pwrnr CHAR" i I r THE ONLY EVENING ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWSPAPER IN CHARLOTTE VOL. -XXIII N07619r 5 ' it - . CHARLOTTE, N C, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 8, 1905. FRICE: 3 CENTS LOT TE NEWS. THE COMMITTEE Thomas F. Ryan who Got Control 0f Equitable by Purchasing Stock of James H. Hyde was Before Insurance Investigating Committee To-day. Sale1 he Tried to Save Country From Panic. Hughes Fires Embarrassing Questions, Har-i-man and Ryan. Did Harriman Threaten Investigation? J?v A.-.-ociatotl Press. New York. Dec. S. Thomas F. Ryan, vho purchased the control of the Equi table by buying the stock of James H. Hyde, was a witness before the insur ance committee today. Mr. Ryan testified that he bought the Hyde Equitable stock because be be lieved he thus prevented the most tre mendous panic the country had ever seen which he believed would have fol lowed if the Equitable would have been put in the hands of a receiver. Mr. Ryan says that after his pur chase. Mr. E. H. Harriman, president of the Union Pacific railroad desired to share in the purchase. Mr. Ryan re fused Mr. Harriman's offer. Mr. Ryan declined to answer the questions as to what was said at the convention between him and Mr. Har riman. Mr. Hughes said he wanted to know whether there was any truth in the report that it was hinted that there would be an investigation of the life insurance business if Mr. Harriman was not given an interest in the Equi table. Mr. Ryan declined to answer and was upheld in his declination by Paul D. Cravath, his attorney. Chairman Armstrong, of the com mittee, paid the question was a proper one and should have been answered. Mr. Hughes asked if Mr. Harriman had said anything to intimate that any thing disastrous would happen to Mr. Ryan's interests if he refused to share with Mr. Harriman. Mr. Ryan again refused to answer although Chairman Armstrong, in the name of the committee, directed him to reply. There, cn advice of his counsel, Mr. Ryan replied that Mr. Harriman had not made any such threat. Mr. Ryan said he had directed his counsel to make the trusteeship of the Equitable stock perpetual, because he (lid not want any heir of his ever to control the property. WHAT BECAME OF BOOKS? South Carolina Committee Don't Think They Were Burned. Special to The News. Columbia, S. C, Dec. 8. The legis lative committee is investigating today as to whs'.t became of the certain bocks of the Secretary of State's office which disappeared after the fire in the office in September 1904. It was claimed that the books were burned but that explanation does not appear to be satisfactory to some and hence the investigation. CAPTAIN HARRISON DEAD. Was Brother of Late President Ben jamin Harrison. By Associated Press. Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 8. Captain carter B. Harrison, brother of the late Presiden' Beniamin Harrison, aied resierdav at his homo npnr Mnr freesboro, Tenn. He was 65 years of age. SHAW TAKES NO ACTION. Says Unless Situation Grows Worse He Will Not Attempt to Relieve Money Situation. Associated Press. Washington, Dec. 8. Secretary ojav said he did not expect to make y deposits in the national banks to nnr 10 reliovo the money situation, Jr to take any action unless the situ ation brev materially worse. STRANGE FOR GEORGIA. Flrst Legal Execution in County for Bv Ac 9nm'nal Assault. Associated Press. exermf a' Ga- Dec- 8.-The first legal for th ' n Fulton count-- Georgia, Placp !tC!ime of criminal assault took Jin, r..,.ue 10Wer this moraine when Jil Walke dssailai hanged assai!ari nV V, beiI convie" negro h ,L 01 Mrs. AllVfi MnnrP wsk SN. MITCHELL IN r EXTREMIS. ure2n Senator is Not Eoected to Bv ,.. . Hide, Mitchell i J " Dec- S. Senator Edition -in V1'11 extremenly critical Pected Th ,le.ath is momentarily ex i'Uion 'i.s i (a.riministration of saline so to. ' U(!lnS frequently recorted noon. " Ult0ai dio.i this after- . -jfi- rjii- GORMAN AGAIN CHAIRMAN. Of the Caucus of the Democratic Mem bers of the Senate. By Associated Press. Washington, Dec. 8. The Demo cratic senators held a conference and authorized the Democratic steering committee to act for them in filling the minority vacancies on the Senate committees. Senator Teller was des ignated as a member of the steering committee to succeed ex-Senator Cock rell. Senator Gorman was re-elected chairman of the Democratic caucus, Senator Blackburn, vice chairman and Senator Carmack, secretary. Regarding the rumor that the Re publicans would seek to reduce the Democratic representation on the com mittees, it was stated that the