j&am?SSr. . ^ ' '* - * v . n ; . v ^ v ^ ?. ^ki /\ frk ^L?aL^ |: The Co< I fll: ^ and it's a cure that's i better idea about cou? ^ instead of fitting the ^ that makes 1 THE B L 1 < \ in the land. It is a su ^ Bronchitis, Croup, W Grippe; and it so st | * many cases of disease | < have been absolutely now be had in half-si; \ At I p "We tried almost cv ^ ?ind t S r*?1ipf M ^ M \\ hen I had almos ^ most excellent results i > ^ " There were sixteen # have never, ,'inre I can M * had a case of cold or a I ^ 14 My wife was sick ii ^ of them said that she h I bought one bottle of dozen bottles. Befon ' strong and well." 4 " For more than a y? t great soreness of the cl 4 ment with Ayer's Cher ^ as the other remedies s 4 4 "More Careleseinesa. Excited Wife?Ob, professor, the cook has fallen and broken her collar' bone! Professor?Discbarge her at once! Ton told her what to expect If she broke anything more.?Detroit Free Press. ?. . PALMETTO ECHOES. Two colored prisoners were caueht while trying to cut ont of Kershaw jail. The Secretary of State has issued a commission to W. T. McFall. J. McD. 1 Brace, J. P. Carey, J. T. Yoan*?blood, { J. M. Stewart, H. A. Richie and Julias E. Boggs as corporators of the Pickens Bank. The capital stock is to be $25,000 dirided into shares at $100 each. i A special from Kershaw to the State says nearly all the talk npon oar streets J is war. V ery few, comparatively, are j "spoiling for a fight" There was a countryman here Saturday who wanted ; to enlist himself and seven sons in a j company that he was told our friend, , Williams, was raising. The negroes ! are by no means anxious to enlist, j Many of them say that they will aot go. j Four car-loads of amanition for use | in the big forts on Sullivan's Island have been received and another supply is expected soon. At Charleston arrangements are being made^o sink torpedo mines in Charleston harbor. Some of the material needed has al, ready been received. Work on the fortifications is being rushed. Many of the heavy guns have been monnteS and are ready for action. It is said that orders have been received from Washington to waste no time in getting the forts in shape for emergencies. More troops have also been ordered here. While torpedoes and mines are being planted at the euterance to Port Royal harbor it is almost oertain that several of the monitors will be stationed there permanently if hostilities begin. Because of the depth of the harbor, adequate protection cannot be supplied by mines. There are no fortifications to .ah 1 A JA.L i proieci xoe Kuxruuicm ui i uwi buu tation, bo that the towns of Port Royal aud Beaufort could be destroyed in a few minutes by one ship. It is the only l>ort in the South where any battleship of Spain can steam up to the wharfs. An enemy landing there could cut the Plant railway at Yemassee. a few miles away, the main line between the north and Floridf i Beaufort, the most exposed town on the coast, is also one of the oldest It has nearly 5,000 inhabitants. " * < /.*. ' > * , I i 1 J VTTTT^TTTT' kAAAAAAAAA Sliest Coug ange of Clii lot often possible and not alvva ^hs and cures: Why not fit the climate to the lungs? It is th< u JEST COUGH re cure for colds and coughs; a i hooping Cough; it prevents Pr rengthens the lungs and heals ; marked by all the signs of Inc cured by its use. Dr. AyePs ( ze bottles lalf Price, 50 I ery'hing for asthma without success. At last was immediate." S. A. ELL t despaired of ever finding a cure for chronic t :rom Aytr's Cherry Pectoral I can testify as tt R. G. PROCTOR, M. I)., C children in mv father's family ar.d there are sex remember, been without Ayer's Cherry Pectoi cough that this remedy did not cure." IIu.v. WM. E. MA J i bed for ten months and was attended by six di .ad consumption, and some of them said she coi Ayer's Cherry Pectoral. It seemed to help he s .hese were all used, she was completely c J. W. EWING, C ar my wife suffered with lung trouble. She I res', and experienced