Mount Airy News.
J. B. J0«0«0N A SON. f 1IM1I 111.
Mmmmt Airy. N. C.. Jaly r,»K. 191*.
SUBMCVIPTION KATES!
One year »1.M
Mis ■—It*. 71
CASH IN ADVANC*.
MURDER IN SURRY.
Rilloy Easier Killed in hia Own
Hatne by his Blockading
Neighbors. Shot Down in
His Doorway in th« Presence
of His Wife and Children.
Monday night of this week about
the hour of eleven Rtley Eaxter wa>
killed at hia '.toir.e Ave mileH north
went of thix c ty. He wan "landing in
the door of his home and men xtand
ing in the yard fired a dozen or mor«
■hot* nt him, one entering hi* bodv
• little fielow the wsxte band making
a fatal wound. He was attended at
once by I>r. K. M. Hollingxworth of
thiM city who found him in a critical
condition, vomiting and showing eve
ry *ign of being fauilly hurt. He
lingered until about 11 o'clock Tues
day and died after suffering great
pain from the time hi; wax shot. He
wax about 60 years of age and !euve>
a wife and xome grown children, two
of whom live with him.
Easter was well known in his city
having been a citizen of this section
for many yearn. He was a man of
but little ability ami barely m«de si
living. He hail the reputation of be
ing something of a tinner, and reports
<iay that he made ii. a business, at
time*, of making stills for the i»igh
born, and they say that he was an ex
pert at patching a still r.fter the of
ficers had chopped it full of holes. H<
lived in a two room little bo* l.ousc
covered with hoards. His home wai
surrounded by none of tl.e comfort*
of life, not a pig pen or cow stable, nc
>:ign of a garden and everything
pointed to a r.tute of the extreme.!
kind of poverty.
Tile old man wo-ked about amonf
neighbors and hauled wood to towr
for a living.
The story that explains his death
is an old one and a repetition r>>
life hirtory of the hlockaders of this
mountain section, that is of the re
ports that are current arc true.
Caster and his son Jim get cr^iit
for beirg mixed up in the liquor busi
ness at times thamselve*.
The Easter home was within a few
yards of the North Carolina-Virginia
line and in the section of countrj
where men have long blockaded anc
thought themselves safer alo::g th<
state li'ie toan H.L other points ol
the cocnty. The immej'ate sectior
is hilly and well timbered, and th<
places for locating a still are idea
and numerous. The country is spar
sely settled am! but few c.tizens are
willing to make much iffor^ to sup
press the disposition to blockade.
Naturally the public is latere, ted in
a story of thir kind, and it is hard to
get at the frets, for the reports that
are current are more or less conflict
ing. The following is the best ver
sion of the i.ffair that we are able to
get.
I.->.st Sunday morniiiK, before day
light, Jim Easter, the 23 year old son
of the dead rnr.n. came to the home ol
Sheriff Belton in this city and re
ported to him that he had located a
still, near hit home. The Sheriff
could not jfo with him :.t that hour,
for he had no gasoline in his car.
Kaster wa- not willing to wait and
lie caugl t away from hone after day
light, for he said that the owners of
the still would kill him. lie and the
sheriff made an agreement that Eas
•
ter was to return home before day
light and remove the ati.l to a place
agreed upon up on the road where
the Sheriff could get with his cr.r,
Eastc. vas afraid to carry the Sheriff
to the place where the l>eer was lo
cated, because of the dancer of be
ing caught by the blockaders. And
so after an understanding with t';e
Sheriff. Easter -hrstened back to th"1
hills, :.nd true to his word had lht
still at the plnco of agreement up or
the mad. The Sheriff brought the
still back to town and Eacter went
back to his home. Now tnat tht
truth is all out the Shw iff says that
this young man Enste;- had been in
the labit of reporting i tills in that
section to him, and that he made thes«
renorts for what money the Sberil
wa willing to pay him. Of cours«
the S crlflf was only too ;»lad for him
to report still-, for in thi* way he wa
able to largely suppress the business
in that neighborhood.
Now, in some way, the blockaderi
are supposed to have caught on to the
game Easter was playing at their ex
r-enre. They tell how on Sunday af
t n.Min Joe Cane and Ga-dner Oalr
went to the h i.ia of Riley Easter anil
f< ;ind him in company witt. his neigh
bor^JoLn Greenwood near their homea.
