North Carolina Newspapers

Weather To- Dayi FAIR The News and Observer VOL. XLVJ. NO. 7. LEIDS Hi NORTH CAROLINA DAILIES-IN NEWS AND CIRCULATE 1. The QiJsen Signs To-Dag THE CORTES DISSOLVED, RATIFICA TION OF TREATY FOLLOWS. In Cuba General Brooke Will Now Recognize no Government but That of the United Spates. Madrid, March 17.—1 aJ m. —The Queen Regent will sign the ratification of the peace treaty today. DECREE DISSOLVING CORTES. Madrid, March 10.—The Queen Re gent tonight signed tlie decree dissolv ing the Cortes, convoking the new Par liament and authorizing the payment of arrears of pay to the repatriated troops. The Spanish Government has conclud ed a loan of thirty midion peseta? with tlie banking house of Urquijo. The money was handed over yesterday and will be devoted to paying tin* arrears «luo the Spanish troops, which have served : n Cuba. TELEPHONED TO PRESIDENT. Thomasville. Ga.. March 16. —'The news received by the Associated Presta, that the Queen Regent of Spain would sign the peace treaty of ratification to day was telephoned promptly to the President. The President was much gratified at the fact that this last step necessary to the end of hostile relations was accompli silt'd, though never doubt ing such would bo the outcome. Ar rangements for exchange of ratifications and the payment of the twenty million dollars yet must he made, but no action by the President will be needed before he returns to Washington. It. is likely that on Friday night the President will start for Jekyll Island for a day or two. NEW RULE AS TO RATIONS. Must Hereafter be Charged Against Customs Receipts of Provinces. Havana, March 16. —An order was is stHsi to-day by the United States mili tary authorities to the effect that all rations distributed to the Cuban poor, after the supply now on hand is ex- , hausted, shall he charged against the customs receipts of the province in Which they are distributed. Monthly requisitions will he made as heretofore, and the United States authorities will supply, buying in the Cuban markets, such articles as sugar and rice, if they can be obtained to better advantage here. The rest of the nations will he bought in the United States. General Fitzhugih Le has returned here from Cienfuegos. Chief of Police Menocal, owing to the recent censures of the force, carries his resignation in his pocket. He has tendered it two or three times, but on reconsideration has withdrawn it. The new police force has unfortunately created a had improsr«on. During the last few days the j>olieemen have shown timidity in handling people. They ap pear to be undetermined and undecided what to do or how to do it. People have no respect for them and pay lit - tie attention to their orders, which are not enforced. Several of the policemen have asked for a detail of American soldiers to help them arrest law-breakers, saying our sob diers are the only men the law-breakers will obey. General Pedro Betancourt has arrived from Matanzas and conferred with Gen erals Pedro Diaz, Jesus Monteagudo, Luis Rohan, Alberto Nod arse and Fran cisco l’eraza, who last night decided to act in conjunction with him in condemn ing the action of the military assembly. Considerable interest attaches to the attitude they will adopt With respect to General Gomez, because they command over twenty thousand Cuban soldiers. If they adhere to Gomez, it is asserted that their action will probably be tho assembly’s death I now. The general feeling is that they will support him, but they would like to secure the co-opera tion of General Mayia Rodriguez, com manding general in the Provinces of Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Havana and Santa Clara, but this may prove difficult, as he has already publicly expressed his adherence to the assembly. Should Rodriguez continue to defend the assembly’s course, and should these generals declare in favor of Gomez, trouble might follow. They are corps commanders under him. hut their united influence is considered stronger than his. The meeting they had arranged for this afternoon was postponed. The talk of Gomez for President of the Cuban Republic is increasing, as a very natural reaction against the censures passed npou him by the military assem bly. \ ASSEMBLE MUST KEEP QUIET.' Washington, March 16. —There has been further telegraphic correspondence between General Brooke and the War Department regarding conditions in Cu ba. with the result that hereafter Gen eral