Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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otchman ?u? o ?tl) con FU 8?MTER WATCHMAN, Sitabliahed April, 1850. "Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Truth's." THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established Jone. 1366 Consolidated Aug. 2,1881. SUMTER. S. C., WEDNESDAY. APRIL 18, 1900. New Series-Vol. XIX. So. 3S Cfc ^atcjnmw w? ?mfyxm Published Every Wednesday, JST. Gr. Ogteenj SUMTER, S. C. TERMS : $1.50 per aooum-io advance. ADVERTISEMBKT: One Square first insertion.SI 00 Every subsequent insertion. 50 Contracts for three months, or longer wi! be made at reduced rates. All communications which subserve private interests will be charged foras advertiements. Obituaries and tributes of respects will be char?ed for. TBE AFRICAN WAR. No Confirmatioc of the Re? ported British Disaster. Landon, April 12, 5.10 a. m - There is little fresh intelligence from the seat of war io Sooth Africa. It looks as though Lord Roberts may be preparing to take a strong force to clear the Boers from behind him. A Cape Town dispatch says be wi!! not move for another week, owiog to the necessity of gathering scores and supplies Sir William Gataore'a sudden re? moval is the theme of much specula? tion. The curt maooer io which it is ann ooo ced causes mach com mee:. The g?nerai impression is that it is coDoeoted with the Reddersburg affair, although there are macy who consider that there must be something much more serious, as other generals io South Africa have been retained in command after blunders more formid? able thao Gatacre's The war office bas received no news of the death of Col Baden-powell and utterly discredits the rumor The operations io Natal have not yet been fully explained. There appears to have been an attempt to ootflaok the British at Elaodsiaagte aod to sever them from their base at Ladysmith. Loudon, April 12 -The Bloemfon? tein correspondent of The Times tele? graphing Wednesday, says : "It is aanonoced io general orders that Geo Sir Herbert Chermside bis been appointed to the command of the Third division vice Geo Sir William Gataore 'ordered borne to Eogiaod.' "Gen Brabant's force is confident of being able to hold out. "The Boers, after showing consider? able dash, have wavered oe reaching the final issse aod have struck at last the vital poiot, where they are greatly handicapped by their proximity to the Basuto border. "Owing to the strategical conceotra ??008 since the enemy's movements became defined there need be little anxiety a* to the safety of the Cape border. No crgaoizsd invasioD of Cape Colooy is cow possible except uoder extreme risks, which Commandant Olivier is oot likely to take, especially ts his horses are reported to be greatly exhausted/' FIGHTING AT ELANDSLAAGTE Ladysmith. Taesday, April 10 -The Boers opened fire this morning early ?ending shells into the British camp at Elaodsiaagte from three positions widely separated. The shells did oo damage. The troops moved oot to reconnoitre aod fouod the Boers io a strone force and well fortified. A oaval 4.7 ioch inch goo replied tc the Boers, who have again placed a Long Tom io po?; tico Another command was eeeo moving toward the British left, apparently with the intention of flanking them bat the British shelis forced them to rehire The British advance pickets were continually sniped bot few casualties have beeo reported. Ia the afteroooo the naval brigade again fired a few sheila It is rumored that a body of Boers has gathered southwest of Elaods? iaagte wttb the appareot ioteotioo of cutting the British Sine of commuoiea tlODS BRITISH CASUALTIES. L >ndon, April ll -The war office issued this afteroooo a return of the total British casualties up to April 7 It was as follows : Killed io action 211 officers aod 1,960 meo ; died of wounds 48 efficers aod 465 men : missing aod prisooers, 168 officers aod 3,722 men ; died of disease 47 officers and 1,485 men ; aooideotai deaths, 3 officers aod 34 meo ; repatriated invalids, 288 officers aod 4.934 meo ; total, 13,365, exclusivo of the siok aod wounded DOW io hospitals. To the war office retaros of casualties must be added the losses of the last week aod the woaoded azgregaiiog about 10.000. makiog a gra?d total of upwards of 23,000 officers and meo put out s ct ion. BIG GUNS FOR THE BOERS. Loodoo, April ll.