They tall how the two Cain men UlV
ed plainly to old man Easter telling
him that hi* son Jim had stolen their
xtill that morr.ir.f, and that he must
L- ra ft back la piaM by that night m
Ma fat* wimld ha aaalaA. TWy gava
hua an til am* a'rlach •* gat the *till
bach la place, and mmU aaajr and
wlw threat* a* la what they woald
do la raaa ha failad to raturn tha
mm.
Maw day morning old man Eaatar
raaM to toarn aad talked fraaly hera
with tflnn tailing thw how tha two
! Ca«a man had arm sad hi* aon of
taking thalr rtlU and making thraaU
I in raaa ha did not raturn it. Ha laft
tha impraasion that tha nharilT had
takan tha atill from tha atill-plac*
I and had not rot down tha baar. Other
offirrri haard tha old man'* report
and made a raid Monday afternoon
and found 2ft© gallons of boar where
the old man told them ha understood
tha it'.ll-plara to ba near hit home.
Ard >o by Monday nijrlit the Sher
iff had their atill and Brother bunch
of offlrna had cut down t'.eir beer.
(>aor<re Htcka. of Whilj Plain*, i»
i tha rron-in-law of old man Kilay Ras
ter, ami ha and hi* wife and children
ware making the old mm a vUlt and
were spemiinr Monday night in the
home. The family wax up later than
i t.he usual bed time because of the pre
sence of the visitor*. About the hour
1 of tan. old time, two of the women
in the home were out in the yard and
»aw a buncl. of men approaching
through the Ael<! in the b-ight mooi
liglit. They returned *o the the house
i and reported what they had seen. Old
mj'.n Easter got up and went to the
<loor, aid by this time tie men had
| approac'ied to a point about 30 feet
uway and had stopped. Old man Eas
ier invisted them into tra house, and
without upeakir.g a word they be-:an
to shoot at him, and some of the first
shot* fired entered hi* tody and caun
ed hi* death. A Aoien or more bul
let marks are about the door facing
where the old man stood, and on* is
made lo wonder why he wa* not hit
more than one time. The shooting
continued after the old man wa* pull
ed back into the house by one of the
fnmily.
About thi« time Jim r.aster (rot nis
pistol an<l fired twice from the houae
at the men in the yard. When he be
gan to shoot they rushed at the house
and Jim slammed the door and tried
to hold it shut. They began to try
to push it open and at the same time
some were shooting through the wall*
] of the house. One of these shot* hit
the little seven year old daughter of
(Jeo. Mirks, making a bruise in her
side and waking the rhild from its
I sleep in a great fright. By this time
the women in the home were scream
| ing and the children too. Pandemon
ium reipned. Mrs. Hicks began to
tieg (he men ty stop shooting telling
i them that they had killed her baby.
About this time t!.ey suddenly stopped
shooting or trying to break in the
door and all lieciime quiet.
Jim Knrter and his father and Some
of the women positively identified the
men who are under arrest charged
with the crime. They say the light
of the moon was sufficient to make it
positive to them who the men were
who came into the yard and did the
shooting. Jim Raster says that Joe
! Cain fired the first shot, and that it
was this one that hit his father and
rause<l his death. He say* that he
was looking directly at Cain when he
| fired this shot and that his father
made an exclamation of pain and
agony that makes him positive that
it was this shot that gave him his
death wound.
I After the shooting neighbors were'
j called and a physician and the officers;
| notified. Ei:rly Tuesday the Sheriff
nf both Carroll and Surry were on the
scene and all the police and deputies
about this town.
It was evident from the first that
old man K.nrtcr \va- fatally wounded,
and the interest in tile effort to run
| down and locate guilty parties was
intense.
Rud Edward?, Sheriff of Carroll,!
had a pair of Mood hounds and in a j
little while after day the hunting was
on in dead earnest. Joe Cain was i
; found up in the loft of hi* home Jyinp
flat down lietweon the joists and well
concealed from view. Joe Bowles
\va« found at hi* home, Round a; leep
in lied and the sun up. The .e two
were hastened here by the officers and
placed in the lockup. John Ilicks end
hi< son Sherman were at home sitting
on the porch nt 9 o'clock in the morn
ing. Later Walter Cain was found at
his home and Gardner Cain was. al
most hy accident, found hid in the
woods, lying flat by the ride of ■ lop
with a gallon jug of liquor by his
i side. All the e lien were placcd in
handcuff* and brought here by noon
the day after the shooting. Thone who
are familiar with the effort to speedi
ly arrest the men say that the work
.of the officer in so speedily making
the arreets was a fine piece of work.
