Newspapers / Lenoir News-Topic (Lenoir, N.C.) / Nov. 9, 1917, edition 1 / Page 1
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to :o'- . , ' , 8 ' TC . r: " -- . - - 11 IV II II' II II Volume XIX Published Tuesdays aad Friday LENOIR N. C FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1917 Price: Five Cent a Copy No, 43 III Sentiment Held Sway and Swamped Governor's Seat of Justice Open Road to Law lessness, Murder People here are justly indignant at the anwarranted commutation of the death sentence passed upon Char lie Walker, convicted at the Novem ber, .1 9 16, term of Caldwell Superior Court nlmed by the Supreme Court The-ifeeling- is that Gov. Bickett hai'Mjutraged the laws of North Carolina ' and disregarded the overwhelming' sentiment of the peo ple of this county and section, and these people are unwilling to accept the Governor's tin-horn reasons that is, if they can truly be called reasons as set' forth in his official statements Sentimentalism seems tov have swayed the Governor, and, apparently throwing aside of sense of justice, the laws of the great commonwealth, he tears down the decisions of two courts and then tries to condone his action by the following statement, which, from a standpoint of pure slush and weakness, has no parallel From reading this statement one is inclined to the opinion that it was prepared by a writer of hction or -was drawn from the imagination of an intelligent inmate of some insane asylum: The statement is as follows: "Charlie Walker. North Carolina Caldwell County, November Term, 1916. Crime: Murder in First De gree. Sentence: Death by Elec trocution. "Sentence commuted (o life imprison ment November 5, 1917. "On the first Sunday in October 1916, in the county of Caldwell, and near the town of Lenoir, Charlie Walker shot and instantly killed Flor ence Sutphin. He was duly tried, and convicted of murder in the first de free Tfhere was an appeal tp the upreme Court,, where) the judgment of ,fhe lower ;ourt was affirmed, and j piea is. now Diaue w me ui cum mute the death sentence to life ira prisonmerit "In support of this plea there is submitted (1) a petition signed by ten oi the twelve jurors who found the prisoner gulity. These jurors who heard all the evidence in the case and rendered their verdict, cer tify that in their opinion the ends of justice would be met by a term of life imprisonment. (2) The judg who tried the case writes that he does not feel warranted in asking commutation of the sentence, but there is a doubt in my mind he think I should commute the sentence and that he will cheerfully and heartily endorse any decision that I may reach. (3) A petition signed by over three hundred citizens of Caldwell county. On this petition are men and women of intelligence and good char acter from all walks and stations in life, and they say that in their opin ion the ends of justice Would be met in this case by a term of life impris onment, and ask me to commute the death sentence accordingly. "On the other hand, there is a vig orous pr6test filed against any inter ference with the prescribed penalty of the law. In support of this pro test there is "submitted (1) A letter from the solicitor who prosecuted the case, and who files his objections to the commutation. (2) A number of personal letters from men known by me to be men of high character and intelligence who strongly protest against any interference with the law. (3) Formal protest signed by over two hundred and fifty people who come from all walks and stations in life and are citizens of good char acter and intelligence, who say that in their opinion the ends of justice require the execution of the pris oner. . "'. "One thittg that, impresses me is that a in large number of instances husbands signed the protest against the commutation, while their wives signed the petition in favor of it. All this is evidence of the intensity of Reeling that exists in the" community where the crime was committed. While sentiment in the county is clearly and emphatically divided the record before me indicates that the decided weight of public opinion in CaldJWflJ against any interference with "thedeath sentonce. For this public plAlon I have profound re- .. (Continued on page two) COL; GQX'S BOYS AT HP BET THEIR GUNS TenneMee Negro Troop Are at Camp Sevier French Offi cer Arrive to Instruct v In Fighting Look out, Mr. Hun! The Fifth ar tillery brigade, which includes Col. Albert Cox's 113th regiment, has re ceived its first guns, and the brigade will start soon on training which it hopes will put it in trim to blast its way to the Rhine. The