Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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DEATH DEALING TORNADO. Union County Storm-Swept Sun? day Afternoon. iber of Persons Killed-Many Houses Destroyed and Factories Damaged. Union, S. C., May 25.-This place was visited this afternoon by a tem? ?ale tornado. The storm came from the >rth, and it seems there was also ie from the southwest, meeting in vicinity. It played havoc, four kths and considerable loss of prop by being the results. The storm >m the north was preceded by a ivy rain and what appeared to be a mass, about one hundred yards le. It traveled with great speed l? people barely had time to get in >rs before the storm was upon the >wn. The wing of the storm passed along Main Street and blew several store doors open, doing more or less damage. Knitting Mill Hill, south of the town, caught the full force of the tornado, which blew down the school house and two residences, converting them literally into kindling wood. The occupants flew from one of the 'hzmses before it went to pieces and took refuge in another near by, but this house was also crushed to splin? ters. In this house Misses Sallie Hart and Annie Lawson were instantly lolled. Mrs. Maxey Sims died in an hour and her little daughter Weva died about 9 o'clock. Maxey Sims ?caped with a broken finger. Mr. Lee Sims received two bad cuts ca the head from falling timbers and j was internally injured. Mr. Mabry snstained a fractured shoulder and had his leg badly burned by a stove falling on him, and he was internally injured. His case may prove fatal. Mrs. Lee Sims received a bad but not fatal cut on the head. Mrs. Mabry and her two children escaped with slight injuries. It took some time to get" the victims from the debris. Every physician in town was soon upon the scene, also President Nicholson and Manager Gauit of the Excelsior Knitting mills and willing hands assisted in relieving the sufferers as much as possible. The news spread rapidly and the "hill was soon full of people from town, anxious to render every assistance possible. Everything that the famil? ies had was destroyed. Jonesville reports in a telegram to j ^ Hiss Lawson, the lady who was kill? ed, that the storm was fearful at that place and one of her family had been killed there. Miss Lawson was dead when the telegram arrived. Pacolet Mills, May 25.-A cyclone passed through here this afternoon, traveling west to south, doing consid? erable damage-one killed, several hurt, five dwellings and a number of tenement houses blown down. Big damage to crops and timber. A Negro Republican Candidate. Ed Thompson, a negro, who has been connected with the postal service in .Columbia for some years, says he has been recommended for the Republican [ nomination for congress from this dis? trict, and will run He has been of? fered, he says, some positions in the service to ""shut his mouth," and has refused them. Thompson says the Columbia postmaster has been "fight? ing him. He opens his campaign for congress this week and will stump the ntire district. He says he is in the race to the finish and as a Republican will ran "irrespective of the wishes of Ensor or other McLaurin people." j Biggest Cotton mil in the World. South Carolina has one man who is a self-made maru tc use a much abased expression. It is W. B. S. Whaley, who has forged his way to the foremost rank as a mill engineer. In the Olym? pia mill at Columbia he has one of the fangest in the country. He left yes? terday for Kansas City, Mississippi, where we are informed he will build the largest cotton mill in the world : a juill that will contain. 45 acres of floor space and will be capitalized at $10, "000,000. It is estimated that the mill village, which will be in the suburbs of Kansas City, will comprise about 25,000 people. Our informant stated he carried with him to Kansas Citv $4,000,000 in certified checks and other papers as good as cash with, which to commence work. Very little, if any, cotton grows right around Kansas City, but labor conditions are favor? able to manufacturing cotton and coa i is plentiful and cheap.