Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-11-18

MaleklnS anu LauySmlIn, ana tnaG at
last accounts all of these towns were
holding out against the Beers. Stories
reached London on Thursday to the
effect that General Piet Joubert, COM
mander.in chief Of the Boer forces,
was killed while storming Ladysmith
on November 8. On that day the
Boer rihemen advanced within 1,500
yards of the city, and if General Jou-
bert was with them he was in easy
range. The story of General Joubert's
death finds many believers and many
doubters. II it is fact that the gen
eral is killed the loss is severe one
to the Beers.
- The most sensational stories are
coming by steamer and by cable from
the East concerning the probable i'm
minence of war between Russia and
Japan. The North China Daily News,
which arrived at Victoria, British COL
umbia, by steamer last Sunday, says
that Chinese merchants of the north
ern part of the empire are moving their
families to Shanghai and elsewhere in
the south for safety in the event of
hostilities. The Russian minister at
Seoul has demanded the apportion-
ment of spheres of influence in Korea,
and to this japan is bitterly opposed.
A London dispatch says that "hurry
orders" have been received for the
early completion of the japanese bat
tleship, now building on the Clyde,
and under contract to be ready on
January l. This is thought to be the
result of the increasing tension. A
Shanghai correspondent of the London
Daily Mail, says that Notwithstanding
all that is being said to the contrary,
there is no doubt of the fact that there
is an alliance between Japan and Rus
sia.
- Says a New Haven, Conn.,, dis
patch to the Chicago Tribune: A
startling statement relative to the
blowing up of the Maine is telegraphed
home by Francis Atwater, newspa-
per owner, who is in Havana to start
newspaper, aud who is now secretary
of the Red Cross society there. Mr..
Atwater cabled home today: 81 have
Just learned from a detective that he
is on the trail of the men who blew
up the United States battleship Maine
in the Havana harbor on February Is,
1898. One of the guilty parties, accord
ing to my informant, claims he has not
been treated right and offers to turn
states evidence if he is paid SIS, 900 to
$4,000, so that he can live in seclusion
in some foreign country the remainder
of his life, as he we'll knows that in
Cuba or the United States he would not
he allowed to live an hour. This man
claims that there were seven or eight
of them in the plot, some of them now
being in the United States and the
others here" Mr.. Atwater is owner
of The Meriden Journal and promi-
nent in local business circles. He has
been in Havana for several months,
looking after business interests.
- The statistician of the department
of agriculture, in q report sent to the
press last Tuesday, says that the fact
that the preliminary official estimate
of the cotton crops several times has
turned out to be an underestimate, and
has been due in every instance to a
failure to keep pace with the rapid ex-
pansion of the productive area.
When, therefore, the very large crop of
last year made it manifest that the
acreage had increased beyond both
official and almost all commercial es-
Inmates, it was determined to institute
a special and very thorough investiga-
ton into the entire crop situation this
year. The productive area last year
is found to have been %, 600, 900 acres,
and that for the presant year to be
about 23,500,000 acres, with a proba-
bility that the final returns will show
the present acreage to have been below
rather than above the amount stated.
The investigation discloses one Of the
smallest average yields per acre in
many years, and in estimating the to-
tai crop at a maximum of $500, 900
bales, a substantial and most ample al
lowance has been made for any ten
dency to take too pessimistic view of
the situation, the actual indications at
the present moment pointing to a crop
of less than 100000 bales. The re-
port further says. "In his capacity as
cotton expert to the United States
commission, the statistician has had
the preparation of the United States
cotton exhibit for the Paris exposition,
and his duties in that connection have
afforded him additional facilities for
ascertaining the actual condition of
the crop in every part of the country.
The unimpeachable evidence that has
come tn him in that capacity is in
every way confrmatory of the most
unfavorable official reports"
- Now that General Otis has suffi-
cient troops, what is hoped to be the
last campaign of the war is being
pushed with the greatest vigor. Last
week columns started out from Manila
under Generals Lawton, Wheaton, Nc
Arthur and Young. All are thorough
ly equipped, and its their expectation,
as has already been suggested, to
round up the Filipino armies in the
northern part of Luzon. An unusual
ly hot battle was fought at San Jacin-
TO last Saturday by the forces under
General Wheaton and about $4,000
Filipinos who had been placed to pro.
tect the retreat Of Aguinaldo. The
Fiipinos opened fire from the tree
tops and from a series of intrenchments.
The American troops did not waver,