North Carolina Newspapers

QDoooooooooooooc>666L)og mjn M ray l im m . m mr ■m§ -yr Y MT ▲ IRINL COOOOADDDOBDDOOFIUJOOOD § Quality Job Printing § rII | | 111 " ■ I 111 I/i\ II \/ *I \ Ml" 1/| £lf*lf \f 11 §*The Dcmont Leads 8 gat Reasonabe Prices g I 1111 . II I I II rm V II ll .WJ HlB |jC iJk I Bin N :ws & 'Circulation g eooocooooooooooooooo JL. 11U JL A v/JL A JL WJL \ WW m Jltl\/\yl i JL COCXXDOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOS ESTABLISHED 1899 V Y DEMOCRAT AND R «, J CONSOLIDATED 19)5 United States Supreme Court Hands Down Most Important Decision in Many Years NEGRO EXCLUSION AMENDMENT LOST Supreme Court Holds "Grand father" Clause Is Not Constitutional. In probably one of the most im portant race decisions in its his tory. the United States Supreme Court annulled as unconstitution al the Oklahoma constitutional amendment and the Annapolis, Md., voters' qualification law re stricting the suffrage rights of those who could not vote or whose ancestors could not vote prior to the ratification of the j lifteenth amendment to the Fed eral Constitution, Chief Justice White, a native of the South, and a former Con federate soldier, announced the court's decision, which was unan imous except that Justice Mc- Reynold's took no part in the, case. By holding that conditions that existed before the fifteenth amendment, which provides that tho right to vote shall not be de nied or abridged on accciunt of race, color, oar previous condition cf servitude could not ye brought over to the present day in disre gard of this silf-2xseating a nendment, it is generally be lieved that the court went a long. Wav toward invalidating much of! the so-called "grand-father elause" legislation of Southern States. The immediate effect of the court's decision was to uphold the conviction of two 1 Oklahoma election officials who denied neg -1093 the right to vote in a con gressional election and to award three Maryland negroes damages from election cffieials in Annapo lis who refused to register them. The court held that these elec tibn cffieials could not ignore the' potency of the fifteenth amend ment in wiping out of State con stitutions the word "white," as a qualification for voting. In the Maryland case, the court's de cision established the point that the fifteenth amendment applies alike to municipal as well as to Federal elections. The Medical Society at Greensboro. p Editor Hickory Democrat:— While the attendance at the Annual State Medical Society Meeting, just closed at Greens boro, was (as the wheat crop) a bumper, close to five hundred, near to one hundred more than any former attendance, with doc tors from every nook and corner cf the state, I noticed the ab sence of quite a number of our Catawba and Caldwell doctrrs. One has missed a great treat by not attending those meetings. Laying aside the social functions, the free and welcome entertain ments, the renewing of former acquaintances, etc., they are in creasing in interest ana real val ue to all who attend and apply themselves closely, to the valu able papers read. The specially good feature of the recent meet ing was the reading of paper on such subject a3 tuberculosis, ty phoid, pneumonia, fever, and dysentery, the prevalence of, and serious effect of the various contagious disease?, with Qthers of the every day troubles, that the doctor to contend with today, all of which show thor ough study; combined with the discussion, make the attendance on those sessions as good as a short po3t graduate course. One, on returning from one of the meetings, feels more able to grapple with the every day prob lems of curing the sick. # Hence we would advise and insist on r-very M. D., (not Mad Dog but Medical Doctor) attending the annual meeting?. Kespectfull.V. G. E. FLOWERS, Hickory, June 21, 1915. NORTH CAROLINA LAW WOH'I BE DISTURBED Marion Butler Thinks "Grandfa ther" Decision Will Not Affect This State. Washington, June 21.—North Carolina's election laws are not affected by today's decision of the Supreme court of the United States which declared the "grand father clause" of the Oklahoma and Maryland laws null and void, in the opinion of former Senator Marion M. Butler. The former North Carolina after reading today's opinion declared that in view of the fact that the North Carolina law had stood for so long with out being contested, and, the further fact that the law was only operative for eight years, and that there could not now be any question of its constitution ality. Mr. Butler pointed out that as the state law now stands it ap plies to both races alike. The law was intended, he said, to es tablish a roll. That roll has now been established and operates upon equality to both races.