North Carolina Newspapers

SERIAL STORY REMINISCENCES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ^y ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE Illustrations by V. L. BARNES threw It on the rustic table before us. “That is why' I have done it,” said he. It showed the bust and face of a very beautiful woman. Holmes stooped over it. “Brenda Tregennis,” said he. . “Yes, Brenda Tregennis,” repeated our visitor. "For years I have loved her. For years she has loved me. That is the secret of that Cornish se clusion which people have marveled at. It has brought me close to the one thing on earth that was dear to me. I could not marry her, for I have a wife who has left me for years, and yet whom, by the deplorable laws of England, I could not divorce. For years I waited. And this is what we have waited for.” A terrible sob shook his great frame, and he clutched his throat under his brindle beard. 'Cfie, ADVENTURE Of THE DEVILS FOOT Then with an effort he mastered self and spoke on. “The vicar knew. He was in confidence. He would tell you she was an angel upon earth.’ him- our that That was why he telegraphed to me and I returned. What was my baggage or (Continued.) “I have lived so long among sav ages and beyond the law,” said he, ''‘that I have got into a way of being a law to myself. You would do well, Mr. Holmes, not to forget it, for I have no desire to do you an injury.” "Nor have I any desire to do you an injury, Dr. Sterndale. Surely the ■clearest proof of it is that, knowing what I know, I have sent for you and aiot for the police.” Sterndale sat down with a gasp, •overawed, perhaps, the first time in his adventurous life. There was a calm assurance of power in Holmes’ manner which could not be withstood. Our visitor stammered for a moment, his great hands opening and shutting in his agitation.” “What do you mean?” he,asked, at last. “If this is bluff upon your part, Mr. Holmes, you have chosen a bad man for your experiment. Let us have no more beating about the bush. What •do you mean?” “I will tell you,” said Holmes, “and the reason why I tell you is that I hope frankness may beget frankness. What my next step may be will pend entirely upon the nature your own defense.” “My defense.” “Yes, sir.” de- of “My defense against what?” “Against the charge of killing Mor timer Tregennis.” Sterndale mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. “Upon my word, you are getting on,” said he. “Do all your successes depend upon this pro digious power of bluff?” “The bluff,” said Holmes, sternly, “is upon your side, Dr. Leon Stern dale, and not upon mine. As a proof I will tell you some of the facts upon which my conclusions are based. Of your return to Plymouth, allowing much of your property to go on to Africa, I will say nothing save that it first informed me that you were one of the factors which had to be taken Into account in reconstructing this drama.” "I came back—” “I have heard your reasons and re gard them as unconvincing and inade- •quate. We will pass that. You came down here to ask me whom I suspect- •ed. I refused to answer you. You then went to the vicarage, waited out side it for some time, and finally re turned to your cottage.” "How do you know that?” “I followed you.” “I saw no one.” “That is what you may expect to see when I follow you. You spent a restless night at your cottage, and you formed certain plans, which in the early morning you proceeded to put into execution. Leaving your door just as day was breaking, you filled your pocket with some reddish gravel Africa to me when I learned that such a fate had come upon my darling? There you have the missing clew to my action, Mr. Holmes.” “Proceed,” said my friend. Dr. Sterndale drew from his pocket a paper packet and laid it upon the table. On the outside was written, “Radix pedis diaboli,” with a red poi son label beneath it. He pushed it towards me. “I understand that you are a doctor, sir. Have you ever heard of this preparation ?” “Devil’s-foot root! No, I have never heard of it.” “It Is no reflection upon your pro fessional knowledge,” said he, “for I believe that, save for one sample in a laboratory at Buda, there is no other specimen in Europe. It has not yet found its way either into the pharmacopeia or into the literature of toxicology. The root is shaped like a foot, half human, half goatlike; hence the fanciful name given by a botanical missionary. It is used as an ordeal poison by the medicine-men in certain districts of West Africa, and is kept a secret among them This particular