The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, October 27, 1921, Image 3
ccEhioht, w
(Continued from lait Weak)
CHAPTER IX.
Perond*s Cafe.
A thousand questions were upon my
lips as I waited Just outside the door,
yet when she appeared, wrapped from
head to foot In a raincoat, I asked
nothing. The pressure of her hand
on my arm guided me- across Broadway,
Into the quieter streets beyond.
It was a dark, coo( night, cloudy but
without rain, and we walked rapidly,
entering a region with which I was j
unfamiliar. Here was a strange situation
indeed, acting as escort to a
woman about whom I knew next to
nothing; voluntarily accompanying
her on a mission of peril, with no con
ceptlon of Its nature, or the purpose
she had In view. I glanced aside at
her profile revealed by the gleam of
.a street lamp, hut she appeared lnqjirferent
to my presence. Intent only
upon whatever object she had In mind.
>Ve were In the glootn of the deserted
block beyond, when she spoke
Abruptly, startling me with the In- j
anlrv
I
"Do you know a Russian named
Waldron?" I
"No. I hnve heard of him; that Is. '
If you refer to the agitator, the socialist.
That was his wife, wasn't It,
where you sent me this afternoon?"
She turned toward me In surprise.
'"How did you chance to learn that,
pray?"
"I stopped on the corner, at the
delicatessen store, and made some In'
^ulrles." ?
She laughed, one of her soft laughs,
with an odd suggestion of music In
the tone.
"Why, really, you are developing
wonderfully. I must give you credit.
Well, then It may Interest you to
know that I am going now to meet
Ivan Waldron. The place where I
believe him to be Is not altogether
safe 'tor a woman without an escort.
Your mere presence will be sutllclent
protection, however; It is not necessary
that you encounter him. By the
way, what has become of your friend
?Horner, alias Harris?"
"Dropped completely out of sight,"
T ?- **- - '
m amuiucu, niutr euriy mis muinnm.
^ * That chances to be why 1 feel some
Interest in this man Waldron. It wa?s
a note from him, left at Costlgan's
saloon, which caused Harris to''leave
so hurriedly."
"Who brought the note?" she
stopped suddenly, and faced tne In the
idim lamp light. j
"A Jewish boy, known as 'Sly
Jjevy.'"
"Zi was from Waldrou then, no
doubt. I'm glad you told tne. The
?hances are they will both he where
Eyed^Us Curiously as He Went By.
we are going, unless they have already
quarreled over that bunch of
.easy money you- spoke about."
"But has that been paid over by
iKrantz? Who has It?"
"The fellow who put a knife Into
Alva?whoever he may be." i
"And yon don't know who the aattasslM
was?"
"No. Only it must hare been one
of certain men; perhaps two were In
the affair. At first I figured It out
' to bo Waldron alone; now I am not
ait*A tliot Ilnhrla ha ?rn aomA
hand la It. They may have had the
affair all planned?the money was
passed ?*/er to Alva early In the evening.
I didn't know It then; I learned
this later. Krants told me when we
were alone on the way back to New
f:; r York. Let's move along; there la A
policeman coming yonder.**
The officer passed us slowly, swinging
his club, and eyed us curiously as
ihe went by; I did not turn my head,
jret felt certain he stopped and looked
back as though-wondering what our
business could be In that neighborhood.
We turned down a still darker
aide street before exchanging further
speech.
believe I know what you are,"
I eeld at last In low tonea close to her
Mr - ear, "an agent of the Secret Service."
By. V "Oh, no; the honor you. offer me la
far toe mat X have not attained
to any such official dignity."
"t ratfeer expected yen to deny}
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iANGK CASHtf CAVENDISH
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PARR15H
ttAnd so you decide to believe that?
Very well, Mr. Severn, I shall let you
have It your own way. You deserve
reward; only, pray, never suggest this
theory to any one else. Let. It remain
our secret, will you?"
"Your mockery does not change my
mind."
MI had no expectation that It would;
notthox /??/?* 1* 1 " ~~
uuen II unD( DII A lalftTJ. t)Qt
seriously, forget all thla raillery tonight,
and remember only that you 1
are with Marie Oessler. Whatever '
her purpose may be, you are to be
loyal only to her."
"I am, absolutely," I replied with a
conviction my voice was unable to
disguise. She turned her face quickly,
and in the dim light our eyes met.
