" "V,
Post.
i-i H ,
-L a It a 14
RALEIGH, N. C. SATURDAY, DECEMBER J, 1900
NolO
ffl I IE
Thirteen Witnesses
perty Valuation in N. C.
rv TAXATION GASES:
Tho MpflrinP' Before Standing
hie ntdllll UCiuiC oiuiiuuifc
Master Shepherd
TO bt UUiNlllNULU IUUAT
nMi-riiiiirn T" - tv
Viu from Several Countte Say 1
n,,! rroncriy Is Assessed at from oO j
u ;, Vcr ent Below Its Ileal Vaine
'r. Jtnry A. Piipe Gives Interesting
TetimouF WiiUfsses Examined
Irom cotland, Wayne, Jloore and
lu.on Co amies They Say Properly
i. :i ii oraily I nderTaJueJ -MienCT,
twunty OHicers aad BuhieMn Ex-
m'.r.ation of witr.e-. s on h
r;iIroad in the railway tuxu
was leun yestcrd.'.y in the
ates cou;t room, before t-he
Master Ex-Judge J amis E.
a
witnesses wore
examined.
n
untv officials and fiuriness
w !. t--lined that nropeity in this j
rr fonnlv asssfd for t.:x.-!
' . '" " , i ;
it !i. n .0 to io pr cu
1
ai can vai.ie. I
r:i;n- ihe h-a:!ng wIU le o-
1
!i
v':A p' t O'i tie wit.:e-s t:o:d.
, had their r gi:i in this
mA tat- t'a. ts a tv amiii.-tr :o .;te
i . v.h.n the v . po: tion :
iii:iss:..a -riV.st d t:u ae. nit nt of
v:iy i-T'-y tn nilMcn dollar; the!
- . i , -aiie ls:-teii, sil -g ng j
i
1
1
1
t
1
vi'i :,ii:u:i erf t! oi.- prcpf rty was
:.r r.:iivi ly tlan th;.t o other pri-!
the,
au'i (riiorate p:o..eny ao
T;io ( -cs. wl; h ;1re h ion I
S:u: utt :t in the V. S. V . u 1 1
.1
v, re roicrretl 'he S andi' S
i. -go .fas. K. Sh 'pr.iTti, wli ; lie instruction m ayne and also as ai-t-.
lake t stir-oay as tjderman of (loldsboro. He also served as
-:.d
md
ibmii them to tiie coert.
Th- railroads have had thxee m mtas
t . ..?:.' iesri'mony and are pre.se n: ins
Tiu- l::r of their evideue? in this city, j
T; rai i.-. -a. Is Lave examinrd a l.r.;.e '
witnesses in Charlotte. Ashc-i
i I:-, -eT-";..ro. "NVfldon, Klxfiton and
t;;.i'i . The examination of wi.nest's
Ta.
;i n the C v. "ration Comir.issioTi will 1
1
t:a t;- ?x iui:iia.jc-n of its avi n ssev. :
f a;- months and a half in whi h
t-i T'.v-.-r testimony. The raiiro.'ds
hwo -.i iao:i!h and a half more t otler
; c : i ebuital.
I :: o h.-nrir.c here Tr. .Tames II. Pou
r , :et: t-- :?:e or;ora tion t'omraisdoa.
vaii:' .is are efivsentjHl by M.-j.
f-s I. S. !w, Capt. W. II. Dnv a. d
:e."-re Nominee. lr. 1). if. Ab-
t t
1n-
f f :h (" -rt, ration Corara's'ior. w is
. 1 1
M'l-tator at tnc heui'c es
: .c
: --'O. A number of Raleigh
a ill be examined during the
I it;
I. r:
'I " .
t'
I ...
ore
:t-c-s who were examined yes
are ;. . follows:
v .. Pa of ATrdeen. M. 1j.
. f ;..:,V4.rvro. s. I. Tyson. o Ctr
- l. A. McDonald, of Cavfbag".
K. T. - ti. of Carthage. Y. W. Ilr.nt-;
'
;;.l holM. 1). 1. T-iyior. or
.Vr. Henry Faze Testifies
1 1 -Miry A. Paste, the president of
M
tii
.iu ir.ro and Aberdeen liailroad.
iait.o.tant testimony. . He stated
Le hud hved at Aberdeen" for more
twnity years and that he was well
:i:
f r-i-k -J with the value of lands near
L
'He.
av;!;1;
yfur occupation?
w C
asked
M .? .I'ltiioa Is UKn-
ils i. .naw.
