Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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GU HUS SUMTER. He Fought, Lived and Died cn th High Hills of Santee. ? VERY INTERESTING SKETCH. A Valuable Contribution to History-Facts About the Great Soldier Which Give an Insight to His Character. While South Carolina has furnish? ed more great men to this country than any other State in the sister? hood of States, except old Virginia, and while no other people have shown a higher appreciation of their great men in honoring them with offices of the highest trust and confi? dence than she has, it is equally true that no State has been more careless than she in recording the great deeds of her leading men. It is one of the greatest, if not the great? est, sins that the old State has been guilty of, for in it she has been un? true to herself in neglecting to let the world and future generations know of the self-sacrificing devotion of their Rutledges, Pinckneys, Cal honns, Sumters, Hamptons, Butlers . and many other soldiers and states? men unsurpassed for unselfish devo? tion to their country. It has been said by a beautiful .writer that "Universal history, the history of what man has accomplish? ed in this world, is, lit the bottom, the history of the great men who have worked here." "We cannot look, however imperfectly, ?pon a great man without gaining some? thing by him. He is the living ligi:t fountain, which it rs good and pleas J ant to be near.'- "No nobler feeling than this of admiration for one high? er than himself dwells in the breast of man." And "no sadder proof can be given of bis own littleness than disbelief in great men." And, while South Carolina has shown the noble truthfulness of her nature several times in her history, by putting herself completely in the hands of one of her sons and obeying T?is commands moro implicitly than the written law of the land, it is only necessary to name Rutledge. Cal? houn and the greatest of ail, old lion Jike Hampton, to prove the truth of this. It is equally 'and sadly true that in the pages of the popular his? tories of the day they are unknown in comparison with others who, when we come to find out what they did, are not worthy of being named on the same page with those named above. * THOMAS SUMTER, OF STATESBUEG, PLANTER. When the Revolutionary war com? menced in 1776, one of these, to whom we always turn when danger approaches, was living here, near Statesburg, leading the quiet, genial life of a planter, the life from which almost every one of the truly great men of this country sprung. Ti)is couutry gentleman was Thomas Sumter, then about 44 years of age. He came from the same sort of stock from which Hampton and R. H. Anderson came, and from all that we know of bim he was very hinch the same sort of . man: one who always attended strictly to his own business and never allowed any in? terference with it by anyone else, and who always wished to keep the peace, but when calb d upon to fight for a just cause, fought regardless of any consequences to himself or of tature reward or glory. The countrymen of such men have accepted the measurement that their own proud silence and modesty have placed upon themselves and have either ascribed their heroic deeds to others or buried them in oblivion. The people of to-day tn Gen. Sum? ter's old home, the descendants of "his friends and neighbors, know more of the deeds of Richard Cceur de Lion in Palestine, than they do of Gen. Sumter's. The two best and most widely known things about him are that his grave is unmarked even by a head? stone, and that Fort Sumter was named after him. Gen. Sumter seems to people liv? ing to-day like som* hero of romance ; just enough is Known of him to make -people at ail interested in the history of the;r country long to know more. It is pretty well known that lie -came to this State from Virginia, and it is thought that he first came here as a soldier with the troops sent here by Virginia to help South Caro? lina in an Indian war some years be? fore the Revolution. He was after? wards sent to this State on a mission to the Cherokee Indians by the Gov? ernor of Virginia, in company with two men named Timberlake and Graham. They found that there was a French emissary among the Indians work? ing against the commissioners from Virginia. These latter, therefore, kidnapped the Frenchman, carried him to Charleston and put him on board of a vessel sailing to England. The vessel was ?ost and the med? dling Frenchman was never heard ol again. -SERVED UNDER BRADDOCK IX VIR? GINIA. Before moving to South