Sylvan Valley News
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J.J. MINER, Msr. BEEVARD, TRANSYLVANIA CO., N. C., FRIDAS, OCTOBER 16,1908. TOL. XIII. NO. «
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RIOTERS ARE fOllEDi waterway endorsed
Abortive Attempt to Lynch at
Spsrtanburg, S. C
MILITJA PROTECTED PRISONER
Infuriated Mill Operatives Make De
termined Effort to Lsmch Negro
Who Assaults Young Lady—Depu
ties and Oflacers Exchange Shots
and Several Are Wounded.
Spartanburg, S. C., Special.—In the
heart of Spartanburg with its 20,000
po]^ulation, a mob of infuriated citi-
jzeus, at times numbering a thousand
or more, fought Saturday and Satur
day night with the military and civil
authorities for the possession of John
Irby, a negro who is alleged to have
attempted to ravish Miss Lillie Demp
sey earlier in the day while the young
woman was on her way here from
Saxon Mill village, three miles away.
Four persons were wounded, one of
them seriously, and John Sparks, a
restaurant keeper, was arrested and
held without bail on the charge of
shooting Sheriff Nichols^ who was
slightly wounded in the exchange of
shots between the mob and the au
thorities who were protecting the
prisoner.
Beginning about noon the crowd,
sullen find bent on vengeance on the
negro, roamed about the court house
square, approaching at times the ver>'
gates of the high wall enclosing the
jail. Late at night the situation be
came alarming. The crowd was
nngmentod by 500 people from Green
ville. There was some shooting in
the street and the mob moved inta
tbo public square.
The first shot eame from a window
of the jail and it was followed by
others from the s.ame quarter. An
answering shot was fired from the
crowd. This broke a window in the
jail and slightly wounded Sheriff
Nichols. Sparks was accused of the
shooting and immediately taken into
custody. His attorneys offered $1,000
bail but this was refused.
Second Day of the Great Waterwray
Conference Addressed By Colonel
Bryaji and Others.
Chicago, Special.—Addresses by
William J. Bryan and Gifford Pinchot
■>he latter being chairman of the na-
donal conservation commission, the
reading of a letter from James J.
Hill, short addresses by delegates,
ind a big reception at the Coliseum
it night were the features of the sec
ond day of the convention of the
Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterways
Association. Mr. Bryan, who spoke
►arnestlj^ in favor of deep waterways,
aot only from the lakes to the gulf
but in all other parts of the country,
iv'here increased transportation facil-
ties were needed, was an enthusiasti-
jally received, as v/as William H.
Taft when he opened the convention
,he previous day.
Mf. Bryan’s Address.
In addressing the convention Mr.
Bryan said in part:
“You cannot give the people too
?ood facilities for transportation of
:heir merchandise. If you tell me
y"ou want to improve the Mississippi
[ tell you that is all right, I will help
V’ou improve it just as far as you
please, and make the canal as wide
is you please and as deep as you
please, and when you get to improv-
ng the Mississippi I will start out all
ilone if necessary to improve evei-y
river that empties into the Mississip-
Di, Water transportation is the nat-
iral tranj'.portation. God made the
rivers, man made the railroads. When
>"ou finish a river sufficiently deep for
commerce, or a canal upon which
^oats can i^oat, you make it possible
for a man 'vrith small capital to act
kvhile the railroads make it possible
for men with large capital to act.
Where there is a river any man who
;an build a boat can engage in trans
portation, and if he cannot build a
Dig boat he can build a little boat and
if you have a large number of little
boats the big boat will have to meet
the rate that the little boat fixes. You
will find ii much easier to regulate
rates on water than on land because
competition can be much more active
Dn water than on land. We arc an
?xpoi*ting nation. We send our agri-
2ultural products to foreign markets,
and when our Avheat or our cotton
reaches the LoKdon market its price is
fixed there by the competition which
it meets. If a bushel of wheat sells
for a dollar in London and it takeg
fifty cents to get it from the farm to
London the farmer gets fifty cents a
ASPECTACULARFALL
Aeronauts Cxpenence a Drop
o, Two Thousand Feet
LAND WITH BUT SLIGHT INJURY
^erican Balloon Conqaeror Bursts
at the Height of 4,000 Feet, Precip
itating the Aeronauts to the Boof
of a House in a Berlin Suburb.
