NORTH STATE HAPPENINGS
Occurrences of Interest Gleamed Prom All Sectioue of the Bwj
T&r Heel State
j $12,500,000 A YEAR WASTED.
What the South Can Save in the
Item of Dimago to Cotton.
Charlotte, Special.— lt is a fact
well know? that the South annually
loses more than twelve million dollars i
as waste on its cotton crop. The fol
lowing timely article on that subject
is from the pen of Gol. Juo. D. Frost,
•f Columbia. S. C., who is a cotton
man of wide experience:
Hon. B. Harris, president Farmers'
Educational and Co-operative Union,
Pendleton, S. C., and Hon. E. D.
Smith, president S. C. Division, Sou
thern Cotton Association, Columbia,
S. C.
Gentlcnvn: The time for picking
—cotton having arrived, has it ever Oc
curred to you to look into the question
of damage brought about by a lack of
eare for '.lie staple from the time it
is ginned to the liino of marketing?
Having lived on a plantation for
twenty-one years, and nt present
owning and operating one, as well as
being in the cotton the
past ten years, I thought possibly
that my observations along this line
might lend to show the great amount
of money lost to this cotton produc
ing country. I desire to impress up
on the I'aimor the neco«sity of earing
for his cot ton after laboring hard all
the year to maktr it, and thereby l"s
--sen friction between producer, buyer,
■nd manufacturer. A large portion
«tf the fanners, as well as the carriers
treat the staple as though it were
coal, pjjowing il to lie on the ground
for months after ginning subject to
climatic conditions, which results
in rot and country damage.
When the cotton is ready for the
market il is picked up and offered
for rale, the ilamugc, ns a usual tiling,
briny i!i regarded until* subjected to
the buyer's inspection who, in pro
tecting his interests, will either dock
for tin- damage or have the cotton
picked, lsulting in great loss lo the
farmer. I'nqestionably it is to the
farmer's interest lo store his cotton
in a reputable warehouse thereby pro
tecting himself from loss by fire as
well as damage, and in addition he
ran secure warehouse receipt for
aame which is prime mercantile pa
per, and can be discounted at any
bank, allowing the farmer to sell his
cotton when he desires to do so.
I My object, however, is to impress
■pon the farmers to house their cot
ton as soon as it is ginned, whether
m be in a warehouse, or in thoir
fcarns, or dwelling, thereby reducing
the element of damage to a minimum.
To my mind, one of the most im
portant. thinps the Farmers' Union
and the Southern Cotton Association
could handle is the caring for cotton
after it is ginned, and up to the lime
it is marketed. Having personally
handled, during the past ten years,
about 300,000 bales of cotton of all
grades ami staple, t.his cotton being
shipped here from Texas and Okla
homa on the West, to North Carolina
•r the Knst, I do think 1 am in a
very fair position to speak intelligent
ly of the item of damage, largely
caused by carelessness.'
In addition to the rotten cotton
on thousands of bales, varying from
five to as much as three hundred
pound* per bale, all of which has It
be picked otT before settling for and
which is caused by allowing the cot
ton to sit on one end or lie on one
side in the mud and rain for months
before being offered for sale; there
is another element of damage which
is not so easily detected, but which
has a far more reaching effect on the
buyer, as well as the manufacturer.
I refer to what is called country
damage.
When cotton is allowed to stand
in the weather after being ginned
for any length of time, although the
owner inay turn it about from side
lo side to keep it from rotting, the
staple of the cotton on tjie outside
cf the bale is affected ju«t in propor
tion to the time it is allowed to re
main exposed to climatic conditions.
To illustrate, a bale of cotton ginned
and packed December tho first and
allowed to remain in the weather un
til the first of March, will have about
half as much country damage as
the same bale would have if it re
mained in the weather until May
the first, and when the manufacturer
•pens this bale, lie will find that the
cotton sticking to the bagging and
extending inward is practically with
out any strength of staple, and as
a result all of this affected cotton
will go in waste or be found in the
abaft ing overhead. Should the buyer
detect this country damage the farm
cr is the loser, should the buyer
act detect it. the buyer is the loser;
in any event, dissatisfaction is the
icsnlt, all of which could have been
avoided by housing the ootton. The
Wilmington Druggist Makes Assign
ment.
