Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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FEUE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850. VBe 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 Jene. 1266 Consolidated Aug. 2,1881 Cjtf SMatr?jimut aub Soutljroii Published E*sry "BTofoesday, -sr SUMTER, 8. C. TSRMS : ?1.50 per annum-io advance. ADTKRTI32MEKT.* One Square first insertion.?1 00 Every subsequent insertion... 50 Contracts for three months, cr longer wil be made at reduced rates. All communications which subserve private interests will be charged foras advertiementa. Obituaries and tributes of respects will be charged for. THE WAR IN AFRICA. BULLER SEV?RfiLY CRIT? ICISED. London. April 18, 4 a. m.-The government has chosen this as the moment to publish a dispatch from Lord Roberts pronouncing censure opon Sir Redvers Buller and Sir Charles Warren, two of his most importan insubordinate commanders This dispatch, written Feb 13th, bas been ia the bands of the war o fi se for five weeks. Why it is published now, in the middle of the campaign, is not understood, unless it was expected that Geo Baller and Gso Warree will ask to be relieved of their commands. The severe criticism of their capacity most tend to ocdermioe the confidence of the troops io their leadership Lord Roberts' dispatch with tee eo eiosores are the great features of the London press ibis morning Whether the goveromect has any special purpose or cot in publishing the dispatch the way in which it has beeo received, will make it more difil3olt to retain the censored com? manders io active service. Lord Roberts' long wait and the Boer activity cave seriously disturbed public equanimity He is still 300 miles from Pretoria. No one doobts the ultimate success of British arms, bot behind the British army that crashes the Boer armies ac army of occupation will have to be installed From vari?os source? come hints that more men than are already pro vid ed will have to be sect oat. Lord Roberts indicates that at least j 10,000 men are sdvaociog to cot off j the Boers, who are investing Wepeoer j As there are reports from the Basnto border that firing bas been heard in the direction of the bills toward Dewet's dorp, it is possible Gen Chermside's advanced troops are al? ready io contact with the Boers Lord Roberts wires that be expected to ciear the southeastern section o{ the Free State, east of the railway, and theo to swing round to the north and to toro one after another toe positions held by the Boers north of B'oemfoa teio. Gen Baller's nrobibirtjn cf al! pre?s telegrams in Nata! cntil f?rther notice :s tpl'eo to indicate that a movement ie aboa? to be taken there. ROBERTS' ARMY ABOUT TO BEGIN MARCH ON PRETORIA London, April 17 -At last Lord Roberts seems to be on the eve of mak log hts maia advance toward Pretoria Uoless ail the ocasaUiy reliable scarces of information and all the indications smuggled past the censor are ar. fault the British army wi'hin a few days wiil be marching northward After many premature and unfounded report? which bava paroorted to teil this move, there ?3 natorai?y. even io he best informed quarters, ccn.-iderabif hesitancy ic definitely fettling upon the j day Lord Roberts is likely to leave j Bloemfontein, but- there is a settled ? impression that it will occar either at ? the end of this ween or at the begin? ning of next. The long, weary wair I io the Free State capital has apparently j effected a maob needed rehabilitation, thoogh is is probable L^rd Rob?r s woaid still have further delayed his j advance bad not the BDer activity forced him to DU: his forces in such position? tba*, urde&s they quickly pro ceed northward the strategic advantage will be lost. Buller and Warren Must go. | London, April 19-4 10 A. M - Ileavy rains impede the movement \ of the British commas The block- I ade at Wepener continues, although . relief is near Large quantities of stores are being moved southward from Bloemfontein, which ie a rever sal of the coutse of freight for the last six weeks. These shipments are made necessary by th^ operations in the southeast of the Free State There are two thousand ?ick in the 1 field hospitals, most of the cases be? ing of dysentery ?nd enteric Tver With the exception