Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-06-02
souTH CAROLINA NEWS.

SOUIH n CHhOLINH NG"S'
Columbia. June |: All doubt that
he fire and life insurance companies
doing business in the state will fight
the payment Of state, county and
school taxes, amounting to over sew
entv-fiye thousand dollars year, on
the ground that these taxes are un-
constitutional, is removed Dy letter
received today by Comptroller General
Jones from General Counsel Mcintosh
of the new York Life, who says that ms
company will not pay for tnls reasoIi'
He will be here tomorrow tor con-
ference with the state officials. Comp
troIler General Jones is preparing at
tachment proceedings against the CO.
lumbia Office furniture Of the COM
pany. This company's taxes amounts
to four thousand dollars year. Jones
finds that the code Of 1902, providing
a penalty of five hundred dollars FOR
violating any chapter and the revoca-
ton license for failure to. pay, was
so amended later as 10 apply the pen,
aIty only to solicitors for unlicensed
companies.
- Columbia State, Saturday: Prac-
tically every county in the state will
be represented in the corn contest
this year. The prizes offered are
very liberal, there being an approprl-
alton of $500 by the state legislature
a national prize and several prizes
offered by some Of the counties. The
record made by this state last year In
the corn contest attracted general
attention and it is certain that some
growing and producing records VIII
be broken. The list Of those enter
ing the race as compiled by Com
missioner Watson are: j. w. Bethea,
Marion; y. l.. Broughton, Pinewood;
Alex Bethea, Marion; w. ID. Caugh-
man, Jr., Lykesland;' VIM. Cooper
Cooper postoffice; A. ]. Clark. Ian
caster: ]. r. Fairy, Fort Motto; J. F.
Garrett, Laurens; j. c. Graham, Jor-
dan: r. H. Hayes, Pages Mill: @. c.
Hatchel, Timmonsyille; ]. ]. Hardy,
Sumter; ]. P. Haselden, Lambert; T.
]. Handle, James Island; b. F. Ken
nedy, Jonesville; c. F. Moore, Che
raw: \. ]. McKinnon, Horrell; w. p.
Pollock, Cheraw; F. c. Rogers, Ma
rion; Frank Rawlinson, Jordan; Jas.
M. Starr, Yorkville; W. B. Stringfel-
low, Chester; ]. A. Sigh, Slighs; W.
T. Thrower, Cheraw; ]. c. Whiting
ton, Horny county; w. M. Webster,
Cowpens; R. B. Watson, Ridge
Springs; D. L. Whitaker, McColl; ]:
w. Waters, Gaffney The list of
4, Clarendon 8, Richland 2, Williams
burg 2, Lancaster /, Calhoun l, Laur-
ems 1, Florence 1, Sumter l, Charles
ton l, Union /, York 2, Chesterfield
8, Chester 1, Newberry l, Horny l,
Spartanburg /, Saluda l, Marlboro /,
Cherokee /, making total OF thirty.
About twenty additional entries have
been filed with the members OF the
state commission resident at Glenn
son.
- Columbia, May 30: Gus Deford,
IL, 10 N
on the high seas bound for London,
and the secret service sleuths, who
have been following him for years,
are counting on nabbing him when
he lands In England. Deford, 1t Will
be recalled, escaped from the train
at Cade's s. c., on the 18th Of Feb
ruary, 1905, while he was being ta-
ken from New York to Charleston in
the custody Of a United States mar
shall and an assistant. His escape
must have been well planned and
timed, and he doubtless had confed-
crates on the train or on the outside,
for he disappeared and all efforts to
recapture him have failed. Now,
however, the authorities think he is
on his way to. London and are pre-
pairing to have him arrested when he
arrives. He will be met with extra
dition papers from the national gov
ernment and the state government OF
South Carolina has also been asked
to take out papers SO that when ne
is brought back to this country he
can be tried on each of the many
charges that are laid against him.
Under the treaty between this coun-
try and Great Britain a criminal 'ex-
tradited can be tried in this country
only on the charges named in the
papers Of extradition, and for this
reason it is necessary to have all the
crimes specified for which the prison.
er is to be held. There are several
postoffice robberies for which DeFord
can be tried in the Federal courts,
but in addition there are several
state indictments against him In this
state and in Massachusetts,. DeFord
was one Of the most daring Of the
gang of safe-crackers who operated
in this state, with headquarters In
Columbia, in the year 1902, nine OF
whom were afterward convicted in
the state courts and sent to the pen
itentiary. One Of the nine, Edward
Duggan, died in the prison. The
gang spent brilliant life in Colum-
bia and left their fame in the tender
loin, where they spent money freely,
a circumstance which led to their
capture. DeFord was one Of the
gang which blew open the mill COM
pany'S safe at Enoree, SpartanburS
county, on November 26, 1902. For
this crime his pals, Tom Nolan and
Charles Howard, were convicted at
Spartanburg last year and sentenced
to ten years each in the state peni-
tentiary, having already served five
years under sentence Of the Federal
court for the same robbery since the
postoffice at Enoree was in the mill
store, The gang got about $4,000
out of this job. The same gang was
also charged with the robbery at
Mullins, the same year, but they
were acquitted when tried at Marion
just before the trial at Spartanburg.
DeFord was also in the safe robbery
at Fort Mill, the same year, and
doubtless there are other crimes for
which he could be tried II all the facts
were known. There Is a reward Of
$3.50 for his capture, and he is adver-
tised as a desperate criminal.