The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, July 24, 1919, Image 1
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Print XllStI?p^0ril
VOL. 35. KINGSTREE, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JULY 24, im NO 20
? 1 j
' J. W. RAGSDALE
DIES SUDDENLY
CONGRESSMAN PASSES AWAY
IN PHYSICIANS OFFICE AT
WASHINGTON
The people of South Carolina were
no less shocked than those at the
National capitol yesterday afternoon
to learn of the sudden death of representative
J. Willard Ragsdale, of
the Sixth South Carolina District,
who had become well known and
popular during his six years of congressional
service. None of the Congressman's
friends at the Capitol or
here at home knew anjgrfling about
his being in precarious health, as'he
had been attending to business actively
as usual and was the picture
of robust manhood. Both the House
of Representatives and the Senate
adjourned Wednesday afternoon out
of respect to the South Carolinian's
memory, the resolution in the House
being offered by Representative
James F. Byrnes and that in the Senate
by Senator E. D. Smith.
The death of Mr. Ragsdale occurred
at the offices of Dr. Dorman, a
nrominent Washington physician. He
had gone to Dr. Dorman's offices to I
keep an appointment with Dr. Arthur
3- Hooe, whom he had consulted
several days ago in regard to the
condition of his heart.
Dr. Dorman and Dr. Hooe hastily
summoned a third physician when
they found that Congressman Ragsdale
was in a condition of collapse.
The three doctors worked with all
the.r might to resuscitate him, using
the most powerful emergency
measures but without avail. Dr. Hooe
said that death was due to acute dilation
of the heart.
Evidently the patient knew the end
was near, for he turned to Dr. Dorman
and asked the physician to hold
his hand. Dr. Dorman complied ana :
in a few minutes Mr. Ragsdaie!
breathed his last lying on a couch in
the physician's office.
Dr. Hooe at once tried to get into
communication with Mrs. Ragsdaie
* but learned she was in South Caro-;
lina. He then called up the Representative's
office.
Several weeks ago Mr. Ragsdaie
complained of nasal trouble and decided
to consult a nose specialist. He
" ^ had received several treatments and
4 shortly before going to the doctor
yesterday he told Representative
Byrnes that he had been greatly
benefited by the treatment.
Dr. Dorman requested, because of
the fact that Mr. Ragsdaie had died
in his office, that the coroner have an
autopsy held on the body. This was
done and the report showed that acute
dilation of the heart, complicated
with serious affection of the kidneys,
had been the cause of death. No anesthetic
was administered to Mr.
Ragsdaie and there was no connection
between his visit to Dr. Dorman's
office and the previous treatment
which he had undergone from
another physician for the slight nasal
trouble which had been mentioned
to his friends. There was an unfortunate
rumor in the afternoon
that the South Carolinian had died.
while under the influence of an anes- j
thetic during an operation on hisj
nose.
Representative Ragsdaie came to
the Sixty-third Congress. He married
the daughter of the late Dr. W. S. j
Joynes, long a member of the faculty
of the University of South Carolina.
Before entering Congress he ;
practiced law in Florence, his home,
^ city, and was president of a bank j
there. Besides his wife Mr. Ragsdaie,
is survived by two children, a Doy
and a girl.
Mr. Ragsdale had been prominent
in the debates of the House and was
a member of the District of Columbia
committee, the committee on foreign
affairs and the industrial arts
and expositions committee.
Mr. Ragsdale was born in Timmonsville,
forty-seven years ago. He
was educated and was a member of
the South Carolina Legislature and
Senate before coming to Congress.
The funeral party left Washington i
for Florence at 9 o'clock this morn- j
ing. The House committee to attend!
the funeral will be composed of the
six South Carolina members of the
House and nine others and ihe Senate
committee will include Senators
Smith and Dial of South Carolina,
Ashurst of Arizona, Beckham of
V AYtfunl/ir l-I ovrionn At \f icciccinni
ivcuvuvn v j nauiovu vi
Fernald of Maine, Sterling of South
Dakota, Spencer of Missouri, Suthland
of West Virginia, and McHary
of Oregan.
Funeral Tomorrow Afternoon
Florence, July 23.?The funeral
services of the late Congressman J.