"You said that very earnestly. You
make me believe I Judged you right,
Philip Severn. Here Is my hand." ,
I clasped It tightly, the firm pres- .
sure, of the warm fingers sending an
Instant thrill through every nerve of
my body. It was not withdrawn, and
we walked so closely together I could
feel the slight pressure of her form,
almost resting against mine.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To Perond's French cafe?have
you ever heard of it?"
"No, I think not."
'"I have been there with slumming
parties once or twice, with a plainclothes
man along, of ^ourse, to show |
us the sights. It Is not very respectable,
I believe, although really I never
saw anything particularly dangerous.
Interesting and unconventional,
of course, but I anticipate no
trouble, unless we care to make It
ourselves. You see the cluster of
lights at the next corner. That's
Perond's."
As I gazed forward, she drew her
hand from my grasp, aud her form
straightened.
"What p. I to do when we arrive?"
"Merely be the attentive escort?
but not too attentive, please. Have
vaii #1 Inn/1
? "No. I w?s going to ask yon.'*
"You need not ask me?I am famished,
and this place is really famous
for its meals."
Perond's was really underground; at
least you descended a broad pair of
steps to attain Its entrance, and the
glass In windows and doors fronting
the street was heavily draped, preventing
any view of the Interior from
wtyiout. What was overhead could
not he determined in the darkness,
my eyes merely discerning the outlines
of a tall building, without a
gleam of light showing anywhere
from top to bottom. The front of the
restaurant, however, was brilliantly
lit, and a colored man In uniform
promptly held open the door as we
began descending the stairs.
Within the vestibule a maid relieved
us of outside wraps, and thus
unencumbered we advanced through
open doors directly into the main
room. This was a surprisingly large
apartment, filled with tables of various
sixes and shapes, the majority
occupied by men and women, either
eating or drinking. Near the center
was a cleared space for dancing, but
at that moment unoccupied, while
against the farther wall, on a rather
high stage, two cabaret singers were
noisily entertaining the crowd. Altogether
It was a stirring and attractive
s<-ene, bearing to my mind no resemblance
of any preconceived notion
of the underworld. I could have eas
lly Imagined that we lrad entered,
rather, the restaurant of an ultra*
fashionable hotel the other aide of
Broadway.
Nor did our entrance create the
slightest Interest, beyond awakening
the attention of the head waiter, who
met us smilingly.
"A table for two. M'sleur?"
MA booth, please; have you one
near the center?" and I slipped a bill
Into his hand, which closed It InstaWtly
out of sight.
"Ah, certulnly; the very thing,
M'sleur. I will show you. Francois,
the central booth for the gentleman.
Ah, see, M'sleur?blen, tres blenl"
It was Indeed a cozy spot, with the
heavy curtains held aside. A divan
of soft plush across the end, a table
covered with snowy linen, and already
glistening with silver and glass, in
the center, nnd three exceedingly comfortable
chairs.
* "It Is very fine, M'sleur," I said.
"Quite to my satisfaction. You might
lower one or those curtains. ir you
will. Yes, that Is much better. Is
Francois our waiter?"
"Oul, M'sleur; you would be served?
the table de holt,* Francois. Tliese
dishes are ready-^but, M'sleur, we
serve quickly whatever you wish." .
He spread his hands expressively,
gin need swiftly about to assure himself
all was well, and backed out. still
politely bowing, leaving the attentive
Francois beside me, pad' In hand. At
my suggestion the lady gave the order,
rs'-frf discretion, I thought, while
I supplemented with a bottle of wine,
In spite of the energetic negative conveyed
to me across the table. As the
waiter depurted I surveyed my companion,
realising as never before how
extremely attractive she was. She
must have read something of this In
my eyes, for her own smiled wistfully.
i
"What Is It yon were thinking
about?" i
"Perhaps I had better not tell."
"Another secret? Well, then, answer
this?what do you think of
Parotid'st*.
S? V ' ' "
tuSgdsflve of crimp, to this brilllanc? I
s altogether too sodden. It has left
ne d&sed; my mind refuses to funcJon."
"It affected me that way the first
rlalt. I could not convince myself of I
he true nature of the place; It
teemed?well, altogether coo respective.
