Newspapers / The Weekly Star (Wilmington, … / March 4, 1892, edition 1 / Page 1
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ruBJSHKD AT .- ' ' WILMINGTON, N. C, ' AT .00 A YEAR. I N ADVANCE, 88888888888888888 88838888888888883 -ttpnoff 9 S88S883888S383833 2S8SSS55;31gSSSeSS8 -stpuopi g a o Q W a O 888388SS8888SS88S puopt g 8SS888SS282888883 88883SS88S8888883 e9Mt-e.-ice-oe-ao 8S8888S888888883 88888888888888883 1 09 iO t- 0 O 00 W o : a, I Entered at the Post Office at Wilmtgton, N. C, as Second Class Matter.l SUBSCRIPTION PRICE. The subscription price of the "Weekly Star is as follows: Single Copy 1 year, postage paid..., .....$1 00 a " 8 months " " 60 " H months " " i,. 80 MACHINE METHODS. There is a great deal of denun ciation these days of the "ma chine" methods in politics. There is some foundation for t this .sometimes and there is doubtless grounds of complaint that the "machine" does not always reflect public sentiment nor always do the thing that meets the approval of the people whom the machine manipulators do not consult. This is one of the causes of complaint against David B. Hill, who is accused of running the New Yojk machine and running it in his own particular interest. This may ' be so or it may not, but if it be so Hill is" no more to be blamed for running the machine than his Demo cratic denouncers are for letting him run it. No party can be successfully man aged in these days without thorough organization, without men to plan and men to execute, and these men that plan and execute are called the "machine," and the man that runs it the most successfully and makes his power and his influence the most felt and feared, is, the "'boss." - In the early days of the Republic there was not the "practical politics" that we have now, and our unsophis ticated fathers had a quaint notion that a "public office was a public trust," and that the office should seek the man and not the man the office," and they didn't stand around at the corner groceries in sight! of the-polls waiting for some hustling vote purchaser to come along and offer thera two dollars and a half more for their votes than the other fellow had offered as is so often done in these days. They didn't have any "machine" then nnr any "bosses." If there had been sixty-four or sixty-five millions of people; about a hundred and twenty five thousand offices to divide out and five or six hundred millions dollars a year to handle as current expenses of - the Government, it might have been different, and they might have had "machines" and "bosses" then. . But, seriously, if the "machine" and the "boss" have attajned undue influence and importance in Ameri can politics, whostHault is it? If the people took that interest in public af fairs which, they should take, could a few men get control of the party or ganizations? If the people took that interest in their local and county and State conventions which they should take, would we hear so much about political -rings and slates? If the people took : that interest in the elec tions which they should take wouldn't fewer unfit men be elected to office and wouldn't fewer unfit men aspire to office ? There are a good many men in the State of New York, and in the city of New York wh6 work themselves up into a frenzy of in dignation thinking about Tammany and its methods, which according to them are the culmination f political crookedness, and yet there are in the city of New York over thirty thous and of these politically virtuous citi zens, among the most substantial in the town, who don't think enough of their citizenship to go to the polls to vote and when they learn from the v election returns in the papers that sombody was ' elected whom they didn't want elected they console themselves by cussing - out the 'machine" and the "bosses." They have been doing this so much ; that itihas become chronic with them and they are never happier than ' when ' they are miserable. They swear and resolve, and when the next election comes around they forget all about these swears and these resolves and go right along and do the same thing, that is, keep out of the con ventions and away from the polls. In the State of Pennsylvania it is considered evidence of pure politics and honesty to cuss out boss Quay, but while they berate him, they keep out of his conventions and he pro ceeds to run them and run the State, while they do the growling. The "politician" is the subject of a good deal of tart invective, but the politician is a necessity in a country where parties are a necessity, and in a Republic where there will always be a difference of opinion' as to public policies there must always be parties, two or more. It takes brains and character to become a successful politician, and the man who becomes such . without brains or character beooraes so be- VOL. XXIII. "cause of a low standard among the people whose tolerance or whose votes elevate him and give ' him prominence and power. The higher the standard among the people and the more exacting they are the higher the standard will be among the politicians and the better the politicians will be. The-American politicians may not be models of perfection but they are fair represen tative's of the Tpeople who "honor," trust and delegate power to them. Our political methodj may be de fective, there may be too much "machine" and too much "boss," but when the people, who are supposed to be sovereign, take more interest in their own affairs, when they be come better citizens, our politics will become better and there will be less senseless denunciation of the "ma chine" and of the "boss." A FLASH IN THE PAN." The caucus, or conference, 6n the silver coinage question held Thurs day night by the Democratic mem bers of the House of Representatives didn't amount to much as a caucus, or conference, as it seems that those who went there went for the purpose of insisting upon their programme and not to hear