Willard Ragsdale, whose sudden
death occurred this afternoon in
^JVashington, will be held in h"forence
^Hfriday afternoon at 5 o'clock at
' me Central Methodist church. With
congressional escort the body will
arrive here at 9:45 Friday morning
and will be taken at once to the
home on South Dargan street.
Florence was shocked when the
news of Mr. Ragsdale's death came
today. There are thousands m Eastern
Carolina who feel they have lost
a steadfast and true friend.
Congressman J. Willard Ragsdale
was born in Timmonsville and received
his first education in the
schools of that town. He was fortyseven
years old. After several years
pasted in Wilmington, where he was
employed in the general office of the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company
he entered the South Carolina
University and studied law under the
late Dr. Pope. He practiced law in
Florence for several years with signal
success. When quite a young
man he entered politics and was elected
first to the Legislature from Florence
county and then to the Senate,
serving several terms in the higher
body. He was once a candidat for
Attorney General of South Carolina.
Mr. Ragsdale was serving his forth
term as Congressman from the sixth
Congressional District. He was returned
at the last election without
opposition and it was accepted that
when his present term expired he
would again be &iven the office, if j
he desired it, without opposition. He
had several important committee an-1
pointments, among them that on for-;
eign affairs.
Mr. Ragsdale, in addition to his j
political duties, was extensively en-j
gaged in business. He organized :he
Farmer's and Marchants' Bank here,
several years ago and was its presi-'
dent at the time of his death. He
owned and conducted several of the
finest farms in this and Darlington
counties, and was interested in a1
number of successful enterprises in
this city.
About twenty years ago, shortly
after he left college, Mr. Ragsdale
married Miss Louise Joynes, a daughter
of the late Dr. Joynes, professor
of the South Carolina University,
and to this union two children were
born, James Ragsdale, aged 18, and
Marie Ragsdale, aged 14. Besides his
widow and children, three sisters sur- (
vive, Mrs. W. E. Law and Mis Julia |
Ragsdale, of Timmonsville; and Mrs. j
Rollins, of San Antonio, Texas.
?
-* ^ vi~ T/:n i
Stale lonsiaoir nmru
J. Fletcher Bateman, of Camden, |
State constable, who was shot last i
Thursday while raiding an illicit dis-1
tillery in Kershaw county, died on
the operating table at a Columbia j
hospital Friday from the effects of j
his wound. He was shot through the
intestines.
The dead officer had a high repu-.
tation for probity and regard for j
duty, and he was a man fearless in
the performance of his duties, so
much so that his superiors often had
to caution him to be careful of his j
personal safety. He was a constable
under the former Governor D. C.
Heyward and was chief constable
under former Governor Martin F.
Ansel with headquarters at Charleston.
"I am deeply grieved at tl? death
of my friend, Mr. J. F. Bateman,"
said Governor Cooper when he was
told that the officer was dead. "He
was not only a good officer, fearless
and efficient in the discharge of his
duty, but was a good citizen devoted
to the welfare of his State. He possessed
the traits which go to make
an ideal. He was brave and was a
gentleman, and in a very intelligent
manner went about the discharge of
his duty. He has served during several
administrations as a State offinovor
Vihup I heard anvthinsr i
VC19 CMiu UVTV4 ? ? w w ^
derogatory to his character or to
his work.
The State can ill afford to lose such
a man. He met his death in the line
of duty, met it while he was doing
all in his power to afford to society
the protection of the law, without
which our social fabric would become
chaotic, and our happiness and security
be lost."
o |
Men Recently Discharged
The following named soldier boys
from this county have recently been
discharged.
Sewart Conyers, col. Isaac, Robert-1
son, col. Greelyville; Jake Gilyard, I
Mack Adams col. Hemingway; Jef-1
fery Scott, col. Fowler; Ed. Alexan-1
der, col. Moore's Station; Willie
" T l
HOimes, COl. cry an; ouig^ti t
col. Heinemann; Erwin Poston.
Johnsonville; Wm. A. Green, col.1
Cades; Thos. Bright, Jr., col. Lanes; j
Malbry Gamble, col Willie Graham,1
col. Stephens Green, col. Kingstree. j
Jessie Williams, col. Salters Judson
Winters, col. Kingstree; John Ruck-;
ett, col. Warshaw; Williams Bois,
col. Johnsonville; Horace Brown, col.,
Hemingway; Martin Cooper, col.
