Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WILL HOI CyOLIDATE. PLAN FOR BIG RANK HAS BEEN ABANDONED Bank of Hunter ami City National Will Not Unite mm Contemplated? Directors Having Failed to Agree oa Details of Plan. From The Dally Item. Nov. 24. The Board of Directors ot the Baak of Sumter and of the City Na? tional Bank met this morning to consider the reports of their respec? ter* committee* which had been working over the detalla of the plan of the proposed consolidation of the two banks. After , discussing and considering the matter throughly it was decided aot to proceed further with the matter of consolidation. The presidents of the two banks gave out the following statement: The question of the advisability of consolidating the Bank of Sumter and the City National Bank was re? ferred by the respective boards of Ike two banks to sv committee of three from each board to determine upon the detalla of the plan of con soldation. These committees after consideration of various phase* of the matter failed to agree upon a plan and the question of consolida? tion wae dismissed." RICH. I. MANNING, Pres. Bank of Sumter. O. A. LEMMON, Pres. City National Hank. The stockholders meeting of the Bnok of Sumter called for noon to? morrow will bo held at that hour to hear the report of the directors. There will be a meeting of the stockholders of the City National Bank at eleven o'clock tomorrow. Statement from Mr. Strauss. TW the Public: Some weeks since, I suggested to Hon. K. I. Manning that a consolida? tion of the business of the City Nat? ional Bank of Sumter and the Bank of Sumter be effected. 1 am solely responsible for the suggestion and neither the officers, employees or directors of the City National Bonk knew anything of the matter until Its advisability had been determined by Mr. Manning and my? self. R la with regret that I am forced to announce the failure of the propo? sition. The respective boards of di? rectors of the two institutions could hot agree upon the location of the combined banks or a name for the in? stitution. There was no question as to the strength or standing ot either bank and the prime object which I desired to accomplish was to establish one large bank capable of caring for the wants of Its customers and patrons at a large saving of expense. In making this statement I desire to make It painty appear that the propo? sition to consolidate did not emanate from either tho City National Bank or Its board of directors or the Bank of Sumter or Its directors; it was suggest? ed by me for the best Interest of the stockholders and customers of both banks and I am a stockholder of both banks. Respectfully, I. C. Strauss. KANGAROO COURT. How Atlant* Negro Prisoners Keep Themselves In Order. Atlant?. Nov. 14.?In tho Fulton county tower the winter season has brought about a revival of the "kanga? roo court" before which every new prisoner mu?t stand trial, and all this week the court did a rushing busi? ness. The Judge Is a big black negro prisoner, and the court attaches are all of an equally dusky hue. Every "new nigger" who arrives is imme? diately tried for the offense of break? ing into jail, and is always convicted on prlma facie evidonco and net to sweeping the floors or doing other work. lhe court has grov n beyond a Joke, however. It is a tribunal which Im? poses punishment for Infractions of jail discipline and "sins inside." A prisoner caught abating tobacco or food from another who refuaet to do his share ot the work is tried, con? victed, sentenced, ar.d taken OOWg over a chair und given ;i rotating whipping. The order la fur better since the court was Inaugurated, jail officials say. RIOTS IN MEXICO CITY. Mob* Bad Possealon of the City Lsg* Night. Mexico City. Nov. 25.?Serious riot? ing oocurred here last night. Mobs virtually took possession of tho city. Stores were looted and there were nu? merous shooting affray*. The police were dlsurnie-l und sever?d> heuten. Apple wood, used almost exclusively for saw handles, also furnishes the material for many soigoMcd hfltf wood pipes and particularly for the largo wooden type used in printing signs and postors. REDISCOUNT SOUTHERN PAPER RICHMOND RKSKRVK BANK TO BEGIN TOMORROW. 