"I i'i hi the service of the Asheboro
1 ASerdcen railroad.". '
"V it;it is your position?"
'".M..: uny place; from president down
"A
you interested in any otner rail
in North Carolina V"
'" whatever."
'Vy.i ve you ever held puhlic office?"
'.v;i s foolish as to serve for one
a-- county commissioner."
"ii w were lands assessed with refer-
- t- valuations in money?"
'" ':imp:oved land is assessed at its
value. There Ls much land in my
-l that has no real value. In the
.'Ay section land is worth from 50
- -51.00 an acre. Improved land
eJ at two-thirds
its
real
"II ;w long has this been
the
cus-
s T v l. iu: i i.
asfssaient of property for taxa-
aen you speak of the true value of
J ; rty what do you mean?
V ii it it sells for."
i -a or credit?
I'-'hov. The only difference is the
" i;'t of interest reauired 'in navhur on
1:
- St. - - O
t
!
I'o you know anything about the
Jp!n. Mt of other lands?" .
V s'- i,;,ge stated in reply to this ques-
th.it when he was a member of the
-J 1 i if i-i til n ft- AnmmkifmnArii tli r tmA
.II-.0 f-onsf itntAfi i ho.irri rr hum:.
i mm tne very nrst mere was a
!''M-,al difference in the returns on real
'x '-ite and personal property, which
r ' '; "iit in from the various townships
?- 'y; local assessors. In attempting to
j'i i iuze the assessments, Mr. I'age said
r:f ' 'oard took as a standard the very
f - "-t assessments with the intention
' .nzing the others up to that point,
f ? r investigation. Mr. Page said, the
Udri ascertained that the practice of
IV ,,, v v Ifr.rne o Wa dl t I towns was assesses at one-uair us leai
V. ;rinvV; of'artwa'ge: 1 E.' M? value, while that in the country away
i . , - Vc- t-f I? I!orn of Mon-' fio the towns was assessed at two
r ". W :',. t;,, h. l. 'of Odum, Sheriff j its value, lie said that practice
3-::.-. . !' M.....V countv. had -prevailed all his life, and that he
m in
Testify as to Pro
undervaluation was State wide, and real-
ich action would result in
their people, the members
I ur the 'board toox a nan way gromui m
J equalizing the returns of assessment
I fill" flirt CrtllMtV
"Was the medium ground the board
p property?"
"Xo. the highest valuations were not
oven the real value. Mr. M elver, a con
scientious business man. who was one
of the board of commissioners, insisted
upon raising the highest assessments
given in. We thought we were striking
at the two-thirds value, believing it to be
the practice 'in the State."
On cross examination. Mr. Page stated
that he was a member of the .boaiu of
commissioners three or four years ago.
"Did von know anything of the as
sessment of 1899." Mr. James II. Pou
asked.
"Nothing in an official capacity.'
"Do you know anything about it?"
"Between the assessment of 1S99 and
I the time for taking the assessment in
1!KH I made improvements on my res
idence. In assessing the house in 1900.
the aSv-ssor said he would put it lown
at the 1899 assessment. I toid him !
had made improvonunits on tlie house
since the 1899 assessment to the value
of 1,kX; He said he wojld increase
the assessment $750, according to the
usual rule." -
Mr. Page stated that the more of the
unproductive sand land a man owned,
the- poorer he was. Such property he
eompared to a winte eiepnaiu on a
man's hands. Mr. Page said he had a
good deal of this land, but he was not
willing to part with it at the. usual price
Weause it is adjacent to Pinehurst.
iMr. Pou, who conducted the cross ex
amination, asked the witness about
i Pinehurst, the resort owned by Mr. .1
W. Tufts. The witness said Mr. Tufts
owned aS.OOO acres at Pinehurst. which
prior to its improvement was worth no
th:lll the Uiual san,i h.;s peculiar
to tht se'-t'on ot in' country.