I always associated the underworld
with roughness and poverty, poles
surveillance, and all that. But
look out there; It Is like a big hotel
dining-room after the play. Those
women?some of them, at least?are
really elegantly dressed, and In excellent
taste, and there Is no more noise,
no more coarseness, than I have witnessed
at the Waldorf. The men are
not bad-looking, either, do you think T"
"Well, there are all grades hers,
now that I look about; yet, as you
lay, the average is not bad. Prob- ;
tbly they will grow louder later In the
evening, when they take the lid off."
"I don't bellsve they ever do?that
Is, entirely. Mr. McLaughlin, the detective
who came with us, said this
was really the most dangerous place
In town from the police viewpoint. Its
rery surface quiet made It a special
menace. Nothing was ever permitted
to occur here which would give the
department any excuse for a raid. If
there waa a fight, or even a murder.
It eras hushed up Instantly, and the (
rtctlm hidden away, before even the
patrolman on the block could hear
about It. He mentioned several cases;
and said the waiters were especially
selected to take care of any rough
bouse." - ,
"Perhaps that Is what makes It pop- J
alar with the class they cater to." |
"Safe, you mean. Tee; he said they
could spot any criminal of reputation
In the country at Parotid's, If they
only waited long enough; that half
the big Jobs in New York were plotted :
at theRe tables."
"I begin to comprehend," I said ,
Joenlarly, "why I was received as a
distinguished guest. The headwalter
must have recognlz/-1 me as an old
pal?my face is my fortune."
"He may huve mistaken you for
Daly," she admitted soberly, "but
more likely It was yoi-v tip which
made him so attentive. You are some
spender, Mr. Severn."
"That depends on who I am with;
this is an unusual occnslon."
She did not smile, or look at me,
but leaned slightly forward, drawing
back a fold of the curtain with one
hand, so as to gain a wider glimpse
of the large room without. A moment
she remnlned motionless; then
turned her face sideways toward me.
"Waldron is already here," she whispered
warnlngly. "He is alone at that
second table, against the pillar. Step
around this side and you cnn see;
the man with gray, bushy hair."
I could not easily have mistaken the
r<Miow; his- apnfearnnce was too emphatically'
that of the Russian Jew of
a certain type to enable him to conceal
his birthright. His baca was toward
us, yet as he occasionally
his eyes about over the faces of those
around him, I had a glimpse of a
beaked" nose, and a sallow, dull complexion,
which seemed to blend naturally
Into a scrnggllng beard of no
perceptible color. His hair thpugh
was Iron-gray, Apparently uncut for
weeks, and thrust back from an unusually
high forehead, so as to give
the man a ruffled, unkempt appearance
far from pleasing. He was big
all over, strangely burly for a Jew,
with broad shoulders and large hands,
thickly covered with hair. I
1 moved back around the table as
Francois appeared, and resumed my
seat, keeping silent until the waiter
again vanished, and left us alone. i
"And now ihni*you have located the
fellow," I asked curiously, "what do
you propose doing?go out and talk
with him?"
She shook her head.
"1 have reason to believe he expects
to meet some one here," she explained.
"I do not know who; that
Is one thing I desire to find out. From
what you have told me tonight I rather
think now It may be Harris." i
"To dlvvie up?"
"To talk It over, at least; they'd
unruly oring uie stutr in here. Probably
by this time that Is safely
planted."
Francois came back, and we devoted
ourselves to the meal, although I could
observe her glancing constantly
through the opening In the curtains to !
make sure of her man. Finally1
Francois disappeared with the remnants,
while we awaited the serving i
of dessert. From my seat I could see
nothing of the 'Russian.
"No one arrived yet?*' I Inquired.
"The Jew still there?"
"He remains alone eating. Ah! my
guess was right?Isn't that Harris,
who has Just come In?" I
It was "Gentleman George" lieyond
the shadow of n doubt. He had evidently
located Waldron the moment j
of entering the room, and with no .
other thought In his mind bended j
straight toward where the letter sat. j
fTl.o Tott. olanoAi) ? '
m nr ?;r?? ^,iaiiv.cu U|i, ?HW III 1(1 nj>
proaehln" and drew partially back
from t tnnle, the knlftehe had been
using aflii gripped in his hand.
Ills posture was that of defense, of
one who anticipates possible attuck.