1'opo Matthews of Columbia Finds Business Conditions in the North Improving. Columbia State. "Judging by the way the gold is coming into the reserve bank at Rich? mond, financial conditions are improv? ing," said J. P. Matthews, cashier of th? Palmetto National bank of Co? lumbia, when he was asked yesterday about the situation in New York and Richmond, from which cities he had Just returned. Mr. Matthews said that the regional reserve bank of the Fifth district in Richmond would begin to rediscount paper for member banks tomorrow. The bank has received practically all of its share of the reserve as well as {payments on stock from member banks. Redlscounting privileges have been availed of to a considerable ex? tent in New York, Chicago, St. Louis and Kanaaa City already. Elsewhere the showing is smaller. Beginning to? morrow, the banka in the Fifth re? serve district in which South Carolina Is located will have the same privl legea as banks in the cities named above. Sixty-four banka in South Car? olina are members now of the federal reserve bank at Richmond. Federal reserve notes to meet local demands have been issued principally in Chicago, New York and Minneap? olis. The relatively small amount'of re? discounts as compared with the re? sources of the system is due to the policy of the federal reserve board in encouraging the payment of reserve deposits in actual money instead of in redlscounted paper. While visiting the federal reserve bank at Richmond, Mr. Matthews saw T. J. Ooodwyn, former treasurer of the Guaranty Trust company of Co? lumbia, who has a position in the dis? count department of the federal re? serve bank. 58 ON DOOMED SHIP. five Lifo Savers Perish on Way to Wreck. San Francisco, Nov. 23.?Five mem? bers of a < rew of life-savers trying t) reach the steam schooner Hanalel. wrecked on Duxbury Reef, nine miles north of San Francisco, were drown? ed tonight.1 Two Of the Hanalel s crew were crowned late today while trying to make their way through the surf with I nes. Two passengers swam to safe? ty. Advices received early tonight from steamera atandlng by the passenger schooner Hanalel, ashore cn Duxbury Reef, stated that two bodies had come ?.shore, that the back of the vessel had been broken and that there was little hope of saving the remaining l?8 passengers and crew still aboard. Two of the Hanalel's boats upside down and a llf?3 raft, also were washed on the beach. The steam schooner lay a few hundred yards off shore blanketed in the fog, which led h*r cn the reef and which shut off sight and sound alike. Just at dusk a rift in the fog re? vealed a glimpse of the doomed ves? sel pounded by the surf. The wind brought indistinguishable cries from the passengers and crew. The fog was so thick that persons f.ve feet apart could not see each other and a little fleet of schooners and tug:, which had been trying to get in touch with the Hanalel without themselves piling on the reef, drew rff as night came on. One or two re? turned to San Francisco. A few re? mained near the scene, including the life saving crews from Fort Point and Point Bonlta in their launches. Unless the fog should lift, permit? ting rescuers to get n line aboard the vessel, men said thero was slight < he.nce for any one aboard. TROUBLE BKTWkkx POWERS, Serious Dissensions Have Arisen Be? tween Germany ami Austria. London, Nov. 23.?It is confirmed t.hat serious dissensions have arisen between tho Germans and Austrians," says the Morning Post's Petrograd correspondent. "A stormy council under presidency of Krnperor William was held at Bras? ses after the (icrman flight from Po? land. Germany demanded that Austria send every available man to the de fenat of Bast Prussia, arguing that there was i hope of saving the Aus? trian frontier. The Austrians, how S1 m\ demanded that the Germans at? tempt to savo Cracow. "This council meeting was preced? ed by actual fighting between Austrian and German soldiers la the retreat. Tho taeeanter is said to have oecur red after a large body ?>f angry Aus? trians left the Qermaas and struck off on their iin?