"What is tho 'value of those 5S.000
"Mr. Tufts ht'.s snent between
$f0,(K)0 r.ml $S00.0U0 there in the last
four or five years. lie considers his
money well invested. It is worth all
he paid for it."
Assessments In Wayns
,
Mr. M. L. I-.ee, a merchant of olcls
boro, N. C. was the next witness
He
stated that he had been a resident of
that place for years. When asked what i
public offices ho had held he said he had
served as county strjerintenue!it or pun- i
al
ls
tax assessors m the county
for
two
terms.
"Did you serve in 1S00?"
les.
'Was property in Wayne assessed at
its cash value?"
"It was not"
"What is the custom for assessing
nronertv?"
"vt about three-fourths its casn value.
re found that property in Wayne came;
as near being assessed at its tun value
as anywhere else in the State. Of course,
in some instances, property was over and
some tinder assessed."
"Was it the purpose of the assessors
to assess property uniformly or not."
''We endeavored to assess at about
the same with all. Where we failed to
do so it was accidental."
On cross examination Mr. Lee said
there was no understanding to assess
property at less than its true value. He
said that the "board assessed at less
than .property would bring at a forced
cash sale. (Jenerall about 25 per cent,
less. The assessors, he said, were men
of good character.
Mr. J a. P. Tyson of Carthage, stated
that he was familiar with lauu values in
Moore. He said that land near the
was 57 vears of age. .
On the cross examination, "Mr. Ton
asked the witness what he meant by
real value. He said he meant what
the property whs worth. lie said he did
not think the real value was putting the
nronertv up at forced sale.
Mr. T-son then related a number of!
instances where property in Moore
eountv is undervalued. "The J. D. Mc
Iver iand." he snid, "has 174 acies and
it is valued at $o000. Already h
worth of timber has been taken from this
land and, more than $.!,U00 worth re
mains. In addition the laud is worth
Sr..00 an acre."
"A. H. McNeill has i0 acres near
the' citv, which are assessed at S27r.
This property is worth from. o.vJ to
S1O.00 an acre.
I have 30O acres of land assessed, at
Sl,rM). It is worth from .poOO to
$3,000.
Mr. McXeill has 300 acres valued at
Sl.r.OO, which is easily worth i.OOO.
"I.ahly Cole has-2-37 acres assessed
at S900, which he tried to sell for
$i,roo. , . , .
"II. J. Muse has 280 acres which is as
sessed at $500. He recently attempted
to sell it for $1,500.
"Daniel Hammond has 239 acres as
sessed at $750. The house cost that and
the property is worth $1,50J.
Mr. Pou "When property was assess
ed in June, 1S99, prices had depreciated,
had they not?" .
"Well, property is worth a little taore.
We have got the McKinley boom."
"Do you think the average land would
have brought its tax value in June.
1S99. when cotton was selling for 5
eents?"
unnma vf it woufd and some wonld
not A lot of the land is worth very
little." . ' a . ,
The witness said lie never knew any
, a. evict !l m iati rr o pocno
;u utinn to niKiervaiuinsr iironerrr.
Jle said good men were generally select
ed to-assess property.
" Wliat of the assessment of personal
property?"
"Well, the assessment of mules and
horses won't average $45 each. Cows are
assessed at about $5.00."
-How
about - money and solvent
-T Art nnf JrnOW. '
On redirect examination the witness
J said if the whole county was put tip
at forced sale it might not bring it;
assessed value. He said most of the
productive land could bo sola for more
than its assessed value. He said he
could have bought land some years ago
at 50 cents an acre, that is worta today
$75 an acre.
Major Shaw: "What is the real
value of cows?"
"They are worth $15.00, but are as
sessed at $5.00 generally. A good horse
is -worth from $75.00 to $100."
A Clerk of the Court Testifies
iMr. D. A .McDonald, of Carthage,
clerk of the court of Moore county, gave
testimonj'. He has held the position
for fourteen years.- He said lie was
acquainted with the land valuations in
the county. He stated that pro pert?
was not assessed at its true value on
the tax books. On an average, he said,
property in Moore was assessed at two
thirds its true value. He stated that
two years ago the assessments were in
creased from about 50 to Od 2-3 per cent.
He said an increase was not made on
all properties.
"How long has property been assessed
at this rate?"
"There has not been a change since
my recollection."