Brooke will confine himself wholly within the terms of the resolution adopt ed by Congress before the war. No Government, organization or set of men will be recognized. The United States Government will deal with the people of Cuba. It is not stated who the “peo ple” are, but it is inferred that the United States authorities will determine that point as different questions arise. In the same connection it is regarded as important that the census which has been determined upon, should he taken so its to ascertain the resident citizens of the island. The Cuban Assemb’v will be dealt with as any other organ ization. If its sessions provoke riot and disturbances it will be dispersed like any other disorderly body. If its meet ings are harmless and amount to noth ing more than the vociferation of men, no attention will he paid to it. If the Assembly gets in the way of me United States authorities in the preservation of the peace and tranquility of the island, then the Assembly or any other set of men must in the language of the American police “move on.” t j THE GERMAN ARMV BILL. A Scene of Turbulence in the Reichstag is Followed by its Passage. Berlin, March 16.—1 n anticipation of the third reading of the army Dill to-day both, the Reichstag and the public gal leries of that house were packed. The various items of the estimates were first discussed, and the proceedings were so turbulent that th President. Count Von Ballenstein, was repeatedly compelled to call the house to order. When the army bill was taken up. Dr. Lieber, the Centrist leader, moved the acceptance of the committee's pro posal to reduce the pear* 1 effective by seven thousand men, ktiding a resolu tion to the effect that the House was , willing in the event of figure granted by the committee proving inadequate, to enter into fresh nigotiations with the government. , T>r. Ifieber also moved that civilian i artisans instead of active soldiers lie employed in the offices and workshops of tin* army. After Rebate the general discussion was closed and the articles of the army bill were debated. Article 1, which the committee did not alter, was adopted. Article 2, as drafted by the commit tee and amended by Dr. Lieber’s motion was adopted. Then the whole hil was adopted by a vote of 222 to 162. SEA DRILLS I OR THE MILITIA. The Auxiliary Cruiser Prairie Will Make Practice Cruises. Washington. March 16.—The Navy Department today announced the itin erary of the auxiliary cruiser Prairie, which will be devoted this summer to actual practice cruising for the bene fit of the naval militia of the Atlantic Const States. The cruise will commence at New Orleans April 10th. ending at Massachusetts about October Ist, giv ing the naval militia of each of the coast States a full week of actual sea drill, ’i bis is the first time that the De partment has been able to devote a vessel exclusively to the use of the militia, and it is considered the great est aid to this branch of the service that has ever been attempted. CONDITION OF THE TERRIBLE. Bursting Steam Pipes Kept the Men in a State of Terror. Portsmouth, Eng., March 16.—An in quest was opened here today into the circumstances of the death of the stoker of the British first class cruiser Terri ble, who was killed by it boiler explo sion on board the cruiser while she was on htfi- way from Malta to Davenport. The evidence showed that during the cruise of the homeward voyage five steam pipes burst and that at various times the tires had to be drawn from under three of the boilers in order to prevent disaster. The stokers and en gineers were almost in it state of panic and were afrait. to go on duty, not knowing at what moment an explosion ; might occur. SMALL POX IN THE SENATE. And the House Votes to Vaccinate All the Members. Little Rock. Ark., March 16.—Mem bers of the Legislature were panic stricken today when it was announced that physicians had diagnosed the illness of Senator Lankford as small pox. Af ter a half hour's debate, Ihe .House voted to vaccinate all its members.* Killing begins work. New York. March 16.