Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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to9&9ofo?o0o?io9o0oooeo0oo 0 o f Mutual *-? 1 Insurance I % By HOMER LEE WARREN ? o o ?- . o o o--A copyrfs^ 3 901. . 0 T Bj A. S. Kichardsoxu .9 O o 0o$o$o?o$o?oS@o?o?o?ofcoec? Jacob Fletcher and his good wife Mary had lived together the lives of farmers for twenty years or more and had never had an hour's misunder? standing. They had no children, but their company was all sufficient for ?ach other, and at the age of forty-five they were in the best of health and without regrets. Then the. serpent crept in. He was the agent of a life insurance company, and he sat down in the kitchen where Mrs.. Fletcher was making pumpkin pies ?.nd talked her to a standstill. What he wanted was to secure mutual insurance, a pol? icy by which the surviving husband or wife would profit in the sum of $5,000. The farmer's wife had heard of such things, but was opposed to them, and the agent had to talk for two long hours before he could secure her promise to *talk to pa about it." That night she did talk, though with? out any heart in it and was much re? lieved when the husband turned to her and said: "Mary, it wouid be like flyin' in the face of the Lord, and I wouldn't think of such a thing." He had to think, however. The agent came back again and again, and at length his persistency received its re ward. After much doubt and hesita? tion a policy was duly taken out and filed away in .the bottom drawer of the bureau, and the serpent had inflicted its sting. That afternoon as the hus? band followed the plow in the field he found himself wondering whether he or his wife would die first and whether it would be good policy for him to "build a new barn out of that insurance money in case he was the survivor. And the wife, as she sat peeling pota? toes for supper and opening the oven door now and then to look at the bak? ing bread, found herself wondering What she should do with the farm and all that money in case Jacob met his death. Two or three days later a~wind? mill agent called, and as he incidental? ly heard of the mutual insurance he laughed and said: "May be all right in your case, but I should look at it as a temptation to my wife to get rid of me Husbands have been poisoned for less than $5> O0Q." He was speaking in levity, but he sowed a seed. On that same day the wife of a neighbor dropped in for a gossip, and of course she was told ?.bout the insurance policy. It struck her at first as a good thing, but two minutes later she held up her hands and exclaimed: "Mary Fletcher, do you know what von hr,ve d?yie_2- You have prepared your own- grave!" . "La, but Low you talk!" "Yes, you have. There isn't a hus? band on the face of the earth who wouldn't throw his wife down the cel? lar stairs and break her rieck for $5, O00. You won't be alive to see Thanks? giving!" Here was another seed, and that night for the first time since their mar? riage the farmer couple felt suspicion and distrust. As they sat together the husband looked the wife over and de 'arCTEDERESS !" EE SHOUTED STABTED BACK. AS HE cided that in case of his death she would surely marry again. She'd have that insurance money, and she'd spend it with liberal hand, and along would come some piano man or sewing ma? chine ii gent and snap her up as a prize. She might possibly erect a fifteen dol? lar headstone over his irrave, but she wouldn't go a dollar higher, and the clothes he left behind would be given to some neighbor's hired man instead of being preserved and wept over. Thoughts as hard ard bitter passed through tho mind of the wife. Jacob -had always been kind and loving, but there had never been $5.000 at stake before. With her out of the way and that money in band he would repaint the house, get a new team of horses, buy a top buggy and cut a great swell, and she even figured out who he would take for his second wife. They wein to.bedjn an unhappy frame /?f and two or three "cimes during -uie night each woke up and wondered about hot lead being poured into hus? bands' ears and wives being smothered with pillows as they slept. The next four weeks were wretched ones. Not a meal did the husband sit down to without wondering if the food or drink had been sprinkled or mixed with poison, and hardly an hour passed that the wife was not on her guard against some sudden attack on her life. One day the milkhouse door blew to on her and made her a prisoner, and j she uttered such screams of fear