On cross examination the witness said
he thought some lauds -would not bring
their tax value at a forced sale. This
was not the rule. He never knew of
any understanding among assessors by
which property was undervalued. (Jen-
rally, he said, the best men in the coun
ty were selected for assessors.
"What do you think is the meaning of
the term 'true value of land in money ";'
"What it is actually worth."
"If put up in June in the dull season at
forced sale, would property bring its
true value?"
"Some would and some would not. I
think, generally, land sold at forced sale
would bring" more than the" tax value.
This varies from, one-tenth to one-fifteenth."
The witness said he remembered talk
ing to J. II. Cody, one of the assessors
in Moore, relative to the valuation of
the Pinehurst property. He said Cody
told him that the Pinehurst propertj
was not. valued at more than one-fifth of
its value. Witness stated that there
wero many fine hotels at Pinehurst and
they were very large ones.
On re-direct examination, witness said
that Cody remarked that tho assessor
did not return the true value of the
property. He said that if people from
the north did not go there the hotels
would hardly be worth kindling wood.
H. W. Huntley, of Wadeaboro, who
runs a hotel, said he was acquainted
with lands in his town. He said tho
lands there were not assessed at their
worth in money. A great deal of if. he
said, was not taxed for more than half
its value. Some property, he said, was
assessed at two-thirds its value, but
none of it at over two-thirds its value.
He stated that property had increased
in value lately; that a few years ago it
was difficult to find buyers. He stated
that in 1S!)9 the assessment of propertj
was increased to two-thirds its true
valne. It had previously been one-half
its true value.
On cross examination, he il that if
forced to sale in June of lSt property
would not have brought a price greater
than its assessed value. Some land, he
said, sold low, surprisingly low. He said
there was no understanding among as
sessors to undervalue property and that
good men were selected as assessors.
Sherlir Joncn of Jlooro ays
Sheriff Jones, of Moore, who has held
the office for four years, said he was
acquainted with lands in the county.
He said that property in Moore county
was not assessed at its true value, and
that it was not assessed at more than
two-thirds of its true value.
"How long has this been the case?"
"Eight or ten years. In fact ever since
I have paid any attention to it."
"What has been the custom for two
or three years back?"
"Real estate has not been assessed at
its true value." .
"What do you mean by true value?"
"What it is really worth for cash."
On cross examination Mr. .Pou asked:
"Now do I understand you to say that
all property has been assessed at two
thirds its true cash value?"
"In some instances property is as
sessed at more than its worth. Taken
as a whole it is assessed at two-thirds
its value."
The witness said that if it sold at auc
tion property would ibring 50 per cent,
more than its assessed value. He heard
assessors say that land was assessed
generally "below its true value.
Mr. Pou read the names of land own
ers in Moore and asked at what their
property was valued. Sheriff Moore at
first gave the values of the land, w.iirii
were less than tho assessed values.
Dater, when asked, he said that he aad
not taken into consideration the improve
ments on these properties. With the im
provements, he said, the property would
bring more than at the values which
they are assessed.
The witness said that propertj brought
better prices when sold on time than at
a forced sale for cash. He said that
propei ty would hardly sell as well in
Jmie as in other months, though there
were exceptions. Tie said he did not
know that cotton sold for less in June
lW.i than ever before.
"Hod much did the improvements on
the property at Pinehurst cost?"
'Between $400,000 and $500,000.
"For what was it assessed?"
"In 1S99 at $95,000, and in 1900 at
$105,000."
"What is this property worth now as
compared with the 1899 assessment?"
"A large hotel has been built since,
costing about $100,000.".
William Rochels of Odum, Scotland
county, who is a farmer, said he rented
his lands. He stated that he rented
a four-horse farm from Mr. Franklin
McXeill, the chairman of the Corpora
tion Commission, and that he gave him
nine bales of cotton as rental. Mr. Ro
chels said Mr. McNeill recently bought
a tract of land adjacent to his old prop
erty, for which he paid $23 an acre. The
witness said he did not know the value of
land for taxation.