Repub lican members of the committee on rules had given assurance to the con trary. PREMrER WITTE RESIGNS. Dispatch Says Witte Tenders Resigna tion to Emperior, Which is Re jected. By Associated Press. Berlin. Dec. 8. A despatch to the Tageblatt from St. Petersburg dated yesterday, says that Premier Witte has given his resignation to the Emperor, who refused to accept it. TWO TEAMS TIE. Have Traversed Saucer Track Number of Times. Equal By Associated Press. New York, Dec. 8. At one o'clock the Root-Fogler and Bedell-Bedell teams in the six-day bicycle race, were tied for the first place, each hav ing covered 1,755 miles and 7 laps. GERMANY TO PARTICIPATE. Richthoff Received President of Jamestown Exposition Company, By Associated Press. Berlin. Dec:. 8. Foreign Secretary, Richthoff received Harry St. George Tucker, President of the Jamestown Exposition Company and listened ap preciatively to Mr. Tucker's descrip tion of his acts and promised to sup port his request for participation of the German souadron of the opening of the ceremonies in May, 1907. DISPENSER TO PRODUCE PAPER. Big Chief Beer Dispenaer is Told By Sonth Carolina Supreme Court to Show Papers. Columbia, S. C, Dec. 8. The Supreme Court is determined to find out "what is doing" in those alleged private letters and other papers which Big Chief Beer Dispenser James S. Farnum, of Charles ton, on advice o fcounsel. had removed from his dispensary No. 12 in- Charles ton, beyond the reach of the dispensary investigation commission in another state, and to this end passed an order requiring him to produce them before the court here at 10 o'clock next Mon day morning. Salisbury Happenings. Special to The News. Salisbury, N. C. December 8. Mr. J. A. Rusher, a successful meat market proprietor and a good farmer, has sold his interests in Rowan and purchased a large tract of grazing land in Ashe county, and will go into the cattle business on a large scale. He is convinced that there is money in cattlo raising. The istallation of Rev. E. L. Ritchie, as pastor of the Spencer and East Spencer Lutheran churches, will take place Sunday morning at 11 o'clock. The services will be conducted by Rev. J. E. Shank, and Rev. C. I. Morgan of Salisbury. The big steel bridge which the Southern has been engaged in erect street crossing for the past two months street crossing for the' past two conths is about completed. NUMBER OF RALES GINNED TO DEC. 1 Bulletin Issued Shows Number of Bales 8,684,842 Counting Round Bales as Half Ba'es. Amount Ginned by States. Break in New York Market. By Associated Press. Washington, Dec. S. A bulletin is sued by the Census Bureau shows the number of bales of cotton ginned to De cember 1, 1905, to be 8,684,842 counting round bales as half bales. A previous report showed 7,498,167 bales ginned to November 14, 1905. The amount of cotton ginned by the states and territories, is as follows: Alabama, 1,066,728; .Arkansas, 422,813; Florida, 65,455; Georgia, 1,561,061; In dian Territory 246,402; Kentucky 628; Louisiana 362,397; Mississippi, 8 40,729; Missouri, 30,254, North Carolina, 573, 59S; Oklahoma, 230,648; South Carolina, 992,708 ;Tennessee, 203,388; Texas, 2, 075,007; Virginia, 13,030. The above statistics were compiled from the telegraphic reports of special agents who canvassed the ginneries, and it was announced they are subject to slight corrections until checked inst the individual returns of the aga s-inners through the mails. The statistics of this report include 239.034 round bales, and 82,203 Sea Is land bales. The Sea Island cotton is distributed by states as follows: Flor ida, 31.584; Georgia, 41,692; South Car olina, 8,927. Sharp Break In New York. New York. Dec. 8. Cotton reports of 11 l,.r i the Census Bureau wa m"""" J " shnrn break in cotton prices, March. selling down to 1210, and May to 1225. The market recovered 4 or points and ruled very feverish and unsettled. MRS ROGERS PAYS FOR HER CRIME mm life This Afternoon at 1:13 Mrs. Mary Mabel Rogers was Hanged at Vermont State Prison for the Murder of Her Husband, Mar cus Rogers. Although Her Face was Deathly Pale She Remained Firm, and Bravely Mounted Gallows. Dead in 141-2 Minutes. Tragic Finale of Noted Case. By Associated Press. Windsor, Dec. 8. Mrs. Mary Mabel Rogers was hanged at Vermont State's prison at 1:13 this afternoon for the murder of her husband, Marcus Rogers at Bennington, August 13, 1902. Mrs. Rogers was pronounced dead by the prison officials at 1:27 1-2. Exe cution took place after the woman had been twice reprieved on account of ap peals made by her counsel and after the United