The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, August 07, 1915, Image 3
VH II> ll\NK \>M SSMI NTS.
I
abatement of a Danker In Which l>
1 "mIiumI <) hicvttons to .\.h.s4>HMincnts
and lOnuallJatlon I?) state Tux C\>m
' aaaweon
Editor The Daily Item.
In vour paper or the Mh you si
erm* the banks have won the first
ro-Hul In the fight with the tnx com
mission, and you advise that the
hsnkers would not make the mistake
?f celebrating their \lct??r\ premature?
ly, for as certain as anything could be
the tight Is just beginning, etc. Now
hfr. Kdttor, aa a matter of fact. 1 am
Hot authorised to speak for any of the
bank*, however. 1 do not think there
?rill be any oelehratlon among the
hankers, but they will feel very thank
fr* to escape even temporarily what
they believe to be an unjust taxation.
Tou state that there Is un important
principle Involved In this fight, and a
gtreater general Interest has not been
evinced in the litigation before, simply
because the rank and file of the ordi?
nary tax payers has no: been informed
concerning the cane, its merits, etc.
As a matter of fact I would be safe
In saying It Is the desire of the Sum
ter banks that the public be Informed
ns far as they are concerned, und
the banks feel when the public is in?
formed that a sense of fair dealing
end justice will Impel It to be on the
side of the banks. You state that
the tax commission was created to
prevent tax dodging by the banks,
and the banks are fighting the com?
mission to escape payment of taxes
they justly should pay. I would like
to know how you arrived at this con?
clusion. As a matter of fact, the
banks in Sunder, formerly paid tax???
on a Afty per cent valuation both of
their capital and surplus. A few years
ago the county board being apprised
of this fact, and of the further fact
that the balance of the propertv in
the county was assessed at very much
lower per cent, decided to reduce the
banks' aessesmcnt from fifty per cent,
to thirty-three and a-thlrd on capital
and surplua Tou state that the real
purpose of creating the tax commia
* aton was to equalise the assessments
of the banks and bo require them to
pay their jjst proportion of the taxes.
As the set reads: "Re It enacted by
the general assembly of the Btate of
Mouth Carolina, that in order to effec?
tively carry into exeeutton Hie equi?
table assessment of property for tax?
ation, there Is hereby created a com?
mission, etc" Now It seems from
that, that the commission was ap?
pointed or created for the purpose net
forth In the act. and not for the pur?
pose of running down the banks und
corporations to assess their property
st a much higher per cent, of Its val?
ue than other property In the State,
which being the case. It anes not seeat
to be fair for the tax commission to
undertake to Increase the valuation
of banks and other corporations'
property without at the same time in?
creasing all other taxable values in,
ths State in a like manner and pro
portion. That Is common honesty,
which everv man Is entitled to ask
for. and has a reason to expect.
The constitution of the State pro
? Idea that all property shall be equit?
ably asaesaed for taxation, and any?
thing less than this should not be
tolerated by the citizens, as a just
weight and a fair measure Is what ev?
ery ctttxen of this Statt-, whether
they be Identlhed with corporations
or not. Is entitled to it. Any act of the
legislature tint is contrarv to the con
etltutlon Is wrung, yet it should be
respected until repealed. I note you
say that the public mind Is setting
toward honest tax returns and fair
assessment*, etc. Great Is the pity
that this has not always been the
ease Hy Investigation you svill And
that when the banks of Sunder coun?
ty are assessed at thirty-thre? and a
thlrd per cent, of their capital and
Surplus, that they are paying very
much higher rate of assessment than
Is ordlnarilv collected from the other
Interests of the county. The bulk of
the property In Sumter county aside
from that of corporations you will lind
to be assessed at about 1" to I f> per
oent. or Its actual value. I am In fa?
vor of .isaesslng all property at itn ac?
tual value and making the rate auch
that ths tu? problem will not he un
necessarily burdensome. If you will
take the trouble to pa B*/et the tnx
books you win be eeeyrlaBtd or the
fact that the banks and other per?
derations in Sutnt? t co ml < . are not
the tax dodgers. ??n the other hand
In order to get a concrete case, look
at the tax returns for such propertv
real estate and psjJMMtli as you gen]
happen to knovvw about v ourSOtf, and
tell us whether or not this reform
that you refer to. should not be ap?
plied afl along the line, and to all
elsaaea alike, and at the nunc time?
