Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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i c Wlm^hrop Daughters Attention Thfre-wift be a meeting of the Winthrop Daughters Thursday af ternoon at four o'clock at the Girls'^High Schol. Business of; the utmost importance must he con-, sddere^ and each 'member is urged to 'attend. 3 ? ? ?, Booze Runners Chased. - Monday night about 7 o'clock one VLrezie** Ford appeared on the scene at, the corner of Main street and Hampton Avenue., accompanied 'by a rnajp and woman. Shortly'af ,ier which the odor of ^'old Xmas" was very evident and attracted ?fuiet a (Seal of interest, but unfor , tunately for thai travelers the police were aroo-ng those attracted and a hot chase, for about two miles en sued, during which, the police were lost in the shuffle. '?Enter Madame" The members of the Associated Charities- and of ? the Susnter High School Athletic Association have decided to get the Columbia Stage .Society to give -a benefit perfor ' mance of their play, "Enter Mad-1 arae", at the Opera- House m Sum ter on December 19th next. .While on a. recent visit to -Co-j lumbia I had the pleasure of wit-\ ?essing this play, and desire to state t ; some of my impressions -of it- I find I ~no hesitancy ia.saying that the Co-| lumbia Stage Society off era in thiai play perhaps the best performance] by players who are not professionals that I have ever. seen. This society consists of ladies and gentlemen of the city of Columbia who are de-? voting their talents to the stage purely for the enjoyment of the art, end" so well have-- they succeeded ?that, as to several of their players, is it practically impossible to dis tinguish - their work from that of I rofessionals. "Enter Madame" is play of modern life, depicting a danger . our crisis in a domestic circle that almost produced a divorce which, happily, was avoided, when a tem ; peramental wife, whose devotion to her art had caused neglect of her husband, was awakened to a strong love for him in the rivalry of 5 ?^r?specive wives-in-law." It is" a fact interesting to Sumter folk that the leading part in the play, "Madame" is splendidly acted by Mrs. W. G. Peterkin, a lady who formerly hailed from Sumter. She Jjas a most difficult role, that of a high-strung Italian actress: speak ixlg" imperfect English with a pro nounced foreign accent, married to " air American husband, whose appre .... ciation of the power of money of ten Jarred her artistic ideals, and yet with that fine instinct ef wo ^.manly love that rises to its best in the crisis. Mrs. Peterkin does am ple 'justice to the part. Mr. John .A. Crawford, as Madame's husband, plays his part in support of hers in a way that is very creditable. "Bice," Madame's maid, is played by Mrs. Mortimer Jarechy, whose humor, fine imitation of the Ital ian^ accent, and good acting are productive of amusement and laughter all through the play. Much good-foreign accent and humorous acting are also presented by "Ar chimede." "Madame's Chef," and "Dottcre," Madame's physician, as pT^yetT. by Messrs. Golz and Sime, respectively. Mrs. Julian Hennig, as "Mrs. Preston, Madame's rival," gives a splendid presentation of her lines, which is very amusing;. so too with "Tomamato." the valet, p3aye4.;by Mr. Assey, whose Japa nese pronunciation is excellent.: Miss j Eiiza2a3& Barnes, as "Aline, Mad ame's perspective daughter-in-law,** exhibits a charm of beauty set off with some fine millinery that, is pleasing to all the eyes of the audi ence. Mr. Goodwyn, as Madame's son, though a young man. does his lines well. The part of the secre-j ta ry is also well handled. There are many humorous pass ages that are well ? handled by the cast. Mr. Reed, the director, de serves many congratulations on his production and they have the right yi: exj>ect a very large audience in Sumter. ? Respeetfuily, M. W. Seabrook. Marriage Announcement Mr. and Mrs. Walter. Pringle, of Charleston have issued invitations to the :patarriage of ^their daughter, Margaret Johnston to Mr. Edward Kennedy Atkinson at 8 o'clock, onJ Tuesday evening, December 12th, j St. PhJBSp's Episcopal church, at j Charleston. S. C. j Mr. Atkinson is a son of Mrs. L. Atkinson, of Sumter. and formerly made his home in this city, but has been in business in Charleston in recent years. A colored boy about seventeen years old who evidently planned to do his Christmas shopping on the snatch and carry plan slipped into Bryan's store on Tuesday, opened a show case and left with a wool muffler. One of the clerks happened to see the act. however, and gave chase down the street and made a capture after a fast run. turning the boy over to the police. He won't need the muf fler where he is now. One of the plate glass show windows in Sibert's Drug store on .the Liberty street side was com ? pletely demolished Monday night about.8 o'clock by a Ford car be longing to a colored man. It seems the car was parked on the street opposite the window and .