States Supreme Court had refused to take any action in the case. Only a comparatively few persons witnessed the hanging, the number being restricted to those permitted to attend by the laws of Vermont. Mrs. Rogers maintained her com posure to the last and mounted the gal lows with a steady step. Although a deathly pallor overspread her countenance, hardly a muscle quivered as Deputy Sheriff Shafford pronounced the fatal words "I now pro ceed to execute the sentence of the law and may God have mercy on your soul." When these words were pronounced Deputy Sheriff Angus McCauley sprung the trap and the drop fell. fio Final Statement. On the march to the gallows Mrs. Rogers declined the assistance of the deputies. Her step was firm. She mounted the scaffold unaided and stop- r .i . j 1 i j.1 j . a.- j.i trap. She sat down in the chair for a moment and when asked if she had any final statement to make she shook her head negatively. In the opinion of the attending phy sicians, Mrs. Roger's neck was broken, and death was due to strangulation, although she was probably unconsci ous from the fall of the drop. Mrs. Roger's body had been claimed by her mother and sister and will be buried by them at Hoosick Falls, N. Y., where her mother, Mrs. Josie Cal- lahan, resides After the execution of Mrs. Rogers, Governor Bell gave out the following statement: "I am much relieved to know that the -execution of Mrs. Rog ers was accomplished promptly, ac cording to law, and without any hitch or unnecessary delay. It was a disa greeable duty I have been called upon to perform, but notwithstanding my private views in regard to the matter, I have acted on my oath as Chief Ex ecutive and I believe I have acted in the interest of the public good and ac cording to the law-abiding sentiment of the people of Vermont. The inci dent, is closed and I do not care to say anything more at this time." History of Crima The crime for which Mrs. Mary Mabel Rodgers vas sentenced to death was the murder of her husband, Marcur Rogers, at Bennington, Aug gust 13, 1902. At the time the crime was committed Mrs. Rodgers was only 19. She had been separated from her hus band for some time and was desirous of marrying a young man named Maurice Knapp. On the day of the murder Marcus Rogers went to. Bennington to visit his wife and that nigt she arranged to meet him in the woods, near the Walloomsac river. While caressing him she induced him to allow her to bind his hands, and while he was powerlesss she chloroformed him. In this she was aide'd by Leon Perham. a half-witted boy, who was the son of the wo man with whom she boarded. Another woman, Estella Bates, was Y present. A few days after the murder Mrs Rogers, Perham and the Bates woman o.Q fl Dorhom TV. a, la o -- TT1- plete confession and both he and Mrs. Rogers were found guilty of murder in the first degree Perham was sentenced to imprisonment for life, while Mrs. Rogers was sentenced to death on the gallows. Various attempts were made to com mute Mrs. Roger's . sentence, but all failed and the date set for the exe- cution was February 3. 1905. Governor i ueu granted two reprieves ror me presentation of newevidence, but the Df humor. Most humorists omit the court denied the petition for a new philosophic contemplations which tem trial each time, and the United States ', per adversity. Most lives become rigid court refused to consider the case. Certain disclosures regarding scan dals in the Vermont State prison at Windsor, where Mrs. Rogers has been confined, have, it is claimed affected public sentiment. According to the jn its point'of view Cicero and Horace, testimony before the prison investi- "To stand unafraid and unabashed' up sration committee of the Legislature, nn vrmr sovMi-tfirraced summit" is a ! one of the convicts at Windsor had access to Mrs. Roger's cell some time after the first reprieve was granted, It was alleged that this was a part of a conspiracy on the part of certain prison officials to bring .about such a condition as would further postpone the execution. Mrs. Rogers is the first person sen tenced to death in Vermont within the past 13 years who was refused clemen cy. The last woman to be executed was Mrs. Emeline Meeker, at Wind sor, March 3, 1883. The Conference Fruitless. White River Junction, Ver. Dec. 8. The conference between Mrs. Rogers' attorneys and Governor Bell for another reprieve, was fruitless. The conference lasted about 30 minutes. It was terminated by the posi tive declaration of Governor Bell that he would not interfere in the execu tion. The arguments offered by the at torneys were not new.