Wilmington, Special.— J. C. Sttep
ard, who has been in the drug bus
iness here for tho past fifteen years,
scade an assignment Thursday after
aeon, naming L. V. Grady, a lawyer,
aa trustee. The amount of the as
■ acts and.liabilities is not yet known.
This action f&iiowed the serving of
an execution on the firm bj the
akonff. The trustee is empowered to
•ril the stock at retail or in bulk.
amount of country damage varies in ,
proportion to the time the cotton lie« ,
out in the weather, and will vary
from threo to twenty-five pounds pet 1
bale. I have carefully estimated that i
on every 11,000,000 bale crop pro- i
duced, the producer, the carrier, and (
the compress together, allow 250,000
bales to be destroyced by rot and
country damage, and when you figure
this nt ten cents per pound it 1
amounts to $12,'>00,000, all of which ,
could be saved to the producer, the
buyer, and the manufacturer, should 1
they exsreisa the proper precaution ■
against damage. Three years bro a *
farmer brought twenty hales of cot- |
lon to tho warehouse for storage in (
March, which liad been out in the
weather since it was ginned in the
fall. Some of the bales were so
badly dnmigcd and water Bobbed that 
they weighed one thousand pound? ,
per balr. T cskcl liim why he al
lowed his "Cot ton io girt in that con-™ '
(lition; he replied tV*nt he was so j
busy making preparation for another '
crop that ho had not tared for what I '
he, had already made. When this '
cotton was conditioned for market, 1
he had about ton hales of merchant- 1
aide cotton li ft out of the twenty. ]
A bale of cotfr-.i ginned dry and I
housed until marketed will hold ont
hotter -than one allowed to remain
in the weather subject to climatic
condition?, and will not possess the ,
element of damage and will also re
tain its strength of staple even to ,
the bagping. i
Travel where you will, and you i
will see cotton silting at railroad
stations in the mud and rain, or you
will see it lying on the mound around i
farm houses, where it will reinnir |
until ready for market, and v»her
marketed, the bagging will be sc
rotten lliat you can not handle the |
cotton. • l i
Owing to the seeming negligent ,
displayed in the care of cotton aftai ,
"inning, the buyer, when juirchas- (
ing a lot of cotton has to lake intc
consideration I lie clement of damage, ;
or he would rather send his classei ,
or receive the" cotton, thereby estab
lishing the amount of damage before ,
payment is made. Where you find |
a section of country where great ,
care is taken with the cotton, aftei 1
ginning and before marketing, there ,
you will find cotton'sought after by ,
the buyers, and everything else be
ing equal, a premium will be paid j
for same.
The manufacturer will pay bettei ,
prices for cotton free from rot and
country tkimagc, because his percent- .
age of waste will be decreased. ,
The point I desire to impress is- ,
Take care of ysur cotton, handle il .
as though you thought something ol j
it. If you cannot put it in a ware- ,
house where it is insured and you j
can use the receipt, put it in youi 
barn, or shed room, or anywhere tc ,
keep it from climatic conditions un
til you market it, and by doing this ,
every pound will be spinnable and nt
dissatisfaction between producer, buy
/or, and manufacturer will result.
There are tome places in Soutb
Carolina where warehouse facilities
are adequate, but are unfortunately
not utilized. My own experience ft
that four lots of cotton out of every
five shipped from places where rot
ton is not warehoused arc badly dam
aged, due to the fact that it, is al
lowed to sit on one end for wceki
and months in the open before it il
offered for sale, and as a result,
heavy claims are made, and yet the,
best character of tobton, sy far ai
body ami staple is concerned, is pro-:
duced at these places, and could b« 4
very much sought, were the clemently
of damage eliminated.
