The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, April 25, 1900, Image 1

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tmm ivitib watohm am, Kefta.bllske4 Consolidated Ans* 2, 1881. MUabad It try Wo In oa lay, -BT IM". Gk Oftteon, 8UMTKR, 8. 0 ' torus : $1.50 per aanum?in advance. Oeo Square first insertion.......$100 tear? subsequent insertion. . 50 Contracts for thr<*? months, or longer wil fee made at red need rates. All comnteoleatlons which sooserv? yri?ate ret crests ?111 he charged for as adTertietfeota. Obituaries and tributes of respects will he sharped for. ijb. THE WAR IN AFRICA. BULLER 8EVKRELY CRIT? ICISED Loodoo. April 18. 4 a. m.?The geeersjojeot haa ehoaeo this as the seats ?et to publish a dispateb from Lord Roberta prooouooiog censure ?pee Sir Rodvers Heller sod Sir Charles Warree. two of hie meet importeot^rssbordiaete commanders Me diepetoo. written Feb 13tb, bee feeee to the h-nds of the war office for iee weeks Why ii is publiahed oow. re tee middle of the oampaigo, is eei ooderoteed, melees ii wee espeeted tbel Cree Belief eed Qee Werrso will esk to be relieved ef their sonssaends. The eeeere oririeitm of ibeir capacity meet teed to oodernioe the confidence of tbe troops ie tbeir leadsrehip Lore) Roberts' dispateb with tie en elweeree are tbe great feateree of tbe Loodoo preee this moroiug Whether tbe govsromeot has any spseial perpoee or not in publishing tbe dispateb the way in wbieh it baa bees) received, will make it more dirSsolt to retain the censored oom ssseders io eetive eereioe. Lord Roberts' loog wait aod tbe Boer aetivity have aerioasly disturbed peblio eqoeoimtty He is etil I 800 seilst frees Pretoria. No ooe doabts tbe ultimate seeoeae of British arme, bet behied tbe British army ibel ereshes ibe Boer armies eo ermy of oeeopetioo will beve to be iostalled From vsriots sources eome hints that mere meo tbee ere already pro? vided will beve to he seot out. Lord Roberte iodnates that et least 10.000 mee are advaeoiog to eat off tbe Boers, wbo ere ieveetiog Wepeoer As there ere report! from tbe Baeuto border tbal firing bee beeo beard io tbe direction of tbe bills toward Dswet's dorp, it ia poesible Qen Obermeide'a edvaooed troops ere el reedy ie eoeteet with tbe Boera Lord Roberta wirea that be espeoted to clear tbe eootbeeetero srction of^ the Free State, east of tbe ra.lway, aod tbee to awieg roood to the north and to tire ooe after another the positions b?ld by tbe B>rra north of B'oarafon tsie. Gen Boiler's prohibition of all press telegrama ia Natal ou.il farther notiot ie taken to indicate that a movement is eboet to be takeo there. KT * 9 ROBERTS' ARMY ABOUT TO BSQ IN MARCH ON PRETORIA London, April 17 ?At lest Lord Roberts leema to be oo the eve of mak log bia maio edvaooe toward Pretotia Unless ell the unusually reliable sooresa of informetion and all the iedieationa smuggled past the censor ere %\ fault the British army witbin a few days will be marohiog northward After many premature and unfouodcd reeorte which bar.' purported to tell tbie eo*!'. there is oetorall?. oreo io be beet informed quarters, confiderablr hesitancy ie definitely tattling up n tho day Lord Roberts ia likely to leavo Bloemfoetsie. but there is e settled imprtsstoo that it will oocur either at tbe eed of this week or at the begin eieg of oegt. The long, weary wait ie tbe Free 8tate capital has apparently effected a mueh oeeded rehabilitation, tboegb it ia probsblo L>rd Robrr a woeld still bavs further delsfcd his adranfl had tot tbe Boer eorivity forcer! him to put his fnrees in such poaitioos that unless they quickly pro eeed northward the strategic tdvsotsgc will be lost. Buller and Warren Must go. London, April 19 -4 10 A M ? Ileevy reine impede the movement of tbe Britieb columns The block? ed* et Wepeoer continues, nltbough relief ie neer Large quantities of etoree ere being moved southward from Bloemfantein. which ie e r*ver eel of tbe oootae of freight for the lest oil weeks. Theec shipments are swede neceeeary by the operations in tbe er otheaet of the Free State There ere two thousand sick in the field hospitals, moet of the oases br? ing of dynentery end enteric f* ver With the eiception of those (acts, the embargo upon war intelligence is almost complete Ths special cor reepondente eend Irivieltiee or state meets wbicb obscure rather than eiplaio tbe situation, in their offorte 10 propere matter tbet will pate tbe April, 1860. VBe Jus SUM' I oeneor Here and there a phrase indicates an expectancy that large things are abont to happen What is to be done with Sir Red i vers Boiler and Sir Charles Warren occupies everybody's attention The papers continue to comment earnestly upon Lord Roberta's censure