Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Nov. 17, 1907, edition 1 / Page 17
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rA rr n n n i I t x no mere possession or a jl. Stlef? nlann nut. tha uoi f , i supreme - approval -on the X musical taste of . I may cost a little more,- but . , JJ the recollection of quality ra- j - mains long after price is fer- , I gotten. . , . j 1 rVini : IMAM ;V" ' The following, is a part of a series of articles that will 'not only prove interesting to those contemplating the purchase pf a piano, but to those who have , k :k bought, and readers in general. le . ' . ' , - ; . , ' - ; After all is said, the piano itself must prove by use its worth and standing as a workof art. , , . ' The' Stieff piaijo of to-day resembles very little the model pf years ago. .Yet from that day to this each model embodied every improvement made from year . ' to year; therefore, it was always one of the best .pianos 'of its time. Tb-day the STIEFF piano is"excelled by none, equaled by few, and in its beautiful singing " " tone is embodied a character of its own, a character with so strong an mdlviduality it seems almost, human under the hands of a n . v ;. -;. v; poor . piano' is- always . unsatisfactory. . v -Lewis - Plaidy,:" one- of the greatest teachers of his time, always advised his pupils to buy the best .piano. If their ' t . . , , . . "... , V ' means be limited, economize in other ways and buy a piano of a known reputation and one whose name is its guarantee. It is so easy to be imposed upon m the purchase of a piano, more so, perhaps, than m any other article you buy. The mere fact that piihos look alike, cheap . r ones often being more attractive in appearance than the' higher grades, makes ihe purchase more confusing, especially to the majority of buyers, who do not know the difference in pianos, nor realize how much depends on the name of the maker. , f vThename of CHAS;M. STIEFF on a piano manufactureid bV Chas. M. Stieff guarantees the highest standard of excellence. Our business was established ' ' sixty-five years ago, when manufacturers -tied with each other to produce the best. Our firm's greatest ambition is to produce a piano that cannot be excelled. ' ,.' V 'Continued next week." -"" Christmas Orders for Stleff Pianos Should be Placed at Once. Don't Delay. Order To-Day Stiito Wareroom: 5 West Trade SL GHaRLOTTE, N. Q. J .- "l'.ll , ' ' '-I ' :-' , ' V . IHE WflXTON CONVENTION ... . ., ... .., . .. . . .... 1 ' Bed. Buck Tells of. His Experience in a Republican . - District Meeting in 1896. I have been asked to tell, or retell, the story of the. famous Maxton con- ran4 Isnv wafAMwail . 4a Iw TV a AKiam)ak eeveral daya ago. ' . - In 1896 the Populists, , managed by . Senator Majion . Butler, and the Re publicans by Senator Jeter C.Pritch , ard. were standing together in North Carolina for mutual benefit: , The TtAmAnrflta mnv A ervr nn4 rvnt ITv- ... vvr hw v w uvnu wuu vuv , Judge Daniel L. Russell, of Wllmlng- , ton.- ana Hon. Oliver H. Dockery, of , JVIangum. lotli of .'the sixth congres aionai dtetrict, were the ' candidates for . the- Republican- nomination - for Governor, which, at, that time, meant an ' election Charlotte, , Union, An- ' eon,' Richmond, Robeson New Han over and other counties were in, the !, Bhoestring district. The ' Republicans were very husy. That being before the negro was disfranchised, the Re- ' kit., n I. .VI. I nJlJ.. , ' tion of the - State '. was largely . com- posed of ;r Afro-Americans. A county , convention was held here In the city hall, and it was as black as Africa. " Of ijourso there was a, sprinkling- of white men , in it, but bine, out of . ten of , the delegates were v colored. '-, Th Dockeryltss ' and the Russellttes came close to blows here. There were . rumors of wars, but no blood was hed. Every county in the district . had had 1 similar convention ' and 'wamed .delegate to theyJaxton ,meet ' Jnir. r. .-;v-v--:wv'?';,,s1-'. . The f all-absorbing , question ' was: ' T Are, ' "you lor Dockery or.