what the other side had to say. The free coinage ad vocates went there with their heads full of free coinage, willing to listen to nothing else,, and the anti-free coinage men went there with their minds set against free coinage. There was about as much chance of their coming to a mutual understanding involving a surrender of anything by either as there was of oil and water mixing. It so happened that the free coin age men outnumbered the anti-coinage men, and when the inquiry was made whether the anti-coinage men would agree to abide by the decision of the conference or caucus, or what ever it might be called, there came an emphatic negative, and the result was that the question remained just where it was before the caucus or conference was held. This ends the effort to relegate that question until after the'next election, and the only way it can be disposed of now is to let it run and take its chances in the House. It is understood that it will come up early in April and hold the boards until its fate is settled one way or the other. As there is not the remotest pro bability of Mr. Harrison's signing the Band bill or any other free coin age bill if it should pass both Houses this thing might have been managed much better by a little forbear ance and the exercise of a little cool judgment. "An agreement might have been entered into by the friends and opponents of that measure to hold it over, and in the next election sub mit it to their constituents and ascer tain how they stood upon the question and then let each member of Con gress govern himself accordingly. In doing this it would not be necessary to make it one of the issues of the campaign and defend or oppose it but simply submit the j question in political gatherings of the people whether they were in favor of free coinage or not, and from the expression of popalar opinion thus sought the member of Congress could very soon tell whether his people wanted or didn't want free coinage. Then he would know whether in advocating or in opposing it he was correctly representing them or not. The question might also be sub mitted in the. primary, county and district conventions, and thus the opinion pf the constituents of . the Democratic- Representatives could be pretty accurately ascertained. If this expression of sentiment was largely in favor of free coinage, as it doubtless would be, the President elect, if a Democrat, would have less excuse for vetoing a free coinage bill if one were .passed by the next Congress, whatever his indi vidual opinion might be. This would be a systematic, business Way to go about it and bring it to a satisfactory conclusion, and would also avoid the long, heated and use less debate we may expect since this measure is to be forced to the front, and the pros and cons jump at it, each determined to hammer with all his might on his end of the hot iron. We believe that if the question were submitted to the people of the United States to-day upon its merits, without being mixed up with any other issue, or influenced by any partisan: considerations or appeals, a majority of them.'and a very deci sive majority, would be found in favor of iree coinage, but - the trouble and the danger now is, that while it is not in any sense and should not be a party question, it is being made so by its impulsive and indiscreet advocates, who wish to thrust it upon the Democratic party and make the Democratic party responsible for it," whether it pass or fail to.pass. If the issue bad been deferred until the next session of Congress some banking bill might be passed in the meantime which would provide such an increase of the volume of currency as to make the passage or non-passage of a free nrrriT" E coinage i bill a matter of little im portance to the people, who are in terested in it only in so far, as they think it may add to the volume of currency and thus make money more plentiful and easier to command. Thus there was much to gain by If'-: delay, nothing to gain by precipi tating discussion and action, but, unless very conservatively and care f ully'handled, much to risk and much to lose. I 1 - ' MINOR MENTION. The Hon. .Wm. M. Springer of Illinois, Chairman of "the Ways and Means Committee, may be a well meaning! man, but we think he at taches too much importance to the views of! Mr. Springer, and- that he is too fond of hearing himself talk and seeing what he has to say in print. He is doubtless very anxious, as all. good Democrats are, for the success of the Democratic party in trie next election, and this is, per haps, the impulse that prompts him to express his. opinions so freely and give so mjuch voluntary and unsoli ted advice. At the Democratic ban quet in New York on Gen. Jackson's birth-day anniversary he volunteered the information that no free coinage bill would pass this Congress, and thereby made the free coinage men red hot, fat what they considered a piece of impertinence upon the part of Mr, Springer, m volunteering to play the role of prophet in a matter that he knew no more about than any other Congressman who kept posted. Now he avails himself of the medium of the Associated Press to advise the Democracy of the country to drop both Cleveland and Hill and nominate Gen.' Palmer, of Illinois, i He gets himself somewhat mixed up on this, for he says it is well that ithe Albany convention was held as early as it was, in order that the Democracy of other States might be fully advised as to the Choice of New York Jbefore they express ed theirj preference, that the Albany Convention, by an unpre cedented j unanimity showed that David Bi Hill was unquestionably the choice of the Democracy of New York- And right on top of this h thinks that the Democrats of other States who were waiting to find out NewYork's choice should turn down Mr. Hill, who is the choice, and Mr. Cleveland, who isn't, and take up Gen. Palmer, about whom the De mocracy of New York haven't said a word. We