LAKES TOW PLAN
A Great Infand Transport^ion
Scheme Projected
JUDGE TAFT SPEAKS ON PLAN
after the commission of his crime
and close to the scene of his attack.
He was captured by mill operatives,
was taken before the young Avoman.
who immediately identified him. and
was then carried into the woods. His
captors were about to lynch him
when mounted police arrived and
wrested him from the crowd, not.
however., before the negro had been
badly beaten. The negro was taken
to the jail and almost immediately
the storming of the jail began. Sheriff
Kichols swore in a number of deputies
and the militia was ordered out. The
mob tried to gain ingress by means
of step ladders, but that, too, was in-
efreetual. Sunday and Sunday night
passed off ouietlv with nothing in the
wav of a disturbance.
Girl Identifies Negro. . , , ^ i Ti>
T T , , . 1 1 ^ XI bushel for his wheat. If you can so
Irby’s arrest was effected shdrtly i^p^^ve transportation that the far-
mer can get his wheat from his faiTn
to Liverpool for twenty-five cents you
have added twenty-five cents to the
farmers’ prices for this >vheat. It is
a fact that is admitted that the rail
road canno- carry freight as cheaply
as the boat can, and therefore every
farmer is interested in establishing wa
ter communication wherever water
communication is possible.
Believer in Waterways.
^‘I believe in improving the walor-
ways everywhere, no matter whether
these waterways are the rivers that
run down the mountainsides into the
ocean and the West or the waterways
that converge in the Mississippi val
ley and carry their floods to the gulf.
I believe that it is the duty of those
charged v*^ith the business of govern
ment to develop these things upon
which a nation’s prosperity depends-
^‘If the work should be done, and 3
believe that it should, then you peo
ple who believe it should be done
should a|;ree upon the best methods
by which to do it. But I repeat that
you must not be frightened because
it may require an'investment. At St.
Louis last falj tliev resolved that
$500,000,000 spent in improving the
waterAvays of the Mississippi valley
would bring an interest in the way
of decreased cos^ of transportation
amounting to >.$180,000,000 a year
Why, my friends, if it only saved
$50,000,000 a year it would be ten
per cent, interest on the investment.
<‘I believe that the plan should be
commenced now. I believe that it
should be a comprehensive plan, that
it should deal with the entire sub
ject and that it should be a perma
nent plan; that we should begin now
to lay the foundation for the future
greatness of this country, in the
development of these natural re
sources, these God-given water courses
of ours.^^
K C. & St. L. Detective Killed.
riinttanooga, Tenn., Special.—T. J.
^'^-•rihaney, special detective for the
ville, Chattanooga & St. Louis
was shot and killed early
Siindpv while on duty in the yards of
ti)o raih-oad company at Cravens, two
milos from the union station. W. S.
wl’.o vras until recently em
ployed as a detective for the road, is
in jail charged with the crime. Blood
hounds were put on the trail and
tracked Smith to his home. The men,
it is said, had been on bad terms for
some time. McElhaney Ifeaves a wife
and seven children.
Qi’iet in the Near East.
Lonrlon, By Cable.—Belgrade, the
'■^tonn center in the present Balkan
;-'itnation, has ouieted down. After a
long secret session, the National As-
'('n'.bly has taken no definite action
vith regard to making war upon Aus-
Ina-Hungary. The city itself has
f;uieted down, the people apparently
J't'olizinj? that war would mean the ^e-
slyaction of Servian nationality.
Berlin, By Cable..—The internation
al balloon race which started Sunday
Prom the suburb of Schmargendorf,
was the occasion of a thrilling acci-
ient, two American aeronauts having
i miraculous escape from death. The
A.merican balloon Conqueror, the only
American built craft in the contest,
having on board A. Holland Forbes
and Augustus Post, less than two min-
ates after the start burst at an alti-
‘ude of 4,000 feet. For 2,000 feet it
shot down like a bullet, and then the
torn silk bag assumed the shape of a
parachute, thus e-hecking the rapidity
af the descent. Coming close to the
Barth, however, the basket smashed
into the roof of a house, but the two
nen escaped with but slight bruises.