- HYPNOTIS OP WOMAN. Police Declare Supposed Victim is of l.naonml Mind and Disbelieve Her Story. Columbus, Ga., Dee. 8. Josephine Kelley, the woman who claimed to have been for several months under the in fluence of a strange man, and to have been compelled to follow him through the country,, visiting forty cities, all of which she enumerated, has been lo cated by the police department of this city, whose detectives do not place much confidence in the story, now that they have seen the woman. Day before yesterday, Chief Wiley Williams,, of .this city's police depart ment,, received a letter from Josephine Kelley, in which she claimed to have been under the influence of a strange man and to have followed him through the country, acting as his slave. The chief was appealed to for aid, and his detectives were put on the case. The woman was located at 405 Sec ond Avenue, in this city, and instead of being young and pretty as she claimed, she was a haggard woman of about 57 years old. She talked so ramblingly of her trouble, and was so evidently un sound on every other subject she talked of. that the detectives reported to the chief that the woman was of unsound mind, and her story was evidently the product of her crazed brain. 3RD, DAY OF BAPTIST STATEMENT! Convention Opens with Prayer for More Laborers in Foreign Field. Dr. Sevmore Delivers Strong Address. Much Busi ness Transacted. Special to The News. Raleigh, Dec. 8. The burden of the opening of the devotional services of the third day of the ,75th Annual Bap tist State Convention -was a "prayer for more laborers in the foreign field." It was led by Rev. C. B. Justice, of Rutherfordton. A resolution to appoint a committee with Rev. Ligingston Johnston as chairman to bring about closed rela tions with the Free Will Baptist indefi nitely, was . postoned. Dr. Seymore of the American Baptist Republican Society, delivered a pow erful speech in the interest of that work. He vigorously endorsed Dr. Dar- Sans' position, declaring that Baptists have no right to cater to any religious sect that denies the divinity of Christ and does not rely on his might and power. The report of the State Mission was presented by Rev. M. L. Kesler. He emphasized the fact that the exodus of people from the country to the towns has been checked and even turned from the towns to the country because of the improved schools, rural free de livery and good roads. The report urges "little schools be side every church." Corresponding Sec retary Livingston Johnson followed up the report with a strong plea for a greater effort for missions and before the convention took recess for dinner at 1:30 o'clock, a resolution was edopted, increasing the annual appro priation for State Missions from $30, 000 to $35,000. Immortal Quay Governor Pennypacker signed a bill appropriating $20,000 for the erection of a memorial to his distinguished cousin, the late Senator Quay. This $20,000 belonged to the people of Penn sylvania, but their legislators were ae lighted to turn it to the honor of the man who created many of them. Such a protest has arisen since the Gover nor's signature that a doubt has been raised about whether the statue will actually ever become a reality. Colo nel Samuel Moody, however, secretary of the commission for erecting the tri bute for the deceased great and honor ed statesman, declares that the scheme will be carried through despite the "hue and cry," as politicians are accustomed to call any moral protest. "The figure will be heroic size," the Colonel says, "and will represent the late Senator in his favorite pose. All of his friends are familiar with that portrait of him standing beside the table with a book in- one hand and his eyeglasses in the other." We do not wish to intrude siiffffpstinns. but would not a bottle ana a pocketbook add to the adequacy of II1C portrayal.' AVil. Vjua, o personal charm is not debated. To raise a stat- , ue to him as a pers0nal influence is to arive the lie. as far as possible, to what Ponnsyvania accomplished on Novem ber 7. Collier's for December 9, 1905. Mark Twain's Philosophy. Mark Twain 4s growing old grace fully. He has achieved the philosophy or life bv kfiemne humor in it. Most nhilosonhers fail of individual happe- ness because they lack a proper sense when the flexibility of youth departs. Mr. Clemens combines the lightness of youth with the experience of age. His speech at the dinner in his honor Gn "The Seventieth Birthday" excels rswarH in itself fnr life nohlv and hon- orably spent. Bryant's "Thanatopsis" doe?? not better summarize the end of a righteous