The principle recentlv enunciated, that
banks und other corporation* In our
Ntate will necesnnnlv be asreswed at
a higher rat?- mi valuation than oth?
er propertv. la In my humide ludg
tnent a spirit of entalf taxation wl leh
should be condemned. Our banks ask
nothing more and feel that they
should be acrrn b i nothing lens th in
justice nivht Is tisht. whether ? a
potations oi in . ale parties are con
OSTOOtfJ, though it may not he popu?
lar at all tlm?s, it must eventually
prevail, or thru we have anarchy.
Corporation* nre necessary?let us
ih-iil lalrly witli them, ami he honest
with ourselves. Do not place an un?
fair proportion of burdens upon any
particular class. Let every man take
his share Of the loud. Let there
he noo side-stepping, no favoritism no
politics. and we will Htircly he bless?
ed with an improvement not only in
UM t.i x conditions of our State, hut
in tin- general moral uplift. And in
? conclusion, the banks cannot act ex?
cept by those in charge of them, and
in charging the banks with tax dodg?
ing, you are charging its officers with
evading the tax law?, when in fact
they have made returns for the banks
which they represent, in exact accord?
ance with the rules laid down by the
officers in charge of the taxing de?
partment, and whilst the system may
be wrong, we have followed the law
as ?iven to us, and we do not think it
right for all other classes of property
in our county to be assessed at a
rate much below 33 1-3 per cent,
while banks and other corporation
property is being assessed at 50 per
cent. It was of the inequality and
discrimination that the banks com?
plained.
C. Q. Rowland,
president National Bank of South
' Carolina.
Sumter. S. C. July 31.
The brief - of J. Fr?ser Lyon. Esq.,
who was employed by the tax com?
mission as special counsel to repre?
sent it in the litigation started by the
banks, furnished the facts and com?
parative statistic- upon which we
based the article to which Mr. Row?
land objects. The facts set forth in
this brief seemed to us to be conclu?
sive proof of the need of a re-assess?
ment of the banks, since the most
glaring inequalities in assessments
' between banks of one county and
> banks of other counties were shown to
exist, to say nothing of the inequalities
between other classes f property.
We reproduce herewith a part of Mr.
Lyon's brief, aa the most convincing
answer possible to this phase of Mr.
Rowland's article, tho brief dealing
with concrete and well established
facts only.
Insofar as the general practice of
tax dodging In concerned, we wish to
say here that we decline to be placed
in the attitude of a defender of this
species*uT law breaking. We have
never championed individual tax
dodging and did not do so in the edl
jtortal which serves as a text for Mr.
Rowland. We are against all tax
dodgers, both personal and corporate,
and the purpose of the article was te
protest against the methods adopted
Wy some of the hanks to block the
work of the tax commission. If
the tax commission of the State
li ever to be reformed and all
property assessed on the same basis
a start must be made somewhere. The
banks, among which it has been
1 shown the grossest inequality of us
jsessment exists, seemed a good place
to start. There Is no reason nor Jus?
tice in a bank in one county paying
. on a 20 per cent, assessment and a
; bank in another county paying on a 60
per cent assessment. It would seem
that even the banks would welcome
instead of lighting the efforts of the
tax commission to put all the blinks
on the same footing.
Some Facts in Hank Controversy.