of these facts, the embargo upen war intelligence is almost complete The special cor? respondents send trivialties or state i mente which obscure rather than ; explain the situation, in their efforts i to prepare rustier that wil! pass the j censor Here and there a phrase indicates an expectancy that large things are about to happen I What is to be done with Sir Red j vers Buller and Sir Charles Warren occupies everybody's attention The ! papers continue to comment earnestly I upon Lord Robertas censure of these ? commanders They ask if more ? errors are not likely to occur, to ! geiher with fruitless waste of life, in j the event that men who have been declared incompetent by their supe ! riors, continue to command 40,000 j troops It is now generally acoept ! ed that the government had a pur j pose in the publication of Lord Roberta's dispatch, and that the recall of Gen Buller and Gen Warren prob? ably has been decided upon According to Boer reports there is j a steady flow of foreign volunteers i to the Transvaal Heretofore these j adventurers have been attached to the various commandoes. Now, it is said they are to be formed into a j special legion, with Continental offi I cers, and there is a rumor that the command wili be given to a distin? guished French soldier, lately retired, wbc ia now in the Transvaal or is nearing the end of the journey thith* er. Presumably the officer referred to in this report is Gen De N?grier, former member of the French su? preme council of war, who was removed from the active lists last Joly by the Marquis De Gallifet as a disciplinary measure during the j excitement arising from the court martial London, April 19 -According to a dispatch to the Daily Mail frota Loureozo Marques nearly half the members of the Chicago ambulance corps, when offered Mausers on i heir arrival at Pretoria, tore off their Red Cross badges. Adelbert S. Hay, United S"tate& consul, co'!6ed the Transvaal Government that he iD?'t renort the circumstance to Washington. j HEAVY LOSSES AT WEPENER. Maseru, April 17.-Col Dalgety'* casualtifs since he has been besieged at Wepener have been 20 killed and 100 wounded. Tbe Boer losses are reoort ed to have been considerably heavier. After the night attack on April 12 the dead were left on the Seid, where thev still He uobaried. There is a conflict; of cpioion among the leaders. Some want to attack again, while others refuse to do 60. Desultory caonoo firing and "sniping" continue. The Caledon is rising, which alarms tbe Boers, who are oow on both sides of the river and might be cnt eff if the stream was to become flooded. Five Boer guos are believed to be disabled. i _ i - i I London, April 19 -The L^urerzo ? Marques correspondent of the Daily I Mail, telegraphing Wednesday, fays : ''Two huodred and fifty Boers started i -cday from Waterval Ooder, marching j through the Zontpansberg di?.trior, to j intercept Gen Cirrington's force M i _.._ I - BOERS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY Pretoria, April 18 -As soon as the Berne award in the Delagoa Bay Railway arbitration was published the Transvaal Government offered to ?end Pottuga! the amount she was I condemned to pay, S5,000,000, j which, however, was courteously ! declined, the statement being eade I that the money was already provid I ed The Government is receiving i many memorials from burghers on ? the subject of sending the Boer i prisoners to St Helena ano* will I formally protest to Great Britain on j the subject secretary of State Reitz says the Transvaal Government is not taking atty r?solution regarding the destruc? tion of the mines. TEN DAYS OF RAIN PUT A STOP TO FIGHTING London. April 20, 4:15 a m.