fpjje JlcmliX price one dollar per tear. "TRUE TO OURSELVES, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR GOD." single copiek three opfct?. YOL. 20. SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 1<>, 1901. NO. 23. U. S. CROP REPORT. Unfavorable Conditions East of Rockies. Late Corn Improving;-Cotten Improv ing in Central and Eastern Por tion of Belt?Destructive Freshets in the Carolinas. Washington, August 18.?The Agricultural Department today issued its weekly summary of crop conditions. It follows:" "The week ending Augntt 1$ has been of very favorable temp erature conditions in the dis tricts east of the Rocky Moun tains, with beneficial rains over a large part of the drought area. Drought, however, continues in the (>hio Valley and in portions of Tennessee and the upper lake region, while excessive rains have caused destructive freshets in the Carolinas and proved injurious in portions of Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Extremely hot weather iu the interior of Cal afornia caused rapid ripening of fruit and serious injury to grapes in some places. "Late corn has experienced material improvement in the States of Mississippi and Mis souri and in Kentucky and Tenn essee, and with favorable temper ature conditions In September the yield in the Missouri Valley will be larger than indicated by previous reports. In Ohio, Indi-J ana and central and southern j Illinois the condition of the crop has further deteriorated, epecial ly in southwestern Ohio. In the Atlantic coast district corn hits made excellent progress. "Rams have interrupted the, spring wheat harvest, which,; however, is nearly finished over the southern portion of the' spring wheat region, and caused lodging in portions of North Da kota, where the grain is reported as shrunken and heads sot well filled, as a result of late excessive heat. The wheat harvest on the north Pacific coast is in active progress, with yields exceeding expectations. "Further improvement in the condition of cotton is generally reported from the central and eastern portions of cotton belt, although rust and shedding are more or less indicated, especially in Georgia. Florida and portions of Alabama, where too much rain has fallen in localities. Over much of the western part of the aottou belt and in portions of the central districts cotton is suffering for rain, and thedrougbt region of Texas is failing rapidly. Picking is hi general progress in Texas except in the northern ?counties. In the middle Atlantic States and New England tobac co has made favorable progress except in portions of Maryland, where the crop on lowlands has been injured by too much rain, in Kentucky and in portions of Tennessee the crop is greatly im proved, but in southwestern Ohio it has been seriously damaged by drought. "All reports from districts east of the Rocky Mountains indicate an extremely light and inferior apple crop, although the outlook is slightly improved in Kansas and Missouri. "Plowing for fall seeding lias made very favoraole progress except in the Ohio Valley, where the soil is too dry-." CAROLINA CROP CONDITIONS. The Pnst Week H?s Shown Consid erable Improvement. The weekly crop bulletin for tiie week endingAugust 12th. says; "The past week was character ised by very heavy rains from Monday to Wednesday, inclusive, which were followed by fair, warm and very favorable weather. The rainfall averaged nearly 3.00 above the normal, but was very beneficial in nearly all the coun ties of t.lip eastern district, along the northers border of the State, i and in the extreme west, where! the drought was generally bro-; kea and crops mate.dally im proved; in the southern portion, J however, the heavy rains washed cotton and corn lands badly in some localities, and resulted in heavy treshets with overflow of lowlands and some damage to stacked hay and other crops. The floods in the larger rivers culminated on the 9th. The tem perature average about 2 degrees above the normal for the week. On the whole the reports of corre spondents were generally favora ble and indicate improved pros pect* as far as may now be ufter a season so uniformly bad as the present one. ''Cotton improved generally during the week; late cotton was revived, is vigorous and will reach sufficient size to give agood yield with a late autumn; old cotton seems to be holding its fruit well, and very few reports of shedding have been received, but the bolls are still scattering on the plants, it may be said that in some sec tions wheie the crop was well worked cotton will be good, in most others fair to very poor. "'Corn has come out better than expected; a great deal of corn was planted very late, and it now looks very well, except on bot tootn lands, where crops are practically non-existent; fodder is ripening. Some improvement in the growth of late tobacco oc curred; cutting and curing con tinued during the week. Field peas and sweet potato vines are fine. Peanuts promises full crop, will be ready for digging soon. Turning land for wheat is pro gressing slowly; turnipsare being1 sown and the seeds are sprouting nicely. Special reports on the apple crop indicate a poor yield almost everywhere; apples are knotty and