Mr. Lyon's brief analyzes the pres?
ent assessments of hank property and
sets out alleged inequalities, in part
as follows:
For further defense to the alleged
( cause of action, and for cause why an
Injunction should not issue herein,
ther. defendants res|>ectfully show to
the court:
The basis of taxation as it appears
OH the face of the returns for bank
! stocks in Pickens county for the year
! 1914 In 60 per cent of the value of the
?tOOk, but an examination into the
I facts shows that the assessment in
fact ranges from 2?> p? r cent, of the
real value of the stock to tiO per cent,
thereof. To illustrate:
The Hank of Central has a paid
capital of I If,#0t; it has neither sur?
plus nor undivided prolPs. it is as
tae?sed for taxation at 11,000. The
PlOkOM ??unk has I It, I Of paid capital
and is assessed on ;i *!?? per cent, basis
on tills amount. $1S,300; hut tin
IMekens bank has a surplus fund of
I lift,:.o(i. nndiv idea profits * 1 1,17 7,
making in all 114,177. In ascertaining
the value of stock. It Is manifest that
the stock In the Piek SIM honk Is more
valuable than that of the Hank of
Controli because of the la rue surplus,
etc. vet the stork in each Lank has
been assessed as beim; of equal value,
es hereof the ftekens hank stock is
practically four times as Valuable as
the Stock la the Hank nl Central. The
actual result is tlwit the stock of the
Ihink of Central Is assessed at ?.'? per
01 nt. Of Its Value m $?,iiii on each
|1,000 of value, while the stock ol' the '
I'n kens bonk is assessed at per]
cent of its value, or $10(1 on each
$ l.uou of value. The above are the
extremes of Inequality, In Pickens
eountj : but an ? xamlnatlon of all
i seosonenia ihoreln will show uthti
flaring inequalities.
The stock of the Citizens' National
bank Of Anderson for the year 11* 14
LWnS assessed at 186,900; Uh capital,
surplus and undivided profits was
1179,000, making stock assessments BO
per cent. Of it value. The practical
result is that the stock of this na?
tional hank In Anderson wus taxed
660 per cent, higher than the stock of
the l'ickens hank.
The stock of the Hank of Camden
was assessed upon the, value of the
capital stock, undivded profits and
surplus, at the rate of 4 3 1-4 per cent,
and upon similar items the Hank of
Kershaw was assessed at the rate ot
57.4 per cent, of the value thereof;
in other words, the stock of the Bank
I of Camden is assessed at $141.51 per
$1,0(10 less than that of the Bank of
Kershaw, or a difference of more than
33 per cent, between the two banks.
In Marlboro county the Bank of
Marlboro, according to its items, has
capital stock, surplus and undivided
profits amounting to $191,980. The
shares of this bank are assessed at
$53,730, or on a basis of 28 per cent,
of the actual value thereof; but if the
'sworn statement of this bank, Decem?
ber 31, 1914, to the bank examiner is
correct, there should be added to the
undivided profits $09,596 in addition
to the amount stated in the tax re?
turn, for the amount of undivided
profits is stated in said report of the
bank examiner as being $152,996. If
the addition, as above explained, is
made, the total valuation is $261,513.
Taking this as the basis?and we
know of no fact which would modify
it?the stock of this bank was taxed
on nn assessment of 20.54 per cent, of
Its actual value, and, eliminating the
unreturned item of $69,596 and fol?
lowing the .same rule of assessment,
the stock of Bank of Marlboro was
taxed at 28 per cent, of its value for
the year 1914, and the Union Savings
Trust Co., was assessed by the county
board of Marlboro at 59.5 per cent, of,
its actual stock value. For the year
1914, $1,000 of the stock value in the
Bank of Marlboro was assessed for
taxation at $280, while $1,000 of the
stock value of the Union Savings
Trust Co., was assessed for taxation at
$595. The two last mentioned banks
are located In the town of Bennetts
vflle.
Many other inequalities could be
mentioned among banks for a given
county, hut is not thought to be neces?
sary.