Carolina] Gen. Sumter had held a commission in the Virginia militia and had taken j part in Braddock's raid among the Indians and bis disastrous defeat. He firs: settled in South Carolina on a plantation on the Santee River, in what is now Clarendon county. While there he married a widow, Mrs. Jamison, who had been Miss Cantey, one of that well known fam? ily which has furnished to their State so many gentlemen in times of peace and so many gallant soldiers in times of war. In passing back and fort h between South Carolina and Virginia Gnu. Sumter passed over the high hills of Santee, called by the early French settlers de Sante, on account of its healthfulness, the Sante being after? wards changed by its English occu? pants into Santee, and a few years before the Revolution he bought ts plantation and moved ni* hen- and Jived on the place now known tis "The Ruins." on an opposite hill to and about a half mile front States burg postoffice oras it has always been called, "The Borough." There was a tavern and a few stores in "The Borough" then, but the principal, house stood, as it i stands, on the top of the hill and owned then by Mr. Hooper, who j is said, was a Tory, as a great ni gentlemen were, and whose wisc and foresight have often been hiy commended in the last thirty yt in the South by descendants of "patriots" of 177G. lt is also said that Lord Corn wa several times made bis headquan in this house and there is a v large <?ak tree standing in the y on which he hung an American s BIRTHPLACE OF CEN. ANDERSON The place is now owned by Dr. W, Anderson, Sr.,and was th? bil place of his distinguished broil I-FightingDick" Anderson, a ii tenant general in the Confeder arni y. When Gen. Sumter moved up h from Santee the neighborhood ^ settled hy planters, gentlemen, w large tract* of land and numbers slaves, who lived on their high hi of health in perfect satisfaction w themselves and their surroundin Most of them have passed aw even in name from the land tb loved so well, the only record them now left being in the records the Episcopal Church kept here. The war of 1776 must have been rude shock to these gei.tlemi separating them, as it did, in th friendly relations towards ea other. As soon as it commenced Gt Sumter took a part, and I have be told commanded a regiment, whi was stationed on the coast, son where near Georgetown, when t battle of Fort Moultrie was fougl but his hardest work came later the war when the British came ba to South Carolina in 1780. Gen. Green and the author of r life find a great deal of fault wi Gen. Sumter for insu bord i nat?o and hiy the want of success in one two expeditions to-him, and I do n believe that they have ever be< publicly denied, but I have bea that they could be if his private le ters at the time were published. The same author also says th Gen. "Sumter used to take forcib the negro slaves of the Tories at pay his men with them, and that li men tiien lost, a great deal of tin going oif to carry their negroes places of safety, and says that the: was a good deal of complaint by tl WhlgS-of this conduct, as it eaust the British io retaliate by seizii their negroes. All of this may be true of Ge Sumter, but there are some things i show what sort of work he did eve if no one has ever written his Hf and one is that he was given a nam by those best abie to know a id ai preciate his fighting qualities. H soldiers called him "The Gam Cock," and no better evidence coul be given of his courage and the Iov of his soldiers for him. Cor men er gaged in the stern realities of wa never give a man false or misleadin titles; whatever they call their leati er he can be absolutely known to b< THREE HISTORIC SWORDS. The other fact is that his grandsor Mr. Sebastian Sumter, has now i lus possession two swords taken b; Get). Sumter from two British officer whom he captured, Major Wettiys and Major Fraser. These swards ar tongues of steel, telling in silence o Gen. Sumter's skill and courage am contradicting any little' spitefu slings that the G?nerai never con descended to notice by a d?niai. Hi own sword, too, speaks volumes; in stnaiI man in any sense ever wielder, it ; none but a plain, strong man win meant business and to whom wa meant fight in its strongest sense It is long and heavy, with a kee! point and edge, and to look at it ai:j one can imagine English blood spout ing beneath its fierce strokes, aiu making redder the red coat of main a British soldier and helping to wit for its owtier the right to mind hi? own business without outside inter' ference, ail that, he and his peoph have ever