specimen I obtained under very extraordinary circum stances in the Ubaaghi country.” He opened the paper as he spoke, and disclosed a heap of reddish-brown, snuff-like powder. “Well, sir?” said Holmes, sternly. “I am about to tell you, Mr. Holmes, all that actually occurred, for you al ready know so much that it is clearly to my interest that you should know all. I have already explained the re lationship in which I stood to the Tre gennis family. For the sake of the was opening cabinet* and stooping to boxes, that he managed to abstract some of the devil’s-foot root. I well remember how he plied me with ques tions as to the amount and the time that was needed for its effect, but I little dreamed that he could have a personal reason for asking. “I thought no more of the matter until the vicar’s telegram reached me at Plymouth. This villain had thought that I would be at sea before the news could reach me, and that’I should be lost for years in Africa.. But I re turned at once. Of course, I could not listen to the details without feel ing assured that my poison had been used. I came round to see you on the chance that some other explanation had suggested Itself to you. But there could be none. I was convinced that Mortimer Tregennis was the mur derer; that for the sake of money, and with the idea, perhaps, that if the other members of his family were all insane he would be the sole guardian of their joint property, he had used the devil’s-foot powder upon them, driven two of them out of their senses, and killed his sister Brenda, the one human being whom I have ever loved or who has ever loved me. There was his crime; what was to be his punish ment? “Should I appeal to the law? Where were my proofs? I knew that the facts were true, but could I help to make a jury of countrymen believe OEM UM Ell) THE TEST FARM TO OXFORD sister I was friendly with the broth- ers. There was a family quarrel about money which man Mortimer, but it estranged this was supposed to be'made up, and I afterwards met him Sterndale Sprang to His Feet. as I did the others. He was a sly, so fantastic a story? might not. I might or I But I could not afford to fail. My soul cried out for revenge. I have said to you once before, Mr. Holmes, that I have spent much of ! my life outside the law, and that I have come at last to be a law to my self. So it was now. I determined that the fate which he had given to others should be shared by himself. Either that, or I would do justice upon him with my own hand. In all Eng land there can be no man who sets less value upon his own life than I do at the present moment. “Now I have told you all. You have yourself supplied the rest. I did, as you say, after a restless night, set off early from my cottage. I foresaw the difficulty of arousing him, so I gath ered some gravel from the pile which you have mentioned, and I used it. to throw up to his window. He came down and admitted me through the window of the sitting-room. I laid his offense before him. I told him I had come both as judge and executioner. The wretch sank into a chair para lyzed at the sight of my revolver. I lit the lamp, put the powder above it, and stood outside the window, ready to carry out my threat to shoot him should he try to leave the room. In five minutes he died. My God! how he died! But my heart was flint, foi he endured nothing which my inno cent darling had not felt before him. There is my story, Mr. Holmes. Per haps, if you loved a woman, you would have done as much yourself. At any rate, I am in your hands. You can take what steps you like. As I have already said, there is no man living who can fear death less than I do.” Holmes sat for some time in silence. “What were your plans?” he asked, at last. “I had intended to bury myself in Central Africa. My work there is but half finished.” “Go and do the other half,” said Holmes. “I, at least, am not prepared to prevent you.” Dr. Sterndale raised his giant fig ure, bowed gravely, and walked from the arbor. Holmes lit his pipe and handed me his pouch. “Some fumes which are not poison ous would be a welcome change,” said he. “I think you must agree, Watson, that it is not a case in which we are called upon to interfere. Our investi gation has been independent, and our action shall be also. You would denounce the man?” not FRESHMAN ISAAC W. RAND OF Such Is Belief of Tobacco Test Farm Committee—Will Be Conducted By U. 3. Government. ABOUT 30,000 ACRES THAT PM HAVE UN IVERSITY OF NORTH CAR- OLINA THE VICTIM. CUTS THE JUGULAR VEIN Slipped From Barrel Upon Which he Was Being Made to Dance and Fell on Broken Glass—Making Thorough Investigation. Chapel Hill.