D. L. Saylor of Wadesboro said land
in his county was assessed at sixty per
cent of its real value throughout . the
county. In the towns he thought the
assessment of property was seventy-five
per cent of its real value. H smM
the value of land had increased since
1S99
A. A. Horn, a merchant of Wades
boro, who has lived there twenty years
said that property in Anson county was
not assessed at its trne value. lie
thought it was assessed at from fifty to
seventy per cent of its cash value?. Valu
able lands, he said, were assessed at
from fifty to sixty per cent of their true
value. He said he was stockholder in
a mill there that paid twenty per cent
(Continued on Second Pagf
ARGUMENT ATM EN!
Masterly Speeches by Cy
Watson and Gov. Aycock
JURY TARES CASE TODAY
Great Interest manifested in tbe Con
cludlns Scenes of the Trial of tke
Gattls-KtJco Damage Snit-Speeebes
of Watson and Aycock Highly Com
plimen ted-Some Think that the Jury
Jttay Not Be Able to Agree
Oxford, X. C., Not. 30.--Special. At
last . the argument to the jury in the
Cattis-Kilgo libel suit for $100000 dam
ages is at an end.
Cyrus B. Watson for the prosecution
and Oovernor Chas. R. Ay cock for the
defense, each' made masterly addresses
to the jury today. Mr. Watson spoke
.this morning and. Mr. Aycock conclud
ed at five o'clock this afternoon. The
two speeches were worthy in every way
of the two really great lawyers who
made them.
Judge Hoke will give the case to the
jury tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
There is much speculation as to the re
sult, though the belief is hazarded by
many that the jury will be unable to
agree.
Argument in the celebrated cas? be--gan
last Monday and since that time
twelve 'lawyers have addressed the jury,
the lengthiest argument requiring six
hours for delivery.
Intensity of; interest in the Gattis
Kilgo case is evident as the long trial
draws near its end. The scene in the
courtroom is an unusual one, by reason
of the presence of a large number of
ladies, and this serves to show the ex
citement prevailing in the community,
being but a reflex of the sentiment of
the State at large. All persons seem
impressed with' the solemnity of the occa
sion, and the case has lost its aspect of
a battle of lawyers and legal talent, and
the public is face to face with the real
ization that a question of grave import
to the parties to the suit Trinity Col
lege, the Methodist Conference and the
States is soon to be decided.
The possibility of a mistrial, by reason
of tlfe illness of one or more jurors, was
by no means a pleasing prospect, and it
is to be hoped that yesterday's breathing
.spell has removed those grounds for ap
prehension. -
Gen. B. S. Royster Speaks ,
Gen. B. S. Royster. made a strong
argument for the defence. Said he:
"Judge Graham, who preceded me, told
you that this is one of the greatest
cases ever tried in this or any county
in North Carolina. I congratulate you
that it is nearing its close. In address
ing you, my single purpose shall be to
assist you in arriving at a true verdict.
I come to you, gentlemen of the jury,
believing in the cause of my clients.
I shall endeavor to be just and fair to
all the witnesses who have been upon
the stand.
"I shall have little to say to you as
little as possible concerning this blue
back pamphlet" referring to the report
of the proceedings of the investigation of
the charges; "for 1 know you have seen
and heard enough of it already.
"The good faith of the Board of Trus
tees of Trinity College towards Judge
Clark is shown conclusively by granting
him more time in which to obtain evi
dence in support of his charges than was
asked by him.
"On June 1G Judge Clark said to the
board: 'You have jurisdiction of the
charges against Dr. Kilgo. You alone
can try him.' When the board met for
that purpose you find Judge Clark deliv
ering his 'challenge to the jury.' denying
to thein the very light which he had
formerly stated appertained only to them.
What would you say if you wished to
discharge a man from your employment
and one of your neighbors were to come
in and demand that you should prefer
charges against him and have two men
from another part of the town to investi
gate them and decide for you what you
should do in the premises? And yet the
plaintiff comes before you and calls this
investigation a star-chamber proceeding,
a sham, a fraud, a mockery. You can't
believe this, gentlemen of the jury, un
less you believe in the total depravity
of human nature.
'The defendants ask nothing at your
hands but justice. They have fought
a fair and open fight, and have struck
always above the belt.