artillerymen are elated over the arrival of the field pieces, which present a very business-like appearance. Only a few pieces arrived with the first shipment and these will be used for training purposes, but more and more are expected soon. The guns that arrived were three-inch field pieces, each gun being made up of four pieces, including the limber and ammunition eaison. The pieces were distributed among the 113th and 114th artillery regiments. With only their red hat cords to designate them as artillerymen, the men of the 113th have been getting hardened and trained in the infan try drills, but now they have some thing more interesting ahead and ev ery man is keen for the new and in teresting training that will come soon. For the present drills will be given in loading and firing, which will be followed by practice on the artillery range when the Tar Heel artillery men will hear for the first time the blast of the little "Hun Hunters." Company G, Tennessee national guard, a negro organization, has ar rived at Camp Sevier and is encamp ed near Paris on part of the site for merly occupied by the depot brigade Since its call to colors the negro out fit has been doing guard duty in its native state. The company is made up entirely of negroes, three officers and 106 men. Three more French officers and three non-commissioned officers who have seen actual fighting on the western. front have arrived at Camp Sevier to instruct the officers of the Thirtieth division in the ways that fighting is really done "Over There." There are now eight French officers at Camp Sevier and two others are expected soon. Ten British officers are also expected to arrive in the near future. The French officers will hold classes in grenade throwing and oth er battle tactics. REV. J. G. PULLIAM TALKED TO GRADED SCHOOL PUPILS We were peculiarly fortunate to close our week's campaign for the conservation of food, in which the school children secured pledges in over a hundred and fifty families with an excellent chapel talk on Wednesday morning by Rev. J. G Pulliam, recently of California, brother of our popular townsman E. D. Pulliam, and who is now en gaged in the food conservation cam paign under the direction of Herbert Hoover at Washington and Mr. Page at Raleigh. Mr. Pulliam's plea to the school children was that they sub stitute other foods for the ones most needed by our allies in Europe. He brought forth a hearty laugh from his young audience when he asked that we return to the custom of old en days and have "John Constant,' corn bread, come to the table again nnl allow "Joe Seldom." wheat ; bmuJ( appear less oftcn IIi8 talk was thoroughly practical and enter taining and will leave a lasting im pression upon the future citizens o Lenoir, I am sure. HORACE S1SK. STATIC COTTON CROP IS 80,933 BALES SHORT A l.illir.r; frost on Oct. 8 nnd a Info spring, Maj. W. A. Graham, commis- ..iorcr of ;gr'culture, says, is largely ; responsible for a shortage of 80,833 ! bales of cotton ginned compared to '. thnt of the past year. The report of Oct. 25, 11)17, gives a total of &),107 boles ginned; that of Oct. 25, 1916, 170,040. Robeson, Scotland, Mecklenburg and Cleveland are the only counties reported showing an increase over the past year. The prospects are, J Maj. Graham says, that the crop for . the year will fall considerably behind that of the past year. Wako county reports 4,180 bales ginned in 1917; , 7,946 in 1916. SEGBND.IIBEBTY LQAK $4,617,532,300 Is the Amount Taken, All the Reserve Districts Exceeding Their QuoU Americans responded to the call for a second Liberty Loan by sub scribing $4,617,532,300. an oversub scription of 54 per cc .t of the f 3, 000,000,000 asked, and only $383, 000,000 less than the $5,000,000,000 maximum fixed by the treasury . Tabulations completed Tuesday nigh eleven days after the close of the nation-wide bond selling cam paign, showed that every Federal re serve district exceeded its quota, and 9,400,000 persons subscribed in the big war financing operation, which Secretary WcAdoo described as the greatest ever attempted by any gov ernment. Half of the oversubscribed sum will be accepted, making the actual total of bonds to be issued $3,808,- 766,150. Ninety-nine per cent of the subscribers will receive the amoyjit for which they bargained, all sub scriptions for $30,000 or less being allotted in full, and those above that amount being pared down in varying proportions, ranging from a 90 per cent allowance on subscriptions be tween $50,000 and $100,000 to 40 per cent for the largest single sutn scription of $50,000,000. The success of the