— Parker. R. Anderson. "Tirst sttetl)o6ist (Tburcl) Motes. .BY CLASS REPORTERS On Friday night the executive committea met in the Philathea room and appointed the follow ing young ladies to help our Cap tains on the most interesting part of our programme, com mittee tein* as follows: Social, Misses Lula Lee Wolfe, Pinkey Waugh and Katherine Clement; Membership Committee, Misses Estelle Wolfe, Annie Reinhardt and Marjorie Whitener; Charity Committee, Misses Erroll Bolch, Myrtle Taylor, Maggie Byers, Cora McKillop and Annie Deal. The new Secretary's Board is quite an improvement to our room as well as to being benefi cial in two ways; it does away with ths old method of roll call ing and the taking up of the col lection, which gives us more time on our lesson, then another addition to our room is the Vaca tion Register and Post Card Re ceiver, enabling us to keep in contact with- our absent mem bers. Our pastor has organized a Pocket Testament League and we are glad to say thirty-six of our class have already joined. We had two new members and four visitors, and hope each Sun day we will continue to add more to our list. Misses Mamie Sue and Effiie Johnson have moved to Morgar.- ton. We regret very much to give them up for they have been such faithful members and earnest workers. We hope they will like their new home and that we may have them as visitors real often. On June 20, the regular meet ing of the young man's Baraca class of the First Methodist Church was given over to the election of officers and transac tion of other business. The fol lowing officers were elected: P. A. Setzer was re-alected teacher for the coming quarter, L. 11. Leslie, president; Joseph Hoff man, Vice president; Ar th u r Bradford, secretary; Frank John ston, treasurer and Burgan With ersDOon, class reporter. , Under the efficient leadership of our teacher, Mr. Setzer our class has more than doubled its membership in the past year, now having an enrollment of about sixty members. We have a nice large class room capable of seating many new members and visitors. We extend a cordial invitation GERMANY BEGIHS TO DRAFT AIISWEII Effort Will Be Made To Defi nite Reply To Request of Wilson. Berlin, via London.—Foreign office experts have commenced consideration of the German an swer to the American note con cerning submarine warfare and the first draft presumably will Ibe finished by the end of th e week. As the reply will be sub mitted to Emperor William at headquarters after it is threshed out between the departments concerned, it probably will not be ready for transmission before the middle, or the end of next week. No clear indication of the prob able nature of the note is obtain able. From the emphasis naval writers continue to lay on the al leged British practice of flying neutral flags and encouraging merchantment to attack subma rines and the impossibility o! submarines to observe the regu lations concerning visitation and Search under these conditions, it might be anticipated that this argument would be the kernel ol the reply. But at the foreign office there seems to be an im pression that this point will ap pear only as a subordinate pari of the reply, if at all, and thai an attempt will be made to give a definite answer to President Wilson's request one way o i another. The alleged armament of th Lusitania probably will not figure prominently in the note. Con siderable testimony has been as sembled regarding the presence of guns aboard the Lusitania but it all refers to voyages prioi to the one on which the Lusitan ia was sunk, some after war be gan. A German sailor named Emi I Grabe deposes in an affidavit pub ; lished here that he sailed foi ; four years on British ships in eluding the Lusitania and Mau retania. He avers that he madt three trips on the Lusitania anc that she, like the Mauretania, carried five or six 12 centimeter guns—two on her after deck, i two amidships and one or twe forward. "Grabe testified that he per ' sonally watched naval reservists in the crew of the Lusitania ex ercising with these guns, Higher business influences con | tinue to be exerted in favor of a peaceful settlement with the ! United States. A number of in i dustrial and commercial leaders | have appeared in Berlin during the last few days to use their in fluence personally to this end. No further details regarding the manner of the destruction of Capt. Otto Weddigen's subma rine, the U-29, are obtainable