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VOL. 28. 8MITHFIELD. N. C.. FRIDAY. AUGUST 20.1909. NO. 25
GOOD RAIN ENDS THE DROUTH.
Parched Sections of Pennsylvania
Get Wetting in time to do much
Good.
Philadelphia, Aug. 15.?Rain which
Is reported today from many sec
tions of the state gives promise of
ending one of the most serious
droughts in tha h.stor/' of Pennsylva
nia. Kot since thi binding of the
locks in the Schuylkill river, in 1821,
lias the water been bo low and the
operations of many mills on its banks
were curtailed. In nearly every sec
tion of the state forest fires were nu
merous and crops were practically
ruined.
The rain today came from the
west. Altoona reporting a downfall
all day. Williamsport, Johnstown,
Harrisburg, York, Scranton, Wilkes
Barre and other points also report
rain. While threatening clouds gave
promise of the approaching showers
here, rain did not fall until after
nightfall. There has been no rain
throughout the state for more than a
month.
I "
HAVING IT EXTREMELY HOT.
Southwest Suffers From a Terrific
Hot Wave.
Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 17.?The
heat wave which swept the country
from coast to coast Monday is still
rampant, and today new records were
established. From all over the South
and Southwest come reports of in
tense heat. The cotton growers are
rejoicing over the heat wave, as
they claim that it Is rapidly destroy
ing the boll weevil.
Not since July 1, 1901, has the
heat been so intense throughout mid
dle Arkansas. At Little Rock a
temperature of 105 was recorded, and
two prostrations were reported.
Vegetation throughout the Shreve
port territory of Louisiana wilted un
der the scorching heat today. All Ten
nessee is in the grasp of the hot
wave and the weather bureau ther
mometer has today recorded a maxi
mum temperature of 95 degrees at
4 o'clock. A cooling breeze starting
late in the day gave promise of re
lief before morning.
Jackson, Miss., Aug. 17.?The mer
cury registered 100 here today.
Vicksburg, Miss., Aug. 17.?The
temperature here at 2 o'clock was 99.
Denison, Tex., Aug. 17.?The ther
mometer reached 106 today, breaking
all records.
Shreveport, La., Aug. 17.?The mer
cury reached 104 at 4 o'clock, hottest
for eleven years.
Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 17.?Severe
warm weather throughout the South
west gave way to a limited extent
tonight before cooling breezes. The
day was the most trying Kansas, Mis
souri and Oklahoma had experienced
for years. Two deaths were report
ed at Kansas City today.
Oklahoma government thermome
ters at McAlister registered 113; at
Vinita 110; Ardmore 111; at Oklaho
ma City, Guthrie and Tulsa 106.
From Kansas points comes the re
port that the heat is not damaging:
corn seriously. Recent heavy rains
put it in such good shape that the
crop is "made."
Miss Oliver Entertains.
Selma, N. C., Aug. 17.?One of the
most enjoyable occasions of the sea
son was that of a party given by
Miss Bettie Oliver last Friday even
ing in honor of her cousin, Miss Ad
die Barnes, of Georgia.
Many interesting games were play-1
ed, ending with a "Flower Romance,"
Miss Mabel Griffin and Mr. John
Waddell being the prize winners.
Vocal and instrumental music was
rendreed by Misses Barnes and Gladi
Oliver, after which the guests were
Invited into the dfning room, where
elegant refreshments were served,
euch as cream and cake.
The hour of twelve came all too
soon when each declared Miss Bettie
to be the most charming of hostess.
Moonshiner Shol and Killed.
Raleigh, N. C., Aug. 18.?John Brin
eon, a moonshiner who resisted arrest
and started at officers with a gun
when trapped at an illicit distillery
In Pitt county last night, was shot
and killed by Sheriff Tucker and
deputies. Brinson was an old offend
er. Two others captured at th# still
were landed In Jail.
THIRTY DEAD IN EARTHQUAKE.
Incomplete Reports Show Heavy
Loss in Central Japan.
Tokyo, Aug. 15.?A severe earth
quake was felt over Central Japan
Saturday but full details of the casu
alties and the destruction of property
are lacking, as the telegraph and rail
way lines were destroyed in many di
rections.