-A deluge o? rain lasting ten days has brought the operations in ?louth Africa and part cf the Free State H'Uiost to a s?ia:.dstill The creeks have became roaring rivers and the roads are streams of mud A singular message dated Bloem? fontein, April 19, 1U 55 a rn , and Detuning "via press censor. Bloem? fontein" leports an exchange of shots in the direction of Dewet dorp, where the Boers are said to be con? centrating "after their withdrawal from Wepener '* There is nothing else to indicate that the investment cf Wepener has been abandoned by the Boers. Not- ; withstanding the rain, however, the , British have inacie some pt ogress, ! as Dewet7s dorp hus been occupied by them, presumably by the ?dvsn.ee ' of Gen. Rundle's division Dewet's dorp is about 24 mises from Wepe? ner An obscure message from A??wal I Noitb, dated April 19, says that Gen Brabant has arrived there but wheth- j er he returned alone or with his troops is not clear. Boer reports from Aiiwal North aver that from S,000 to 10,000 Boers ! are at Wepener. j Extended reports of the Bloem I fontein concert for the benefit of ; ! widows and orphans have been ca I bled No less than seven separate ? ! accounts have been published in I London today The concert, the weather and the ! bare statement that Lord Roberts is j about to move are about the only things that the censor has allowed to pass, and the war correspondent who j announces that Lord Roberts is ready j to move does not specify the direc j lion in which he is going J Gen Hunter, from Natal, command j ing the newly formed division, arriv-j ! ed at Bloemfontein yesterday (Thurs j day) and left immediately after con | j ferring with Lord Roberts. To what ! j point he proceeded ie not mentioned I but it is understood that be will ope? rate west of Blemfontein Boers Contemplate Destroy? ing Johannesburg Mines. London, April 19, 2:10 p m -The i arrival of Gen. Carrington at Beira, j Portuguese East Africa, and the re iteration of the report that the Boers intend blowing up the Johannesburg mines are the oniy items of news that mark to day's war cables Weeks must elapse before Gen. Carrington will be able to concentrate his force on the borders of the Transvaal or approach Mafeking. According to a rumor in circulation at Lorenzo Marques, a Boer force has been sent to intercept Gen Carrington, but it is not thought to be of eufiScient strength to cause anxiety. The Natal Mercury is responsible for the renewed fears concerning the mines, printing accounts from newly arrived refugees saying elaborate pre parations for the destruction of ail the Johannesburg shafts have been car ried on under the supervision of the State mining engineer, who is alleged to have requisitioned all the copper wire in the town for the purpose of making connections The Bioemfontien dispatches re? main full of trivial details, but are absolutely silent as to the future. According to a dispatch from Ladysmith, dated to day, the Boers are much disconcerted by the present condition of affairs Their fortifica? tions and forces, numbering about 15,000 men, are spread over ridges in contemplation of a British advance through the Waschbank valley, north of Ladysmith, which has not been occupied. The Boer patrols are very active and are constantly laying traps A proclamation issued at Cape Town today allows trading between Colony and the occupied portions of the Orange Free State to be resumed Two Germans who recently arrived at Cape Town have been seutenced to a year's imprisonment for having suspicious possession cf 100 rifles and 600 cordite cartridges. i j London, April 21. 4.20 a. m. Geo Chermside and Gen Handle are moving over the sodden roads Rain was still falling when they went ioto camp Thursday afternoon 18 miies west of D?wesTs dorp They bold the railway and the southern frontier of the Free State with 20.000. How macy are peing with the gen erais W"?O will # engage the Boers at Wepener is nor. mentioned in the latest dispatch from Oorlogspoort, where thc British bivouacked Wednesday night The field leier.raoh ends there. On Thurf-day the Boers still bad Col Daigetty closely penned. The government's reason for pubtish ing Lord Roberts7 Spion Kop dispatch? es was explained last evening at Hall I by Mr Walter Hume Lung, president j of the board cf agriculture, who said ? fha?, tbe country was eotitled to receive j the information the government cc*?id give ^ i "Tte government is told," ocntioued Mr Long, "tba', having published the cbpatche*. it is boned to deal ?mme | diatcly with the generals affected, but, j io following such a course, the govern ! mont might have to dismiss every gen ' eral the moment: he made a mistake | Had .-ach a policy been pursued in the j past, many most glorious deeds would ? cot have tern performed. "Tbe govercmeot. nfed its discretion j in publishing the dispatches. From ' the beginning of the campaign her ma \ j-Kty's minister.