davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
Pisgah News and Comment.

Pisgah, March Notwithstanding
the long wet weather the farmers are
fairly up with their work. Corn
planting. is about over, and the pre-
paration for planting cotton, OF more
precisely and accurately speaking, the
planting of cotton seed, will now go
forward.
Yesterday we had rain storm all
day, and the ground is thoroughly
wet; so blowing is delayed some time.
The Hessian fly, or whatever is the
name of the pest, is playing havoc
with the oats. Acres of fine oats are.
dead and what bid fair to be the finest
crop we have had for years, will be
the poorest if this thing keeps on.
Possibly, the warm winter has had
something to do with it. Several have.
tried to stop the flies by putting soda
and cerealite on the oats, but see as
yet no cessation of the ravishers.
Rev. J. G. Crouch spent several days
here last week visiting friends. From
here he vert to Orangeburg to visit,
his son, Prof Crouch.
Miss Maggie Myers, and Nh. Conrad
Folk of Providence attended services
at Pisgah last preaching day. Miss
Maggie has many friends here who are
always glad to see her.
Pisgah Church will soon commence
to repair its church building. The
demand for shingles here is way be-
yond the supply, and any good single
getter can get steady and remunerative
employment here for sometime to
come. Building and repairing is going
on all the time.
The health of this section is very
good. A few cases of grippe is about
the sum of the sick list. =
Mr.. Hugh H. Evans has been quite
sick with it, but is better.
Considerable tobacco will be set out
here. If the raisers can only realize
what they now hope for they will be
we'll to do people, but in the face of
the advice from leading tobacconists
not to plant much as the stock on hand
is large and a big crop will sell at low
prices, the fable in Webster's blue
spelling book of the girl with the pail
of milk on her head/will be very ap-
plicable to our friends next fall.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
The FREELAND DIVORCE SUIT.
Court Refuses to Annul the Hasty
Marriage.
Deception no Bar to the Legality of a
Marriage.

Points from a decision by Mr.. JUS
tice Mclean:
"That he was fine looking man, and
above all very honorable and. honest
looking; that be went to church re-
gularly every Sunday during his WOO
ing, seemed to be religious and seemed
to be of very high character, and that
in the view Of near relative OF the
plaintiff he was a man of very pro-
possessing appearance, looked like
thorough gentleman and man of the
world who had plenty of means to sup
port himself and also wife, are only
showings of the sort upon which, truly,
according to learned and even high
ecclesiastical authority the worlds
people commonly act, but which can
not be counted as proofs in the courts
which might render precarious many a
union now respected were they once to
begin opening wedlock because of
deceit through plausibility and hypo
crisy. -
That deception is no bar to the
legality of marriage is the gist of
Justice McLean's decision yesterday in
the suit of Eliza II. Wickes Freeland
to annul her marriage with Captain"
Albert N. Freeland.
Mrs. Freeland is a daughter of the
late Van Wyck Wickes, of Brooklyn,
and a relative of Augustus Van Wyck
and ex-Mayor Van Wyck.
Mrs. Freeland is now living in East
Orange, and in her affidavit told Of
her romantic meeting with Freelano
on transatlantic liner. 1t was case
of love at first sight. Freeland call,
ed himself Captain Foster" it is
alleged.
He was a persistent suitor, and Miss
Wicks consented to wedding as soor
as practicable after the ship had dock
ed in New York.
Had it been possible Captain Eos
ter'' would have insisted upon marri.
age while on the ship.
The captain" was dashing wooer
He represented himself to be bachelor
of Los Angeles. without martial o.
other membranes, in receipt OF {
large income. and was apparently {
man of the world of most pleasing ap
pearance. He not only posed as {
capitalist, but as a churchman OF de
vout habits.
g As soon as the ship reached port
Miss Wickes and her persistent suitol
we're married in Garce Church, Octo
Der l6, 1901.
Within a short time after the mar
rage Freeland disappeared. Abou
the same time Albert E. Wickes
brother of the bride, discovered tina
this brother-in law was Captain
Albert N. Freeland and that his wife
had but recently died in Sumter, S,
c., and that Freeland had grown chill
dren living there.
! In his decision Justice Mclean sale
] that the assertion by man that ht
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD.
Levee Breaks and Yazoo Delta
Flooded.
GREYASsE NEAR GREENVlLLE.
Conditions on the Lower Missis-
sippi Give Cause for Concern
Feeling of Depression Exists.

