North Carolina Newspapers

yCb vf tlbc Cbatbam 'Recort. RATES OF ADVERTISING: One Square, one insertion $1.00 One Square, two Insertions.... 1,5 , One Square, one month. ....... a.09 i. I TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: i Si .60 Per Year For Larger Advertise ments Liberal Contracts will be made. STRICTLY IN ADVANCE , VOL. XX . PITTSBORO. CHATHAM COUNTY. N. C. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 26. 1907. NO.- 7. Cfte Gbatbam "Kccorft hTa. LONDON EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. 0 , M If T A T ML i! c 1 1. n $ TASR HEEL TOPICS 1 Items Gathered From All Elizabeth College Opens. Charlotte, Special. The campus and buildings at Elizabeth College were never more attractive and in- vitinsr than on Thursday momma which marked the beffinnin- of the oniinni coccinn TIia rrainyi was marked with public exercises thal'&nd" this section said that everything were Avell attended. In addition to the presence of the large student . tlon at hand he believed the aid bond body, the largest in the history of the ( wouldjbe voted without any trouble school and numbering two hundred, 1 and that in such an event the new there were many visitors from Char- rad was assured. Mr. Sawyer and lotte and elsewhere present these those who have labored with him are friends of the college being composed greatly encouraged over the man nf members of various denominations nef in which the people have taken to land manv of them being patrons of s . . ni ' 1 1 the scnool. ine exercises oegan at 10 o'clock with the singing of a hvmn 7?pv. TC. E. Boniar D. D. pastor of Pritchard Memoral Baptist church . - . then led the opening prayer. Kev. II. K. Bover pastor of Trvon Street I Methodist church delivered the lead- ing address and was introduced by Kev. Charles B. King, president of the college who in his remarks stated that it was the custom of the college upon each opening occasion to secure some distinguished gentleman to deliver an address and that he felt the institu tion was fortunate in securing Mr. Boyer as the speaker at this time. Was Pursued by Big Bear. Washington, N. C. Special. Mr. Lonnie Wollard of Nicholsonville a residential suburb of this cltv has. quite an exciting story to tell about an adventure that he had with a large bear in a swamp about two miles from this city several davs ago. According to Mr. Wollard 's version he was pass- ing this swamp late one afternoon and was attracted by the movement of some large animal in the thicket. Up- on investigation he found it to be a large boar, which started after him. Mr. WVIlard immediately retreated . a-ftcr firing both barrels of his gun at 1 ..... ormn, which caused the bear to chauge ins course decidedly, though onlv wounding him slightly. Farmers from ' the counties adfoinino- this report boars to be unusually numerous in the swamps and thickets and say they are committing depredations on the farms to no small extent. Alamance Men Don't Appear. er " i Asheville, Special. The promised interesting hearing before Judge Prh- jchard of the railway rate case of the Southern Railway Company against j. ounseior jacoo A. long and tour 01 iii.. ciieuLs oj. iiiamance county aid riot materialize. There wasn't anv learing. The counselor and his cli-j 'nts did not put in an appearance and. Judge Pritchard simply signed an or-, l r continuing the injunction restrain- ' ing the Alamance srentlempn from P find the Southern Railwnv fnr r,fr,nf lies for violation of the State 2 1-4 tent passenger rate law. , ; White Man Assaults Widow. j Winston -SaW Ri vwa as received here of a most outrage viu. KV- VlUil A. 1 V- l ous criminal assault made upon Mrs. jiaraer a respectable widow residing Pear Campbell. Stokes I ay by Sam Shelton, Jr. The particu- 01 tne aftair could not be learned fteyoiid the fact that a warrant had peen sworn out for the arrest of Shel ton 011 the eharwo nf criminal acceiult f v. arrant was tafcen out before ustice of the Peace J. A. Fa??. of --j. oitticu mill oueitoii ed immediately after the crime and rosecutmg in the Superior Court of Vtil vmin'd r, august ,11st, lV'Ji, were Alamance county their suits against b-6 Dales compared with .5,409 for the NTorth Cnmli'nn T?a;iai the year ending August 31st. 1000. possiply 111 Jading in Virginia. He building would have been badly dam aoout 40 years old and bad mo- aged if not destroved. TIir rLnmnoo fiously borne a good- reputation. Ho a son ot Mr. Samuel M. Shelton. 