like Gen. Palmer; he's a rattling .good Democrat and a fighter from long; taw, but when tir. Springer undertakes to boom him and kill off Hill and Cleveland he ought tore vise his communications before he gives theta to the Associated Press. ; Some of the anti-Harrison men in the Republican party think if they can't get Blaine to run, it would be a capital idea to nominate Robert Todd Lincoln, not because Mr. Lin coln has any particular merit or mag netism in! himself, but because he has a name which might evoke some of the old time Republican enthusiasm and elect1 him. Mr. Lincoln is a very, respectable sort of a gentleman, who while always voting the Republican ticket, has never permitted himself to become unduly excited over politics, but, has attended strictly to business, and as a railroad attorney, m Chi cago, hasj accumulated- a com fortable fortune. He attend ed to business so strictly and gave so little attention to other mat ters in wbiich the public was interested that he was very little known in the city of Chicago, where he lived, out side of the immediate circle in which he moved.'-, Although the son of a very plain, democratic sort- of a man he is disposed to be somewhat aris tocratic himself. When it is seri ously suggested to take up a man who is so little known as Robert Todd Lincoln, simply because Lin coln is his name, it is a confession, with J. G. Blaine on the retired list, that the Republican party is pretty hard up for Presidential wood. SB An effort is now being made to form a combine to get control of the small linseed oil mills, cut down the output and raise the price of oil. Through; the operation ot the Mc Kinley tariff, by which, ostensibly to protect flax seed growers, the duty on imported seed was raised fifty per cent, and the duty on oil from 25 to 32 cents a gallon, which is about the valueof the crude oil. The oil mill owners have absolute control of the business in' this country, and they can it they combine, fix not only the price of oil, but govern the price of paints and other compounds into which oil enters as one of the main ingredients. Thus they levy a tax on every one who uses a pound of paint. One of the results of this tariff tax and the combines that have been formed under it has been to destroy the exporting of paints which was at one time a business of considerable importance. The prob abilities are that the combine will be effected, competition" cease, and then people who use linseed oil will have to pay the price the combine puts upon it. , ' It is said that a Chicago wheat combine have locked up 60,000,000 bushelf of wheat for speculative pur poses. ; Wei WILMINGTON, N..C., As a prolific earthquake producer Japan takes the lead. Her- recoYd during the past three months -was 2,388. The people over there don't pay much attention to them ;until they shake the houses down and kill tolksj and then those who 'escape wait Until the shakes-cease andjmild their houses again, if they are able. - Senator Cullom, of Illinois, I says he is not doing anything to boost himself for the Pesidency but .feels very confident that if the tussle be con fined to himself and Benjamin Har rison he will lay Benjamin out. There is nothing like having asanguine tem perament, with which Senator Cullom seems to be pretty well snppled. A West Virginia hermit has in vented a flying machine,' but what does a West Virginia hermit want with a flying machine? THE PEARSALL MURDER. Wight man Thompson Com toted and Sentenced to Be Hanged the 14th of April. - , . ' " The trial of Wightman Thompson, for the murder of W. W. Pearsall, wife and two children, in Wayne county, near Goldsboro, December 23rd, 1891, toon place in Smithfield, Johnston county, this week, and was concluded Thursday, the jury finding the prisoner guilty. Judge Connor then i n an impressive and so.lmen manner, sentenced him to be hanged Thursday, April 14th, and admonished him to invoke the blessings ot the One who alone can deliver him before; he met his awful fate. ' The jury signed a petition to commute his sen tenced for imprisonment for life. ; Thompson is a white man about 56 years of age, about 6 feet tall, weighs about 150 pounds. He was tried some years ago for killing bis wife and was acquitted, was convicted ot stealing a coat in Goldsboro and served a term of three years in the penitentiary, and had just been released about three weeks be- ore the house of Pearsall was burned. He belongs to a good family in Wayne county, 'and at one time owned consid erable property. He was said to be a kind ut a quack-doctor. Had several bottles of medicine, a hypodermic needle and a fever thermometer in his posses sion.: All the evidence against him was circumstantial. No one SiW the house when it was burned. Witnesses testi fied in -i Thompson said he had stayed at Pcarsall's all night the night be fore the fire, and went with Pear sall to Bob Ham's Wednesday morning. PearsaH leu lor home; he stayed at Ham s till 4 o clock in the evening and then went to Goldsboro. arriving there early in j the night. W'tnesses testified that he was not seen in Goldsboro until 2 o'clock in the morning. -Thompson went into the woods and got a valise. The yalise was more than a mile and a half out I of the way. going from Bob flam's to Goldsboro. The valise con tained a coat and vest and pair of sus penders which were recognized by wit ness as belonging t6 Pearsall, the de ceased. Thompson had given a pair of ear-rings to a lady after the house was burned, which were recognized as be longing !to Mrs. Pearsall. The above are the material points of the evidence. W. l.i Uortch. Esq., ot Ooldsboro, as sisted Solicitor Pou in the prosecution, and made a fine speech.' Messrs. Aycock & Daniels, of Golds boro, and J. H. Pou appeared for the prisoner, and made able speeches. BURGLARS CAUGHT, 1 Two of the Kooky Blount Thieves Cap- tared One of Them Says He is From Wilmingron The Oxford