Last Edition GTON, NORTH CAROLINA. MONDAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 31, ?? |B EXPLANATION Of FLOOD F?rt?. J?nr 10.-*Iowlj. rtrr "low ly.'tho -wojlen waters of the Seine *h,<> ?? . l ed their high mark at 1 stbllity of an epidemic breaking out. It Is generally believed that the breaking of the dim at Gonnevlllteni appreciably Hastened the climax by releasing an Immense amount or water, but the consequences below are appalling. Oonnevilliers and Co lambee. having SO, 000 inhabitants, are completely submerged, the water reaching the tope of the houses In the lower sections, while the flood Is { backing up into the very center of Asnleret. " Certainly 40,000 have been driven from their homes by the flood In the . valley .of ihM&al&t to tKa hospital* and other buildings which have been placed at the disposition of the re fugee*. Such despatches as have reached here from the provinces indicate a general Improvement In conditions la the lower valley ot the 8elne. Briand traversed the inundated dis tricts on the left bank of the river ' this afternoon in an auto boat, glv j - lng particular attention to the region around the foreign office, after which they passed around the Eiffel tower into the Javel district. The premier gave a cateforlcal denial to the re ports that the government contem plated proclaiming a. state of siege In the city. The French War Gross, the Socl ette Des Dames Francalses and the Boclete Des Femmes DeFrance are rendering immense assistance to the authorities ta the relief of the suffer ers. Sixty xf lief stations have been established In Paris, as well as camps for the free distribution of soup, food and clothing In the outsklrta of the inundated " towns and vlllage^along * thA river. Farmers Lose H6*vily. > ' The local government authorities are displaying great devotion and seal In thejfcprk of salvage and res cue. Nevertheless, the conditions, es pecially In the country districts, are ] pitiful. The' houses of farmers are submerged to their roofs and In many cases the Inhabitants have lost every ^ thlny th?lr I lira It Is, estimated that the deine is now carrying thirty times the usual I' volume of .water at a speed of 20 miles an hour. During the last few " days thouiindi oT vIsTt&flTihd fdftl dents have left here for London or 4 tha Bet lax ' . - A number jot deplorable incidents ? have been reported. Several shop | keepers, wha attempted to charge quadruple prices, have been mobbed, while a grocery msn who was driven to the upper story of his house by an angry crowd fired a revolver, pound ing a woman. /.Rowdies have at tempted to , pillage many of the hous es, and at seversl of the towns they Jr have1 been driven off by the military. The explanations of the floods glv en by lfrench scrlentists are of espec-? ial Interest, fotlenne Stanislas Meun lere, the eminent geologist, considers the phenomenon te he more of a geo logical thsn a meteorological nature. After explaining the action and re action of the water in the strata he low the surface, he declares that the eoll of the entire baaln of the Seine and the other big elvers of France iANDUS on Tried to Pre and Was Shot. Fortland. Ore., Jan. 30.? The life of Manly Thompson, who was shot by bandits at Seven -Mile House last night, hung by a thread today. He la said ^o belong to an Influential family of AsheviUe, N. C.. and to have a brother In business at Bilt more. N. c. Though pursued by a large poeee the~Nwo highwaymen are stHl at large. Well dressed and riding in a taxi cab, the two bandits who young children were playing. unconscious of the tragedy, in the- ad joining room. Jesse A. Van Zant, the mut-dered woman's husband, is being held as a witness by the police. The man ad mits that he quarreled with his wife all Friday night and up to the time he left the houqe this morning, an hour, he claims before the discovery of the murder. According to the coroner, Mrs. Van Zant was first choked Into uncon sciousness, then bound and gagged with strips torn from a lace curtain and placed across the stove with- her head In the flames of the burner* The horror of the crime is Increased by the coroner's statement that the wnrain sclousncss before dAth. When found all . the clothes had been burned off the body and the flesh, charred to cinders. The police dlBeovWjd late today that Van Zant had been paying mark ed attentions to a y<^ng girl for some time. ,yThe father of this girl had pro tested strongly against his daughter's conduct and had Anally brought her before a police msgistrate who order ed her committed to the house of re fuge. On hor father's recommenda tions, however, she was sent instead to a convent. bhatPl a wlesiftess Continue, Subject of Rev. M. T. Plyler at Christian League Meeting Quite a number were present at the Young Men's Christian League Sun day afternoon. One of the features of the occasion was the vocal solo by Mrs. Ira M. Hardy, and also the duet by Mrs. Hardy ami Miss Ada Rhodes. Their sweet voices never shown to better