Newspapers / The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, … / April 23, 1918, edition 1 / Page 7
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>vi Mtrtai Q1JI, ATweu and I mode ourselves scarce around brigade bead- 1 quarters. We did oot want to meet the general. Tbe spy was never caught ? CHAPTER XXIV. The Firing Squad. A few days later 1 had orders to re port back to divisional headquarters, about thirty kilos behind the line. I reported to the A. P. M. (assistant pro vost marshal), lie told me to report to billet No. 78 for quarters and ra tions. It was about eight o'clock at night and I was tired and soon fell asleep in the straw of the billet. It was a mis erable night outside, cold, and a drizzly rain was falling. About two in the morning I was awakened by soiue one shaking me by the shoulder. Opening my eyes I saw a regimental sergeant major bending over me. lie had a lighted lantern In his right hand. I started to ask him what was the matter, when he put his finger to Ills lips for sileuce and whis pered : "Get on your equipment, and, with out any noise, comp with me." This greatly mystified me, but I obeyed his order. Outside of the billet, I asked him what was up, but he shut me up with : ;'Don't a^k questions, it's against or* ders. 1 don't know myself." It was raining like the mischief. We splashed along a muddy road for about fifteen minutes, finally stopping at the entrance of what must have been an old barn. In the darkness, I could hear pigs grunting, as if they had just been disturbed. In front of ffle door stood an officer In a mack (mackintosh). The It. S. M. went up to him, whispered something, and then loft. Ti?ls officer called to me, asked my name, number and regiment, at the same time. In the light of a lantern he NOTICE. The undersigned having qualified as Administratrix, on the estr.te of John Austin Phillips, deceased, hereby noti fies all persons having claims against said estate to present the same to me duly verified on or before the 4th day of April 1919, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery; and all persons indebted to said estate will make immediate payment. This 1 day of April 1918. BETTIE PHILLIPS, Admr. Four Oaks, N. C., No. 3. NOTICE. North Carolina, Johnston County. In a Justice's Court before D. T. Lunceford. Selma Supply Company vs. L. S. Mixan. The defendant above named will take notice, thi.t an action entitled as above has been commenced in a Justice's Court before D. T. Lunce ford, Justice of the Peace, in Smith field township, Johnston County on account alleged to be due the plain tiff by the defendant, which Summons is returnable before the undersigned at his office in Smithfield, in sr.id County and in said Township, on the 30th day of May 1918, when and where the defendant is required to appear and answer or demur to the complaint or the relief demanded will be granted. This March 29, 1918. D. T. LUNCEFORD, Justice of the Peace ^Take^ulphurB aths ^ ^ ^ at hor ? Gout, Eczema, Hives, etc. Right In your own home and at trifling cost, you can enjoy the benefit of healing sulphur baths. L, Hancock', _ Sulphur Compound Bature's own blood purifying and skin healing remedy? SULPHUR? prepared In a way to make Its use most efficacious. Use It In tha bath; use It as a lotion applylag to affected parts; and take it Internally. 50c and $1 the bottle at your druggist's, it ha can't supply you. ?end his namo and the price in stamps and we will send you a bottle direct. HANCOCK LIQUID SUI.PHUA COMPANY Baltimore, Mi Bancttl tll/hur Ctmfund Obit m ml? if *n4 Sic? fir uu wtxh Ou Jjfulj CmfunJ. You Say You Can't Advertise? That's what others have said and all of a sudden found some competitor was doing what they thought they couldn't do. And getting away with it. Get the bulge on your competitors by telling your story in an attractive manner so it will be read. You 11 get the results. We Are Anxioas to Help Remember that W. J. Bryan will speak in Smithfield Thursday, April 25th. was holding, making B notation In a little book. When he had finished writing, he whispered : "Go Into that billet and wait orders, and no talking. Understand?" I stumbled Into the barn and sat on the floor In the darkness. I could see no one, but could hear men brea thing and moving; they seemed nervous and restless. 1 know I was. During my wait, three other men entered. Then the officer poked his h' ad in the door and ordered : "Fall in, outside the billet, in single rank." We fell In, standing at ease. Then he commanded: "Squad ? 