—Rudyard Kip ling is steadily improving, lie was moved today from his room on the sec ond floor to a suite on the floor alum, which has been in readiness for him for several days. He will have more sunshine there, and the apartments are brighter than those he has been in. Mr. Kipling is already at work again. Ilis tremendous energy has already asserted itself, and lie has tackled yachts. A message was sent to a well known publishing house today for some books on yachts, yacht building and points about tlie building and sailing of this class of craft. Books were sent . to the author’s rooms. RALEIGH, N. C„ FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH IT, 1899. Shot to Death For Arson MURDEROUS WORK OF TWENTY MASKED MEN. Negroes Plotted to Give Palmetto to the Flames—Shot Under Guard —The Governor's Proclamation. Palmetto. Ga., March 16.—Twenty men. armed and masked, rode into this little town at an early hour this morn ing and put to death four negroes, fa tally wounded one, shot another and broke the arm of a seventh man. Two others who were of the crowd upon which the bullets were showered, mi racukuisly escaped. These unfortu nates were l under guard of three men awaiting the hour of 9 o’clock when they were to have a hearing before a justice of the peace on the charge of arson. William Cotton, the leader of the nine men, confessed some time ago that a conspiracy had been entered into which resulted in two incendiary tiros here in February and on this evidence the men were to have been tried. The'dead are: William Cotton, •*’*. Harrison Hudson. Ed Brown. Henry Bingham. Fatally wounded: Johif Bigby. Wounded: John Jameson. George Tatum, arm broken. lsliam Brown. Clem Watts. f The other two members of the gang escaped injury. After the inquest they wore turned loose and left on the train for Atlanta. The town is quiet tonight and under the protection of the Capital City Guards of Atlanta and a posse of well-armed citizens. The negroes were confined in the office of the Johnson warehouse, a one story stone building just across the track from the Atlanta and West Point depot. They were arrested yesterday, and tied together with ropes, were passing Ibq night under the protection of three guards sworn in for that purpose. Their preliminary trial was set for 9 o’clock this morning. About 1 o’clock this morning, about twenty men masked and mounted, rode up to the warehouse and dismounted. Without waiting to announce themselves to the guards within, they easily forced the door of the warehouse and a second later stood in the office of the Johnson Company where the negroes were lying on the floor around the fire. The guards were covered by Winchesters, and with hands up were inarched to one side of the little room and stood against the wall. The negroes who were frightened into silence by the bursting of the door now realized their peril. Scream after scream went up from the victims as they saw the gleam of the fire arms in the dim light from the fireplace. Their appeals for mercy were unheeded. A short, heavy-set man. whose features were completely concealed by a white hand kerchief, acted as leader. He cursed the blacks into silence for a moment and told his men to get ready. After looking at each negro he commanded them to get up. The trembling, crying wretches, tugging at their ropes in a vain effort to get away, obeyed the words of the 1 mob’s leader. A last appeal for mercy went unheeded and the word: “Fire.” : rang out in the little room. The volley tilhsl the room with fire and smoke and the negroes fell in a heap on the floor. The noise awakened the little town, and as lights began to twinkle in windows hero and then*, a second volley sealed the doom of those who were fortunate enough to escape the murderous lire of . the first charge. As the mob made; ready to depart three or four men with pistols sent bullets inti* the prostrate forms on tin* floor, and inside of ton minutes after the masked crew had entered Johnson’s warehouse on their murderous errand, they had completed; their work and were on their way to safety on the backs of fleet horses. Soon citizens began to arrive at the warehouse, being under the impression that the guards were murdered by the negro prisoners. When the horrors of the affair was presented Mayor Arnold telephoned Governor Candler, at At lanta of the occurrence and asked for some militia. He then deputized 76 citizens to preserve tjrder, and arming them with rifles placed them on duty j in different parts of the town. Daylight in the warehouse revealed aj sickening sight. Blood covered the floor and the walls were indented with bullets ; from Winchesters and other arms. Wives and children of the negroes to whom the news of the tragedy had spread on rapid wings, knelt by tin* bodies of their dead and endeavored to console