- Russell?" ' Mr. Dockery ,i was - known as the 'Great Warhorse of the1 Pee ' Dee," and Mr.: Russell as "The Mighty Dan nf . New ' Hanover.? . ; :;: 1:: ':. The Maxton convention, promised a live newspaper story or two. Unless ' he hand - writing on the wall had been" misread there was ' blood on the ' certain Jf the. delegates of the Bnoe' l I string district ever got together. . THE KIOKNAMffi OF.'JUED , BUCK. Tinrtcr. that . I got my hlckname, Red ; Buck, now a nom de plume. When the flghfbecame warm I bolted ; without 'waiting ceremonies. - . We, the Mecklenburg delegates to : . the . district convention and I,. , The .Observer's reliance for the story of the day, left Charlotte on . the early " raln, a 'bright spring morning, and ITnlon delegation" got aboard, nd ,nt Wadesboro the Anson, and at Rock' lna-ham and Laurinburg, v the x Rich ' xnond. The train was literally filled , with negroes. I had a dull time with hat crowd until we got to Rocking ham, wheref Claude Dockery .whom I met a Chapel Hill several years prior tot hat, ; Joined the party ; and intro duced me to the -most Interesting character in the Dockery, contingent, i I refer; to Rich ' Lilly, a tall wiry limber negro, with a Juicy mouth nd a nappy, dusty-looklpg head. Rich was going to do what he could toward Hhe nomination of his old friend. Col. Oliver Dockery. gome .'hera bet waenw Rockingham and Maxton Rich and myself were thraan together, when no one else was near. Aii if ri i 1 i 1 its owner. Rich beckoned to me and dodaed be hind a freight car and, in order to see what be wanted, I followed, v "Boss, . is you ewlne to Maxton?" asked Rich, holding his right hand, unaer ms coat tall as If to draw his gun. "Yes, sir. That is where I am bound for."-:. Well, say, boss, here's das' a little uv Duckery best, won't you have er kdrinkr ... "No thank, you, I don't drink," said "Looker here. - boss. you mus ncrt be no delegate?'! "No, I am not." , "Well, Is yer arwlne to de conven- The train ' started and T we got aboard. Rich could not understand. My attitude toward ills ellxer of life astonished him. : CONVENTION MEETS AT HIGH : .NOON. ; About 12 o'clock the convention met In a large hall, provided wHh "a, ros trum, . over a store on- Main street The hall, having been used for a bug gy warehouse, had a tramway that led from the sidewalk to the floor. Up mis broad,-ana slanting way. the dele gates ana spectators traveled. - I was one among the i flrjt io arrive,; with a cnair wiat . I Borrowed from a hotel, a small lapboard artds-1 tabletk and took my seat on the rostrum, in the north, corner, - agafeist -the .-rear - wall, near a window that looked out on4 back fott believing that J had select ed the best place In the house for t reporter, i - - " By the appointed hour the' hall wair well filled with people, principally ne groes. (seeing i wr. tiaude Dockery talking and laughing with me Rloh Lilly became curious again, ! aftd, when no one was about, he came up, looked me in ythe eye r and asked: "Boss, for Oawd's sake, whiit Is you gwlne ter do ef you ain't no deli gate" - - . "I am going to sit here and watch you Republicans, . - take notes and Ijrrlte you up in the paper If : you faon't behave yourselves." was nr re ply. A " ' - . , t . "0.' you's er writer fur de paperr' i- rYes, ;; ...Vw A,.-! y X"l sees. f-.,':v"! :fy 'ssi '. -if.'-V-i I do not recall any but the more violent Hnddenta of . the convention. Aa I sat there and watched the va rious delegations take their seats a looker-on In Vienna pointed out some of the celebrities. -,', ; "That man with Jhe long beard and the long - fig-stemmed pipe, la Dr. Normeiit, - of Lumberton," said ' my coach. "The man with the cripple hand Is CoJ. B. Bill Terry. The long armed man with abbreviated trous ers and coat sleeves, is Speaking Henry Covington Many others wer named, but J have forgotten most of them. Later Big BiilSutton, of Bla den,, came In. He did not belong to the convention, but it was understood that, h . was therta lead the -Russell forces In a rough house affair if his services were needed. 