Nor did Harris' expression and manner
render this Improbable. The latter
pushed his way forward with angry
strides, until he reached the man
he sought, leaning over the table to
front him, his face black with passion,
his first words plainly audible
to us above the din of a jazz band.
"Ray. where the h?1 have you been?
What is this, a double-cross, Waldron?"
"What you mean?" ejaculated the
other. "By Gott! It Is rather you I
should ask why you not tell me the
truthr
"Tell you! What the devil have 11
goi iv ten you r von t get runny wltn
me. Tou sent me note this rooming,
didn't you?"
"Sure,I did."
"Well, then, why didn't you roc*et
me? D?n It, I've been hunting you all
day long. What'a the idea? Come,
blurt It out, before I wrtng your d?n
Jew neck,"
Waldron spread hla hands, and lifted
his shoulders in an expression more
eloquent than words.
"What a man I Ton cues roe, but
not wait to hear why this all was so.
Ten alt down, and I tell yon. Then
maybe yon tell me something also." .<*
Harris statvd at him. then sank Into
- Vv IF rC; *n
wi ?_
"What la Thla. a Douhli.rm*? ur?i.
dronF* 1
paused at his elbow expectantly, and,
in response to something said, the
thief Jerked out a surly answer.
"No, I don't want anything to eat.
Bripg me some whisky?a half pint?
with a little water. Yes, that's all;
now get out of here."
At this moment Frnncols returned
with our final course, obliging us to
appear Indifferent to the quarrel raging
beyond tne curtains. Both men
must have lowered their voices, for
our ears caught nothing of what vas
said It seemed to me the waiter was
unusually slow In rearranging the table.
"There, that will do, Francois," I
broke out, at last, Impatiently. "We
will want - nothing else at present.
When I need you again I will ring.
That Is the bell, I presume." !
"Oul, M'sleur." I
"All right; then leave us alone for
a while."
Neither one of us touched a thing,
the coffee growing cold In the cups,
as we endeavored to distinguish what
was going on at that second table out
In the main dining room. I came
around beside her, to where I could
peer out also beneath the curtain
fold, and thus gain glimpses of the
two men. They were talking earnestly,
but bud lowered their voices, until
they were nearly Inaudible amid the
din of the place. The anger and threat
had gone out of both voices; but only occasionally
could we weave together
words Into an understandable sentence
; these came to us detached, unrelated,
as the surrounding noise
ceased suddenly, or the music came
to a pause. I
"You didn't get It I Then who the
h?1 did? Me, 1 should say no; why
I never knew the old man had even
Rlipped him the dough. That d?n
girl rode down with him. Of course
I do; I saw them go out together;
that's why I thought I was playing
safe to keep away. Somebody has
played us for suckers. If you had
kept your d?n mouth shut we'd a-had
It easy."
Waldron broke In, stung by this last
taunt Into elevating his voice.
"What you mean, I keep my mouth
shut? So help me, Moses, I tell nobody."
i j
"The h?I you didn't 1 You blabbed
the whole thing to Daly. He told me
so Himself. That's what I was doing
last night, bluffing him out."
"I tell Daly? Where you git that
stuff? I ain't seeu Daly for three
year. Was he In this deal? Why you
not tell me of Daly before?"
"Tell you! I never knew It until
he told me."
A waiter brushed past him, hearing
a tray, striking against one shoulder
as he passed. Harris glanced tip with
a snarling onth, and, before I realized
the danger, his eyes must have caught
a glimpse of me beneath the draped
curtain. Instantly the fellow was mi
his feet, all else forgotten in a swift
wave of pnsslon.
"There's the guy now!" he burst
forth. "He's hiding In that booth: I
saw him Come on, and we'll have
the ail.*, cough up yet!"
I drew bnck swiftly, pushing the
?lrl behind me. There was ro place
in which to hide, no chance for
escape. Perhaps I could explain, but,
If not, then I must fight. The two
came plunging through the opening
and faced us, the heavy curtains dropping
behind them and shutting out nil
view beyond. Harris, inflamed by
drink, glared about as though doubting
the evidence of his own eyos, but
his expression was that of savage
hatred.
"H?1, If they ain't both of 'era here 1
Say, this Is rich. So you two are In
cahoots, hey? Thought you'd play me
for a d?n fool, did you, Daly? Well,
I'll show you what you're up against?
yon and yer girl. Come now, where's
that boodle?"
"I know nothing about It, Harris."