the wounded. The cries of the negro families filled the room and sent : a shock through the hearers. Doctors bent over the wounded and administered to their wants at intervals until noon, when friends of the injured came and removed them to their homes. The dead, whose bodies were horribly mangled, remained where they were until shortly after noon when it coroner s jury was empanelled. In the absence of Coroner Dunlap, Justice of the Peace, Cummings summoned the jury and con- ; ducted the inquest. Olem Watts, one of the negroes who miraculously escaped being shot, was the first witness. He said: "I was iit the warehouse and a crowd of masked men, about 20, called upon the guards to throw up their ham's. They made them leave the guard room. The leader then ordered his men to tire on the prisoners, first counting 1, 2. 3. The men afterwards loaded and fired again.” j Guard Baker testified that the mob tilled the room and the guards were forced To the wall. "The leader of the mob gave a count and the shooting began. They had pis tols, shotguns and Winchester rifles. "They did not stay over five minutes. I don’t know which way they came or which way they went when they left." J. J. Conner, the other guard examined, said: ”1 was guarding the prisoners about 1 o'clock. A crowd of masked men came into the room by forcing the door oi>en and moved the guards hack. - “The prisoners were commanded to line up, and then the order to fire was given, which was obeyed. They shot and reloaded and shot the second time. The room was filled with the masked men. I don’t know the number.” The jury then rendered a verdict which presented in writing, read: “We, the coroner’s jury, empanelled in the cases of the death of Harrison Hud son, Wm. Cotton. Jr., Ed. Brown and Henry Bingham, find that they came to their death from gunshot or pistol shot wounds from a crowd of masked men to the jury unknown, a little after mid night or on the morning of the 16th of March, 1899. (Signed.) “T. J. Bullard, “Foreman.” The town has been visited by two in cendiary fires since February Ist, and ihe citizens have Iteeu afraid to rebuild, owing to the oft repeated threats of the negroes that they would do the same thing again. The county authorities have been very active in their efforts to apprehend the incendiaries, and yester day arrested nine negroes. William Cotton had confessed -to Dr. 11. L. John son that he and eight companions had (conspired to burn the town and loot the , stores. j The burning part of the programme was successfully carried out, but the fires spread so rapidly and the buildings went up in flames so fast that they were unable to obtain anything from the [stores. Dr. Johnson got the names of the eight accomplices from Cotton, and on this evidence the warrants were sworn out. The Capital City Guards of Atlanta, fifty men, under command of Colonel John S. Candler, late of the Third Georgia volunteer regiment, arrived at II o’clock and reported to Mayor Arnold. The Mayor distributed them throughout the little town, and together with the citizens now doing duty as deputy sheriffs, it is believed there is a force sufficient to quell any uprising by the negroes. From the best information obtainable the mob did not exceed 20 men. They made no noise to announce their coming, and the dispatch with which they got away from the scene of the crime would seem to indicate that the number em ployed in the work was small. The two negroes who have talked, say the room was crowded with negroes, but the offi ce would not hold over 30, mob. prison ers and guards. The doors of the warehouse were not bolted and were forced without any trouble. The town is quid) tot-night. The only sign of lift* is the solitary patrol every few paces walking hack and forth on liis beat. The citizens apprehensive for the night have quieted down, and place complete confidence in the ability of the militia to preserve order. GOVERNOR OFFERS A REWARD. Such Outrages, He Declares, Must Cease in Georgia. Atlanta, Ga., March 16.