difficulty in breathing. A ry Pectoral effected a complete cure. Weregar he had tried had failed to even give relief." C. 11. BURKIS, M PULLED DOWN* PILLARS. . Ignorant Persians Thought They Were ! the Cause of the l>rouxht. They do strange things In Persia, j This is the latest. For some years a tidal observatory has been established ; at Bushire. on the Persian golf, and it J has performed Its functions without J let or hindrance. This year, however, j WHERE PILLAR* WERE PULLED DOWN*. owing to want of rain, the Persians were under the impression that the ] bench-marks or pillars which had been 1 built near the English government tele- 1 graph office were the cause of the 1 drought and a mob, consisting of men, | ( women and children, surrounded the , office and pulled the pillars down. Ow- , Ing to the promptitude of Col. Wilson, ; the resident, and Mr. Campbell, the superintendent of telegraphs, the Ferslan governor had to supply a company of i Persian soldiers, and these, combined < with parties of bluejackets and marines from H. M. S. Sphinx, built up the pillars again. This has had the desired 1 effect on the Persians, who saw that ] the British government in rersia is uov to be trifled with. 1 j The Columbus Dispatch comments ( on an offense "which in Puritan times < would have been followed by a punish- ] merit not less than death." And per- j haps more? A special dispatch from Louisville i says that "Kentucky's greatest prod- ] net Is in danger." Well, isn't whkky < always In danger in that State? _ , ] U / c*^r-*T >V-. . .. ara^ltflh ICS &2&&K - .A A iAI ^ h Cure ? 4 bate, \j,j ys sure. There's a lungs to the climate r L ^ e power to do this ^ M toral I * : 'M rfiRF :: ; . ? ' < specinc for Asthma, leumonia, cures La * the torn tissues that 4 9 L; ' ""I**, ipient Consumption ^ Cherry Pectoral can ~ u . ^v? flm ' ' ( 4 ,J . s cts. :' 1 wensedyourCheny s ^ IS, Keene, N. H. ^ >ronchitis, I derived 4 ?irs tticacy." Jaklnnd City, Ind. 4 en in my own. We ^ - ' ,A al, and have never ^ ^ >0X, Chicago, KL ^ flerent doctors. All 4 ild not live a month. ^ r, so I secured one ^ ured and to-day is amden Point, Mo. ^ tad a severe cough, ^ three months' treat- ^ ded it as remarkable, ' 4 1 arine Mills, Minn. ^ \-i k A A A A A Primitive Methods. How would you like to drive In m great, thatched hood of a wagon drawn by bullocks? If you go to Ceylon, yon ! ? 1 n? THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. ma j. The Ceylon bullock cart Is among} the most Interesting sights on the! Iclnnd . POISON IN THKIR COFFEE. 1 Evidence That John Rodger* Mas dered lilt Wife's Klnspeople Was Not Conclusive. A special to the State, from Green* rille, says: John Bodgers, oolored, was acquitted of the charge of morderng his wife's kinsman, Charlie Jerry. Last August the whole family of negroes living in Fairview township were affected with sickness as if poisoned. The poison, rough ou rats, was found near the house and evidence, was gives showing that the coffee had been poisoned so that it was peroeptible to the taste and some refused to drink it As tuAlvsis of some coffee fonnd in Jobs Rodgers' possession was made by Prof. YV. F. Watson, of Farm an University, who found traces of arsenic, the main * ingredient of rough on rats. The poissuing was pretty clearly proven, bat Rodger* was not sufficiently connected with the deed. The trial consumed considerable time, and after able speeches by counsel on both sides the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty. Rodgers was tried for the same offense at the November term of oonrt l and a m?strial was had. The eeae>TV[ slioited a good deal of interest, espefr cially among the negroes. The defense pat ap no witnesses and the only testimony offered by that side was a letter pat in evidence. "Suppose," says the Florida TimeeDnlon, 'that the new year had come oat Friday, to make the nervous shudder!"! Or suppose?horror of horrors?that It had come on the thirteenth! j - - J3 ' - ^ ' '*" ' j