"You're a liar. Tbls dame went
away with Alvn In his car. I saw her
go out with him. You cough up, both
of you, and be d?n quick about it,
or you'll never get out of here without
a hole through you. You think
you can double-cross me; I'll show
you a trick of my own!"
He was reaching for his gun. It
must have caught In his pocket, though
I wasted no time. It was his life or
mine, and I gripped the empty wine
bottle on the table and smashed a
vicious blow at his head. He went
down like a log. bis body half projecting
through the curtains, while I
wheeled about barely In time to meet
the mad bull rush of Waldron. The
Russian could not have heen armed,
for he came at me with bare hands,
his grip like that of a bear. For an
lnstiint he had me throttled, scarcely
able to breathe, my hands pinned helplessly
In the grasp of his arms. But
brute strength was all he possessed,
brute strength and ferocity. The bottle
was crushed out of my Angers, yet
I wriggled partially free, and got one
hand twisted into hiN whiskers, Jerking
his liend back, and side-wise, until
the strained neck threatened to crack,
and he had to release his grip to
protect himself. It was all over In a
minute, but hot while It lasted; I
know we struck against the girl,
throwing her to her knees; I know the
RAILROAD PLAN 10
GET RATES DOWN
. , i-*&*?r?
Proposc to Reduce Wageu aiu!
Return All the Saving by j
Reduction in Charges. j
FULL TEXT OFTHE PROPOSAL!
Statement by Thomas DeWitt Cuylsr,
Chairman of the Association of
i
Railway Executives on the j
Situation. ;
__
Following a meeting In Chicago,
October 14, 1921, of the presidents of
noarly all the leading ra'.lroads in the
country, Mr. Thomaa DeWitt Cuyler,
hairman of the Association of uah
way Executives, made the following
statement:
At a meeting of tha Association of
Railway Executives today It was de- 1
termtned by the railroads of the
United States to seek to bring about
i reduction in rates. And as a means
to that end to seek a reduction In the
present railroad wages which have
compelled maintenance .of the present
rates.
An application will bo made Immediately
to the United States Railroad
Labor Board for a reduction In wage:,
of train service employes sufficient to
remove the remainder of the Increases
made by the labor board's decision of
Jnlv an loan /?.v.s ? -
-V, \nuivil nuuiu III V HI w H ,
further reduction of approximately 10 |
per cent) apd for a reduction iu the j '
wages of all other classes of rail 1
road labor to the going rate for such 1 1
labor in several territories where the 1
carriers operate. ! '
To Reduce Rates as Wages Go Down. <
The foregoing action is upon thf 1
understanding that concurrently with <
such reduction in wages the benefit 1
of the reduction thus obtained shall 1
with the concurrence of the Intel '
state Commerce Commission, be pass
ed on to the public in the reduction <
of existing railroad rates, except in *
so far as this reduction shall have
been made in the meantime. The
managements have decided upon this
course in view of their realization of
the fact that the wheels of industrial
activity have been closed down to a
point which brings depression and distress
to the entire public and that
something must be done to start them
again in operation.
The situation which confronts th
railrqads is extremely critical. Thrailroads
in 1920 realized a net rai'
way operating income or about $02
000,000 upon a property investment o'
over $19,000,000,000 and even thi
amount of $62,000,000 included bad
mail pay for prior years received fron
the government of approximate!}
$64,000,000, thus showing, when the
operations of that year alone are considered,
an actual deficit before mak i
ing any allowance for either interes j
or dividends. |
The year ended in serious depres- <
-??*? <a all branches of industry and
In marked reduction of the market de
mand for and the prices of basic com
modifies, resulting in a very serious
falling off in the volume of traffic.