second Liberty Loan, like that of the first, is a dis tinct triumph for the people of the United States," said Secretary Mc- Adoo, announcing the loan results. It not-only demonstrated their abil ity, patriotism and resources, but au gurs the certain success of any fu ture loans that may be offered by the government." The secretary added a denial of reports that the third loan would be solicited in January, 1918. "In view of the large over-subscription of the second Liberty Loan," he said, "I am glad to state that this will not be necessary." It has been generally understood that the third loan would be sought probably in late February or early March next year. Although only one per cent of the number of subscriptions were for sums above $50,000, for which only partial allotments will be made, $2,- 129,000,000, or nearly half the big aggregate, was made up by the larger sums. More than three-quarters of a billion dollars were subscribed in in dividual amounts of more than $1,- 000,000. Subscriptions to the first Liberty Loan, which closed June 15, were $3,035,000,000, a 50 per cent over subscription of the $2,000,000,000 offered and allowed. There were more than 4,000,000 subscribers, and allotments wer emade in full on sub scriptions of $10,000 and less. On the second Liberty Loan pay ment of 2 per cent of the subscrip tion amount was required with the subscription, and thousands of pur chasers of the smaller bonds, partic ularly of $50 and $100 denomina tions, paid cash in full. From these payments $151,000,000 already has been received by the treasury. The second installment of 1 8 per cent will fall due Nov. 15.; 40 per cent ad ditional will be due Dec. 15, and the last installment of 40 per cent will be due Jan. 15, 1918. POVER TWO HUNDRED MILLION TAKEN BY RICHMOND DISTRICT The men, women and children of the Richmond Federal reserve dis trict, of which North Carolina forms a part, flung-defiance in the face of the kaiser and his government wnen they subscribed $201,2 1L',500 worth of bonds of the second Liberty Loan. Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo announced the total subscriptions to the second loan, amounting fro 4, 1)17,532,300. FIVE TEUTON ARMIES ARE OPERATING AGAINST ITALY ft is announced at the Austri.i Hungarian army headquurters that the Teuton armies operating against Italy number five. They are under Gens, von Krobatin, von Krass, von Below, von Henriquez and Wurm, with the leadership vested in von Be low, who commands the center army. There is a possibility, the dispatch adds, of the Austro-Hungarian fleet co-operating with Gen. Wurm's army along the Adriatic coast NOTICE! There will be no Court sec ond week, as several of the bar will attend Supreme Court that week. There will be a week of Civil Court beginning Nov. 26, third week. All jurors drawn for third week will please come Monday, Nov. 26, at 10 o'clock a.m. W. C. MOORE, JR., Clerk Superior Court. 145 MEN CALLED TQ REPORT MONDAY-TUESDAY Are to Fill Vacancies Caused By Exemptions and Discbarges Notices Sent Out This Week Notices calling 145 men to report for examination Monday and Tues day have been mailed by the local exemption board. A meeting pre liminary to calling out these men was held Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. The men called are to fill vacancies caused by exemptions granted by the district board and discharges by the army officials at the camp. The follownig are the men called: Robert Burton Rash, Nathaniel Hall, Horace McGarr, Joseph Dob bins Coffey, William Fox, Richard Cleveland Childers, Eiisha G. Powell, Bynum Church, Melvin Grady Miller, Leonard Martin Green, Lee Fergu son, Carl O. Pearson, William Ma lone Ferguson, Walter ' S. Crump. Jane Beach, Nathaniel M. Helton, Charlie McLean, Oliver Owen Griffin, Thomas Jefferson Hudson, Lloyd G. Sullivan, Wjlliam Oscar Shell, Wil liam Jones McGalliard, Corbin In gram, Hillie Horton Coffey, Edwin D. Martin, Walter Columbus Scott, Lon nie Perkins, Ed Jones, William Fred Haas, John Henry Clark, William Thomas McLoud, John Wesley Set ser, William R. Kirby, Oliver Burle son, Grover C. Bush, Woodard My ers, Edgar William Cobb, William Roby Sanders, William Lee Elmore, Thomas Alfred. Eller, Art Henry Freeman, Lacy Oliver Hayes, George Richards, Luther Augustus Hartley, Roy Webb Green, Thomas Settle Walker, Arthur A. Douglas, William B. Bush, David Munroe Teeters, Rob ert Shaver Sigmon, Oscar Alvan Brown, Robert Smith, James Avery Simmons, Haywood H. Sanders, Charley M. Kirby, Robert Cleveland Barlow, Ellis Eugene Arney, Wade Correll, William Thomas Childers, Guthrie