1 Salisbury Working Hard. Salisbury. Special. At a hHp,1 feeling of the merchant's association ifjfie was a protracted and a business 1 ifl discussion of the proposition to j nng the railroad terminus to Salia .1 nry. The Evening Post has made vig. rous editorial appeal to the people of ahsbury to get busy and do all pos eible to bring the employees of the outhern 490 or more to the town. Considering Tax Case. Raleigh, Special. A most impor- t cube is nemg argued in the Su eme Court. It comes from "PVnnl.-- 1 county and is to spftlo th I'm whether or not counties are re- incu to levy sufficient special tax- yji heiioois to keep the latter open least four months each year, and us comply with the constitutional omrcments to the lettar efiWt Th cision in the lower court was a- mst the State. whlVli onntenAa Fr- le tax. The. nnlv iA;c;nn 1,,, 41,., 1: pro me Court exartlv twfintv vpars o. was adversp. in tha Rtata'a fntion. Mail Carrier Shot At. Mount Airy, Special. Lee Burrus this citv shot at n v xriui mrsday night just before 8 o'clock1 in? lntr tV,a j 11 -i I - , cuu ui tuts Willi f gon the shoi hitting the mule Nich-! s .. nicuws carries tne uin me trains to the postofficc. 'us was rjromntlv qt.Qci t,. 1 ' 1 J Ml k'OI'UU. . t,r ""CiC woman in tne, 8- lour correspondent cannot. lctl or this part of the story. j Sections of the State Looks Favorable For Road. Asheville, Special. C. Sawyer ,ot the Asheville Retail Merchants' As- j sociation who has taken an active part -a- i 1 i -i , in the Proposition to build a compet inff line of railway through AsJlPvillfi Joofcea lavorably; tliat irom lniorma- the proposition and is satisfied that U-P. fTT ..1 i ii.- 1- jvvlv klvv oa. mis year worn: on the new railroad to Knoxville and through Asheville will be undertaken Influential members of both political a ; 11 1 1 imes in mis city ana county are lending their influence to the bond'is- sue proposition and thus far no op position whatever has developed Class Monitors Named. Davidson, Special. The following announcements were made by the president at chapel as to class moni' tors. In the senior class Messrs. II L. Moore, W. Pratt and L. R. Scott made precisely the same Grade, 09.20 j The decision by lot was in favor of : Pratt and Scott. In the junior class the tour men are II. A. Querv, R. D. Dodge, D. W. Dodge and J. J. Murray In the sophomore class the men are TL N. Alexander. J. R. Hay, S. 0 Fleming ,7. M. Harden, F. D. Thomas, R White. In the freshman class at the first the selections are deter- mind alphabetically or arbitrarily, as no class standing has b?en established These are T. S. Flinn, K. P. Foreman, C. Morris, W. L. Morris, W. D. Wolfe and G. F. Worth, Money Stolen From Newly Laid dor- ner Stone of Church. O.I 1 1 cHiisDury, special. some one knowing that in the corner-stone of tne new colored St. John's Lutheran church there was deposited $7 crawl ed under the church between Sunday and. Wednesday morning and took all but 34 cents. Rev. Dr. W. II. Lash hold dedicatory services Sunday-im-pre.3t.ive memorial it was, too and tlie money was put 111 the corncr- stone. Wednesday he noticed that a buck was out of place and invest i gating found that the money had been taken and the papers thrown awav I he church people were very much incensed over the blasphemous per forniauce. . - rriT-T-of; nr-.it- T,i. . . , Alooresville, Special. The cotton receipts at Mooresville for the fiscal The first bale of cotton sold on this market last year was brought in by C. Walters on September 11th ana sold tor 9 1-2 cents. The firt baIe. tbis "ear was brought in one day garner, ny Mr. iv. f. (Jraven and sold for 13 cents. Receipts for this sea son up to same date last year were 4o and to same date last year were 45 bales. Fire in Eotel Iredell. Statesville, Special. Hotel Iredell the leading hotel in Statesville came near having a serious fire early Thurs day moraine1. Had it nnt. bpfn frr the early discovery of the fire bv Pm- j""'lul vjuiiuei unu Liie prompt ad quick work of the firemen- the as it is will only be a