asked. Gen. Sumter ieft the army before peace was declared, but after all ol the serious fighting was over anci when it was very plain that the cause for which lie had fought would triumph. We aro told by Johnson, in the life of Gen. Green, that Gen. Sumter left the army because he thought himself badly treated by Gen. Green, but it is more natural to suppose from what we know of Gen. Sumter that he did not care to stay in the army when the reason for joining it was practically over, and for that reason hejeft it. HIS HOME BURNED BY THE BRITISH. One day during the war the Gener? al was at home on a visit to his family, and, expecting to be engaged in some domestic occupation, he told his little son. Tom, then 8 or 10 years old. to get his horse and ride down the road and see if he could hear of any of the enemy being in the neighborhood, as he did not wish to by surprised and perhaps captur? ed be them. Tom rode ol? towards where the thrifty little hamlet of Wedgefield now stands. After going some miles he was told by a man whom he met that Col. Campbell, in command of some of Tarleton's troopers, was a few miles further down the road and rapidly advanc? ing. Hurrying home, Tom told his father, who mounted his horse and left, his son accompanying him for a short distance. Later in the day little Tom was sitting on Iiis horse in front of the old tavern, talking to someone sit? ting in the piazza, when happening to look up the road he saw coming towards him a body of cavalry in red coats. He dashed off down the road and was pursued for a short distance by tin; soldiers, but when h<- reached what was known as the Mos< House, and which still stands, he turned off to the right and rod?; i off through the woods and over the j h?ls, and safely reached his father's ; house, t!ie soldiers slopping at Mr. i Moss's hons". The old tavern, mentioned .-?hove ?stood there until burned down by i Potters raiders, in April ls<>",. When Ilttle^Tom Sumter reached i horne he found that Coi. Campbell '?? h id been there with .some of Tarle ? tori's men and humed the house and ! destroyed evprything that they could j not carry oil. His un.ther "was a j cripple and confined to a large chair, j and she had been picked up and carried off some distance from the j house, where she had witnessed what many a Southern wife mother witnessed a little more eighty years afterwards with same indomitable spirit, the traction of her "absent soldier band's home and hearthstone in vain effort by a ruthless soldier crush the spirit of those who c not he conquered on the battlefie But she belonged to the some South Carolina stock that the ( federate women did, and amid ashes ol'her dearly cherished h only learned to love South Caro till the moue and thought bet much the more needful of her 1 band's bestand bravest efforts, siie simply moved to another pl owned by Gen. Sumter, which afterwards named the Home Ho She lived there until her death, she and Gen. Sumter were 1: buried there, and their grand lives there how. Even among Ta ton's men, as among Sherman's Potter's, some were found v manly feelings of compassion wards women and children wi houses were being burned and tl sustenance destroyed, and one them seized a moment when uns by bis Comrades to go by Mr?. St ter and slip a ham under her ch where it was hidden by her ski An incident occurred that day wh went to show how the English ? diers made enemies for their Ki instead of holding the people as subjects, by their overbearing c duct. There was a white carpet working in the yard for Gen. St ter. whom the General had of tried to induce to join the army, he never could, and some of British soldiers that day used h very roughly, and in the stung with them he struck one of th and lui rt him severely with chisel, and then managed to br? away from them and escape, immediately joined Gen. Sumte command and made a faithful s dier to the end of the war, douotl one of many such enemies to Brit; rule in Souiii Carolina. You Tliomas Sumter told all of this to i children many years afterwards. POTTER AND TARLETON. During the late civil war a you Confederate soldier happened to at home on a furlough when P< ter's army came through this sf tion of country, and riding along? day by himself was chased from ; most the same spot as young Sui ter was, and down the old Botou hill, by a body of soldiers in bli but also managed to escape them. When the war was over Gc Sumter represented his county tile Legislature and his State Congress, but made no especial r cord either as a statesman or a po tician. He seems to have been man plain and