Greenville, Miss, March 27.-A
volume of water 16 feet deep is pouring
steadily through crevasse in the
levee five miles south Of here and is
flooding thousands of acres of the finest
farming land in the celebrated Yazoo
delta.
The break in the levee occurred at II
o'clock this morning and the roar OF
the rushing waters can easily be heard
in Greenville. Only 200 feet of the
embankment gave way at first, and a
mighty effort was made by hundreds of
laborers in charge of the government
engineers to check the rushing food by
cribbing and sacking, but it was soon
apparent that it was beyond human
power successfully to combat the resist
less fury of the current. An hour later
it was seen that the ends of tae levee
on either side of the crevass we're melt
ing fast, the force of the current cut
ting the embankment away as though
it were built of sand.
Tonight the backwater has reached
this city, but it is believed there is no
danger here from the food, as the
water will pass rapidly to the south
ward.
Maj. John M. Sears, who has charge
of the government Office here in the
absence of Capt: Potter, of the Third
levee district, who is i'll, in an inter
view tonight stated that the break is
unquestionably the worst in the history
of the levee system. He says the en-
tire delta south as far as Vicksburg
will be inundated and the fine farm
ing lands in Washington, Bolivar and
Sharkey counties will be under water
for more than two weeks.
This is the first break to be report
ed on the Mississippi side since the
present rise began. Reports from the
interior are very meagre, but it IS
believed the people were fully prepared
for break, and the loss of life, if
any, will be reduced to minimum:
Another break on the Mississippi
side is reported in the Albemarle levee,
in lower Issaquena county, but IN
formation from there is that the dam
age from this break will not be heavy.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

We find the following in a special
from Lancaster to the News and
Courier:
"The court of general session was
held last week. The solicitor, j. K.
Henry, did one thing which attracted
public attention. He arose from his
seat and stated that he was going to
mol pros an Indictment against negro
where the evidence might be sufficient
for conviction, on the ground that the
prosecution had been started with a
bad motive, on the ground that 1t
was done to force him to pay debt.
Mr.. Henry made quite speech at the
time, and said that he had observed
growing evil, not only in this county,
but in other counties in this circuit,
and that was that good mon, so re-
garded, were using the criminal law
to collect debts, and that they were
compounding felonies to this end and
making themselves thereby as-gullty
as the felors against whom they had
started prosecution. Mr.. Henry stated
that he believed that good men in
some instances were thoughtlessly doing
this, and he gave warning by public
announcement that the pursuit of this
practice had to be stopped. -
The evil which Solicitor Henry has
found in Lancaster exists in other
parts of the State and seems to be grow
ing. 1uere is an increasing tendency
to use the criminal law in the collec-
tion of debts, and it is becoming a
very great evil Of course there are
people who will cot pay debts unless
forced to do so, and sometimes it seems
that the only way to reach them is
through the criminal court. For that
class of people there can be no sym
pathy of course, but the practice that
has sprung up is a very dangerous one
and frequently leads to abuses.
We are glad Solicitor Henry has had
the courage to speak out on this subject
and it is to be hoped that his example
will be followed by others.
Mail
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
OUR NEW SCHOOL BONDS.