The race, in which twenty-three
balloons participated, representing
jreat Britaint, France, Germany, the
Qnited States, Switzerland, Italy, Bel
gium and Spain- started at 3 o’clock
Sunday afternoon in the presence of
at least 80,000 spectators. The first
balloon sent away was the Ameri
ca II,” under command of James C.
McCoy, who was accompanied by
Lieutenant Voghmann. The balloon
was decorated with the Stars and
Stinpes and it sailed away to the
southeast at a rapid pace, the oero-
aauts waving their hats. '
Dramatic Occasion.
A representative of each of the o^h-
2r nations followed the American
balloon in succession at intervals of
Lwo minutes, the national hymn of the
respective countries ringing forth as
the ropes were cast loose.
The second batch of eight balloons
-.vas led'by Forbes in the Conqu^^ror,
w’liich reached a high altitude- in an
ir;CJtdibly short period. t!.-e basl*ei
SAvi’ving viole'.'ily. TMer. almost in
stantly a cry of horror arose from
the crowd who ^aw the silk collapsc
and shouted; ‘*Vhe balloon ii riftping
Officers of tke Lakes to the Gulf
Deep Waterway Association, Which
Met in Third Annual Session Wed
nesday in Chicago, Believe That
Some Day There Will Be a Deep
Cha&nel From Lake Michigan to
the Gulf of Mexrco.
IS HE LEPER OR NOT?
Early Declares He is Being
Held Without Just Cause
HIS WIFE MAY STAY WITH HIM
Big
Mis3ionary Convention Holds
Mass Meeting.
Kgw Orleans, Special.—At a mass
rneeting in the Athenaeum Cephas
Sholbourne, of Dallas, Tex., preached
to a great audience attending the in
ternational missionary convention of
the churches of Christ. Mr. Shel-
^■nurne tf>ok as his theme the fjct
that an inscription was written on the
cross of Chri«t in three languages and
developed from this incident an ar-
gnmont showing how modern churchef
of all creeds are pushing aside denom-
iwatioiTOl barriers in favor of more in
timate relations with each other.
Russia Getting Her Fleet Reader.
St. Petersburg, By Cable.—Fearful
that Austria intends to take advan
tage of the commotion in Servia to
deal the boldest blow of all—annexa
tion of Servia—the Czar has ordered
the mobilization of the Black Sea
fleet. Russia still insists upon an in
ternational conference to completely
revise the Berlin treaty, while the
lat«st word from England is that she
has not receded from her position
that only existing issues must b«
considered.
up/'
The tnousnn.ls who hud gathered
thrre stood foj a moinent petrified.
Some turned away faintins’, as they
saw the balloon falling with light
ning rapidity. At the same time,
srov.^ers of sand and appurtenances
of the balloon shot downward with
equal rapidity and then dayhght was
seen through the envelope, >rreat rag
ged edges of the silk showing on eith
er side.
“They are killed,’^ went in a hush
ed whisper through the crowd, bui:
shortly the remainder of the envelope
appeared to take, first, a triangulai
shape and then was transformed into
a sort of parachute at the top of the
net and the progress of the wrecked
balloon was considerably arrested. It
came down slower and slower, mean
while being swept bv the wind, far to
the southeast, and finally disappeared
from view behind a block of houses.
The suspense among the crowds was
terrible. But a few minutes later
a telephone message was received
from Frienenau, which announced^
that the men had landed and had not
been seriously injured. The other bal
loons were sent up, after a brief de
lay, without farther accident.
Terrorising Negroes.
Montgomerj’^, Ala., Special.—A spe
cial from Tuscaloosa, Ala., says; A
negro ‘Baptist church and lodge hall
located at Spring Hill, Ala., were
burned Friday night by unknown
persons. A band of horsemen al
leged to have been organized with the
intention of driving the negroes out
of the community, are said to have
set fire to the church and hall.