few hundred dollars. Hospital for Gastonia. Gastouia, Special That Gastonia is soon to have a hospital hqav looks assured. Those interested in secured thg necessary stock have succeeded in raising $12,400, and a charter has been applied for. A site of two acres has been donated and as soon as the char ter is received a building committee will draw plans for the hospital. Child Sues Southern for $10,000... Charlotte, Special. Suit for $10, 000, damages was brought against the Southern Railway by the representa-tiA-es of Willie Sharp, the 9-year-old boy Avho suffered the loss of a foot ceA'eral months ago on account of an accident at the Smith street crossing Avith the Southern." It seems that the boy Avas trying to climb over betAveea the box ears when a sudden start threw him under one of the cars. Stewart & McRae' are attorneys for the plaintiffs. Merchant Sued for Slander. Durham, Special. M. Kruger has instituted suit against M. Haskell for damages in the sum of $50 on afcount of slander and defamation of charac ter. It is charged by Kruger that he was working for Haskell , having charge of a store at Cary, and" that Haskell openly charged that he stolo $300. The case promises to be one of more' than ordinary interest, NORTH CAROLINA MINE:! The State's Exhibit of Minerals afc Jamestown Declared First-Class A Few Specimens Mentioned. Mr. William H. Stone, special cor respondent of The Manufacturer's Record at the Jamestown Exposition, had the following to say of the North Carolina exhibit of minerals in last week's issue: "The exhibit of . Maryland 's min eral deposits is confined to relief and wall maps showing the geological for mations of the 'land in the various counties, Avith the different mineral deposits indicated on them. North Carolina has ah exceptionally fine exhibit in the Mines and Metallurgy Building, and the collection and in stallation of these specimens wa? made under the direct supervision of Dr. Joseph llyde Pratt, the State geologist, who has aranged and classi fied them in a particularly pleasing and effective manner. The exhibit is surrounded by a Avail made of Mount Airy, Whitney and Balfour granites, with arches antT columns' of these and other grades of granites and marbles of the State all of which gi-es a very clear idea as to the beauty and quaii ty of the North Carolina building stones. Another feature of this" ex hibit is the samples ' of talc shoAvn, most of which is from SAvain county and in addition to the crude talc shoAvn, there are samples of products made from it, such as pensile poAV ders, gas tips, acetylene burners and electric insulators; Mica is also Aveil exploited, and one large specimen in dicates ' the high quality of the de posit, Avhich is the largest in the coun try and produces more than all other States combined. Here too, are shoAvn specimens of monazite, principally used in the manufacture of Welsbach mantles, and this mineral is shoAvn in the crude by-product and manufac tured form. The kaolin exhibit is aUo a very interesting one, and includes, in addition to samples of several vari eties or deposits, numerous pieces of high-grade chinaAvare made from them. There is arranged in this ex hibit a magnificent and general dis play of the various gems and precious stones found in various parts of the State. The exhibit Avas made up jointly by Dr. Pratt, the State Mu seum and the American Gem & Pearl Co., and includes specimens of rho dolite, hiduenite, rubies, garnets, amethysts, emeralds, beryls including golden blue and apuamarine, eorun dum gems, rutilatcd, rose and opa lescent quartz, carnelians, etc. Other minerals of importance found in the State, and Avhich are on exhibit here, are copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc bauxite, tin, barytes, coal, iron ore, chromite, feldspar, standstone, etc. The various mineral and medicinal springs in the State are also repres ented here by bottled samples of their Avateis." Asheville Fireman Killed. Fulton, Ky., Special. NeAV Or leans, Louis4lle, Illinois Central pas senger train JNo. 104 bound for Louis ville jumped the track on a sharp surve one mile south of Fulton Satur day morning. Tavo men Avere killed and one fatally hurt. The dead: Patrick Grogan, engineer, Paducah. Robert