Kingstree; Samuel Gadson Mansfield,
col. Christopher Barr, col. Lanes; Joe
Lydney, col Salters; Nathan Bryant,>
Lane.
Samuel Gadson Mansfield, col.;
Lanes; William Mills, Trio; Joe, Syd-,
ney col. Salters; Christopher Barn, j
col. Lanes.
o
THE APPERSONS ARE COMING.
o
Summer School for Colored Teachers
The State has given sufficient aid
to operate a summer school for colored
teachers of Williamsburg county.
This school will begin the second j
Monday in August and run for four
weeks.
All teachers of the Williamsburg
county colored Teachers Association
will meet in the colored Methodist
Episcopal church, Kingstree, the first
Saturday in August at 12:00 o'clock
noon.
v rni. V- .
TOBACCO GROWERS
MEET IN FLORENCE
CONFERENCE CALLED TO BOLSTER
PRICES.
Upon the request of tobacco growers
and business men and bankers of
the Pee Dee section, Governor Cooper
on Saturday called for a conference
to be held in Florence Friday,
July 25, to discuss measures to bolster
tobacco prices.
South Carolina last year produced
62,173,631 pounds which sold at an
i rtf 31 Iifi rpnts a Dound.
"bwiv v* w*.wV r
The total revenue derived from last
year's crop was ?19,311,498.86. or
one fifth the value of the cotton crop
of the State.
Governor Cooper Saturday received
the following telegrams summarizing
the conditions facing the tobacco
growers:
W. C. Hemingway of Hemingway,
said. "Prices of production have fallen
off. Buyers are off the market.
Conditions very much depressed.
Suggest you call convention of tobacco
growers, merchants, bankers,
at Florence Friday, July 25, at 11
o'clock for the purpose of effecting
plans to relieve state of affairs."
The Bank of Hemingway wired:
"As a result of the tremendous slump
of tobacco prices, suggest you call
meeting of bankers, merchants and
tobacco growers at Florence, July
25, to work out plans to relieve situation."
F. Rhem & Sons of Rhems, tele- J
graphed:" Owing to the demoralized
condition of the tobacco industry, we |
beg you to call a meeting of farmers,:
bankers, merchants and others in
sympathy for July 25 at Florence,1
S. C."
Farmers and Merchants Bank of,
Andrews, said: "During the past \
four days which our tobacco market
has been open tobacco has been sell- j
ing at extremely low prices that are
very unfair to the farmers. Finding'
it necessary to make some steps to-'
wards obtaining a living for tobacco
that is grown in this section, we have
decided in Behalf of the people of
this section to ask you to call a meeting
of those who are interested, at
Florence, on July 25 to take some
steps toward remedying conditions."
The following wire was received
from the Bank of Georgetown: "We
respectfully urge you to call a meeting
Ox all tobacco planters, merchants,
bankers and others interested
at Columbia or Florence, July 25,
to consider conditions of the market
and prescribe a remedy, as prevailova
winnnfl w
lug fTXlVOO ?iV
It will be noted from the above
which appeared in the Columbia!
State Sunday that there was no com-!
plaint made to the Governor from
Lake City, Kingstree, Greelyville, or
Johnsonville.
The Florence Times of Monday
says:
"Only a few towns have reported
that the prices were satisfactory.
Newspaper reports from Cherawand
Timmonsville, Mullins, and Dillon indicated
that the 'farmers seemed sat-:
isfied, tobacco men here, however, j
do not place the utmost reliance in j
these reports, and think they were!
sent out with the view of boosting
local markets. They can't see how
primings here should be sold at such
a low price to the same concern buy- j
ing them thirty miles away.
"All last week trie prices paia m |
Florence for some grades continued j
lower than the circumstances would
seem to warrant. It is true that dur-:
ing the week the market did improve j
somewhat, and bright tobaccos j
brought a fairly good price. The dis- j
.-atisfaction however continues. Just I
what is to be accomplished at the
conference on Friday cannot be foretold
but 1 epresentative men will be;
sent here to discuss a situation that j'
is fully as serious as the cotton situation.