—The coroner’s jury which investigated the death of Fresh man Isaac W. Rand of Smithfield which occurred while he was being hazed in the athletic field by a body of sophomores, made the following re port of its finding: "We find that the deceased came to his death by being cut, caused by a fall upon a broken bottle, and find furrier that the de ceased, at the time of the fall, was being made to dance upon said barrel by a party of hazers of the Univer sity of North Carolina, and that said party was composed of W. L. Merri man, A. H. Styron, R. W. Oldham. A. C. Hatch and other parties unknown to the jury. We recommend that said W. L. Merriman, A. H. Styron, R. W. Oldham and A. C. Hatch be held under bond for the next term of court of Orange county for further investiga tion into said death.” The bond was fixed at $5,000 each.. The boys are under custody. As developed by the testimony giv en before the coroner’s jury the death of young Rand occurred while he was being hazed, together with his room- mate, on the athletic field. The four sophomores mentioned masked themselves and entered the room of I. W. Rand and R. A. Wel lons, two freshmen from Smithfield. Without being given time to dress the two first year men were taken to the athletic field, a distance of about 300 yards from the dormitory. There, Wellons was first placed up on an upturned barrel and made to sing and dance. After performing for a few minutes he slipped down from the barrel, and in doing so scratched himself slightly. Then Rand’s turn barrel came, and he to perform, when he to mount the had just begun apparently slip- ped in the same manner as Wellons. He fell, to the ground and lay there. He was picked up and blood was dis covered to be spurting from a large cut on the left side of his neck. He had fallen on some pieces of broken glass. He died a few moments later. Negroe’s Leg Cut Off by Train. Will Temple, a negeo about twenty- four years of age, and living at Wake Forest, had his right leg cut off be tween his hip and knee and his left leg broken while attempting to "hobo” a freight train. The accident occurred at Wyatt, a station four miles from Wake Forest. The negro was brought back here on train No. 30 and the col lege physicians were summoned. One leg was taken off and the negro died a few hours later. which was lying beside your gate. Sterndale gave a violent start looked at Holmes in amazement. "You then walked swiftly for and mile separated you from vl r the the - You were wearing, I may ark, the same pair of ribbed ten ons shoes which are at the present moment upon your feet. At the vicar age you passed through the orchard and the side hedge, coming out under the window of the lodger, Tregennis. It was now daylight, but the house hold was not yet stirring. You drew some of the gravel from your pocket, and you threw it up at the window above you—” Sterndale sprang to his feet. “I believe that you are the devil himself!” he cried. Holmes smiled at the compliment. “It took two, or possibly three, hand fuls before the lodger came to the window. You beckoned him to come -down. He dressed hurriedly and de scended to his sitting-room. You en tered by the window. There was an interview—a short one—during which you walked up and down the room. Then you passed out and closed the window, standing on the lawn out side smoking a cigar and watching what occurred. Finally, after the death of Tregennis, you withdrew as you had come. Now, Dr. Sterndale, how do you justify such conduct, and what were the motives of your ac tions? If you prevaricate or trifle with me, I give you my assurance that the matter will pass out of my hands forever.” Our visitor’s face had turned ashen gray as he listened to the words of his accuser. Now he sat for some time in thought with his face sunk in his hands. Then, with a sudden im- pulsi'-e gesture, he plucked a photo- sraql. from his breast pocket and subtle, scheming man, and several things arose which gave me a suspi cion of him, but I had no cause for any positive quarrel. "One day, only a couple of weeks ago, he came down to my cottage and I showed him some of my African cu riosities. Among other things, I ex hibited this powder, and I told him of its strange properties, how it stim ulates those brain centers which con trol the emotion of fear, and how either madness or death is the fate of the unhappy native who is subjected to the ordeal by the priest of his tribe. I told him also how