A. Robertson, fireman, Ashe ville, N. C. Injured: James T. Johnson, mail clerk, Nash ville, Tenn., who will die; tAvo mail derks seriously hurt, removed to hos pital at Paducah; (Engineer Grog- gan and Fireman Robertson Avere crushed under the engine. Three Pull man coaches and bullet car remained' on the track. Warehouse For Maiden. TJewton, Special. The committee on cotton warehouses in Catawba county has decided to erect a ware house in Madison large enough to hold n()0 bales. Tf if is fnnnrl that larger storage capacity is needed, an other section will be added later on Kicked to Death by Horse. Reidsville, Special. Len Wrenu Avas kicked and killed by a Western horse here. He Avas attending -a pub lic salo of a number, of horses AA'hich were recently brought here from the West. He was drinking and slapped one of the animals on the rump. Both hoofs of the horse landed in hi breast and he died ten minutes later without speaking. The heart was par alyzed as- a result of the Woav. - Secretary Root at His Post. Washington, Special. Secretary Root who Avith Mrs. Root and Miss Root, leturned to Washington last week from New York Avas at his desk at the State department early and resumed Lis Avork with a zest that in dicated complete recovery from the exlmustied condition in which he left Washington at, the beginning of the summer. His eye Avas clear am. bright; his complexion Avas good" and there Avas a strength in the clasp oi his hands Avhich shoAved that the sec retary was in fine physical condition. Pea Crop Fails in Catawba. Newton, Special. The pea crop of Catawba county this year is almost a failure. This is quite puzzling. The season has been decidedly a favorably one for all other crops and Avhy the pea vines are so small is a mystery. Somet hink it is because the nights have been too cool. Current Happenings. Adam Landis, a suicide, left $100, 000 to a Mennonite institution, CLAIMS NOT GUILTY . Letter Said to Mave Been Left By Joshua Harrison FACTS ABOUT THIS SAD AFFAIR Letter Found in Coat Pocket of Josh ua Harrison, Who Killed Himself at Norfolk Declaring in God's Name His Complete Guiltlessness of Kidnapping Young Beasley. Norfolk, Va., Special. Declaring he was innocent of the charge of kid napping Kenneth BeasTey and asking God to bless his family Avere the last words of Joshua Harrison who blew out his brains in the Gladstone Hotel, in this city, rather than serve a sen tence of twenty years in the peniten tiary. The folloAving letter Avas found in the Coat pocket of the"dead man shortly after he breathed his last at St. Vincent's Hospital a few hours after he had fired the fatal shot into bis brain. , . Text of Letter. "September 6th, '07. This day I have been notified of an unjust sen tence of twenty years in the pen. I am an innocent man; God knoAvs it, my family knoAV it. I am about4 to end my life, at my own hands. No one is in any Avay responsible save the cruel ones who imposed the aAvful sentence. May God bless my precious family. I believe the Avorld will be charitable to them all. To the 'world I say, 'Good bye.' Whoever finds my body notify my daughter Mrs. G. A. Gallop, 192 Duke street, Nor folk, Joshua Harrison." On the back of the note was writ ten: "I have in my pocket 65 cents. I want my effects returned to Maggie Gallop, 192 Duke street. With his Avife and daughter, Mrs4 Maggie Gallop, of 192 Duke street, Norfolk, declaring the dead man was innocent of any crime and was un justly accused and cofavicted, and Senator S. M. Beasley declaring he did not believe a word of the letter left by Harrison, the tragedy will go down as one of the most horrible and, perhaps, unique that Norfolk has eA-er had happen in its midst. "My hus band was innocent. God knoAvs he Avas," said Mrs. Harrison as she was helped aboard the train to Jarvisburg, N. C, to Avhich place the body of Harrison was sent for burial. "My father was not guilty of the crime of kidnapping Kenneth Beasley," said Mrs. Gallop, who also accompanied the body of Harrison to Jarrisburg. "He Avas asleep at his home the night the boy disappeared." "I don't belieA-e it," said Senator Beasley. "I am conA'inced that he was guilty and ninety-nine out of every hundred persons in Currituck, where Harrison was known, are of the same