of these Commanders They ask if more errors are not likely to occur, to gether with fruitless waste of life, in the event that men who have been declared incompetent by their supe? riors, ccntinue to command 40,000 troops It is now generally acoept ed that the government ha? a pur ooae in the publication of Lord I Roberta's dispatch, and that the recall of Gen Bailer and Oen Warren prob? ably has been decided upon According to Boer reports there is a ateady flow of foreign volunteers to the Transvaal Heretofore these adventurers have been attached to the various commandoes Now, it is said they are to be formed into a apeoial legion, with Continental offi oers, and there is a rumor that the command will be given to a distin? guished Freren soldier, lately retired, wt>o ia now in the Transvaal or is nearing the end of the journey tbith* er. Presumably the officer referred to in this report ia Gen De Negrier, former member of the French su pre me council of war, who was removed from the active Hats last July by the Marquis De Gallifet as a disciplinary measure during the excitement arising from the court martial London, April 19 ?Aooordiog to a disp?teh to the Daily Mail from Loareoso Marqaes nearly balf the mea>?*ra of the Chicago ?mbolaDoe corpw, when offered Msusers on ? heir arrival at Pretoria, toro off ?Seir Red Cross hedges Adelhert S. Hay, United Stated oonsul, notified the Transvaal Government that he mu*t report the oireometaBoe to Washington. HKAVY L038E3 AT WEPENER. Maseru, April 17.?Col Dalgety'e oasualtin sioeo he has been besieged at Wepsosr hats been 20 killed and 100 wounded. The Boer losses are report ed to have been ooosiderably heavier. After the night attaek on April 12 the dead wars left oo the field, where thev still tie no buried. There is a conflict of opinion among the leaders. Some waot to attaok agaio. while others refuse to do so. Desultory caoooo firing and "tttpivf91 continue. The Caledoo is rising, which 'Jams the Boers, who are oow on both sides of the river and might be out off if the stream was to beoome flooded. Five Boer guns are helieved to be disabled London, April 19 ?Tbe Liurerio Marquee oorrespondeot of tbo Daily Mail, telegraphiog Wednesday, lays : "Two huodred aod fifty Boers started today from Waterval Ooder, aarobiog through the Z^utpansberg di*triot, to interoept Gen Cirriogtoi/s force " BOERS HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY Pretoria. April 18 ?As soon ss tho Berne award in the Delagoa Bay Railway arbitration was published tbe Transvaal Government ottered to lend Pottugal tho amount she was condemned to pay, $5,000,000, which, however, was courteously declined, the etatemeut being made that the money was already provid? ed The Government is receiving many memorials from burghers ou the subject of sending the Boer prisoners to St Helena and will formally protest to Great Britain on tho subject Secretary of State Reitz says the Transvaal Government is not taking any resolution regarding the destruc? tion of the mines. TEN DAYS OP RAIN PUT A STOP TO FIGHTING London. April 20, 4:15 a m. ? A 3"luge of r&in lasting ten days has brought the operations in South Africa and part of the Free State almost to a standstill The creeks havo bec;>rno roaring rivers and tho roads are atreatns of mud A singular message dated Bloom? fontein, April 19, 10 55 a m , and begiuning "via preen censor. Kloom fontein" reporta an exchange of shols in the direction of Dowet dorp, where the Boers are said to bo con? centrating "after their withdrawal from Wepener " There is nothing else to indicate tli.it the investment (>f Wrpenei has been abandoned by the Boeis. Not? withstanding the rain, howrver, the British have made some pi ogress, ?m Dewet's dorp Iikh b?'en occupied by titem, presumably by the Hdvance of Gen. Kundin'* division Dewet's dorp is about '24 miles from Wepe? ner An obscure message from Allwal Notth, dated Aprii 19, aaya that Gen Brabant hat arrived tbera but wboth it and Fear not?Let all the Ends thou 1 rER. S. 0., WEDNES er he returned alono or with his troops is not clear. Boer reports from Aiiwal North aver that from 8,000 to 10,000 Boers are at Wepener. Extended reports of the Bloem fontein concert for the benefit of widows and orphans have been ca bled No less than seven separate accounts have been published in London today The concert, the weather and tho bare statement that Lord Roberts is about to move sre about the only things that the censor has allowed to pass, and the war correspondent who announces that Lord Roberts is ready to move does not specify the direct lion in which he is going Qen Hunter, from Natal, command? ing the newly formed division, arriv? ed at Bloemfontein