here. The admiralty says that all the information in its posses sion was contained in its an nouncement of last Friday, that the underwater boat had been rammed and sunk by a tank steamer after the tanker had been ordered to stop. Notice. Subscribers in the city, who fail to get their paper on Tues days and Fridays will please let us know at once, It will take our carrier boys some time to learn where each subscriber lives and we are very anxious to get the paper to each and every one. Don't fail to call our attention to any irregularities in delivery. to all young men of Hickory to visit We assure you that the lesson as explained by our teacher, are both interesting and instructive. If you will read the ads in The Democrat you will see it will be worth your time. Go to the mer chants and teli them you saw their ad in the Democrat and that you want some of those bar gains he is advertising. HICKORY, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 1915 NEWS OF THE WEEK FROM WEST HICKORY Many Persons Coming and Going, a Few on the Sick List and One Death Reported. West Hickory, June 23—The fine season which we have had for the past several weeks has caused vegetables to get cheap. Beans, potatoes a nd other gar den vegetables are plentiful and the price low, Mr. Geo. Hendrick and family moved from here to Newton Sat urday. Mrs. M. J. Lowman visited fiiends at Morganton several days last week. Mrs. Margaret Smith and daughter, Jessie, of Chesnee, S. C., have gone to Caroleen after spending several weeks with Mrs. Smith's daughter, Mrs. R. F. Hicks. Misses Ella Jones and Minnie Marlie of Brookford, spent Satur day and Sunday here with Mr, and Mrs. Charlie Jones. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Byers and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Lowman have moved to Rhodhiss. Mrs. Henry Price and daugh ter, Fdith, of Albemarle, spent a few days here with Mrs. Price's parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Burch. Miss Edna Burch has gone to Albemarle to spend several weeks visiting her sister. Mrs. W. K. Ciine and son, Ernest, are visiting relatives at High Sboals. Prof. G. 0 Cook of Mortimer, spent Saturday and Suniay here. The Ladies' Aid Society met with Mrs. John Freeman Tues day night. Little Mis 3 Catherine Jones has been quite sick for the past week.. Willie Wilson and Joseph Raw kins stopped over here one day last week. They were on their way to Post, Texas. Mrs. Robert Carlton of Lenoir, is here visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eli Childers. Miss Margaret Milton is visit ing friends and relatives at Caro leen, Greenville, S. C , and Tac coa, Ga. Mrs. B. Reep is very sick at present. She has typhoid fever. Mrs. A. J. Drum is on the sick list. Mi3s Lane of Morganton, spent a few days here with her sister, Mrs. John Miller. Mr. John Robinson, and aged citizen of West Hickory, died very suddenly last Monday. He had started to visit his son at Valdese and died on his way as In wa3 nearing Valdese, He was buried at Connelly Springs. Children's Day exercises were held at the Methodist Church here Sunday evening. Tnere was a large attendance and the child ren delivered their songs, recita tions, etc., in a splendid manner. Everybody present thoroughly enjoyed the services. Messrs. Ed. Barger and E. C. Leonard went to Charlotte Sat urday. Deeds Recorded. W. J. Stirewalt of New Mar ket, Va., to Quincy Y. Stroup of this city, for $2,250, a Jot on Col legr and Charity avenues, Hick ory. B. C. Shuford to Mary E, Abee, for $1,500, lot in this city. Additional Train Service Sunday Beginning Sunday morning, June 27, trains Nos. 15 and 16 will resume their regular run be tween here and Salisbury with a slight change in the schedule of No. 15, which will arrive here about 8 o'clock. There will be no change in the schedule of No. 16. Mrs. W. H. Barkley was called to Charlotte Friday, to be at the bedside of her sister, Miss Hazel Moser, who had just undergone I a serious operation for acute ap pendicitis. Governor Slaton of Georgia Commutes Frank's Sentence to Life Imprisonment Monday Atlanta, Ga. —Leo M. Frank's sentence Monday was commuted to life imprisonment by Govern or Slaton. Frank was secretly taken to the state prison farm at Milledgeville. He wa3 to be hanged Tuesday for the murder of Mary Phagan in April, 1913. Governor Slaton was still at his country home when he an nounced his decision to the press. In making this announcement the Governor dictated the f blow ing statement: "All that I ask is that the peo ple of Georgia read my state ment