In conclusion, I would strongly
urge that this matter be brought to
the attention of all concerned, and
thereby save twelve and one-half
million dollurs per year to the South«
land.
Very truly yours,
' JOHN D. FROST.
Lumberman Kills Himself.
Washington, N. G'., Special.—Quit*
a sensation was produced in this city
Tuesday morning by the suicide ol
Mr. George Bennett, a middle-aged
lumberman of this city. It seemi
that Bennett had been drinking foi
the past few days and being out ol
work temporarily became despondent.
He came home and told his wife that
he had taken laudanum and intended
to kill himself. He then went upstairs
to his room and was later found by
members of his family in a semi-cos,
scious condition with an empty two
ounce bottle labeled laudannm on a
table in, the room. Brs. R. T. Tayloe
and E. M. Brown were immediately
summoned and did everything possible
to save him but without success, and
he died at 12:30. Mr. Bennett came
here from the town of Edcnton sev
eral years ago. He leaves a wife and
several children.
Negro With Punctured Heart Likely
to Recover.
Jacksonville, Fla., Special.—Oscar
Grimes, a negro, in a fight with Mary
O'Brien Friday afternoon stabed the
woman and, thinking her dead, delib
erately drovo the knife into his own
breast seven times, the heart beings
penetrated by one gash. He was hur
ried to a hospital, where (he surgeons
took three stitches in the heart. The
negro is still alive and it is believed
he will recover.
CONDITIONS OF BANKS.
Summary Just Issued by the Corpo
ration Commission, the Figures
Showing a Oain Over Last Quar
ter's Report. v
Raleigh, Special.—A summary of
reports of the condition of North
Carolina State, private and savings
banks, just issued by the Corporation
Commission, shows an aggregate of
resources for the three classes of
banks of $45,360,556.38 and money
on deposit $25,931,194.13, theso fig
ures being some gain over the pre
vious quarterly report of the banks.
The last quarterly report of the na
tional banks as shown by«the reports
of the national banking department
of the government three months ago,
showed $41,978,973.68, resources, so
the total banking resources of North
Carolina are at this time about
$87,343,530.06. ,
Notable items among the resonrees
of the State an' 4 saviugs banks sch-d
--uled in the statement are: Loans *nj
discount*, $32,201,708; hanking hou... -
and furniture, $1,340,070; demand
loans, $1,400,043; due from banks
and bankers, $4,961,805; trust and
deposit, $1,260,031. The summary
shows capital stock paid in by Stale
and savings banks of $7,477,625: sur
plus fund, $1,501,233, and undivided
profits, $1,403,117.
Meeting; of Truckers.
Wilmington, Special.—The twelfth
annual meeting of the Eastern Caro
lina Truck and Fruit (Irowers' Asso
ciation was held here last week. The
secretary, Mr. If. T. Bauman, submit
ted his repot to the board of directors
for this year ending August h,
1908. The following is quoted fioin
the report: "The acreage of straw
berries reported planted this sen on
was 4,783 1-2 acres, n decrease frmn
1907 of Kflint 500 acres. The output
this season \Vas Ml,BoB crates, divid»d
as follows: Refrigerator, 257,(i70
crates; express, 34,138 crates, an in
crease over last season of 47.720
crates. The total number of re
frigerator cars used l:rst season v. as
890; this season, 1,094, an inen ae
of 198 cars. The avcrairn loading
last season was 239 crates to the •;>r;
this season 230 cfntcs. Last season
the average pick per aero was !0
crates; this season it was 01 ©rates.
The former was on a 50 per cent,
crop and the latter on a 00 per cent,
crop. The average net returns for
1907 was s7l per acre; this season
$103.70 per care.
"In 1907 we shipped 244,582 crates,
average sales $3.00 per crate, making
the returns $733,746 less expenses of
$1.50 per crate, leaving a net to the
growers of $300,873. This season we
shipped .291,808 crates, average sales
$3.20 per crate, making the returfls
$933,785, less expenses, $1.50 per
crate, $490,073.00, which shows an
increase to tho growers of $129,-
200.00 for 1908. The increase in tho
number of crates shipped was 4,248.
