The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 08, 1913, Image 6
II The 1
Ii Sable |
Ii Lorcha I
I-'? I
sWgeexj IneliM j|j
With the paper gripped tightly In
both ha od?, and mj head bent Intently
forward. I raced through the frivo?
lously written article which followed;
end from a superabundance of cheap
wit and Beat aide) slang managed to
extract the somewhat meager facts.
? track, driven by a Chinaman. It '
eesnwed. had that morning taken from
the nter of the Fall River Line a
square boa, measuring about five feet
each way. and perforated with a num?
ber of auger holes. The brilliant j
space-writer had given his Imagina?
tion free rein aa to the contents, spec
elating ae to the possibilities, from ed?
ible Chinese dogs to smuggled opium,
bot he had omitted to furnish the
name and addrei* of either the con?
signor or consignee. "The truck,
drawn by the slant-eyed white horse,
and driven by the phlegmatic China?
clattsred sway in the direction of
Mott street." the account concluded, j
After all. It was a very common
plsoe, everyday occurrence. Probably
the auger boles were only knot holes,
transformed by the reporter's Imagi- ,
aatton. Nevertheless, I thrust the pa?
per into my pocket. Mow Cbee might
throw eomo light on the matter. He
would kaow. In all likelihood, what
sort of goods were shipped by war of
the Pall Rlvsr Line to his countrymen
in New York. |
Wo secured a corner table in the
Inner room at the Severin. It waa
not so crowded there and It waa lees
bustling snd noisy. My companion at?
tracted some little attention, of course,
but not sufficient to prove anuoytng.
New York, aa a ru. \ pays small heed
slmpl; to the unususl, and Chinamen
are common _-ough not to be Abso?
lute curiosities even In the big down?
town restaurants.
A very dapper little fellow waa Mr.
Mow; neatly and Inconspicuously clsd,
aM well brushed snd combed. He
waa for recslllug old college days,
when he was coxswain of the clsss
crew snd I pulled the stroke oar, but
gey time was too precious for such
reminiscence, and as speedily as pos?
sible I broached the subject I bed at
heart
w," I began, perhaps less deli?
cately than 1 should, "there's a aaylng,
you know, (hat the only good Indian la
a dead Indian. That wouldn't apply
to the Cbtneae. would it? And yet.
while ?thene are some very excellent
Chlnsmen. th?re are some pretty bad
ones, aren't there?"
He grinned, exposing bis fine teeth.
**0h, yes," he snswered, "there are
good snd bsd, but the percentage of
bad is less In my country than in
some others." I caught the signifi?
cance of his remark, and realised that
I deserved the rebuke.
"And amongst the educated Chinese,
here In New York?" I went on, with?
out stopping for comment "There
ait a few bad?"
He wss still smiling.
"Bad?" he queried. "What do you
moan by bsd? There are some who
have vices, yes. Some gamble, some
smoke opium; some get the best of
a bargain."
"Are there some who would kill?" I
aaked, bluntly.
"Oh, no. no!" he protestsd, without
raising his voice. "I certainly should
hope there are none such among the
educated."
And (hen I told him about the three
letters, and what had happened, omit?
ting only Csmeron's name snd place
of residence. Imperturbable little
chap that he wss, be listened without
emotion. WlsM I concluded he said:
"You are sure they were Chinamen
who did thla?"
Would men of an7 other nationality
quote Confucius and Menclus?" I
asked
"No. I think not," wss his reply,
"and y? t It might be done by crafty
persons to mislead."
Hut I could not agree with him.
"We ara not revengeful as a nation.**
he ssld. 'we ar? rsiher long suffering.
If Chinamen did what you tell me, It
was In return for some very great In
Jury; some crime, I should say,
against their parents or near kins?
man."
"Hut my friend was m'ver in Chins."
I declsred. "And he was the last man
In the world to harm anyone."
For a little while Mow Chee ate In
thoughtful silence. Presently he
looked tip
"Clyde, my friend, I know so Httle
of my own people hero In New York.
Hu* on* in.hi I know, a merchant, who
is very prominent and very uprlKbt.
He Is s big man In the Six Companies.