"The continued rains have interfer- i
ed greatly with the preparation of
tobacco for market. For the last sev- j
eral days it has been impossible for
the planters to run their barns. At
the same time the rains have dam
1 *T.? "Itnlifn nf +Vi? wpprl cnmp
llgl'll UIC Ijuamt VTi V. . v? _
extent."
As stated in the The Recorro last
week the market opened here in the
with good prices prevailing the remainder
of the week, the daily average
being around .1850 per pound,
though ranging from 3 cents to 45
cents the pound, the former being of
a very low grade while the latter,
was as good as is generally marketed
from primings or the first curing.
The best grades are bringing
prices, here, we believe, that compare
favorably with those .of last
year. Many lots sold Monday, Tuesday
and yesterday brought 43, 45,
46, 48 and 50^ the pound.
It is plainly evident that there is
less demand for the very poor grades
this year than last.
In our opinion it costs just aboutas
much to produce low grade tobacco
as it does high grade, and for that
reason every planter should do his
utmost to make the best and if his
land will not permit this, then cut it
out and plant something else. At
any rate if your tobacco is not of a
high grade dont expect a high price
for it. We offer this as advice, and
not as a reflection upon any community
that has found it necessary to
appeal to the governor, for in these
cases there must be an underlying
cause which we are not able to explain.
o
ELECTED TO VICE PRESIDENCY
Of Carolina Building And Loan
League
Mr. W. H. Carr, Secretary and
treasurer of the Kingstree Building
and Loan association attended the
eleventh annual meeting of the South
Carolina Building and Loan League
at Columbia last Thursday.
The meeing was addressed by Goernor
Cooper who emphasized the
importance of encouraging the owning
of homes, and who pointed out to
the members of the league the opDortunitv
which they enjoy of ren
dering assistance to men who wish to j
secure homes of their own. A sub- j
stantial citizenry is a citizenry that!
owns its homes, the governor, said, j
and Bolshevism and anarchy will find
little encouragement in a country ;
where the people are home owners.
The address by the governor was
warmly applauded at its conclusion.
Mr. E. L. Keesler, of Charleston,
president of the United States League
of Building and Loan associations
was present and also delivered a very
timely address, saying that the accumulation
of wealth and renown as
the most powerful government on
earth are of little consequence if our
people are restless, discontented and
unhappy. Idleness is the mother of
mischief and some sections of our
country are already suffering from
that situation.
' ' * \~~ia
tie tola 01 ine conierenges nciu m
Washington and of the efforts spent
in drawing up a bill, now pending in
congress. The bill, briefly, is fashioned
somewhat after the model of the
Reserve or Farm Loan Bank, by
which building and loan securities
would command money at low rates
of interest, and would be free from
taxation.
In substance the bill provides that
a Federal Building and Loan Bank
be established in each of a given j
number of districts, probably 11.
Each bank is to have not less than
$100,000 of capital, issued in certificates
of $1,000 eatTen or more
associations must ct- uprise the membership
of each of tue banks, having
aggregate assets of $50,000,000. No
bank shall issue to a member, association
bonds in excess of 20 times
the amount of the capital stock owned
by such member. The bill further
provides that the interest rate shall
not exceed 4Vi per cent. The bonds
are to run 20 years and semi-annual
payments are to be made by the borrowing
member. A 20 year bond
would call for an annual payment of
5 per cent, or a semi-annual- payment
of 2* per cent, thus amortizing the
debt. Various restrictions are thrown
about the proposed building and loan
banks, somewhat similar to those
which protect the farm loan bank.
In pointing out the advantages of
such a bank. Mr. Keesler said that it
would accommodate a very large |
class of the population that has been
overlooked. He said that commercial
interests are provided for by the reserve
bank; that the farm loan bank
meets agricultural needs, but that,
so far as the government is conmn-j
ed, the mechanic, the laborer, the '
lawyer, minister, manufacturer, clerk <
or bookkeeper? in a word, the town 1
dweller?must paddle his own canoe ]
or drown. The town man, he said, :
has a protest to make, and now ]
wants some provision made for him. t
He pointed out some of the advan- 1
tages that would accrue from such
an institution and made an eloqeunt
plea for it. The league indorsed this i
plan. 1
Mr. Carr addressed the gathering !