Railroad. Sflecial Star Correspondence ' . - Rocky Mount, N. C, Feb. 27. -i The last raid, mide here Tuesday night, has been brought to light by the arrest of one of the parties in Wilson 1 last night. He was brought here this morn ing on the 5.30 train. The party says he is from Wilmington, N. C, and named Albert Chesterfield, colored. When ar rested he confessed and said he would not have done it but Tom Moore had told the night police he did the "break ing in. ; He further says, Moore induced j him to go in with him land share the spoils, as he had gone into several houses and bad not been caught, and if he would do as he suggested would not be detected, but make a good thing of it. Moore watched while he was stealing. Moore has the reputation ot being a bad character; he runs a small shop, and is also a barber lor colored people, and a preacher. The case i has a hearing to-day at 1.80 o'clock. Rumor says it is a settled fact that the Oxford & Coast Line Railroad will doubtless have Rocky Mount as its ter minal point. ; It is a wise selection, as this place is now a considerable railroad centre, and heavy improvements are going on daily; and lastly, and by far the heaviest, is the railroad shops on which operations will commence when .the weather settles. Our people are very liberal and jwilL donate the ground for their shops land depot when they make their survey.; Eev. B. E. Feele. j In explanation of his action in resign ing the pastorate of Brooklyn Baptist Church, Rev. Mr. Peele writes as follows to the North Carolina Baptist:. Dear Baptist : I leave the work in Wilmington because, as you have indi cated, my strength is not sufficient, j- ; . The work was never so hopeful as now and no people were ever more united on their pastor. They had but recently increased my salary ; but . I cannot stay where my heart sees so much to do, and my hand is too weak to perform lit. .God bless His flock and give my successor wisdom and grace sufficient, and so I trust and believe.: I have ; preached more than 600 ser mons during the 27 months I've been in Wilmington, and have been so busy in other ways that I did not have time to put the result in my note book. The people of every class have been too kind for any word at my command to express, and my friends are too numerous to mention.: God bless Wilmington and her peoplctemporally and spiritually. j R. E. Peele. Cumberland County Fair. A special dispatch to the Star from Fayetteville says : At the annual meet ing of the Cumberland County Agricul tural and Mechanical Society here to day the following officers were re-elected by acclamation: Walter Watson, Presi dent, Z. W. Whitehead, Secretary, A. A. McKeithan, Jr.. Treasurer. The Asso ciation was merged into a stock com pany ostensibly for the purpose of mak ing the fair more of an annual exposi tion of the Carolina and on a graad scale, . 3KLY FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1892. RICE AND ITS VALUE. JL Tough Competitor- in Japan Sice The Supply and Demand The Fluctuations : in the Market. '". " The following extracts are taken trom a letter written to a planter ;by Messrs. Dan ' Tal mage's Sons, ot New York, dated the 20th instant. They are worth the perusal of all the rice men ol the State: ' ' " ' . "Shall have to modify our views re garding the present and future values of rice. It were rank folly and ialse friend ship to conceal the true situation from those who rely on us to diagnose and describe the symptoms of market from time to time." We might see no cause -tor alarm as regards holdings in Atlan tic coast markets, as the stock is not in excess of local requirements, but in the Southwest, New Orleans, the situation is greatly different. Some people say present troubles are due to the attempt, of millers to get their heads together so as to avoid ruin. . Any man who blames the millers or their organization for the present condition of the market is unac- qiifcinted wjfthe lacts. The movement ts altogether too slow and greatly disap pointing. The fact that the trade will not buy is a fair superficial reason that prices are high or as regarded. ln the first place, the i visible supply: In New Orleans. 200.000 sacks;o come in at the ratio of past experience not less than 200.000 sacks more, equal in cleaned to say 175,000 barrels. Second, the movement. This at present is scarce ly 1.000 barrels per day, which is, unless demand quickens, seven months' supply and only five months to harvest. Third, reasons for falling away in demand for domestics this season; (a) it arrived late and fully 100,000-bags of foreign were sold during the time that home rice or dinar.ly has full sway; (b) an open fall Kept vegetables and lruits in the markets as competitors, and to a great extent in terfered with the sale of foreign just alluded to; (c) in violation of the Inter State commerce law Japan rice has been has illegally freighted through from Japan to all the - larger points in the West, a distance of 7,00 miles, at less than it could be freighted from San Francisco or an v Eastern ooint at a given distance of 2,000 miles. Japan at 4 and Scents perpound delivered any where is a tough competitor and ac counts quite largely for the diminution in the demand in the home product. This at the moment is suspended by rea son of the pressure of other and higher priced freights on Pacific steamers, but it is quite generally anticipated will be re newed; (d) canned vegetable, fruits and competing cereals are cheap. "it were certainly unwise to ignore the competition of Japan, for while it may not be at present, it is sure to be a lively opponent of the new crop in the near future. To meet it will require a radical lowering of values in rough and cleaned, in primary markets for strict good or prime. Grades below such will not have to fall away relatively, as they do not suffer from any possible compe tition from foreign. "These are, perhaps, cold, unpalatable