The men in the lockup in this city
are strong a.id healthy specimen* of
manhood. Some of them look any- (
tl.lng but a criminal. They are fair(
skinned, blue eyed anglocaxon stock,
and men of plenty of sense. Rome of
thcn\ have property. They have em
ployed attorneys and fill no doubt
try to «how that they were in no way
connected will* the aad affair.
The predicament that they are
caught in ie interesting. The men
are all farmcrr and have out crops
and >n mm Is At teCc rf tka lw
•W have M Mtp at Imm t* care far
Jakn Hicks, who laaka to ba tftjr,
but aaya ha la sixty, and hie tan Sher
man Kara a Il»p at • acraa of tobacco
•ad It acraa at earn, wheat anthreeh
ad and the mother in tha kan e para
lysed. No halp thara now tivat they
ara in Jail.
Joe Cain aged M and hia son Wal
ter who ia married, bare a crop of 4
acraa in tobacco and 16 in com and no
help to Anish the crop.
Gardner rain ia a man of family, is
forty years old and a tenant on a
farm.
Joe Bowles ia a tenant, ia 23 years
of age and has a family.
The dead man is a cousin of the Pun
karri Preacher, the Rev. Joseph Eas
ter, who war killed at h's home unmc
year* ago under almost similar cir
cumstances. The preacher was a
man of convictions and hia testimony
in the courts of his county is suppo:?d
to have created such malice in the
breasts of the Mockaders of that sec
tion as to bring about his death.
lie was rolled to his ilpor one night
and shot dead with a load of buck
shot. His dertii was the start of a
(Croat fight ngainst the liquor evil in
the section whera he lived. The peo
ple wnre so aroused over his untime
ly em that a monument was erected
by public subscription at his grave
near Kancy Gny road some miles this
side of the foot of the Mountain. It
stands there today a tail white shaft
of marble to mark the resting place
of a man who gave his life in his ef
fort to stop just such cus onu as get
credit for the above unfortunate af
fctr. ■ .
Five Co to Jail.
The hearing of the men under ar
rest charged with the murder of Riley
Faster wan held in thin city Wed
nesday afternoon before K«(ra. 8|>ar
ger and Race. The evidence develop
ed wan such an to hind to court all of
the men mentioned in the above ac
cout with t! e exception of .She.-man
Hicks. The hearing brought out no
evidence that would connect him Vith
the unfortunate affair.
Men who attended thehearing and
kept up with the evidence are free in
their expression of opinion that the
State will possibly lie forced to elec
trocute some of the men, possibly four
of them. It now appears to lie one
of the most C' 1 blooded, deliberate
murders that could lie committed. The
defense put on no witnesses at the
hearing.
War and The Bee BusineM.
The war and the bee business do not
go well togctlicr. Modern bee keep
ing some yea-s calls for quite a large
amount of sugar and the shortage of
sugar in these war timer makes the
bee business an uncertainty. In some
years a l>ee keeper can take his honey
from the bees and fell it for a good
price, and then if the fall flow of hon
ey is not sufficient to w'nter on he
can make up the difk-iency with su
gar syrup.
In some yer.rs modern bee keeping
like modern production of fruit is not
profitable because of wether condi
tion*. This year the same weather
conditions in tl.e Yonth of May that
cut the wheat crop short cut the sour
w™k| bloom short. The bloom that
was starting in May blasted in the
bud, and where a big bunch of blooms
should be often one will "find a Utile
black dead twig.
For this re: on, as we understand
it, the bloom of the sourwo:>d trees is
reduced as much a» half, and the
bloom that did form doec not appear
to have secreted nectar in large quan
tities.
inc result t* a snort none. crop.
Bee ke«|>ers in this sectioif couM ex
tract li-.rpe quantities of honey from
the bees here now but to do ti:!3 m -ht
make it necessary to feed later i.i
the fall, and the uncertainty of Re
curing sugar makes it an uncertain
business deal to t: kc any honey from
the bees thi* year in this fection.
In the yards of the publisher of The
News many colonics can spnre a-fur
plus, but thi* may be needed next
winter, and 10 we will r.llow them to
keep it and return during these war
time* to the o'd method of the farmer
who allowed all hi* bses to have what
they could make, except tl.e ones he
"killed".
A* it appears now the man who has
bees will not be likely get sugar this
all, and so he had best not rob too
closely. .
Accident to Heavy Machinery.
The big engine that drives the
wheel* at the factory of th\r Mount
Airy Furniture Factory broke down a
few days ago and it was such a break
down as to make it necessary to buy
a new engine. The Company found a
new one at Oiarlotte and will be able
to get it in place with no great delay.