opinion." Carried Secret to Grave. Senator Beasley, who is here on a visit to his Avife, at No. 218 Brown avenue, was apparently very much af fected by the death of Harrison; not that he regretted the end of the aged man's life, but because he believes he carried to ' the grave with him" the secret of his little boy's whereabouts, if he is alive, or the manner of his death if he is dead. "The suicide has carried the secret to the grave with him," declared Mr. Beasley, as he turned away his head to wipe a tear drop from his eye. "He has been tried for murder before," con tinued Mr. Beasley, " and he should have ben tried for murder in connec tion with the disappearance of my little son, for as true as I stand here I believe he mrdered my boy. The character of the man and the threat he made against me leaves no room for doubt about this in my mind." Two Corrections Made. "There are tAvo things I want to correct," he said. "It has been stat-" ed that IJiad Harrison arrested for the illicit sale of whiskey and that he and I Avere opposing candidates for the State Legislature. I never had Mr. Hairison arrested for anything heXoi; nyy little boy disappeared, and Ilan'iscxi was nev-er a candidate for the ki&iature. We were not of tba samo political 'party, as I am a Demo crat and 'he was a Republican; and although he made threats against me I never had any feeling against him until I was convinced that he had kid napped my boy." When asked why Harrison should threaten him, Senator Beasley re plied : "A fight was on in Currituck coun ty against the illicit sale of liquor, which Harrison was engaged in. Four days before the election in 1904 I met Harrison in the road. He shop ped me and, raising his hand to heav en, he declared that if. the sale of his wines Avas interfered with that some body would be sorry for it and that he would have his revenge if it Avas the last act of his life. The church people of my county had petitioned me to have a resolution passed by the Legislature that would put" a stop to the illicit sale of liquor, and it was on this account that Harrison had the feeling against me. While I knew his business was contaminating the young men of Currituck county, Har rison lived more than five miles from me and he did no harm personally. ' After his threat there is no" room for doubt that he killed my son; and, though I have followed many clues and investigated 'them thoroughly, I have never felt that I would find the little fellow alive. As long as Har rison liATed I hoped that some day I would hear what disposition had been made of him ; but now that, he has killed himself I feel that the secret is buried. "I had offered to waive all prose cution against Harrison if he would produce my little boy or tell where he could be found alive; but he was not the kind of a man to take advantage of that opportunity and preferred to fight it out. The testimony was cou- clusiA-e against him. The people of Currituck thought so at the time and their judgment is confirmed by the Supreme Court, which refused Har rison a new trial after going over the entire evidence." Will-o' -the-Wisp Clews. Continuing -Mr. Beasley said that Harrison had ample opportunity to get possession of Kenneth. Referring to some of the clues that he had re ceived as to the Avhereabouts of his son, Senator Beasley recalled a letter that had come to him in April, 1905. "The writer told me if.-1, would place $500 under a trestle on the At lantic Coast Line Railway, near Rocky Mount, N. C., at 5 o'clock on the evening of- April 11th, , my son Would be returned to me at whatever place I desired him left, but that if I made any alarm his body would be sent, to me in a keg of brine. When I received the letter I came to Nor folk. "Edgar White, of White Bros, on Commercial Place, Went to the bank and dreAv $500 for me. We went to the Gladstone Hotel that night and sat up there until morning, taking the numbers of the bills and the batiks which issued them, hoping that we might hi this Avay be able to trace them. "Then we went to the place designated by the writer of the letter and there deposited the money. Two men from Norfolk lay in the bushes near the spot all night and as nobody came"for the money they brought it baek to Norfolk the next day. I