-York vi lie Yecman. The Martinique Disaster. The London Post this morning pub? lishes a dispatch from the island of St. Lacia, dated May 24, which says that St. Pierre is now completely covered with lava and that it will be danger? ous to approach the place until the covering hardens. Ash showers and detonations continue, says the dis? patch. Fort de France, according to thc Post's correpsondent, is safe, bur the people are apprehensive lest the light? ning flashes shall fire the hundreds of tons of explosives stored in the fort iii - cationm The inhabitants are fleeing.! Horses Strangely Affected. Mr. Tilomas Livingston, of Elioree, writes the governor as folk)'.vs : "I have tour sick horses, one dead, j the others affected the same way. They eat hearty. They are affected in front legs and head : tremble in legs and hold head down, getting it under trough and don't seem able to get it out. "Would like you to send ^veterinary surgeon here at once. Seve? ral of my neighbors have lost horses and have others sick the same way." The governor has wired President Hartzog of Clemson, asking that the college veterinary be sent to Elioree at once. The best typewriter ribbons for all standard machines for sale by H. G. Osteen & Co. Crepejpaper 8c. the roll. Osteen's "^nfr-fftnrr THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA. Current Events in the Palmetto State Laconically Recorded. The plum crop in many places in Lexington|County is a failure and the young peaches are dropping in large numbers. Rev Dr. John W. Shackleford, an Episcopal clergyman, aged SO years, a native of Georgetown, died in Sara? toga, N. Y., on Sunday. The indications point to a record breaking year in cotton production in South Caroilna. Everywhere the stands are remarkably fine. Prof. L. B. Haynes, of Leesville Female College, ha's gone to Colum? bia, to take charge of the Way of Faith until an editor can be .elected. There is much complaint concerning the ravages of the Colorado potato bug infLexington County, and many are trying to destroy this insect by the application of paris green. One day last week a ilttle son of Willie Wessinger, of Lexington Coun? ty, fell from a lumber laden wagon and sustained injuries from the effects of which he died in an hour. Columbia experienced a severe rain storm Sunday atfernoon. In five minutes after? the rain began the mercury had dropped from 92 to 68, a drop of 24 degrees, something ex? tremely unusual. The annual meeting of the State Fe<}eration of Women's Club was held in Greenville, last week. The organi? zation is in a highly flourishing con diion. Mrs. Mattie 0. Patterson, of Greenville, was elected president. Greenville is to have another cotton mill. The capital stock will be $200, 300 and it will be under the manage? ment of John T. Woodside, presi? dent, and his brother, J. D. Wood? side, of Gainesville, Ga, will be treas arer. A heavy wind, rain and hail storm swept over a portion of Florence Coun? ty Sunday afternoon. In localities 3rops were pelted to pieces by hail and windows were blown in or broken. Trees and fences were felled, but no lives were lost. Mrs. Rosa Edwards, of the cotton mill village at Laurens, was shot while standing in the piazza of her cottage at 9 o'clock at night about a week ago. Walker.Ed wards is charged with the murder, though some hold that it was a case of suicide. The work of construction of the Co? lumbia glass factory will be com? menced in a few days. It will cost >60,000. It is expected that the fac? tory will be kept quite busy supplying the State dispensary with bottles. It will be the largest establishment of the iind in the South. Mr Fielding Fant, who lived about sight miles from Abbeville, committed suicide Monday. He pl?ced a shot? gun under his chin and discharged .the ion ten ts, ^ which passed entirely .hrough his head. "Death was instan? taneous. Mr. Fant was about85years Did and leaves a wi?e and several chii Iren. He had been in bad heatlh for jome years and this was the third at ;empt to end his life. A movement is taking shape by a Baltimore syndicate having for its ob ?ect the establishment of a line of river boats from Colubmia to George? town. A representative of tho syndi iate has been in Columbia in the in-1 :erest of the enterprise and claims he ;an put boats on the Congaree river within sixty days. The movement so 'ar has not met with the success vhich might have been expected in Dolubmia. The Secretary of State has granted, i charter to Columbia's recently re? organized "Richland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," 3f which Capt. W. D. Starling is pres? ident. Mr. D. R. Flenniken vice president, ?and Mr. C. B. Simmons, secretary. The society hopes to get to work at once, and will see that many of the suffering animals now appearing on Columbia's streets dis? appear until in proper condition for work. The Lancaster Ledger notes as an indication of the scarcity of money that the sales of the dispensary were 25 per cent less last month than for the same month last year* The State Pre3S Association will meet ir annual convention in George? town tomorrow morning, Anelaborate program lias been arranged. The members and their accompanying ladies will be handsomely entertained by the good poeple of the old city on the Sarnpit. The Langley Baptist Church, ttl rough Rev. George P. White, as moderator, and J. F. Morris, as church* clerk, has appealed to the Christian public to contribute to the support of the distressed and suffering in Langley and vicinity, in conse? quence of the lockout in the