"This publication, gentlemen, was
made that the finger of scorn might
not be pointed at the Board of Trustees
and at Ir. Kilgo. Do you believe, when
the resolution was passed authorizing
the publication of these proceedings, that
the board knew that Mr. Gattis would
be a witness. When Judge Clark was
asked for the names of his witnesses he
refused to give them, and it was long
after this resolution was passed that
he was known in the case. How, then,
could they have had malice toward the
plaintiff in this action? And yet they
tell you the object of this publication
was to bring Mr. Gattis into disrepute
and consign him to obloquy.
"It was Dr. Kilgo's endorsement that
obtained for Mr. Gattis his appoint
ment as colporteur. This position he
held . for three years, and the' time, he
says, was spent in learning Dr. Kilgo's
reputation in "south Carolina. And yet
all this time Mr. Gattis was using Dr.
Kilgo's endorsement in South Carolina
for the purpose of selling books. Know
ing, when he received these endorse
ments, that Dr. Kilgo was a manipulator
and a wire-puller, was it fair to the
people of South Carolipfc and to Dr.
Kilgo himself to thus profit by his friend
ship? "Mr. Gattis says when he made these
charges to Judge Clark he did not ex
pect to hear further from them. And
yet Mr. Gattis knew that Judge Clark
was .at thistime attacking Dr. Kilgo.
Does it look like Christian conduct for
one brother to impart in secret to an
other; brother injurious charges ' against
a third brother and expect them to be
kept confidential, when the brother to
whom the secrets were told jta .wari
hot warfare on the , brother attacked ?
And this of a brother who had been and
was his benefactor who obtained a po
sition for him, by whose endorsements
he profited, and to whom he owed more
than to any other one man in North
Carolina! Does this look like kindly,
charitable, Christian conduct? For
friendship he gave harsh criticism; for
love, hatred; and if or kindnesses shown,
a lawsuit!
"The attorneys for the plaintiff have
made mnch of the words 'manipulation'
and -agitation.' I ask you if Mr. Gattis
is not a circulator, calculator, enumerator
and something of an investijrator? If
1 1 ffc 16 Tl A t" Hie o 4" "rwnT'C" o to c?m rr An t f I
them has eood to nlnnlnfo hi dnm.
age at $100,000' and tells you you should
give him one hundred times that amount!
"Who says there is malice in this pub
lication? The plaintiff alone. Mr.
Southgate, the president, and Mr. Bal
lard, the secretary of the Board of
Trustees, tell you it was made in de
fense of the college and in justice to the
fifty years of glorious history. And Mr. )
Gattis gives as his only reason for charg
ing malice against the defendants the
is a far cry from this resolution to
malice towards the plaintiff. Dr. Kilgo i Unsettled weather and the holidays are
was not even a member of the board ! a drawback to retail and johbing distri
that passed the resolution to prfcit, and j blltion in nianv markets; but the gen
there is no evidence 'that any one of: . .. .. -. ' .
the defendants ever mailed or gave away i eral situation is still a most satisfac
a single copy of the pamphlet. j tory one, and the iron and steel, coal,
"The future of Trinity College, gentle-j boot and shoe, hardware and lumber
men of the jury, is in your hands. Wnat trades are conspicuously well situated,
will you do with it? Destroy at onejThe imlustriai situation is also deserv
fell stroke this tmde and glory of the . . . . t ., . ,
Methodist denomination of North Caro- j mS ot note because of the striking ab
llna. and consign its name and fame, ' sence of complaint as to idleness or as
together with the character of the .trus -
tees, to eternal shame and obloquy?
cannot believe it. I cannot believe it.
"During the century just closing many J
and great have been the changes some j crably ahead of last year, a mark of
gl them so violent and far-reaching as progress not to be lost sight of. Xue
to place us almost on the verge of de- i f fc th fc th 5 hfc . y
struction. Amid all these changes and . , . , .
upheavals -there is one thing that defies last year s railroad earnings are still
imitation I mean- justice, that justice ; being maintained is added proof that
which, emanating from, the divinity, has j trade as -a whole is conducted on a large
a place in the breast of every one of us, : g jp
given us for our guide with regard to ' . t
ourselves and. with regard to others, and j Iu export trade, while some lines, no
which will stand after this globe in j tably cottons and iron, are less active,
burned to ashes, our advocate or our j ucw proofs of American progression aro
accuser before the great Judge when He. ,,ncf.nTlfl u0; . tmt,i '
comes to call upon us for the tenor of
a well-spent life.'