that the tramp on the highway who heard j her did not dare go to her assistance until he had summoned help. At an? other time she slipped on the cellar stairs, and after much looking about she discovered a peach stone and treas? ured it up as legal proof of the hus? band's planning. Love, trust and con? fidence had flown out of the window, and the neighbors sagely shook their heads and observed that they were prepared to hear of an awful tragedy any day. One night the husband woke up with a chill of fear. He had dreamed that he saw bis wife standing over him with a butcher knife raised to strike. He found her beside him and seem? ingly fast asleep, but he determined to pass the rest of the night on the hay in the barn. He had scarcely left the house when the wife woke up. She had dreamed of being hacked to pieces with the ax, and her husband's- ab? sence seemed to be proof that he had gone out after the weapon. She would baffie him by hiding in the carriage shed until morning. It therefore hap? pened that while he was skirting the duck pond on the right to reach the barn she was skirting it on the left to reach the carriage house, and presently they came together in the darkness. "Murderer!" she shouted as she turned to flee. "Murderess!" he shouted as he start? ed back. Then both went slipping down the <{ bank, clawing and. clutching at each other, and brought up with a great souse in the pond. Wet and bedrag? gled, they climbed out on opposite sides, and while she spent the remain? der of the night shivering under the currant bushes and wondering if he would kill her at the first blow or chop her up by degrees he sat on the door? step and made up his mind to appeal to the law without further delay. Morning; had _ come, _ and_the_ nair, had just" c?nffontecT eaeh'~othe"r "when a neighbor who was passing halted at the gate to say: "Hello, Jake, have you heard the news?" "No," was the reply. "Ain't you and Mary insured in the Sure Pay Life Insurance company?" 'Tes." "Well, she's busted higher'n a kite, and your policy ain't wuth corncobs." "She's busted for sure?" queried Ja? cob. "Sure's you live." "And I ain't insured and Mary ain't insured, and we wouldn't get a durned cent if either died?" "Not a dumed red." < "Then-then, come here. Mary, come and kiss me," said the husband as he opened his arms. " 'Pears to me like you might be glad of the bust up." remarked the neigh- j bor. "Burned if I ain't!" replied Jacob, with tears in his eyes. "And so'm I!" sobbed the wife as she j threw her arms around his neck. Not Necessary to Talk Mach. "You know." she said, "1 am not ? much of a conversationalist." This seemed to him the opportunity \ for which he had been waiting. "Well," he returned, "if I do the pre- j Iimi'nary tal-king your conversational j ability will be sufficient to enable you J to say Tes,' won't it?" After all, in courtship there is noth? ing like getting your answer before you ask the question. Canso For Donbt. "A public official," exclaimed the or? dinary man heatedly, "should be our servant But is he?" , "Hardly." ventured the suburbanite. "He stays with us too long for that." Judge. THE NEW MANAGER? Why He Did Not Discharge a Certain Railroad Conductor. Among the first railroads built in th* United States was a little linc about twenty miles in length. In the course of time a big tunnel line was construe? ed through the same country. The orig? inal line became merely a branch. For many years it was run in a cheap way, with one locomotive, one engineer and two or three freight cars. Finally a new general manager was appointed. He had been in the office but a week when he sent for the one lone conductor who had held the posi? tion ever since the road was built. "I would like to have your resigna- j ?ion," said the general manager when j the conductor appeared. "My resignation?" inquired the con? ductor in astonishment. "Yes. sir. yours." "What for, pray?" "Well. I want to make some changes i and gc: nev.