have had several clues since that time and I have been as far west' as Arkansas lcoking into one of them." ''Had I wanted Harrison to die, I couid have accomplished this by ex pressing the desire to my f ellotjf coun tymen in Currituck. They would have lynched him without hesitation if I had simply said 'the word. I waited for the law to take its course.' Kept His Nerve All Right Joshua Harrison, Jarvisburg. N. C. registered at the Gladstone Hotel about 4:25 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. He Avalked up to the counter and ask ed W. CJ." McDowell, the day clerk, if he could get a room. Then the clerk asked him to register. Mr. Harrison said he did not know whether he could write or not, as he had left his eye glasses somewhere. Mr. McDowell offered his, and Harrison wrote his name on the register in a plain even hand, with no indication of nervous ness. He was assigned a room on the second floor and Avas shown to it by a bell boy. "I noticed nothing un usual in his manner," said Mr. Mc Dowell, "but in about fifteen minutes after he had gone up to his room De tective Wright, of the Norfolk force, came in and asked me if Mr. Harri son was in. I told him yes he show ed me a telegram that had been receiv ed from Williamston, N. C., in which the Norfolk police were asked to ar rest Harrison, as the Supreme Court had confirmed the judgment of the lower court. The telegram asked the police to disarm Harrison, stating that EeTiad threatened suicide. When the Doy went up to Mr. Harrison's room and told him that somebody wanted to speak to him, he replied: "I'm not coming out." Before the boy could get in communication with the officer, a pistol shot rang out and when the door of Harrison's room was opened he was found lying on the bed with an ugly wound in the side of his head. Captain Ford, of the police department, ordered an ambu lance and the man Was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital, after he had been attended by Dr. Schenck. Harrison, it is said, had declared that he would kill himself before he would serve the sentence of the court, protesting that he was innocent of the crime. He had hoped that the Su preme Court to which he had appeal? ed would act favorably. When the news came Monday morning that judgment of the lower court had been confirmed by the Supreme Court, he gave up in despair and determined to end his life. Bishop Van De Vyver Returns. Richmond, Special. Rt. Rev. Au gustin Van deVy very, Catholic Bishop of Richmond Avho spent the summer in Belgium returned to Richmond. He will begin his official tour of the State on the first of the coming Aveek. Bishop Van do VyAer has dispelled the idea that he is to leave Richmond and take up church Avork in anothei field. He says that he will, assuredly remain in this city. Taft is the Man. New York, Special. One of the guests of President Roosevelt is quot ed as saying that the President is still firmly determined not to accept an other nomination. The statement is added that possibly his enemies might do something to induce him to run again but not otherwise, Roosevelt is quoted as saying that he regards Taft as -the leading candidate but he rec ognize the groAvth ' of the Hughe? boom. The torch of truth must be fed by the heart, . A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT Body of Charlotte Young Man Fotmd on Southern Railway Track Near Coal Shute. Charlotte, Special. Mr. William H. Desmond, Jr., aged 17 years, a stenographer in the office of the Am erican Machinery Manufacturing Company was run over and killed by Southern passenger train No. 35 just below the old coal hute at 10 :25 o'clock Tuesday night. Conductor Gilmer, as his train was pulling out, noticed some one jump off. When he reached Gastonia ho wired back to the men in the local office, telling them of what had hap pened and suggested an hwestigation. A short search revealed a ghastly find. - To one side of the track, about 100 yards south of the East Second street crossing, a boy 's head Avas found lying in a pool of blood. The skull had been crushed in and the neck was severed as if Avith a sharp axe. Fifty feet below the. head lay the body. It was partly across the track and bore such marks as if the entire. train had passed over