powerless European science would be to detect it. How he took it I cannot say, for “Certainly not,” I answered. “I have never loved, Watson, but if I did, and if the woman I loved had met such an end, I might act even as our lawless lion-hunter has done. Who knows? Well, Watson, I will not of fend your intelligence by explaining what is obvious. The gravel under Murderer Attempts to Break Jail. Bob Shipes, the alleged slayer of John Brittain, in Burke county some 10 years ago, and who was arrested in Los Angeles, Cal., and brought back to Morganton and lodged in jail made a desperate but ineffectual at tempt to escape from prison. In some manner he tore a heavy piece of iron from the cage where he was confined, and after getting out in the corridor of the jail proceeded to demolish everything in sight. the window-sill was, of course, starting point of my research. It the was unlike anything in the vicarage gar- den. Only when my attention had been drawn to Dr. Sterndale and his cottage did I find its counterpart. The lamp shining in broad daylight and the remains of powder upon the shield were successive links in a fair ly obvious chain. And now, my dear Watson, I think we may dismiss the matter from our minds, and go back with a clear conscience to the study of those Chaldean roots which are surely to be traced in the Cornish I never left the room, but there is branch of the great Celtic Speech” no doubt that it was then, while II (TO be Continued) Perfumer’s Day Will Come Then He Will Have Odors That Move Mankind Most Profoundly. A perfumer was talking shop. "When will my trade,” he said, Will "de ¬ velop as it should? When will perfume sway men’s minds as drink and fame do now? "I have a dog. Often in the country my dog will spy a dead, rotting, sun- dried bird or fish. The odor of that carcass fills my dog with ecstasy. He rolls upon it in a delirium. It is diffi cult, even with a club, to make him stop. Well, there, just there, is the perfume that sways dogs, and a dog perfumer, patenting it, would become a billionaire. "The serpent arum is a plant of strong odor. The arum has, indeed, a stench. Well, this stench attracts to it from miles around all those insects that fed on carrion. If you look into the cup of the serpent arum you are sure to see a very inferno of Insect drunkards—hundreds of them, intoxi cated by the arum’s odor, whirling and leaping and spinning in a mad dancce. For the serpent arum’s odor is the odor par excellence of insects, as the rotten, sun-baked fish odor is the odor par excellence of dogs. “Have I any perfume that sways mankind like that? No, none. Imag ine my new-mown hay drawing lady from her milliner’s or her pet pi anist’s! Imagine my girofle drawing a man from his beer or his jackpot! “Yet the day will come, I am con vinced, when we shall have perfumes that will move mankind as profoundly as the spoiled fish perfume moves a dog and as the serpent arum perfume moves the Dermestes and Saprinidae. In that day my address will be River side drive, Newport, Jekyl Island- Monte Carlo and Los Angeles.” Raleigh.—That Oxford will get the tobacco test farm, contended for so spiritedly by four of the best tobacco growing farms in the state, is the sen timent of the test farm committee which has recently returned from an inspection of sites and received a an- SO FAR BEEN APPROVED PURCHASE. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW alysis of soils. Durham, Stokes, Granville and Rockingham were the bidders fo rthis farm. All put up good land offers and all were anxious to win it. Granville has simply to meet a few conditions imposed by the farm committee, re quirements not yet made public. This farm is to be conducted by the government. It will be of immense help to tobacco raisers. It corres ponds to the test farms of other sec tions of the state, though conducted differently. There is none anywhere else in half a dozen states near North Carolina, it is said, and the state is. very lucky to win it. The impetus given to corn farming by the endeavors of the department has raised the yield to 22 bushels to the acre. It is believed that this method of encouraging tobacco grow ers will multiply the yield and in crease the poundage greately without the addition of acres. The members of the committee who went out to make the selections are: R. W. Scott, E. T. McCallum, William Bledsoe, I. H. Kearney, Dr. B. W. Kil gore and Maj. W. A. Graham. North Carolina New Enterprises. A charter was issued for the Wil mington Market & Supply Co. of Wil mington, capital $100,000 authorized and $2,500 subscribed by R. R. Stone, J. Allen Taylor and Martin O’Brien for mercantile business. The Levi De partment Stores (Inc.) of Rutherford ton, capital $50,000 by R. M. Levi and others was another firm receiving a charter. The North-South Line (Inc.) of Beaufort, capital $10,000 authoriz ed and $2,000 subscribed by E. H. Willis, N. W. Taylor and others for operating river and coastwise boat lines and doing a mercantile business was also chartered. Craig’s Speech to be Special Feature. Hpn Locke Craig has accepted an invitation to deliver an address in Asheville on the night of October 10 for the United Commercial Travelers of America, the occasion being a spec ial program of entertainment that the Asheville council is arranging for vis iting traveling men. The Western Car olina Fair will be in session, and a special social meeting for the mer chants and traveling men on the the night of October 10 is to be the cli max for entertainment that is to be provided. Mr. Craig’s speech to be a special feature. Enthusiastic Senatorial Contest. Enthusiasm in the senatorial con test is begining to claim the attention of almost every one in and around Scotland Neck. The friends of Gover nor Kitchin claim they will carry the county by an overwhelming majority, while the mons and of polling chin men supporters of Senator Sim- Judge Clark seem confident a larger vote than the Kit- give them. They say while they do not claim or expect to carry the county, yet they will not concede everything to the Kitchin element. For Protection Against Floods, Pre- vention of Erosion of Steep Slopes' and Preservation of Timber—Parts of This Land is in North Carolina^ Raleigh.—A special from Washing ton states that Uncle Sam has loosen ed up his purse strings and turned over $55,000 to North Carolina for lands for the Appalachian Park For est Reservation. The law of 1911, which created tile- National Park Commission, the pur pose of which is to buy suitable lands for forest reservations, provided $2,- 000,000 annually for the purchase of lands. The law permits the expendi ture of any money that was not spent last year this year or next year. It w,as amended recently to that effect. About 300,000 acres of land have been approved for purchase by the commission, at an estimated cost of $1,600,000, in several states. Lands have been approved for pur chase by the commission to become. sections of the Appalachian Forest: Reservation in Tennessee, North Car olina, Virginia, Georgia and New Hampshire. The total of all areas ap proved for purchase by the commis- sion is 264,465 acres. At the meetingss of the which will take place in winter it is expected that commission, the coming these areas will be greatly enlarged as the forest service has already completed the amination of a large number of ditional tracts. In North Carolina the total area ex- ad- ap- proved by the commission is 53,985 acres. This lies in what is known as the Mount Mitchell and Nantahala districts. The Mount Mitchell district includes parts of McDowell, Bun combe, Yancey and Mitchell counties. The Natahala district lies in Clay, Macon, Swain, Graham and Cherokee counties. Two Injured in Kinston.—As the side duel on the Ben Faulkner w,as Roadside Duel, result of a road- Grifton turnpike, painfully, though. not fatally, shot, his son Guy slightly wounded, and Doc Wallace and his son Ed arrested for the shooting. The elder Faulkner is said to be on the road to recovery, while the boy’s wounds were insignificant. At a hear ing for bond both Wallaces were re leased on $1,000 bail by a justice. The affair was the result of bad feeling of long standing. The Wallaces and the Faulkners are neighbors, and live, three or four miles from here. Have No Trace of McIntyre. High Point.—The whereabouts of young McIntyre—the alleged sender of the infernal machine—are as entire ly unknown as if the earth had swal lowed him up. It is known however that he had been to Birmingham, a short time after the explosion and that the police of that city could have easily apprehended him had they been notified at the right time. To Have Chicken Fattening Plant. H. H. Pierce of the United States Department of Agriculture was in the city the other day investigating the feasibility of establishing a chicken- fattening plant in Hickory. Chickens are now being shipped from this city in the same way as 20 years ago. Mr. Pierce thinks enough chickens could be procured within a radius miles to make the plant very ful. Sheriff Comes for Ben Vann. Sheriff Charles Reid, of