"There was a large increase in the
shipment of vegetables, Lettuce, cte.,
from the various sections, the el
press shownig a total movement (or
1908 of 79,121 packages; the re
frigerator, 94,281 packages; in venti
lated box cars, approximately, $2.25
per package, making s4t!H.!'i» i.50 le**
expenses, estimated at 7~> cents per
package, $150,301.50, leaving a not
to the grower of $312,003.
"The value of tho strawberry ami
vegetable crops for 1908 was as fol
lows: Strawberries, sl.. r >o per orate,
$933,785.00; vegetables, etc., $2.25
per package, $468,904.50, giving a
total of $1,402,690.10. The expense
of raising these crops and preparing
them for shipment was about as fol
lows: Strawberries, sl.s(> po crate,
j .'♦•437,712; vegetables, 75 cents per
package, $150,301.50, giving a total
of $504,013.50. This deducted from
the sales leaves a balance net to the
growers of $808,676.60."
Was Determined to Die.
Tarboro, Special.—William Alton
Christenberry, a young fanner, com
mitted suicide Thursday night st the
home of W F.. Thone, near here, by
swallowing an ounce of iodine and
then shooting himself in the temple
with a 38-calbre revolver . He has
been despondent for some time and
left a note to his sweetheart telling
of his intentions. No reasou was giv
en for the deed. He told friends be
fore r-'iring that it was his night
in this world, but they thought he
was joking. His preparations were
carefully made. He was 23 years of
age.
Meeting of Veterans.
- Winston-Salem, Speciall. More
than two thousand heroes of the "lost
cause" participated in the great
gathering of the North Carolina
division of the United Confederate
Veterans, held here last week. There
was much enthusiasm among the vis
itors and the entertainment was first
class. Tho place of next meeting tfas
not yet been decided upon.
Father Klllled; Family Saved
Tarboro, Special. —Township No.
13 was the scene of another tragedy
in the criminal history of Edgecomb
Logan Jones in a drunken rage, stated
tbat he 1 would wipe out his entire
family, and upon attempting to make
good the threat was shot down by
his 15-year-old son. He was also
attacked with an axe by another ehild.
He died instantly from the shot
W>UOL frMr- -iiiY •' .--a&Si&A
FLOODS IN CAROLINA,
« I-., "m  " ■
Heavy Rainfall Puis All Rivers I
On Rampage
GREAT DAMAGE TO RAILWAYS I
Bridges Are Swept Away, Railroad ]
Transportation is Tied Up by
Washouts and Landslides and Bus
iness at a Standstill' Owing to Un
precedented Rainfall in Piedmont
Carolinas. - I
Charlotte, N. C., Special.—The t
Piedmont fection of the Carolinas
has been suffering from the most dis- c
arstrous floods ever experienced. The t
rainfall has been unprecedented since i
the establishment of the weather bu- 1
reau here, thirty years ago. The
rainfall, which was heavy all last 1
week, has increased sinco Sunday, ]
and all streams have been swollen be- 
yond all previous records. Much i
damage will result to crops as well
as roads and bridges. The railroads
have abandoned all schedules and the
Charlotte street railway has been
compelled to suspend traffic on part
of its lines. The city is practically
cut off from communication with the
rest of the world.
Columbia, S. C., Special—The rain
fall Monday night was the heaviest
in many years, and in a number of
places Was heavier than during the
famous Paeolet flood, when it was j
erroneously thought that a cloud Had
"burst" somewhere iu the valley of 1
the I'acolet river. , '
The local office of tho Weather |
Bureau received reports from a"" num
ber of places in central and western
North Carolina and western South
Carolina of heavy rains, as follows: '
Charlotte, 2iSO inches; Greensboro, I
2.10; Raleigh, 4.48; Mount Holly, i
0.10. From South Carolina points j
tho following were reported: Bates
burg, 2.16 inches; I'elzer, 2 90; Green- (
wood, 1.94; Clin pells, 2./0; Blairs, 1
4.47; Catawba, 3.54; Greenville, 4.47; '
Catawba, 3.54; Greenville, 0.02; ;
Spartanburg,' 2.42.