Roads Foroed to Defer Maintenance
In this situation, a policy of th<
most rigid economy and of postpon j
ing and cutting to the bone of the up |
keep of the properties was adopted i
by the railroads. This was at the j
price or neglecting and for th: time <
Hafuri?lr> ? 1
.m.v< u>b nviK wi'icu in us v uei eaive .
and In the near future be done and
paid for. This ia illustrated by th (
fact that, as of September 15, 1921
over 16 per cent, or 374,431 In nun i
her, of the freight cars of the carrier ]
were In bad order and needing re t
pairs, aa against a normnl of had or J
der of not more than 160,000 as i; j
further illustrated by the deferred | J
and inadequate maintenance of othe: | *
equipment and of roadway and atruc ' 1
tures, I <
Bven under those conditions, and J
with this large bill charged ui i
against the future?which must soor.
be provided for and paid If the car
rlers are to . perform successfully
their transportation duties?the re J
'lit of operations for the first etgh i
months of this year, the latest avail
able figures, has been at a rate of ne' I
railway operating income, before pro j
viding for interest or dividend i
amounting to only 2.6 per cent pe !
annum on the valuation of the car
rier properties made by the Inter
state Commerce Commission in th<
recent rate case, an amount not suf
flcient to pay the interest on thoi. l
outstanding bonds.
Roads Earning Far Below Reasonabh
Returns. I
I It 1b manifest, from this showinr
that the rate of return of or ' l
I per cent for the first two years afte
I March 1, 1020, fixed in the Transpoi i
tation Act as a minimum reasonabl
return upon railroad Investment, ha
not been even approximated, muci ;
less reached; and that the presen
high rates accordingly are not due t<
any statutory guarantee of earnings
for there is no sueh guarantee.
In analyzing the expenses whicl
have largely brought about this sit
uation, it becomes evident that h
far the largest contributing cause t
tho labor cost. i
Today tbe railroads pay out to la
l,or approximately 60 cents on the dol
lar they receive for transportatloi
B?rrice8 t heroes in 1916. 40 cents on
the ooliar went to labor.
Oa *> firit day of January, 1117
NOTICE OF SALE
District Court of the United States
Eastern District of South Carolina n
Bankruptcy,
j In the matter of H. E. Seegars A
Co. Bankrupt.
Pursuant to the order of Robert
J. Kirk, Esq., Referee in Bankruptcy,
dated September 28th, 1921 and directed
to me as trustee, I will offer
for sale at public auction at the store
boose of the said H. E. Seegara &
n
I I / 1 '
when th* fOTtnunnt took oham?~*g^
wage* through th* Adamaon Act, tfc*
labor coat ot th* railroad* had not axceeded
the imu ot about $1,448,000,1)00
annually, la 1920, when govarament
authority mado the last wag*
Increase, the labor cost of the railroad*
was about 3,698,000,000 annually,
of, it continued throughout th*
year Instead ot tor the eight month*
during which the wage increase*
were In effect, th* labor cost, on an
tnuual basis, would hare bae&
largely In excess of $3,900,000,000?
in increase, since the government
look charge of railroad wages in the
kdumBon Act, of approximately |2,150,000,000
annually.
In the light of these figures, it is
manifest that the recent reduction of
wages authorized by the Labor Board,
estimated at from 10 to 12 per cent,
In no sense meets or solves the problem
ot labor costs, and In no way
makes it possible for the railroads
to afford a reduction of their revenues.
Thousands of Rates Already Reduced.
Indeed, during the" past year there
have been between four and five thousand
individual reductions in freight
rates. On some railroads the reductions
in rates have amounted to more
lhan the reductions in wages so tar
made, and on many other railroads the
reductions in wages allowed no net
return on operations, but merely pro- i
titled against the further accumulation
of a deficit.
The point Is often made that agrlcu-1
Lure and other industries are also
metering the same immediate difflcul
:ies as the railroads, why, therefore,
lo not the railroads take their medt:ine
like anybody else? The answer
lies in several facts:
1. The railroads were not permitted,
as were other industries, to
nako charges during the years of prosperity,
making possible tbe accumulation
of a surplus to tide them over
the present extreme adversity. According
to the reports of the Interitute
Commerce Commission, the rate
jf return in property investment of
.he railroads of the United States for
he past several years has been as
follows:
Rate of returns earned by railroads
>f the United States on their property
investment:
Per cent
1012 4.84
1913 6.15
1914 4.17
191.1 4.20
ism (fiscal year) 6.90
1917 .6.26
1915 .3.16
1919 2.46
1920 0 82
1910 (calendar year). 6 16
It will thus be noted that during
he years when other industries were
naking very large profits, when the
prices of farm products and the wages
)f labor were soaring to unheard-of
lelghts, the earnings upon railroad
nvestment in the United States were
leld within very narrow limits and
hat they have duilug the past four
fears progressively declined.
Roads handicapped More Than Other
Business.