simple in his taste and who liked to.stay at home, at very blunt and direct in the expre sion of Iiis opinions, but very kin hearted and generous. GEN. SUMTER'S LIEN SYSTEM. When ho lived at Sumter's Mou there WH" a good many poor peop living around him, to whom 1 would advance provisions all of tl year, and at the end of the yea thinking it would seem unbusin?s like to give them the things, woul take his wagon and ?;o around an collect pay from them in corn, pea etc., and at the beginning of tl next year his sympathies would t aroused, and he would immediate] give them all out again ; tba t was h, way of giving liens. He owned a great deal of laut and settled a good many plantation! and if there was anything of a streai on any of his places he always bui a clam across it and had ti pond an a mill.. He evidently thought gri? and flour milis very valuable pro j ei ry, as anyone can see now wh visits any of the places ever owne by him by tho old mill dams sti standingas ineffaceable lponument to his industry and faith in mill? At tile first meeting of the congre gation of the Episcopal Church a this piace after the Revolution Get: Sumter was elected one of the ves try men, and for years .afterward served the church in that capacity Some of the vestrymen had beei Tories during the war just ended and I have heard a story from ai obi man of the General's bavin; made his men take one of them fron home and carry bim a prisoner t< his camp, but there is no evidei.d in the church records of hard feel ings on account of past diff?rences o opinion. THE CHURCH BOOK TELLS NO TALES Doubtless the General had paie his men with some of his neighbors slaves, too; it was a way he was saic to have had, but nothing was eve] said of this in the church book. There was no church building bert at that time, for ata "meeting held ai Statesburg July 23d, 1788, the follow? ing action was taken: The Rev. Mr Tate was appointed minister for ter mouths, with the allowance of a salary of one hundred pounds ster? ling, and recommended that he bold divine services on Sundays in Mr. Powell's long room until a more suitable place of worship can bp fixed upon and a proper house for that purpose be erected," which was done a few years afterwards. Gen. Sumter lived at "The Home House" until 1821, when his son. Col. Thos. Sumter, came home from Brazil wh*?re he had been United States consul for years, when the old gentleman gave up the place to him and moved up to a high hill called Sumter's Mount, about fifteen miles from the Borough, and persisted in living here by himself, his wife hav? ing clied, except for the servants he had around bim, until his death in 1832 at 1)8 years. ACTIVE TO THE DAY OF HIS DEATH. lie led an active lifo up to the day of Iiis death, and his horse was hitched, saddled and bridled al the door for him to take his accustomed ride to his fields after breakfast. On that fatal day one of ins servants went in to see tlx- cause of his not comi??; as usual, ?and found him in Iiis large arm-chair apparently asleep, but foti tul upon examination j that his brav?- spirit had gone to its hist ioim rest. Only a few months before his death he ?ad ridden on . horseback from Sumter's Mount to '. tin- Borough, distance of fifteen j miles, and bac\ in one day. The family have an engraving of bim taken the year before his death in his 'J8th year. He left a name honored and loved by his neighbors, not because of his public services, but b?cause of tiie kindness of his heart and the gener? osity and manliness of his disposi ? rion, which made him treat all whom he thought worthy of his respect ! with equal politeness, and the poor? est niau in the country was just as welcome to his hand and a seat at his table as the President of the United States would have been. it is but just to say that this is still a distinguishing trait of his family. No gold braid, glittering wealth or high-sounding titles raised the man in his estimation any more than poverty, rags and obscurity lowered another. I have heard older people say that this was the principal cause of his great popularity, and it descended to his children and granchildren, and for years there was no office in the gift of the people of Sumter county that one of them could not have filled if they had chosen to take it. I also heard an < Id gentleman say, not long ago, that, when a boy, he attended a Magistrate's Court at which it was necessary to determine whether a certain man was of pure white blood or not, and that as the man had served in Gen. Sumter's command and who knew him well, it was decided to abide