I will give you a card to him; you
can speak to him In confidence, snd If
he can help you. he will, not only bs>
rausH I pent you, but because ho
atands for all that la best, and do.
sires that my countrymen In the
United States shall hsve tho Moped
they deserve from your cltlten*. I
would send you to |fco CfctuOOi <"<>r
sul, but my friend, Mr. Yup Sing, M
better."
My hand was ou the newspaper In
my pocket, but I did not. ghow it to
Mov Chee. I would reserve It for list
encyclopaedic Yup Sing, whose ad?
dress, M3 written on the card which
my classmt.te furnished me, was on
Mott street, . few doors from Pell.
New York's Chinatown Is a much
more familiar locality to the transient
visitor than to the average citizen. In
all the years of my residence in the
metropolis, of which I am a native, 1
had never before had either the occa?
sion or th? desire to dip Into this most
foreign of all the city's foreign sec?
tions. To me, Chinatown was as a
far country. Vaguely I had an Idea
of Its location. It lay, I knew, east of
Broadway and west of ne Bowery;
but Its latitude was not clearly de?
fined.
My Impulse was to hall a cab, give
the driver the number of the Mott
street establishment, and so, without
further Individual effort, be whirled
away to my destination. But there are
no cab stands on lower Broadway;
and to walk to Broad street, where
the cabman lies all day In wait for the
prosperous stock broker and his af?
fluent customer, required more time
than In my Impatience I was willing
to grant. Therefore I boarded a Broad?
way car and was drawn haltingly
northward, until, on reaching Canal
street, I alighted In sheer desperation
*DlL turnefl eastward,
Here a letter carrier, of whom I in?
quired, sped me straight to my goal?
a couple of blocks as I was going, a
tun to the right, a few blocks more,
and the bulk windows of the Yup Sing
Company would come Into view.
I found the establishment easily
enough. But had it not been for the
name prlrted In big Roman lettering.
' should never have Imagined It s
Chinese business house. There was
no display of goods In the big win
dows, which were screened half way
up by light blue shades, giving the
front an appearance similar to that
of the average American wholesale
house.
Having passed Inside, however,
there was no such Illusion. All about
me were the characteristic products
of the Orient, from brilliant silken
embroideries, and exquisite gold and {
silver and bronse work, to cheap cot?
ton and linen fabrics, lacquer furni?
ture, and straw slippers. And the at?
mosphere was further enhanced by
the half dozen or more Chinamen who
were lounging In the middle and far
distance, each with shaven crown and
colled queue and each In the more or
less brilliantly colored native dress. I
One of these, a comparatively dark- |
ly-attlred young man with full, round
visage, came forward as I entered.
"Is Mr. Yup In?" I asked.
He was inclined, I saw, to hesita?
tion and so I produced Mow's card.
"Oh, yes," he said, after studying it
for a moment. "Oh, yes. Mist a* Yup!
He in." With which he left me, and
taking the card with him dlsjTppeared
behind some draperies at the back of
the big crowded store.
Between the others, who regarded
me for a moment only with idle inter?
est, there was, while I stood there, a
rapid exchange of observations In
their native tongue, mingled with a
sort of high-pitched cackling which I
assumed to be laughter.
I had turned my back towards
them, but presently a shuffling of feet
along the floor Infomed me of the
approach of what I imagined was ray
returning emissary. On whirling about,
however, it was to face an elderly man
in purple silk garments and a black
skull cap?a man of thin, almost ca- ^
daverous yellow visage, whose upper
lip and chin were adorned with a
sparse growth of silky blue black Ir.Jr, 1
and upon the bridge of whose nose
rested a pair of gold-rimraed spec
tacles. i
"You would see me, sir?" he asked,
and I noted that there was scarcely
the slightest indication of the foreign?
er in either pronunciation or accent. ?
"If you are Mr. Yup." I smiled,
"you can, I fancy, from what Mr. Mow
tells me, give me the information I
am In search of."
He did not smile in return, but his
thin face assumed an expression of be
nignlty that was as much of an invita?
tion to lay my problem before him ns
were his words.
"Anyway I can serve a friend of
Mr. Mow," he said, "will be a pleas?
ure," I
Hut, as he spoke. the benign expres?
sion passed. Once again that thin saf
fron-hued face, with Its hollow cheeks,
and small deep-set eyes, had become
unfathomable.