S. The railroads are responsible to
he public for providing adequate
ransportation. Their charges are lim- i
ted by public authority, and they are i
n very large respect (notably for
ahor) compelled to spend money on
? hn?<e fixed by public authority. The j
nargin within which they are permit- j
:ed to earn a return upon their In- 1
restment or to offer Inducements to
ittract new capital for extensions and
letterments Is extremely limited.
However much the railroads might |
lesire, therefore, to reduce their
charges In times of depression, it will
ie perceived that the limitations surrounding
their action do not permit
:hem to give effect to broad and elas
lc policies which might very prop
jrly govern other lines of busineBs not
.lius restricted.
It has been urged upon the railroads
:hat a reduction in rates will stimulate
trafTio and that Increased traffic will protect
the carriers fr' m the loss incident
>.? a reduction in rates. The railroad
managements cannot disguise from themlelveu
that this suggestion Is merely conjectural
and that un adverse result of
the experiment wou-d be disaatroua, not
jnly to the railroads, but to the public
whose supreme need Is adequate transportation.
Consequently the railroad managements
annot reel iuslilled n placing these Initrumentalities,
so essential to the public
welfare, at the haaard of such an experiment
based solely upon such conjecture
Farmers Especially Need Lower
Rates.
It Is evident, however, that existing
transportation charges bear in many
rases a disproportionate relationship to the
prices at which commodities can be sold
in the market and that existing labor
and other costs of transportation thus
Impose upon industry and agriculture
fenerally a burden greater than they
should iiear. This is especially true of
Agriculture. The railroad managements
are feeling sensitive to and sympathetic
with the distressing situation and desire
to do everything to assist in relieving
it that is computable with tneir duty to
furnish transportation which the public
must have.
At the moment railroads in many cases
ire pn> ing |rt cents an hour for unskilled
labor when similar labor is working alongside
the railroad and can easily he obtained
l>y, them at 20 cents an hour. The
railroads 'of the country paid in 1920 a
total of considerably over $1.3rt0.ono.ooo to
unski.led labor alone. However desirable
it may be to pay this or that schedule of
wages. It is obvious that it cannot be
paid out of tiie railroad earnings, unless
the industries which use the railroads are
capable of meeting such charges.
The railroads, and through thern the
generally are ntso nampared In their
efforts to economise by a schedule of
working rules and conditions n<>w In
force us a heritage from the period of
Fcdi ral control and upheld by the ral'road
labor hoard. Theft* conditions aj-?
expensive, uneconomic and unnecessary
from the point of view of rillroad operation
and extremely burdensome upon the
public which pays the hi I. The schedule
of wages and of working conditions prevents
the railroad i mm dealing equitably
with their labor and costs in accord
inee with rapidly changing conditions and
the great variety o. local considerations
which ought to control wages In differ
*nt parts of the country. The railroads
are seeking to have theso rubs and
working conditions abrogated.
The r.illrn.idi' will ? k a reduction 'i
wages now pronost d by first r? q testing
the sanction of the ral roed labor board
The r<i.!i'o<tis will piocced with all pos
sibie firpalch, and as soon as the r tliros
labor hoard shall haw given its asselv
to the reduction in wag s the general re
Auction in rac<s will be pu*. Into iffec
October 22nd, instant at 12 o'clock
noon, the entire stock of goods bolonging
to said bankrupts contained
in the said store and inventoried and
apprair.ed at the sum of one hundred
eighty three dollars twenty one cents
($183.21), also accounts receivable
valued at about $1000,00. Terms ol
snl0 cash. Goods to be removed from
building at once.
Oct. 10, 1921 M. A. McPherson,
Trustee in Bankruptcy.
1 am again carrying those matchlaaa
Gardaar Cake*. A. F. Davit
State of Sooth Carolina,
County of Chesterfield.
Court of Common Pleas.
Albert Oliver, et al, Plaintiffs
against
11a Moore, et alf Defendants.
NOTICE OP SALE
By virtue of an order gTanted by
Ilia Honor, Jas. H. Purifoy,in the
above stated case, I will offer for
sale to the highest bidder for cash
before the Court' House door at
Chesterfield, S, C., on the first Monday
in November, 1921, between tho
legal hours of sale, all that certain
piece, parcel or tract of land in sail
State and County containg one
hundred and seven acres more or
less and bounded by lands of Mathew
(iriggs, N. C. Cleveland, Sellers land,
and others, same being estate lands
of Mary Elizabeth Oliver, and this
sale is for partition.