The Brond river at Hlairs stood 22 ,
feet at 8 n. in., and will probably rise '
much higher when the upper waters 1
reach there. Tho Saluda at Pelzer i
was 8.3 feet and rising, but at Chap- ,
ells it was only 12.9 nnd rising. It
will probably rise to 20 feet there.
Warning For 28 Feet.
The Weather Bureau issued a
warning for a 2S-foot stage during
the next 30 hours. If this stage be
attained it will exceed slightly the fa
mous l'acolet Hood, when the highest
stage was reached at 1 p. m., June
Bth—namely, 27.2 feet. The highest
stage on record occurred as follows:
August, 1840, .33.7; September, 1852,
34.4; February, 1805, 34.0; May,
1885, 31.2 feet; June, 1880, 30.3;
June, 1903, 27.2.
Heavy rains in the central and
western portions of the State will in
crease the river stages throughout the
State. A special from Anderson says
there are twelve inches dn Anderson
Railroad traffic is blocked in various
directous on account of washouts.
The Columbia train to Greenville was
shut off at Williamston and the C.
N. & L. train out of Laurens to Co
lumbia was annulled on account of
fear of crossing the bridge near
Laurens. Traffic is hlocked between
Laurens nnd Greenville and between
Laurens and Augusta by washouts.
Bridge Gone; Many Missing.
A telegram from Camden gives a.i
account of the dramatic carrying
away ot n hundred-foot span of lh*3
\liic!e to|l bridge over the Watereo
ri;m" (Catawba in North Carolina)
at Camden. A number of people
were on the bridge at the time watch
ing the raging river. Of twenty-five
persons on the bridge only six have
been accounted for. Among those
known to have been drowned are Mr.
M. I). Raborn and his son. A Mr.
Savage, a prominent northern man
recently removed to Camden, is in n
perilous position in a tree, with two
i. eg roes iu midstream. Two thous
and )>eople were on the scene shortly
after the catastrophe, which hap
pened at 4:30. The financial loss is
$ 15.000.
T) n(He on the Seaboard is blocked
by washing away of the bridge at
Abbeville.
SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARIES.
Only a Light Vote Polled in South
Carolina Democratic Primary
Tuesday and Reports Are Slow in
Coming in.,
Columbia, S. C., Special.—At 10:30
Tuesday night tho vote from the
State has been reported slowly. In.
dications point to a landslide to An
sel for governor. The total at this
hour from all points is: Ansel, 8,-
948; Bleaso, 5,407. Laurens and Ab
beville, claimed for Rlease, will go
for Ansel. The senatorial race tab
ulated at 10:30 stands:
Martin, 370; Smith, 3,633; Evans,
2,994; Johnstone, 2,210; Lumpkin,
516; Rhett, 2,695; Grace, 38. ™
State Superintendent of Edueation
—Swearlngen, 2,559; Mellinchamp,'
1,708; Elmore, 1,453.
Caughmas and Cslwler are leading
for Railroad Commissioner. ' Jones is
re-elected Comptroller General over
Brooker.
Blease's home county, of Newberry
gives Ansel 706, Btease 734. Rains
I in the up country will cut off prob
ably 15,000 from the total vots.
_ . "SAta VtfitfFtii'ii' WaiTf
1 CASE Of LEPROSY!
North Carolinian Discovered I
With Well Developed Case
IN HEART OF WASHINGTON OITY '
North Carolinian Develops Cass of f
Leprosy in Washington City and is
Put in Quarintine.
Washington, Special.—John R.
Early, a leper, is held prisoner in a t
tent at an isolated spot in tha out- f
skirts of this city. i
Early arrived in Washington 10 I
days ago and was discovered to be j
suffering from the diesase while liv- |
ing at a Salvation Arm-* lodging (
house on Friday. ;
The health department officers (
have written to the authorities of ,
North Carolina, to obtain permission (
to move the leper to Lynn, N. C., j
his home. The public health and |
marine hospital service are co-operat- ]
ing with the local authorities.
