Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-15
ARREST 8FARMERS
IN BIG COTTON WAR
Arkansas Officials AIIege
Prisoners Conspired to
Burn Gins.

Associated Press Eight white farm
ers have been arrested near Baldknob.
White county, by Sheriff Tatum Plant
and Dputy L. r. Plant. Ali eight are
charged with conspiring to destroy
cotton gins, the owners of which re-
ceived warnings to close until the
price of cotton is higher.
Deputy Sheriff Plant said over long
distance telephone that all eight have
confessed and implicated others He
said many additional arrests We're ex
pected
We are just beginning our work
hut we have gone far enough to dis
cover that these men are in wide
spread plot to destroy property and
TO do violence" he said.
. Practically every gin in White
county has been posted with notices
warning the owners that unless the
plants are closed they will be burned.
Thus far only one has closed.
Alleged night riders early yesterday
fired a barn on the =. w. Mathews plan
tation near Clarendon. destroying a con-
siderable quantity of cotton, corn and
hay. Thirty placards warning planters
not 10 pick cotton had been found in
Various parts of Monroe county and
turned over to Sheriff Malone.
COLUMBIA. S. c., October 10
Definite efforts to round up any persons
threatening to burn cotton gins in South
Carolina. If there be such persons, were
begun today by w. A. McSwain, insur-
ance commissioner, who called in his in
spcCtorS in preparation to their invasion
of the threatened sections today.
We are going after the alleged vio-
lators to the full extent of the law"
MIR. McSwain said this afternoon.
His force of inspectors will be added
to and the men hurried to the sections
where the threats have been most con-
spicuous. These sections include Oconee.
Anderson and other Piedmont counties
and Richland and Lee counties, in the
middle part of the state. Every possible
effort will be made to ferret out the
source of the threats to burn the gins
unless they close down. pending a rise
in the price of cotton.
These threats have been widely
scattered over the cotton belt. and
some gin houses in South Carolina
have been posted and ordered to close
under pain of burning.
Gov Cooper in a letter to Mr.. Nc
Swain Wednesday asked the commits
sion if his department could not in
vestigate the threats. and Mr. Nc
Swain Immediately began the inves-
tigation.
Cotton Substitute Forecast.
YORK. S. c.. October 15.-If the
price of cotton goes any lower south
ern farmers will cease to grow it, and
the ChelulStS OF the WOrl0 VIII be
called upon to find a substitute for
cotton. as they have for the silk
worm. it was predicted here yester-
day by DR.. Roy Thomas. professor of
chemistry at Winthrop College. Rock
Hill. S. c.. in an address before the
local branch of the American Cotton
Association. Artificial silk. he said.
has practically superseded the silk
worms product.
- LAURENS. S. c. October 15-The
ginnery at Lanford station twelve
miles north of Laurens. was given
warning to close down after October
90 AS at Mountville. where the GIN
merry was posted Tuesday night by
unknown parties, no attention has
been paid to the threats and the gins
were in operation at both place to-
day.
% MACON. Ga. October 15-The re-
fusal of farmers to sell their cotton
is responsible for the Central of
tieorgia PHilroad removing three
Trains week from its local service
between Macon anG Americas, it was
announced officially here.
=. UNION. S. c., October 15.-All cot
ton mills - this county will be shut
down on Fridays and Saturdays. eff
fective today. for an indefinite period
.. Approximately 5000 operatives will
be affected and the loss in pay rolls
has been estimated at around $4,000
Market conditions were assigned as
the reason for the shorter time.
y. More Gins Destroyed.
80 WICHITA FALLS. Tex. October Is.
Fire early yesterday destroyed the
]. 3. Jamison cotton gin here The
loss was estimated at 1000.
.>AUSTIN. Tex, October 15-Fire
which destroyed a compress and cot
ton valued at a million dollars at
Cameron. Tex. Sunday was of in
.cendiary origin, according to the re-
port of G. S. Iredell inspector of the
Texas fire insurance commission. sub
United to the state fire marshal An
agent of the United States Depart
ment of Jusice. who also investigated
the fire. declared he found no evidence
of incendiagism-
OCILLA, Ga. October IA clash
between Joseph w. Bats prominent
farmer, and Reason Roberts. ten
ant. at cotton gin here, in which
pistol and club were used. resulted
in the death of Bats yesterday. Rob-
erts is held on u charge of murder