At least two of his partners or
salesmen were wlthlr, f .n shot, and I
turned a significant glance towards
them, as I said.
"The subject is ? confidential one,
Mr. Yup. If I could speak to you?"
"In private?" he finished. "Certain?
ly, sir. Will you kindly step this
way?"
He led Bi to the rear of hin store,
holding aside a curtain of heavy em*
broidery, through uhlch I passed Into
u smaller room, firnlshed in carved
teak wood and ornamented with mag
fit Meant speelmens of Chinese porce
lain and pottery. A little Chinese girl,
not over oifhl years old. and wearing
a hlouso and Wide bfOOChoi of a pale
cerulean silk, stood betide a table.
Before her were several small thcetl
of flee pap*?r on whir h she was mak?
ing dotlgni In water colors.
Ignoring the child. he Indicated ?
chair near the only window, ?creened(
like the windows In front, with a blue
shade. And when I hnd s:it down, ho
drew up a chair for himself opposlto
me.
His manner, In unite of the benign?
ity of a Moment before, was not on*
rouraglng, and for I little I was em?
barrassed ns |0 y ' where to begin.
At lenirtn, feowew r, i i aid:
"I f. sf, Mr. Yup, I ha I somo of your
countnm. n have recently made i tcr
; Ibta mlsfMke."
"A mistake h? echoed, gravely.
"A mistake that I tnill It Is not too
late to repair. Hrlefly, they have kid?
napped a gentleman of fortune and in?
fluence, one of my dearest friends, in
a manner most mysterlouR. after first
subjecting him to the annoyance of a
series of anonymous letters and a suc?
cession of singular, aerve-torturlng
acts of trespass."
Mr. Yup glanced at Mow Chee's
card, which he still held.
"Mr. Clyde," he said, with no more
emotion than he might have exhibited
had I told him I wished him to sell for
me a Chinese bronze on commission,
"Mr. Clyde, I do not see, exactly, why
you come to me."
"I came at Mr. Mow's suggestion," I
explained. "He tells me you know the
Chinese of New York as no one else
does."
"The police, I should say," he re?
turned, "know the class you seek bet?
ter than I. Why not go to the police?"
It was not easy to explain to him
why I had not gone to the police, for I
did not care to reveal all that we
feared, and how we dreaded that
which police pursuit might preclpl? i
t?te.
"Because." I began, after a mo
ment'a hesitation, "I believe the whole
thing is a mistake. I believe that
those Involved In the plot must soon?
er or later find out It Is a mistake. If
the aid of the police is enlisted, the
fact that a mistake has been mads
will not be any extenuation. My ob?
ject is to And the plotters, prove to
them that they are in error, promise
them Immunity, and recover my
friend."
"What you have told me." said Yup
Ring, speaking slowly, "Is not enough.
Tf you will tell me everything, I wiC
let you know what I think. You must
give the names and the places and the '
dates."
I did give him the names and the
places and the dates. Mow Chee had I
told me I could rely upon htm, im- |
plicitly, and I told him all. without
Filtration. I gave him even the let
tor, the only one of the three that re- 1
malned to us?the last letter in which
the final threat was made.
As I look back on it, now, I cannot
understand why I did this. It was the
only piece of proof, the only clue left.
And yet, when he asked to keep It
for a little, I consented without so
much as a demur. I argued, I sup?
pose, that he was a reputable mer?
chant, with an established business,
and that, therefore, treachery on his
part was not to be considered.
"And your friend," he Bald, as he
folded the paper, "was nevtr In
China?"
"Never." I affirmed.
"How do you know?"
"He has told me so."
It was neither a smile nor a sneer
which floated for Just a moment across
those sphinx-like features. It was a
look of pitying tolerance, a patronizing
gleam, merely, from the small, deep
set, almond eyes. One of England's
greatest actresses, in speaking of the
Chinese, has said: "They look as if
they are always thinking, 'I have lived
before you; I shall live after you.'H
That was how Yup Sing looked then.
But he merely said:
"Very well. I will learn what I can."
"Soon?" I begged. "Very soon?"
He stood up, an imposing figure in
his purple silk.
"Come to me tomorrow evening.
Not here, but at the Chinese restau?
rant on Doyera street. Come at nine
o'clock."