The new School Building bonds
offered for sale By the City Board Of
Education ought to sell very readily.
The rate of interest they bear is pei
cent and under the Act of the Legisla,
ture authorizing their issue they are
made nom taxable for any purpose by
state, county or municipality. They
will therefore be worth from to s pei
cent, or more, according to rate OF
taxation prevailing at the purchasers
home. They are straight 20-year bonds
there is no option reserved for re-
demption at any shorter period than
the twenty years, which is always an
attractive feature to bond buyers.
But the chief attraction will be the
security upon which the issue is based,
which makes them "gilt-edged" and
absolutely safe so far as human fore
sight can perceive.
The City of Sumter and the School
District of the same name cover pre-
cisely the same territory. But they
are two separate and distinct muni-
cipal corporations, and both exercise
the taxing power within the limits pre-
scribed by the laws of the state. The
constitution provides that where two
political divisions or municipal corpor-
ations cover the same territory their
combined power to issue bonds shall
not exceed fifteen per cent of taxable
property within such territory.
The assessed value of our property
on the tax books is one and a-half mil
lion dollars. Three millions would be
low estimate of actual values. There
is steady, healthy increase of popu-
lation and property without any boom
or buster. The census of 1900 gave US
5,673 people. A conservative estimate
of present population is 1000. New
buildings are going up in all directions;
price of real estate has steadily ad-
vanced and finds ready sale at figures
that we're considered unreasonably
large year ago.
The bonded debt of the school Dis
trict is only s31, 900 including the pre-
sent issue of s15, 900. The bonded city
debt is s26, 600 making a combined
total of $4,000.
The value of public property pri-
marily subject to the bonded debts is
not less than $50, OF this value at
least $40, 600 is, and will be represented
in school property including the new
building, for erection of which the
money derived from the bonds will be
exclusively applied. Besides this
security in real estate, the interest
and principal is further secured by
special tax levy. Our laws require that
a sinking fund shall be provided with
all bond issues, so that they shall
not be reissued, but shall be paid at
maturity. It ought not to be neces-
sary to send these bonds out Of the
state for sale. They will be worth
more to resident purchasers than to
purchasers elsewhere, because of their
exemption from all taxation in South
Carolina.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

Ten years ago James r. keene had
lost great fortune in a contest with
Jay Gould and was bankrupt. Now
he is said to be worth from So, 900, 600
to s25, 600, 000 Nowadays he has an
elegant suite of rooms in the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel from which he conducts
his speculations.
Keene married Miss Sarah Danger
field (the daughter of Virginian who
had gone to California to visit her
brother, Judge William P. Dainegr-
field, of the United States Circuit
Court, and where she met Mr. keene.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
Senator McLaurin Will Return to
South Carolina.
Special to The State.

Special to The State.
Washington, March 31.-John L.
McLaurin, ex-senator from South
Carolina, has decided to return to
the State and resume the practice of
law. McLaurin has been in New York
for some time past in the hope of
establishing himself there, but his
schemes have failed and he will go
south again. 1t is not known whether
Mr.. McLaurin will reside in BENEFITS
vile, his former home, or not, but his
friends here are inclined to think that
he may establifh himself in the upper
part of the State, probably in Green
Vile.
The idea that he may again enter
politics is not considered improbable.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

The farmers meeting to be held in
the Court House on April 10Th should
be attended by as many farmers as
possible. The time will be we'll spent
for the addresses by Profs. Spillman
and Newman cannot fail to be inter
esting and beneficial. The object of
the meeting is to arouse interest in
TIE cultivation Of grasses and forage
plants.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

Now that it has reached the point
that railroad traffic can be blocked for
several hours and tho business of
hundreds of people interfered with to
suit the convenience Of a son OF a rail
road president out OF pleasure trip, 1T
is time for the people to demand
government ownership of the railroads.
Shameful to relate, but nevertheless
true, serious and corrupt abuses are
beginning to creep into this States
pension system. There seems to be a
regular scramble to get on the
pension rolls and the deserters, con-
scripts, bombproof men and others
who shirked honorable service in the
war, are the most clamorous for pen
sions. The really deserving among
the needy old soldiers are being crowd
ed out and the pittance they receive
is not sufficient to do them much good.
In this county conscientious effort
has been made to keep the undeserv-
ing off the rolls, but, even here, it is
said the rolls contain names that have
no right there.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

acres of the fine delta farms and are
sweeping south to Vicksburg. The
loss will be heavy, but it is impossible
to give anything like correct estimate
of the damage wrought by the food.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

was unmarried while in fact be was
widower with grown children did not
establish a legal impediment to anoth-
er marriage.-N. Y. American,
March 81.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