life. TE FIRM IS INCORPORATED I A LARGE A Certificate Incorporation was Is sued To-day to the Mida Min eral Springs Company of This City at Capital of $100,000, The Incorporators. Exhibits, Illustrative of H. C. Re sources to be Sent to Fairs Held in New England States. Baptist Convention Votes $30, 000 for Foreign Missions. Special to The News. Raleigh, Dec. 8. A certificate of in corporation was issued to the Mida Mineral Springs Co., of Charlotte at a capital of $100,000 by J. W. Sample, W. W. Johnson and others, also to the na tive Salvage Co., of Greenville, at a $5,000 capital by C. V. Munford and ethers. Orders were just made by the Cor poration Commission that in the weigh ing of car load lots of lumber on flat cars the shippers shall have the allow ance of 500 pounds in addition to the deduction of the weight of the car from the cross weight, this being for standards, supports, etc. That the shipments of freight, ex cept first and higher classes is not de livered at the destination it shall be returned to in reverse direction to points within the state at half rate pro vided the freight both ways is paid or guaranteed and return shipment within 90 days after the original ship ment. Governor Glenn appointed Saml. W. Parker, M. L. Coley and W. H. Har ris as members of the board of direc tors of the colored orphan asylum at Oxford. Governor Glenn attendeed the ses sion 'of the State Board of Agriculture this morning and made an earnest appeal for arrangements to be made for the sending of an exhibit illustra tive of the resources of the State to the fair to be held in the various New England States next fall. He present ed a plan which he thought this could be done at a cost that would be com paratively small, a representative of the department, most probably Sec retary T. K. Bruner, to accompany it. He also urged that steps be taken for effectual efforts to attract that class of immigrants to the State who will become purchasers of small farms. Major W. A. Graham was added to the committee on quarantine and test farms. The resignation of Prof. "W. P. Massey as horticulturist, to become editor of the Practical Farmer, of Philadelphia, was accepted. Assistant State Chemist Pickle appeared before the board and enumerated various labor saving appliances that have been installed in the laboratory that save practically one man. The board sent Major W. A. Graham, J. M. Forenand and R. L. Doughton to represent them at the inauguration of President Po teat at Wake Forest College this after noon. The Baptist Stato Convention to night voted unanimously to increase the annual appropriation for foreign missions from $20,000 to $30,000. This action was taken "at 10.30 o'clock, the Convention having been in session since 7.30 and been addressed by only three speakers. Dr. Frost of Nashville, Tenn., Dr. Dunna way of Oxford, briefly, and Dr. Will ingham of Nashville. The North Carolina Corporation Commission makes an order for the standard freight tariff to apply in the future to the Atlantic & Yadkin divis ion of the Southern from Sanford to Mt. Airy. This means a reduction of about ten per cent in the general freight rate. The railroad company agrees to the change. Governor Glenn accepts an invitation to deliver an address before the Con temporary Club, Henderson, next Mon day night. Following the public ad dress, there will be a reception and banquet in honor of the -Governor. The President's Reciprocity Blunder. Collier's for December, 1905, refers to the President's controversy with Mr. Whitney of Massachusetts by saying: Perhaps Mr. Roosevelt's blunder, in the endeavor to escape the- reciprocity trouble, will improve him in the end. Undoubtedly he regrets the light in which by his own error, he has been put. He harshly told Mr. Whitney he was incapable of exact thinking:, and then he gave a most preposterous ex ample of foggy words with no thought himself. He threw out his chest and said the President was too grand and awful a creature to argue with a mortal, which only meant that he wished to do all the arguing himself. He made the case worse with every word he wrote and uttered, until the whole country rang with regret and ridicule. The President is a man, on the whole brave and good, and when he realizes what he has done he very likely willmake up for it by greater modesty, more openness to the words of other men, a struggle toward exactness himself, or, at least, mental fairness, and, above all, bv emanciUoVom the worn influ- ences to which he listens. CHARLOT CAPTAL COMMITTEES CONSULT. Executive and Finance Committees of Cotton