The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, January 17, 1918, Image 1
MW& %lc?otk ?
VOL. XXXII. KINGSTREE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17,1918. NO. 46
i ??
ARMY OFFICER'S !
AWFUL CRlMES.j
COMMITS ROBBERY, MURDER AND i
SUICIDE AT CAMP FUNSTEN, I
KANSAS, FRIDAY NIGHT.
Camp Funston, Kan, January
12:?Identification today of Capt
Lewis B Whistler by Kearney Wornall,
the sole survivor of five men,
who wpre attacked by an army cap
tain bent on robbery of the camp
bank last night, as the man who had
perpetrated the crime, t^nd Captain
Whistler's subsequent death by
suicide have convinced army officers
here that the search for the slayer
is ended.
Captain Whistler killed himself by
tiring two bullets from an army rifle
into his head. His death came afI
ter Woraall had recovered consciousness
at the base hospital and told
questioning army officers the story
of the tragedy in which the captain
had killed with an axe four men, inr*
i<\iiior Winters. nresident
CiUUIIJ? \J I'UIIVI .. .... , ,
of the federal reserve bank of
Kansas City, an intimate friend of
the captain. An order was issued
that all captains at the cantonment
report at headquarters to have their
finder prints taken. It was then
that the shots from Captain Whistler's
office were h^ard. A note was
found with the body. It was written
to.a woman whose name the authorities
refused to divulge. It said:
"I have been thinking of committing
suicide for a long time, but
I have never had a good reason, i
Yesterday I went out and made
myself a reason."
The room in which Captain Whis-1
tier's body was found was smeared
with blood spots. Blood soaked
towels were found in the room and
the table was spotted with it. Cap- j
tain Whistler had borrowed two
hatchets from a supply company !
yesterday, according to officers, and:
. he borrowed two more today.
L Army officers tonight declined to
I say whether any of the money
I which the robber is supposed to
have obtained, was found in Captain
Whistler's room.
Wornall, who recovered conscious-!
ness this morning, told the authorities
that the murderer was an army
eaptain whoBe face he recognized,,
and who, he said, was a close friend j
item KooH nf thp nrmv bank.
Ui ITIUVVIO, IIVHM v> ? ^
Womall in describing the tragedy
^0^ said a man came to the door of the,
bank about 8:30 o'clock last night,
and rapped insistently. He was admitted
and covering the five men
with a revolver, forced Wornall to
tie the hands of the four men after:
which he tied Wornall's hands. %The
man then proceeded to loot the
bank safe and had reached the door,
when Winters said to Wornall: "You
I recognize him, don't you?" Wor-:
^ Ball answered that he did.
The murderer turned to Winters
Hp and said:
W "You know me, do you?"
"I sure do, you black scoundrel,"}
was Winters' reply.
Wornall says at this point the
man hesitated and suddenly leaped
* * TT. ,
at them swinging nis nana axe. ne
truck the helpless men down, one
: - by one. Wornall was the last struck, j
Captain Whistler's former wife,
from whom he was divorced about
a year ago, and a son 14 years old,
reside in Salina. Kan. His parents
live at Goodland, Kan.
Captain Whistler, who was about
40 years of age, fought in the
p^ll Spanish-American war and' later saw;
if considerable service in the Philippines.
Mrs Whistler today received a letter
from her former husband in
which he said he was in good health
and spirits. The letter, she thought, ]
was written yesterday, although it
was undated. j
Ex-President Taft is expected to
visit Camp Jackson January 2H.
t
Ka
GOVERNMENT CLOSES PLANTS.
Manufactories Shut Down for Five Dayt
to Conserve Fuel.
Washington, January 16.?America's
manufacturing enterprises with
but few exceptions in all States east
of the Mississippi river were ordered
by the government tonight to suspend
operations for five days, beginning
Friday morning, as a drastic
measure for relieving the fuel famine.
The order also included the
States of Louisiana and Mimnesota.