The stock of the First National bank
of York is assessed at 35 per cent, of
its actual value, or $350 on each $1,
000 of stock value.
The stock of tho First National
bank of Camden is assessed at 50 per
cent, of its actual value, or $500 on
each $1,000 of stock value.
The stock of the National Loan and
Exchange bank of Greenwood is as?
sessed 40 per cent, of its actual value
of $400 on each $1,000 of stock value.
In EdgeUeld county the average as?
sessment on bank stock is 60 43-10*0
per cent, or each $1,000 of stock is
assessed at $ 601.40.
In Bickens county the average as?
sessment on bank stock is 39 43-100
per cent, or the stock value of each
$1.000 is assessed at $394.30.
In York county the average assess?
ment on bank stock is 35 per cent, or
61,000 of stock value is assessed at
$350.
In Greenwood county the average
assessment of bank stock is 40 per
cent., or each $1,000 of stock value is
assessed at $400.
In Chester county the average as?
sessment of bank stock is 36 43-100
per cent., or each $1,000 of stock is
assessed $364.60.
In Cherokee county the average as?
sessment of bank stock Is 4a 16-100
per cent., or each $1,000 of stock value
is assessed at $4 01.60.
In Chesterfield county the average
assessment of bank stock is 46 85-100
per cent, or each $1,000 of stock value
is assessed at $468.30.
In Anderson county the average as?
sessment of bank stock is 50 per cent,
or each $1.000 of stock value Is as?
sessed $500.
In Marlboro county the average as?
sessment of bank stock is 41 15-100
per cent., or each $1,000 of stock val?
ue |a assessed $411.50.
In Greenville county the average
bank stock is assessed 4 1 84-100 per
(cent, or each $1,000 of stock value is
assessed $4 48.10.
In Spart anburg county the average
bank stock is assessed 4 5 per cent., or
each $1,000 of stock value is assessed
at $4 50.
In Barn well county the average
bank stock |g ssSQSSOd 60 Nl-lOO per
cent., or each $1.000 of stock value Is
assessed $606.10,
In Sunder county the average bank!
stock is assessed 86 1-10 per cent., or
SSCh .fl.Oiu? of stock value is assessed
$331.
In Hampton county the average as?
sessment of bunk Stock is 60 per cent.. I
or each *!.""<? 0f stock value is as-1
nosed $6<mi.
The counties of Abbeville, Aiken,
Anderson, Homberg, Clarendon, Lnu
tens. Lee. Lexington, Oconee, Ulch
lami and Charleston ? > assessed upon
h 60 per rent, basis or $1,000 of
Stock value hftSOd on capital, surplus
ami undivided profits Is assessed for'
taxation In full of said counties.
It Is not attempted heroin to give
the facts in regard to all of the In?
equalities and discrepancies that exist
In record to the various hank stock
within the State. The foregoing are
only a few of the inequalities either !
now or heretofore existing among
some of the bank stocks within sev?
eral of the ootintiea named and be?
tween some of the bank stocks of dif?
ferent counties, and some of the bank
stocks of a given county in the aggre?
gate with those of another given
county in the aggregate and referred
to for the purpose of showing the de?
sirability of putting all such stocks on
terms of equality as nearly as can be,
Having this end in view, this com?
mission intends to find the average
rate or percentage of assessment of
all bank stocks of the whole state for
the year 1914, and apply that average
rate or percentage-to the value of the
bank stocks of the whole State, for
the purpose of obtaining equalization
of assessment as to all such property
for the year 1915. The rate, basis or
percentage of assessment tor the year
1914 will be taken for the reason that
this commission does not desire to
disturb such equality or parity as may
have been heretofore, or as may now I
I exist among bank stocks on the one
I hand, with property of textile and
1 other industrial or public service cor?
porations, money, capital, real and
personal property generally, on the
other hand.