—Governor Candler is very bitter in his denuncia tion of the Palmetto lynching and terms the killing an outrage. In an in-. terview today the Governor said: "I regard the outrage as simply in- I excusable. These men had been ar- j rested, as I am informed, and proof j was at hand to convict them. They j were in the hands of the law. The law: was amply able to punish them, and the interposition of this mob of disguised men was entirely unnecessary since with tin* proof in the hands of those who had ! made the arrests conviction and punish- j ment were absolutely certain. “I offer the largest reward the law will authorize for the apprehension of any one or more of the perpetrators of this dastardly deed, and I will try to ; see to it that they are prosecuted to! the limit of the law. Such outrages must stop in Georgia.” I Later in the day the Governor issued the following proclamation: "Whereas, official information has been received that on the night of March 16tli, 1899, an unknown mob foully murdered Henry Bingham, col ored. Tip Hudson, colored, Ed Brown, . colored, and Bud Cotton, colored, while j The Capture of dainti CHARGING ACROSS RICE FIELDS UNDER HEAVY FIRE. Fighting in the Streets —Four Hours of Bat tle —Lack of Ammunition Forces Americans to Withdraw. Manila. March 16.-1:30 P. M.—The I I insurgents at the outposts and in the j trenches beyond Calooean fired several j volleys last night upon the Montana and Kansas volunteers, and a part of the Fourth regulars, desiring, it is sttp jposed, to discover if the American line had been thinned Ivy th movement of General Wheaton's command. The i Americans in the trenches replied warm ly to the fire. H. Y. Beecher, of Company A. of the Montana regiment, was killed in the : I engagement. A battalion of the Twentieth regular . infantry routed a small band of Filipi- I nos on the Laguna road, and some sharp shooters who were tiring from a house over which a French flag was fly ing were dislodged. i A gunboat entered the lake and i silenced a one-gun battery in the foot | hills. 3:66 I*. M. —T <* strongly fortified vil lage of Cainti, northwest of Pasig, was captured to-day, after a desperate fight, by the Twentieth regular infantry, j The troops first encountered the rebel : outposts in the dense jungle mi the j banks of the river. The enemy was ' dislodged after half an hour’s light ing. i The Americans advanced in splendid order under a heavy fire until it was necessary to volley the rebels from the trenches. The latter had a great ad- ' vantage and dropped a number of our men. The Americans charged across i the rice lields, making four advances on tin' enemy, who numbered a thousand men, five hundred of whom were en trenched, mid in the face of a cross fire. Our troops, however, carried the town after four hour’s fighting, and burned the outskirts, the rebels firing from the windows and keeping up a running fire in the streets. The Americans then withdrew in order to obtain more am munition. The rebels lost about 100 men and 1 the American loss was Corporal John son, of Company C. and Private Me- Avoy, of Company L, killed. In addi tion the following Americans were , wounded: Sergeant Cheek. Company L. Corporal Households, Company M. Private Kelly, Company C. Private Kinney, Company C. Private Tinker, Company C. Private Gilley, Company G. Private Parley, Company G. Private Caley. Company F. Private Mahan, Company L. Private Griffiths, Company L. said parties were idlccerated and well j guarded, awaiting a commitment trial i upon the charge of arson, in the county of Campbell. “1 have thought proper, therefore, to issue this, my proclamation, hereby of fering a reward of five hundred dollars for the apprehension and delivery of the . first member of said unknown mob and a further reward of one hundred dol lars for each additional person so im plicated, with evidence sufficient to convict to the sheriff of said county and State. “And I do moreover charge and re quire all officers in this State, civil and military, to be vigilant in endeavoring to apprehend the said members of tin* unknown tnoh in order that they may he brought to trial for the offence with which they stand charged. Given under my hand and seal of the State this, the sixteenth day of March, 1899. “A. D. CANDLER. Governor. By the Governor, “PHIL COOK, Sis*, of State.” Clem IV atts, one of the alleged in cendiaries, who escaped death at Pal- > i metto this morning, arrived here to- j ; night. He said he did not know lmw j hi* came to be released. lie was not i taken before any judge after the coro ; tier's inquest, nor was any formality looking to liis release taken. He was . I simply told he could go and he doesn't i know who imparted this information to him. He says he had nothing to do with the burning of Palmetto in February, and if Cotton made a confession, la* I (Watts) knew nothing of it. He still ! maintains that there were but twenty [ men in the mob. MERRITT AT FORT MONROE. He and liis Wife Are Stopping at the Hotel Chamberlin. Newport News, Yn., March 16.