-started off by itself on being cranked. Beside breaking two -glasses the Christmas stock in the window was damaged to some ex tent by the flying glass. : A Tribute of Respect. . Our community, was shocked to its heart by. the announcement of the sudden" death of our friend and fellow-citizen, Isaac1 Edwards. I feel that I would be unjust to my own feelings should riet this oc casion pass without -'paying to his memory a tribute of "ray apprecia tion of his high Character: 1 He was graduated irom our high school in the class of 1916, and went the following year to Wash ington and Lee " XJnrversity, and was subsequently called into the service. I have always thought of our association with feelings of genuine .pleasure, and now this pleasure will, be mixed with melan choly, it . is true, but with conse crated satisfaction. ' Isaac Edwards illustrated by his life- the truth which we Tsave been taught by experience, observation, and study that left to- himself a man will live the life of his adole scense. As a boy Isaac was in herently a. gentleman, and as a man it was perfectly -natural for him to. remain such. - One of the characters- in one of Shakespeare's plays has said. "There is.no art to read the mind's .construction in ; the face/' but if he had looking into Isaac Edward's face,, even he would have said,o*There is a gentleman." He will .be -missed froil our com munity; for. those, who knew him best; esteemed and loved him most. Our hearts go. out to-his bereaved family-, a.nd particularly to her, who was also one of the graduates of our high school.^ We pray that she may secure consolation from that source, which alone-is able to grant surcease from sorrow, .. SympatheticaHy submitted, 1 S. H. EDMUNDS. Christmas Tree For Mountain Children. For several years it has been the beautiful custom of our six Chris tian Endeavor Societies to send a Christmas box to the mountain boys and girls in the home mis sion field of the Southern Presby terian .church. A decorated Christ ines tree is placed in the base ment of the church and any who desire to do so are invited to place on the tree* suitable Christ mas presents for the mountain ehildren. This year the tree will be Wed nesday evening, December 13th. at 7 o'clock. The program Is as fol lows: Song?Away in a Manger. Scripture Reading?Luke 2:7-20 Prayer by Dr. Marion. Junior Exercises. Recitation?Elizabeth Reed. Quartette?Annie Osteen, Eliza beth Parrptt, May Clarke, Ethel Stuckey. ExercisesW-G-I-V-E ? by five boys. Primary Exercises. Play?"Everychild-" Characters: Herald Archie C Qninn. Opening chorus, Virgin ia Parrott, Elizabeth Ewart, Hazell Weir, Dora Baker, eHnri Grady, Jo Eleanor-Player, Rhetta Sydnor, Bertha McKagen. Eyerychild, Mary Campbell. Idleness, Jean Benton. Gaiety, Eleanor Flaum. Knowledge, Alice Finn. ? Mathematics, Margaret Yeadon. Discipline, Annie. Laurie Camp bell. Joy, Georgianna Graham. Service, Hughlalee McCollum. ; Pages. Charles Lemmon and Lcring Pitts. Eiercfees by Beginners No. 2. Recitations?Laura Vance Mar ion, Sara Williamson, Thomas Reed. Loring Pitts. Exercises by Beginners No. 1. Carols. Reeeptibn of gifts by Santa Claus. Song?Joy to the World. Mizpah Benediction. Christmas Seal Sale. Dr. L. A. Riser, campaign man ager for the Christmas bond and seal sale for the South Carolina Tuberculosis association, has re ceived a heart appealing letter from Miss NeHie Crouch, a former school teacher, now suffering with tuberculosis. This letter was writ ten by Miss Crouch in an earnest effort to arouse other teachers and the public in general to the dan gers of tuberculosis and the ne cessity of preventing its further spread by ? furnishing means of treatment lor those who are al ready afflicted^ This letter from Miss Crouch will doubtless be read by numbers of interested people through the state: 4T have just heard that you are writing to the teachers asking a special effort from them in the Christmas seal sale this year. Would a letter from an old friend and pa tient help any? "When 1 taught, I was not inter ested in this work to any great ex tent?so many things crowded it out, I did not realize then that tuberculosis was realty a menace to me and to the children I taught. "Now that I know, it is too late for me to help you as a teacher?I must be on my back for a long, long time yet. After eight years of fight ing, perhps my experience and that of my shack mate, Franci* Prultt, another teacher who is paying the price, might be the ' means of bringing home to others of our profession the terrible fact that: the school Toom furnishes too many' victims to this disease, which can. be prevented. "As the taring and selling of the bonds and little seals are the means of defeating the enemy and saving lives, surely the teachers i who know will back you up. I have faith in their willingness to serve where they know the need." ? ?? ? When the worm turn? it doesn't always turn into a butterfly. { JENNINGS' VIEWS ON STATE ROAD BONDS Favors $50,000,000 of State Bon^s to Build Hard Sur faced Roads Connecting County Seats The Charleston