The city of Nagoya, on the island
; of Hondo, seems to have suffered
greatly. Many buildings collapsed
there and in the neighborhood of
Lake Biwa, Kyoto, and Osaka. In
complete reports received up to the
present give the number of killed
at thirty and the injured as eighty
two. In the affected district, so far
as heard from, 362 buildings fell and
10,206 other structures were more or
less damaged. It is stated that the
extinct volcano, Isuki, fell inward
with a tremendous roar, completely
alteriug the formation of the country
thereabouts.
IN NEW YORK IT WAS 56.
Heaviest Rain Ever Recorded There
On an August Day.
New York, Aug. 16.?More rain by
millions of tons fell on Manhattan
Island during the past twenty-four
hours than in any August day yet re
corded by the waether bureau. The
official precipitation was 4.55 inches,
almost two inches more than for all
the days of August thus far. And
it was colder than any day this sum
mer. The temperature sank to 56.
Statistics of News.
A collecter of statistics in Chicago
has been analyzing the contents of
newspapers. In 35,000 items of news
he found 1,343 narratives of crime,
2,280 of foreign news, 1,140 of rail
way news, and 659 of labor news.
The President was mentioned in 550
items, and other prominent men in
527. Education and science were the
subjects of 397, medicine and surgery
of 268, religious topics of 390, pan
ics and business of 442. If to these
be added news of theaters, of sports,
of society, and of the markets, it
will be seen that in the normal news
paper there is not much space for
the "yellow." The newspaper must
often print unpleasant news, because
disagreeable and horrible events oc
cur. Gloating over crime is deplor
able, but its concealment would not
advance morality. The newspaper re
flects civilization with every possible
adjustment of light for its best ap
pearance and for its improvement.?
Exchange.
Postal Card Fad.
We common people do use a few
postal cards annually. Uncle Sam Is
just now considering a contract for
3,600,000,000 postal cards to be sold
during the next four years?a matter
of 90,000,000 a year. These will cost
the government $800,000, and the1 peo
ple will pay $36,000,000 for them,
which also includes the cost of de
livering. But this does not comprise
the postal card output. We are now
annually buying from Germany alone
700,000,000 postal cards, and also sev
eral millions from France and other
European nations. But Germany has
thus far had a cinch on the colored
postal card trade, for even American
publishers instead of doing their own
printing and lithographing have found
It more profitable to place orders
direct with German houses. Howev
er the new tariff bill "puts a tax of
a quarter of a cent on the cheaper
foreign qualities, and a higher rate
on the more expensive and artistic
ones, in the expectation that the busi
ness will hereafter be done by Ame
rican houses. It is safe to say that
Americans buy 2,500,000,000 postal
cards a year?20 to 25 for each man,
woman and child In the country.
More than half of these are of the
picture variety. But suppose Uncle
Sam should invade the picture postal
field? What a howl would go up
from the picture postal card makers.
?Detroit News.
Red Spiders in Cotton.
Mr. G. G. Beaty has a piece of
cotton In which the red spiders have
mad" a start. They have been over
so far about a sixteenth of an acre.
As usual they started from polk
bushes.
AT 81 SHE WEDS MAN OF 51.
Gaily Tripping Over Floors, Bride
Proveu She is Young.
Pittsburg, Aug. 16.?Although past
four-score years In age, Mrs. Evalina
| Hall, who lives on a farm near Turtle
! Creek, was married this afternoon to
Robert B. Wright, aged 51 years, of
No. 137 Larimer avenue, Turtle Creek
Wright is exactly 30 years younger
than his bride.
Mrs. Hall as as spry as any of the
younger couples who sought licenses
today, and gaily tripped over the flooi
In the marriage license office to
show that mere years did not cause
one to grow old.
FIND FIFTEEN SKELETONS.
Century Old Grave Uncovered on
The Potomac.
Washington, Aug. 16.?Fifteen skel
etons lying together in such a posi
tion as to indicate hasty burial, and
I three English copper coins bearing
the date 1729, found with the skele
tons during the excavating of the
United States Medical School Hospi
tal, near the banks of the Potomac
bring to "ght, it is believed, some
Indian or piratical tragedy of early
American days.