RACE RIOTS AT
NATION'S CAPITOL
WHITE MEN AND NEGROES
CLASH ON STREETS AND IN
CARS?MANY INJURED
The casualty list in Washingtor
race war yesterday ran into thehun
dreds with five deaths, and two mer
probably dying, while unconfimee
police reports placed the number at?
much greater figure. Of the dead, one
was a city detective, shot through the
breast by a negro woman who wa:
firing indiscriminately from the up
per story of her house.
The negress, a girl about 17, alse
was shot but not fatally. In anothei
part of the city a negro firing fron
a garage door kept a provost guare
of soldiers, sailors and marines a
bay for several minutes but finally
was shot down.
Many clashes occurred betweei
white men and negroes on stree
cars. One negro attacked on the bad
end of a car, fired into a crowd fol
lowing the car ana wounded fou:
person, but finally was stopped by i
city detective who was reported t<
have sent seven bullets into the ne
groe's body. The white men wen
only slightly wounded.
The fighting at midnight Mondaj
had resolved largely to fighting be
tween small groups and in one o:
these encounters a marine was re
ported to have been killed. Althougl
service men had taken part in th<
early clashes the most serious wer<
those in which the mobs were mads
up of civilians. The fighting starte(
Saturday night and continued unti
yesterday.
A crowd of more ^than 3,000 per
sons congregated at Peace Monu
ment, at the foot of the capital short
ly after the houses adjourned an<
members were leaving for theii
homes. A negro had started an argument
with a white soldier and bystanders
rushed to take a part. Streel
cars were halted and traffic was
blocked for several hundred yards ir
each direction. Before anything serious
developed, however, four auto
mobiles filled with ponce reserve:
made through the crowd and haltec
the disturbance. Later in the evening
Patrolman Bunn, crackshot of the department,
was struck by a bullet
fired by a negro in the Northwesl
section of the city, the most exclusive
residential district The bullet strucl
the patrolman's arm and he was unable
to return the fire. The negro es
caped, outrunning a crowd of civiilans.
Two negroes were seriously injured
late in the afternoon near the
house office building. One had beer
accused by several soldiers of having
tried to steal a bicycle and when h<
attemDted escape he was overtakei
and beaten. The other negro, believ
ed to be a chauffeur for a representa
tive, intervened and was beaten int<
unconsciousness. The soldiers goi
away before the arrival of the police
As the night wore on the crowds
on the downtown streets seemed t<
grow larger, notwithstanding that al
Washington citizens had been warned
by the district authorities to remain
off the streets.
Considerable feeling has beer
aroused since the night attack or
two women by the negroes, the latesl
M * Kr%\rr
victim oi wnom was saiu iv u??*
the wife of a sailor and which resulted
in the organized effort for revenge
last night.
o
NOTICE
Any one having in his possession
a rubber coat or hat belonging to the
Kingstree Fire department will
please turn same over to Mr. W. H,
Welch, before Monday night July*28.
N L. R. McIXTOSH, Chief.
briefly and to the point, giving his
ideas on the more important details
connected with the general management
of the local associations and
also of the bill favoring tne establishment
of a Federal Building and
Loan bank. His remarks were so
well taken that he was elected second
vice president of the league, and
his fellow citizens regard it as a
high complement, in view of the fact
such posts are customarily filled by
promotion. Mr. Carr was not an officers
and had never attended one of
the League's meetings before.
0
When all you need is a little more
speed to make you a winner at the
traps, shoot Remington W. M. C.
speed shells.
- ?
NEGRO GIRLS KILL
, FATHER WITH AXE
> CONFESS TO BRUTAL MURDER
IN FLORENCE COUNTY
LAST THURSDAY v
Brutality of an almost inconceivai
ble nature marked the killing in
- Florence county last Thursday night
, of Sylbert Myers, a respected negro
. farmer, by his two daughters, Lillian
and Rebecca, aged respectively 16
1 and 18 years.