From my pocket I drew out the copy
of the afternoon paper, and pointed to
the article about tho Celestial and the
mysterious box.
"Do jron suppose that could have
any bearing on the matter?" I
asked.
He adjusted his spectacles and read
the half-column, slowly, from first to
last. Then he smiled.
"I have that box in my cellar," he
?aid. "It contains woolen underwear
shipped to mo from Lowell, Massa?
chusetts."
But I scarcely hoard him. for my at?
tention was on the swiftly moving
brush of the little Chinese maid, as,
deftly handled, it now blocked out
with bold black strokes a silhouette
upon the piece of rice paper before
her?a familiar silhouette of a short,
clumsy curved boat, with broad lug
sail.
CHAPTER XII.
"We Were in Peking Together."
At my evening conference with Eve?
lyn Grayson, reviewing tho dav's
events. I dwelt with some insistence
upon the singularity of that episode at
Yup Sing's.
. "It was impressively significant." 1
maintained, "even if it was only a
coincidence. Incidentally it convinced
me that nothing escape 1 Mr. Yup's ob?
servation. I had no Intention of re?
ferring to my discovery. I chose rath?
er to have him think I had not noticed
Um1 fU-uro the child was painting. But
my choice was not to lie gratified. He
knew that I had seen and noticed It:
and so. to relieve the situation, he
frankly directed my attention to tho
symbol, explaining that what I had re
garded as mysterious was most com*
monplace. 'It Is one of the first things
that Chinese babies learn to draw/
ho went on. Mt Is like the pothook and
hanger of th*- American primary
schools. First they draw houses, then
FhlpH, then nun; and the houses, the
ships ami the men are all alike, Just
as are your .Vs. your B't, and your
C*t, 'And when sign? d to a letter.1 I
Queried, 'what does your ship stand
for?' H?. shrugged his loan shouldert
in a mamwr almost Oalllt. "Who shall
at] ?' ho returned "
"And do you believe tho pothook
ami hanger explanation?" Evelyn
asked, pointedly, It was her way to
probt at once lo II P heart of a matter.
"I can t say thai I Bin altogether
convinced/1 I. answered, non-commlt
i tally. "In spite of Mows enthusiastic
! encomium. I was not very favorably
' Impressed by Yup Sing. Tils wall of
reserve is too high and too thick. It j
Is neither scalable nor penetrable.
> And yet he stands well, I believe, in |
tho community."
! We sat in tho music room, where a
Are of drift wood wove a woof of
green and violet strands through the '
j red warp of the blaze, for the weather
? had turned chill. Evelyn wore a cling?
ing gown of black panne velvet, with
purple orchids at her waist. It had a
, wonderfully mature effect for one so
youn^as ehe?, but. it Yag. not unbeconi
Ing. indeed it effectively accentuated
the deep raw gold tints of her hair
and added to tho transparency of her
unwonted pallor. I was marvelling
once again over her outwardly bravo
up-bearing in spite of the constant
anxiety of which pallid cheeks were
the only visible sign, when she said:
"I was sure we should hear from
Captain MacLeod today.
I "He has probably met with rough
weather," I consoled. "It isn't child's
play rounding Point Judith at this sea?
son, you know."
"Rough weather or not," she Insist?
ed, "be must have reached Gloucester
by now. And if he found Peter John?
son, or if he didn't, he was to tele
! phone, you remember."
??Gloucester is something of a
place," I explained, adopting the ver?
nacular. "It includes no less than
eight villages and five thousand men
are engaged there In the fishing Indus?
try. MacLeod can't be expected to
learn in five minutes whether a man
named Peter Johnson Is one of tho
five thousand."
"But the whole community <? > : i
know if one of their number had s a h
an exj>erlence as he Just passed
through." And for this argument I
had no answer ready.
Fortunately, however, none was re
quired of me, for at that moment
steps were audible crossing the hall,
and when our eyes turned downward
they encountered the dapper figure of
LouIb, Cameron's French valet, halt?
ing respectfully on the threshold.
"Mademoiselle." he said, bowing,
"mais void des lettres qui jai trouve.'
And we saw, then, that he carried a
tin despatch box.