facts, but it is due that they be made known. It is time to begin more active marketing of crop, if an overplus is to be avoided. Were we a planter we should sell part of our holdings now, or at some early date, at best possible prices, and retain balance until arrival of spring trade, when it is hoped condi tions will improve lor the better., if the crop is to be placed, a break has got to be made to get things started. FIRE AT GOLDSBORO. Two Stores and Other Buildings Burned The Losses and Insurance. Special Star Correspondence. Goldsboro, N. C, February 25. This morning ' about 4 o'clock, a fire broke out in Little Washington, in the southwestern part of the town. The fire originated in S. Grady's grocery store, burning bis entire stock of liquors and groceries $1,800. Also, J. J. Rob inson's store and all of his goods. Loss about $500, with insurance of $300. Grady s insurance was $1,300. One or two houses occupied by colored people were also burned. The fire when first discovered was so far under headway the roof was ready to fall in, and the young men sleeping in the house made a narrow escape, being aroused by the' smoke coming in their rooms. An Accident at Hub. Two men were very seriously hurt a day or two ago at Hub, a place about sixty miles from Wilmington or the Chadbourn and Conway Railroad. They were at work in the Hub Lumber Co's mill, when some of the machinery broke. Mr. G. A. Johnson, one of the men, was struck by a piece of iron weighing about one hundred pounds, cutting his right hand badly and making a severe con tusion on his chest. The other man was hurt about the head. Mr. Johnson came to Wilmintton for surgical treatment. Gas-Lighted Buoys. Mr. William St. John, General Agent of the Pintsch gas lighting system, is trying to interest commercial bodies in Southern cities in a petition that is to be presented to Congress to have the sixth lighthouse district, namely, the coast between Wilmington, N. C, and Cape Canaverel, Florida, supplied with gas lighted buoys and beacons. These buoys are in general use elsewhere in the United States, and there is no reason why this coast should not have the ben efit of them, Naval Stores and Cotton. Stocks of naval stores and cotton at Wilmington, as estimated at the Pro duce Exchange yesterday, were : Cot ton, 10.519 bales; spirits turpentine, 2,556 casks; rosin, 42,063 barrels; tar, 9.355 barrels; crude turpentine, 1,544 barrels. Exports during the eek were:, Cot ton. 500 bales; spirits turpentine, 642 casks; rosin, 65 barrels; tar, 1,524 barrels; crude turpentine, 6 barrels. Plowing Bice Fields, Southport Leader: Plowing was act ively going on last week at Orton and Kendal plantationsin this county. The ground is in much better condition this year than it was, last, and in two weeks the plowing will probably be completed and everything ready for seeding. At Orton about twenty-five acres addi tional will be planted in rice this spring A young - white man by the nameof W.J. Johnson was arrested yes terday bv Deputy Sheriff Sheeban on a r-received from Onslow county charging him with carrying a concealed weapon. 'The deputy left with his pris oner yesterday evening for Jackson ville. TAR WASHINGTON NEWS. raTestigation. of the Pension Bureau-A Policy in Regard to Public Buildings Star Chamber Proceedings of the House Committ-e on Foreign Belations. . " By Telegraph to the Morning Star. ; Washington, Feb. 25. A special committee appointed to investigate the management ot the Pension Office un der Commissioner Raum, to-day began its task. It was decided to hold ses sions oa Monday and . Thursday of each week, beginning at 10 o'clock a. m. There was a long and earnest discus sion to-day in the House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, with reference to the policy to be pursued towards bills providing for the erection ot new public buildings. It was evident that a number of members ot the com mittee were strongly opposed to the views expressed by Chairman Bankhead. and other members of the committee, to the effect that no new public build ings should be provided for. Oppo nents of the policy advised by the chair man insisted that the committee should not refuse to report favorably bills for public buildings, where it could be shown that the interests of the government would be advanced by the erection of public buildings. They protested against a general policy adverse to all proposed new puoiic Dunning bills. Ihere was very free discussion, but no conclusion was reached, the committee adjourning until Saturday without talcing a vote. The House Committee on Foreign Relations has adopted a resolution turn ing the sessions of the committee into something akin to the star chamber pro ceedings something heretofore unheard of in the House Committee. -,The rea son for this change in the committee's policy is to be fodnd in the desire to keep from notice the fact that there is a lively struggle in the committee over the Russia Hebrew resolutions. The sub-committee to which the resolutions were referred brought in report, recom mending the adoption of a resolution expressing sympathy with the distressed Hebrews in Russia and requesting the President to use his good offices with Russia in their behalf. I Mr. Rayner, of Maryland, one of the members of the committee who has vigorously urged that j Congress take some efficient measure to aid the per secuted Russian Hebrews, expressed in committee great dissatisfaction with the resolution reported, saying it was merely one of sympathy and was cf no practical value. The ! matter went over until to-day when) Rayner again made a speeech in strong opposition to the resolution and stirred up other members so that there was a lively dis cussion. Notice was then! given of an intention to fight the resolution on the floor of the House it reported in the form in which it is now before the Com mittee. No conclusion was reached in