not weli formed, are rotting or falling before maturi ty, and the need of spraying was manifest this season. The early ihay crop was saved in good con dition, but rains and freshets in jured some of the late crop; a large amount of peavine hay will be made later in tlve season." His Crop 225,000 Bushels. Elkton, Md., Aug. 10.?Cap tain Andrew VVoodall, the grain king of the Eastern shore of Maryland, who owns HO of the farms in Cecil and Kent counties, aggregating probably 15,Q00 to 18,000 acres of the finest lands in the two counties, estimates the wheat crops on these farms this year a* 100,(Kit) bushels. His corn crop is esti mated at 125000 bushels, mak ing the total ot 225,(H)0 bushels of grain grown in one year. If shipped by rail this grain, with the usual average of about 750 bushels to the car, would re quire 300 cars, or 200 trains of 15 ears each, to convey it to market. Captain Woodall is 82 years old and resides at George town, on the Sassafrass River. Notwithstanding his advanced age he gives every detail of his varied business his personal at tention. On his farms are about 200 head of horses and 400 head of fine cattle. Captain VVoodaH when a young man was employed as a farm hand. He is now a millionaire. A hew .figures. An effect of Germany's trade collapse is disclosed by our ex- i port statistics for June. In June, 1900, the shipments to that country were valued at #12,- 1 681,910, and month before last they amounted only to #10,911, 837. On the other hand, our imports from Germanv increased from #6,625,181 to #7,769,849. 1 The imports did not increase ! from May to June, but the ex ports decreased from #16,106, 775. of the loss, onlr a third was represented by the inevitable ' shrinkage in the value of the cot ton shipments.?Asheville Citi zen. l Sunday night near Jackson. < Miss., Fredrick VVestbrook and 1 Robert Groin, two yonng men i who had been paying attention ' to a young lady, met on the pub- 1 lie road while W est brook was i taking the yonng ladv to church. ] A duel folqwed iu which West- ! brook was killed. Groin niter- 1 ward committed suicide. j STATE NEWS. snort Items of interest Culled From our State Exchanges. It is reported that ex-Senator Butler will build a ro'ton mill at his home at Elliot, in Sampson county. Three Covered bridges have been swept awav in Cha' ham county by the high waters of ltocky River. This week in I'itfe county Tur ner Sugg shot and instantly killed Ernest Williams. Both are colored. Sugg was captured and lodged In jail. Horses are dying by scores in Hyde county from a disease called "staggers." They live from si,\ to 2d hours after the disease manifests itself. The 13 months' old child of A. A. Nichols, of near Tarboro, was drowned Sunday by falling head foremost into a bucket (if water, while alone in the house. On August 1, every negro mag istrate in the State went out of office. They were appointed by the fusion Legislature of aud their terms expired August 1. Ten prisoners broke out of ja?l at New Berne Sunday, leaving 11 more in prison. Court convenes there next week but the absence of so many prisoners will make it rather uninteresting. Charles B. Aycock, Jr., eldest s?n of Governor Aycock, died at the Wilson Sanitarium last Sat in-day after a two weeks' illness. He was in his eighteenth year. He was buried at Wilson Sunday afternoon. C. Davis, a young white man, was killed by lightning while he slept Saturdaynlght at his home five miles from Shelby. His mother was shocked also but not seriously. The lightning set his bed on fire, and tlie house was* saved by throwing the bed in the yard. As a mark of respect to the memory of their kite captain. Win. H. Overman, the members of the Salisbury military compa ny have applied to the Adjutant General to change the name of the company from the "Rowan ltifle*'' to tiie 'KJverman Light Infantry." Dunn Banner: Or*' day last week in Cpper Little River town ship, near Antioch cliurch, a you*g man named Gsurge Bar ker. came across a large sting siiake and proceeded to kill it, which he succeeded In dofng. lie found with her CH little snakes, all of which he killed. Louis Council, the condemned negro rapist, was not hanged last tlondav. .lustlce Douglas of the Supreme Court, has issued an order granting a rehearing of Council's case, and the Governor reprieved the condemned rwsn until November 1, in order t fiat the court may again hear the ease. The Masonic picnic at Mocks viTle last week netted ?GOO for the Oxford Orphaniige. Chief .Justice Lurches delivered an in teresting and valuable historical address, his subject being Davie i county. Gov. Aycock, who wns to have spoken, could not be present on account of the illness i of his sou. i Three ice companies in Ashe- ' ville combined and sold their product through one man at an agreed price, thus destroying 1 competition. Now the grand I jury of buncombe finperiorCoiirt < has presented the tiiree compa nies for forming a trust nnd the ?ase against theta will he tried in I November. , 1 Raleigh News ajid Observer: j The investigation of the books now being made by expert sc. xiuntants shows the condition of the penitentiary worse even than it was at first belived to lie. i Though tboexamination will not i he completed for another month. 