As authentic history sheds no illu
minating ray on the case, the finger
of suspicion wavers in its pointing,
looking first toward the red man
who stole silently along the wooded
Potomac banks a century and a half
ago, then to mythical pirate crew
which is believed to have made Its
rendezvous in the Upper Potomac
and lastly, to the mutiny-infested
slave trading vessel.
Texas Heat Up to 120<
Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 17.?With
the Weather Bureau thermometer reg
istering 111 degrees from 2.15 to 3.15
this afternoon and street thermom
eters in the business districts record
ing 120 degrees, today was the hot
test in the history of Fort Worth,
so far as there is any record. Suffer
ing of man and beast was intense and
business to a large extent wasj inter
fered with. Scorching hot waves
sweeping across the prairies added
much to the general discomfort, but
no prostrations were reported.
First Bale New Cotton.
Wadesboro, Aug. 17.?The first bale
of new cotton was brought in today
and i>old by P. E. Katliff, of Cairo,
to T. V. Hardison, Morven. Mr. Rat
liff has brought in the first bale for
years. The bale weighed four hun
dred pounds and sold for 15 cents.
What a Dollar Dog Can Do.
A man in a nearby city bought for
liis wife and child a year ago a dog,
for which he paid a dollar. It was
obviously nothing wonderful in the
canine way?merely a mongrel, with
the buldog strain predominant. The
owner was a man in humble circum
stances, and the dog, in his modest
dwelling, was the principal asset, a
side from a few sticks of furniture.
The other night "Tom" was tied
to a leg of the kitchen sink as usual,
and the family went to bed. They
were awakened by the dog at mid
night scratching at his master's door.
When his master came out to see
what was the matter the dog, with a
remnant of chewed rope hanging
from his collar, whined and ran to
the head of the stairway. The house
was on fire, and shortly after woman
and child and man and dog made
their escape their poor dwelling was
a mass of glowing embers.
The owner of the dog has been
urged to part with him for a large
cash consideration, but though he is
penniless, he will not part with the
four-footed savior of his family;
neither has the dog at any time had
thoughts of leaving them for luxuri
ous kennels.?Philadelphia Ledger.
Flood Kills Sixty.
Monterey, Mexico, Aug. 14.?Re
ports received today show that the
flood in the Santa Catarlna River
caused great damage in a wide
scope of territory. The loss of life
will reach more than sixty, fitfeen
persons having been drowned in this
city. A number of small villages sit
uated in the path of the flood below
Monterey were swept away. The 3.
000 people in this city are being well
provided for.
three deaths from heat.
Thermometer 110 Degrees at Muske
gee?Damage in Three States.
Kansas City, Mo.. Aug. 16.?Unusu
al intense heat officially recorded by
the government weather bureau as
high as 110 degrees caused at least
|
three deaths, numerous prostrations
and much damage to crops today in
Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Throughout the Southwest the day
, was the most trying since the devas
| tating drouth of 1901. As the with
| ering winds swept across the plains
much vegetation fell. The day was
the hottest Topeka has had for eight
years, 102 degrees being officially re
|corded.
In Oklahoma City the Government
thermometer registered 103, while
thermometers in the street reached
112. It was the hottest day record
ed there in 15 years. At Muskogee
the Government thermometer regis
tered 110, the highest reccrded in
the th'Pe Statts
won wife in 30 minutes.
Ready to Propose as Soon as He Saw
Her Eyes.
Chicago, Aug. 16.?General Thom
as S. Hutchinson, who has been prom
inently mentioned for the Governor
ship of Tennessee, and Miss Louise
Cheatham, of Clarksville, Texas, were
quietly married recently, and are
spending their honeymoon in Chica
go. The General says it ought not
to take a man more than 30 minutes
to win a wife.
At their appartments uenerai ttuicn
inson today told of his courtship and
marriage while his bride nodded her
approval.
"It was this way," said the Gen
eral. "1 attended the Confederate re
union in Memphis in June. I was on
Governor Patterson's staff and my
wife was maid of honor from Texas.
"The Governor introduced me to
Miss Louise Cheatham a few minutes
after her arrival in Memphis. I look
I ed into her eyes and saw that I
J loved her. I pushed her out of the
! crowd, told her that I loved her
and asked her to be my wife. I
did not wait for her answer. I took
It for granted it was 'yes.' The
whole transaction did not take over
30 minutes. When we rejoined Miss
Cheatham's friends I acted as if I
j owned her.