-The correspond? ent of the Times at Looreozo Marques, telegraphing Monday, says : "Trust worthy refugees asser; thai tbe Boers recently obtained at b?s' toirty pieces of artillery, some of large calibre, which were brough S overland as maobtoery from a West Afrijan port. Eisbt of thfs-? suns were dispatched to the F:s3 State a week ago. The Boer ofici?is opsciy boast that they have socceeded io Ptn?gcTl?:isr anaosuoinon tbroush Portuguese territory. Roberts Reports Garrison Holding out. Reinforce? ments S9Dt Up. London, April ll -Lord Roberts wires to the war office from Bloem? fontein under date of Tuesday, April 10, as follows : "The enemy have been very active during the past few days One commando is now on the north bank of Orange river, not far from Aliwal North, whiie another is attacking Wepener The garrison is j holding ont bravely and has inflicted I serious loss on Boers Maj Springe of the Cape mounted troops was killed. No other casualties have been reported as yet The troops are being moved up rapidly A partol of 6?X men of the Seventh Dragoon Guards, under Lieut Weth erly, which had been reported miss? ing since April 7, has returned safely " As the foregoing does not mention the alleged British reverse on Satur day at Meerkatsfontein, the Boer telegrams are not credited at the war office and they are farther discredited on account of the discrepencies in the dispatches, as Meerkatsfontein in one message is located near Brand fort, and in another is located south? east of Bloemfontein, the places be iog 100 miles apart. Roberts Said to be Prepar? ing to Crush the Boers. London, April 13, 4 05 a m -In a roundabout way London hears that Lord Roberts, when wiring to the Prince of Walea at Copenhagen con? gratulations upon his escape from assassination, added two or three hopeful sentences portending an early advance with wide reaching combi? nations Quiet assurances are passed around among military men that Lord Roberts is employing his great army effectively and that the adventurous commandoes are likely to be enmesh? ed Scraps of news-a detail here and another there-have reached England tonight over comparatively idle cables, but they do not illuminate the situation The colonials at Wepener still hold off the Boers Lord Methuen has worked eastward until he is within 80 miles of Kroonstad Boer scouts have gone around Ladysmith and have appeared at Dewdrop and other places on Gen Buller's flanks and rear. Tbe officers of Buller's irregu lar horse estimate the Boers in Natal at 18.000, bat these figures are prob? ably excessive, 10,000 being regard? ed here BR the outside number After Gen Hart's brigade leaves him Gen Buller will still have dose upon 35.000 men It is generally assumed that this brigade is going to join Lord Roberts, but its destination is really unknown The Boers have issued a note to Portugal reparding the used by the British of the Beira route for trans? portation of troops to Rhodesia and this may, if the Boers act against Portugal, lead Great Britain to land I troops at Lorenzo Marques. This j possibility has been seriously dis? cussed and is referred to at length in the morning papers today Tbe work of the Boer peace com missioners has begun Mr Fischer has asked italy to interveno and the Italian minister of foreign affairs, the Marquis di Visconti Venosta, has replied that whiie he would receive the envoys, the best he could do would be to transmit their proposals to London, thus following the course of the United States Sir Alfred Milner, when replying to a deputation of ciegymen in Cape Town yesterday (Thursday), said : " 'Never again'* must be the motto of all thinking and humane men, but not from lust of conquest JT a desire to trample on the gallant, if misguid ed There mu6t be no compromise or patchwork in the settlement, and no opportunity for misunderstanding, intrigue, the revival of impossible ambition, or the accumulation of enormous armaments "The British will no longer tolerate dissimilar and antagonistic political systems in a country which nature and history have declared to be one " In these absolute utterances of Sir j Alfred Milner he speaks for the im- ? perial government. It is calculated that Lord Roberts j has now 214 000 effeciive troops, with 12,000 more afloat or under' orders The war office has instruct ed officers not to take any more expanding bullets to Africa for re? volvers. Hildyard Steyn, brother of Presi-1 Gent Steyn, in the coarse of an in? terview at Bloemfontein, said : "The original war plan of the Boers was to overrun all Cape Colony, but on becoming involved in the sieges of Kimberley and Ladysmith, the burgh? ers found the design spoiled. To this I attribute the Boer failure tc conquer the British. I expect the war to last uniil Christmas " The seventh month of the war is beginning with Eastertide, and the morning paper editorials expatiate upon the need of soberness. Roberts Reports Check of Advance on His Commu? nications. London. April 14, 4.15 a. m - "Tbe forward movement of the Boers is checked."" says Lord Roberts. This is taken to mean, not by fighting bat by dispositions to head off further advance and bar their way to vulnera? ble poiots in the "line of British commu? nications. Relief is on the way to Wepener. Tbe Boers ia Natal appear inoapable ef developing an aggressive movement at Elandslaagte Lord Methuen is at Zwartkopfootein, 12 miles east of Boshof, and is seed? ing small swift columns through the adjacent country. Lord Chesham, commanding ooe of these, encountered a small commando about ten miles southeast of Zwartkopfonteio. He found most of the farms occupied by women and children only An editorial note in the Daily Mail avers that Mafeking is io a very