. ' " , "
PUBLISHED SEffl-WEEKLY TOWN AND COUNTY OIF
UNITIES ALL HOHE" PRINT-
AY, FEBRUARY 14, 1917
- 4
NUMBER 13
2. ..... - - ' jMggj
"7TTArR xXXH. OXFORD, NORTH CAROLINA, WEDNLsD
uu"1 j
THE OXFORD BODY COMPANY
TiFOUflAXIZED WITH NEW MO
NE Y AND NEW BLOOD
Hioh Class Manager In Charge
plant To Be Enlarged At An Early
pate and the Company Will Manu
facture Automobile Bodies.
The Oxford Body Company is the
name of a new company organized
for the purpore of taking over and
n operating the Excelsior Seat Com
mnv's plant, which is located" in the
suburbs of Oxford, and was operated
ty the Excelsior Seat Company of
Columbus, Ohio, as their Southern
hranch until the European war inter
fered with that line of busi
ness Its resumption after a close
down of two years means much for
Oxford.
The members of the new company
are: C. W. Bryan and C. S. Gar
man, of Oxford; the Excelsior Seat
Chas. 0. Mainor, of Cincinnati, Ohio
each owning one-fourth of the
stock and is operating with an au
thorized capital of $50,000. The Ox
ford members of the firm are two of
our best business men, and the Ex
cision Seat Company is one of the
most successful concerns in the coun
try. Mr. Charles O. Mainor, secretary
and general manager of the new
company, is a native of North Caro
lina, who learned , the trade of body
making with the well-known Tyson
and Jones Buggy Company, at Car
thage, Moore county, with whom he
was connected for nineteen years,
seven of which he served as drafts
man and designer. When the auto
mobile business made it unprofitable
to manufacture heavy carriages, .Mr.
Mainor went West and got into the
automobile body game and success
fully managed the Carriage Wood
stock Company, of Owenboro, Ken
tucky, but more recently was the fac
tory manager of the Highland Body
Company of Cincinnati, the oldest
and largest truck and -commercial
body manufacturers in the world.- ...
The new company will build a com
plete line of bugy bodies and seats
for the trade, and later will turn
their attention to the manufacture of
automobile bodies. Mr. C. S. Gar
man, the well known wheel man and
splendid citizen of Oxford, will sell
the output, and Mr. Mainor will have
immediate charge of the factory .
The officers of the company are:
C. W. Bryan, president; W. B.
C. Hersey, vice-president; Charles O.
Mainor, secretary and general man
ager, and C. S. Garman, treasurer
and sales manager.
Mr. Mainor is a splendid gentle
man and has already made many
friends in Oxford. He is the guest
of the Exchange Hotel and Mrs.
Mamor will join him there in a few
days. .
,
FINE YOUNG MAN
Mr. Hebrir S. Sutton Accepts Position
With Public Ledger.
It affords us much pleasure to an
nounce that Mr. Heber S. Sutton, of
Winston-Salem, has accepted a posi
tion with the Public Ledger. He is
not only one of the best Linotype
operators in the State, capable of
handling all kinds of copy, but he is
a fine young man of pleasant ad
dress. Mr. Sutton comes originally from
an old and honored family of near
Goldsboro. On the death of his
father some years ago he entered the
Oxford Orphanage and received that
careful training that counts for so
much in the lives of our great and
good men. Being naturally bright,
he absorbed all there was to be learn
ed in the printing department of the
Orphanage and on leaving the insti
tution accepted a linotype position
on the Winston-Salem Morning Jour
nal. When we went in search of him
two weeks ago we found him at the
loung Men's Christian Association
Winston-Salem and his head was
hov.ed in sorrow. His mother, whom
he loved so dearly, had been oper
ated upon at the Twin-City hospital.
I pray that mother will recover so
that we may go to1 Oxford to live,"
aid he, but God closed her eyes in
aeath last week and her remains
Jfere taken to Goldsboro and laid to
rest. - v
Sutton is making his home at
e Exchange Hotel at present.
BAND OF GYPSIES .
Canned In The WToods Near Salem
Church. -0,Lst
week a band of Gypsies pitch
ed their tent in the woods near the
nome of Mr. Roy Crews in Salem
township. The first intimation that
jney Were in the neighborhood was
In aiPearance of a woman knock
n ?n tne oack door of a residence
ana beging for something' to eat.
ihey claim to be Gypsies, but they
oo more like Indians.