1 I . J ., M I 1 I A ; TO C. . WILMOTH, ' MANAGER. . No one would have Imagined that! the quiet, lifeless body of men of th.? first half hour of the convention would become the mob that It did be fore, the day was over. ; " TROUBLE BEGINS SUDDENLY. J The trouble began when the con vention voted on a permanent chair man, each siae claiming the majority when, the balloting was over. 4 Tho god of peace had ouit the meeting and the devil taken possession. Mr. a.'M. ing, or Rockingham, a hand some man, with a good face, waa put up by the Dockeryltles. and ft Wil mington negro . by the Russellltes. Bofh Mr. Long and the darky tried to take the seat, each mounting the rostrum and -taking a chair. ,m - This was the signal for 'a general fight, which began on the stage. Knowing -be power of Speaking Hen ry's lungs the Dockery delegates be gan t jell "Covington," "Covington, ' "speech," but In the meantime the Wilmington negro, the Russell chair mar, had been deprived of his seat by fcrce. Mr, Long held his with "a brace of Colts. I want the reader to understand that the fight then in. progress- was none of, my affair. To tell the whole truth I did look on with considerable satisfaction until I saw two or three men -produce : pistols; from that . time on I had one eye on the convention and the other' busy looking for a way to escape, out stuck to my corner. Every fighting man was ' coming to the rostrum, throwing nervous dele gates , out of the way as ' he ad vanced RICH 'LILLY TO THE BAT.' Rich Lilly brought first blood. The calls for Henry Covington, the sup ple man witn the oily tongue, were heeded by that gentleman, who whs Just : as fearless', as be - was wordy, and while others glared and swore at each other he was making the wel kin . ring with Dockery , thunder. No man, ever made mare gestures, and took longer strides than did Speaking Henry . that: afternoon. . With a quart of mean liquor In his tummy, and a cigarette In his .. mouth, . Rich Lilly, the ' warmest Duckerylte : of them all, pranced behind Mr. Cov. Ingrton, (following him with his hands and feet as far as he could without bursting a. en trail. . 8ee"1ng this double barreled performance I lost sight of the free-for-all tight on the opposite side of, the stage. It wasn't what Mr. Covington said but, the way he said it that attracted the crowd, and me. Except for the difference In color one would have taken' Speaking Henry .and Rich Lilly for the Gold Dust twins ' v . f. "Tell - it to 'em!" ahouted Rich) every time he hit the floor. ' "Yes, Lawd. let" 'em have It.' Dere ain't no . candl-date , but " CoL Duck err!" ' Tiring of this, a RusseU ' man fh the back section cf the hall -roared out:, "five dollars for the man 'who will -pull that long-legged devil down from there." ' ' No sooner had the offer been made than did a short, stocky, big-headed negro, with a Van Dyke beard, start from the fifth row of seats toward the stand to catch Covington by the leg. I mounted my chair to see. Hav ing the advantage ' of the pedestal 1 could, take In everything. Speaking Henry had charged and jumped and squatted -and bounced vniU hie trous ers, all too' short, had climbed nearly to Ma knees and his heavy home BE CONTINUED - knit socks had fallen over his shoe tops.- . He was about ready to ily when the designing negro reached out N for bis thin, bare shank. NEGRO DELEGATE KNOCKED , (1; , . DOWN. But there came a turn; Rich Lilly, who had heard the offer and seen the negro start and wend his way to the stage, was guarding the speaker. No one knew what was going to happen until it came. Just as the Wilming ton delegate made a pass at the Dockery (speaker Rich bowed his back, like a Thomas cat, ducked, shot forward end gave him a blow be tween the eyes and . floored him. Speaking Henry never let up. In fact, he never knew what had hap pened, until the convention was over. Rich resumed his antics until be -recalled the fact that I was taking