At the same time, as an additional
means of belief, it was directed
that industry and business generally,
including all normal activities
that require heated buildings, observe
as a holiday every Monday for
the next ten weeks. This will close
on Mondays, not only factories, but
saloons, stores, except for the sale
of drugs and food, places of amusement
and nearly all office buildings.
While the order does not mention
ship yards, it is known that they will
be permitted to continue operations
as usual, although munitions plants
will be closed.
The government's move came entirely
without warning in an order
issued by Fuel Administrator Garfield,
with the approval of President
Wilson, prescribing stringent restrictions
governing the di.-tribution
and use of coal. It was decided upon
hurriedly by the President and
government heacis as a uesperaie
remedy fur the fuel crisis and the
transportation tangle in the Eastern
States.
Kingstree School Notes
After the good times incident to
the holidays all haye settled down to
hard work again. The basket ball
courts are always full of boys and
girls getting ready for some more
match games. The girls are very
enthusiastic over the game with
Lake City which will be played here
soon.
There was a meeting of the Parent-Teacher
association in the auditorium
Monday afternoon, the sub
jeci Deing mmi una uikouimiiuu
can do to help in the war." First
was a reading, "What other ParentTeacher
Associations are doing," by
Miss Logan. Several patriotic vocal
selections were rendered by Misses
Thorn and Sturgis, following which
a general discussion was held as to
what this association can do. It was
decided that it should help organize
a Junior Rid Cross society of all the
school children.
A Junior Red Cross committee,
composed of Mrs Taylor, Mrs Arrowsmith
and Miss Martha Jenkinson,
visited the school Wednesday
morning. After they had told us in
chapel what the Red Cross society
stands for they went to all the rooms
finding out those who wished to be
come memuer3.
The contributions for the society
already collected amount to over fifteen
dollars and we are expecting
more. This is a good beginning;
let's all join and give, not only our
money but our services whenever
needed.
? Red
Cross Executive Committee Meets.
The Executive Committee of the
local Red Cross chapter met this
morning and elected as its chairman
Rev G T Harman, vice Dr D P Frierson.
resigned.
It was also decided that the base
ment of the public library be used
as a workroom by the society, and
this place will soon be fitted out and
equipped for use.
A man who gave his name as
Walter Spoerman, suspected of having
been an active figure in plots
launched by Captain Boy-Ed, the
former German naval attache, was
arrested at Norfolk Monday and
taken to Baltimore, under guard
where, it wa9 understood, he would
be turned over to agents of the de
p^rtment of justice.
lUNCLE SAM
j HAVE
! SOUTHERN STATES A
i BEANS?GOVERNMEN1
AT SMALL COST WIT
, t Washington, January 15:?A new
! emergency has arisen. The United
,: States government will require large
quantities of castor oil for lubricating
aeroDlane engines. The .supply is
sh: rt. and South Carolina, Georpia
and Florida are poinp to bo called
. upon to prow castor hears for the
povernment, and for which the pov,
ernment will pay prices which they
believe will makeitamore profitable
crop than any otker staple prown in
, that section.
Hundred? of thousands of dollars
have been spent in conductinp ex'
periments for findinp an' oil for lu*
bricatinp the Liberty motors,
,, which will be used in flyinp machines,
other than castor oil; but
these experiments nave oeen in vain
and the only oil that will flow under
the atmospheric conditions met with
by these machines is castor oil.
In this country years ago castor
oil was grown quite extensively and
the leading Slatt-s were Kansas, Oklahoma
and Missouri; but. India,with
labor which could be hired at 10
and 20 cents a day, furnished this
oil so cheaply that the industry practically
died out. The submarine has
i taken toll and greatly reduced the
1 world's shipping facilities, and now
1 the industry must be revived, and in
; those sections where there is no dan1
ger of frostand in the sections where
they have long growing seasons, and
South Carolina, Georgia and Florida
are expected to meet the emergency.
; T S Evans, assistant development
OLD TOM LEE DEAD.
J Former Head of China Town Laid
Away in Oriental Splendor.
New York, January 14: ?Tom
Lee, Mayor of Chinatown, in the
troublesome feud days before the
fadinj? of that picturesque quarter
of New York's East Side, was buried
today with all the pomp and splendor
of celestial rites.