—Gen eral Wesley Merritt and wife arrived at Fort Monroe from Washington today and are stopping at the Hotel Chamber lin. A salute of thirteen guns were fired from the fort as the steamer bearing the General turned her nose ashore. KILLED BY HIo OWN GUN. Columbus, Texas, March 16.—John Scott and a deputy sheriff engaged in : an altercation today, when Scott re- j marked that if he had a revolver he would tight. Ex-Sheriff Reese offered him a revolver and the shooting began. Beese and Charles Boeme, a by-stander. were killed, and a small hoy named Williams was badly injured. PRICE FIV 1 NTS. j Private Lnfeytb, Company L. j Private MariFarland, Company L. I Artie Chickmann, the regimental “mas ' **ot” carried a parrot into action, and j was wounded in the knee. THE TRANSPORT SHERIDAN. Arrives at Port Slid on Her Way to Manila. Port Said, March 16.—The United States transport Sheridan, which sailed j front New York on February 19th for Manila, has arrived here. | The troops on board the Sheridan are ihe Twelfth United States infantry and ia battalion of the Seventeenth United States infantry, the detachment being under the command of Colonel Smith. THE INSURGENTS LESS ACTIVE. The American Advance Has Cut the Country in Two. Washington, March 16.—The follow ing from General Otis reached the War Department to-day: Manila, March 16th. “Adjutant General, Washington: “Reports from Iloilo indicate improve ment; less activity on the part of the insurgents of the island; reports from Negros are most encouraging; tin* inhab j itants an? enthusiastic; quiet prevails | throughout the island, and Colonel Smith is directing affairs in framing the internal government. Cebu is quiet, business is progressing under United ; States protection; reports from Samar i and Leyte indicate a desire of the in habitants for United States troops; these islands are occupied; the insurgents’ con trol is confined to Luzon, and the occu pation of the Pasig river line with con- I trol of Legttanda do Bay has cut the country occupied by the Tagtilos in near ly two equal parts. (Signed.) “OTIS.” FILIPINO REPUBLIC MORIBUND. Minneapolis, Minn., March 16.—United j States Senator Kyle, of South Dakota, said here to-day, while en route home, that President McKinley had lately re-* oeived private advices to the effect that the Filipino Republic was on its last legs. The Senator said he had received this information front sources very near to the President, and that the latter an ticipated the final collapse of J?guinal do’s Government and the complete pos session by General Otis within a few days. SIX FROZEN TO DEATH. , Sad Fate of a Party on the Valdez Glacier. Seattle. Wash., March 16—The steam er Excelsior, which arrived tonight from the iuouth of Copiter River, Alas ka, brings news of the freezing to death of six men on Valdez glacier, about the first of March. They were: Adolph Ehraliardt, New York. Maxintilan Aleeman, New York. Dr. Edward Logan, Denver. Rudolph Ellerkamp, Louisville. August Schultz. New York. All the bodies except that of Dr. Lo gan were recovered and buried tit Val dez. Ehraliardt, Miller and Aleeman were members of the Scientific Pmsiteet iug Company of New York. A SOLDIER MURDERED. Washington, March 16.—'The War Department has received the follow ing : “Guantanamo, March 16. “Adjutant General, Washington. “Private Robert T. Tanksley. Com pany H. Third United States volunteers, died at Santa Rosa, at 12 in., gunshot; mu rdered. (Signed) “BAY, Colonel.” TAMPA AN EX(Ti.v.\GE OFFICE. Washington. March 16. —The Post master General has issued an order con stituting Tampa, Fla., an exchange of fice for the money order business of Cuba. The business hits been done here tofore at New York city. BUSSELL SUCCEEDS IIEBSCHELL London. March 16. —Baron Russell, of Killowen, Lord Chief Justice of England, lias btH'tt appointed to succeed the late Baron Herscheli on the Venezuelan Ar bitration Commission. EDITOR OF TRIBUNE DEAD. Chicago, Ills., March 10.—Word was received here to-day from San Antonio, Texas, that Joseph Medill, proprietor of the Chicago Tribune died there early this morning. THE PHILADELPIIIAS ARRIVE. Charlottes N. C.. March 16.—The Phil adelphia baseball club arrived here this morning. The club will begin practice tit Igitta Park to-morrow.