notes and then he rushed back to where I had dropped into my seat, put . his i hands on my knees, looked me In. the face and asked, seriously: "Say,; boss, did I act lak er delegate ?'' ;Yeip indeed, do it again." ' To mv certain knowledge Rl"h hammered five other delegates aft'r that and came to see if I approved of the manner in which he did It. But I was forced to forget Speak ing Henry and Rich Lilly. Other In cidents, more exciting and more strenuous, were In progress. Big Bill Sutton , had come upon the rostrum and was throwing delegates east and west.: Having the advantage of a tremendous frame and a notorious reputation as a scrapper he walked rough shod over less fortunate ones. But there was one' man, with a keen eye, an Iron face and frosted hair, that was not afraid to face him, and that was a good fellow, who was -a Republican leader vat that time. As old i man Bill surged on the rostrum nis son. Dave, screamed back at Henry Covington from-the hall. I saw the quiets man climb on the , rostrum, and knew that he was mad. 1 He and Big; Bill glowered at each other for an. Instant at twenty paces. Twe seconds later they were rushing at each other, -like vicious dogs. They did not have a , head-on collision, tut side-swiped. The newcomer got the bent of-the first round: he tore Sutton's collar and tie from his neck and held .it between the thumb and tore finger, so that all might see. Prlends Interfered and prevented an ugly affair, . i , THE FIGHT GREW WORSE, , ! "Clear the rostrum!" shouted some one from. the halL" ' , i Tnat .1s what the chairman and. their friends had been trying to dj for some minutes. But the delegates crowded around the edge until they were If lean ,or' twenty deep and the rostrum was alive with opposing fac. Hons. After, tHe Morrison-Sutton mix-up the fighting became general. Some fellow In the house knocked Dr. Norment ' over a seat. Jamming his pipe stem half wsy down his throat Times -were beginning to look squally for me, and I had no way out.. To my left was a window but if I went out that It meant a fall of 20 feet to the ground: to my right, an . ante room, with a small thin wall going out,; down the steps from the ros trum,' the way I came in seerrwvi at that Mme . n Imposslbllly, While considering . ths advisability of going Into- the - ante room-ami closing - the door I saw a human upheaval across I from ma and before I could catch my breath an old - darky sailed Into the room and slammed the door and I was cut off there. "All the while the mob on the rostrum became blackar and more like the tail end of a negro festival. The old corn field negroes were Just beginning to get the spirit of the meeting. As the colored dele gates Increased the white ones Blink ed away, Imagining that something would be doing soon. Seeing the efcange tn color and temperament of the stage crowd I began to have se rious concern about my own welfare. Had the fight been among my own people I might have taken a hand but to sit idly by and be punctured with a pistol or a knife was not to my liking. I was slow In making up my mind. But there came a time when I had to act before thinking it over, i As I sat there and wonders d what injuries I would receive If I Jumped out the window a big negro, I. thing he must have been one of Mr. Gib Patterson's canal hands, clad in overalls and wearing a cap on his head and high top boots on his feet, broke through the mob In the hall. Jumped up on the stand Immediately in front of me, and began to finger In his boot T and swear. I heard him mumble, to himself: "I'll be d d ef I don't clar dls hall when I get ole Sal lie." THE NEGRO MEANT BUSINESS. I had an idea that "Ole Sallle" was a weapon of some sort, and I was right, for a half a second later the big -nigger rose to his full. heigh th, threw open a rasor, turned around three times (coming close to me as he wheeled) and' yelled, "Git off uv dls stage, don't; I'll cut yq' dd throats --every ,, one uv you I was the first to leave, going over the heads; of the mob