cotton mills. That Clemson sopohomre rebellion is bearing fruit in Greenwood. One of the boys in the tenth grade failed to pass the examination and of course could not get his certificate that he had completed the course of study. Thereupon the rest of the class "wont on a strike" and served notice on the board that they would not gradnate unless the boy who failed was allowed to graduate. And the board actually took thc matter under consideration. In thc Episcopal State Convention held at Georgetown there was an in? teresting debate over a resolution ex? tending sympathy to the operatives in Horse Creek Valley and calling on the mill men to reopen the mills. It was thought by the majority of thc con? vention that it would bo unwise and radical for the church to take any part in the battle between labor and capi? tal, except to perform the duty of the church in giving aid where there was physical or spiritual suffering ; so the resolution was modified in accordance with this view. -The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has assigned work for Bishop A. Coke Smith in the ninth district, as fol? lows: Western North Caroilna, Mon? roe, November 19: North Carolina, Wilmington, November 26: Alabama, Montgomery, December 10; Florida, Quincy, December 12; ^Baltimore* Fredericks burg, Va;, March 25. TORNADO IN DARLINGTON. Pee Dee Oil Mill Blown Down. Negro Child Killed. Crops Damaged by Hail. j Special to Daily Item. Darlington, May 26.-This place has j been again visited by a destructive j storm of a cyclonic nature, and consid j era ble damage, was done to property and one life lost. Yesterday afternoon, after several houjs of very sultry and oppressive atmospheric conditions dark clouds gathered suddenly and swept over the town, acccompanied by a violent and terrifying electric display and a heavy downpour of rain and hail. The wind for a few minutes was intensely violent, and in the path of j the storm, which passed over the sub i urbs of the city, buildings, fences and trees were swept away. I The Pee Dee Oil Mills suffered the greatest damage. The seed houses, warehouse and mill building were blown down and almost completely demolished. The engine and boiler room, however, escaped with little damage. Several negro houses were blown down, and one negro, a child, about twelve years old, was struck by a heavy timber and instantly killed. Several other negroes were slightly in? jured. Th Pee Dee Oil Mill, which is own? ed by the Virginia-Carolina Co., will be rebuilt immediately and will be ready for business when the cotton season opens. The hail and heavy rainfall did much damage to growing crops, espe? cially tobacco, in the immediate vi? cinity of the town, and the damage probably extended to other parts of the county, but as to the extent of the damage no reports have been received. THE FESTIVE CANDIDATE. ? Formidable Crop in the Scram? ble for the Spoils of Office. There will be no end of candidates in the two campaign parties. Quite a number of possible candidates are still in the background, needing but little encouragement to - enter the several contests. Governor McSweeney has had nothing to say as to his inten? tions. Secretary of State Cooper, who a few months ago was talking of running for governor, is likewise quiet. But there are prospectively 3S candidates for the*senate and State offices and 17 for congressional honors, making a total of 55. This list of prospective candidates includes all those who have made positive an? nouncements. For the United States Sente-"Wm. Elliott, Beaufort: George Johnstone, Newberry; John J. Hemphill, Ches? ter: D. S. Henderson Aiken; A. C. Lat'mer, Anderson ; John Gary Evans, Spartanburg. For-Governor-D. C. Heyward, Col? ler?n; W J. Talbert, Edgsfield: M. F. Ansel, Greenville; James H. Till? man, Edgefield; L. J. Williams, Edgefield; W. H. Timmerman, Saluda For Lieutenant Governor-Cole L. j Blease, Newberrv ; F. B. Garv, Abbe ville; John T. Sloan, Richland: S. G. Mayfield, Bamberg. For Secretary of State-J. T. Gantt, Spartanburg: J. Harvey "Wilson, Sumter: J. Tom Austin, Greenville. For Attorney General-U. X. Gun? ter, Jr.. Spartanburg; W. F. Steven? son, Chesterfield. For Comptroller General-W. E. Sharpe, Lexington : G. L. Walker, Greenville: A. W. Jones, Abbeville; L. C. Clyburn, Lancaster. For Adjutant General-Col. Jno. j D. Frost, Richland : Col. J. C. Boyd, Greenville : George D. Rouse, Charles? ton ; Capt. Jno. M. Patrick, Ander? son. For State Treasurer-R. H. Jen? nings, Fairfield. For Superintendent of Education John J. McMahan, Richland: O. B. Martin, Laurens? ArthurKibler, New? berry. For Railroad Commissioner-J. C. Wilborn, York: W. Boyd Evans, Marion : Jno. G. Soblev, Fairfield ; John G. W?lling, Fairfield: H. J. Kinard, 'Greenwood : James Cansler, York. FOR CONGRESS. First District-T. W. Bacot, Charles? ton: Geo. S. Legare, Charleston; M. C. Galluchat, Clarendon. Second-G. Duncan Bellinger, Barn? well ; G. W. Croft, Aiken : J. W. Thurmond. Edgefield. Third-?. Marion Rucker, Ander? son: D. Wyatt Aiken, Abbeville; Geo. E. Prince, Anderson. Fourth-Jos. T. Johnson, Spartan? burg: Stanvarne Wilson, Spartanburg. Fifth-D." E. Finiev, York: J. W. Floyd, Kershaw: W. B. Wilson, York; T. J. Strait, Lancaster. Sixth-R. B. Scarborough. Horry. Seventh-A. F. Lever, Lexington : J. B. McLaughlin, Orangeburg.