News and Cour ier's report of the State Good !Roads Conference contains the fol lowing summary of Mr. L. D. Jen nings' statement of his views on the proposition. L. D. Jennings, of Sumter, thought that it woud not be wise to start with a bond issue of^less than $50,000,000 and the state plan be such that every county seat in South Carolina would be connect ed with a hard surfaced system of roads.. He . thought that there I should be a careful survey of the State showing just'where the roads are to be built, the material from which they are to be constructed and that each county be paid for work already done by it in the State system, based on the price of the work at the flotation of the bond ..issue. Mr. .Jennings said that a hard surfaced system , of roads would ;Lsave tthe- people unt old -millions of i dollars: each year, and the issue j could soon "be. paid for. He said that the automobiles of the State I consume $ 17,000,00 0 worth ^of gas oline each year, that approxfmate \ ly $50,000,000. is paid every two years lor new carsr and that the ;wear and- tear on them each year ; aggregates.' $10,00(1,000. Estimat ing that the ? gasoline \ consumption .would' be reduced one-third, that the life of a "car would -be increased from two to six''years and that its wear, and tear would 3>e decreased two-thirds by a-:system of hard surfaced roads, Mr. Jennings claimed .that approximately $40. 000,000 annually would be saved to the 100,0000 automobile owners in the State, estimating each car to be worth an average of $1,000 and the repair bin on it to be $100 annually. Assuming, however, that hard -surfaced roads' connected only the county seats, he said, and that the automobile owner traveled on them only one-third of his mileage, then the saving would be at least $10,000,000 a year, enough to take up the $50,000,000 bond issue in six years, and pay its interest. Shfloh News Notes Farmers Preparing id Fight the Boll Weevil ? Sbiloh, Dec. IL?The farmers of this section are probably as blue as any time since the war between the states, but still they are under taking to follow the old adage, "Try again." They have more grain planted (and in well prepar ed land) than has been planted -up to date for several years. -Some of the farmers. claim they will abandon cotton. Those who ex pect to plant cotton say they will plant only a -small acreage, will undertake to fertilize liberally and fight! the - weevil with poison and otherwise. t Out educational rally on the \ 7th was not as well attended as we: had hoped for, but there were i several of the patrons out, and every one present has agreed that the address of our newly elected representative, Mr. Shephard K. Nash, was timely, and such com pliments as "fine," *^real good," "ex cellent," etc. has been paid to' same. We were glad to have Mr. Nash with us and it goes with out saying that we enjoyed his talk. Our efficient primary teacher, Miss Bernice Clark of Estell, had the little tots render a program of songs, etc. that was considered ex cellent and was much enjoyed by all present. The boys' basket !>ail team of the centralized high school- here had their first game of the season last Thursday afternoon when they met the Lynchburg high school , team on their home ground, and they have to their credit the hon- , or of winning the first game. The ] game was closely contested and , exciting all the way through, the final score being Shiloh 28, Aynch burg 25. ? Our school was making an ex cellent record of attendance this session until the past few weeks, since when there has been decline , owing to sickness in several homes. We hope that-soon all will be o. k. and our record of attendacne and work will be strong again. The Methodist folks of the com munity seem to be well pleased with the conference selection when they returned for another year the Rev. T. E. Derrick. The stork visited Mr. and Mrs. , Carlyle Goodman on last Thurs day morning and left for their care and attention a fine boy. Mr. E. W. Dabbs. Jr.. was over on the evening of the 8th inst. at- \ tending a meeting of the board of , trustees of the centralized high . school here. We are always glad 1 to have Mr. Eugene with us and we all appreciate the much good j work he has done in helping us j establish a state high school at this place. , May Christmas cheer and New Year happiness drive away the | blues from our farmers (and any . others) and replace with optimism, ( good cheer for future prosperity. , (although it may be through hard . and diversified work, with econom- , ical administration) and content- j ment with happiness is the wish < of this correspondent. ( SEVEN BIG DAYS Of selling. Think of it. J Sumter's largest and best 1 stock of ready-to-wear and 1 millinery at 1-3 off. Be quick. J Schwartz Bros. j Entirely too many little blue I boys are blowing their horns. < FACTS VS. THEORY IN PRISON MANAGEMENT Superintendent AV K. Sanders Replies to Crit icisms by State Welfare Board of the State Penitentiary Editor Daily Item: I have received