1 already the indebtedness of feheh fsnltentiary has risen from the 1 17,000 claimed by Capt. " r ] to 822.000. It is believed it wili go to ?2o,900. j 1 Dr. John C. Kilgo, President of Trinity College, sailed from New York this week on the steamer Majestic for a several weeks' trip to Europe. He goes as a dele gate from North Carolina to the Ecumenical conference which meets in Condon next month. A. Mauser, a Swiss watch maker, was arrested at Wilming ton Monday, charged with set ting or having set fire to his jewelry store early Sunday night. Hauser was on Wrightsville Swund when the fire occurred, and denies any knowledge of the origin of the fire. He carried $1,500 insurance on stock and fixtures The damage was $.'$00. A few days ago in I'itt county, two white men, William Gardner and Mack Dixon, quarreled over some trivial matter. Gardner drew a pistol and shot three balls into Dixon. Dixon then knocked Gardner down, took the pistol from him and shot the remaining two balls into Gardner's body, liot-h died in a short while. A boy named Wagoner, son of a prominent citizen of Hickory, was drowned Monday evening in South Fork river, sear Shuford Cotton Mill. Wagoner's brother in-law, Garrison, was also drown ed. It. is supposed that they were bathing, that the boy be gan to sink, and that Garrison went to his rescue and was also drowned. The dog tax is causing some little amusement at Greensboro. The City Fathers have ixnssed an ordinance taxing every dog one dollar. Dog owners do not like this and many are resorthig to different schemes of escaping the tax. Warrants are sworn out against every owner of a dog without/ fhe regulation fag around its neck. Thomas M. Dick, of Brooklyn, was Friday elected professor of mechanical engineering in the Agricultural and Mechanical Col lege at Baleigh. He graduated ito. 1 In his class at the i'nited States Naval Academy. He is now on She retired list. He is a South Carolina? and q graduate] of the university of that State. He has had important duties in tire navy as Engineer. His testi monials are of the highest char acter. GENERAL NEWS. Satieties prepared by the cen sus bureau show that51)percent, of the population of Mississippi is composed of colored people. The Virginia Democratic Con vention met in Norfolk Wednes day and nominated J. Monta gue forGo wnorby acclamation. A negro who attempted to1 criminally assault the wife of a section master near Way's sta tion, Ga , July 2<>. was burned near the scene of his crime Satur day night. Five men were burned to death, four were drowned, three or four others suffocated and several injured as the result of a fire which destroyed a temporary water works crib near Cleveland, Ghio, Wednesday. Gorge K. B inert, a new York City police w&rdman, convicted recently of ao***pting; a bribe as protection money from the keeper of a disorderly house, has Iteen sentenced to five and one-half years' imprisonment and to pay a fine of .ft 1000. At Medicine Lodge, Kansas, last week David Nation, through Ids attorney, brought suit for divorce from his wife, Mrs. Carrie Nation, the tenn>eraiicecriisader. Mr. Nation, wno is now visiting In Iberia, Ohio, alleges that his sife he?d hlraupto public ridicule, neglected her family duties and abandoned his home. Assistant Postmaster Jno. G. Pole end hisfamlly, while attemp ting to cross a mouutain stream near Lexington, Va., were swept lown by the waters of u cloud hurst Sunday afternoon and his wire and three daughters, aged | from one to eight/ears, drowned, liy. Pole and a unnghter about flm>e years old escaped. The, bodies were recovered. CONGRESSMAN POU'S WORK. Gets a Special Airent to Come Here to EstaMish Rural Free Deliv ery Routes. Congressman E. W. Pou, who was here yesterday, returned from Washington, P. C., lust week, where lie went to use his efforts to secure an extension of the rural five delivery system in ties district. Congressman Pou consulted with the authorities in the Post: Office Department, who promised to send a special agent here this week for the purpose of selecting new delivery routes. The fact presented to the de partment by Mr. Pou thatNorth i Carolina lias failed to get her quota of the rural s_\stem, luul he explained that the people were anxious for a more general ex tension of the service. The Con gressman's talk was not without effect and a special officer from the department will arrive here this week. Mr. Pou stated yesterday that he had seventeen applications for rural free delivery routes in the district. Four of these are from Wake, two of the routes asked for leading from Raleigh, one from Morris ville and the other from Garner. The special officer from the post-office depart ment, who conies here this week will examine these applications and visit such routes as he thinks practicable and advisable. Con gressman Pou is working hard to have the rural free delivery system extended all over the district. A matter in which Congress man Pou is greatlv interested is ?f,l >ecular concern to Raleigh. Tins is the construction of an asphalt road from the National cemetery to the city. Mr. Pou steted that he intended to push this matter and lie saw 110 reason why thrf government should not build a splendid road to the cemetery. Kujmrintendewt Smith of the cemetery has recommended that the road be constructed out New Bern avenue, and then by Soldiers' Home to the National cemetery. Congressmuu Pou is taking an active interest in tfie matter and with proper support by Raleigh's business citizens he ran push it through to success.? Raleigh Post, Tuesday. A Supposed Imposition. Si'ii.o.s'A, N. ('., Aug. 7. 