Association Meet With Presi dent Moore 1 The executive and finance committee of the Mecklenburg division of th6 Southern Cotton Association, consist ing of Messrs. H. K. Reid, C. H. Wolfe, McD. Watkins, D. A. Johnston, J. M. Davis and Capt. S. B. Alexander, met with the President of the Association this morning ; and consulted for two hours. The object of this meeting was to adopt the best plant :for extending the work in Mecklenburg county and interesting every man of any occupa tion in the movement of the Associa tion. Messrs. C. H. Wolfe, McD. Watkins, and C. C. Moore were instructed to ar range a time and place for a meeting at which the business men engaged in any pursuit in Charlotte or Mecklen burg county will be asked to be pres ent for the purpose of informing them fully just what the Southern Cotton Association, is. It is a deplorable fact that fully 75 per cent of the business men do not know the object of the As sociation or what it has done in a finan cial way for the South. At this meeting men who are fully informed and acquainted with the As sociation work will deliver addresses, Notice of the meeting will be given as the details' are arranged. The executive committee instructed Mr. C. C. Moore to at once visit every club in the county, and authorized him to select speakers to go with him to any club, and as far as is in his power to keep the present live interest in the Association awake. Towards this end Mr. Moore has already arranged for speakers to be with him at several club meetings during the next few weeks. Mr. Moore was further instructed to take steps towards giving the negro farmers instructions and information in regard to what the Association has done and will do for him as a cotton grower. Mr. Moore leaves tomorrow morning for Concord, where he will deliver an address tomorrow evening to the farm ers of Cabarrus county. FOOTBALL CONCLAVE OPENS. Princeton Declines to Send a Delegate to the Conference. New York. Dec. 8. Answers have been received from twelve of the twen ty colleges and universities which have been invited by New York University to the conference on football to be held at the Murray Hill Hotel tomor row morning. Nine have accepted the invitation and three have declined. One of the three is Amherst Col lege, which states that it is interested in the meeting and shall be glad to know the results. The second excuse comes from Hamilton College, which cannot spare a member of the faculty, but declares reform in football to be imDerative. The president of Princeton writes that they do not as yet feel pre pared to take part in such a confer ence. RAIDED FROM BOTH SIDES. Hotel Keeper Says He Paid For Pro tection, but Got Fooled. Rnrlinsrton. Vt.. Dec. 8. Because of a posse of seventeen United States and nana.riin.n officials descended upon the famous Line House at Richford, owned bv A. B. Chapelle, and seized liquor worth $700, he was arrested and brought to Burlington today by a Dep uty United States Marshal and arraign ed before Commissioner Johnson, who held him for the Federal courts. nhanello said that he had for years paid officials in Richford for protection and that he had known when his place was to be searched. His present trou ble was caused by temperance torces, v.o BniH who had special deputies ap- ;nteri to make the raid. He said he knew the raid was to be made, but it would be similar to those made in all previous years. Chapelle's hncinpss is rartlv in Canada and partly in the United States, and when searches nave pievivuoijr made his stock of goods would always be across the line, no matter from .u:v, oiAa thr sparrh was made, ine joint search made this plan ineffective. DIFFERENCE III TWO Department of Agriculture Issued ' Statement Explaining Discrep ancy Between Cotton Report o Census Bureau of Statistics Difference in Estimating. rit Associated Press, Washington, Dec. 8. The Depart ment of Agriculture issued a statement in explanation ol the discrepancy be tween the cotton reports of the Bureau of Statistics of the Agriculture Depart- mpnt and the Census Bureau tor tne season ol 1904-5. The statement says the discrepancy is largely due to the fast that the Census Bureau expressed the produc tion in bales of 50 pounds gross weight, or 478 pounds net weight, as far as square bales were concerned. The estimate of the Bureau of Statis tics was expressed as in "Net" weight bales, which an examination of the figures by former statistician tiyue, shows to have been estimated that 506.2 pounds. Only One Small Case. There was only one case 'in the Recorder's court this morning. It was a small