'Shun ! Number JH There were twelve of us. "Kight ? Turn! Left ? Wheel 1 Quick ? March 1" And away we went. The rain was trickling down my hack and I was shivering from the cold. With the officer leading, we must have marched over an hour, plowing through the mud and occasionally stumbling into a shell hole in the roud, Buried With Honors. when suddenly the officer made a left wheel, and we found ourselves in a sort of enclosed courtyard. The dawn was breaking and the rain had ceased. In front of us were four stacks of rifles, three to a stack. The oflicer brought us to attention and gave the order to unpile arms. We each took a rifle. Giving us "Stand at ease," in a nervous and shaky voice, he informed : "Men, you are here on a very solemn duty. You have been selected as a firing squad for the execution of a sol dier, who, having been found guilty of a grievous crime against king and country, has been regularly and duly tried and sentenced to be shot at 8 :28 a. m. this date. This sentence has been approved by the reviewing authority and ordered carried out. It is our duty to carry on with the sentence of the court "There are twelve rifles, one of which contains a blank cartridge, the other eleven containing ball cartridges. Every man is expected to do his duty and fire to kill. Take your orders from me. Squad ? 'Shun 1" We came to attention. Then he left. My heart was of lead and my knees shook. After standing at "attention" for what seemed a week, though in reality It could not have been over five min utes, we heard a low whispering in our rear and footsteps on the stone flag ging of the courtyard. Our officer reappeared and In a low, but firm voice, ordered: "About ? Turn 1" We turned about. In the gray light of dawn, a few yards In front of me, I could make out a brick wall. Against this wall was a dark form with a white square pinned on its breast. We were supposed to aim at this square. To the right of the form I noticed a white spot on the wall. This would be my target. "Ready! Aim 1 Fire!" The dark form sank into a huddled heap. My bullet sped on its way, and hit the whitish spot on the wall ; I could see the splinters fly. Some one else had received the rifle containing the blank cartridge, but my mind was at ease, there was no blood of a Tommy on my hands. "Order ? Arms ! About ? Turn I Pile ? Arms I Stand ? Clear." The stacks were re-formed. "Quick ? March ! Right ? Wheel !" And we left the scene of execution be hind us. It was now daylight. After march ing about five minutes, we were dis missed with the following instructions from the officer in command : "Return, alone, to your respective companies, and remember, no talking about this affair, or else it will go hard with the guilty ones." We needed no urging to get away. I did not recognize any of the men on the firing squad ; even the officer waSk a stranger to me. The victim's relations and friends in Blighty will never know that he was executed; they will be under the im pression that he died doing his bit for king and Country. In the public casualty lists his name J will appear under the caption "Acci dentally Killed," or "Died." The day after the execution I re ceived orders to report back to the line, and to keep a still tongue In my head. ? Executions are a part of the day's work, but the port we hated most of all, I think ? certainly the saddest. The British rrar department Is thought by many people to be composed of rigid regulations all wound around with red tup*. But It has a heart, and on* of the evidences of this Is the considerate way lu which an execution is concealed and reported to the relative of the un fortunate man. They never know the truth. He is listed in the bulletins as among the "accidentally killed." lu the last ten years 1 have several times read stories in magazines of cowards changing. In a charge, to he roes. 1 used to laugh at It. It seetued easy for story-writers, hut I said. "Men aren't made that way.l' Hut over In France I learned once that the streak of yellow can turn all white. I picked up the story, bit by bit, from the captain of the company, the sen tries who guarded the poor fellow, as well as from my own observations. At first I did not realize the whole of his story, but after a week of investiga tion it stood out as clear In my mind as the mountains of my native West in the spring sunshine. It Impressed me so much that 1 wrote It all down In rest billets on scraps of odd paper. The Incidents are, as I say, every bit true; the feelings of th? man are truo ?I know from all I underwent lQ the fighting over In France. We will call him Albert Lloyd. That wasn't his name, but It will do: Albert Lloyd was what the world terms a coward. In London they called him a slacker. Ills country had been ut war nearly eighteen mouths, and still he was not lu khaki. I lie had no good reason for not en listing. being alone In the world, hav ing been educated in an orphan asy lum, and there being no one dependent upon him for support. He had no good position to lose, and there was no sweetheart to tell hlui with her lips to go, while her eyes pleaded for him to stay. i Every time he saw a recruiting ser geant he'd slink around the corner out of sight, with a terrible fear gnawing at his heart. When passing the big re cruiting posters, and on his way to business and back he passed many, he would pull down his cap and look the other way from that awful