bad way and that the hope of relief is far off, as no force is advancing from the south. Tbe war offioe aoGOunces that four thousand horses will arrive at the Cape this week. It is well understood that the animals are not fit for work until about tea days after the voyage. Two thousand more are due at the Cape next week The war office bas oalled out tbe reserve ccompanies of several infantry battalions which will be soot to South Africa forthwith The Boer peace envoys have docu? ments-the Rome correspondent of tbe Daily News says-showing that urgent advances to the Transvaal to wage war were originally made by Germany. This correspondent also asserts that Count von Buelow, the German foreign minister, who was said to have gone on a visit to a eick brother, really went to Milan for the express purpose of con? ferring with the delegates. London, April 13, 9 10 p. m.-The war office has received the following dispatch from Gen Roberts : "Bloemfontein, April 13, 1 30 p. m. the enemy's movements south have been checked. Wepener is still sur? rounded but the little garrison is hold? ing out well. Troops are being moved to their assistance. "Tbe health of the troops is good and the climate perfect " BOERS CHANGING TACTICS. London, April 14-The Bloera fontein correspondent of The Morn? ing Post telegraphing Thursday, says : "The enemy have evidently de termined to adopt entirely new tac? tics The columns are known to be moving to the south of Bloemfon tein. They are relying on Cape carts for transport and are carrying scarcely any forage and only sum cient food to meet the immediate requirements of the convoy with ox transport following at a secure dis? tance. The Boer columns are thus enabled to move almost as quickly as cavalry. "It is reported that there are 9.000 Boers to the south of Dewet's drop. The force extends from that point to Odenhall The burghers who had returned to their farms are undoubt? edly rejoining the enemy. "Lord Roberts has appointed the Dake of Marlborough to he assist ant military secretar^ at headquar? ters v London, April 14 -The Daily Telegraph has the following from Elandslaagte dated April 13: "The Boers are changing tbeir tactics and are moving from Glencoe west ward with a view of threatening our lines of communication to Lady? smith. On Tuesday a corps of Carbineers and another of Thorneycroft's Horse narrowly escaped being cut off, owing to the treachery of a Kaffir and a native guide " FIGHTING AT WEPENER. Bloemfontein, April 13 -Accounte received here of the fighting of the troops under Col Dalgety at Wepe? ner show the Boers attacked them vigorously but were repulsed with great loss The Boers subsequently relinquished the attack and it is said here they are returning north wards --~^muw>~ - -i Dr E A Aiderman, president of the Uoivemty of North Carolina, has been elected president of Tulane Uoi versityLNew Orleans. Bradstreet^ Review of Trade for the Week. Backward Spring Weather Retarded Distribution. New York, April 13 -Bradstreet's tomorrow wiii say : Backward spring weather conditions have figured con? siderably in distributive trade reports this week, and, in connection with some weakness in prices of leading staples, have imparted an appear? ance of irregularity to the g?nerai situation Another one of those downward swings in the prices of agricultural staples is exhibited this week in slightly lowered prices for the cereals, partly because of the bearish position of immediate sup plies and partly because of the better than expected government crop re? port, which is taken to indicate a possible winter wheat yield in excess of all records. The crop outlook as a whole favors the expectation of large yields of wheat, corn and cot? ton. Corn and oats have sympathized with the reaction in pork products, which reaction, however, has not been universal, as shown by the fact that lard is at the highest poiut reached on the present boom. Cotton exports in March were three times those of a year ago in value and for seven months are 7 per cent greater in value, while 23 per cent smaller in quantity. Evidences accumulate that active missionary work in favor of lower prices for iron and steel is at last bearing fruit. Pig iron is no lower and stocks as a whole are claimed to be no larger than a month ago, but steel products have weakened notice ably during the week, billets noting the sharpest decline, with correspond? ing decreases in some other products. The other metals show little change on the week, copper being in con? tinued good demand and firm, while tin ie speculatively weaker and lead is stroDg at previous prices The hardware trade returns good reporte as a whole, relatively best advices coming from western distributive centres A slight upward swing in cotton is to be noted this week and southern mills have officially advanced prices. On the other hand, while the mills are active on old orders new busi ness is leported of smaller volume Some more inquiry is noted in raw wool, without, however, affecting values appreciably. The strength of raw