I
? tnna and.
DUHlOfMS 111 Uliuaiunu nao ouopended.
Thousands, including members
of rival Tong organizations,
11 filed into the purple-draped death
j chamber in the rooms of the On
i Leong Tong to view the body,
i Other thousands with bared heads
lined the sidewalks of the East Side
as the'cortege started on its way to
! the cemetery. A band of Chinese
j trumpeters headed the procession
; followed by two American bands,
one hundred and fifty carriages and
i five sightseeing busses.
In the coffin were placed a bottle
of rice, wine, several coins and a
pack of playing cards. Following
the Oriental custom, roat pig, chickens,
cakes and other foods were left
at the grave, but today, lest they be
! consumed by irrevrent Occidentals,
I
! thev were carried back to Chinai
town.
M
Brockington-EUis.
Interesting was the marriage
: which took place at the Kellahar.
i1
1 Hotel here Friday evening at 6
o'clock when Miss Jewell Brockington
became the bride of Mr Everette
Ellis. The ceremony was performI
ed by the Baptist minister. Rev E A
I MacDowell.
The bride is the youngest daughter
of Mrs W S Brockington of Nesmith
and is a charming and popular
young woman.
' Mr Ellis is a young man of Harts|
ville. but at present is engaged in
, the lumber business at Nesmith,
i where the young couple will make
I their home.
I The Senate last week refused to
change the lien law of South CaroliniC.
^
MUST
; CASTOR OIL
RE ASKED TO PLANT
? WILL FURNISH SEED
H LIBERAL RETURN.
agent of the Seaboard Air Line Railj
way company.with offices at Hamlet,
i N C, has been given a contract to
secure the planting of 10.000 acres
to castor beans, and the farmers of
South Carolina and Georgia are expected
to grow anywhere from five
to 100 acres or more for him.
The government is going to furnish
the seed at exact cost to the govern!
ment.plus the co>t of transportation;
I but they are not to be paid for until
i after the crop is grown, and from
the crop. Mr Evans will be authorized
to pay to any farmer who will
grow these beans $3 per bushel for
' his entire crop,delivered at the near'
est railroad station.
Those who have grown castor
! beans say that it is one of the easiest
crops produced. There is no insect
pest which is known to attack it.
i Animals and livestock will not eat it.
A bushel consists of 46 pounds and
the price paid will be better than 6 je
per pound, and in times past they
j have been profitably grown at 3c per
' pound.
Any farmeis desiring to secure
! seed and grow this crop under a con
tract in South Carolina or Georgia
! will be expected to address T S Evj
ans at Hamlet, N C. It is not onlv a
' patriotic duty to grow these beans,
! but it is profitable as well, and it is
helping to win the war. Posters will
be furnished to all farmers growing
this crop, which they can po3t upon
their farms, showing that they are
doing their bit towards helping to
win the war.
I A DRESSED-UP CHICK.
A Missouri Bird Enjoys Artificial
Covering.
What is conceded to be the funniest
looking object ever seen in Missouri
is a chicken attired in pants,
coat and cap, running about the
poultry flock of Mrs L F Belton.
It was during the first cold spell
| some time ago that Mrs Belton no|
ticed the chick, which had practically
no feathers at all, shivering in
the chilly wind. She knew that the
chicken could not long endure the
cold and decided that its life was
worth saving: so she took it into
the house and proceeded to dress
it up.
She made for it a pair of pants
with a bib, which covered its featherless
breast; a coat for its bare
back, and a cap for its bald head.
After sewing these garments securely
onto the chicken she turned it
i loose.
It passed the first day in vainly
! trying to step out of its qew trous'
ers, but it soon grew accustomed to
! them, and became the liveliest bird
in the flock.
It is now almost feathered out
and. as Mrs Belton says, will have
| to be undressed before it can ever
J be dressed.
Death of Mrs M L Guess
Mrs M L Guess, of the Salters section,
died at her home there Sunday
and was buried Tuesday in the cemetery
of the Methodist church at Salters.