finger pointing at him, under the caption. "Your King and Country Need You;" or the boring eyes of Kitchener, which burned into his very soul, causing him to shudder. Then the Zeppelin raids ? during them, he used to crouch in a corner of i his boarding-house cellar, whimpering like a whipped puppy and calling upon 1 the Lord to protect him. j Even his landlady despised him, al- j I though she had to admit that he was "good pay." lie very seldom read the papers, but i one momentous morning the landlady 1 j put the morning paper at his place be ' fore he came down to breakfast. Tak ing his seat he read the flaring head line, "Conscription Bill Passed," and i nearly fainted. Excusing himself, he ' stumbled upstairs to his bedroom, with the horror of It gnawing Into his vitals. Having saved up a few pounds, he decided not to leave the house, and to sham sickness, so he stayed In his room ! and had the landlady serve his meals I there. i Every time there was a knock at the i door he trembled all over, imagining it I was a policeman who had come to take him away to the army. i One morning his fears were realized. ! Sure enough, there stood a policeman with the fatal paper. Taking It in his trembling hand he read that he, Albert i Lloyd, was ordered to report himself i to the nearest recruiting station for i physical examination. He reported lm ; mediately, because he was afraid to disobey. ? The doctor looked with approval upon Lloyd's six feet of physical per fection, and thought what a fine guardsman he would make, but exam ined his heart twice before he passed him as "physically fit it was beating cn f n ct From the recruiting depot Lloyd was I taken, with many others, in charge of a sergeant, to the training depot at Al dershot, where he was given an outfit of khaki, and drew his other equip- j ment. lie made a fine-looking soldier, except for the slight shrinking in his shoulders and the hunted look in his eyes. j At the training depot It does not take long to find out a man's character, and Lloyd was promptly dubbed "windy." In the English army "windy" means cowardly. The smallest recruit in the barracks looked on him with contempt, and was not slow to show it in many ways. Lloyd was a good soldier, learned ' quickly, obeyed every order promptly, I never groused at the; hardest fatigues. He was afraid to. lie lived in deadly | fear of the officers and "noncoms" over : him. They also despised him. t One morning about three months after his enlistment Lloyd's company 1 was paraded, and the names picked out for the next draft to France were read. When his name was called, he did not step out smartly, two paces to the I front, and answer cheerfully, "Here, sir," as the others did. lie just faint ed in the ranks and was carried to bar racks amid the sneers of the rest. That night was an agony of misery to him. lie could not sleep. Just cried and whimpered In his bunk, because on the morrow the draft was to sail for France, where he would see death on all sides, and perhaps be killed him self. On the steamer, crossing the channel, he would have jumped over board to escape, but was afraid of drowning. Arriving In France, he and the rest weie huddled Into cattle cars. On the side of each appeared in white letters, "Hommes 40, Chevaux 8." After hours of bumping over the uneven French roadbeds they arrived at the training base of Rouen. At this place they were put through a week's rigid training in trench war* fare. On the morning: of the eighth day they paraded at ten o'clock, and were Inspected and passed by General H , then were marched to the quar termaster's. to draw their gas helmets and trench equipment. At four in the afternoon they were again hustled Into cattle cars. This time the Journey lasted two days. They disembarked at the town of Pre vent and could hear n distant dull booming. With knees shaking, Lloyd asked the sergeant what the noise was, and nearly dropped when the sergeant replied in a somewhat bored tone: "Oh, them's the guns up the line. We'll be up there In n couple o' days or 60. Don't worry, my laddie, you'll fee more of 'em than you want before you get 'ome to ltllghty again, that Is, If you're lucky enough to get back. Now lend a hand there unloadin' them cars, and quit that everlastln* shakln'. I believe yer scared." The last with u contemptuous sneer. They marched ten kilos, full pack, to u little dilapidated village, und the sound of the guus grew louder, con stantly louder. The village was full of soldiers who turned out to Inspect the new draft, the men who were shortly to be their mates In the trenches, for they were going "up the line" on tho morrow, to "take over" their certain sector of trenches. The draft was paraded In front of battalion headquarters and tho men were assigned to companies. Lloyd was the only man assigned to D company. Perhaps the officer In charge of the draft had something to do with it, for he called Lloyd aside and said: "Lloyd, you are going to a new com