the report on the state penitentiary, made by , the State Board of Public "Welfare and after, a careful persu?l I come to the conclusion that it was .so un fair and unjust to me in some par ticulars that I feel from a sense of duty which I owe the people of South Carolina, that -I must make a reply in order that they may judge whether or not I have been recreant, to the duties andV respon sibilities that are vested in me. In discussing, the issue?that has been raised I shall endeavor to do so* in a calm, quiet, dispassionate, and truthful way, and let the chips fall where they may. I shall take them up in the or der in" which they appear in the report. I have " nothing to dd" with the manner in which the superintend ent and board of directors are se lected. "The present conditions have prevailed ever since T have known the penitentiary, and I have n?ver heard any complaint until the "smelling committee experts" from1 Chicago ; came - along and made* their'recommendation, which the; Board of Public Welfare now renews. Tf* there is fo be a change it must be done by - Iegis l?tive^enactment. The state farms were bought 30 Odd years ago. During the ad ministration of Col. Neal, then su perintendent of the penitentiary, the Reid farm was added to the DeSaussure. They were then op erated under separate heads. <Toi. Neal's administration -lasted ior eight years and he was succeeded by Col.: D. J. Griffith who Operated them under the same plans for eighteen years. I - succeeded Col. Griffith six years ago and continued the same policies which I. thougfct were to the best interests of the state. . To "put both farms under a central head, I can't see .where it would add to the efficiency and R would certainly add to the cost of operation. - The state farms are great assets to the state, and until the boll weevil made their appear ance were sources of great .reve nue.-" . ? * / %: ? ?As a matter of fact, all the money It took to operate the pen itentiary for several years came from the farms. It must not be forgotten that the penitentiary. has not cost the state a dollar ? m years and Is stili self-suppr?tfng: The farms have been managed by good experienced men and" the state's-interests have been careful ly guarded. Both of the manag-1 ers are high class men, experienc ed farmers anal excellent handlers of prison labor and would be hard to impove on. The recommenda tion made by the Board of Public Welfare rega*ding the farms was first made by the, "smelling "com mittee." Under the head "Conditions of Buildings." I do not feel that I am responsible in any way for the phy sical conditions of the present buildings or for the lack of new ones. The Board of Public Wei-1 fare says: "It has been the custom of the institution to erect a new building whenever a- new phase of life or industry arose." I do not know of any buildings that have been erected in the last thirty years except during, the adminis tration of Col. Griffith. He had erected the present administration building, cell block and the Grif fith hospital. These were all erected out 'of the net. earnings of the penitentiary and did not cost the taxpayers anything. At that time* it was not required of the superintendent to deposit ? all moneys he might receive in the state treasury; but he could use the money for anything that he saw proper in the way of perma nent improvements. . ? j If the legislature has-ever ap propriated a dollar for new buildings at the penitentiary I do j not know of it. If the present ^ buildings are out of date and do not meet modern requirements, I j feel that the state is responsible for conditions and not I. I endorse fully what the Board i of Public Welfare had to say in^ regard to the. women's quarters. If anyone will take the trouble to examine my reports to the legisla ture, they Will find that I have also condemned them. I have paid special attention to this depart ment and have done everything in my power to improve conditions. As far as it could be done; I be lieve I have brought about many changes for the better! I am sure conditions are much better than when I took charge of the peni tentiary. As to the "holocaust" is true but the danger now has been great ly reduced by removal of all heat ing stoves and the installation of steam heat. During the last few months, without any specific ap propriation by the legislature I have managed to erect in the yard of the women's quarters, and for their use only, a new laundry, kitchen and dining room also toilets and shower baths. I am sure all of these will prove to be beneficial. The women now do all their own cooking and meals are served in their own dining room. When I first assumed charged of the penitentiary I realized that there should be a woman matron whose duty would be to see after :he women prisoners. To that end I took it up with several wo men who came and looked over the situation, but after they came, and <hw the surroundings, and what they would be up against they all ieelined to accept the position. I am frank to