-3 have not swerved from < the rule of leaving tho conduct of the > operations to the discretion aod j'idg- j m"t?t of thc commander in chief." Geo Whire, if not required in South Africa, w?l ?0 as governor of GibraJ- j tar towaid ;he end of .Mav. NEWS RROM BOER SOURCES Pretoria, Apri! 2?) - Maj Gen j Schalkburger has been gazetted vic) j president, m succession of fha ?ate ; tjeo Jour err. and Louis B:-rha h*s bren j gezetted acting commandant general, j succeeding Gen Joabert in oommaod of | tbe Transvaal forces. Cape Town, April 20. - At a meet? ing of the Yolksraad of the Orange Free State at Kroostsd todiiy, Presi? dent St3yo denounced Lord Roberts' proclamation as "treachery," and declared thal; as Great BritainTs object "was their destruction, their last hope was to appeal to the civilized powers to intervene Brandfort, 0. F. S , April 19 - Gen Beiarey has returned from a recon? naissance in forco cast of the railroad to the Modder river Re reports that he met, only a few scours, but that he saw British fortificatioos on all the hills. NEXT MOVEMENT OF TROOPS. London, April 20, 1 50 p. m -Thc report of the fighting at Karee Siding, six miles north of Glenn, may be the I first news of the progress of the Brit I iso advance cn Pretoria. Bat even if this were only so unimportant skirmish ? there are many other indications ?hat Lord Robard in either starting or has I already started for the northern goal, j A dispatch from Cape Town under to i day's date, says : "The eeosor shop i restrictions have been greatly increased owiog to the movements of the troops." All the dispatches bear traces of the strenuous efforts of the correspondents to give their papers an inkling of what is afoot. Ex-Convicts Not Exempt. Io response to a letter from County Supervisor Owens of Richland county. Attorney General Bellinger bas preoared the fo'lowiog : Dear Sir : Your letter of the 17th inst has just been received, ia which you refer to the question receotly asked the governor as to the "liability of ex-convicts to road duty." The j provision as to the working of the j public roads ts purely a statutory one i and fke subject, as far as the same relates to "persons liable to such duty," is covered by section 4 of the acts of 1900, page 289, which provides. "That ali male persons able to perform the labor hereio required betweeo the age9 of 18 aod 55 years (here follows certain exceptions as to certaio counties aod the ages specified, and also except ministers of the gospel io actual charge of a congregation, aod persons perma? nently disabled in the military service of this State nod persons who served io the late war betweeo the States, aod persons actually employed io the quaraotioe service of the State), shall be required aonnaily to perform or caose to be performed labor on the highways under the direction of the overseer of the said district io which he shall reside, a9 follows," etc. It seems clear from the above, which is exhaustive, that ex-convicts are cot ! exempt from the performance of road I duty. The question of citizenship ! does not arise, io my opinion, io this ? connection. ! Louisiana Goes Democratic. I New Orleans, April 1Y -The elec j tion to day in Louisiana fer members j of the legislature and a full State j ticket resulted in a Democratic land I slide. The ticket, headed by Auditor Heard, swept the State from one end to the other, and the legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic The vote was unusually light, ow ing to the excessive rainfall. To day's was the first election held under the new legislation law disfranchising the negro, and the battle at the polis was fought almost exclusively by the i whites Three tickets were in the ! field- the Democratic ticket, headed j by W W. Heard, the present State i auditor : the regular Republicans, j headed by E S. Reams, a New ? Orleans grocer, and a fusion embrac j ing sugar nlanter?, independent j Democrats and Populists, headed by j Don Caffery, Jr., son of Senator i Caffery. i The State Medical Association _ Charleston April 20 -The South Carolina Medical Association which has been in session in Charleston for ! several days adjourned last night after j a pleasant and profitable meeting which was largely attended. Florence was selected for th* place of the nest annuli meeting The following ofScers were elected : President-Dr George R Dean, part anberg. First Vice Pr?sident-Dr E F Darby, Sumter Second Vice President-Dr F H Mc? Leod, Florence. Third Vice President-Dr R R Hanahao, Fairneid. Corresponding Secretary - Dr A J Brnist, Charleston Treasarcr-Dr B E B?ker, Charles? ton . Committee on Publication - Dr W P Porcher, Dr A J Buist, Dr T P W ha ley Committee OP. Ethics-Dr O B Mayer. Dr T Grange Simons, Dr W ! H Nardin Committee on finance ar;c? cemmittee j on necrology both re-elected. S?