1901. Mil. Hmtoii:?If you will allow space in jour paper I would tie glad to give to the public a little matter which has the appear ance. to me at least, of some ras oality in it, and I think ought to be investigated bv the proper au thority. The school committee of Dis trict No. 2 lor the colored race, in Klevation township, has been deceived by a man who was so lteting orders for the C. H. James school desk. Mack Sanders the chairman of the above mentioned committee, mid Silas McLamb the other committeeman of the same school district, were before me a few days ago to qualify as committeemen for another term, and brought with them their blank order book to get me to assist them in a little matter which they needed assistance in, as neither of them could write; and on examination found that there was a blank stub and the order gone. I asked them if they had given an order and forgot to 1 put the amount and what it was tor on the stub? They said no, they had not given any order since the one they gave tii settle- i ment with their teacher for teach ing their last winter's school. It was th? next stub that was left bla nk. i Mack Sunders then said: "That <-n who let us ha vet hose 1 desks t * that order out of the i book; I went back to my house nfter le i ' gone to seeSilasand | ( after I i gone to work, and ' called f r 1 he order book and my | folks h. J no I letter sense than to let him have it, and thev told me i' when I ??'? >ack that the desk i man b been back there and i called f r nc committee's books a nd be . ? ? e leaf out of the little j narT&w I uk." I then nuked if they did not (rive an order for the pay for the desks? They both answered, no, and added, "we did not hay? to pay for the desks. That pian said the State furnished them free of cost, and that the new school law required that all the school houses should be furnished with those desks, and it was the duty of the committee of all the schools in the State to see to it) that this part of t he law was carried out, as it cdsts not lunar." 1 told them 1 knew noul?*g of such law, but 1 was not a lawyer neither did I claim to be very Well posted in the school law, Gut I thought there was something very thin in the transaction and thought they had been imposed upon or there was some mistgider standing about the matter, and the school fund that you iom niitteeuien have for your district, in iny opinion, will go to pay for those desks or at least as much of it as is required to settle tile bill of those who furnished the desks. Mack Sanders answered again. "No sir; that man told us it would not cost us nor our school dis trict a cent, not even for trie freight, that the State furnished the desks absolutely free, t^> all of the school houses in the 9fat?s that did not already have them, and all that the commit tea had to do about the matter was to say how many desks would be required to supply the seV'ol House for comfortably seating the school, allowing two Uil the desk." I then asked Mack Sandersand Silas McLainb if they wi?m cer tain that they did not sigO, an order or tell some one to sijfn an order for them for money that was in thehandsof the Treasurer to pay for desks? They both answered that they neither had signed such an order nor author ized any one to do so; and fiurther, if there was any such ortfyr in existence tiny knew nothing at ' all about it; and further still, if there is such an order in tfxist enee, it was forced. Now, Mr. Editor, knowing Via k. Seuiders and Silas .VI c Earn b as f do. I am f irced to the conclusion; that something should be nom to protect the unlettered men of the country from being decpE-ed in such a manner as t he above, whether they be white or colored makes n > difference. Justfre fs ias ice; rascality is rascality, we can't make either anything else than what it is. I?nt thosp of us who have been fortunate enough to learn to rend and write eould, if we only would, put a stop to such bv giving the helping lland when we see it is needed, t*f ex pose the rascality of the country, and i i defending weak ami Ifuut cent citizens of all classes. J. 11. Smith. Didn't Advertise. ,t A bachelor who bought a pair of socks recently found unshed to tlieni a slip of pa pep with these words: " 1 am a young fuoy of 2i>, and would like to correspond with a haclielor with a rfpro\t.'d khe death sentence in the wtvsc of an enlisted man. The raj?o is that of Private Phineas Font/. Company K,Nineteenth Infantry. This soldier was convicted by general court martial at Cebri. P. I., of the murder of Gensviya Torres, a native Filipino girl, by stabbing her to death with a sword cane, in her home at Vlnn dane, Cebu, November 1.1, 10ot>. The court seatem ed the acciwd to be hanged.