- blood in tho line." was the general manager's reply. "? won't resign." answered the con- j ductor. "Then ! will be compelled to dis? charge yoi;, a step which for your sake I had hoped ? would be saved from j taking." "Young mah. you will not discharge j mc. I own u controlling interest in th" stock cf this ra il read and elect thc | president and board of directors. I ; Shall have you tired." The old conductor did really own thc j majority of the stack and. as he said. J put in his own board of directors and j president. I A SERPENT'S APPETITE. Hi? Meal of a Rabber Boot "VT?S n Disastrous One. From a. gentleman who was at one time a resident of Brazil comes a re? markable story about a snake that he encountered in the woods one clay which followed him with much persist? ence. "Sitting on a stump, 1 became aware of the approach cf a huge snake.'' writes this gentleman. "Ile mts: have been fifteen feet in length. There ivs s no doubt the snake was about to at? tack me. "Without hesitating for a moment 1 discharged my two barrels. For a short time the reptile raged furiously, and I climbed a nearby tree. I had hardly reached the first boughs when I saw the snake approaching the tree, and it climbed up behind me. "Higher and higher I went. Highes and higher came the serpent. My heavy rubber boots were a great drawback t:> my climbing, so I tried to get rill cf them. I took one off and dropped il and just as I had the second in rn? hand the snake reached me. and !. in my desperation, tried to shield myself with the rubber boot. "Then the snake made a clash a::d getting hold of the boot, turned and de scended the tree. I was saved, but ! had not the courage to leave the tree before my friends arrived. I told them of the adventure I had and rode home minus one rubber boot. Of his snake ship nothing could be seem "A few weeks later on another hunt? ing trip we found in the road a big dead snake, terribly swollen. We cut ir open and found, to our astonishment, my rubber boot not in the least in? jured."-New York Times. NATURAL HISTORY. Thoroughbred dogs are less intelli? gent than mongrels. A full grown elephant can carry three tons on its back. The horse has no eyebrows. There are 4.500 muscles in the body of a moth. The Dorking fowl is the only living bird which in its adult condition pos? sesses a five toed foot The largest bird of prey in the old world is the lammergeier, or bearded vulture, which has a wing expanse of nine to ten feet. Comparatively. few horses attain to seventeen hands, but Kansas boasts cf one that measures twenty hands and weighs 2,412 pounds. Wasps may often be observed de? taching from fences, boards or any old wood the fibers, which they afterward manufacture int:> papier macho. The smallest of British animals :'s the harvest mouse, which makes a globular nest in wheatnelds. A full grown specimen weighs half an ounce. The First Iron Ship. The first iron ship has more reputed birthplaces than Homer. Both the Clyde and the Mersey claim pre-emi? nence in this respect Sir E. J. Robi son of Edinburgh designed an iron ves? sel in 181G, which was not launched till three years later, and it is said that an iron boat was worked on the Severn even as far back as 1TS7. Steel was not used in the construction of merchant ships' hulls until 1859. Old salts were not alone in their belief that wood was incant by Providence to float but iron to go to the bottom. A naval constructor of some repute once said: "Don't talk to me of iron shins. They are contrary to nature." Now none but small craft are built of wood in this country.-Chambers' Journal. St?oihinp:. Li Hung Chang had beyond all doubt an iron will and a very unsentimental heart Once when he was viceroy of Chili a man who had tampered with a telegraph wire was brought before him. The man wrung his hands and begged for mercy, saying that he would never touch the wire again. . . "Don't be vexed, my good fellow.fl said Li, "or trouble yourself any fur? ther about the matter. I shall take care that it does not happen again." Then he turned to the jailers and gave the order, "Cut ofT his head!" Nice For Lovers. "If 1 am not too presumptuous," said the young clerk, "I will ask you to lcok at our new typewriter especially adapt ed for writing love letters." "Oh," exclaimed the blushing maid, "is there any diff?rence?" "Yes. iudeed! Among the punctuation points there is a little star for marking kisses."-Philadelphia Record. Literary Subjects. "Whom did you discuss at your liter? ary club this afternoon, dear?" asked the husband in the evening. "Let me see," murmured his wife. "Oh, yes, I remember now! Why. we discussed that woman who recently moved into the house across the street from us and Longfellow."-Ohio State Journal. Department Store Repartee. "What are these things?" asked the customer. "Blackboard erasers." said the shop girl "I don't want anything that will erase a blackboard. I want a chalk mark eraser." "That's what 1 meant. These arc chalk mark erasers. Anything else?" "Yes. I want some lead pencils." "We haven't any lead pencils.