Mrs Guess was only twenty-one
years of age. Before marriage she
was Miss Lizzie Johnson, daughter
.f T D T/\KnaAri arxA ?tto? ? I.Jn ,.t
; ui x iv uuiiuouii, auu was a laujr ui
i exemplary Christian character. The
! deceased had been in bad health for
| about a year, although her death
j came as a grievous shock to her many
friends. She is survived by her husband
and parents, four sisters and
five brothers.
A bill has been introduced in the
State Senate,the provisions of which
prohibit the sale of Jamaica ginger
and alcoholic extracts.
KINGSTREE SOLDIER BOY WEDS.
Wo G Gamble, Jr. Married to Miss Luc3
i Hammond, of Charleston, Saturday
J A telegram received here MonijdaybyDrand
Mrs W G Gamble
j from their son, William G Gamble
jJr, announcing; his marriage ir
Charleston on the evening of the
j 12th inst to Miss Lucy Hammonc
I was a surprise to the friends of the
family. The young man is a soldier
at Camp Sevier and the oaly child
of Dr and Mrs Gamble. The bride
is a popular and accomplished vounp
Pk^^lacf/in on-i nnlc r'nilfrh.
; Idl] V Wi Vital ICOVUii uti<a VMIJ V4 M?.n..
I
ter of David L Hammond and his
wife Lucy Caroline Randall of Aiken,
and a grandaughter of the late Dj
Abney L Hammond, a prominent
surgeon in the Civil war. The marriage
took place at tho heme of the
! bride's parents.
i State and General News Condensed.
The plant of the Carolina Veneei
j Co at Colombia was burned Friday,
entailing a loss of $100,000.
i Mr Eugene F Douglas, a prominent
business man of Florence, died
at Anderson Saturday morning.
About 100 people were killed or
i injured in the tornado that swept
over parts of Georgia and Alabama
last week.
The public schools of Atlanta, Ga,
1 have been closed this week and the
| coal they had on hand has been sold
; to the public.
On account of the fuel shortage
a woodworking plant in Charleston
has been compelled to use valuable
! i 1 ? - _
| lumoer iur urni*.
i A primary will be held in Sumter
county Saturday to elect successors
to Representatives W L McCutehee
and A K Sanders, resigned.
On account of the fuel situation,
St Michael's and St Philip's Episcopal
churches, Charleston, are holding
union services Sunday afternoons in
each church alternately.
Experts on cattle tick eradicatioc
are in convention at New Orleans,
devising plans for a grand drive tc
1 free ,3outh Carolina and other States
from the pest this year.
A special election will be held ir
Richland county tomorrow to fill
two vacancies in the House of Representatives.
There are six candidates,
among them John T Duncan,
John R Tolbert, former collectoi
of customs for the port of Charles
ton, died at Ninety-Six J hursday
aged 84 years. He was probably the
most prominent Republican in South
Carolina.
A solid car of mail on the Flor
ence-Augusta ACL train was dis
covered to be on fire at Cameror
Thursday morning and the contents
mostly packages for the troops ai
Augusta, were ruined.
Thirteen Indian boys were burnec
to death in a fire which destroyec
the domitory of the Dwight Indiar
Training school at Marble City, Ok
lahoma. Monday. More than a hun>
dred escaped scantily clad in the
bitter cold.
The conviction of Emma Goldmar
and Alexander Berkman. on the
charee of conspiracy againist the
draft law. has been sustained by the
! supreme court, and these notorious
) anarchists will spend some time be
! hind the bars.
| Rev A S Thomas, for nine years
j rector of St David's Episcopal church
j Cheraw, has accepted a call to the
Church of the Good Shepherd, Co
lumbia, and will give special atten
tion to work among the soldiers ai
Camp Jackson. He is a brother ol
Rev Haroid Thomas,late of Florence
but now of Charleston.
Reviewing the first year of Germany's
ruthless submarine campaign,
when it ends February 1, the
Tageblatt claims that more thar
800,000 tons of shipping were sunt
monthly so far, and the total will
show nearly ten million tons, the
newspaper says. The monetary loss
to the enemies will reach fifty billior
dollars.