The Sumter Wctcanaam vas founded
! 1850 aud the True Soashrosa in 1866.
The Waschmaaa oad Sosahron now has
che combined circulation and influence
Of both of the old papers, and is mani
eessly the best advertising medium in
Samter.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

Governor Odell is going to the st.
Louis fair in great shape. His per-
sonal escort will consist of an entire
regiment and the State of New York
will foot bill for $50, 600
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

New cases of yellow fever have been
reported from several villages IN
Yucatan, causing great alarm. 1t was
said short time ago that the disease
had run its course, but it is now tax,
ing a new hold and covering a wide
field.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

If the people OF Charleston can keep
Dr.. Crum out Of the Custom House by
appealing to the court they should lose
no time in seeking the only means of
relief now possible.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

Admiral Dewey has killed his chance
of hobnobbing with the Kaiser, la
Bob Evans, if he should ever go to
Germany on naval iunket.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
Your Easter Suit.

Let us show you our line of clothing.
1t will pay you to get our prices before
purchasing.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01

a court marital in the English Army
must be a serious affair, otherwise
Gen. Macdonald would not have COM
mitted suicide to escape it. American
officers on the Philippines, commit
murder, steal, torture natives in the
most barbarousNmanner, live immoral
and vicious lives and still face court
martial with nayer tremor or fear.
They go through the form of trial with
brazen and unblushing efrontery and
stand pat to be whiteWahsed. Later
they are promoted and given wider
latitude and greater opportunities.
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
The effort of Comptroller General

The effort OF Comptroller General
Jones to force the building and loan
associations to pay taxes on the mort
cages they hold should be resisted in
and outof the courts, for it would be
not only double tax. but an Unjust
tax. The building and loan associa-
tions are purely mutual affairs and in
reality never have dollar of paid up
capital stock, for as fast as the mem
bers pay IN their monthly assessments
the receipts are paid out to the several
members in turn. The bonds and
mortgages are taken not to secure the
repayment of the total OF the sums
loaned, but the payment of the regular
assessments as they become due. Ii
share holder borrows money from
the association and builds a house
with it, ne pays taxes Oh the house.
The association should not be forced
to pay taxes on the mortgage at all,
not to say the face value, for the maker
Of this mortgage, who is already pay.
ing taxes on his house, may have al
ready paid into the association three
iourths the face value of the mortgage
before he borrowed money in his turn.
The day the final payment is made
to the association the mortgage is con-
celled and as taxable scredit'' ceases
to exist. Why then should the State
force mutual ASSOCIATION to pay taxes
ON the face of all credits when this
credit in reality is largely the property
of the maker Of tie mortgage, who is
paying taxes on the real property?
The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-04-01
A Growing Evil.

We find the following in special
from Lancaster to the News and
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-03
SCIENCE SETTINGS.