yesterday (Th?rs* day) and left immediately after con ferring with Lord Roberts. To wbat point he prooeeded is not mentioned 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 arrival of Gen. Garrington at Beira, Portuguese East Africa, and the re iteration of the report that the Boers intend blowing up the Johannesburg mines wre the only 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 io circulation at Lorenzo Marques, a Boer force has been sent to intercept Gen Carrington, bot it ia not thought to be of sufficient strength to cause anxiety. The Natal Mercury is responsible for the renewed fears concerning the mines, printing accounts from newly arrived refugees saying elaborate pro parationa for the destruction of all the Johannesburg shafts have been car ried on under the supervision of the State mining eogineer, who is alleged to have requisitioned all the oopper wire in the town for the purpose of making connections The Bloemfontien dispatches re? main full of trivial details, but are absolutely silent as to the future. According to a dispatch from Ladysmitb. dated to day, the Boers are muoh disconcerted by the present condition of affairs Their fortifies lions and forces, numbering about 15,000 men, are spread over ridges in contemplation of a British advance through the Waschbank valley, north of Ladysmitb, which has uot 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 sentenced to a year's imprisonment for having suspicious possession of 100 rifles and 600 cordite cartridges. London, April 21, 4.20 a. m.? Gon Cbermside and Gen Hoodie are moving over the eod?en road* Rain *ae etill falling when tbey went into camp Thursday afternoon 18 miles west of Dewet'a dorp They hold the railway and the southern frontier of the Fret Stats with 20,000. How many are going with the gen orah wbo will engage the Boers at VVepcoer is not mentioned in the latent dispatoh from Oorlogsp^ort, whero tho British bivouacked Wednesday night Tho field tolegraoh tods there. ()a Thursday the Boers etill bad Col Dalgetty eloselv penned. The government's reason for publish? ing Lord Roberte1 Spion Kop dispa'ob es waff explained last evening at Hull by Mr Waller Hurno Long, president of the board of agriculture, who said that the o >untty was entitled to receive the information the government cotild give "Tie government is told," continued Mr Long, "thar, having published the dispatches, it \a bout>d to deal imme diatoly with the generals affected, but, in following nuoh a course, tho govern? ment might bavo to dismins every gen? eral the roomrnr ho made a mistake Had ruoli a policy been pursued in tho past, many most glorious deed* would not have been performed ??Tho government ut-ed its discretion in publishing the dispatches. From the beginning of tho campaign her ma ittty'l ministers have not swerved from the rulo of leaving tho oonduot of the opt rations to the discretion and jadg in-nt of tho oommander in ohiof." Gon White, if Dot required in South Afrioa, will go as governor of Gibral? tar toward ihe ?nd of May. NRW8 RHUM BOBR SOURCES Pretoria, April 20 ?Mtj Gen Hchalltburger hits been gttstted vies president, in aucoossion of the late (Jen Jotlbart and Loojil Botha hu? been gazetted acting commandant general, succeeding Gen Joubert in oommaod of tho Transvaal forces. Cape Town, April 20?At a meet? ing of tbs volksraad of the Orange Lims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's i DAY. APRIL 25, 19( Free State nt Kroostad today, Presi? dent St3yn denounced Lord Roberts' proclamation as "treachery," and deolareo 'iOt as Great Britain's objeot "was t.icir destruction, their last hope was to appeal to the civilized powers to intervene " Brandfort, O. F. B , April 19 ? Gen Deiarey has returned from areooo naissanoc in foroo cast of the railroad to the Modder river Re reports that he met only a few poou's, but that he Raw British fortifications ou all the hills. NEXT MOVEMENT OF TROOPS. London, April 20, 1 50 p. m ?The report of the fighting at Kareo Siding, six miles north of Glenn, may be the first news of the progress of the Brit* ish advaooe on Pretoria. Bat even if this were only an unimportaut skirmish there are many other indications that Lord Roberts in either starting or has already started for the northern goal. A dispatch from Cape Town under to day's date, says : "The censor shop restrictions have been greatly increased owing to the movements of the troopsV All tbe dispatches bear traces of the strenuous efforts of tbe correspondents to give their papers an inkling of what is afoot. Ex-Convicts Not Exempt. In response to a letter from County Supervisor Owens of Riobland county. Attorney General Bellinger has prepared tbe following : Dear Sir : Your letter of the 17th iost has just been reoeired, in wbiob you refer to the question recently asked the governor as to the "liability of ex-convicts to road duty." The provision as to the workiog of tbe public roads is purely a statutory one and tbe subject, as far as the same ! relates to "persons liable to suoh duty," ia oovcred by section 4 of the acts of 1900, page 289, wbiob provides. "That all male person', f.ilo to perform the labor herein requi d between the ages of 18 and 55 years (here follows certain exceptions as to certain counties and tbe ages specified, and also exoept ministers of the gospel in aotual obarge of a congregation, and persons perma? nently disabled in the military service of this State and persous who served in tbe late war between tbe States, and i persona aotually employed io tbe i quarantine service of the State), shall be required annually to perform or cause to be performed labor ou the highways under the direotion of tbe overseer of the said district in which be shall reside, as follows,'1 etc. It I seems clear from the above, which is I exhaustive, that ex-oonviots are not I exempt from tbe performance of road duty. The question of citizenship does not arise, in my opinion, in this connection Louisiana Goes Democratic. New Orleans, April IJ ?The elec? tion to day in Louisiana for members of the legislature and a full State ticket resulted in a Democratic land slide. The ticket, headed by Auditor I 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 tbe battle at the polls was fought almost exclusively by the , whites Three tickets were in the field?the Democratic ticket, headed by W \V. Heard, the present State auditor ; the regular Republicans, headed by E S. Reams, a New Orleans grocer, and a fusion embrac ing sugar planters, independent Democrats and Populists, headed by Don Caffery, Jr , eon of Senator Caflfery. ?- ??? m^m - Tbe State Medical Association Charleston April 20? Tho South Carolina Modical Association which has been in session in Charleston for several days adjourned Ust nigut after a pleasant and profitable meeting which was largely attended. Florenoo was selected for th.' plaoe of tho next oonuil meeting The followiog officers were eleoted : President?Dr George R Dean. Spartanhurg. First Vice President? Dr E F Darby, Sumter Second Vice President?Dr F H Mc Leod, Florence. Third Vice President?Dr R It Hanahan, Fairfield. Corresponding Secretary?Dr A J Bruipr, Charlesron Treasurer?Df B E2 Biker, Charles ton. Committee on Publication ? Dr W P Porcher, Dr A J Buidt, Dr T P Wbeley Committee on Btbioi ? Dr () B Mayer, Dr T Grange Simons, Dr VV H Nardio Commutes on finance and committee on neorolcgj both re elected State Board of Examiners - ? First Congressional district, Dr R L Drodte, Charleston ; 2d Congressional district, Dt il Ii Wymao, Aikcn ; 3d Congres ional districty Dr R A Bretten, York Tille. rod Truth's. THK 1 DO. New Flood in Alabama and Mississippi. Meridian Cut offProm all Rail Communication. Passen? gers Tied up in Woods. Meridian, Miss , April 17?This 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 due here at 12 30 p m. yesterday has been waterbound 12 miles from the city for 30 hours. The damage to the Atlanta and Vicksburg, Alabama Great Southern, Mobile and Ohio and New Orleans and Norteastern railroads will reach $50,000 in atacks and trestles swept away. This city and section have suffered incalculable loss Twenty five per cent of all 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 negrcbs who lost their lives in an endeavor to save cattle. The rain has 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 or 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 caviug in entirely. Two houses flloaled down the river this morning and sevesal 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 along the river banks NEALY 7 INCHES OF RAIN. Birmingham, Ala , April 17.?A rain fall of almost seven inches in 24 hours has wrought much damage to railroad, mining and farming inter? ests The movement of trains on almost euery railroad entering the city has been seriously interfered with, and the suburban street railway has more or less trouble. Several mines in the district have been flooded, and it is feared that some of the furnaces will be com pelled to bank their fires The Southern and Alabama Great Southern railways in the western part of the State Lave been severely damaged, the track of both roads being repotted washed up for distances of from two to five miles Farmers have also suffered from the storm Mobile, Ala., April 17 ?The con? tinued rains for the past 48 hours have caused several waabooli on the Mobile and Ohio road and weakened the