And your defendants. South Caro?
lina tax commission, aver that it is
now and always has been their pur?
pose and intention to proceed in
equalizing the assessment of bank
stocks and other money capital in the
manner equality or parity of assess?
ment may be obtained among bank
stock and other money capital, and at j
the same time the equality or parity
heretofore or now existing between
such property and other different kind
and classes of property in the State
may not be disturbed, and that all
property be taxed on the same basis.
Your defendants further aver that
it is their purpose and intention to
inquire into and ascertain, so far as
possible, whether the various banks^
have furnished full and adequate in?
formation upon which to base an as?
certainment of the value of taxation
of the shares of the bank, and that If
it should be found that any of the said
banks have through fraud, excusable
neglect or otherwise failed to render
an account of all mtaters and things
that will go toward determining its
stock value, then, and in such event,
it is the purpose of respondent com?
mission to take Into consideration
such omitted facts and things in the
ascertainment cf the true value of
such stock.
An Eye-opener to the Old Hoys, Who
Wore the Urvy.
Hello, Mr. Editor, my compliments
please. 1 pause for a moment to re?
move the cobwebs and dust, from my
mental vision, that I may hark back
to years that have passed into ob?
livion, from the year 1861 to 1865 in
part. To you old boys, remember
this, we fought fair, we did not take
any undue methods against our foe.
1 remember well that our battle lines
had gotten quite thin, our resources
were insufficient to stand the jolts of
I
a resourceful foe; we stopped the
light, and the end came. And not
without honor. We fought for an
undying principle, believing that we
were right. "Old Time" has blended
the nation together that was separat?
ed for four years. We are now rest?
ing securely under the folds of "Old
Glory" basking in the sunshine of
peace; in this our favored Dixie land.
The old soldier is passing away
one by one, it won't be long, before
time will be with us no more, ticking
the seconds of our lives.
Once upon a time a tender-foot
journeyed into the South on a hunt?
ing expedition. He lost his way in
the hack woods. Presently he came
upon a cabin. In front of the cabin
sat an old man. The tender-foot said:
"Hello:" The old man said "Hello."
The tender-foot said: "Have you lived
here all your life?" The old man re?
plied, "Not yet."
Those of us who are lingering on
the shores of time, using the old man's
reply, to the tender-font, that we
have not lived all of our lives lure
yet. Thanks be unto the great God
l of the universe, who holds the destiny
of man in the hollow of his hand. Now
veterans of the "lost cause," although
battle scarred, maimed, and withered,
be still. Comrades, what 1 want to
Impress on your mind is this, that It
is only when the soul is withered or
Crippled, that things are truly bad.
Hut if the soul is not Involved, re?
member Ibis, beyond the graveyard, is
your "I other's House." with many i
mansions. The Prince of Peace im?
pressed it upon a dying World, when
he was on earth in the flesh. 11' we
do not realize tho eternal fitness of
things, get right old boys, and in the
sweet bye anil bye, then we will un?
derstand <>hl Hock.
Marriage License Kccord.
A license to marry has been issued
lo \V ('. Scarborough and Miss Maud
L, Uos.s ol Sumter.
KILLS WHEAT PESTS.
Inserts Likely to Damage Storni
Wheat Unless l*rccautiouury Meas?
ures are Taken.
Clemson College, Aug. 2.?The en?
tomology (1 i\ ision of Clemson Col- (
lege la receiving fron, farmera many
complaints about insects in stored
wheat ami Issues a statement to the
effect that insects will seriously re?
duce the value of the .main unless
steps nre taken at once to control the
pests. The most effective method is
by fumigating with carbon bisulfide.
Several kinds of insects attack
stored wheat, feeding principally on
the starchy material in the grains.
These insects destroy the germinating
power of the seed, rendering it useless
for planting. Even more serious is
the injury they do by rendering the
wheat inferior for milling purposes.
Flour from insect-infested wheat is
of a poor quality, containing a lot of
the little brown remnants of the in?
sect's work. Worst of all, the pests
form webs in the grain which clog
up In the milling machinery when
the grain is ground.