- We have some wo :den cylinders with graphite on the inside of them. Will they do as well?"-Chicago Tribune. With every exert inn the best of men can do but a moderate amount of good, but it seems in :!;<. power of the most contemptible individual tb d<> incalcula? ble mischief.-Washington Irving. The niau who gets up to make the fire does not always get his share of the heat.-Saturday Evening Tost. We Told Tou So ! In our Fall Announcement we predicted a late and consequently a short season, and we believe the resulie so far have proven the truthfulness of our prediction. We have a very large stock of goods which we are anxious to convert into money, and will do so on as reasonable a margin of profit as legitimate merchandising will justify. o*o4o*o4o*We Have no Special Sales For Special Bays^<*o*c*o*o But purpose making every day from now until Christmas, one of Special Sales We realize that the needs of our country friends next year will be much more than usual, owing to the failure of the corn crop, and we are willing to Sacrifice Our Profits That we mav be able to a88?8t tnecj - We can't buy Corn with Clothing, Shoes and Hale, IT TAKES MONEY. Therefore every dollar yon spend with ns enables os to help you. OUT Clothing Department ^"ould do credit to an exclusive - --- city store Here yoo wili fiod suits to fit, from the smallest boy to the 300 pounder Our buyer bought 200 BOY'S SUITS, sizes 5 to 15, "under the hammer"-Gruods worth from $1 50 to $2, but the price paid for AX Ttf1*TiPfT7'-f?Trp Hpntd them iaetifiee aa in selling them Au INllieiiy-IlVe l^enCS. There are several styles, come early or the choice may be gone Oar better grade of Boys' suits from $2 op, have double knee and ?embie seat. Every mother knows where a Boy's Pants first gives way, so this feature onght to be appreciated We have Boys' Overcoats, sizes 5 to 12 years, from $1.00 to $5.00 Youths' Overcoats, sizes 12 to 19 years, from $2.50 to $8.00 -OUR LINE OF Men's Overcoats *8 probably the largest and best assorted you -:- will find to select from, the prices run from $2.50 tO $20.00 ^ne Tan roast be very fastidious, indeed, who -:- cannot get a suit to piesse bim in our estab lishment Our line embraces a full stock of Plain and Fancy Worsteds, Mel tons, Cheviots and Graoites, in slims, stouts and regulars from $2.50 to $20 If you need an extra pair of PANTS, you will find our stock a good one from which to select, as we carry them as high as $7 50 per pair. We had about 200 PairS PantS slightly water damaged in transit There were -some worth $2 per pair, cone less? than $1 50, we put them ail down At. ninety-five cents per pair. ft hile we are devotiog most of this ad. to Clothing, bear in mind we are not neglecting our Dry Goods and Shoe Stock Y"? wi" ,fiod tbe6?? departments -y.-thoroughly op to date and no better values for tho money to be bad in the city Our facilities heretofore prevented oor carrying as complete line of Ladies' Cloaks ^9 our tra(*e re9Qirea\ but we have no hesitancy ---- in saying now that oor stock will compare favor? ably with any in the city. From a $1 50 Jacket to a $20 Automobile Coat we can suit yon. Remember we will not be undersold and our motto shall be, "Sell as Cheap as We Gan, Not as Dear as We Might." We claim io be the Lowest Priced Whiskey House. We really sell whiskey as low as Si. io per gallon, and mind you ; distilled whiskey-not a decoction of chemicals-but of course it is nev; and under proof. Our "Mountain Dew'? .r> year old whiskey is a liquid joy ? It is actually pro? duced by honest Tar Heels in the Mountain Section of North Carolina, by the old time hand process. Every drop is boiled over open furnace wood fires, in old style copper stills, in exactly the same way as distilled by our grandfathers a century ago. First rate whiskey is sold at $5 to ?6 per gallon, but is not any better than "Mountain Dew.'