The suns flames spring at times to
distance of $4,000 miles from its sur
face.
In dry air sound travels Lap feet
per second, in water 1900 feet and in
iron 800 feet.
The amplitude of vibration of the
diaphragm of the telephone receiver in
reproducing speech is about the one
twenty-millionth of an inch.
Fresh air contains about three parts
of carbonic acid in 10000, respired air
about AL parts, and about five parts
will cause the air of a room TO become
"close."
Holophane glass is a pressed glass
resembling cut glass, having vertical
prisms on the inside for diffusing the
light and horizontal prisms on the out
side for directing the light.
The following are found to be the
densities of the planets, water being l.
Mercury, 3; Venus, 5,14; earth, $50;
moon, 3.34; Mars, 4; Jupiter, 1.35; Sa-
turn, 0.GS; Uranus, 1.G9; Neptune, 2.29
The star Arcturus, the hottest of ce
lestial bodies, gives us as much heat
as q standard candle six miles away.
This fact was ascertained by the ra-
diometer, an instrument which will
show the amount of heat given off
from mans face at 1000 feet dis
tancp
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-03

On Thanksgiving evening the MEM
bers of st. Marks church gave their
pastor donation party.
The company was led by John Ault,
who came to the parsonage door, call
ed out the pastor and told him he had
q couple that wanted to get married.
We of course, told him to bring them
on, when to our surprise there came
marching along quite a procession
that nearly filled the parsonage.
The friends brought ontheir should
ers, in baskets, in their arms and in
their hands corn, potatoes. flour, cab
bage, meat, sausage, groceries, canned
fruit, etc.
Bro Daniel Hinebaugh in touching
words made the presentation speech
to which the pastor replied in short
address.
After short social intercourse the
the friends departed leaving and TAX
ing with them happy hearts, followed
by thesprayers of the pastor for Gods
blessing ON the kind donors.
Bro. John Ault will be held to his
engagement,
MANGEs.
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-03
DECEMBER FULL OF WEATHER.
Hicks Says that Thunder Storms Will Come
In Christmas Month.

According to Rev. Ira Hicks pre-
dictions December will be month of
varied weather, ranging from possible
thunder storms at one period of the
month to billiards at other periods.
The month will open with high
barometer and weather changing to
very cold, but about the 4th the
weather will change to warmer and
will be succeeded by wide areas of
snow and rain sweeping across the
country between the 4th and 18th.
The rain storms will be followed bv
change to colder weather and posi-
bly, blizzard conditions may result
The second storm period of the
month will be central on the 10th and
18th, on which dates there will be a
rapid rise in temperature and winter
thunder storms may result to the
southwark. from the 10th to the 18th
high winds and heavy rain storms
will visit most parts of the country.
Much colder weather will follow on
the heels of these storms and heavy
snow fails may be looked for in north
ern parts of the country.
The third storm period of the month,
central on the 18th, will bring a deci-
ded change to warmer weather with
falling barometer and renewed rain
and snow. About the 10th the rain
Will turn to blizzardous snow in west
ern and northern parts of the country
and cold wave will come eastward
and southwark from the northwest
making itself felt over most parts of
the country between the 10Th and
21st.
The fouth storm period, reaction
AIRY period, will be central on the 22d
and 23d and about this time rain and
snow storms will become very general
and threatening and sleety weather
will prevail up to the last week in the
month, during which especially heavy
storms may be expected The last
period OF the month extends from the
25th to the end of the month and is
central on the 28th.
EAbout the Goth it will grow much
warmer and possibly thunder storms
may prevail. Changing rapidly from
the eth to the 30th some of the hard
est winter storms of the month will
visit most parts of the country.
This is time says the Rev. Hicks,
when northwestern billiards should
be apprehended and when all con-
cerned should be on guard both for
themselves and for their live stock.
Even central to southern states will
feel the bOreal force of the storms"
The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-12-03
He Was ON the Soup"

Mon ami" said the Marquis de
Croisic the other day, the hotel keep
ers life is an unhappy one. If he does
not look to the least little detail the
whole thing goes-what do you call it,
All, yes, on the blink.
Here is example OF what l say.
When l had the Logerot, there was
once a dinner there at which Chauncey
Depew was Il guest. l told the chef to
put in the menu some dish in honor of
him, and forgot to look at the menu
before it went to the printer.
What do you think that imbecile of
chef had done? There
And the marquis produced an old
menu card on which among the
'soupes" appeared the following:
"Puree de marrons la Depew."