To control stored wheat iasects,
use carbon bisulfide, which is an al?
most colorless liquid, and non-pois?
onous. It kills by suffcatlon. Some
people store wheat in barrels and
others In bins, the usual size, of the
bins being about 100 bushels. For an
ordinary barrel holding about three
bushels, use carbon biulstlde at the
rate of one-hall teacupful to one bar?
rel. For a 100-bushel bin, use 8
pounds or about one gallon.
Apply the carbon bisulfide by
sprinkling it over the surface pf the
I grain in the barrel or bin. After
sprinkling, cover the top of the barrel
or bin with heavy burlap or other
like material to hold the fumes in.
Leave this cover on for twenty-four
hours or longer. Repeat this treat?
ment after ten days or two weeks to
destroy the young that hatch from
eggs after the first treatment.
In the late summer or early fall,
examine the grain to see that no rein
festation has occurred. If the insects
are present again, carbon bisulfide
must again be used.
Carbon bisulfide is highly inflam?
mable and fire of all sorts must be
kept away from it. It is dangerous
even for a man who is smoking to
go near a wheat bin in which the ma?
terial has been sprinkled. Pe sure to
keep every form of fire away from the
barrels or bins and from the vessel
which holds the carbon bisulfide.
Carbon bisulfide can be bought in
50-pound and 100-pound drums for
about 9 cents per pound, at an ad?
dress which will be given by the En?
tomology Division, Clemson College.
Drums must be stored in a cool place,
SWay from every possible source of
fire.
DEATH DEALING STOKM.
Violent Storm Sweeps Across Country
Preen Oregon to North Carolina.
New York, August 4.?A succession
of violent storms and cloudbursts,
stretching from Portland, Oregon to
the North Carolina coast resulted in
the loss of possibly seventy-five lives
and a damage of millions. The
greatest disaster was at Erie, Pa.,
where a cloudburst swept away many
bcaidingl and destroyed railroad traf
fice for 12 hours. Two lives were lost
on the New Jersey coast. The crop
damage was enormous in the central
West. Many small vessels were sunk
between Massachusetts and Cape Hat
teras, while millions of damage was
done at Pichmond, Va.
Seventy-Five Dead.
I Eric, August 4.?At 11 o'clock this
morning Coroner Hundley estimated
that seventy-five wi re dead as the re?
sult of the flood and the list may pos?
sibly reach one hundred. Eighteen
bodies have been recovered. The Na?
tional Guard and naval militia are
petroling the Hood district. No dis?
order has occurred.
THREE DIE IN EXPLOSION.
Experiment at Government Arsenal
Proves Fatal.
Philadelphia, Aug. 3.?Two soldiers
and a civilian were killed at the Unit?
ed States arsenal at Frankfort, this
city, today in an explosion of time
fuses used on shrapnel shells. An?
other civilian was injured. The dead
are:
Arthur B. Ftundlett, first class pri?
vate, ordnance department; home
Boston, Praslleo Franco, second
class private, ordnance department;
home Trinity; James F. Parkins,
civilian, Philadelphia. The men were
working on the tiring range some
distance, from the main arsenal build?
ings. The> v.vre unpacking fuses
withdrawn from service and seid to
the arsenal to be broken up. when
one of the boxes exploded.
The cause Ol t he accident has not
vet been ascertained by the arsenal!
officers, Arthur K Brown, the Injur?
ed civilisn, the officers said, may be
able to explain the cause. Ho was
not in condition today to be question
SPECIAL RATHS TO CLEMSON.
All I Uli I i<>a<K Will fiive Reduced
Hans to Those Attending Summer
School.
, Clemeon College, Aug. 3.?The rail
i roads have agreed to give special rates
i from points in South Carolina to
IClemeon College to those who are in?
tending to attend the summer school
!to be held at Clemson, August 9 to
I September 4. Persons who are com?
ing to the college to attend the sum
I mer school should ask for these
I rates when buying their tickets. The
I tickets will be on sale August 7, 8.