If the North Carolina authorities |
refuse to take care of Early, he prob
ably will be sent to the leper colony .
in Louisiana.
Early has a wife and child, a moth- |
or, two sisters and a brother living in |
Lynn ,N. C., from where he came to ;
Washington to attend to his pension. (
He served in the army for nearly 9 (
years and is supposed to have con
traded tho fatal diease in the Philip
pines.
Early is 35 years old and the health
officers say he has had the disease
for over a year. In that time he has
been employed in various stores and
mills, and was actively engaged in
Salvation Army work in numerous
cities in New York State. Among the
places in which he has lived since he
was discharged from tho army at
I'lattsburg, N. Y., in November
1900, are Windiest er, a subuVb of
Boston, Mass., Troy, Granville and
Oswego, N. Y. At the last two place 3
the symptoms of leprosy first became*
pronounced. From Oswego he went
to Canton, N. C., in Mav of this year,
and was employed in a pulp mill em
ploying 800 hands. Later he went to
Lynn, whence he came to Washing
ton.
Valuation of N. C. Railroads.
Raleigh, Speeial.—The work of
fixing valuations for assessment as
taxation on railroad and other .corpo
rations of quasi public character is
North Carolina is just completed by
the corporation commission and shows
an increase in valuation .over that for
1907 of $1,458,003. There is also a
showing of 245 miles' increase in the
mileage of railroads in the State, of
which the Norfolk & Southern has 100
miles increase. The synopsis of valu
nations follows: Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad, 947.8 miles at $28,434,900
valuation; Seaboard Air Line, 610.71
miles at $12,500,000 valuation; South
ern Railway, 1,332.74 miles at $33,-
013,108 valuation; miscellaneous
roads, 1,454.28 at $10,932,635. Total
railroad mileage in the State, 4,351.51
valued at $85,780,703. The aggregate
of valuations of other classes of cor
porations assessed are: Electric light
and gas companies, $1,190,390; bridge
and canal companies, $167,350; ro
frigerator companies, $111,138;
steamboat companies, $131,033; tele
phone companies, $2,190,951; water
works companies, $445,225; Southern
Express Company, $419,099; tele
graph companies, $917,974. Total,
$7,402,153. Grand total, $93,182,856.
Big Fire in Constantinople.
Constantinople, By Cable. —Fire
broke out Sunday evening in the
Stamboul quarter and within a very
brief. period a terrible conflagration
was raging. A strong wind carried
the flames at great speed, and for six
hours they swept over the section de
stroying 1,500 houses and shops. The
fire was still burning at 9 o'clock at'
night, but the wind had decreased
eonsiderably. •
No. 38 Jump* ths Track.
Atlanta, Special.—Train 38 on the
Southern Railway, known as the
Southwestern Limited, which left At
lanta shortly after noon Su.iday was
wrecked four miles north of Su-'
wanee, Ga., about 3 o'clock. The
oolored fireman. Mason Watkins, was
killed instantly and the engineer, B.
F. Dewberry, of Atlanta, was so
badly scalded that he died laier, both
being pinned underneath the engine
after it left the track and turned
over. The mail car, baggage car and
combination car also left the track
and turned over rolling down a 15
foot embankment. „
. Rapist Escapes From Sheriff.
jßntgomery, Ahr., Special.—Mack
Holland, the negro rapist, was taken
from Montgomery to Greenville by
Sheriff Watson, of Butler county,
and escaped from the sheriff at the
Greenville depot. A large poasq is
said to be in pursuit. The negro
attempting to assault a little daugh
i ter of W. Y. Wttson at Avant, last
. Wednesday morning. Sheriff Watson
is an unele ot Ihe girL
yilwifniliiiisin4rt«
NAVAL MANOEUVRE
Practice Cruise Started In the
Pacific Ocean
—
TORPEDO BOATS CARRIED ALONG
Steams Out of San Francisco on
• Log Voyage to Hawaii and
Samoa.