Evelyn directed him to place it up?
on the table by which she sat. It
seemed that she had not given o\-er
the idea that the letters for which we j
had searched so diligently on Sunday
were somewhere In the house, and
had directed Ixmls to bring to her
anything in the way of writing that
he could lay hie hands upon.
He had found the despatch box. he
told us, hidden away behind some sol- j
dom employed volumes in the library, j
and thinking it might contain that of
which Miss Grayson was in quest, had
foced the lock, to discover several
carefully-tied packets of letters.
I wish I could give even a half ade-!
QUate Idea of the way she thanked ;
Louis. It would add so much to a
realizing sense of her sweetness with
out detracting at all from the envis-1
agement of her dignity. No one could I
have heard her "bon garcon" and not i
have felt impelled to consecrate his
endeavors henceforth and forevermora
to her service. As for Louis his re?
spectful hornsge and fidelity were al- j
most pagan. I verily believe he would
willingly have suffered martyrdom to I
serve her.
As he withdrew we fell avidly upon
the contents of the box. yet with small I
hope of finding what we sought; for'
the letters it contained were all, ap?
parently, of distant date; letters, for '
the most part, of a private, personal
nature, carefully assorted, and ar-'
ranged In red-taped or elastic-banded '
bundles.
It was no mere idle curiosity which
impelled us to read many of them. |
We were in a position which may best
be described as anomalous. Though
Cameron wns my dearest friend I!
knew little of his life prior to our
meeting, and Evelyn, his niece and |
ward, wrfs scarcely less uninformed .
than myself. In the letters just I
brought to light there might, wc do-'
elded, be found some clue of incal-1
ctilaMo service In the task now before
us. And so we untied the tapes and
stripped off tho bands and sot our?
selves to careful painstaking examina? i
tion.
Seldom have I engaged in a labor so '
deadly uninteresting at one moment
and so keenly engrossing at the next.
There was correspondence here which
meant nothing to us whatever, and
there was correspondence which threw
a search-light upon portions of Cam- j
eron's career, baring good deeds and j
follies alike, without discrimination.
It was only natural, I suppose, that
we should dig up a romance?a g' tn j
of luster shining amidst dun. sordid j
surroundings. Evelyn and I came ur>!
on two of Its facets, simultaneously, j
and paused In our work to question its j
disposal. It seemed to us a holy thing, j
too sacred for a stranger touch, and,
k even at the risk of passing OV< r what
might prove our one agent of revela*!
tion. We folded It away again with a j
sense of guilt at having dared to lift
even the rorn< r of the veil.
For a full hour I had scanned one
letter after another In absorbed in-J
tentness, but with small profit. Eve*
lyn, across the table, had been quite
ai busy. Rarely had we Interrupted
our em ploy men! with exchange of
words. But now the writing which 1
held provok? 1 exclamation.
??Addison!" I cried, sharply cut
Ing tho silence that the t:irl started
"Addison! l>hl you < \? r hear of him?"
She gestured a n< gatlve. Not that i
remembi r, she qualified. Why?"
"Because we musl find him." i de?
clared, a little excitedly. I Imagine;
for the letter ..?med wonderfully im*
portant
Instantly . ho waa all alert.
"What Is it?" she asTtea, springing
up and coming to my Fide. "What
have you found?"
"Look!" I commanded, tho sheet of
paper in one upraised hand, a finger
of my other hand pointing to a pas?
sage. "Look! In 1903, your uncle Rob?
ert was in Poking; and yet he gave
me his word that he had never visited
China."
Resting an arm on ray shoulder and
bending forwurd she read for hersplf:
"Just to think! We were in Peking
together and neither of us was aware
of it until too late! What a forega.h
ering we missed! Even five minutes'
chat would have been something; lut
I no sooner saw you, than the cro vd
on Legation street swallowed you up."
"Have you read it all?"
"Not to the end," I told her, "just
the) beginning and the signature.
Come," I added, "we'll read it from
first to last, together." And I turned
back the page.
It was written from Cairo, and bore
date of December 7, 1903.
"My dear Cameron," it began, "1
am wondering whether you are back
In New York again. However, you
will probably be there for Christmas
and therefore this letter will not long
await you. We have been making a
rather leisurely tour of the east. Ar?
rived here two days ago and shall re?
main until some time in January."
