The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-02-21
BOIL WEEVIL PLOT /

wHAT IS SAID N NEW YORK BY
COTTON MEN ABOUT IT.
A Similar Diabolical Scheme Said to
Have Been on Foot Some Seven
Years Ago.
8 What one desperate man might do
to a Southern cotton State with a
single pickle jar full of boil ;weeTils
was the subject recently of specula-
tive interest among several cotton
operators in New York and produced
marked divergence of opinion, says
the New York Sun The debate was
aroused by the report, printed IN a
despatch from Atlanta, Ca, that
Governor-Elect Hoke Smith had re-
ceiyed definite warning of q plot to
scatter boil weevils all over: the State
of Georgia and into South Carolina
to the ruin of the cotton crops of
those two commonwealth.
One operator, who says he is not
In the market now, related that IN
1904 he had received an anonymous
letter from a city in the south say
ing that a certain disreputable char.
acter had collected several salt sacks
full of boil weeviIs and that he in
tended to pass over all the railroad
lines Of the State of Georgia scatter
ing the;bugs out Of the car window.
This he considered alarming intelli-
gence perhaps because he was bear
then. At any rate he got right on
washington train and hurried to the
Office Of Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson.
When Wilson had heard the story
Of the plot he lost no time commun-
icating with Chief Wilkie of the Sc
cret service and the sleuths were un-
leashed. The cotton operator who
had received the anonymous letter
answered it and learned the name
and address Of the man who knew
of the plan to ruin the State of Geor-
gia. He tried to arrange meeting
with his informant, the informant
was agreeable.
Secret service men were stationed
all about the trysting place and the
cotton man went to keep the appoint.
ment. But the secret betrayer OF
the plot did not show up. Neither
did the transplanted boil weevlls
and that was the end of it, except
that Secretary Wilson managed to
have law passed through congress
making 1t felony wiltully to trans
port. harmful parasites from an af-
fected district to one unaffected.
stsThe report from Atlanta says
that it was e. New York man who
tipped of Hoke Smith on the details
Of the plot,'' said this operator.
""Well, I believe that part Of it. It
was New York man, or a group
OF New York men who find them
selves long on cotton and would like
to see the impression gain ground
that we're in for a very short crop,
next year. Let me add that the boil
weevil pest is constantly on the de-
crease s.. 5.s5 y
Z IA group Of cotton operators were
found chatting together In the lobby
Of hotel. All had read the des-
patch from Atlanta, about Governor
Elect Hoke Smiths discovery Of a
plot. 'Now I have no opinion as 10.
whether this story from Georgia Is
true or not, one Of them said. II
am not competent to pass upon that.
T am only able to say that I am sur
prised that the trick has not been
tried already: Why should a man
do It? We'll, let me ask you. Why
does a man commit murder? For
sevenge or profit? There's your
answer.
"a man who would plant boil wee
wills In a territory free of them
would murder his own mother. And
yet how easily 1t could be. done.
Take a desperate man ora man with
no conscience. let him pick g pickle
jar full of male and female weerils
down in Louisiana, say; then he gets
on train and rides into Georgia.
All he has to do Is to open window
in the car when nobody is looking
and chuck the jar of weeyils out
Why, he wouldn't have to uncork it,
even. %
"If a fellow had million bugs,
as the report from Atlanta has 1t,
he could just carry them in a valise
and chuck them out the window by
handfulls as the train went along.
One pickle jar of weeVils would mean
1000 next year and 100000 two
years from now. "Do you think that
man who was long on cotton might
be tempted to do think like that"
was the question that was asked
"Sure, If he was skunk enough
Anybody who wanted to see short
age of the crop might be led to do
the work, but I'd hate to think OF
what would happen to him If they
caught him at it down there" This
informant was told what the op-
orator first quoted had said about
the boil weevil being on the decrease.
He snortad disdainfr1ly