say that I could not see how any self-respecting wo mna could have accepted under the circumstances. I have made the best I could out of a bad sit uation, and there is no other way out of it, but for the legislature to make provisions f or^ a new- build ing/'which I heartily recommend. The~ present quarters are crowded to the limit, there now : being in confinement sixty-five women pris oners more than was ever known before. ? Now, as to the living conditions, I, can say truthfully and honestly that I don't believe at any time in the history of the penitentiary have the prisoners been fed better food and more of it than they have since I have been in charge. Whether the food is well "balanc ed" or not I am unable to say, but I do know that- most of. the pris oners improve on it and leave in much better physical condition than when they. come. It is true that more com bread is fed than wheat, although wheat bread is served every day. I remember the time when it was only served once a week. Coffee is served for breakfast every morn ing, something they did not get until my administration. All of our corn is shipped from the state farm. It is ground into meal two or three times a week and is there fore, fresh. I believe I can say without contraditiOn that the corn bread served is as good as it can be. Often have I seen visitors go-j ing through the kitchen taste a piece and pronounce it good. I rarely ever go in the kitchen my self without taking a piece and if eats good to me. Vegetables of some kind are served for dinner every day. We try not to serve the same vegetable, two days in succession. Whenever our garden does not furnish a sufficient va riety, I go to the market and get such as needed. No man shall ever go hungry while I am in charge. The food as now served is in niy opinion good and wholesome, but if a greater and better variety is demanded, let the legislature put up the money and I will serve it. The Board also reports that the hours of "confinement should be modified" and that the, prisoners are "locked up twenty minutes af ter supper." Do they know that the count of the prisoners is taken only at night and that it is-neces-j sary to have them all locked in their cells before darkness! comes on? It, is not an' uncom mon occurrence for a prisoner to | hide out in the yard, and if he was not found before night, it-would be- more difficult to find him. If this rule was not carried out, and the prisoners allowed to remain on the yard until just before dark, there would be more hide-outs and more escapes. In regard to the physical exercise, will say that the prisoners have forty minutes between the dinner hour and going back to work, and. also twenty minutes after supper to exercise and if they do not care to use it, it is their own fault. Work' ceases on Saturday at 12 o'clock and they have all of that afternoon to exercise. The relig ious services on Sundays generally last about one hour and after the services they have the freedom of the yard. Baseball is allowed dur ing the season, but at the begin ning the teams did not agree with each other and not much playing was done. However, the grounds were there and they could have played had they wanted to. ? The report further says that "no exercise is given to occupants of the death house;" this brings up a very serious proposition. If I re member correctly whenever a man is given the death sentence the in junction from the judge is that he be kept in "safe and secure con finement." Suppose for the sake of argument that a man who has been sentenced to death should he taken out of his cell for exercise and while doing so should get an opportunity to attack the guard, take his pistol and perhps kill him or cause the guard to kill him. What would be said about me for taking him out for that purpose? It is a serious proposition to han dle and while I feel very sorry for the poor unfortunates and would do anything 1 could lor them in the bounds of reason, yet under all the circumstances I have never felt that I would be justified in taking the chance. It is a serious thing for a man to be sentenced to death and I imagine that most any man would take a desperate chance to get away in order to escape his impending doom. However Governor Harvey re quested not long ago that arrange ments be made to give the men in the death house some exercise which is now being done, and while every precaution is being taken for the safety of the men, still I feel that if anything should happen that the responsibility would rest on the governor and not on me. There are several men in the death house that it would not do to trust too far. In speaking of that sanitary con ditions, the board said that they had seeu a number of prisoners who had not been supplied with clean top clothing in six weeks. 