The writer then gave a general out?
line of his travels. "You will prob?
ably be surprised to learn that once
you and I passed each other as ships
In the night, save only that v/e did not
even speak each other in passing," he
went on. "It was my last day?Indeed
my last hour?in northern China.
Otherwise I should have made search
for you. Just to think! We were In
Peking together, and neither of us
was aware of it until too late. What
a foregathering we missed! Even five
minutes' chat would have been some?
thing; but I no sooner saw you, than
the crowd on Legation street swal?
lowed you up. Half an hour later I
was on tho train for Tien tsin."
The rest of the letter was rather
confusingly personal in its references
to mutual friends and Interests. It
was signed: "Always with warm re?
gard, Addison."
"Do you suppose that is als first
name or his last?" Evelyn asked me
as we came to it.
"I refuse to suppose," I returned,
smiling. "It's an even chance. What
Is more to the point is, how long has
Louis been your uncle's valet?"
"Several years."
"Several is Indefinite. Too indefi?
nite. Too Indefinite. Suppose wo
have him in here and find out ex?
actly. Possibly he knows Mr. Addi?
son."
When Louis came, however, he
knew nothing. He had never heard of
a Mr. Addison or of a Mr. Addison
Something, in all the three years and
eight months of his service with Mr.
Cameron. So Evelyn thanked him
once more in her own gracious way
and we continued our work, directing
our efforts especially now to unearth-!
ing further Addison-signed letters j
which might prove enlightening.
"Why should XTncle Robert tell you
he had never been in China?" Evelyn
asked me, looking up suddenly and
dropping to her lap the letter she was
at that moment examining. "I can't
understand that."
"Nor I," I admitted. "If I had asked '
him out of Idle curiosity he would ,
have been justified perhaps in mis-!
leading me; but he must have known j
that it was In his interest I made the I
inquiry/'
(TO BE CONTINUED)
There is more Ctarrh in this section
of the country than all other diseases
put together, and until the last few
years was Bupp6sed to be incurable.
For a great many years doctors pro?
nounced it a local disease and pre?
scribed local remedies, and by con?
stantly Calling to cure with local
treatment, pronounce*! it incurable.
Science has proven catarrh to be ?
constitutional disease, and therefore
requires constitutional treatment.
Hall s Catarrh Cure, manufactured by
F, j. Cheney A Co., Toledo, Ohle, Is
the only constitutional cure on the
market. It is taken internally 5n
doses from 10 drops to a teaapoonful.
it acts directly on the blood and mu?
cous surfaces of the system. They
offer one hundred dollards for any
case it fails to cure, .-'end for circu?
lars and testimonials.
Address: F. J. Cheney & Co., To
hale. (>. Sold by druggists, 76c.
Take Hall's Family Pills for consti?
pation.
Christmas is over, the hens have
commenced laying and o drop In the
price of her fruit is in order.
Chamberlain's Cough Remedy.
'This remedy has no superior for i
c ughs and e??bis. it is pleasant to j
take. It contains n<> opium or other
nave.-tie. it always cures. For sale
b) all dealers Advt.
Dick Harley, u white man 50 years
. Id has been arrested In Lexington
county for shooting V'astlne Jeflfcoat
from ambush, inflicting painful but
not fatal wounds.
Iii?* stomach Trou' hrer.
Mr, Dyspeptic, would you not like
to feel thai your stum ch troubles
v,< re over, thai ><>u could eat any kind
of i.i you desired without Injuiy
Thai may seem so unlikely t>> you
thai you do not < v< n hope for an
ending of your trouble, hut permit us
to assure you that 41 is not altogether
impossible. it others can be cured
permanently, and thousands have
been, whj nol you? John It. Barker,
. t Battle Creek, Mich . is one of them.
II, says, "1 was troubled with lean
burn. Indigestion, and liver complaint
until l used Chamberlain's Tablets,
Hum m\ troubb was over." sold by
all dealers, Advt.
KUMTER TRANSFER (')Ml'ANV
STABLES AM) TWO STORES
BURNED.
stiff Wind Fans Blase, but Fire l>c
partim itt by Hard Work Prevents
Kpreud of Fire?Loss Estimated t<?