pany. No one knows you. Your bed will be as you make It, so for God's sake, brace up and be a man. I think you have the stuff in you, my boy, so good-by and Jhe best of luck to you." (To Be Continued.) Watson School Closes. The Watson school, Kenly, R. F. D. No. 2, will close next Friday night, April 26th at 8 o'clock. MISS MABEL M. ASHWORTH. DR. JOWETT SPEAKS FAREWELL Says He Goes Home as "Ambassador of American Hearts." (New York Times, 15.) With manifest sadness on his own part and on the part of those who crowded the Fifth Avenue Presbyter ian church yesterday morning, the Rev. Dr. J. H. Jowett said farewell to the congregation to which he has ministered for the last seven years. Dr. Jowett is about to return to Eng land in response as he explained, "to a call as imperative as the peal of a soldier's bugle," and said he would go back "as ambassador of the hearts of the American people." More than 2, 000 persons were excluded from the church after every seat had been oc cupied. "I am too old to fight and I may not be able to aid materially in a phy sical way," Dr. Jowett said to the old friends who heard him amid a deep hush, "but there is much to be done morally and spiritually in the land to which I am about to return. Should the morale of a people suffer impairment and the spiritual vision grow faint, munitions could not win a victory. In answering the call of my country I am returning to a land that is bleeding. Were I speaking to an English congregation today, half of its members would be bereaved. It may seem strange to some, all these heavy sacrifices have been made nobly and without regrets. "I do not for one moment believe that we can lose in this struggle, and 1 feel that our final triumph is as sure as the morning. In taking my leave I express the deepest thanks for the hospitality extended to me and mine and when I return to England I will feel myself to be the ambassador of the hearts of the American people. No man will be able to speak as I will speak because I have enjoyed your affections in the fullest measure. I rejoice that I have not been driven away and I also rejoice in the thought that I will be welcomed back. May grace and love in one Savior rest upon you." Dr, Jowett is to assume the pas torate of the Westminister Congres sional Chapel in London. Wood and Straw Getting Scarce in Wilson County. Mr. W. T. Bailey, of Kenly, who is well ecquainted in Wilson County, says he hears considerable complaint of the scarcity of wood and straw in Wilson County. In parts of that coun ty the land is nearly all cleared and where they have been raising tobacco and using wood freely for tobacco curing and home use also, it is getting scarce. He knows farmers who haul wood five to six miles. One man a few miles from Kenly bought a large tract of timbered land several miles away in order to get wood for his home place. Johnston County people should conserve their wood as much as possi ble, before it gets too scarce. Consider how scarce wood is getting in other counties and remember that like con ditions are coming to us. Htm MUST BE MIIIKETED Food Administration Calls Upon Farmers to Market All Except Supply Necessary for Own Use. Raleigh. ? State Food Administrator Henry A. Page has been instructed by the Food Administration at Washing ton, in order to assure t tie continuous shipment of wheat to our armies abroad and the armies of our Allies, to appeal to the farmers of the State to market the residue of their wheat not later than May 1. No general or der requisltionining wheat has been sent out by the Food Administration up to this time and probably will not be sent out before the date mentioned. In some states the attention of State Food Administrators has been called to reports from loyal farmers that a number of pro-German farmers have determined to withhold their wheat from the market in order to handicap to as great an extent as pos sible the Government" and its Allies in the war against Germany. There have even been a few such Instances reported in North Carolina. Such I cwses will be promptly investigated and persons in this class will bo di rected to market their wheat immedi ately upon penalty of having it con fiscated by the Government. Administrator Page is confident of an immediate and patriotic response upon the part of wheat growing farm ers in North Carolina who still have wheat on hand. Mr. Page states that there is no pecuniary reason why wheat growers should not market all of their wheat beyond their own re quirements until the next harvest. It Is possible that a higher price will he fixed by Congress for the coming crop but it would not apply to wheat from the last harvest. Further, there is really some danger that the next crop will not sell at as high a price in North Carolina as wheat is selling at present because the rate of $2.20 per bushel fixed by President Wilson by proclamation may be made to apply to all sections regardless of freight differentials, etc. There is a further