> of retreat. The Germans sent detachments t** bring them back, Both sides tree1 shots and the Aus? trians were overpowered. The Ger? man explanation later was thai they exterminated mutinous IroopaV MEXICANS OCCUPY Bit. XKW MILITARY GOVERNOR IS POSITIVE. Threaten* execution of Any One Who I ndcrtnkes to Disturb the Pence Arms to be Surrendered. Vera Cruz, Nov. 23.?Gen. Candido Agullar, who succeeded Brig Gen. Frederick Funston today as military governor of Vera Cruz, did not mlnco words when, through his chief of po? lice, Theodore Frezieres, hs told resi? dents that any sort of disturbance would result In the execution of the offending Individuals. The proclamation contains this dec? laration was circulated through the {streets as Aguilars' forces were enter? ing. The decree provides that all arms must be surrendered within twenty four hours and that failure to com? ply will cause the shooting of the one I in whose possession a gun Is found. This flat statement caused W. W. I Canada, the American consul to call at the police station, where he told [Chief Frezieres that many Americans had deposited their arms with him. The consul was told that Agullar did jnot intend demanding them, and, in I fact, expected the consul to use his discretion in holding the guns. Ameri? cans are not exempt from the order, but in cases where the authorities are convinced their standing warrants it they will be given permits to retain their arms. Brig. Gen. Funston and his com? mand of six thousand infantrymen and marines, which landed here April 5 0, last, got under way late today and Gen. Candido Agullar's men took charge of the city. The United States transport Cristobal, bearing the first contingent of Americans, left tho dock at 1.30 P. M. for home. The Mexicans marched in on the heels of the departing troops, but no serious disturbance occurred. Residents of Vera Cruz who had heard of threats made by Villa follow? ers and others opposed to Gen. Car ranza that they would resist occupa? tion of the city by Agullar's trocps breathed more freely as the Carrar.za soldiers moved nearer and nearer to the centre of the city. The only unpleasant incident had no effect on tho general situation. Gen. Carranza was quoted by representa? tives here as being displeased with the American method of delivering over the city, and as having criticised sharply failure to make a formal transfer of various departments. Gen. Agullar personally raised the Mexican Hag over the municipal pal? ace at 6 o'clock tonight. Infantry was drawn up in front of the build? ing during the ceremony. A large crowd in the plaza cheered as the col? ors were unfurled. Gen. Agullar in a statement tonight said: "I am well satisfied that this day has ended so peacefully. The Mexicans are pleased to have shown the civil? ized world today that Mexico is a cul? tured nation and Is well satisfied with tho whole affair. I appreciate tho ef? forts of the American people and the government, which made it possible for the occuoation to end this way." Gen. Carraata will not arrive here for two or three days, according to Agullar. FOR GREAT WHEAT CROP. Euro|>eun War Lends Extraordinary Impetus to Growing of Foodstuffs. Washington, Nov. 21.?The greatest wheat area in the world s history will bo planted for the 1915 harvest as a result of the European war In the opinion of Charles M. Daugherty, sta? tistical expert of the department of agriculture, in a report made public today, Mr. Daugherty says: "As a result of the war in Europe a worldwide tendency exists to increase the acroage of wheat. Doubtless the most extensive area in the history of the world will be seeded during the present autumn and coming spring. A prospective heavy demand for this l "ortant food grain by tho Importing j countries of western Europe is likely, i if seeding conditions favor, to give Iextraordinary stimulus to sowing of I both winter and spring varieties In the I two great exporting countries of North ' America and to those . ings now be? ing finished under auspicious cir cuinstances in British India. "in Europe indications are that all available labor resources in both neu? tral and contending nations will be utilized to the utmost for getting In full or increased areas. In Italy, 1, (?00,000 acres, it is said, will be added to tho crop. "In the eontendlng countries ex? traordinary efforts are being exerted tin autumn seeding, The services of wo? men and children, men exempt from military service, refugees, prisoners of Iwar and soldiers temporarily relieved from the ranks are being utilised." I Bepnta Enters Mexico City. Mexico City. Nov. 2.').?Rlanco's; troopa have evacuated tho city and I Zapata troops urn entering Ihe city. | BIG VERDICT IN DUTTON CASE JURY AWARDS $12,000 TO MUS.; ELLA DUTTON AND TWO CHILDREN. Amount Is Divided up into $1,000 for! Widow und Each of Little Girls?j ?Case was Lon? and Hani Fought! und Interesting Legal Points Were; Drought. From The Daily Item, Nov. 24. The jury in the case of Mrs. Ella Dutton against the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad company yesterday after-! noon returned a verdict of $12,000 against the defendant company, the ' I i j amount being divided into $4,000 each for the widow and for the two little i ! girls, Mildred and Dorothy. This di? vision was in accordance with the in? structions of the trial judge. The Dutton case has been a hard fought one from start to finish. I Messrs. Jennings and Epps represent? ed the plaintiff and Messrs. J. H. Clifton. P. A. Willcox, L. W. Mc-: Lemore and Mark Reynolds the de-1 fendants. The case was commenced on last Wednesday morning and com? pleted just before six o'clock yester-1 day afternoon. The case has been probably the most bitterly contested since the Miller case was tried in this court, the plaintiff's stating $85,000 as the amount of damages alleged. Many interesting legal points have I been brought out and argued by the attorneys and this has attracted prac? tically all of the local bar and many other spectators throughout the case. There were also a great many wit? nesses on both sides. The arguments of the attorneys to the jury were commenced on Satur? day afternoon and were completed Monday before court adjourned for dinner. In the afternoon Judge Rice charged the jury, his charge consum? ing, something more than an hour and a-half. It was shown during the taking of testimony that the train was engaged on interstate traffic and in accordance with the ruling of the United States Court Judge Rice held in his charge that if Dutton's care? lessness contributed partly to the ac? cident which caused his death then the verdict which otherwise would be granted had the railroad been entire? ly responsible should be reduced by a proportionate amount according to the proportion his carelessness con? tributed toward the accident. In ac? cordance with the request of the plaintiffs attorney he charged that if a verdict was found for the plaintiff, that it might be divided among the widow and her children as the jury thought fair, according to the loss which each had sustained. The jury remained out just about an hour before returning with their verdict of $12,000 against the rail? road. The plaintiff stated before the case was submitted to the jury that it did not seek a monetary verdict against any of the other defendants, Banks, Grace or Hodge. An appeal will be taken on behalf of trie railroad company. Civil Court Adjourns. Court of Common Pleas adjourned yesterday afternoon after a session of two weeks and Judge Ilice left for his home. A fact that hastened the adjournment was the meeting of Conference, many of the attorneys be? ing on committees to meet and send the preachers to their homes. A number of equity cases on the calen? dar were marked heard and Judge Ric i will hear the arguments on next Wednesday, when he will stop by here for this purpose. MAY ASKS OFFICERS. Safety of United States is Being In? vestigated. i Washington, Nov. 22.?Represeta tive Gardner of Massachusetts today asked Secretary Garrison to allow army officers to appear before the; house rules committee in connection | with Mr. Gardner's resolution to in? vestigate the adequacy of the army and navy to protect the country. Sec-1 rctary Garrison recently pointed out that the rule committee had power to !summon such officers as it desired, I but Representative Gardner suggested that the committee was not likely t?> Issue the summonses if the adminis-i tration disapproved. NAVAL STATION OFF CHILE? Claimed Germans Have Maintained One Near Valparaiso. Lima, Peru, Nov. 23.?It i.i declared here today !<uit the Germans have been maintaining a naval station out? side of Valapariso. Chile. Here they i brought together vessels having on board coal and provisions. Chilean papers reaching hero say the government Is determined to stop these breaches of neutrality even at the cor. of war. Big Fire at Brunswick. Brunswick, Ga., Nov. 25.? The Con? ey and Parker, X. W. Plndley and Sanata Clara Cigar stores, a three Story building, were burned this mom- I with :? loss of 120,000. POLICY OF FARMERS CALLED! SIIOHT-SIGHTED. Native Beef Scarce?Cotton Seed Crushers of South Carolina are In vcstigating Ten no-sec Situation. Columbia, Nov. 24.?The country districts of the State are being depopu? lated of cattle. In a few weeks there will be practically no young cattle in some of the counties. This is a de-j plorable state of affairs?due almost! i solely to the dependence of the peo? ple upon cotton as their sole