I and 9, and will be good on trains leav
\ ing on those days. The return tick
! ets will not expire until September 6.
The prospects arc for a large en?
rollment in the four summer school
courses that Clemson College is of
| ferine. These courses are for farm?
ers, rural school teachers, rural min?
isters and corn club members.
HOY PAINFULLY WOUNDED.
Pleads in Yain for Older Lad Not to
Shoot Him.
Columbia, Aug. 2.?Refusing, it is
said, to listen to his victim's plea not
to injure him, Keith Wallace, a white
youth, aged 18, this morning at 7
o'clock is alleged to have fired a load
I of small shot from a shotgun into the
right shoulder of Raymond Cooper, a
white lad, aged 12, as they and a
; crowd of other boys were assembled
at the corner of Ashley avenue and
9th street in Olympia village. Coop?
er was taken to a local hospital. The
boy's attending physician, Dr. W. A.
Boyd, stated this afternoon that while
Cooper was painfully hurt, he did not
think he was seriously injured, al?
though this could not be correctly as?
certained until the youth was operat?
ed on. Wallace and Earle Coon, from
whom Wallace got the shotgun, were
placed under arrest by Officer Lewis
Knox.
HEAVERS IS REDUCED.
Atlanta Police Chief Disciplined by
Commissioners.
Atlanta, Ga., Auj. 3.?James 1*.
Beavers, chief of the Atlanta police
department, was found guilty of in?
subordination and reduced to the rank
of captain by the ' oard of police com?
missioners late today. It was an?
nounced that the charge of ineffi?
ciency, also brought against the police
head, had not been sustained.
Disregard of the board's instruc?
tions and failure to suppress crime
were alleged against Beavers He had
feeen head,of the police department
since 1911 and attracted wide atten?
tion In 1912 when he abolished At?
lanta's segregated vice district and es
| tablish "vice squads" to patrol the
city. 41 Mi|
After Beavers had been deposed,
W. If. Mayo, a captain, was elected to
succeed him.
Beavers announced late tonight that
he would submit a formal refusal of
the captaincy to the police board to?
morrow, but would not indicate what,
if any, other action would be taken.
LOSES LIFE IN PIPE.
Iron Door Closes With Diver Below.
Pittsburgh. Aug. 2.?Hundreds of
persons crowded Highland park to?
day while a force of policemen, fire?
men and water bureau employes
worked frantically to save Charles
Carpenter, a diver, who was lost in a
nl-inch pipe connecting two reser?
voirs in the park. Carpenter had en?
tered the main just before noon to
remove an obstruction and was ef?
fectively imprisoned when a cable
snapped and the heavy iron door,
deep In the water, dropped behind
him. Nothing was thought of his
absence for an hour, but when he did
not responded to signals another div?
er went down and found door closed.
The air hose seemed to be intact,
and the pumps were kept going while
other divers worked to open the door
and still others sought for the second
entrance to the pipe. Just before 5
o'clock the door was lifted and Car?
penter's body was located. He had
been dead only a few minutes. His
mother and sister were in the crowd
which waited all afternoon for news
from the main.
Wreck Store in Hankruptcy.
I An involuntary petition in bank?
ruptcy was filed In the United States
I District court here yesterday against
'Sam Mycrson, Joe Wynne and Wil
llam Berg, copartners as Consolidated
, Mereantiele Company, of Sumter. At?
tached to the petition is a statement
( by the defendants admitting the in?
solvency of the company and con?
senting to be adjudged bankrupt. Re?
spective claims of $191.II; $7!>. and
1422.56 were filed against the de
fendant company. ?News and Cour?
ier.
Several towns In South Carolina
have adopted a rule requiring all
washwomen to register with the
hea?th department. This is a wise
precaution to safeguard the health of
a community ngninst contagious dia