why I commuted Leo M. Frank's life sentence before they pass judgment. "Feeling as I do about this case I would be a murderer if 1 allowed this man to hang. It may mean that I must liye in ob scurity the rest of my days but I would rather be plowing in a field than to feel for the rest of my life that I had that man's blood on my hands." Earlv extra editions stated un officially that Frank's sentence had been commuted and early in the morning crowds began to gather on street corners. The arrest of a man who attempted to dismount a policeman by grab bing the horse's reins stirred the crowd at Forsythe and Walton streets and they followed the of ficer to the city hall,a bhckaway where they toak the prisoners, pending arrival of a patrol wag on. Speakers started to harrague the crowd from the city hall steps but were stopped by an ex tra force of police. It was stated that a delegation was coming from Marietta, the home of Mary Phagan. Frank's removal from the jai! here was carefully planned and the officers were able to elude newspaper men and others who might recognize the j: risoner. Leaving the jail by a resr door shortly before midnight they went in an automobile to the ter minal station where a deputy pur chased tickets for the party to Macon. Frank was not hand cuffed and did not wear the heavy spectacles he generally wore. A black slouch hat was pulled down over his face. The few persons in the station failed to recognize him and it was over an hour aft er midnight before tie report was circulated that he had been removed from the jail. When the train reached Macon several persons saw the sheriff and his prisoner alight and Frank was positively identified. The party immediately started for Milledgeville in an automobile. They arrived there at 4:30 Mon day morning. At the Georgia prison farm, dressed in stripe?, denoting the lowest grade of prisoner, Leo M. Frank again protested his inno cence of the murder of Mary Phagan and expressed a "con viction that the day was not far distant when I will be exhonora ted.'' Frank will* be known as convict "No. 965." The following is the complete chronology of the Leo J M. Frank case: April 26, 1913, Mary Phagan was murdered in the National Pencil factory, Atlanta. April. 27, 1913, her body was found in-the basementof factory. April 29, 1913, Leo M, Frank placed under arrest. April 30, 1913, Frank accused of knowledge of the murder. May 1,1913, Jim Conley, negro sweeper in factory, arrested. May 24, 1913, Frank indicted on murder charge, on Conley's testimony. July 28,1913, Frank's trial be gun in Fulton county superior court, Atlanta. August 23, 1913, Jury finds verdict of guilty. ' August 26, 1913, Fn n't sen tence to hang October 10. Motion filed for new trial. October 31, 1913, new trial de nied by superior court. February 17, 1914, Georgia su preme court affirms conviction. March 7, 1914, Frank resen tenced to hang: on April 17. April 16, 1914, another motion for a new trial filed, staying ex ecution.- April 25, 1914, Frank's sanity examined, found to le normal. June 6, 1914, new trial again denied, November 14,1914, Georgia su preme court sustains denial of petition for new trial. November 21,1914, Frank's at torneys seek writ of error from Justice Lamar, of United States supreme court. November 23,1914, Justice La mar refuses writ. November 25, 1914, Justice Holmes, of United States su preme court also refuses writ. December 7,1914, full bench of United States supreme court fefuses writ of error. December 9,1914, Frank resen-' tenced to hang January 22. December 21, 1914, United States District Judge W. New man refuses application for writ of habeas corpus. December 24, 1914, Frank's at-' torneys apply to Justice Lamar for a certificate of reasonable doubt and appeal. December 28,1914, Justice La mar grants appeal and certificate of reasonable doubt. February 25,1915, Frank's case argued before full bench of United States supreme court. April 19, 1915, supreme court, with Justices Holmes and Hugh es dissenting, dismiss plea for writ of habeas corpus. April 22, 1915, plea for com mutation to life imprisonment filed with Georgia prison com mission. June 9, 1915, Georgia prison commission refuses plea. June 10. 