respect to the resolution laud it was sent back to the sub-Committee for further consideration, between how and next Thursday. The majority of the Com mittee is anxious that no contest should be made in the House over . this ques tion. Before the Committee adjourned one of the members offered a resoluiton which it was understood Was agreed to. though no formal vote was taken, bind ing members of the Foreign Affairs Committee to give to the; press nothing relating to the proceeding in Commit tee, - i i , A SENSATIONAL CASE. Trial of Dr. JnoJ A. Baker of Abingdon, His Wife Mrs. Gil- Va., for Poisoning mer'a Testimony. L ! Br Telegraph to the Morning Star. Abingdon, Va., Feb. 25.U-The cross- examination of Mrs. Gilmer in the case of the Commonwealth vs. Dr. lohn A. P. Baker, for poisoning his wife, was be- i gun this morning. She stated that she was sick at the time of Mrs. Bakers death; that' Dr. Baker was - waiting on her professionally at the. time. "He made no proposition to me about des troying my husband until four months after his wife's death. I did not know anything about the state of Mrs. Baker's health before her death because 1 had not seen her." i i She was asked whether she would have written her letters of condolence to the doctor's family if she had believed that he took bis wife's life for her sake? Answer "I think it would have been still more my duty in that case. . If he committed that crime for my sake, it was my duty to do all that I could to console him and his children." She was then questioned about her husband's knowledge of the intimacy between her and the prisoner. The at tempt was made to prove that Gilmer had connived at that intimacy. She an swered that be had never sanctioned anything of the kind, although he had allowed her to receive presents from the doctor. i I Here the cross-examination closed. and the remainder of the afternoon was devoted to tracing the possession of the letters till they were secured by- the Commonwealth's attorney. I ' Richmond, Va., Febl 26. In the trial of Dr. Baker at Abingdon for poisoning his wife, the day was mainly taken up in tracing the whereabouts of letters of Mrs. Gilmer tof Dr. Baker, from the time of their discovery to the time they reached the Commonwealth's attorney, just preceding1 Dr. Baker's arrest. Col. F, C. Cummers, formerly the Commonwealth's attorney, testified that he had received, the letters, and soon, after turned them over to his suc cessor in office. That on the day of Mrs. Gilmer's arrest, he looked for the letter of Dr. Baker, but only found a scrap of paper with the letters "Sh" on it and some other words he did not now recall all in Dr. Baker's hand-writing, A clerk from Fairmount hotel, Bris tol, i Tenn.. testified to Mrs. Gilmer's visit there, when she registered as Mrs. Emma Gordan, Roanoke, Va- Soon after her arrival Baker came in and called for her. D. G. Rose,: formerly assistant post master of Abingdon, said I Baker had received letters addressed to fictitious persons. I Melvina Summons, a colored girl who once lived at Wyndham I Gilmer's, had carried these letters to DrJ Baker lor Mrs. Gilmer.and had taken two from him. One of the letters . was dropped in the road for her. With one of the letters sent to Baker was a small bottle which he did nor give back to the - girl. This was delivered to him at Dan Merrick's house.- ' I P ; ", ' Rev. D. H. Carr visited Dr. Baker the evening his wife was buried. The Doc tor seemed to be troubled, and said he had done all he could for her, and bad her body embalmed; noticed nothing wrong that night, but thought the Doc- a little boisterous in his : conduct next morning. He paid no attention to that. however, as it was the Doctor s manner, C. A. Babist, a jeweller, was examined regarding presents. He was unable to identify them for the reason that so many articles of the same kind were daily sold. He had sold Baker a small gold watch for his daughter, but did not know whether the one shown here was it or not, , - ' I The Commonwealth is : making as strong a case as on the former trial, and interest isvyimtoufe. NO. 16 WASHINGTON GOSSIrV SPECIAL RAILROAD MAIL FACILITIES. Postmaster-General Wanamaker'a State ment Concerning the Fast Mail Service Publio Building Bills and the Policy to be Pursued Thereon by the House Com mittee. By Telegraph to the Morning Star. Washington, Feb. 27. Postmaster- General Wanamaker has replied to an inquiry made by Mr. Henderson, of North Carolina, chairman of the House Committee on -Post Offices and Post Roads, concerning appropriations tor special railroad mail facilities. After giving a statement of the appropriations made for this purpose during the past twelve years, the ; Postmaster-General says : "The practice of compensating a few railroads upon a higher basis than others, rendering the same or more satis factory service, has been a source of much annoyance, which each' year becomes more perplexing to the Department, and hurtful to the general service, because it acts as a check to extension of the fast mail system in sections where it would work great benefit. The schedule to which the special facility allowance now applies really , possesses no marked ad vantages at this time for advancement in either, .direction of the,. West India commercial mail, while it is believed it operates to the disadvantage of com mercial mails between the North and South. The mail service between tne chain of Northern cities starting in New York and extending via Washington into such portions of South' Carolina, Georgia and Florida as are tributary to the Atlantic Coast Line, is not such as the national development of trade and population, associated with railroad progress, warrants." 