Chieago, Special—A picture of days
when stately ships shall carry the
rich producis of the central States
frem the Great Lakes to the Gulf
of Mexico through a deep waterway,
returning with products of no less
<ralue, was C/onjured up before the
delegates and visitors to the third
annual convention ©f the Lakes to the
Erulf Deep Waterway Association by
able speakers headed by AVilliam H.
Taft. The day^s utterances were au
thoritative for they came from Secre
tary Saunders, of the association;
President Kavanaugh, head of the or
ganization; Governor Charles S. De-
neen, of Illinois, who spoke of the
Bii’st link of the great waterway, the
Chicago drainage canal and William
S, Taft, who had the general supervi
sion in Washington of the building of
Ihe Panama canal until he resigned t©
become the presidential nominee of
liae Republican party.
The need of such a waterway was
bsisted upon by every speaker. The
question of transportation, it was de-
ileared, is one of the most serious
luesticns with which this country has
50 deal. Mr. Taft's insistence that
the deep waterway and the consei'va-
tion of the national resources were
related subjects, which called for
immediate action, elicited great ap
plause. His statement that the wa
terway was not a project, but a pol
icy, found a ready response in cheers
!)f his auditors.
“We find,’' said Mr. Taft, “‘that
iuring the ten yeers ending with 1905
fhe internal commerce of our country
increased 118 per cent, while railroad
iransportation facilities during the
same time increased only 20 per cent,
[t has been pointed out that to supply
this deficiency by the construction of
additional railroads and necessary ter-
ninals would require a capital invest
ment of $5,500,000,000 and this con
struction when completed would make
no provision for the further increase
our commerce. The only solution
Df this problem, the speaker found in
deep watei*ways. ”
The convention opened at 10 o’clock
w'ith a j)rayer by Bishop Samuel Fal
lows, of Chicago. William K. Kava
naugh, president of the association,
then delivered his annual address and
William F. Saunders, secretary, read
his report.
Former ^Torth Carolina Man, in Spite'
of the Fact Thdt the District of
Columbia Health People Are Abso
lutely Certain as to Their Diagno
sis, Declares He Is Not Afiiicted
With Leprosy and Refuses to Al
low InjeotionB of Filtrate Into His
Body.
TO HEAR COMPLAWT
Interstate Commerce Comn»^
sion Ready For N. C Case
A STRONG ARRAY OF COUNSEL
On October 22d the Interstate Com^
merce Commission Will Hear tlHi
Freight Rate Discrimination
CROP CONDITIONS.
To Increase Bank Examinations.
Washington, Special.—Comptroller
of the Currency Murray has decided
to increase the number of national
bank examinations, in many cases
from twice to three or four times a
year. It is not his purpose, he says,
to examine all national banks foui
or even three times a year, but the
new rule will be made to apply to
all national banks that have in the
past shown a disposition to violate
or evade any provisions of the na
tional banking laws or the regulations
prescribed by the Comptroller of the
Cup'ency.
Report of the Agricultural Depart
ment Showing the Condition of
Crops October 1st.
Washington, Special.—The corn
?rop condition on October 1st was 77.8
per cent, spring wheat quality 88.1
per cent, total production of spring
wheat was indicated as 233,090,000,
the yield per acre averaging 13.2
bushels, combined production spring
and winter wheat indicated as about
659.030.000 bushels of 89.4 per cent,
quality and the oat crop quality was
SL3 per cent,, the production being
789.161.000 bushels with yield per
acre averaging 24.9 bushels according
to the Department of Agriculture
?.rop report issued Wednesday.
The corn condition is against a ten-
vear average on October 1st of 79.7.
The average yield of spring wheat is
against a six-year average of 85.9
The final es^fimate of average 3’ield of
oats per acre is against a ten-year
average of 29.8 and quality 86.1 for
ten years.
The decline in condition of com
during September was about two per
cent, as compared with an average
decline the past ten years of 1.6 per
cent. In Southern corn States the
condition on October 1st and ten-year
average, respectpively, of corn fol
lows:
Texas 83 and 73; Georgia 84 and
82; Kentucky 75 and 83; Tennessee
82 and 80; Alabama 83 and 80; North
Carolina 82 and 82; Arkansas 79 anc
77; Mississippi 81 and 76.