<?:e Board of Kxacr.i'^rs-First ' Congressional district, Dr R L Drodir, Charleston ; 2d Congressional district. D? il H Wyman, Aikco ; 3d Congrcs ional district, Dr R A Bratten, York- ! ville. I Flood in Alabama j and Mississippi. ! Meridian Cut offFrom ?Ii Rail I Communication. Passen? gers Tied up in Woods. Meridian, Miss., Aprii 17.-This j city is cut off from the outside world except by telegraph All trains are marked annulled for an indefinite period The Atlanta and Vicksburg passenger cue here at 12 30 p m. yesterday has been waterbound 12 ro??es from the city for 30 hours. The damage to the Atlanta and Vicksburg, Alabama Great Southern, Mobile and Ohio and New Orleans and Norteaetern railroads will reach ?50,000 in atacks and trestles swept away. This city and section have suffered incalculable loss Twenty five per cent of ali fertilizer on farm? ing lands throughout the State is a total loss and all truck plantations in a radius of ten miles are submerged Three fatalities have been reported, the victims being negroes who lost their Jives in an eudeavor to save cattle. The rain bas ceased THE WARRIER RIVER RISE Tuscaloosa, Ala, April IT -This city is completely shut out from com? munication with the outside world except by tegraph . No trains on either the Mobile and Ohio cr Ala bama Great Southern have reached here since yesterday. There are washouts on both roads and the tracks are under water. The War? rior river is over 65 feet high. Northport is almost entirely sub mered. The River Hill road leadiog to the bridge has been washed away - until there is an abyss nearly 50 feet wide reaching the front of some of the the cottages and there is danger of of the road caving in entirely. Two houses flloated down the river this morning and eeveaal people were rescued from the roofs of others The river is over four feet higher than ever known before ..and still rising. Much anxiety is felt about the planters atong the river banks. NEALY 7 INCHES OF RAIN. Birmingham, Ala , Aprii 17.-A rain fall of almost 6even inches in 24 hours has wrought much damage to railroad, mining and farming inter eats The movement of trains cn almost euery railroad entering the city has been seriously interfered with, and -the suburban street railway has more or tess trouble. Several mines in the district have been flooded, and it is feared that some of the furnaces will be com peiled to bank their fires The Southern and Alabama Great Southern railways in the western part of the State have been severely damaged, the track of both roads ' being reported washed up for J distances of from two to five miles Farmers have also euffered from ! the storm Mobile, Ala., Aprii 17 -The con? tinued rains for the past 48 hours have caused several washouts on the Mobile and Ohio road and weakened the track in a number of places, so that it was wise today not to oper? ate trains on the southern divisions I Hundreds cf Travelers Tied up at Different Points on Railroads. Jackson, Miss. Aprii 29 -A npecial from McComb City s ates that 700 pas senders brought in by rho Illinois Cen? tra! are tied up at that place waiting for the hrs: train out for New Orleans. The rmVials are unable say wheo they wi ii ?et a train through, as over nine miles of tract bas disappeared be noath the water just below Chatawa Further south swamps and lowlands ate rap'dly filling up with backwater, which threatens to submt-rge the tracks Pearl river has advanced eight inches since neon ar:d continues to rise at a ranid rs'e. Farm es' houses and negro cabins in the lowland between here and j Pears'n station?re in imminent dan - ? er, and :f tho overflew continues to j pread at; the