fracas. One of the parties paid the costs, the other was discharged This is the third, day now that the REPORTS SHOWN Recorder's court has almost drawn ajlow the railroad on East -Trade street, blank. In fact, there has been nothing The building will be occupied by Mr ??inf. .Resale cale of j DiacKDerry wine a lew aays ago. WANT INCREASE ; OF TBIAUUSTICES Grand Jury in it's Report Sug gests that General Assembly Enact Such Laws as Will Give Recorder and Justices. More Power. Says that Trial Justice Should Dispose of all Petty Cases of Crime, Thereby Saving a Great Amount of Cost and Trouble to County. The most interesting feature of the report of the Grand Jury of Mecklen bury county as submitted to Judge Webb is that the jury suggests that the Legislature enact for this county such laws as will give the Justices of the Peace and the Recorder jurisdict' ion over all cases that are known in the category of crime as petty criminal cases. The jury suggests that such. laws would save the people of the county a large per cent of unneces sary costs and trouble. The report of the jury in full, follows: To His Honor. James L. Webb, Judge of the Superior Court: We, the Grand Jury, have visited Little's camp on Dowd road and found the convicts well kept, the camp in first class condition, and the stock and buildings also in first class condition. We visited the Welsh convict camp and found the convicts well kept, the stock and buildings in good condition and the camp weir kept. We visited the-County Home and found the house in good condition and cared for as well as can be done under the existins condition of the inmates. The Superintendent of. the County Home reported that the. commis sioners are building a separate house for the insane which we heartily en dorse. - - We visited the county jail and found it well kept and prisoners well fed. We recommend that the prisoners have more blankets for their own comfort. We also recommend that the commis sioners push forward the contemplat ed improvements at the jail as early as possible. We found the county court house repainted inside and it is kept in first class condition. We, the Grand Jury of Mecklen burg county do suggest that our Gen eral Assembly do enact for Mecklen burg county such laws as will give Justices of the Peace and Recorders jurisdiction over petty cases, thereby saving the people of the county a large per cent of needless cost. which comes through the courts. We have passed on 83 bills. 79 true bills and 4 not true bills. J. D. CLARK, Foreman THE SPRINGS CASE. Is Now in the Hands of the Jury. A Stubbornly Fought Case. The argument in the Springs murder case was finished today at noon and since that hour Judge Webb has been going over the evidence in the case with the jury. Because of the great number of witnesses the court ap pointed a stenographer to take the evi dence just as it fell from the mouths of the witnesses. It has been quite a task to go over this large amount of typewritten evidence and at 3 o'clock Judge Webb had not commenced his carge to the jury. The case will prob ably be siven to the jury by 4 o'clock and a verdict will hardly be reached before 6 or 7 o'clock. News readers will recall that Bob. Springs is charged with the murder of Ephriam Withers and that the tragedy occurred in Mallard Creek township, the nisht of the 29th of last Septem ber. There was a negro festival that night and Bob Springs and Ephriam Withers were there. They had some words about a woman and Bob Springs drew his pistol and shot Withers dead, so it is charged. The case has been stubbornly fought by Stewart and McRae who have ably defended Springs. Solicitor Clarkson, as is usually the case, took splendid care of the State's interest. An Incindiary Fire. A barn on the farm of Mr. F. C. Harris, near Pineville, was burned vesterdav eveniner. shortly after 5 O'Ci0ck. Besides the building, a lot of hay, fodder and cotton seed were de stroyed. The loss is estimated at about $300. - It is said that the fire was of an incendiary origin. Constable Culp has the case in hand and he hopes to bring the guilty party to justice. North Carolina Postmasters. By Associated Prss. Washington, Dec. 8. L. Smart was today appointed postmaster at Caro leen, N. C. BRIEFS. Mr. John Booth, a young man em ployed by the Seaboard Air Line Rail way, had the misfortune to sprain his ankle while t work yesterday. Mr. J. Arthur Henderson is erect ing a brick building on his lot just be- D.,PvBrissie who will; enlarge his pres l ent Black smith shop. ' m gt n it s" 1 r fl M w si r i t ft- . a s II L J- : ft A 4 . 1 i i