that, had col lected about the edge of . the stag. My note-book went to the right and my lapboard to the left,, while I con tinued rnjr night: straight ahead down the tramway. As I struck the street old. man B. B. Tarry, whom , I knew very well,v stood .behind .the' wall or the brick lu:l'dlra and peeped up tho exlfand said: "I gad. that's no place for a well man, , much less a crip ple.' I did not argue the point I was followed by many, hundreds. In fact, the entire Russell delegation bolted, some going through the win dows and others down the trnmway. The Dockery men remained and pased a few resolutions, bJt there was no. mere fighting. Late that af ternoon, when the westbound dele gates were walling at' the station to tike the train, some one dlsccvrel that UnJe Hampton. a very ancient colored delegate from Monroe, -w mining, 'l heard the talking and In quired as to bis appearance. 'Why'sald I to myself, "that la the old fellow that went In' the ante, room-when the fight began," A party of us visited the hall and knocked on the lurked door, -but did not1 get; any ; wponse v Finally we broke In and .' there i eat old i maft Hampton, jouked down In the- eor- 'i ktmlA 1 A.v. lWrtv;"''i'.i,',''s""';:":vJi..;;,'...,';'.;' CI iud' - Pmskerywh; eat on t'. ihi not ard sow i make . the famous leip, -rent, o Rt'etgh , and told U.e city editor of The . Times-Visitor that "Rod Buck had bolted ' the conven ventlon."- I was the. butt of papers and politicians for weeks, -The 011 Man said. In on editorial, that "Rjc Buck"" woulBjave t expl1nwhy he bolted , ana he. am as best he could. Mr. Caldwell had dubbed me The New England Conserva-$ tory of Music has bought X about one hundred and fifty . Stleff pianos. The last order for fifty was placed this fall, Twenty-five have been de livered and twenty-five to bo delivered this month. - , ? Manufacturer of the Shaw apd Stieff Self "Brick Top," "Strawberry Blond" and "Red Buck," and tho last name stuck because of the Maxton convention and Claude Dockery's Interview. RED BUCK. ' MOST VALUABLE FIDDLESTICK. An Empress' Treasure IVnThlmblo That Was a Wedding Gift Tit-Bits. ; The Queen of Slam possesses a thimble which was a wedding gift and Is In the shape of a lotus flower. It Is valued at 13,000. Each petal bears the enlaced Initials of his Majesty King Chulalongkorn I, and Queen Pongsi, set In rubles and emeralds, while Inscribed round the rim Is the date of the marriage, the letters and numbering being decorated with, dia monds and pearls. . . The Empress Eugenie treasures a pen made from the quill of u golden eagle's wing and richly mounted with diamonds and gold, which waa used at her request by the fourteen plenipo tentiaries who signed the Treaty of Paris in 1856. When the Hon. Mr. Ward, eldest son of xLord, Bangar. was married ; some time ago the register waa sign ed with a quill pen which waa used by the high contracting powers In signing the Treaty of Vienna, and which has several times been utilised at weddings In the Vard family. , ine most vhiuhdic iiuuicihicii in ui world is the one used by paganlnl at his farewell recital, afterward possess ed by Verdi, the great composer. It was given by Paganlnl to hi favorite pupil, the late Count dl Console, and by him bequeathed to Verdi. Many large turns,, ranging from f 1,000, have been offered In vain for this unique posses sion, and its estimated value la at least 115.000. Seventeen pounds Is a long price to pay for. a key, but this sum has been given by a member of the Rothschild family for what may be said to be the mdst valuable key la the World.:, It Is marked with the arms of the 8troif 'family and It believed to be the work of tho great Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini, ' who ' flourished la the six teenth century. The key is cherished out of a block of Steele, presenting two grotesque female fin gore and or namented with various scrolls. , s Five hundred and fifty pound was paid by a nobleman at the beginning of the eighteenth, century for a dog collar