1 do not believe that this statement can be verified with facts. I know that all prisoners are required to bathe and put on clean under clothes every Saturday and top clothes when necessary. If there was a prisoner who wore his top clothes for six^ weeks, it was not because he was compelled to do so, but simply because he might not have cared to make the change. While on this subject I would like to ask the question, how many people who are not in the peniten tiary change their top clothing and have them washed every week. I dare say that not one working man in ten has it done. The towel problem has always been a difficult one to handle. I have bought them by the hundred and would like to see every man furnished with a clean towel every times he bathes his hands and face, but somehow or other towels after they are distributed soon disappear and it seems impossible to keep up with them, however, there are but few men who have not towels of their own. To show that I try to supply towels, will say that I bought $80.00 worth in August. As to the discipline the board says: "After carefully consider ing the testimony of a number of prisoners, of officials at the peni tentiary, of dismissed prisoners and outside visitors,'we have come to the conclusion that the discipline of the penitentiary is largely based upon the personal likes and dis likes of the captain of the guards and is extremely severe and tends to-no reformation of the prisoners." I have no doubt but what this part of the report was based large ly on the testimony^ of a number of prisoners who were examined by members of the board at an inves tigation held behind closed doors without allowing any prison offi cials to be present ? I made a personal appeal to be allowed to be present but it was denied. However, I gave the board every assistance I could and had every roan whose name they had on the list brought before them. I knew at the time it was doing the officials a great wrong and injus tice to take the testimony of the cdnvicts without giving the man-' agement a hearing. The investigation was a star chamber affair and the men who were brought before the ? board j were some of the worst and most dangerous men in the. penitentiary, who would not hesitate to testify to anything that would bring an official into bad repute and parti cularly the one whose duty it is to manage -them. The -vilest crimi nal is entitled to a fair and impar tial hearing in any court of justice. That the prison official did not get at the hands of the Board of Public! Welfare who ought to be fair and just in all of their acts. The conclusion that the board reached when they said "that the discipline is largely based on the personal likes and dislikes of the captain of the guard is as absurd as it is false. It has the earmarks of convict testimony, from those who7 have violated the rules and had been punished. You never hear it from the class of prisoners who behave themselves and ob serve the rules. I wonder if there is a man in j South Carolina who knows me! who for one moment would think J that I would retain a man in a re-j sponsible position like captain ofj the guard and allow him to punish! a prisoner simply on account of his likes and dislikes. I have never] known a prisoner to be punished! without a cause, and I would not allow it or stand for it. It must be] remembered that we now have inj the penitentiary more white men than was ever known in its history,' and some of the most dangerous1 and desperate characters-who can-i not be fed on milk and honey andj handled, with kid gloves. .Itj takes a man of courage and firm ness to do so. . I I have been criticised by some j for being too lenient and easy on the prisoners and for allowing! them too many privileges. When ever I have heard the charge I have pleaded guilty to it, and as long as I am here I will not stand for bru tality and inhumanity. During the years of my administration I have, had three captains of the guard ) and with each of them I have had a thorough understanding as toj what my policies were concerning' the handling of prisoners. For two years I have not missed a day from my office except when absent on account of business and a few days vacation m the sum mer. I keep in touch til the time with what is going on. and if there has ever been a man unjustly pun ished or too severely punished I have never heard of it, I am sure that no complaint from any prison er has ever been made to me as to; harsh treatment. Prisoners are punished it is true. There is a certain class among them that) will always have to be punished in order to . preserve discipline, but as God is my judge I do not know of a single person who has been brutally or inhumanly treated. The mutiny which occurred here last May was just one of those un fortunate things that will happen or is liable to happen in any pris-j on. No one regrets it more than j I do. The coroner's jury of Rich land county held an inquest over the body of the man that was kill ed; they went into the case thor oughly, and after a searching ex amination the prison authorities were exonerated from all blame. The Board of Public Welfare seem to think the the officers were too hasty in firing when they did. They did not fire until the