Washin^on, D. C., Special.—Johm
R. Early, formerly of Lynn, N. C.,
w^ho has been pronounced a leper, and
•n this account has been kept isolated
in a tent ■under the guard of the health
authorities of the District of X^ojum-
bia, declares that he does not now and
never has admitted that he is afflicted
with leprosy. He took a stiff, decided
srtand against the idea of his having
^ep^osy Friday when the physicians
who have charge of his treatment
proposed to inject what is known as
the Nastin treatment, being a series
of injections of a filtrate of leprosy
into hifl body. He said , that he did
Rot have leprosy and that the injec
tion might give it to him.
Dr. W. C. Fowler, of the District
Isealth department, claims, on the
other hand, that he and the othei
physicians who have examined Early
are “absolutely certain” that Early
has leprosy. Says he;
“If Early is not suffering from lep
rosy, no man ever had that disease.
There is no doubt in the world about
his having leprosy, and we infer from
Che fact that he has remained silent
throughout the past month that he is
eonvinced. We appreciate, as much
as Early or an^' one else, what a se
rious thing it would be to isolate a
man unless we were absolutely certain
le was afflicted with leprosy.”
Early insists that there is a mis
take and expresses a desire and an in
tention, if it shall be allowed, of hav
ing himself examined by other physi
cians. Dr. Fowler says further:
“The health office does not deny
iCarly the right to have himself ex
amined by any doctor, scientist,
pathologist, or medical man he may
see fit to employ. He was pronounced
a leper by a doctor who has seen
inndreds of cases. Besides this, the
appearance of his face and body, the
swellings sp characteristic of leprosy,
and the way he tells attending doc
tors how he feels prove beyond any
shadow of a doubt that he is a leper
and should be isolated for the com
mon good.”
Since it has been decided that the
State of North Carolina cannot be
required by law to take care of Early,
and since he has been granted a pen
sion by the Pension Bureau, careful
consideration has been given to the
question as to what shall be done
with him. He is still in his tent over
on the banks of the Potomac river,
near the smallpox hospital, in what
has been term.ed by some an exceed
ingly unhealthful locality, though
there is another opinion about the
healthfulness of the place. His wife
has rented a cottage nearby, and she
visits him every day, spending several
hours talking with him. Guards are
stationed there to see that she does
not come into personal contact with
him, and she is kept under watch,
and will be. So long as she does not
touch him, the authorities say there
is not the slightest danger of con
tagion through her.
The health officials have a plan for
erecting a cottage for Early and his
family, maintining a guard at the
home day and night. It may even
be that Mrs. Early will be permitted
to live with her husband in the same
room, provided she agrees to isolate
herself for the rest of her life. But
the details of the plan have not been
completed yet.” The health officials
realize the great difficulty of keeping
husband and wife apart when they
are determined upon uniting. It is
about as difficult a task as making
husband and wife live with each other
when they do not want to. But they
are turning their minds to the solu
tion of the problem, however difficult.
Early meantime continue to read
his Bible and to philosophize, as has
been his wont since his first segrega
tion.—Zach McGee in Charlotte Ob-
Raleigh, N. C., Special.—The Omp-
peration Commission is informed th^
October 22d is fixed by the Inter»tat«<
Commerce Commission as the date of
the hearing of what is known as th*
freight rate discrimination ease io-
vplving the Norfolk & Western, Iiinua>
ville & Nashville and the Big Fo«r
Railway. They will be heard beforei
the full commission. The State is noft
a party to this suit, which is biongiilr
by the Corporation Commission tha*
the Governor took some aetion in re
gard to appointment of eounseL Th*
following are the attorneys for Hi*
Corporation Commission: Tillett ik
Guthrie, of Charlotte; Mannii^ ft
Foushee, of Durham; Justice'& Broad-
hurst, of Greensboro, and Herbert R.