sugar is a reflection chiefly of the fact that a considerable shortage is looked for in the supplies of cane sugar, not only In Cuba, but in the far east. The margin between raw and refined allows of no profit at present quotations. Anthracite coal is rather weak at the decline shown from the winter list price, but bitu? minous is strong and active, particu? larly on foreign account Wheat, including flour, shipments for the week aggregate 2,896.653 bushels, against 3,836,963 bushels last week, 1,983,619 bushels in the corresponding week of 1899 ; 4.425, 302 bushels in 1898 ; 1.344.012 bushels in 1897 and 2.017,579 bush? els in 1896 Since July 1 this sea son the exports of wheat aggregate 153.906,296 bushels against 190,329, 159 busheis last year and 188,271,530 bushels in 1897-98 Coro exports for the week aggregated 2,799,443 bushels against 4.361,591 bushels last week, 2,666,125 bushels in this week a year ago, 4 661,194 bushels in l?98 ; 2,328,485 bushels in 1897 and 1,074,542 bushels in 1896. Since July 1 this season corn exports aggregate 162,922,049 bush? els against 133,955,804 bushels dur ing the same period a year ago and 143,769,843 bushels in 1897-98 Business failures for the week number 152 as compared with 182 in the United States last week, 243 in this week a year ago and 215 in 1898 ; 195 in 1897 and 244 in 1896. Failures in the Diminion of Canada for the week number 35 as compared with 25 last week and in this week a year ago, 27 in 1898, 39 in 1897 and 34 in 1896. WasbiogtoD, April 9 -Io the case of Edward B Wesley vs Howard Peeles, the Uoited States supreme court today decided that a specific performance of a cootraot oo the part or,' a purchaser of property could oot be enforced wheo it is rouad that the purchaser is buyiog a law suit. The case iovolved tbe v&lidiry of revenue bond scrip issued by the State of South Carolina nine yearn sioce, bot this point was cot decided by the opioioo. London, April 10 -The Cape Town correspondent of Tbe Daily Mail tele? graphing Sunday, says : "I have re? ceived information to tbe effect that negotiable securities of the valus of 130,000 pounds, which wero lodged by "law with tbe Free State government by roreigo iosuraooe oompanies. have di* appeared The New York Mutual Life insurance company has issued a warn? ing agaizat dealiog io them." TIME TO CUT ! SOME WAR TAXES. J \ Collecting Eighty Millions More Than He Can fix- . pend. Washington, April 10 -The secre j tary of the treasury today sent to j congress his reply to the house reso j lution of April 2d, which called for j information as to whether, in bis I opinion, the present revenue laws are creating and will continue to create a surpius in the treasury, and if so, to what extent at the end of the current fiscal year, also his estimates of the probable receips of the trea? sury from ali sources of revenue for those years, and also the amount of internal revenue taxes received uoder the war revenue act upon articles not heretofore taxed. The secretary in his reply estimates the surplus for the fiscal year ending June 20,1900, at ?70,000,000 as fol? lows : Receipts-Customs, $233,000,000; internal revenue, $292,OGO,000 ; mis cellaneous. $35,000,000. Total, ?560.000,000. Expenditures-Civil, $14,000,000, war, ?135.000,000 ; oavy\ $55 000, 000; Indians, $11,000,000 ; pen? sions. $143,000,000 ; interest, $42, 000,000. Total, $490,000,000. The surplus for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1901, is estimated at $82,000,000, as follows : Receipts, customs $240,000,000 ; internal rev enue, $300,000,000 : miscellaneous, $37,000,000. Total, ?577.000,000. Expenditures, civil, $115 000,000 : interest. $40,000,000. Total, $495, 000.000. Total internal revenue taxes re? ceived under the war revenue act upon articles not heretofore taxed was $79,055,249 This amount includes $45,724,541 for the fiscal year 1899 and $33,330, 708 for the first nine months of fiscal year 1900. Under schedule "A" $38,618,081 is given for 1899 and $37,439,622 for first six months of fiscal year 1900 ; under schedule "B ' $5,219,727 and ?3,403,800 ; legacies $1,235,435 and $1,660,872 ; excise tax, $643 446 and $820,010 ; mixed flour, $7,841 and $6 314. READY FOR WAR. Managua, Nicaragua, March 26 - The warlike movements which for several months past have been going on in three of the Central American states, Salvador and Costa Rica on the one side, and Nicaragua on the other, large numbers of men being impressed into the army of each state and drilled daily have reached a condition of completeness. But the indications now are that there will be no war at present or in the near future, owing, in part to the fact that while Salvador has much the largest and best equipped and drilled army, there is danger that if the war is commenced by Salvador, a strong revolution will develop in that country against President Regalado or that if Nicaragua takes the initi? ative and attempts to attack Salvador -the people of that country will unite as one man in support of President Regalado and Costa Rica will invade Nicaragua from the south. The United States minister to Costa Rica. Nicarauga and Salvador, William L Merry, is at present temporarily residing in Managua He is having frequent conferences j with President Zslaya, the object of ?vhich is said to be the peaceful settlement of the difficulties ?etween the three countries to which he is i accredited - ?? i ? I Princeton. N. J , April 10.