A quantity of army supplies, in
eluding $1,000,000 worth of food
was destroyed, the quartermastei
I warehouse ruined, and several othei
j buildings damaged by a fire Mondaj
I at the Washington barracks occu
i ?* ?? ? j. * i
; piea Dy engineers truups. t\ luigt
part of the city's fire apparatus wa;
i J called upon to fight the flamei
j which were given impetus by th<
explosion of a quantity of gasolim
I
SITUATION REMAINS
IN DOUBT
TALK CONTINUES UNOFFICIALLY i
OF PEACE NEGOTIATIONS?ARl
MISTICE TO FEBRUARY 18.
J Although there is still talk in un
' official quarters of the possibility of
final breaks in the peace negotiations
between the central powers and the
' Bolsheviki, the armistice evidently
?: has been extended to February 18
and it is reported that the pour1
parlers will be transferred shortly
from Brest Litovsk to Warsaw.
Late advices indicate that there
was considerable haggling between
I #
the opposing delegates at Brest'
Litovsk the latter part of last week.
? i m _x_i i.i i_* ? :
; iroiZKy,DOisneviKi iort-ix" uuuisurr,
as in the previous deliberations.
! proved recalcitrant with regard to
! the German formula "that'the con'
trading parties have resolved hencei
forth to live in peace and friend:
ship" declares that it is a "decora- ?
[jtive phase" and did not describe \k>
what the future relations between
i
. j the Russian and German peoples
;! would be.
:
I Internal strife continues in various
parts of Russia. Bolshevik
troops are reported to have cleared
General Kaledines' Cossacks from
II
; the Don River basin and to have
, i captured Kkaternoslav. Following
i jprevious reports of a mutiny of sail1!
ors at Sebastopol where 62 officers,
among them four admirals, were
killed, Russian soldiers are declared
' to have looted the town of Kilia and
i
i in fighting with the Ukrainians to
to have forced the second Ukrainian
. regiment to surrender and lay down
: j 7,000 rifles and 13 machine guns.
The Petrograd garrison also apt
norantlv ia nut nf VianH l'HIa QnMiorft
{ H?
having been reported as going into
i the provinces and taking food from
> the inhabitants and bringing it back
to the capital and selling it at ex|
orbitant prices.
The Social Revolutionary mem.
bers of the constituent assembly in
. Russia are opposed tc a general
peace at Russia's expense and de
clare that the Bolsheviki are "usurp|!
ers of power, who have precipitated
jj the country into an abyss of civil
| war and anarchy."
j Speculation is rife concerning the
"! conference that is being held in Beri
I m 0
lin between the military and politi[
cal leaders in which Emperor William
ana the crown prince also have
1 participated. "A death struggle is
1 now proceeding between the reich1
stag peace majority and the mili'
i tary annexationist party" says a
[! Bavarian newspaper, which adds
that it does not know which the
! government will support and that
; Egyptian darkness "enshrouds the
I nation's peace terms."
' j Cold weather and snows are stil]
. | retarding the infantry activity on
! the battle fronts, where no fighting
3; of moment is taking place, except
, | in the nature of small patrol engage ;
ments and artillery duels. Notwith"
| standing the fact that similar conJ:i.:
ii i i A. i_ At _ n ?A
.; unions prevaueu iasi weeK, me critf!
ish casualties for the seven days
?jedding last Monday were 24,979
compared with 18,998 the previous
week and 9,951 the week- before
that.
. | Black River Locals
I Born, to Mr and Mrs J J Poston,
J of Bloomingvale, on January 5, a
' fine daughter, weighing about 14
i pounds. Mother and baby getting
on fine.
We are 9orry to learn that the 5
i year old son of Mr and Mrs J J Pos
^1 ton had the misfortune to cut off one
. of the finders on hi9 left hand.
\ Mr and Mrs C H Benton spent
...Sunday afternoon with Mr and, Mrs
J P J McGee.
"i _
3i
3 Lee county has imported 40 fine
? Guernsey heifers, one of the best
i strains of cattle in the world.
JJ