rush started on them by the prisoners who were armed with iron rods, sticks, ham mers, knives, etc. What else were the officers to do under the circum stances? Were they to stand still until the contest got to a hand to hand one and run the risk of being: knocked in the head or having their throats cut? They did what any other set of men would havej done under the circumstances. The} prison officials were assisted by the sheriff's office, police depart ment, city detectives and fire de part ment, and I am willing for any of them to say whether action was too soon or not. While it is true that the occurrence mighl have been avoided by sending a flag of truce and making a surrender to the prisoners, still I do not believe it would have been very long before a similar trouble would have happened, with far more seri ous results. Now that it-has-been/ several months since the trouble, and there has been time for re flection. I can say that if it was all to do over again I would not make any change in the plans that were carried out, for I believe from the standpoint o? discipline that it was*the best thing that could ihave happened for the welfare of the prison. As to the rules governing the penitentiary, will say that I did not find any prison rules when I came here and I have not formulated any. I have tried to be governed by the rules of common sense.' When a prisoner comes to the penitentiary he sdon learns that as long as he behaves himself, respects the guards and goes about his work in an orderly manner, he need never expect anything but good kind treatment. .There are now over five hundred inmates in the peni tentiary and I can safely say that possibly ninety per cent of them never have an unkind word spoken to them. The other ten per cent are the ones that give trouble and have to be punished. In all pris ons that I know anything about, some form of punishment. has to be inflicted in order to maintain discipline, and I do not believe there is another prison'anywhere with .the .?ame number and class of men as we have here where less punishment is inflicted.- In the management of all prisons the question is, who is.going to control, the officials or the prisoners? When the- day comes that I can't control it, and Will have to let the prisoners abuse the guards, fight, refuse to work, and do as they please, I am willing to surrender my position to someone else. I beg-to say that I have been superintendent for nearly six years. The Board of Public Wel fare has been, in existence about the same length of time. I have tried to work along with them in peace and harmony, they or their repre sentatives, have often visited the penitentiary, and I always ac> companied them on their rounds oi inspection and would go over with them- everything that I had done or was trying to do. When their inspection was over they would usually pat me on the back and commend my management, etc. OL course I realize that conditions are not perfect, but I think in all fairness, that if the board had had any criticisms to make they should have come to me in a spirit of1 friendliness and helpfulness and laid them before me, and thereby1 given me a chance to explain or correct whatever they might have deemed necessary. This they have never done. The investigation held last June was not known to me un til the report which was made public last week. I know that con ditions at the peniteniary lack a great deal of being, ideal, they are certainly not as I would like to have them. The great trouble is that penitentiary ever since i have known it has been run ?mtoo cheap a scale; money is what is needed to bring about the changes that will meet the modern day demand. Let the legislature put up the money and I will have buildings erected that will meet their requirements. \ It is an easy matter for one to sit in a skyscraper or live ? many miles away to tell haw a penitenti ary should be run and how the men should be handled, but after all it is only those who are on the ground and come in daily contact with the problems that know what it is. I am now closing my sixth year as superintendent.* I have given the state my best and most conscientious service and have tried to run the prison on strict business principles and on a high moral and humane plane, and whenever I re tire it will be with a clean hand and a clear conscience. I don't think it will take the stretch of the imagination to tell what might be behind the report. I will say in conclusion that I am a candidate for re-election and am making the lace strictly on my record and or. it I am willing to stand or fall. A. K. SANDERS. TOREMAIN IN PRISON Oconee Sheriff Has Charges Against Grover Crooks Columbia. Dec. 11.?Grover Crooks, Oconee County man, who recently won out in a fight in the Supreme Court to have his incar ceration in the State Penitentiary j on a revoked parole declared il legal, is doomed to an indefinite stay in the State prison, if circum stances existing today continue, it appeared tonight. Sheriff Alexander, of