it. The trunk had been cut almost in two and the legs severed just above the an kles. Every bone in the body and limbs had been broken. Blood and fragments of flh spattered the tracks nearby. A coat -ered and tronjlay to one side of the body. A neAv hat was "found near the sev ered head. ; As soon as the body was found, the coroner and police were notified. Coroner W. A. Gresham came down to vieAV the remains. At firyt there was doubt as to who the man Avai. He seemed nothing more than a boy and bore the marks of good breeding A' flat gold ring encircled the third finger of his 1" band. Sergeant Youneblood made the dis covery Avhich cleared away the doubt t1-" address of ""Wm. H. Desmond Jr., 2001 SoutlT Boulevard." In the memorandum were seA'eral business cards with the firm name of the Am erican Machinery Manufacturing Company printed on them. A search Avas made of the boy's clothing and $5.80 was found in his pockets. This and several trinkets Avere giAren over to the coroner. HaA'ing learned the name of the boy, Mr. Y7illiam H. Desmond, hij father, Avas notified. Mr. Desmond is a machinist, employed by the same firm with which his son AVorked. He came doAvn and at once took charge of the remains, under the direction of the coroner. There is no doubt as to hoAv the accident happened. Several young men bad gone doAvn to the station to see a visiting young lady off. As the train was making ready to leaANi, one of the party suggested that they all go over to Gastonia together the young men returning on a later train. Mr. Desmond boarded the cars with the rest, but decided to jump off a the Second street crossing. This he did on the left side of the train, just below the coal shute. It is believed that when he struck the great slant ing pile of cinders which runs along the track that he stumbled and fell back under the wheels of the then fast moving train. The aAvfulness of the accident is beyond description. The head Avas decapitated as if with a sharp blade and the body mangled in a frightful manner. Laid the Last Brick. New Bern, Special. Saturday aft ernoon at exactly 5:15 o'clock the last brick was laid on the beautiful and imposing Elks Temple- and this magnificent place is now observed practically as it will appear.- It is indeed an ornament to the city and would do credit to a city much larger than New Bern. Wood workmen are now busy on the interior and it is ex pected to haA-e the building ready for occupancy by January 1, 1907. Mill Site Bought. Weldon, Special. Mr. E. T. Clark has spld to the stockholders of the new cotton mill to be located here twenty acres of land near the corpora ate limits of the town for $3,000. It is a valuable piece of property the new mill people have secured for thei new mil! people have secured for mill and tenement surroundings. The plans and specifications are ready. Harrison Case Affirmed. Raleigh, Special The Supreme Court affirmed the sentence of the lower court in the notable case of Joshua Harrison, an aged resident of Currituck county, Avhich is tAventy years in the penitentiary for kidnap ping and killing 8-y"ear-old Kenneth Beasley, son of State Senator S. M. Beasley, in February, 1905. The cas.s was removed to Pasquotank county by Harrison on account of the senti ment against him in Currituck. Har rison is a brother-in-laAv of ex-Governor, Jarvis. One of his counsel was ex-Governor Aycock.. Fire at Smithfield. Smithfield, Special. The residence of Mr. STR. Morgan was destroyed by fire at 3 o'clock. The origin of the fire is unknown, but it must have been caused Ty rats in ' the ceiling. When discovered, smoke was coming through the roof. It was a large tw story frame building worth $3,500. Ii was insured for $2,750. All the fur niture on the first floor was " saved, but that on the second floor was lost. It was insured for $ 50Q. MUST HOLD ISLANDS Admiral Dewey Speaks About Our Foreign Possessions OUR DUTY TO THE INHABITANTS Should the United States Give Them Up, He Says Japan Would Acquire Them to the Disadvantage of This Country . Washington, Special. Admiral Dewey strongly resents the propostioa that has been discussed in a more. on,, less academic manner to surrender the Philippines, which of all men he was a leading factor in bringing under tha