Norris, of Raleigh. The attorneys for
the railways are: Edward Baxter, for*
the Louisville & Nashville; J. Do
ran and L. H. Cooke, for the NcHrfolk
& Western, and R. W. Moore, for aS
the roads. Besides these Davis ft
Davis and Douglas, Lecky & Thorny
son appear for the Virginia cities e»-
eept Lynchburg, the latter not having
gone into the fight. The other Vir
ginia points are fighting any rcdae-
fton in rate.
Fire Destroys the Sonthem Pacific
Rowd House.
Beaumont, Tex., Special.—Fire late
Wednesday destroyed the Southern
Pacific round house and master me
chanic^s office with a loss to the com
pany of about $200,000. Nine engines
which were in the round house were
consumed together with three freight
cars. “Judge” Croft.s, a colored host
ler, was so badly burned that he wil
die. Several other railroad employes
were burned in trying to save proper
ty, iKit none fatally. The fire wasi
caused by the explosion of a trnk o'
©if.
Hearing Shippers* Appeal
Atlanta, Ga., Special.—^An appedi
from the decision of Judge Ptjrdee,
granting a supersedeas in the case of!
certain Georgia shippers against the
Southern Railway and other lines, al
lowing the railroads to put into ef
fect increased freight rates was ar
gued before the United States Circmt
Court here. When the increased ratea
went into effect the shippers seeurcd
an injunction from Judge Speer re
straining the roads from advancing'
their rates. The railroads then car
ried the matter before Judge Parde^
who granted a supersedeas, setting
aside the injunction granted by Judgft
Speer. Counsel for the shippers ar
gued that when Judge Pardee granted,
the supersedeas he was out of his jur
isdiction, being at the time in Ashe
ville, N. C. No decision was render
ed.
Will Chsdlenge (xrand Jury.
New York, Special.—John F. Mc
Intyre, attorney for Captain Peter CL
Hains, Jr., and his brother, T. Jen
kins Hains, the former held for th®t
murder of William E. Annis, and tha
latter as i\n accessory to it, has served
notice on District Attorney Darrin of
Queens county that he would chaJt-
lenge the array of the grand jury ciBb-
paneled to pass oA the cases of his
clients.
server.
Fifihlng Schooner Destroyed by Fire.
Pensacola, Fla., Special.—The fish
ing schooner Ida, owned im this city,
was destroyed by fire in the Gulf
when gasoline, which had escaped
from the tank, ignited, causing an ex
plosion. The vessel was an auxiliary
yacht of large size. The boat was
about twenty miles at sea and the
crew took to the small boats. They
were picked up and brought into port
later. Ten thousand pcauds of mack-
rel which composed the cargo were
destroyed.
Killed in Family QnarreL '
Philadelphia, Pa., Special—^J. Cla^
ton Erb, captain and regimental qoaiv
termaster of the Third Regiment, Na
tional Guard, of Pennsylvania, wa*
shot and kille*d at his summer homft
near Village Green, Delaware county,
Tuesday night. His sister-in-law,
Mrs. Catherine Beisel, is under arrest
in the Media jail, charged with the
murder. The woman admits that she
did the shooting during a family quaip-
rel.
Russian Robers Murder Twelve.
Tiraspool, Russia, By Cable.—Rob
bers have committed a revolting crimta
in the neighboring village of Slobodze.
They entered the house of a Jewisk
family named Cohen and killed twelve
persons in their efforts to get away
with the small amount of loot. The
murderers v/ere arrested.
Quarantine Against Havana Raised.
Washington, Special.—Recent im
ports having failed to indicate th®
presence of yellow fever in Havana,
Cuba, the public health and marine
hospital service removed the quaran
tine which was established against
that city a few weeks ago. The €|uar-
antine against the province of Saa»
tiago still remains intact.
Presidwit Caetro Serioosly HL
Willemstad, By Cable—^It is report
ed here from Venezuela that PresB:-
dent Castro is seriously ill and that
the government of Venezuela probab
ly soon will have to be turned over
to the vice president of that republic-
The illness of President Castro wa»
confirmed later in the day by passen-
gers from CaracavS, who declai^ him
to be suffering from an affection «
the liver and kidneys. His physa.-
eians have not been able to agree
whether to perform an operatM>n <m
ftOt.