chance that the ? mailer mills which are now unre stricted as to the price they may pay for wheat, may be restricted to the basing price minus freight from the nearest basing point which would b? from $2 10 to $S.15 per bushel from most points in North Carolina. RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS CALLED While Individual Consumers Are Urg ed <o Use Only V/a Pounds of Flour per Week, Public Eating Places Will Be Forced to Rigid Observance of Conservation Program. Raleigh. ? Hotel and restaurant men In North Carolina who do not rigidly observe the food conservation program of the Food Administration hereafter may anticipate with confidence a con ference with State Food Administrator Henry A. Page or members of his staff. Following the receipt of urgent in structions from Washington Mr. Pago has announced that rigid adherence to conservation rules will be enforced in all hotels and restaurants and public eating places in North Carolina after this date. If violations are reported bearings will be held and where the circumstances warrant it punitive measures will be taken. Already explanations have been de manded from a numbers of hotels in the state for their non-conformance or luke-warm observance of the conserva tion program of the Food Administra tion and the owners of four cafes m Raleigh were given a hearing to show cause why they should not be punish ed for their failure to observe wheat less days and wheatless meais. Every household in the country is requested to confine its consumption to 1% pounds per person per week. A large number of households are follow ing the examples of more than 500 of the largest hotels of the country at Washington recently when they ban ished wheat products from their menu from this date until the next harvest. The Food Administration has received a number of reports of business men, professional men, farmers and othors having foresworn the use of wheat flour until the next harvest. DEALER PROMOTES CANNING. Mount Airy. ? North Carolina's rec ord of nine million cans of vegetables and fruits packed last season will be greatly exceeded this year if a large number of concerns that are in posi tion to do so would follow the example of one Mt. Airy wholesaler who for the past several years has furnished tin cans to reputable parties to be fill ed during the season and sold either to this wholesaler himself or to any other de?'.er without restriction. Pay nv nt fir the cans Is made in canned go< Is or through the sale of canned feo<'s. NOTICE. The undersigned having qualified as Administrator on the estate of L. E. Parker, deceased, hereby notifies all persons having claims against said estate to present the same to me duly verified on or before the 21 day of March, 1919 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery; and all persons indebted to said estate will make immediate payment. This 21 day of March, 1918. Q. C. PARKER, Admr. JAMES D. PARKER, Attorney. MORTGAGE SALE OF LAND. Whereas, R. R. Johnson executed to F. H. Brooks, Trustee, a certain deed of trust on October 15, 1915 to secure payment of $1,974.15 payable to J. D. Bizzell for the purchase price of tract No. 4 of the Lemuel Jor dan farm as will appear from Plot re corded in Plot book No. 1, page 16, Reg istry of Johnston County, containing 48.15 acres more or less, which deed of trust is recorded in Book No. 8, Page 278, Registry of Johnston Coun ty ; and Whereas, the said R. R. Johnson has failed to pay the said note and the said J. D. Bizzell, the present owner of the same, has made demand on the undersigned, trustee, to fore close the deed of trust aforesaid and collect the money due thereunder; Therefore the undersigned, trus tee, will offer for sale at Public Auc tion to the highest bidder, at the court house door, in the Town of Smithfield, N C.., on Saturday the 27th day of April, at 12 o'clock, M., the following described tract or par cel of land situated and being in Oneals Township, Johnston County, N. C., being known as trr.ct No. 4 of the Lemuel Jordan farm ss will ap pear from plot recorded in Plot Book 1 Page 16, Registry of Johnston County, containing 48.15 acres more or less. For meets and bounds and a more particular description of said property, reference is made to the plot of srid land above referred to. Terms of sale. Cash. This March 27. 1918. F. H. BROOKS, Trustee. NOTICE. The undersigned havi ig qualified as Administrator of the estate of Sal lie J. Powell, deceased, hereby notifies all persons having claims against said estate to present the same to me duly verified on or before the 16 day of March, 1919, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery; and all persons indebted to said estw will make immediate payment. V This 16 day of March, 1918. W. A. POWELL, Admr. W
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
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April 23, 1918, edition 1
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