-Prof Charles A Young, head of the as? tronomical department, announced today that Prof William Libbey will go to Wadesboro, N C., tomorrow to make the preliminary arrange? ments for the Princeton party, which will view the total eclipse of the sun at that place on May 28. The party will leave Princeton on May 19. Petersburg, Va, April 10-Tonight about 10 o'clock tbe large leaf tobacoo factory occupied by W. G Danoiogton & Co, in ibis city, and containing over a million pounds of the finest tobacco, purchased for the Austrian Govern? ment, was, with its contents, totally destroyed by fire. The loss is esti? mated at ?100,000. Several small bouses in the vioioity were also destroy? ed The fire originated in the boiler room Makes the food more del _ROYAL BAKING POWD A New Law Wanted So That Justice May Not ba Cheated as in Recent Cases. Washington, April 13 -Some time ago proceedings were instituted by the department of justice co secare the removal to Savannah, Ga, of Benjamin D Green. John P., William T. and Edward H.* Gayoor aod Michael A. Coooolly, woo were indicted by the grand jory of the United States district court of Georgia for conspiring to defraud the United States upon two oootracts relating to harbor improve meots at Savannah aod Cumberland sound. The Uoited States commission? er at Mew York, where the defsadanta were apprehended, held in effect that the certified copy of the Georgia indict? ment, followed by the identification cf the defendants, was sufficient to justify their removal District Judge Addison Brown, however, held to the oontrary and farther, that the government was required by affirmative proof, to make out a case of probable guilt and that the defendants were entitled to go fully ioto defense aod to produce evidence on their part to rebut the presumption of guilt raised by the proofs ef the govern? ment. THE CUSTOM HOUSE SCANDAL. Washington, April 12 -Io regard to the abolishment of tbe office of chief inspector and boarding officer of the port of Charleston, Assistant Secretary Spaulding said this morning that it bad no political significance whatever, and also that there was no connection with the recent developments in the Charles? tom Custom House matter. He said the relief of Mr Wilkinson came as the result of the recommendation of two special officers who were seot to inquire into the amount of work done by that office, and they had reported that tbe business of the Custom House did not warrant the keeping of a board? ing officer. WHAT ALL CHARLESTON KNOWS. "As far as I know," said Mr Spauld? ing, "Mr Wilkinson is a man of very good character and hs bas fiiled the office of chief inspector and boarding officer very satisfactorily for the depart? ment. This move has no political significance aod it is ooly because there is not enough work to bs done to keep snob an officer busy. The report from Mr M3catee, the special inspector sent to inquire into tbe alleged hidiog of contraband liquor in the Custom House, was jost received by me on Tuesday aod I have taken no steps io the matter yet. It will be two or three weeks yet before the report is made public and tbe guilty officers removed, but there was no mention of Mr Wilkinson's name in the report and he had nothing whatever to do with the liquor." R. M L. SMALLPOX AT WHITNEY. Gov McSweeoey bas received a letter from Mr Joo B Cleveland, of Spartan burg, in which he says the management bad bees caring for the smallpox situa? tion at Whitney mills, and beloved they had it pretty well under control. He adds that many of the sufferers are poor people The management is help? ing them as far as possible, bat suggests that the State board give some assistance. Gov MoSweeney wrote Mr Clevelaod that he bad referred :be letter to Dr James Ev3os of tbs State board. -The State, April 14. Aiken, April ll -Two colored pris? oners named George and John McHan broke ou: of the Aiken jail Saturday and escaped. When tho jailor brought them their dinner they over? powered him and took bis keys and made their way to the yard. Sheriff Alderman has offered $50 reward for their capture. Loureczo Marques, April 10.-The Freocb steamer Caravella, Cape Lo? bourbie, from Havre, February 25, has arrived here with ooe hundred and six passengers, including the Chicago ambulance corps. A majority of the passengers will proceed by train to tbe Transvaal. Chesterfield. April .12.-The most sensational trial ever recorded in tbe history of Chesterfield County basc?me to an end. Harvey and John Jackson have been found guilty of the murder of Cafesie Boan. The jury recommend? ed meroy and their necks are saved. LBAKING POWDER URE ?c?ous and wholesome