by his decis? ion, and he was sent for and request? ed to attend. While Gen. Sumter and all pres? ent were talking the man in question walked in, and Gen. Sumter imme? diately jumped up, shook hands with him and offered him a chair. This settled the question, and noth? ing was said about the man's color, as all knew that if he had not been known by the General to be a white man he would not have received him as he did. What a life Gen. Sumter had led and what a tremendous work he had taken a man's part in. He may be said to have been born before the twilight of the dark ages had passed away, and to have lived until tho bright twilight of the wonderful nineteenth century civilization was passing awav into the glorious light of the day of railroads anil electric-, itv. He was n man of middle age when Napoleon Bonaparte was born, and lived for nine years after Napoleon was dead and buried. When a young man he helped to drive away Indians almost from the doorsteps of himself and his neigh? bors, and lived to see the incipiency of that internecine struggle which eventually robbed his beloved State of the sacred right of sisterhood for which he had spent so many years of his life. Is not the record of such a life well worth the writing? rl he life of an honest man, bravely striving against any odds for the betterment of the human race, is al? ways an ennobling history and a much needed relaxation to the coun? try from the everlasting effort to be "progressive," and to "make mon? ey," which is resounding in all ears. 1 all the time in screeching tones, from every side. Think what a man he would have appeared to all the world ir' he had chanced to go to New Engiand instead of coming to South Carolina. May some one well able to do it rake this brief and hasty sketch as a hint to do justice to Gen. Sumter's memory. W. J. R. Stateburg, June 24,189S. -Sunday News. KILLINGTF THE SOBSID.Y BILL. Impossible to Secure a Vote , at This Session Wa:hirjgtcu, Feb 15 -Th3t the opposition to the shipping bid io the >c-iiare wili nor perair a vote, to he tsfeea OD the measure at thc prtsen? sest-ion was made dc?r daring the dosing hours of today e'^ioo Fir several days it has been evident that it would be oiffiaaU to gaio u^oimoas consent to take a vote upon the meas ure, but not amii late today was 'he frank assertion made that a. vote could not be had. At the cooolnBioo of several boars' consideration of the bill, Mr Teller, of Colorado, announced his parp?se to prevent a vote at ?bis session ID an impassioned speech be deolared that he would not consent to any agreement to vote and that it must be evider.t to the advocates of the biil that no vote could be bad The statement by the Colorado sena? tor elicited a shatp response from Mr Aldrich, of Rhode IsUod, who insisted thr?t despite the declaratioo or Mr Teller the business of (be senate would be proceeded wi?h io accordance with the wishes of the mf-j >rhy Mr Tear's statement also drew the fire of Mr Coandler, of New Hampshire, who asserted that tbe position ff 'he opposi tion was preposterous Mr Hanna, of Ohio, replied to Mr Teller io a foro-fnl speech, in the course of which he became impassioc?d in the denunciation of the methods employed by the "pooMti'iO to defeat the measure The adv-oates of the bill, he said, were honestly endeavoiing to advance thc betu int?r?ts of the country and he rtsentrd the insinuations against their boue6fy of parp?se. Raise Them at Heme. Prof Wiley, chief chemist of the j j national agricultural department, io a ? j late lecture on food impurities and j I adulterations, said be hod fouud suffi* ! cient salts of copper, a rank poison, I in a can of "green p?as1' to coat, or piale, a pocket kniie ? The veidigris was put into '.he can to make the green of the peas more vivid, add to j ; meir attractiveness and so moke th< m sch People iti ?;U?!I Carolina had ; i r \ . I ; better eat peas ot their own canning, ! and can more of them. - Nows and | Courier j New York, Feb lo - Mrs Themas 0 Piatt, wife of United Statesj sen alor Platt, died today at the Fifth Aveuue Hotel, after a long illness of j heart affection. Dr Brown Talks Plainly. ID HIS Sermon Sunday Night He Handled Some Social Evils Wit?ou? Gloves. PAID HIS RESPECTS TO THE GAMBLERS. Rsv C. C Brows, D D , delivered a strocg sermon at the Baptist Church ?oo?ay oigh-S Feb lltb. We give herewith a synopsis of the discourse, from which the iotrGductioo is omicted : Belshazzar was feasting when he should have been loosing oat for the welfare of his city. ? man miy some times e joy a teast, bat not until the greater