American flag. In an interview thai admiral set out clearly the reason ' which impel him to insist upon ' thei retention of the islands. Singularly; ' enough, in vieAV of the fact that the admiral is a man of Avar by trade, the . strong point of his argument is not based upon the military or naval im portance of the archipelago, but al most "altogether upon the great value present and prospective of the Philiu pines to America in the extension of our trade Avith the Orient, Avhich he regards as holding out the best prom ise of commerieal expansion. The ad miral says: "Abandon the Philippines! I don'fc belieTe our country will ever do that. Certainly it should not because it has altogether too much at stake. It is only our control over the Philippines that makes it Dossible for us to insist upon the open door in the East, to- ward Avhich our diplomacy has beeni directed for a number of years. We want our share of the enormous com merce of the East and we can noti keep the door open for it, unless wei hold the islands. Why Did Spain Hold Them. "Why did Spain for 200 years dom-i inate the commerce of the Orient Just because she had the bay and har bor of Manila as a great commercial and naval base. That base can be just as useful to us commercially as it Arasl to Spain. For Hie past 10 years evertf strong European nation has been try ing to get a foothold' for commercial and naval purposes in Eastern Ava ters Germany, England, France and Russia. Through the forces of wafl the Lnited States obtained rightfully and without chicanery the best an most stragetic position possible giv ing us superior naA'al and commerciaj advantages 0Arer the other .nations. What sort of common sense Avould id be for us to give up such a position 1 " Suppose Ave should dispose of thei Philippines and Japan should acquira them? See Iioav the islands stretchf alon gthe coast. Here are the Jap anese islands, here is Formosa Avhich! Japan owns, and then come the Phil ippines. If Japan had them, she avouUI command eA'ery gateway to the Orient and the United States Avould be com peltely shut out. v" Every one concedes that tha Orient is the future great field for the principal commercial nations of tliJ world. We ought to be the leaden but we must at least have a share in the enterprise and in order to do s1 we must maintain the positions wa bave occupied through force of cir cumstanees in that reoion. : Commercial Phase. "I am talking now of the purel . commercial phase of the question an-l I think it is plain that we must hava a commercial base of operation sucli as Janilla furnishes. And then in or der to protect our commerce Ave mus0 have a naval oase, and at Subie bay, such a base is now being developed. Congress has recognized our needs ia the Philippines and has appropriated liberally for fortifying the island Modern guns are being mounted a large dry dock has been located ia Subig bay,- troops are stationed in th island of Luzon and in every Avay con gress has shown its desire to protect the islands from foreign negressioa and also to establish a base for poss ble military operations. "It has been frequently said thai the United States has assumed rospon sibilities in the Philippines Avhich it can not pass over to other hands. I do not care to discuss this phase of the situation, except to say that I bo lieve'the American ' people will nevei shrink from such responsibilities a were assumed for them Avhen thfl United States took over the Philip pines. "I want to emphasize my belie! that the United States as a Avorld poAV er will always have commercial and diplomatic interests in the Far Eaaf and can not maintain itself properly AA-ithoiit a base of operations. Tha LTnitcd States can not withdraw from its present enterprise in the East but must go forAvard reeking its share ot the advantages and sustaining it share of the responsibilities." Big Fire at Thomaston. A Thomaston, Ga., Sp'ecial. Fire ear ly Saturday . destroyed the vehicli plant of the Atwater-Nekon BuggJ company at this "place, causing a lo$I of $100000 with insurance of $75,000. The blaze started in the Ararnisn rooi on the third floor and on account the dense smoke could not be reachi bv the firemen. A large number men v.ill temporarily bv? thrown out emp.'-vymenv,