Ogdcn Allen, Dock Beach, David Boone King, Alfred Recce Crisp, Carl Boyd Munday, Ted La- jrougue Whitencr, Henry B. Johnson, J. Van Jackson, Pink Harrison cov ens, Alonzo Mott Jaines, Albert Gwyn Pearcie, Jeter P. Wadell, Clar ence Tuttle Coffey, Rufus L. Hartley, James Bristol Hood, Walter W. Smith, John Vitulas . Harris, Finley Richard, Herndon Larney, Simpson T. Stemple, Harrison Watson, Rob ert Lee Norwood, James Rufus Cot trelL Warren Vitus Wagner, Reuben Price, William Henry Bowman, Chas. D. Hice, Addeson H. Varner, Joe Lail, Jotin W. Carlton, Henry Clay Dula, Henry Grady Joy, P. Bart Rowe, Marvin Daniel Helderman, Robert Clinton Welch, Robert Lee Ray, Kelly Micheaux, James G. Bol linger, Noah Sidney Watson, Charlie Smith, Calvin Cannon, Arnold Cor pening, Aaron R. Sanders, Gordon Lee Pitts, David Hunter, Charles W. Kirby, Todd Lloyd White, Lawrence J. Curtis, Sloan A. Rhyne, Tilden L. Benfield, W. Anderson Keller, , c;herman Koss Tolbert, John Midas j (1im.n, Hezekiah Annis, Charles Lemuel Gragg, David W. Turner, John Francis Edmunds. Walter The odore Holden, Alonzo Mosteller, Fred Shade, Robert Winkler, Milas Mun roe Bolick, Roy Gerald Wood, Wil liam David Williams, Charles F. Cook, Fred Dixon Marler, Ross V. Land. William Lee Hartley, Pinson Lee Tolbert, George Washington Pat terson, Jr., Finley Kelly Price, Al f oii7.o William Monk, John Shuford, James Reid, Arthur Pleasant Turn miro, William Harris, Marvin Lean der Cornwell, James W. Cloor, Jar vis Collie Tolbert, Lawrence E. Babb, Thomas Arvel Storio, Charles Carter Triplett, Oscar E. Prison, Roby Ar thur White. Caldwell Superior Court convenes here next week. E OF PROSPERITY IS SWEEPING SOUTH Tbe Monthly Report of the Federal Reserve Board Shows an Un precedented Condition in This Section The monthly report of the Federal reserve board for October bears out the statement made by Col. W. H. Osborn about the prosperous condi tion of North "Carolina and other southern States: Reports from all points in the Richmond district, the board said, indicate unusually pros perous conditions. The corn crop is much larger than the average, to bacco fully up to the average and selling at unprecedented prices, and the cotton crop about the same as last year, but selling above 25 cents per pound. Farmers are more pros perous and better supplied with money than ever before in the his tory of the district. Conditions are reflected m unprecedented deposits in the banks, money is circulating freely and high prices seem no hindrance to butchery of prisoners, signed his let trade, which is reported good among I ter "A Soldier and Man Who is No wholesalers and retailers. The production of lumber is below normal, due to the scarcity of labor soldier, an eye-witneoS of the slaugh and inadequate transportation, but ter of Russian soldiers in the Iasu orders are abundant at satsifactory rum i;;kes ;jid jwarap;: prices and the general condition in this line much improved. Ordinary building has been considerably re stricted, owing to high prices of ma terial, but government work and con struction for the filling of govern ment orders have been on a large scale. Everything in the manufacturing line is reported running to full ca- nuritv. restricted onlv bv scarcity of labor. There h is been some loss j of crops due to inability to harvest ' them on account of scarcity of lfAor. i Railroad earnings have increased in gross very considerably, but the increase has been largely absorbed in operating expenses. Bank clearings indicate an expansion of 25 per cent; postoffice receipts are above normal. The South throughout is prosper ous. U. S. PATROL BOAT IS TORPEDOED; 21 MISSING The American patrol boat Alcedo was torpedoed and sunk by a Ger man submarine in the war zone early Monday morning and one officer and twenty-one enlisted men are missing. The Alcedo, a converted yacht, car ried a crew of seven officers and 85 men. RECRUITING OFFICER TO BE HERE FROM Sth TO 14th Editor Lenoir News: Sergeant Lowell N. Gross, former ly of company A, First N. C. infan try, now on duty at the army recruit ing station. Hickory, will be in Le noir from Nov. 8 to 14 for the pur pose of obtaining enlistments fir the regular army, national guard and the national i:rniy. grer.t many men are needed foi the newly organized engineer regi ments, and no matter what a man's trade is he can be usod to a good ad vantage. All branches of the army are now i open for enlistment excepting the cavalry arm. Any one who is interested will do well to have a talk with either the postmaster, Mr. Guire, or Sergenat Gross. Men who are registered and who