W. J. Douglass,
Clerk of Court of Common Pleas
State of South Carolina,
County of Chesterfield.
Court of Common Pleas.
C. H. Sumner et al
Plaintiff.
against
iuary carter, defendant
NOTICE OF SALE
By virtue of an order granted by
His Honor, Judge Edward Mclver,
in the above stated case, I will offer
for sale to the highest bidder for
cash before the Court House door
at Chesterfield, S. C., on the first
Monday in November, 1921, between
the legal hours of sale, all that certain
piece, parcel or tract of land in
said State and County containing
Eighty-six acres more or less, bounded
on the North and East by land of
C. R. Sumner, South by land of J.
W. Ruther, and on the West by land
of C. R. Sumner, same being the
estate lands of Li. R. Sumner, deceased.
W. J. DOUGLASS,
Clerk of Court of Common Pleas.
NOTICE OF SALE OF
PERSONAL PROPERTY
Notice is hereby given that I will
expose for sale at public auction to
the highest bidder or bidders, for
cash, at the store of Steen Grocery
Company, at McBee, S. C., on Saturday
the 8th of October, 1921, at
12 o'clock noon, all the stock of merchandise
consisting of groceries, canned
goods, dry goods, hats, caps,
shoes, hardware and all other stock
in said store. Said sale will be made
under and by virtue of a chattel
mortgage thtreof eecuted to the State
State Bank of McBee on Nov. 12,
1920, by the Steen Grocery Company
and assigned to me, the conditons of
which mortgage have been breached
by non-payment.
Oct. 1, 1921. E. B. Johnson.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that under
and by virtue of an order signed by
his Honor, Judge J as. E. Puerifoy,
dated September 27, 1921, in the
case of F. M. Stanton, Plaintiff vs
Minnie Ellison, Defendant, I will off
c? iui rsuie in iront 01 xne Loui't
House door in Chesterfield, S. C., on
Monday, November 7th the same being
the first Monday, between the
legal hours of sale for cash at public
out cry, the following described property
to wit:
All that certain piece, parcel or lot
I of land, situate on the corner of
Market Street and Ladd's Alley, in
the town of Cheraw, Chesterfield
| County, South Carolina, and known
and numbered on map of Cheraw,
made by Gilespie and Watson, C. E.,
1U14, as Lot No. twenty-four (24)
j in Block thirty-five (35) ; bounded
West by Market Street; North by lot
'of Prince Ellison; East by lot of
j Chanie Ellerbe and South by Ladd's
! Alley. This being the same property
! upon which is situated two small
i tenant houses, and is so much of
I those lots of land conveyed to Minnie
Ellison by Moore and Turlington,
see deed recorded in Book 43, page
343, office of Clerk of Court, Chesterfield
County, as was not conveyed
by Minnie Ellison to Prince Ellerbe,
W. J. Douglass,
Clerk of Court, Acting Master.
?
SHERIFF'S SALE
St:itr> of Smith furnliiiii
J County of Chesterfield,
Court of Common Pleas.
C. C. Morgan, Flaintiflf,
vs
I.illie Miller, et a!, Pefendants.
By virtue of a decree of the Court
of Common Pleas for Chesterfield
county heretofore made in the above
case, I, J. T. Grant, Sheriff of Chesterfield
County, will sell on Salesday,
next, same being Monday the 7th,
day of November, 11)21, during the
usual hours of sale, before the court
house door, in the town of Chesterfield
county, and state above written,
to the highest bidder, for cash, the
buyer to pay for all necessary papers.
All that certain piece, parcel or
tract of land, situated lying and be
ing in Chesterfield county. State of
South Carolina, hounded as follows:
Beginning at a stake on Little Black
Creek at the mouth of McAuly
Branch, run up McAuly Branch 2915
foot to a stake, thence to N. 13 Vfr
VV 1332 feet to a stake thence to
N. 61 W 415 feet to a stake thence
46 Vfc W 1230 feet to a stake on the
i head of a branch, thence down sa'd
branch 1381 feet to little Black
Creek thence down said creek to beginning
corner, containing 92 acres,
more or less.
J. T. Grant,
I Sheriff or Chesterfield County.
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