advantage' and tljelr efforts were highly appreciated. Rev. M. T. Plyler, pastor of the First Methodist Church, was the speaker of the after noon, his sutyect being "Shall Law lessness Continue." For the benefit of those of our citizens who were not present we publish below an Inade quate report of the address. Mr. Plyler said: ^ . The Subject before us Implies vio lation of law. The violation of law argues the existence of law and the existence of law being before us, the place arid value of law. Some hold that law is a terror to evil doers; others. -that law is simply a burdenr some restraint on one's Individual in clinations. Let a city order compul sory vaccination, at once certain in dividuals will defy the whole order because they fall to appreciate the value and extent of la^. We have na tfonal ? and ? interln^fonaT^elvll and criminal lawB._and laws of' all kinda indicating the place of la^r in all life. The conflict Is ever between the in dividual liberty which .fsrripd tn ita limit becomes anarchy and the com munity life. The effort is to preserve a proper balance bettf^R" the two. Most trouble arises from the failure to observe the universality of law. It is aa far reaching as God himself. 'Every sun th*t burns in the heavens; every atar that blazes on the %ow of night, and every planet that swings 1n Its orbit attests the universality of law. It pervades all life on this planet and forces its demands upon every beast in the forest aa truly aa upon our own physical,' mental and social life. Kipling puts it thus: "Now the laws of the Jungle are these And many and mighty are they; But the head and hoof of the low. The hump and haunch la-rObey." No one can get away' from law and Ignore the demand for obedience to Jaw. The planets in stellar space, Jhe beasts In the forest and the wild man on the plains obey law. How muoh more should we in civilised so iclety. Dtramrd ta liw .Mil, df [structfoa everywhere. Nowhetfr more munity. God save us from our law lessness. Mr. Plyler then referred at some length to the national revival In the last decade for enforcing obe dience to law. The Insurance in vga** ligations, efforts to curb t bearcat corporations, and the outcry against graft Indicate an evolution of our na tional life to the point of demanding that men shall recognize and obey the laws essential to our existence as a people. He then urged the new place of the town and city In our Southern We are in transition. The simplicity of country life is giv ing place to the city. The perils are imminent with the great Influx of population. "It Is for us men of the S6uth," urged the speaker, "to de termine what these cities shall be. Will we allow them to become cen ters of lawlessness or are we going to determine that the good are to rula?" "But the urgent question before lis is the spirit of lawlessness In our town. I am not going to bring any direct charges here against the exist ing order for I am not ,sure of any facts; but I do urgo most emphatlcal lv that tilft common rumor heard nn the streets and the intimations at every turn cry aloud for the good cit izens of the -town to become aroused. When there Is so much smoke there must be some Are. You men are so situated as to know more about tl* aotutfj'-oondltlons -than 1 do I do. however, urge . upon you this; In eve^jr community the lawless element Is^ever In a minority. And It Is a burning shame for the good citizens, who are the backbone of business and Industrial life to be run over in such a defiant manner, whose views stand for the best things of the community or labor for the real upbuilding of .the town. Be sure, also, of this: If the lawless element Is not curbed they will increase and become more and more defiant, to the shame and hurt of the community. Eternal vig ilance ' Is ever the price of law-en forcement. I would urge that you good citizens of the town consider the necessity of agitating organisation and * notifica tion. Some people are terribly afraid of agitation. "Keep quiet; huslr up" ; they cry. I am free to ad mit that agitation often hurts busi ness and doW Iwl liai lu al Ltisahi I keep quiet ii^ business matters; bnt this !? Barer true of moral questions; ,, ... REPORTS MADE BY DELEGATES Messrs. Carty, McKe e? ^Mor ris SpOke Last J fS| ?d!W The Laymen's ? at the First Methodist Chur*j99Kday evening, was much waa he,d Prln" cl pally to from the dele gates \wlio attended the great i convention of '?ymen at Greensboro. Superintendent N. C. Newbold, the leader of the laymen, presided. The speakers of the evening, were Messrs. Samuel C. Car*y. M. F. McKeel aud C? O. Morris. Each gave a descrip tion of the convention, what waa ac complished. what was proposed to be accomplished and the ?ood that will be the outcome. Each one of the talka were elevating and uplifting. After the regular exerclBes Mr. C. Q. Morris submitted resolutions pledging the laymen to increase their gifts during the ensuing year for the cauae of foreign missions. These res olutions were laid on the table until a subsequent meeting Vhen they will bo presented fop adoption. The musle last evening was one of. the features. 