The smash up is supposed to have bad
ly damaged the steam chest of the
big machine and cause a losa of as
much a* $*.000.00. Mr. T. J. SeMth
wick i* In charge of the work of in
stalling the new machine.
•I
Tfc« prtmartaa ImU In this county
Saturday by tk. lijiHiiH party
ventioa was a most interacting (ml.
TWen eonviatinfi will ba bald at Dofc
aaa on Saturday of tbta week at afckll
time all tha county <rn will ba ae
lartad far two and four yeara. The
primary last Saturday Mama to have
■attlad nothing. THo oflW-aa that war*
open to a rontaat had *o many aapir
anta that no man will fat a majority
on tha flrat ballot.
Ona interacting part of tha eonvan
tion ia tha contaat that mim think
think thay sac in tha way tha nfjra I
for aherilf waa managed. Momi
Hodge waa a randidata and in aoma
townnhipa tha party laadara ao ar
ranged, if arranged ia the word, aa to
not irift the people who aupported
Hodge a chance to raat their vote for
him. Home think they aej in thia an ,
entering wedge that meana trouble
for the Republican nomineea for »her
iff It ia taken for granted that the!
men who fn-lml to get a rhanre to
vote for (lodge at the prtmariea will
reaent thia by their vote at the elac- ]
tion.
/ . \
f ^
Mount Airy And Food.
Mr. I.. A. Martin. IT. 8. Food In
spector recently visited Mount Aify
and made the following report to the
County Food Administrator of condi
tion* here:
"I have just made an investigation
of food conditions in your city and I
am nure you will he gratified to learn
that Mount Airy stands at the head of
the list of all the cities and towns I
have investigated. Your merchants
and miliars, and other der lers, are cer
tainly 100 per cent pure in their
Americanism so far as their relation*
with the food administration go. In
all my investigations, I did not find a
single violator of the food regulations.
And the spirit of your pc-ople ought.
I to he an inspiration to you in yotlr
I work. The fact is, their spirit, their
I willingness and hearty co-operation
| was the thing that impressed me most
They are observing the law and the
regulations in the sale of food not
solely liecause the law says they must
but because they want to help and
serve the boys "over there"—they are
prompted by patriotism r.nd service
j first and the law second.
The "home fires" are burning in
Mount Airy and it i> this spirit and
co-operation that is going to send us
over the top to victory.
The Big German Bully.
How long would a farmer allow a
big bully to stand in the middle of the
road and say to him. You shan't go
to market but once a month and then
only in a light spring wagon? No
longer than he could reach around for
his old shot gun. You can be sure
o^ that. The farmers are no cowards
but the big German bully is out of
sight and they hnve not all learned
yet that they arc being bullied.
How much will the Germans give
the farmer for his cotton and tobacco
if we lose this war?
And talking about taxes, how much
taxo will the farmers pay when Ger
mrny rails on us for fifty billion dol
lars with which to pay her war debt.
Oh yes, the farmers are all in this
war, whether they know it or not.
If we win they will lie the first to
profit; but if we lost they * II be the
first to feel the pinch of hard times. 1
IJtMM U. S. SOLDI EMS
HAVE BEEN SENT OVEJL (
M Water Mart «f Ha «•
Washington July ?#.- 1 ha high wa
tar Mark of ha iifrman offensive
movement in Framv ku baan rea<h
pd and tha initiative now M panning
to tha alliad and American armieu
Thin ia tha lauon Jrawn from Can
•ral Kuril's sudden counter attack on
tha Aiana-Marna front by \mariran
military leaders, General Match, <*ief
of utaff, today told momwri of tha
senate military committee. I a tar ha
announced that American troop* "hip
man ta had now aaraadad I.200.1MM)
men, insuring tha man powar to hold
tha initiativa on tha was tarn front.
Tha direct objective of Ganaral
Kix-h's counter stroke, General March
told nawiipapar man in hia wackly
conference, ir tha railway that feeds >
the Garman forraa in tha Chateau
Thiarry ration. Already it hii beeo
attained, for tha French and Amari
ran forraa are either astride tha line1
at certain point* or have it under di
rect jrun Are at short range, render
ing it unuaabla.
Even a* tieneral March spuke, un
official report* flashed over the ca
ble* indicated that the German with
drawal from the sector south of the
Marne- had begun under the threat
of the onrush of General Mangin's at
tacking army in the enefnya rear. The
withdrawal was foreseen by General
March, when Krench ar.d American
shells began reining on the railway.