have not been called before their ex amination boards can volunteer for either the regular army, national guard or the engineer branch of the national army. ROY BLACK. Sergeant, G. S. I. SAYS WOMEN WILL VOTr. IN N. C. IN 1920 Chief ' ; Clark predicts that at the nc lion for governor and State otVu ...ill for President (in 1920) the women of North Carolina will vote. He says that Congress next spring will pass both the prohi bition and the suffrage amendments and the necessary number of legisla- tures will promptly ratfiy. If his calculation is right half the votes thnt will go into the ballot for the next governor and State officers "A Soldier and Mnn Who is No Bftr will be cast by women, and aspiring) barian." s young politicians need to begin to I r look about them and get their records straight. The cause of food conservation of fers" to every American citizen a chance to render a patriotic service that does not entail a sacrifice. S THE 5 Prussian Policy of Butchery Brougbtj Protest From Germans Gerard J.' Implored to Protest Against Terrible Atrocities The fact that German soldiers themselves appealed to Ambassador Gerard as "the representative of a Christian state" to protest against atrocities and butcheries in which their commanders forced them to participate, will be disclosed in a forthcoming issue of a pamphlet by the committee on public information, entitled "German War Practices." One German soldier, conscience stricken with the massacre of Rus sian prisoners, implored the Ameri can ambassador to protest and signed his letter "A German ?jjldier- and Christian." Another, who, through the ambas sador, addressed his appeal to the American government against the Barbarian." This was tlivj proU'at of a German "it was fri.-htful, heart-rending as these masses of human being were driven to destruction. Above the ternble thunder of the cannon could be heard the heart-rending cries of the Russians: 'O Prussians, O Prus sians' but there was no mercy. Our captain had ordered: 'The whoje lot must die; so rapid fire.' As I have heard, five men and one officer on our side went mad from those heart-rend- ir.g cries. But most of my comrades and the officers joked as the unarmed and helpless Russians shrieked for merry while they were being suffo cated in the swamps and shot down. The order was': 'Close up and at it harder.' For days afterwards those heart-rending yells followed me and I dare not think of them or I shall go mad. There is no God, there is no v morality and no ethics any more. There are no human beirgs any more, but only beasts. Down with militarism." This was the experience of a Prussian soldier, at present wounded : "Berlin, Oct. 22, 1914. If yovt are a truth-loving man please receive these lines from a common Prussian soldier." This was the testimony of another Conn .m soldier on the esst front: J -Russian Toland, Dec. 18, 1314. In the name of Christianity I send i you these words. j "My conscience furces me as a ' Christian German soldier to inform you of these lines. I "Wounded Russian are killed with the bayonet according to orders. ' "And Russians who have surren dered are often shot down in masses I according to orders, in spite of their heart-rending prayers. : i "In the hope that you, as the rep resentative of a Christian state, will protect against this, I sign myself. I "A German Soldier and Christian.' 'I would give my name and regi- ment, but these words could get me court-martialed for eivulgmg null- tary seciets. This letter was from a soldier oa the western front: "To the American Government, Washingtor, V. S. A.: "Englishmen who nave surrender ed are shot down in small groups. With the French one is more consid erate. "I ask wvy men let themselves be taken prisoner in order to be dis armed and shot down afterwards? Is that chivalry in bate? It is no longer a secret among the peoples one hears everywhere that few pria oners are taken; they are shot down in small groups. They say naively: 'We don't want any unnecessary mouths to feed.' Where there is ntt one to enter complaint there is no judge. Is there then no power in; the world which can put an end to these murders and rescue the vic-rt tims? Where is Christianity? Where is right? Might is right. SPECIAL TERM OF COURT ORDERED FOR BURKE CO. Gov. Bickett has authorized a spe-' cial term of court for Burke county, beginning Dec. 3 and continuing for' one week, for the trial of criminal cases, ..it: ,"
Lenoir News-Topic (Lenoir, N.C.)
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Nov. 9, 1917, edition 1
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