money crop. The very people who are sell? ing cattle are holding cotton. These depressing and somewhat startling facts have been brought to light by the State department of agri? culture in its investigations into the cost of living, and the inquiry if there is not a way to reduce this cost by producing at home the things neces? sary for the sustenance of life. D. Brooks Miller, Main street butcher and delicatessen propriteor, talked plainly and emphatically about this matter. He declared that the prospect for months to come really is alarming. In their short sighted ness farmers have been rushing their native meats on the market instead of selling their cotton and holding their ! meat. "It is problematical," said ' Mr. Miller, "whether cotton will ad jvance in price, but there is no problem 'about meat advancing. The demand j for meat is insistent and constant? jin fact, is increasing, on account of i the war. The world supply of meat j was short and growing shorter every 1 year before the war, for the great ; cattle ranches of the West had begun to produce fewer and fewer cattle , every year, and It looked like the ; South was going to have an oppor I tunity to turn some of her old hill ! sides into Bermuda pastures to feed (cattle for foreign markets as well as ; for domestic consumption. But evcry | thing seems demoralized now, and our prospects, at least in this immedi iate section, are becoming less and less promising. "Why can't the farm* rs sell their cotton and pay their debts, or at least ; sell some cotton and pay some debts, .instead of sacrificing cattle? Some of the stock that Is butchered on this . market ought never to have left the farm. The majority of it, in fact, should have stayed there, for it is too i young. Cattle at 1 and 2 years does not have the beef weight that it I would have with another year. There i is every reason In economy for the j cattle to be kept on the farm and the 'cotton sold. We do not like to buy I this kind of cattle, but when it is i thrown on the market, we take it, of 'course. We prefer not to encourage ithe sale of native beef until it is jready for the market at best advan tage to the producer, j "The farms In somo counties are j being cleaned of cattle and for the life of me I don't see where they will get restocked for a new start. This is particularly true of Lancaster and Fairfield counties. j "In other years up to this time 60 cars of cattle have been shipped into the State from east Tennessee and North Carolina for feeding purposes, but this year there have not been over half a dozen cars. This looks 1 bad for the future. If all of the na? tive meat is killed out this winter, the price of beef will begin to soar lout of all reach. Western North Car jolina and east Tonnessee are now lill jed with beef cattle which should be shipped into this State. "Not l-20th of the cast Tennessee cattle are being fattened in this State this year that have been in the past. The farmers who have been buying them outright to fatten haven't the ready cash, and there has been no basis other than cash made for the fattening this winter. But something ! must be done to protect the consum? ers in this State as well as to re? stock the little farms throughout this section, where the people have been improvident enough to sell the very eattle that they should not have sacri? ficed until tho very hist thing. East Tennesseo beef sold for 0 to 7 1-12 cents per ponnd on tho hoof last spring, tho best price it has ever brought, and the farmers who con? tracted for the cattle are unable to buy thoni. There would be a profit if they could. And my advice to the farmers is to try to raise all the beef possible and sell as little as pos? sible for the next two or three years and change this from a consuming into a producing State." B. K. Taylor, secretary of the Southern Cottonseed Crushers' asso? ciation, confirmed Mr. Millers' ob? servations. "We have known of this Condition for three weeks or longer," said Mr. Taylor, 'and have taken ac? tive steps to do What we e:m t?? COr rect it. There ate now 20,000 beef cattle in east Tennessee awaiting ship? ment. Most of that great herd had been contracted for by Pennsylvania farmers who would fatten the cattle through the winter in order to gel the stable manure f<>r their farm lands. But the State ot Pennsylvania has a new quarantine law which has FAVORS BUDGET SYSTEM. WILSON considering SCHEMEN roil go\t:hxmext