track in a number ot places, so that it was wise today not to oper? ate trains on the southern divisions Hundreds of Travelers Tied up at Different Point3 on Railroads. Jickson, Mise. April 19 ?A npecial from HoComb City ? atcs that 700 pas ?enpera brought io by the Illinois Con? tra! are tied up at that plaos waiting for the first train out for New Orleaoa. The (flisials arc unable say ?ben they will tfet a train tnrough, h* over oino miles ot tract has disappeared t;e noath the water just bolow Chatawa Further south swampp and lowlands aie rap'dly filling up with backwatrr, which threatens to submerge the tracks Pearl river has sdvsooed eight inohes einen nnoo arid continues to rise at a ruf id rK'e Kanues' beutet and negro oabioa in the lowland bctaeon here and Pearsm itatiao are in itnmioeot dan ger, and if the ovorfliw aootiotttl to spread at the present rate they will have :o move out. Tho woater ia threatening tonight RoVA Absolutely Makes the food more del WQYAt BXKINO POWO COTl. 'RUB SOUTH KON, Established Jnne 1 =??6 Series?Vol. XIX. No. 39 Meridian, Miss, April 19 ?[t will be three and possibly four days before ?h ? Narthcastern, tbe Alabama Great Southern, rhe Southern aod tbe Ala? bama and Vicksburg railroads aod the Mobile and Ohio ein resume business through this section. Tbe washouts were more disastrous than tbe cffi;ials anticipated. A million dollars, it is believed, will not. oover ihe damages to these roads from floods and suspension of business A gentleman reached this city tcdiy from a waterbound Mobilo and Ohio passenger train at Quitman, have ridden through the country He reports the passengers faring well, through the hospitality of the Quitman citizens and the efforts of tbe road. Tbe train has ken at a standstill, surrounded by water, three days aod three nights A heavy rain is tailing tonight. Mobile, Ala, April 19 ?R'?in has fallen in a steady downpour all day, and it is reported to be general through* oat this portion of the south. The railroads are having great trouble. Tbe less is great. Property of All Kinds Dam aged Beyond Estimate and Loss of Life Proba i ble. Memphis, Tenn , April 20.?A spe? cial to the commercial-appeal from New Orleans saye : Tbe flood which commenced the early part of the week has already caused, at a conservative estimate, fuiiy $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 accurate total can 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 thet the news is just now begin? ning to arrive by wire. In Louisiana too. the damage done by the unpre cedented rains was general but in this State they are more inferential than positive A special from Columbia, Miss, which was received late to? night fixed tbe loss in that iittie town and its immediate vicinity at $500 - 000. Many farm bouses were carried away by the mad waters, the occu? 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 river is new higher that it has been known lor many years Miles and miles of the New Orleans and Northeastern track are still under water. Honey islaud, the rendez? vous of the noted train robber, Burcb, is under 20 feet of water and the island, which has for years been one of the natura, game pre* serves of the south, is now devoid of wild animals Hundreds of deer were drowned and the bills near tbe banks of the Pearl river are n;>w the temporary abiding places of all man ner of four footed life The log booms in the neighborhood of Pearl ington were all carried away as;d the loss sustained in this direction alone amounts to thousands of dollars. Distressing news comes Hickory, Miss, a small town on this road which is now completely surrounded by water nnd inundated in many localities. Hundreds of hog* and cattle near this point were drowned and miles of fencing hav^? been washed away. The latest advices from the town of Enterprise state that the losses there have been great and much destitution prevails. Half a set e of towns are complete? ly cut off from the outside worid a4! they have been since tho early part of the week Fiora Chonkey river swamps, near Enterprise, com^s the news of a heavy loss of iife The Illinois Central road is crip? pled badiy The New Orleans and Northeastern, and the Yazjo and Mississippi valley ate as yet unable to move trains and the M & O is also a heavy sufferer ?- ? mn (Waw - - Washington, April 19?Snr.ator Qallieger, chairman of the senate at to miitoe on per.sinos. ud*y introduced a bid in the ??enafe granting a peoctci of ?50 a month to G:n Loagstrcc: Tho bill gives the geteral's service as ' it of msjor in tbe Eighth U. S. lofatjtry during tho Mt jicio war aod makes no refrrcnoe to bis conneatico with fba Confederacy. IMC icious and wholesome ES CO., jjtg VOStC_