; Using an axe as a weapon the two
; girls struck their father on the back
^ of his head while he was seated at
s the table eating his supper. The
" blows were struck from behind. Myers
lived only a short while after the
SZ i. L1~ ^1
) i iirsi uiuw was struciv.
r According to the statement of his
daughter, Lillian first attacked her
1 father. She brought the blunt part of
i the axe down upon his head with
tflerrific force, breaking in the skull.
. As the man leaned over on the table
she struck him again, and he fell to
the floor. Rebecca then took a hand
? and grabbing the axe from her sist
ter's hand, struck the man as he lay
c upon the floor. They then dragged
him out into the yard where they
watched him die.
r After hiding the body of their
i father in the woods the girls return,
ed to the house dressed in their Sunday
clothes and went to an icecream
supper just a few hundred yards
- from the spot where the body lay.
The murder occurred about dark.
f Myers lived near Muldraw's mill, and
was highly thought of by his own
as well as by the white people of
f j that community. When placed under
. I arrest rmxt mominc bv shriff Burch,
11 Lillian and Rebecca Myers confessed
;! all about it. They also made a volun[
| tary statement to the jury of inquest
' which was empaneled by Coroner
; Smith. In their statement they de1
clared that they killed their father
1 because he would not let them go to
a party at a tobacco barn. He said
he would kill us if we went, said one
" j of the girls. t
After watching their father die
. the girls placed his body in a wheelj
barrow and carried it into the woods,
placing it near a path about 50 yards
r i from the public road. They then
j went back to the house and dressed
.; for the party. The path near which
t the body lay was taken by the girls
in going to the party. All of this
5 happened, however, after they- had
i washed up the blood in the house
! and had swept the yard. They did not
. j attempt to hide the axe and it is now
,! in the possession of the coroner. It
5 is heavy and blood stained.
' j Two negroes who returned home
r'with the girls from the party saw
. | the body of a man lying near the
. I path. One of them, Isear Law, called
but received no answer. Isear testi11
fied that he knew Myers was careful
about his girls, and he thought
it was Myers lying in the bushes
waiting for them to come back home.
When the negro men called the girls
ran on to their home. The men returned
to the tobacco barn and getting
others to follow, came back to
i the spot and found the dead body of
i Sylbert Myers. The daughters did
, not tell of their connection with the
i crime until faced by the officers
* ? * " ? xi 1?
r Friday morning wnen wey uiutc
^'down and confessed. Both of them
' j tell the same story as to the manner
1 of the murder.
-1 Sylbert Myers was about 47 years
.' old. He was well thought of, his ac1
quaintances stating that he had alj
ways been anxious to rear his chil,
dren correctly. j
. I o
, BAPTIST DISCUSS CAMPAIGN
i Conference on $75,000,000 Drive Held
1 At Columbia Tuesday
r? 4.".* *?aeo/viat'.jnn in
DitpUM XIUllI 5>vi;
| the State heard plans outlined and
participated in lively discussion on
.' methods best suited to raise South
; Carolina's $5,500,000 of the great
11 $75,000,000 campaign to be launched
:: November 30 at their conference in
! Columbia Tuesday afternoon. Dr. W.
J. Mc Glothlin, president of Furman
i University, presided and led the dis- *
'! cussion.
| Points taken up included the
, amount to be raised, time of cam:
paign, time for preparation, aim of <
! the Baptists, requisites to success in
the movement, methods of getting in
| j touch with every member of the faith
in South Carolina, what a nominal
amount would be, appointment of as'
j sistants . to associational directors,
, resident members and nonresident
i members, and forming such a comj
plete organization that little trouble
j will be experienced in reaching all
; | Baptists when the eight day drive
begins. The conference was informal
and all points were discussed freely.
' Quotas for the various associations
I have been announced and sentiment
1 u
j pointed mat eacn ys>oviaiiou ?*o wvpected
to reach its goal,
i Kingstree was represented at the
conference bv the Rev. E. A. Mcj
Dowel 1.
the appersons are coming,
o
Robert McGriff negro chauffeur,
was fined $50 in the recorder's court
Columbia, Monday morning on the
charge of reckless driving. The negro
was charged with racing his machine
between two cars which were mov- .**
ing in a funeral procession.
o *
the Eppersons are coming.
i *
,