econ? omy. Recommendations for Coordination of Expense and Income to Be In? cluded. Washington, Nov. 23.?President Wilson is considering means for re? ducing government expenditures next year because of the war, it was learn? ed today, and is aiming toward a bud? get system to coordinate expense and income. In his writings before he became president Mr. Wilson advocated a bud? get system, including the presence in congress of the secretary of the treas? ury to explain the administration's es? timates. He is expected to refer to this in his forthcoming message. The president has discussed expen? ditures at cabinet meetings and has impressed on the secretaries the ne? cessity for economy. He had been told, however, that the beginning of new governmental activities, such as the trade commission and the federal re? serve bank system will necessitate new appropriations. The activities of the short session realty opened today when the house appropriations committee began hear? ings on the District of Columbia, ap? propriation bill. SALEM CHURCH ANNIVERSARY. Y'oung Church Has Remarkable Growth in One Y'ear. Lt.st Sunday evening Salem Baptist Church of Sumter celebrated its first birthday in appropriate manner. One year ago this church was organized with sixteen charter members. Sun? day night the membership roll show? ed i 9 members with 9 letters for transfers from other churches, and a Sunday school enrollment of more than two hundred. Rev. J. \V. Guy, the pastor request? ed Mr. P. P. Cuttino, the senior dea? con to read the covenent of the con? gregation adopted when the church was organized whb Mr. Cuttino did and took occasion t deliver an inter? esting discourse regarc .ng the wonder? ful progress of this church during its first year of usefulness in Sumter. Brother John s. Kennedy also by re quest of the pastor spoke of the his? tory of Salem Church during its short career. Rev. Guy then went into a i discussion of the church matters touching upon the wonderful growth of this church under disadvantages, and spoke in the highest terms of commendation of the loyalty and de? votion of the members of the congre? gation and their liberality in support? ing the church. He referred particu? larly to the ladies of the congregation who have been so faithful and who raised more than one thousand doidars extra by their special efforts. Salem Baptist Church has indeed been a concrete example of religious endeavor success and the manner i i which the little congregation has so rapidly grown to a hundred or more, and has otherwise made such great strides proves that faith, loyalty, and devotion will accomplish wonders. Rev. Guy has endeared himself to his congregation and has by his forcible, fervent, and scholarly sermons added to his reputation as a pulpit expound? er of the scriptures and his faithful? ness as a pastor, and as a worker have been potent factors in the growl'i of Salem Baptist Church and its use? fulness. made it impossible to ship the cattle into that State. 'The Pennsylvania farmers had provided for fattening the cattle with the hay and produce they had saved through the summer, but the east Tennessee people have no means to fatten the cattle except upon stuff that they must buy. I have heard of one east Tennessee ranchman who has bought cottonseed products and will fatten 1,500 head himself, but there are few in that section who aro willing to do this. "Our cottonseed oil mills have of? fered to take the cattle off the ha mis of the Tennessee farmers, paying the freight to South Carolina point* and furnishing the meal and the hulls free of charge, but so far we have been Unable to get over a few hundred head shipped into the State on those terms. The mills ask merely to be reimbursed for the freight ami for the meal and hulls when the cattle are sold and paid for, but the east Tenneeee farm? ers art* Investigating before acting. Arrangement** have been made at this end to put the cattle out where they would be cared for suitably and fat? tened scientifically by farmers who ask i olhing bat the manure for the return of their services. ' \V. T. West went to east Tennes? see to Investigate the conditions and has worked diligently on the proposi? tion and 1 hope that the Tennessee farmers will take up the proposition. which to me appears fair enough. 1 tan place 5.000 cattle before night under the terms staled above; in fact, one mill in this State would take that many and guarantee good treatment."