-The State. ?mm IN COLLISION Engineer Cavin Fatally injured. Every Man cf Beth Crews Hurt Cl arleston, May 2G.- There was n head-end collision between a Plant sytem and an A. G. L. freight engine at the four mile carve, near Charleston, at 4 o'clock Sunday morning. The two engines were running at a high rate of speed and when they struck both were almost total Iv demolished. Enigneer G. W Cavin of the A. C. L. was seriously injured and it is feared he cannot recover. Every man of the two train crews was more orlos injured. The accident was the result of one of the engineers misunder? standing his or'ie rs. Almost continuos shocks, presumably of earthquake, were felt at St Augus? tin, Fla., from 9 until midnight Thursday night. The earthquake was accompanied by a succession of short but decisive reports like distant cannonading, seemingly from far out at sea. The sounds where unlike thunder, having no reverberating roll, and were acocmpanied by decided trem? ors, while the sky in the southeast was with a glow. THE PHILIPPINES WON'T PAY. The Islands Will be of Benefit to Capitalists Only. A temperate and skilfully prepared speech was delivered in the United States Senate Friday on the Philip? pines bill by Mr. Dr.bois, of Idaho. He confined hirnseh almost entirely to a discussion of the commercial and industrial aspects of tthe Philippine question, Iiis purpose being to snow that it would bo a disadvantage to the people of this country to retain the islands. This Government's activity in the Philippines also would serve to arouse China fronVher lethargy, and, once aroased, the dragon would de? vour t^e trade of the world. Mr. Dubois reviewed at length the agri cultural resources of Japan and Chi? na, with a view to showing that, with their advantages of cheap labor, they would be able to control the markets of the Orient, including the Philip pines. Mr Dubois contended that little ad? vantage in holding the Philippines would accrue to the people of the Uni? ted States, except possiby to the'capi talist, who would go into the islands and obtain under concessions great tracts of land, which they would de? vote to the cultivation of sugar, to? bacco and cotton, to which the land was peculiarly well adapted. These products eventually would come into competition with the same products in this country, the result being detri? mental to both American capital and labor. Mr. Dubois expressed the fear that, with the cheap labor available in the Philippines, our retention of the isl? and would result seriously to Ameri? can labor as well as to the American manufacturers. Manufactures ulti? mate! v would spring up in the islands and their products would come into competition directly with the products i of this country in the markets of the i world. ! An earnest and forcilbe reply to Mr. ! Dubois was made by Mr. Beveridge, of Indiana, who contended that the devel? opment of China's resources would be of advantage in trade and commerce to the United States, as the industrial development of other nations had been. The argument of Mr. Dubois, he insisted, was refuted by all the facts as it had been demonstrated that our exports had increased most rapidly to those countries in which internal development vvas increasing, as there? by the people of those countries were the better able to purchase from the United States. This certainly would be as true of China as it had been of other nations. As the country was developed the wants of the . people would increase and so would our op? portunity to supply these wants. Japan had had recently a wonderful development and along with that devel? opment or exports had increased from about $3,000,000 a vear, to more than $29,000,000 a year. This would be true of China. The exports to China from outside countries amounted to about $250,000,000 a year and he be lieved that it would be possible easily for the United States to secure one half of that trade. The Philippines, he maintained, were a door to the Chinese trade. THE KINS MILL STRIKERS. Must Return to Work at Once or Give Up Their Houses. There will be the first serions devel opment in the reopening of the King mill Monday afternoon, says an Au gusta dispatch, when the operatives who have not returned to work will be requested to vacate King mill houses that they may be filled by operatives from other places who are willing