San Francisco, Special.—Eight ar
mored cruisers and a torpedo boat
flotilla, comprising the Pacific fleet,
steamed out of San Francisco on a
long cruise to Hawaii and Samoa.
According to the schedule arranged
by the Navy Department, the fleet
trill arrive at Honolulu on September
2; leave Honolulu September 10 and
arrive at Pago Pago September 20;
.eavo Pago Pago September 27 and
arrive at Honolulu October 17 and
irrive at San Diego October 30 and
arrive at Magdelena Bay November
1; leave Magdelena Bay November
JO and arrive at San Frisco Decem
ber 4.
While at Pago Pago two armored
jruisers and two destroyers will visit
Apia for two days. The four vessels
to make the visit will be designated
by the commander-in-chief upon ar
rival at Pago Pago.» The dates of de
parture are fixed, but the dates of
arrival may vary according to the
pase or difficulty with which the de-
Itroyers are towed. During the so- -'
journ of the fleet at Magdelena Bay
the vessels will engage in target
practice and general manoeuvers.
The vessels constituting the fleet
ire:
First division—West Virginia, Col
orado, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Second division—Tennessee, Cal
ifornia, Washington and South Da-,
kota.
First torpedoboat flotilla—Trux
tun, Hull, Whipple, Hopkins!
Second torpedoboat flotilla —Perry,
Preble, Stewart. .
Torpedo supply ship—Solace.
Colliers—Justin, to Honolulu only.
Geneves Commission.
Atlanta, Ga., Special.—The prif>on
commission of Georgia will, be severe
ly censured in the report of the spec
ial investigating committee of the
legislature which has been engaged
for the p-st five weeks in probing
the prison stem ot' the State. There
will be no impeachment of the mem
bers. Neither will the commission be
abolished. A severe censure for in
attention and lack of diligence will
close the record.. This was decided
upon at the final meeting of the in
vestigating committee. The report
of the findings has been made up and
unanimously signed and will be pre
sented, 'with a transcript of all evi
dence, to the extra session of the leg
islature which meets later.
Besieged by Begging Letters.
Hot Springs, Va., Special.—Scores
of begging letters are arriving daily
at the Taft headquarters, addressed
to the candidate as the next Presi
dent. A Cedarville (Ohio) man
claims to be a namesake of Presi
dent Roosevelt and ask* Taft to an
swer his letter because Roosevelt did
not. A Newark, (N. J.) man wants
S2OO. A Winchester man sftys he ja
a Rebel Republican and wants aid
to dye his clothes. An Ashland
(Ohio) man sends advice in refer
ence td, Taft's answering Bryan's
speech of acceptance. He claims that '
Bi>an is deader thai: door nail.
All the letters remain unanswered.
' Mob After Murderer.
Little Rock, Special. —James Cart
wright ,a white man who it is charged
shot and killed hia wife at their home
near Conway, Ark., several days ago,
was removed from the Conway jail
%nd is being hurried to this city _ to
prevent snmmary punisment being
meted out by a mob of farmers who, .
it is said were preparing to storm the
Conway jail.
Death of Baron Von Sternberg.
Berlin, By Cable.—Baron Speek
Von Sternberg, ambassador from
Germany to the United States, died
-. Monday in Heidelbutg, following an
operation for eaneer, from whieh he
had suffered for ten years. The
popular official had achieved distinc
tion is many posts. He was a close
friend of President Roosevelt and a -*
frequent caller at the White House,
where he played tennis with the Pres
ident. He married Mh& Lily LaHg
ham g Kentucky belle.
Catted From Rome and Stabbed *
d«4 ~ 1
New York, Special.—Phillip Ben
danafngo was called from his honw
and killed Monday- morning. Hit
! body when found by his wife hn«
t three stab wounds near the .heart
» He -had won SSO gambling and it i
■ thought that oomebody who saw hi*«
1 with the money stabbed him for the
i purpose of robbery, but was fright