"Let us be guided on this occasion by
this justice, and let the closing month
of the nineteenth century kiss dear old
Trinity an affectionate and tender good
bye and deliver hqr, in all of her purity,
usefulness and glory, to the coming years
of the twentieth century as they are
ushered in 'like the glittering morning
star, full of life and splendor and joy.' '
General Royster's speech was strong
in logic and beautiful in language.
The Speech off. B. Uatson
Mr. Watson resumed the argument in
the case for the plaintiff this morning,
beginning promptly upon the opening
of court. Mr. .Watson opened by tell
ing the jury he felt he should occupy
half of his time in apologizing to them
for the length of time during which they
had been detained in the trial1 of this
cause. He briefly reviewed the conduct
of the case thus far, the introduction of
testimony and the speeches of counsel;
then asked the jury to hear him patiently
in behalf of the plaintiff, since his speech
would contain the last vords spoken in
behalf of his client. He warned the
jury that Governor Aycock, who would
follow him in the last speech in the case,
is just- as prejudiced in favor of his cli
ents, just as he (Mr. Watson) is preju
diced in behalf of the plaintiff.
"This is an unusual case, gentlemen
of the jury, many preachers appearing
as witnesses. And you have heard many
passages from the Bible. It's a danger
ous thing for lawyers to quote from this
book, at least to quote trora memory;
but my good friend, Judge Montgomery,
can find a passage from the Bible that
fits in and dovetails with any case he
tries, even though it be claim and de
livery for a bull calf.
"They tell you, gentlemen, we are try
ing to destroy Trinity College. But we
are not. And, thank the Lord, if we
were, there are plenty of institutions
left to accommodate the people.
"It is necessary for me to quote from
this 'blue-back pamphlet,' as it is called,
but." tearing off its backs 'I deprive
it of its dress and present it t6 j-ou
as a new thing.'
The speaker then- told the jury he
thought the defendants, who had in their
answer averred the truth of the charges
against Mr. Gattis, were brave men; that
they would go upon the stand and let
the jury see and hear them. He then
quoted from numerous cases to show
that the failure of parties in such a case
to go upon the stand is a legitimate
subject of criticism and comment.
"The defendants did not dare to go
upon the stand and substantiate their
charges. These defendants and Meth
odist ministers have been described in
this trial as mighty oaks. "The oak, gen
tlemen, stands up and lets the storm
strike it. Logs lie on the ground. They
tell vou the entire Metnodist denomina
tion of North Carolina is waiting with
great anxiety for the result of this trial;
but I tell you the Methodists of western
North Carolina are watching the news
pa pers to know what Dr. Kilgo says on
the witness stand. The school-teacher
in the little log cabins and the school
children over North Carolina are waiting
to hear Dr- Kilgo's testimony the
man "
Here Judge Winston objected.
Mr. Watson "It's in the blue-back
book, gentlemen. I expected J udge Win
ston to object. After reading from it for
three hours, he now objects to my even
referring to it.
"Mr. Gattis is charged with being the
original maligner. What does that
mean? It "means that he is the origi
nator, the origin 'Of ..false charges malig
nantly ma'de. , Mr. Gattis went upon
the stand and showed this was not true,
while Dr. Kilgo sat there by his coun
sel and did not dare to go upon the
stand and prove the truth of his charges.
Answer the second issue 'No' if you can!
"Dr. Kilgo, that strong man, hase gone
to Trinity and gathered to it great
wealth, so that it is become the wealth
iest institution in -all the South- "Ye
cannot serve God and Mammon.' In
the davs of old, Trinity, whose sons have
adorned air the walks of life, in walking
out among her graves in the early morn
ing, you could never find in those sacred
places the tracks of Mammon."
Proceeding then to a discussion of the
trial of the Ciark-Kilgo controversy, Mr.