1915, plea for com mutation to life imprisonment filed with Governor John M. Sla ton. June '2l, 1915, Frank's sen tence commuted. +++++++ + + + + + + + * * + LOC4.L AND PERSONAL. * + * ++++++*+ + + + + + + + + + Mrs. J.L. Yount spent Sunday with relatives in Conover. Prof. W. H. Little is taking graduate work at the University of Wisconsin this summer. Miss Anna Hemmater of Cjn over, is visiting Mrs. M. J. Hein icke. Mr 3. Harriet Huffman sDsnt Sunday with her sister, Miss Mattie Miller at Conover. On last Monday afternoon the chimney in the home of Mr. C. W. Ellington was struck by light ning. Mr. Ellington says there was not much damage done. Gastonia Gazette: Miss Mar garet Council of Salisbury, will arrive this afternoon to spend a few days with her cousin, Mrs. J. M. Holland. She and Miss Mar garet Taylor of Hickory, who has been Mrs, Holland's guest for several days, will leave Saturday for Salisbury. Picnic time has come again and the children are looking forward with much pleasure to the time when they will have their annual picnic. A large crowd attended the Reformed Church"picnic held at Catawba Springs Wednesday. Thpy report a most enjoyable time as the weather was fine and everything passed off nicely. Mr. H. K. Foster, who recent ly gave up his work as govern ment farm demonstrator in this county, ha 3 accepted a similar position : n West Virginia at an increase in salary. His new home will be in Mason countv and his post office will be Mt. Pleasant. He will leave with his family for their new home about July 1. New Series Vol. I, No. 10 LARGE DISTILLERIES FOUND IK CALDWELL Sheriff Triplett Locates and De stroys One Saturday and One Sunday. Two illicit distilleries of larce capacity were seized and destroy ed by Sheriff J. A. Triplett and his deputies Saturday and Sun day, on the top of Green moun tain, some four or rive miles from Lenoir. The operators were on the lookout and made cood their escape as the officers approached. The still seized and destroyed Saturday was estimated to be of 90 gallon capacity and was run ning in full swing, when the offi cers located it. The equipment was first class in every respect and everything tended to show that the big plant had Ijeen run for some time. Sentinels had been placed by the operators to give warning of the approach of any legal guardians and conse quently as the sheriff and his posse were going along as unos tentatious as possible, of course, suddenly there rang out the sound of several shots, and in a little while the noise of what might have been a small herd of buffaloes passing through and over the underbrush were heard by them. About 1,200 gallons of singlings were found by the officiers in three large vats and in a few hours more this would have been passing through the worm as dis tilled spirts only to emerge as first class Western North Caro lina "moonshine liquor''. All this was frustrated by th« officers. Not satisfied with his Saturday catch, the sheriff again Sunday made a further visit to the same territory and located a second distillery within less than a mile of the one destroyed on Saturday. This one was of a smaller capr - city, being only a6O gallon one and was perhaps erected to take care of the increasing and over flow business of the "daddy" plant. This one was not being operated at the time but the cis tern was fuil of singlings, Con taining several hundred gallons and everything was being made ready for a run. After emptying the vat and cutting it to piece? the still was brought to Lenoir by Sheriff Triplett and his men. War Losses in Men is Now 8,331,000 Figures on the losses of the principal powers engaged in the war, furnished by the Red Cros9 and made public by Dr, K. Zieg ler, Imperial German Consul, in Denver. Col., illustrate the im mensity of the conflict now rag ing in Europe, Asia and Africa. These figures constitute the first authentic information regarding losses sustained by the powers since the beginning of nostllities. The total killed in the first six months of fighting was 2,146.000, divided as follows: Germany, 482,000; Austria, 341,- 000; France, 464,000; Great Brit ain, 116,000; Russia, 733,000. The losses of the Belgians, Serbians. Montenegrins, Turks and Japanese are not included in the summary, exact figures not being obtainable. The Red Cross records show that every day of the war up to March 1, the losses of all the countries engaged averaged 41,- 300, divided as follows: Dead, 10,140; wounded, 23,000; prison ers, 8,300. The total losses of the Allies averaged 28,000 daily, while those of the central power?, Germany and Autria-Hungary, averazed 13,300 a day. Lightning Strikes Residence. During the rain and electric storm here Monday morning lightning struck the residence of Mr. Henry Wagner near Le noir College. However, little damage was done and no one was hurt. The licrhtning also struck a transformer at Martin Furni ture Company ard bnrned it cut.