"Every man could win a wife If
he followed my example. The man
who hesitates in warfare or business
is lost. Why should he take months
in winning a wife. Thirty minutes
is long enough."?Philadelphia Re
cord.
Foreigner Gets Advantage.
The money collected by benevolent
j persons in the United States to be
expended in foreign countries for
missionary purposes runs yearly into
millions of dollars, but it Is mere
! pittance in comparison with the dis
{count made to foreigners who buy
I our "protected" wares. We sell them
tools from 20 to 100 per cent, less
j than the prices exacted from "home
purchasers. Saws are sold for export
at 40 per cent, reduction from do
j mestic rates. We "put the screw"
i to home buyers of screws by asking
them 100 per cent, more than the
j export price. And so it goes through
the whole range of protected manu
' '??ctures. Of course, the Americw,
j consumer should in fairness pay no
more for what he buys than is de
manded of outBlde consumers; but
he cannot help himself. He staggers
I along as best he can under the
weight of tariff exactions imposed by
act of Congress for the sole benefit
of favored interests.?The Philadel
phia Record.
Why One Drunken Man Died.
Head Keeper Snyder, of the Cen
tral Park Zoo, was smiling over a
newspaper account of a monkey that
had died of love.
"It's a good story," said the Head
Keeper. "This reporter has an origi
nal turn of mind. He's like the Wes
tern Jury. A Westerner, you know,
once hanged himself to the bedpost
by his suspenders, and the verdict
, of the corroner's jury ran:
" 'Deceased came to his death by
coming home full and mistaking him
, self for his pants.' "?New York
Times.
JULY IMPORTS SHOW BIG GAIN.
Exceed by $25,854,003 Those of Same
Month Last Year.
Washington, D. C. Aug. 14.--Imports
Into the t'nited States in July, 1909,
exceeded those of July, 1908, by $25,
854,000, as shown by a bulletin Issu
ed by the Department of Commerce
and Labor today.
In the same month an Increase of
more than $6,000,000 occurred In the
exports as compared with the preced
ing July. This makes the excess of
exports over imports in the seven
months ending with July, 1909, $67,
000,000, a decrease of $304,000,000
when compared with the excess in
the corresponding months of last
year.
BEAT TO DEATH WITH A HOE.
Man Meets Witti Fearful Death at
Hands of Mountain Amazon.
Charlotte, N. C., Aug. 17.?News
reached here tonight from Banner
Elk, a remote section of Watauga
county, of the killing of Alonzo Har
din by Mary Bennett, a mountain
amazon. The woman felled Hardin
with a hoe and then beat out his
brains, the victim living until 9
o'clock this morning. There had
been bad blood between the two for
some time, owing to Hardin's testi
mony in a tragedy in which Mrs. Ben
nett's son was the victim. Hardin
passed the woman's house yesterday
in a drunken condition and hurled
some epithets at her and the woman
attacked him.
Senator Gore.
If the extraordinary session of Con
gress, just closed, had done nothing
more than introduced Senator Gore,
of Oklahoma, to the country, we
think it would have accomplished
something entirely worth while.
We speak an honest conviction
when we say we believe he is a
marked addition to the Senate of
the United States, and we shall be
distinctly disappointed if we do not
hear great things of him in the fu
ture. He has loomed large in de
bate, and he has compelled abundant
attention and respect from the Sen
atorial Old Guard, whether it would
or no. It is unusual that a new Sena
tor should do that?and the Senator
is, comparatively speaking, a new
Senator, not yet having served three
years.
It is not alone that Mr. Gore is
picturesque. His physical Infirmity
throws something of a pathetic glam
our around him, of course. But as
one becomes more Intimately ac
quainted with the man and contem
plates his general trend of thought
and analyzes his utterances, one for
gets that he is blind, and remembers
only that he is a statesman, a scholar
and a patriot.
i ne Democracy nas a line assei?
a bit; asset?in this blind Oklahoma
Senator. He is very convincing in
debate, and woe betide the adversary
who attacks biin ever so slightly un
prepared. He has held his own with
the best of them?and the worst of
them?and made it extremely uncom
fortable for many of them. He backs
up his assertions with figures that
are not juggled and that do not lie.