Be About $2,000?Property Owned
by A. I). Harb) and J. K. CroeewelL
The buildin, ^cupied by the Sum
ter Transfer Company, and two small
frame stores were destroyed by a fin
which originated shortly after 10
o'clock Friday morning in the loft of
the Transfer Company stables and
practically wiped away this and all
adjacent buildings before it could be
ex anguished.
The tire department did some quick
and effective work in preventing the
tire from spreading, as at the time the
blase broke out a Stiff wind was blow?
ing from the west and there was a
chance of the fire catching buildings
across the street. As it was only
these three buildings, two of which
belonged to Mr. J. K. Crosswell and
one to Mr. A. D. Harby, this one be?
ing occupied by the Sumter Transfer
Company.
The fire was first discovered in the
loft of the transfer building, where it
had caught in the hay which was stor?
ed in that place. How it caught is
not known, although it is thought that
it might have originated from a spark
from the stove pipe from this or an
adjacent building. WTith the wind
blowing almost a gale the fire spread
rapidly and all of the transfer com?
pany building and the two adjacent
stores caught in a few minutes. The
fire department reached the scene
about the time that the three buildings
caught and quickly stretched out sev?
eral lines of hose, but all the water
they could pour on was not sufficient
to extinguish the blaze before the
buildingfe were practically destroyed.
Across the street just in front of the
blazing buildings is the newly erected
and yet uncompleted building of the
Claremont Hotel. Here the men at
work in the building were called out
io fight fire. The four lines of hose
in the building were run out and
streams of water were kept on the
woodwork, bricks and windows of the
building until the fire across the street
had been partially extinguished and
I there was no longer danger of the
i hoi A building catching. As a result
I of this precautionary work, the hotel
building did not suffer any damage
from the fire save being somewhat
blackened by the dense smoke which
the wind blew from across the street.
It was shown that there is plenty of
fire fighting apparatus at the hotel
which may be brought into service
in case that building catches on fire
at any time in the future.
An accident happened to the steam?
er while that machine was at the
tire. In turning the single tree was
|Snappd off and a new one bad to be
provided before it could be taken back
to fire department quarters.
The loss by the fire to the proper?
ty owners was estimated at about $2,
000 on the three buildings. Mr. Cross
well stated that he had some insur?
ance on the two buildings which he
owned, but that it did not amount to
more than $100. Those two buildings
were occupied by Mr. W. C Ivey, a
grocer, and by L. W. Harrison, a col?
ored barber. Mr. Harby, who owned
the Sumter Transfer Company, stat?
ed that bis loss not covered by in?
surance amounted to around $."omi.
This amount covered both the build?
ing, feed and tools which were burn?
ed. "
?Take the "direct road" to health
and M;?-ngth by using Foley Kidney
Pills for backache, rheumatism, weak,
sor? kidneys ami bladder irregulari?
ties. Bach ingredient is chosen for
its positive healing and curative qual?
ities. Foley Kidney Cills are the best
medicine you can buy for kidney and
bladder troubles. Mrs. J. M. Findley,
Lyons. Ca.. says: "1 took Foley
Kidney i'iiis and they entirely cured
me." Blbert's Drug store.?Advt.
Sam Booser, colored, was executed
In the state penitentiary Thursday for
the murder of James BL Gillian In
Newherry County in December Ltll.
Escaped \tter Fifteen Years.
*w. i*. Broyles made a successful
escape after fifteen years of suffering
from kidney and bladder troubles
Foley Kidney Pills released him and
will do lust the same for others. He
says: "They cured a most severe
backache with painful bladder Irreg?
ularities, and they do all you claim
for them." Refuse substitutes
Blbert's Drug Store.?Advt,
The Y M. C. A. athletic class* i
have start.si up auain and members
arc urged to come out Those who
have not Joined yet should do so at
once.
Cut the Itlgfi Co*t of living,
w. 11 ?'hapman Wlnnebago,
Xeh., t. .>s how he did ??. "My two
children had i verj < t cough and
the doctor's ntedb did them no
good. I H bottle of l'oley's Ron
< \ und Tai Compound, and before it
w ail used ilu ? hlldrea were ft?
und > nr. d ol tin ii cougft i saved s
do. i. ? bill for one 2Sc bottle of Fo
ley's Honey an) Tat Compound." No
opiat Albert's Drug Store. -Advt