to go to work. A legal paper will be served on all the occupants of these houses who are not at at work Monday morning to vacate by Monday night or go to work. President Thomas said on Satnrday that he wanted to give the striking operatives every show in the world and was doing all he could 'to get them to go back to work. He says he is thoroughly satisfied with the manner in which the? mills are running, that a number of hands re? turned to work that morning who were not at work on Friday, and he had been notified that those who went to the country at the time the strike went into effect to live on farms would return to the city Monday j morning, to go to work. Besides these, he says he has a mnmber of engagements with operatives who will be ready to go to work at that time. The position of the mill officials is not to put the matter of vacating the houses in the manner of a threat, but to co slowly and give the idle operatives all the time to decide. Mr. Thomas says he thinks as soon as they realize the mill will continue to run. whether they stay out or not, they will change their minds and go to work. He says he is not fighting a thing in tho world but the demand for a 10 per cent, increase. THE STRIKE ENDED. All of the cotton manufactories in what is known as the Augusta district went into opcraiton today (Monday). I Tho strike in the King mill is broken ? and the lockout is declared o:?. Little Hope fer Dr. Palmer. Now Orleans. May 25.- -Dr. Palmer's condition is considered very unfavora? ble and he is gradna!ly lapsing into unconsciousness. There seems little hope for the distinguished divine, who was injured in a trolley accident several weeks ago. - i- ?II i - A bill will be introduced in the Cu I ban house of representatives provid? ing pardon for all Americans confined in prison or awaiting trial. It is ex? pected that the house will take favor? able aetion in the matter. Cuban sentiment is strongly in favor of the measure. The transfer house of the Lake Shore and New York (.'entrai railroads, just north of the stockyards at Buffalo. X. V., caught fire at midnight Friday night. Within an hour the house was destroyed and about 200 cars had been burned. Most of the cars were loaded and the damage will be great. Loss $750.000. REMARKABLE SCENE IN SENATE. Hoars Eloquent Plea. Death of Pauncefote. The Rochambeau Statue. Houses at Odds. Special to The Item. Washington, May 26.-There was a remarkable scene in., the senate on Thursday. An old man, white with the snows of many winters and slight? ly bent, stood among the senators, like Socrates teaching the men and youths of Athens. He appealed to them, with an eloquence seldom equal? led, to remain true to the faith of their fathers. For a quarter of a cen? tury this same old man, Goerge Fris bie Hoar, has sat in the Senate cham? ber, andj no one has had occasion to question his Republicanism, but on Thursday he announced that his con? science would not permit him to vote with his party on the Philippine ques? tion, for its exponents had forgotten the faith of their ancestry, whose lessons fell "upon ears of men dazzled by military glory and delirious with the lust of conquest." Concluding a powerful arraignment of.[the Republic, an policy in the Philippines, Mr. Hoar appealed to his colleagues in these words: "Let us, at least, have this to say: 'We too nave kept the faith of the fathers. We took Cuba by the hand. We delivered her from age-long bondage. We welcomed her to the family of nations. We set mankind an example, never before beheld, of mod? eration in victory. We kept faith with the Philippine people. We kept faith with our own history. We kept our national honor unsullied. The flag which we received without a rent we handed down without a stain.' " ? ? ? Two Democratic speeches of great moderation and replete with unanswer? able arguments marked last week's debate. Senator Bacon, who has not yet concluded his remarks, exposed the weakness of the impending measure with merciless logic, and Senator Dubois, devoting himself largely to the claim that the Philippines would prove the open door to China, warned his opponents against arousing the dragon which now sleeps peacefully. He pointed out that greed for commer? cial gain was likely to result in the upbuilding of a competition which would eventually undersell American manufactures in the markets of the world, where no Chinese exclusion law would protect the American work? man from the "yellow peril. " He dwelt on the fact that the Chinese are able imitators, and that once they had been awakened by the efforts of capitalists to secure their trade they would en? danger the commercial prosperity of all white nations with their half-paid labor. Senator Beveridge, who at? tempted to answer Mr. Dubois' argu? ment, presented an alluring array of figures, but in so doing lost