of 50 success- Perqui- mans, was at Raleigh for Ben Vann, of Belvidere, charged with the mur der of Oliver Layden in July. This crime stirred the people considerably and has very vicious features. The evidence is purely circumstantial. Young Layden w£6 missing about three weeks before found and when he was discovered, he had been re duced to a skelton. Certain charges against Vann, relative to the firing of a house, are supposed,, to have fur nished a motive for killing Layden. Politics in Sampson County. Sampson Democrats held an thusiastic convention at Clinton nominated the following ticket: en- and for legislature, J. Abner Barker; sheriff, J. H. Swann; register of deeds, Red man Herring; treasurer, H. L. Stew art; coroner, Dr. J. K. Kerr; surveyor, Lewis E. Whitehead;, commissioners, A. H. Herring, George Rose and Frank Highsmith. The platform declares for a reduction of fees or salary system for county officers. A. F. Howard, of Salemburg, was elected chairman of the executive committee. Politics in Randolph County. The Randolph county convention of the Progressive party was held at Asheboro. The attendance was large and enthusiastic, and a strong ticket composed of formerUemocrats and Re publicans was put in the field. The convention went on record as opposed to the present alleged extravagant as sessment system and as favoring placing county officers on salary,- thereby saving the county a minimum of $5,000 a year. Form Wilson-Marshall Club. Democrats assembled in the court house at Greensboro and organized a Wilson-Marshall-Craig campaign club. The organization was perfected by the election of permanent officers: Presi dent, E. D. Broadhurst; vice presi- dent, L. J. Brandt; secretary treasurer, Everett B. King. and Shot to Death While Asleep. W. S. Cook, a Surry county farmer, while asleep near his tobacco barn, four miles from Mt. Airy, was shot and killed by George Snyder, a ten ant on the farm. Cook was curing some tobacco for Snyder. The two men had quarreled over the tobacco crop. Snyder, who is alleged to be unbalanced mentally, got a rural mail carrier to purchase some cartridges for him, claiming that he wished to kill a dog. It was brought out at the coroner’s inquest that one of these cartridges killed Cook. Mecklenburg Drainage Commission. The Mecklenburg drainage commis sion is mailing out notices to proper ty owners along the streams that are to be drained, informing them of ah assessment that is to be made against their property for improvement and announcing that the commission will hold a meeting for hearing any protest that may be made as to the amount of the assessment. All real estate lying within half a mile of a stream designated for drainage is subject to assessment in a graduating scale, ac cording to its nearness to the creek. Dare County Democratic Primary. Manteo.—At the regular Democratic convention held here the following were nominated: For Representative, M. D. Haywood; For Register of Deeds, A. V. Evans; For Treasurer, S. C. Tillett; For Sheriff, Alexander H. Midgett; For Surveyor, John E. Berry; For Coroner, J. T. Daniels; For County Commissioners, I. J. Ed wards, N. F. Jennett, W. S. Baum. Man Killed By Shifting Engine. Greensboro.—J. H. Stack, a white man about 30 years of age from High Point, was run over and instantly kill ed by a shifting engine on the local yards of the Southern. Stack, it ap pears, was drinking and went to sleep on the track and as the engine was backing the crew, in its report, says the man was not sighted. Graven School Bands Are Valid. Raleigh.—The supreme court hav ing declared the Craven county bonds for a Farm Life High School valid, the work of providing for this insti tution is to be gotten under way forth with, says Dr. J. Y. Joyner, state stb perintendent of public instruction. This is the first school of the kind es tablished under the state law passed by the last legislature. Guilford county three under a special act. Dr. Joyner goes to Jamestown, Guilford county, for a big educational raly at the Farm Life School there. A Tragedy Near Fayetteville. Fayetteville.—A tragedy occurred at the saw mills of William M. Wal ker, at Linden, twelve miles from Fay etteville, several days ago. Zene Car ter, (colored) the night fireman, when relieved, lay down in the dist room and fell asleep. A plug blew out of the boiler and boiling water rushing out, scalding Carter terribly. He was brought here to a hospital, where he died from the effects. Carter hailed from New Bern and had been working at this mill but a few days.