Oconee, has charges pending against Crooks, and it was the order of the Su preme Court that, althongh Crooks' Penitentiary sentence had expired, he be held for the county officer. Today Governor Harvey was noti fied by Sheriff Alexander that Oco nee County had no funds available to pay for the expense of sending for the prisoner and that he would not come to Columbia for him. It became known also today that Pen itentiary officials declared there was no money available with which they could pay a guard to escort Crooks to Oconee. Final Government Report on Cot ton Crop. Washington, Dec. 12.?Cotton production for 1922 is 9,964,000 bales, the agriculture department announced in its final report for the year. South Carolina raised 530,000 bales. XMAS PLUMS Await you at the 1-3 Off Sale of ready-to-wear and hats at Sumter's largest and best store. Schwartz Bros. Annual ? Meeting t o Raise Funds For Christmas Cheer For j the Poor to Be Held Sunday Afternoon,; The annual mass meeting under the auspices of the Sunday Schools of Sumter, wiH be held is ti^pres byterian church at 4. o'clock Sunday afternoon for the; purpose, of raising funds td provide Christmas gifts and holiday cheer for the poor chil dren of Sumter. This mooting has been an annual event in Strmter fpr more than twenty-fire years and each year sufficient funds':, have . been voluntarily given by-tfc6 chari table people ot; the city to prav$e\ Christmas gifts for all of the poor and needy children of Sumter.-This - year there is greater need for funds tlian ordinarily, and a large atten dance at the meeting and generous donations are solicited by the committee in charge. The program for the meeting en Sunday .afternoon is as follows: Place of meetingsPresbyterian" church. Time: Sunday, December 17tn*jat $ 4 P. M. Chairman; Robert T. Brown. Scripture Reading: Rev. ^. P. Marion. Address: Rew Colyer^ of Broad. Street Methodist church. ? Music: By choir of Presbyterian,- ? chruch. Each Sunday school is; requested to name two ladies who w?l art i with the central committee at this meeting so that business can beex^ pedited. ?i S. R Sioud^mlre, Sec= ',&| Great Philadelphia Mercfeaist Passes Awa$? Aged S4* x ?.' /Years ??- ? . >' ? Philadelphia; Dec \12,~Johh Wannamaker, aged ' eighty rfJonr,. great *merchant and former pest fhaster general, died at his home here today. He has been ill since early in November.-: Mr Wannamaker was active in business until stricken -with, cold^at./ his country home. He spent "0?;; I summer at, work, except j?or-:?k / rcasional trips to "the-: seashot^t , [Daughters, Mrsi Barclay :BL War ! burton, and Mrs. NbrmaTMac^eodr |were at the bedside. His Sota,:: Rodman arrived after his 3e*isb& j Signs posted on "' his stores -hersA [and in New York said they would j remain closed until further notice: The funeral will be announced later. His- life was- insured, for ; over three million dollars. New Welfare Officer Maj? James C. Dc^r Swito in as Secretary of Board . Columbia, Dec, v 12.?Major Jas. ' G. Dc&^jinewjy eleeted Becr*tir?r? of the~"state "welfare, hoard, %as sworn into oJBce yesterday after .noon, and assumed the duties of 'his new commission. Major Dozier > stated this morning that hebas^as? yet no announcements to make ?s to his policies or plans. '- Bw sev eral weeks he will devote hianself largely to becoming acquainted ~: with the charitable ??! penal in stitutions of the .state, which wl& come under his supervision, the welfare board having supervision of these. -. " Major Dozier came- to Columbia Monday morning. _ He will bring his wife and child; James C. Jr., .. to the capital city shortly after Christmas. .>?:?: The new secretary Is-one of the state's best known world- war vet erans. He was decorated with the Congressional MedaP of Honor, tor . distinguished" bravery under fire.' He was during the war a lieuten-. ant of the USth infantry. Thirtieth Division. He-is now a major in the National Guard. ? -? ? ? ? I Farm Credit RiJJs^ Senate Banking Committee Hears Authors of Various Measures Washington, Dec. 12.?The pr?V . ponents of various farm credit bills appeared before the senate banking committee today. Sena tor Capper, chairman of. the. seft ate farm bloc, told the commit-' tee his bill authorizing live stock . loan associations meets the. needs, of all growers, but does not deal with* the needs of general farmers. Senator Lenroot followed, outha ing the Lenroot-Anderson bill which is endorsed by the adminis tration. > HONORS FOR 11 UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS Columbia, Dec. 12.-?The Athletic Advisory Board of the University^ today announces the winners of "stars" and "letters," as follows: Star and Crescent to Alex WaiSte, captain. Stars to players Lightsey, Mc Willan, Wheeler, Kelly, Mayer, Holland. Snipes, Sizemore, Arbs. Letter *C" to players Edmunds, Coker, Simmons, McKee, Woodson, Brice, Rhame, Parier and Fultbh. Manager Kearn was awarded the "mannger's letter." Hardins's motto seems "to "Don't give up the ship subsidy*"