all sight of the trend of Mr. Dubois' argument. The sudden death of Lord Paunce? fote, which occurred on Saturday morning, has caused a shock to official and social life in Washington. He had been suffering from rheumatic gout for some time, but no one had anticipated that his illness would terminate fatally. Lord Pauncefote was held in high regard in Washing? ton, where his democratic manner and his affability had made him a general favorite. His popularity at the White House during the Incumbency of President McKinley is well known, and it will so be remembered that, in con? junction with Secretary Olney, he framed the general arbitration treaty between this country and Great Britain. It was through his efforts that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty was superceded by the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, and the mistakes of a former American administration were so remedied without friction between the two nations and without the United States suffering humiliation. It was the ambition of the late Ambassador to negotiate a treaty covering tthe delicate questions of the Alaskan boundary and the fur-seal fisheries which should be agreeable to both parties, and he had frequently said that, that end accomplished, he would retire from the diplomatic world with the feeling that his career had been producive of lasting good and had been property rounded out Lord Pauncefote will be succeeded as dean of the diplomatic corps by Herr von Holleben, the German Ambassador. # * ^ As no official announcement of the death of Lord Pauncefote reached the White House until noon on Saturday, it did not interfere with the ceremonies which attended the dedication of the statue of Rochambeau, which took place on that morning. On a stand before the statuue, which was draped with the flags of the two nations, un? der the flags of France and the Uni- j ted States, stood the President and | the French Ambassador, the Countess j de Rochambeau, the Count de La? fayette and numerous others, while Dr. Stafford offered the invocation. President Roosevelt then extended to the French guests a cordial wclcme, and, as the Marine Band struck up the "Marseillaise," the Countess de Rochambeau stepped forward and un- j veiled the statute of her distinguished ancestor. The guns of the Fourth : Battalion boomed out the national I salute, the Frecnh and American ma? rines presented arms and the "Old Guard, " in colonial uniform, threw up their hats, the whole presenting a | scene which in many respects must | have resembled that depicted at Hart- j ford 1'2 years ago, when General George Washington weicomed the Count de . Rochambeau and the 6,000 troops and j tho companies of marines be had brought to assist in the cause of Amer- ' ican independence. The Frecnh yisi- ! tors attended service at St. Patrick's church yesterday morning and left last | evening for Niagara Falls. The defeat of the Repbulican leaders J in the House of Representatives, which j took place when the Cuban recipro- j city Vii 11 was under consideration, was j repeated when the House overruled the decision of the Chair on an amend ment to the naval appropriation bill, an amendmednt which provided tba', j .h rec of the ships to be constructed be built in government navy yards, ? and which was adopted, and now the j House has gotten into trouble with j the Senate in what promises to be a j pretty fight. The House, objecting to a Senate amendment to the army ap- ' propriation bill, asked for a confer? ence, adding that it had instructed its conferees not to yield on certain points.-This notice the Senate regards as a violation of its dignity, and Sen? ator Pettus assured me this morning that the Senate won ld never yield. It seems probable, therefore, that the House will be compelled to recede from its position, to its own infinite humil? iation, and if it does so another blow to the prestige of the present leaders will have been struck. NOTESTJF THE DAY." -Eight hours after we had quit Cuba, a bomb was exploded in the streets, injuring a large number of peo? ple. It is to be hoped this is not the keynote of the new republic. -AU the cotton mills in the Au? gusta district have resumed work, with full complements cf hands, who have lost over $150,000 in wages as a result of the strike, which went into effect on April 7. -Harry New, from the stable of C. Ellison, won the Latoni? Derby in easy fashion at Cincinnati, Monday, before a crowd of 10,000 peopel. There was a big play on Harry New and all the books quit losers to the race. -J. Sherwood Case, of Brooklyn, N. Y., possessor of the identical theatre program which President Lin? coln held in his hand at the time of his assassination, has applied for space for its exhibition at the St. Louis World's Fair. -The Southern Eailway has bought