duties of life have been attended to The world is set too mach on costly amusements (hat border upon dissipa? tion. Destruction was facing the feaster, bet he did not seem to be aware of the 'act. The closing verses of this chapter say : "In that night was Belshazzar slain n To every man, death stands jost without the gate, and. sooner or later, will get io his knock oat blow Any maoter of life is viciocs which forbids a mao from thinking about dyiog Saane! John son said: "Death is so much dreaded, that men spsod their whole lives irving not to think about it." Belsbazzcr feast was a profaning feats*. He was not satisfied that he or n s iords and concubines should drink from the ordinary cups of the palace, but sent and brought the vessels once used in tho holy service of the tempie at Jc-rusclem. It is easy to learn to pro ar.e holy tbiogs. I have read cf drutjken reveller? who, to carry out their b'sspheoy, sought to celebrate in mockery thc crdinat.ee of tho L^rd'o Supper. Belshazzar bad at his feast, the thr?c elements that commonly combine to make 'Ce tbieg coaplete-men, womer? aaa wini* From that day to this, the feasts have remained tbe same, and ??C and women, under such circum? stances, v,iil bc gciiry of deeds thar, would bring a blush to their faces in ca.'mer and more ri oaghtfol moments . Tte testimony of physicians is that, in tho so-cailed higher orders of society, tbe drink habit is on the increase, .ot poly with the men, bat with the wemen ? myself have seon a woman carried through thc streets io a buggy, as if she were sick ; bat upon ioquir tog, ? foaod that &be was drank, ard bad been picked ap from the bail room floor. Ged writes upon the wall for ev?ry mao, in some sort of way Io times o? hilarity, men pretend not to see the writing, cr they refuse to read it, but God continues to write, just the same The warning can be despised or oot, just as wo see fit. God writes some things which any one can inrcrpret ; others caa only be read by the help of tte Holy Spirit Gray hairs interpret themselves, and tell o? the coming end, as do also silkened limbs and weakened physical energies The debauchee wbo ts compelled to driok freely io the morl ing before he has p"Wvjr to dress nim^elf, ii ban a poor fi'cl if ho cannot dis-ern the meaning of his condition. When coe finds that playing cards has beeume a passion, bo needs co cue to interpret bis case. Ezccptiog the use of morphine, no habic takea^so strong a hold upon a mao as gambling First, it is uouc fer pleasure, theo fer prcfir, a:;d fioaby simply to gratify an iuordi nate desire which one cannot refuse A case is on record of gamblers, who. having beard tba-t one of their number was dead on tbe street below, began at once to bet among themselves as to whether he was really dead. Gambling is of ancient origin, ard began with tbe ownership of property. By whatever name it bc called, whether betting, wagering, lottery, crap shooting pro grefsive euchre, or dealing io futures, it is ooo sod the same thing The game played in the parlor or io the social circle, anywhere for gaia or for a prize, is just as bad as that played io a bed room on Maia street or io tbe old Braoson boase a little lower dowo the street There is the fame element of risk io coe as io the other, and ao attempt to get somethicg for nothing Henoe gambling-?be attempt to get something for nothing-is a violation of the commandment, "Tbou shalt no: steal 7 Prestdeot Dwight told tbe ex aot troth wheo be said, "There are but two possible methods by which we oao acquire from others honestly-namely, either by free gift, or by rendering an equivalent for what we receive." I do not believe this statement oao be con? troverted by any fair mtoded mao. Yet, that which is obtained gambling is ob'aioed by neither one cf these meth? ods The ?ambler does oot intend to give an equivalent for what he re? ceives There is a fascioatioo about gambling which grows opoo one tbe more be ioduiges in ir, and its effects are demor alizir.g and damning, it debases the intellect, corrupts rbe morals, and ruins the soui. Tbe finished gambler bas no I bean; be would play at bi.- mother's funeral, says Dr K.