of gold, . A collar of silver,, with four small diamonds, .cost In 100 guineas, was sold to a aoclety lady for her pet pug dog. it is rasnionabie in France to put gold bracelets etudded with .Jewels on the forelegs of poodles. The plain gold collars with Jeweled collars cost no less than t!0, while the Jewelled collars run -to II 00. The bracelets cost from two pounds to 10 pounds each. - 1 '".;,:-. A thermometer can be bought for a shilling, but there Is ene used at the Johns Hopkins University In the Unit ed states, known as Prof. Rowland's thermometer, whl-h I valued at 2.000 pounds. The gradations on the glass are so fine that it Is herniary to use a microscope to read mem. Mr. Singer of sewing machine fume paid 11.000 pounds for a pair of opera glasses. The lenes are, of course, the best obtainable, but it was the fact that the "glasses' were of solid gold, surmounted by a lyre encrusted with dramonds-and irPh!re. which ac counted for the Vtall" price. , - Women's hats are both common and Artistic Stleff,, - Player Pianor costly as a rule, but a woman In, Brunswick, who made no great preten-' slons to fashion, holds the record for -the highest price paid for an article r. 9 . 1 1 1 , til I 1 & . I . , . t . m. .......... 'J . . .I..V UVA". Vfc T. 1 , , , . lattery ticket which the merchant ac cepted In place of the money. A few. weeks later the ticket drew the great prlae of 15.000 pounds, and though, the woman's husband tried to Induce the merchant to share the results he only received 25 pounds. That hat cast 14,975 pounds! As to 'Relaxation.' New York Press. Dr. Lomr Mavhellve Youni nf r-Vil- cago, does not agree with us that sleeping on the front Is good. ' But he seems to be in his own mind an. expert on relaxation. "In my ova opinion," he says, "the want of re laxation is tne principal cause of in somnia. To produce relaxation we must first equalise the circulation of ll . ar ass v j VUVU n fcV compllhed by sleeping with the knees up, which throws the blood Into the lumbar region. The position Is rath- er tlrt-Homp (I should say so!) and on stretching gut the leg equalisation and therefore relaxation take place. For insomnia supervening upon ner vousness I would aJvlse taking some good, long breaths. When due te fh. want of cnntrol of t'i hlnlna apparatus eat three or four ginger snaps (10 cents a poiind), which will warm up the stomach and transfer the nervous energy , to the aolar plexus, or stomach brain." ' , n IIot-Air Twatnient of Way Fever, ' Swiss Medical Journal. , '.-. Dr. JIurllmann, In two serious case of hay fever which resisted all kinds of treatment succeeded in causing alt the 1 symptoms to disappear by the employment of hot and dry 'air. He used an apparatus with six eldctrlo lamps red light) arrange! In a fitting, manner. The patients breathe In the hot air by the nose and expel it by the mouth, from 25 to 10 respirations at each, seance. Dr. Hurllm&nn does not know if the red light acts by reason; of t Its color and hopes that later : experiments made bv other roeJlcal men may eluc idate the qjAestlon . , ; , , THE, IJGHT OF OTHEIt DAYS. Oft. In the stilly nWht. -I'.rt slumber's chnin has bovnd tny Fowd memory 4rings thfl Ight . - ( Of other days around mi " r,A .'v The trnilW, the tears Of boyliood'e yedM. The wortls of love then enokenf j' The eyes hat shone,,. i " ' Now dlmm'd and ionc ' The cheerful honrw now brokan; Thtis.' In the stilly nlB't, Kre slumber' chain lias bound mo, H-d ntmtry brtnKS th Htrf-t Of other daya around wc. WhPn T remember nil Th friends o llnk'd together. l'v wn around in fU , 1 Ike lcv' in wintry weather, , I fcoi like orn , Who trifftiH alon Pottv bannuf-t hall Hcserted. M'hose Itehta are Vhoe gurlantl dad. ' And nil but h- ! iwtHi! Thiits In tho eUItv n:i.nt. Ero siitn -r's c'' v-i ! .i i oi::id ir.e,, tlifliluiy- , .-. t:.. I ,.,t ,U othvr da m-oun.i r.n-. , . Thomas l: .
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 17, 1907, edition 1
17
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