8T1IJ, VERY ILL The many friends of ^Trs. Kosa Willis will regret to learn of her con tinued Illness. The report from her bedside today 1ft that she la no better. Mrs. Willis Is one of the city's oldest Inhabitants. ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY. A moat attractive display of aeed Is now to be seen at Dr. Hardy's Drug Store. Attl the latest varieties are shown. CHARITY CARD PARTY. ? Thg_BrldgftClub la giving a charl rard party Tuesday evening from 8 to ] 11:30 at the Elka Home, for the ben efit of the Daughters of the Confeder acy. Ticket* are. 50c each, and they | can be obtained from Mlaa 1,1 da T. Rodman, Mrs. J. B. Moore, or Mrs. | John H. Small. A Small Fire Sunday Morning Yesterday morning between*! 0 'and 1 1 o'clock the alarm of Are was turned In. It proved (o be the resi jtltl 9 I Q*|H?U> JliU II. Iliwlii EaBt Second street. The Are. origi nated In the dining room, being) caused from a defective flue. It was extinguished* without any material | damage. DISCOVERS THE LINK. | John Hazeman, on an exploring trip"} In South America for the Carnegie I Institute of Pittsburg, has discovered | thy missing link in animal life be tVeen the Salamander and the fish, according to a despatch received by Dr. Karl Slgemann, head of the In diana University Zoological depart ment. At the Junction of the RIo Negro and the Amazon rivers near Manos. Brazil, the explorer says he recently found a fish with rudimentary legs . * SHOOTS HIS HIUDK. Rome. Ga., .Ian 30. ? After an al leged attempt to kill his bride with a pistol, Altus Jackson, aged twenty one stabbed himself with a pocket knife and Inflicted probably fatal'ln juries while confined in a cell at po lice station. Mrs. Jackson was shot through the hand as she struck the weapon from her husband's hands. they thrive by agitation. The turn ing on of the light Is good. A good old book tells us of certain persons who prefer darkness because of their evil deeds. They do tiot like to have the light tiirncS on. Then It Is well to bring yo?.r fnnves together in. an orKanlaad ?rot for civic betterment A Law and Order League or in some other way that the good, law-abiding citizens can be heard. If the police is not effective, or the town govern ment Is not active, or the good people are not back of the officers whose oath binds them to execute the fnws, the citizens should make themselves felt. It Is an outrage for a few that do not stand for the best or defy the laws to bring reproach upon a - community and to Imperil our homes and our cLvlc welfare. I the acre, while the average of produc tlonjn North Carolina is only four teen bushels an acre. A strong effort Is going to be made to induce the Federal government to take up the work of draining these swamp lands in the South Just as it has undertaken the work of reclaim ing the arid lands of the West. Mr. Small produced figures to show that the swamp lands are more than twice as productive as the arid lands in the West on which the government has PHHQ.udi'd tiomc cdjinj .milium dull*-! a. \ In this connection Mr. Small said: "Whether Congress shall in Its wisdom at some time in the future aid in the reclamation of thin vast empire on our most fertile land, may become an Interesting question, one . whirh T shall not discuss at this mo mQM.~hui. lL .may well be argued" "If Congress may loan a part of the pro ceeds of the public land^ for the pur pone; of Irrigating the arid and semi arid lauds In the Western States, why may It not lend some of the fund or some other fund as an encourage ment and upon a perfectly safe basis of Investment In the drainage of these valuable swamps and wet lands." LIST OK LKTTKRtt. Remaining uncalled for In this post office for the week ending January "*** 29. 1910. Gentlemen ? B. ArrhbeU. T. S. Coleman (two), \V. VV. Gorham. Wal ter Ebrou, W. H. Moore, \V. B. Mayo. E. A. Oldham. E. R. Pellerson, Allen RutheWord. W. H. Thompson, Dme tre G. Vapiivl, H. M. Wheelock, H. Wood, P. Webb. Walpale tffgar Co. , Ladles ? Miss Stella Arthur. Miss Ida Rardan, Lizzie Chfeuncey. Mrs. C. F. Ellison. Miss Bessie Grise. Larcle Little, sJiss Mary *E. Moore, MIbs Lu venia Simeons, Mrs. Maggie Spar row. Mrs. A>H^ie Small. Miss A. What erR, Mrs. Elvira Wootton. These letters will be sent to the dead letter o. ce February 14. 1910. if not delivered before. In calling for the above, please say advertised, giving date of list. OXK ADDITION. Tlicic "was one STTditinn To the membership of the First Baptist Church Sunday morning. ? New Advertisements * . , * ? ' # ?. in Today's News ? ? Brooks' Shoe Store ? Evening** ? Slippers. ? + ? Hyomet. ? + ? Bogart's Drug Store ? Seeds. Ac. ? ? Atlantic Coast Line R. R. ? Spe- ? ? rial Rates. * ? ~~W~ ? E. R. Mixon ft Co. ? Starrh. ? ? Wm. Bragaw * Co. ?Insurance. ? ? J.*K. Hoyt ? Hair Turbans. ? ? Jas. E. Clark Co.? The Over- ? ? Gem Theater. + ? Gaiety Theater. + ? stocked Sale. *