*on. Tbe crown j ir.g outrage cf tho crucifixion cf the Soo j of G J? wa* that a small company of j gamblers oast lots for bis garmet?, j which wts ali that, he possessed But Ged is writing everywhere, and j ibo man who loses bis busine ss and ?ees ? hi- frtends drop away from bim because j of his evil habits and vioicus life, need j D<<r dfidare that bc cannct interpret tte j writing He knows what the message j means, but ?iii not acknowledge it, 1 until ptrcb.iLce it is too late. AH over tbe world God is writing oo ? the walls-in the religions advantages L'iven as, io the death of friends, io the toward yearnings of the heart. Th.? sermon ended with the story of a drufjfceo youth, who, wheo a letter was b-.nded to him from his motherv exclaimed, "Great God ! Keep ir. till morning -will -oo- - ill I nw ni - I?EAR ABOUT PERFECT. "The dispensary with some modi fieatione to perfect the system, is the best solution of the liquor trafic " This is the stereotyped expression of the legislative candidate with dispen? sary leanings. It is interesting to note the amendments made by the legislature and the rules adopted by the state board * to perfect the sys? tem " At first there were several restrictive features, the most import? ant of which were ignored from the beginning One alter another bas been added to the obsolete restric? tions till the system is now near about "perfect " The process is about this : The state board gets a hint that a certain requirement is not acceptable to the patrons of the dispensary, or io some way limits the sales The state board winks back at the dispensers, and that require? ment is disregarded afterward. Il there is any protest raised, the next time the legislature works the law over, the distastefoi requirement drops out Some tittie question bas been rais? ed recently about not requiring the signed requests by purchasers, as the law directs Now an amendment is before the legislature to abolish this requirement altogether Of course it will pass. It is necessary "to perfect the system to please the patrons to increase the sales-and the revenue Of course it will pass. The people that are running the dis? pensary believe in the utmost latitude in the tran?c Those who have been hoodwinked with the delusion that the dispensary is a temperance meas? ure can do nothing even if they bhould protest, but they are not likely to raise their voic6 against fate, aud it is very probable that they will be shown that the restriction is a dead letter and therefore wonlo better be stricken cut The system is nearly 'perfect" DOW -Chester Lantern McKinley and Roosevelt. Washington, Feb. 13 -President Pro Tem of the Senate Frye ibis afternoon declared William McKin? ley elected President and Theodore Roosevelt Vice President of the United States, and dissolved tbe joint meeting cf the House and the Senate, called fer that purpose The ceremony took place in the Honse cf Representatives in joint session Tbe method of counting the vote is prescribed in great detail by the statute and was followed literally today Great crowds.throng? ed the galleries to witess the inter? esting spectacle --__oa>?~ * ? '-4MB The War in South Africa Cape Town, February 18-Piet DeWet, who arrived in Cape Town yesterday to engage the Afrikanders in the peace movement, has an appointment for Friday or Saturday with Mr Thereon, President of tue Afrikander Bond, who is coming here for the special purpose of dis? cussing peace possibilities Mr De Wet, on behalf of the/ Boer peace committee, desires the Afrikander Bund to announce clearly that the invaders can expect no aid from the Cape Dutch, and then to send a deputation to Mr. Steyn and Gen DeWet to endeavor to prevail npon them to surrender He says bc is confident Commandant Gen Louis Botha will surrender if Steyn and DeWet would do so, and the surren? der wiil be practically without condi? tions Durban, Natal. February 13 -The Boer losses, when they were attack? ed by Gen. French are said to have been forty men killed and two hun? dred made prisoners Cape Town, February 13 -An? other death from bubonic piagje occurred today and two fresh cases are ofSoially reported Mrs Nation Hits Chicago. Cbicago.Feb 12 -Mr* Carrie Nation arrived io Chicago tonight and later faced a somewhat diminutive audience ga'bered under tb* auspice* of local members of thc W. C. T. U., in Willard's bsll. Oo ber trip toward Chicago she made a cumber ci sbott '?drenes .'rom the rear end of ihe oar (.petikitg ai nearly every station where a stop was made. Oily a very Mnall crow? was at tbe depot and it was for the tn^sr part competed of members of the recciprn n committee. Mrs Nation said (bar it was her intention to ge? the saloon keepers of Ch;oag.> together soa talk to them. Tampa. Feb Io -Between 300 and 401? employes of the Sauchez and Haya cigar factory went on strike this morning They demand the payment cf $10 each for the time they claim was lest waiting for materia! The house refused this. Other demands will be made on the managers.