Watson traversed grotmj heretofore
more or less covered by speakers for
the plaintiff, dwelling at some length
upon what be contended was the unfit
ness of Mr. Oglesby for the duties of
(Continued on Second Para4 i
THE STATE OF TRADE
Business as Reviewed by the
Commercial Agencies
SITUATION IS FAVORABLE
lTnere I No Complaint or Idleness lu
Industries and There Arc No Labor
Troubles, Present or Prospective
Cotton Goods Firmly Held In Confi
dent Prospect or Belter Business la
the Spring
New York, Nov. o0. Bradstreet's to-'
; to pending or future labor troubles.
j Bank clearings, while naturally smaller
l than those of last wet'k, are consid-
j , , . ' -i t
, , juir: nit; . iviuuii: vi iiir vv uiucis li
crude 'material continues moderate when
eompared with the enormous activity
for somo time past, business iu iron anil
steel is steadier, and as a rule, held bet
ter in hand. Advices from the west are
of large business doing in pig iron whil-e
railroad, structural, plates and -bars are
being ordered in heavy volume. Mills
turning out finished products are very
generally ..ordered six to eight weeks
ahead, and January 1901 deliveries are
being called for in some cases. Vv nat
ever changes are expected are looked
for in the shape of advanced prices.
anthracite coal trade is booming, but
all efforts to satisfy consumption arc
futile, owing to the cutting down of
supplies growing out of the strike.
Among textiles the situation in woolen
goods and wool is perhaps the least en
couraging of any, ibut - even hero the
strength of the raw materials in.. face
of the hand-to-niQuth demand o--manr
ufacturers is notable.
Despite a slight decline in the pTice of
raw cotton, the effect of smaller export
movement and realizing by holders, cot-.,
ton. goods are, as a ruie, firmly held, and
the opening of spring trade is awaited
with confidence. The one satisfactory
feature in cottons in fact, i the depres
sion in the export branch, which tenus
to weaken brown goods. Bleached cot
tons of many grades have been ad
vanced this week. Silks are rather slow
of sale, and recent price reductions fail
to stimulate business.
Relatively the best trade reports come
from the South and Southwest, while the
most backward are from sections of the
east where unseasonable weather is cim-
! plained of, and from sections of the
spring wheat region wliich suffered most
from the shortage in yield, it is nota
ble, however, that the better -situation
in lumber has stimulated trade in north
ern "Minnesota.
Bank clearings for the week (five days)
aggregate .Sl.788.753,541, a decrease of
about one-fifth from last week, but a
gain of 24 per cent., or about over the
corresponding week last year. Outside
of New York clearings are 24 per cent,
less than last week, but 11 per cent
heavier than last year.
Failures for the week number 1S4, as
against 215 last- week and 117 in this
week a year ago.
JDnn't Trade Ilevlnv .
New York, Nov. 30. Dun's review to
morrow will say:
Commercial failures in November were
800 in number and $12,300,810 in amount
of liabilities, against 782 in October for
$0,072,711, and SSG in November last
year, when the liabilities were only
$8,044,84S Manufacturing dpfaults
were but 193 in number and $3,833,100
in amount The bulk of . tho mortality
occurred in trading concerns, of which
017 failed for $7,500,358. There were
forty other commercial failures, with
liabilities of $910,793, and four banking
and financial companies defaulted foe
$823,000. At first glance the November
statement appears very unsatisfactory,"
but it will be remembered ' that a .few
heavy failures in wool and other textile
industries account for a large share of
the reported liabilities.
FIRE IN DURIIAITC
A Blazs Starts In tbe Book Store of
. C Anderson & Co
Durham, N. C, Nor. CO. Special.
The explosion of a lamp in the book
store of S. C. Anderson & Co., at 7i30
tonight, started a blaze that for a while
threatened a serious conflagration. The
fine work of the fire department soon
had the flames under control, and the
loss was kept down to a minimum.. The
store was filled with books and Christ
mas goods which started. the lire very
rapidly. The stock was valued at $5,000,
with $2,000 insurance. The loss is esti
mated at $2,000. The store of S. C.
Anderson & Co. is in the heart of the
business district, with wooden partitions
for nearly a block. This made it a
dangerous fire, which, had it started lata
at night, might have been very serious.
Washington, Nov. 30. iMiss Eugenia
Washington, great-gratidniece of George
Washington, on of the founders of the
Society of the Daughters .of the Amer
ican Revolution, and preyident of tba
society of Founders and Patriots died
this morning shortly after 4 o'clock.
San Juan, Porto Itieo, Xov. 30. The
Rawlins sailed for Newport News to
night wUl United States infantry
aLoard, ,