The Americrn chief of staff told
with evident satisfaction of the fact
that nix American divisions are bat- i
tling with the French and far the
ftmt time^eevealed their identit7. They i
either are on tl e advancing lines be
tween Soisr.on* and Chatcau-Th crry
or on those tl at are pressing the en
emy along the Marne front, where
in reason to believe the Germans may
suffer serious losses in men and ma
terial before they reach safety. Still
another division of Americans is wilh
General Gouraud, the French leader
who command* east of Kheims where
the er.emy assault hit ajrainst a stone
wall defense.
Two regiments of American negro
troops are also known to be encaged.
One i* east of Rheim*, where the
Americans held the right flank of the
whole front of attack when the Her
man assault began, ju.'t as the Amer
icanr at Chatead-Thierry held firm on
the lift flank. The other is with the
attacking forces on t he Soissons
ClMhiteau-Thierry line.
General March made little effort
to conceal his elation over the turn
of the fighting. His explanation of
the disposition of the American forces
indicates that at least 195,000 Ameri
can fighting troops are in the battle
and probably the total force is nearer
300,000 than 200,000. Each division
has a fighting strength of 27,000 men
and each of the two detached megro
regiments strength of 3,600. Full
strength of each division with auxil
iary units is 45,000 men.
Chamberlain's Tablets.
These tablets are intended especial
ly for stomach troubles, biliousness
and constipation. If you have any
troubles of this sort give them a trial
and realize for yourself what a first
class medicine will do for you. They
only cost a quarter.
Maryland la t»M»t ita
■« "my M(k la mtmH It to
in* t)M rwfc U work iImc
(aae. It haa m mart
retired rt^Ulut than t hobo.
»f tfceir way to malt* Ufa mi
for man who la topper tumai would
kave been honored u leading eiU
leni.
In Baltimore recently tbay arretted
lames Madu on THoaipeun a deafen
iant of Prmdtnt Jamn Miihna awl
he former bead of a Hi* banking and
brokerage hour*. Hii> amy apparent
x-rupation waa playiag golf and at
tending to h» cociai duties. Ha waa
>rdared to appear in court and give
rrj> fln« why he thou 1<1 not lie punieh
n! an a loafer.
It ia significant of the new order of
thing* that the alleged culprit him
naif took the matter wnoutly, He
immediately got busy collecting evi
dence that he had been trying to get
into tome branch of government war
nary ice.
What a world—when a retired cap
italist can't be let alone to enjoy hi*
moneyed leisure! And the bent of it ia.
he find* mighty little sympathy even
among hia own daaa.—Concord Time"
NOTICE OF MMOLITION OF CO
PARTNERSHIP.
To Whom it may Concern:
Notice in hereby jriven to the pub
lic, that the co-partnership composed
of J. E. Stone, J. C. Dodson. ana Joe
Flippin, doinp a milling business on
Tnms Creek in Pilot Township, Surry
County, under the firm names of J. E.
Stone and Co., and Piedmont Roller
Mill;, has been disaoived, and the said
parties have Hold said mill to C. M.
Bernard.
This July 1st, 1918.
J. E. STONE.
J. C. DODSON,
JOE FUPPIN.
DOCTOR URGED
AN OPERATION
Instead I took Lydia EL Fink
ham's Vegetable Compound
and Was Cured.
Baltimore, Md.—"Nearly four year*
I suffered from organic trouble*, ner
vousness ana nead
aches ftrxj every
month would have to
stay in bed moat of
the time. Treat
meat* would relieve
ma for a time bat
my doctor was al
ways urging me to
--have an operation.
My sitter asked me
^to try Lydia E. Pink
h a m's Vegetable
r Compound before
consenting to an
/operation. 1 took
' five bottles of it and
it has completely
cured me and my
wun is a a urn an mjr inrnus
who have any trouMe of this kind what
Lydia E. Pinkham • Vegetable Com
pound has dona for me. — Nellie B.
Brittinc.ham, 609Calverton Rd.. Balti
more, Md.
It is only natural for any woman to
dread the thought of an operation. So
many women have been restored to
health by this famous remedy. Lydia E.
I'mkham's Vegetable Compound, after
an operation nas been adviaed that it
will pay any womin who stiffen from
auch ailments to consider trying it be
fore submitting to audi a trying ordeal.
Briscoe
The Car With The Aalf
Million Dollar Motor
The Motor Co.
Agents for Surry and Stokes, N. C., and Carroll and Patrick, Va.
Automobiles & Accessories
GENERAL REPAIR WORK
Franklin Street Mount Airy, N. C.