1 here was a two hours struggle to day in the House Committee on Public Buildings over the policy to be pursued in the committee with reference to pub lic building bills. The committee is very much divided on the subject, and when ah adjournment took place the policy which would secure the adher eance of a majority of the members of the committee was very much in" doubt. The members who want public buildings are making a strong fight and will per haps defeat any policy which proposes not to recommend the erection of any new public buildings at all; but it seems likely that the action of chairman Bank head will have the effect of keeping down appropriations to a narrow limit. LYNCHED. A Missouri Mob Wreaks Vengeance Upon , a Child-Murderer. By Telegraph to the Mo minx Star. Mashfield, Mo., February 27. At a secret meeting night before last it was decided to lynch Dick Cullen, and last night at 10 o'clock one hundred and fifty determined men were halted on the west side of the -rqaare. A rope was produced, and the men quickly marched to the jail, and the sheriff was over powered. The mob got the man, march ed him to the square and asked him if he and his mother were guilty. His answer was "Pull your damned rope." He was at once drawn up over a limb nine feet high, and the command given to "pull away, boys." In a few minutes L-ulIen was dead. Cullen s crime was a heinous one. Four years ago a babe ten days old was found, at his step-father's door. Young Cullen lately thought it was meant for an heir by adoption. Last Monday night he tied a car-linkno the neck of the child and threw it into an unused well. His guilt' was certain. His mother was arrested as an accom plice, on account ot her indifference and evasive answers. The coroner caused the body to be cut down and taken to the court house. Tfie lynchers dis persed. MARINE DISASTER. The Spanish Ship Albano on Hog Island Shoal Almost a Total Loss. By Telegraph to the Morning Star. Washington, D. C, Feb. 27. Super intendent Rich, of the Life . Saving ser vice, informed the Treasury Department by telegram to-day that there is no hope of saving the Spanish ship San Albano, wrecked on Hog Island. He says that the vessel is underwater and the cargo is being washed ashore. She went on the shoals on the 22nd inst., got off, and shortly after went on the beach six miles from Hog Island Life-Saving Station. The surf-men fired several lines across the vessel, but they parted one after an other, until the morning of the 24th. when one held and the life-car was rig ged and the crew of twenty-six men safely landed. The ; life-savers nearly lost their boat and their lives while en deavoring to reach the vessel in a surf boat. They describe this as the roughest experienceTf their lives. ' The value of the ship is about $100, 000. she is insured f-r $80,000. The value of the cargo which is composed of cotton, oil cake'wheat, etc., is about $120,000; insured. A large proportion of the cotton will probably be saved, while other parts of the cargo will be a total loss. ROANOKE & SOUTHERN. The Hoad Leased to the Norfolk & Wes tern B. B. Company. By Telegraph to the Morning Star. Roanoke, Va., Febu 27. -The Nor folk & Western Railroad to-day leased the Roanoke & Southern road for a period " of 999 years. . The latter road runs from Roanoke to Winston, N. C, and will make the Norfolk & Western a. competing line with the Richmond & Danville. The lease will have to be ratified by stockholders of the Roanoke & Southern, who will have a meeting here on March 16th. The- amount paid is not stated. : THE THIRD PARTY. Omaha Selected as the Place for the Nom inating Convention. St. Louis, Feb. 25. The joint com mittee in whose charge the matter was placed by the Industral Conference just ended here, met this morning, and after an all day session selected Omaha, Neb., as the place of holding the Nominating Convention ot the newly born i hird Party. July 4th was last night selected as the date, and that action was reaffirm ed, and a formal call was issued. A Memphis despatch savs: Judge Dubose has admitted Lillie Johnson to bail in the sum of $10,000, on the ground that her health is being impaired by confinement in jail. ... A Dedham, Mass., dispatch says Tas, M. Trotter, colored. Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia under Presi dent Cleveland, died last night at his home in Hyde Park, aged 48 years. He was a veteran-of roe enru war. SPIKITS TURPENTINE. , Chatham Record: The 'pros pects' are encouraging tor a good grain crop. Wheat and oats are both coming-" up nicely, and we hope that every farm er will reap a bountiful harvest. Wadesboro . Messenger : The three-year old son of Mr. J. A.. Carpen ter, of the Deek Creek-neighborhood got hold of an old knife last Thursday, and while playing with it fell out of a door and stuck it in his throat to the depth of an inch. The little fellow came near bleeding to death before the hem orrhage could be checked. Rockingham ''Rocket: ' Court closed with nine prisoners in jail. One of these goes to the penitentiary for five years. - Mrs. Nancy Morrison, aunt v of Postmaster Morrison, died at her home near Hoffman on the 16th inst. - The deceased was 93 years of age. The colored people of Hoffman had a regular Sunday row over there recently. . Guns, razors, pistols and mean liquor all got mixed up and made the woods howl. One of the parties is now in iail in this place. . Asheville Citizen: E.T.Green lee, a young lawyer who moved to Ashe ville from Marion some time ago, died yesterday afternoon at his residence on Church street, after an illness of three weeks. Chief T. H. Hampton, of the Hampton detective agency, yesterday arrested a colored man on suspicion of being the thief who entered H. F. John ston's store, on court place, last week. The man was Ephraim Perry. He was taken before Justice A. T. Summey for a hearing. 1 he evidence was conclusive enough to warrantthe holding of Perry, and being unable to give bond he was - placed in iail. 