And, happily enough too, he has an
attractive way of framing up what
he has to say, and he makes the
country sit up and take notice when
he speaks.
As we said before, we confidently
expect to hear much of Gore In the
days to come.?Washington Herald.
Weather Has Been Dry.
We never knew a year when there
was so much difference in the rain
| fall in different neighborhoods and
| parts of the same county. In places
I in Johnston there has been rain i
enough to make twenty crops while \
in other places the crops have suf
I fered but little. Mr. A. M. Herring,
j who is a merchant at Warsaw, owns
i a farm, twenty-seven miles from there
! and eighteen miles south of Clinton.
He says in his section It has been
entirely too dry for the crops. Some
corn is almost ruined by drought.
They have had but little rain since
June 15th and the ground has not
been wet since then. In the smaller
streams the cows could not get water
and in some cases had to go a dls
' iauce to the larger streams.
HE ENTERED PLEA OF GUILTY.
Defaulting Cashier Kimball Sent to
the Penitentiary to Serve Three
Years Sentence.
Carthage, Aug. 17.?George A. Kim
ball, defaulting cashier of the Citi
zens Hanking and Trust Company, of
Southern Pines, pleaded guilty to
day to two bills of indictment in the
Superior Court, one of which charges
embezzlement, and the other falsify
ing the books and records of the
bauk.
Kimball appeared In court attend
ed by his wife and two physicians.
Ills appearance plainly indicated that
he is far gone in tuberculosis, and
he is suffering from other physical
allmeuts, besides the mental strain
under which he has suffered. Drs.
Blair, of Southern Pines, and Mc
Leod, of Carthage, testified as to
his condition.
He was under the constant care of
the attending physicians and his wife,
whose devotion was specially noted.
It was a hard case; on the one
side the demands of justice, and on
the other the human appeal of the
cashier's mental and physical condi
tion.
After considering the matter for
some time, Judge Adams sentenced
him to imprisonment in the peniten
tiary for a term of three years.
Kimball went to the penitentiary
this afternoon attended by Dr. Blair
and other officers.?News and Ob
server.
DEATH IN THE WAVES.
One great Cause of Daily Tales of
Wasted Life.
Every Saturday afternoon and Sun
day in every city and considerable
rural region a long roll is written
of the names of the drowned. Some
of these deaths are due to faulty su
pervlsion or management of excursion
boats, but neglect is the one great
cause.
Every child should swim. The num
ber of skilled swimmers drowned is
proportionately small; and perhaps
the most frequent cause of the drown
ing of a swimmer is the terror of
some nonswimmer whom he is try
ing to save, and who pulls him down.
Men are sometimes drowned by div
ing in shallow water or being thrown
against piers or posts but with sea
room a good swimmer is safe even
in rough surf or waves.
Every army and navy cadet, ev
ery student In the large colleges,
is taught to swim. The rule should
be universal in girls' schools. The
commonest of fatal midsummer ac
cidents, the swamping or capsizing
of a boat, has no terror for a good
swimmer on his own account. He
can get ashore if there is no non
swimmer to drag him under. A fair
swimmer can keep his head above
water until help comes. Even a
poor swimmer gets from his little
knowledge the benefit of keeping cool
in danger. Being thrown into the
water should not mean for him a
senseless panic which menaces hla
life and the lives of his friends.?
New York W'jrld.
Snow in South Africa.
Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug.
17.?The heaviest snowfall In many
years occurred here today. Six in
ches had fallen at noon and the
storm was still in progress. The tel
egraph and telephone services are
badly disorganized and business has
been almost suspended. The mem
bers of the Stock Exchange ceased
business today long enough to engage
in a snowball battle.
Should Have Said So.
If the American Tobacco Company
did not intend to pay anything for
the tobacco raised in Eastern North
Carolina this season, and were load
ed up on the kind of weed raised in
this section the company should hare
announced It in the papers earlier in
the season, so the farmers could have
put their tobacco land in bread
crops.
Present prices for tobacco on the
basis of 500 pounds to the acre w'lU
hardly bring sufficient to pay for the
fertilizer.
Our advice to the farmer is to hold
the tobacco awhile longer, for it
seems the soulless trust will see Just
bow low they can buy It.?Wilson
Times.
it