the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western railroad, which extends from Jackson? ville to Valdosta, where it connects with the Georgia Southern and Flori? da, which is a Southern railway prop? erty. The Southern is thus given val? uable terminals in Jacksonville . -The General Assembly of the Pres? byterian Church in New York adopted resolutions on the observance of Sun? day, in which they asked the "cap? tains of industry" and other employers to preserve to their employes a day of rest. The General Assembly voted to send a protest to congress against the printing at public expense of Thomas Jefferson's "Life of Christ." -The quadrennial session of the gen? eral conference of the Methodist Epis? copal Church, South, after being in session since May 7, adjourned sine die Monday. An important matter disposed of was the rescinding of part of the report of the committee on missions, adopted last Saturday, the tendencey of which was to bring the northern churches' missionary socie? ties into partnership in a joint pub? lishing house at Shanghai, China. Another important matter was the adoption of a report from the commit? tee on church extension, creating a church insurance board. -A dispatch from Fond du Lac, Wis., says: A human skin has just passed through the tanning process in the plant of the Rueping Leather Com? pany in this city. Fred L Rueping, president of the company, said today that he received letters from a Chi? cago medical s?hool, some weeks ago, ? requesting that a human skin be ac? cepted for tanning. He refused, but a foreman wishing to experiment with a human skin received it. The fore? man took the hide successfully through what is known as the "chrome" pro? cess. Only the initiated can distinguish the specimen from dog skin or the skin .of a young pig. 2 -Under ideal conditions for a great running race, the Brooklyn handicap at Gravesend was won Saturday after? noon bv Arthur Featherstone's four year-old filly Riena in 2.07, at 40 to 1, many thousands of dollars changing hands on the result. -The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in session at Dallas, Tea xs-, has created the Order of Deaconess. It is said by church authorities to be the most advanced and radical step^ ever taken in the Church policy and discip? line. -The census bureau has issued a report comprising agricultural stocks ot the countries and Indian nations in the United States. It shows that the Chicasaw nation, Indian Terri? tory, leads in the number of farms, having 16,374. The following rank next: The Cherokee nation, Indian Territory, 13,537 farms: Choctaw na? tion, Indian Territory, 9,962; Lancas? ter Countv, Pa., 9,937: Orangeburg County, S. C.. 8,403, and St. Law? rence Connty, N. Y., 8,353. -A wealthy woman named Silva re? cently died at Lisbon and left her en? tire property to a "rooster." She was a fervid spiritualist, a believer in the transmigration of souls, and imagined that the soul of her dead husband had entered the "rooster." She caused a special fowl house to be built and or? dered her servants to pay extra atten? tion to their "master's" wants. The disgust of her relatives over the will caused the story to become public and a lawsuit might have followed had not one of the heirs adopted the sim? ple expedient of having the wealthy "rooster" killed, thus becoming him? self jthe next of kin. -In the Methodist General Confer? ence, on Saturday, the creation of the order of Deaconess being nuder dis? cussion. Dr. .J. A. Clifton, formerly stationed at Sumter, and familiarly known to the conference and visitors as "the South Carolina Irishman," spoke in favor of the proposed legisla? tion in a speech full of sentiment and humorous piety. "A brother," he said, "has spoke of sentiment in deprecating terms. Sentiment makes character, and character makes the nation." His speech was frequently interrupted by applause and . it was evident that "his arguments made a deep impression favorable to the meas? ure. -The most brilliant sunset ever seen in San Juan, Porto Rico, was witness? ed there last Friday evening. It was caused by the reflections of the rays of the sun through an atmosphere laden with smoke and other volcanic matter. After sunset the horizon from west to north and the sky line to a consider? able height were a livid red, behind a curtain of billowy dark clouds. The phenomenon slowly disappeared through rose tints. The glare was reflected on the ocean and produced a most beautiful effect. The streets and the ocean front were thronged by an excited crowd of spectators. The su? perstitious people of the lower classes had been preparing for the end of the w-orld, which had been predicted for Thursday last. On that day the peons in several places refused to work, the children remained away from school and the inhabitante of the -ural districts attended a specjBf Mass.