'Newbern Journal: MrCharles Hallock, who has been identified with the Smithsonian Institute for the past thirty-two years and is an accepted au thority, on ichthyic fauna, states that me curious nsn exmuueu at tne fair and spoken of as "all mouth," is scien tifically known as lophigus", the angler, " owing to its manner of leedmg. It lies flat on its belly in the water with open moutn, ana projects its two feelers, or antennae outwards and lorward, after the manner ot an angler fishing, and these being provided with what resembles something eatable, attracts little fish, which innocently swim into the trap so ingeniously set, and, are caught and de- voured. - Charlotte ' News: How long will the bars of Charlotteremain closed? -is a question frequently heard. .It is a pretty hard one to answer. Some peo ple seem to think that the mandamus proceedings before Judge Bynum next week will result in a speedy opening of the saloons, but those Who count on anything of that kind will be badly mis taken. There is sure to be an appeal to the Supreme Court, should Judge By num decide in favor of Roessler. The appeal would not be heard before next May, and even should such decision be sustained, it would be well along in June before CaDt, Roessler could or;en -"'t saloon. That would bring things up to about the time for electing a new board of county commissioners; Charlotte News: E. A. Aber nathy & Co., racket store men, of Hick ory, have made an assignment, with Mayor Whitener assignee. Their nom inal assets are $5,000 and liabilities $4,000. As train No. 11 pulled into oausuury yesLcruay at noon, it was an nounced that a gentleman was aboard-. in a dying condition. A messenger was dispatched for a doctor, who on arriving found the man dead. The gentleman's name was W. A. Lacy, ot Orange, N. J. He had been suffering for some time with consumption, and was on his way to Asheville, hoping to recover his health. On Monday night a negro took a perilous leap from a rapidly mov ing train on tne railroad near Winston. A railroad contractor was taking a car load of hands to Greensboro. This negro, not being a member of the party and having no ticket, was frightened by the approach of the conductor. He ran out upon the platform and sailed off. 1 he train was crossing a trestle fifty feet high as the lead was made. It was stop ped and crew and passengers went back to pick up the corpse. But instead of finding the negro dead, they found him at the foot of the trestle hunting for his hat and growling because he couldn t find it. The contractor said that a dar key who was too tough to kill by a iump of fifty feet, was the very kind of a hand - he was looking for, hired him, paid his fare and took him on. Charlotte Chronicle: Capt. Tor rance, tax collector, says taxes are com ing in at a snail's pace; that there are &3Q,000 on the books yet uncollected. -- On Wednesday evening Mr. Robt. Lemmonds and her four-year old daugh ter were badly burned at their home on Dr. Orr's farm two miles from the city. Mr. Lemmonds was preparing his gar den for planting, and had piled some old palings up and set hre to them. 1 he little child was playing around the fire and her clothes caught. She ran towards the house screaming. The mother, in her attempts to extinguish the fire in . the child's clothing, had her own clothes nearly, burned from her body, and her skin was in some places burned to a crisp. The child is now at the point of death and ho hopes are had for its re covery. The mother, while badly burned, is resting pretty easy and may recover. The section of country in Cabarrus county lying between Rocky River and Anderson s creek, which empties into the river in the extreme southwestern part of the county, has long been noted as one of the richest mining regions in the State, and many large nuggets have been taken from the veins. In fact, one of the largest pieces of pure gold ever, found in the world, weighing twenty eight pounds, was founcfin the old Reed mine in this section. A reporter was t told yesterday that a large Northern syndicate was being formed -to buy a large portion of this territory and work it for all it is worth. The syndicate rep resents many thousands of dollars and may do some big things. Red Springs Farmer and Scot tish Chief: Dave Brown, a colored boy who lives a few mile lrora town, acci dcntly shot himself yesterday morning by "monkeying" with an old rifle. But the strange thing about it is, Dave didn't know it was loaded. His father, Alex. Brown, killed himself the same way two years ago. Archie Graham, a youag man of St. Paul's neigborhood, acci dently lost his life last Saturday on the Short Cut Railroad. He was guarding convicts and in attempting to get on a train loaded With material his foot' slipped and he fell under the wheels.-' Death was almost instantaneous. About 8 o'clock last Saturday night a most brutal and cowardly murder was committed at Taliaferro's saw mill in Blue Springs township by Will McKin ney, a young negro. He had had a mis understanding with John McAllister an other young negro, about a watch he had sold him, the latter refusing to pay tor it but offering to give it back. Saturday , night they both repaired to a shanty near the mill.. McKinney having procured a thirty-eight calibre pistol, demanded pay for his watch and said if he could not get it in money, he would have it in blood. So saying, be deliberately fired two balls of his pistol at McAlister, the first one striking him in a vital spot and causing almost instant death, and the 6econd entering the side of the house. McAlister escaped into the dark and came to his sweetheart's house near Red . Springs to spend the remainder of the night. He was pursued by several ne groes from the mill who surrounded the house and guarded it till day. He was arrested early Sunday : morning and brought here where he was bound in chains and carried to Luraberton and lodged in jail to await rml.
The Weekly Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 4, 1892, edition 1
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