* It is the best in the world and must please every customer or we will buy it back with Gold-and the Peoples National j Bank of Winston, North Carolina, will tell you our guarantee is good. To more fully introduce "Mountain Dew.'' we offer either three or five gallons (in plain sealed box.) at the special price of $1 95 per gallon cash with order. Positive? ly no larder amount shipped. On future shipments we will require the usual price, viz : ?2 95 per gallon. Express prepaid to all regular customers. We have branch warehouses in Denver, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, but all orders and remittances (in stamps, cash or by check, etc,) as well as requests for confi? dential price list must be addressed as follows: W. S. CASPER CO., TSTinston-Salem, 3tT. C., TJ. S. A. Main Office and Warehouses: Nos. 1145-46 Liberty and I, 3, 4, 5, Maple Sts. In Season. WBUEKBSUanBi Do You Run a Gin or Machinery of Any Kind ? Then come to us for BELT! Ni*, either Leather or Rubber, PULLEYS or other fixtures, achine Oils, Gin supplies in general. Your attention is invited to our fine line of SADDLES. HARNESS, WHIPS, j Full stock of PA?MTIS AWB OILS ! And everything in the Hardware line at reasonable prices. I .Lo W> ?USAKT? j The Hardware Man of Sumter, Sept lS-x Sit! Carola SM Ma El tension R, i COMM Scheda le No 4-1 a effect 12 Ol ? ic. e Jane 15, 1901 Between Camden 8 C . and Blaeksbarg, c G Read down Read np. *35 33 Eastern tim*. 32~ ?3<? am pm STATIONS pm pea 8 20 12 50 . Camden 12 25 5 So 8 50 1 15 Dekt?b 12 02 4 5C 9 20 1'27 Westville 11 50 4 30 10 50 2 00 jKersb&w ll 35 4 15 11 20 2 12 Heath Springs ll 20 3 If 12 20 2 37 Lancaster 10 55 2 3? 12 40 2 50 Riverside 10 40 3 00 2 30 3 10 Catawba Jonction 10 20 1 30 4 00 3 40 Rock Hill 10 00 12 10 4 45 4 02 Tirzah 9 30 9 55 5 20 4 18 Yorkville 9 15 8 IO 5 45 4 34 Sharon 9 00 8 50 6 05 4 50 Hickory Gr07e 8 45 7 Z5 6 20 5 00 Smyrna 8 35 7 < ? 6 50 5 26 Blacksburg 8 15 7 CO pm pm am aa Between Blacksburg, S. C., and Marioo. ? i( Read do wo Read ap .ll 33 Bastero time. ?32 ?T &ta om STATIONS. a ns 6 45 5 25 Blacksbarg 7 48 7 32 5 49 Earls j 32 7 45 5 49 Patterson Spring* 7 25 8 20 6 00 Shelby 7 15 9 00 6 21 Lsttimore 6 56 9 10 6 30 t?oores?oro S 48 9 25 6 41 Henrietta 6 38 9 55 6 59 Forest City 6 20 10 30 7 15 Rutberfordton 6 05 12 00 7 50 Thermal City 5 36 12 25 8 10 Glenwood 5 15 1 00 8 30 Marioo 5 00 p m p m am 40 I j ? 0 a c o .c ib ii Xi Read down GaSney Division, 15 I 13 EASTERN TIME STATIONS Re*d n?> 14 3 p m 1 00 1 20 1 40 p m a m 6 00 6 20 640 a a Blacksbnrg Cherokee Falls Gaffney 30 30 2 40 2 2 z. ?Dany escept Sunday X 20 minces for dinner Trains Nos 32 and are operated daiiy Trains Nos 23, 35, ll, 12. 13 14, 15 and 16 are coerated daily escept Sunday CONNECTIONS. At Camden with Southern Ry; S A L uni ? C Line. At Lancaster with L ? C R R. At Catawba Jct with Seaboard Air Line A* Rock Hill with Southern Railway At Yorkville with Carolina ? 2 orth West? ern R R. At Blacksburg with Southern Railway At Shelby and Rutberfordton with S A At Marion with southern Railway. SAMUEL HUNT. Pre8He S. TRIPP. Superintendent. E. H. SHAW. Gnn'l Pansene-?r Ar-' The Best Paper Published in the United States for Demo? crats and for all readers is the Twice-a-Week Courrer-Journal The equal of many dailes and the supe? rior of all other semi-weeklies or weeklies. Issued- Wednesday and Saturday. 104 copies a year, and you get it for only $1.00 A YEAR. The Wednesday issue is devoted to News Matter, the Saturday issue to Horns Matters. A liberal commission to agents. Sample copies cheerfully sent free to all rrho wilt ask for them, write to COURIER-JOURNAL CO., Louisville, Ky. By special arrangement you can get THE WATCHMAN ARO SOUTHROK AND THE TWIGE-A-WEEK COURIER-JOURNAL Both one year for only $2.00. This is for cash subscriptions only. Alt subscriptions under this combination offer must be sent through the Watchman and Southron office. nov 20 FIRST NATIONAL SANK OF SUMTER, STATE, CITY AND COUNTY DE? POSITORY, SUMTER, S. C. P-id op Capital $ 75,00000 Surplus ?Dd Profits - - - - 25,000 00 Addition**! Liability of Stock bolders io excess of tbeir steck. 75,000 00 Total protection to denosnors, $175 000 00 Transacts M General Banking Bosmpss. Special atterttioo triveo to collections. SITINGS DEPARTMENT. Deposes o' $1 ar.d upwards receded Ia terest allowed at ibe rate ot 4 per cert per a&onra, on amounts ahov* $5 "ud not exceed : ri e $30-, pavkb^ Quarterly, on first days o? January. April, Jul? ?nd October. ' R M WALLACE F. fi EDMUNDS, President Ohfthiwr . ,-one sending skei eh and fiescripi ionms5 quickly ascertain our opinion free whether an invention is probably patentable. Communica? tions strictly confidential. Hain! book on Patents sent free, Oldest agency ?brsecur?ngrpatents. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive special notice, without charge, in the Scientific ?iicatt A handsome!? illustrated weektr. I.r.rcest cir? culation of a?r scienti?o Journal. Terms. ?3 a ve.xr ; four months, ?1. Sold by all newsdealers. MUNN &Co.3G1^"=--New York Branch Office. 625 F SU Washington, D. C.