The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-03-11
Secession.

This is a long story told in short,
meter. 1t begins with rottcnness and
ends with hope, and it is told for the
good Of the public.
Fountain Inn ncStles against the
northern border Of Laurens county.
Laurcns county has All efficient rural
policeman, Columbus Owings. Owings
the lives of gamblers, whiskey ped
dlcrs and birds Of that feather who
infested the northern part Of his coun-
ty. To escape his vigilence, these gen
the county line and plying their ne
farious traces in the suburbs Of Foun-
tain Inn.
| Fountain Inn has been blessed with
efficient, at any rate, that the semi
professional gamblers have preferred
the safety of various pieces Of woods
just outside the town limits.
The scullions OF Iaurcns county,
and the hoodlums Of our own nativity,
gather each Sunday just outside the
zone of police protection, and gamble
sell and drink whiskey, and fight.
The respectable citizens OF Fountain
! Inn, desiring to stop these practices,
| appealed last year TO the Grccnvilc
delegation for the appointment Of a
local man to a place in the rural po
lice force.
The members Of the delegation could
not agree among themselves. and after
considerable squabbling turned cold
shoulder TO Fountain Inn.
Meantime the members Of the in
sufficient rural force were busy
around Grcenville, under Sheriff Rec
tors orders, cleaning up the suburbs
OF that city. 1t is worth noting, how
impossible to clean up the citys red
light district until just before the
| passage of Haynsworth' rural police
measure at this session Of the assem-
bly,.
Whatever the shoriff and force may
have been doing, no great effort was
| made to scrape the mud from Fountain
Inns skirts, and when Fountain Inn
people learned that Iiaynsworth' dill
providing for six rural police was
likely to pass, an effort was made to
have the towns necessity and rights
recognized
One Of the most prominent men Of
the town was sent to Columbia to con-
fer with the delegation, and urge the
towns case. This gentleman talked
with every member Of the delegation.
Senator Earle and four members Of the
lower house pledged themselves fatty
and unhcsitatingly to elect Fountain
Inn man.
When the envoy returned to Foun-
tain Inn he quoted. as nearly as pos
sible, the exact language Of each Of
the pledged members Of tho delegation.
There could be no doubt in the mat
ter Fountain Inn would get nrotec-
ton for her suburbs.
"Wednesday mornings paper an
nounccd tho election of the six mem
bers and chief Of the newly created
forcc-and Fountain Inn was left out.
No man within striking distance Of
Fountain Inn had been put on the
force.
One OF two things had happened.
Either two OF the five pledged mem
bors Of Greenville's delegation had
lied, or the two unplcdged members
using shot guns and ball bats-had
forced the faint-hearted five to break
their promises.
In either case the result was the
same.
Two hours after the morning pa
pers were received, number OF the
best men OF the town met, without
blare OF trumpets, and discussed tho
matter. The envoy to Columbia was
among them to report in detail again.
After considerable comment, the
chairman OF the meeting spoke sub
stantially as follows: "Greenville city
rules Greenville county. Greenville
county's delegation unfailingly favors
the city to the exclusion OF other sec