presen: rate they will have to move out. The weiter is threatening tonight Meridian, Miss, April 19 -?5 will be three and possibly roar days before the Northeastern, the Alabama Great Southern, rho Southern aod the Ala? bama and Vicksburg raiiroads aod the Mobile and Ohio can resume business through this seciion. The washouts ! were more disastrous than the cS?iaiB anticipated. A million dollars, it is beiieveO, will not. cover the damages to these roads from 3:ods and suspension ot business A gentleman reached this city today from a waterbound Mobile and Ohio passenger train at Qaitman, have ridden through the country He reports thc passengers faring weil, through the hospitality of the Qaitman citizens and the efforts of the road. The train has bean at a standstill, surrounded by water, three days and three Dights A heavy raia is taliing tonight. Mobile, Ala, April 19 -Rain has, fallen tn a steady downpour ail day, and it is reported to be general through ont this portion of the south. The railroads are having great trouble. The loss is great. Property of Ail Kinds Dam? aged Beyond Estimate and Loss of Lif8 Proba? ble. Memphis, Tenn , April 20.-A spe* cial to the commercial-appeal from New Orleans 6ays : The flood whieh commenced the early part of the week bas already caused, at a conservative estimate, fully $2,000,000 loss in central and southern Mississippi, to say nothing of the damages by the railroads. The extent of the losses have not yet been fully realized and it may be some days yet before an accarate total caa be reached for mail com? munication has been totally cut off between these localities which have suffered most and the outside world and telegraph lines suffered greatly so that the newe is just. now begin? ning to arrive by wire. In Louisiana too. the damage done by the unpre? cedented rains was general but in thia State they are more inferential than poeitive A special from Columbia, Miss, whicb was received late to? night fixed the loss in that little town and its immediate vicinity at $500 OOO. Many farm houses were carried away by the mad waters, the occa? pants barely escaping with their lives and the number of cattle drowned was great A great many gins and mill bouses were washed away and many sawmills saw their lumber piles melted away as if by magic Nearly every bridge around Columbia was swept down stream. Pearl mer is now higher that it has been known for many years Miles and miles of the New Orieans and Northeastern track are still under water. Honey island, the rendez? vous of tbs noted train robber, Burch, is under 20 feet cf water and the island, which bas fur years been one of the natural game pre? serves of the south, ie now devoid of wild animals Hundreds of deer were drowned and the hills near the banks of the Pearl river are now the temporary abiding places of all man uer of four footed life The log booms in the neighborhood cf Pearl ingtcn were all carried away and the loss sustained in this direction alone amounts to thousands oi dollars. Distressing news comes Hickory, j Miss, a small town on this road i which is now completely surrounded j by water and inundated in many localities. Hundreds cf hogs and cattle near this point were drowned ; and miles cf fencing have been j washed away. The latest advices i from the town of Enterprise state j that the losses there have been I great and much destitution prevails, j Half a score cf towns are complete j ly cut off from the outside world 33 j they have been since the early part of the week From Chunkey river swamps, near Enterprise, comes the news of a heavy loss cf life 1 The Illinois Central road is crip? pled badiy The New Orieans and Northeastern, and the Yazoo and Mississippi valley are as yet unable to move trains and the M. & O is also a heavy sufferer. ----i-?- -i- ? i - Washington, April 19-Seater Gallinger, chsiraan of the senate eoin m it tee 00 per,sioos, tod+y io trod aced a bi<! in the senate granting a pension of J ?50 a monfh to Gen Longstreet The ? bili gives the gercrai's service 3S :!;at of msjor in the Eighth U. S. infaotry during tho Mexican war aod makes no reference to bis conr-C3ticn with tba Cenfederaey. I ABSOLVIEZ 'PURE POWDER Makes the food more delicious and wholesome ROYAL BAKING POWDER CO., HEW YORK,