GERMANY'S TWO FOLD OBJECT.
, - .;.
First Purpose is to Divert Minds of
Own People from Hunger Pangs.
(BY BASIL MANLY)
In addition to the avowed ptfrpose
of harassing England by threatened
starvation, the announcement of
Germany submarine waref are with
out warning and to the . knife, has
two far more immediate and practical
objects.
The first purpose of this sensation
al change of policy on the part of
Germany is to dirvert the, thoughts of
the German people from their own
hunger pangs to rejoice over the an
ticipated plight of the British.
For the past three months evidence
of the severe straits of the German
food supply and the consequence un
rest of the civil population have been
accumulating at a rapid rate.
Food riots have been reported in
all parts of Germany and Austria
Hungary, and instead , of denying
their "occurrence, as had, been the for
mer policy, Food-Controller Batacki
has merely insisted that they were of
little consequence and less menancing
than reported.
Confirmation of the existence of a
state of unrest over the food shortage
and the alleged inequality of distri
bution was contained in the appeal
von Hindenburg for more food for
his munition workers, whose efficien
cy, he asserted, was being rapidly im
paired because the farmers were
holding back the food.
To add fuel to the flames or unrest
came Batocki's admission during the
past week that individual allotments
of food would have to be still de
creased and that the German people
must prepare to endure even greater
hardships than they have already suf
fered. Since then reports of food
riots have increased.
The only way to meet this situa
tion, after suppression by military,
had resulted only in increastng ihe
unrest, was for the German Govern
ment to launch some move so sensa
tional and agessive the thoughts of
the German people would be" trans
ferred from themseives to thoughts
of victory and revenge.
The second great reason, for this
dramatic change of policy - is the
pressing need of Germany f or & new
loan. ..... ; '
It is a matter of record that Ger
many has never attempted to launch
a war loan except upon the carefully
prepared basis of a great military
sensation.
The drive through Belgium launch
ed the first . loan ; . the great drive
against Russia was the basis for the
second
We may therefore expect to see a
new German loan announced as soon
as von Bethmann-Hollweg has as
sured the country that the new
.regime will bring England to the
point of starvation and ready to sue
for peace. ;
LIVING SONGS IN LIVING PIC
TURES Presented By The Women's Club at
The Orpheum Thursday Night.
The concert Thursday night, at the
Orpheum Theater in observance of
National Week of Song promises to
be the mosfc enjoyable event of the
season
The music will hold special charm
to those who love the "Old Favo
rites," and the tableaux will be pre
sented in beautiful representative of
the characters in the songs.
, There will be solos, quartetts,
sextettes, choruses, and t in addition
to the song festival, the program
will also - include motion picture
films. The proceeds will be used for
the Oxford Library.
Prices: Adults, 25 cents, children
1 5 cents. '
The Program
Quartet Juanita: Mrs. J. M.
Wood, Mrs. Howerton, Mr. Phillips,
Mr. Wood. j .
-Mother Machree -Miss Helen
Royster.
The Rosary Miss Berte HutchT
ings.
Quartet Ben Bolt.
Tit for Tat Mrs. John Booth.
Annie Laurie- Mrs; Wood. ; -A
From the Land of the Sky-Blue
Water- Miss Hutchings.
Swannee RiVer Boys of the High
School. V
Coming-Thro' the Rye Mrs. B.
E . Parham.
America, I Love You-Miss Helen
Royster.
Gypsy Loye Song Mr. L. K. Phil-
Kathleen Mavoureen Miss Hutch
ings. ' :;:-. - V ' .'"' " -. : - '
Quartet Sweet and Low.
Drink to me Only With Thine
Eyes Miss Helen Royster.
Chorus The Star Spangled Ban-
ner. . 1 .- . - -
ChbrusMy . Country 'Tis of Thee.
Mr. D. S. Fuller left' for Baltimore
Monday. v.;-
. . - : : "a
hit., m a "Rnr-nrell has fifOne tO
ond. M
Miss Clara Rogers
Baltimore.
as gone to
- i . ; m v ",r I
THE OLD DEVIL COHES TO TOWN
THE MINISTERS OF
OXFORD
TAKE A SHOT AT HIS ROYAL
HJGHNESS
The Dance In The Armory Last Wed
nesday Night, Following the Week
of Prayer, Cause the Deeply Con
secrated People Much Concern.
1 The dance given by the society
people of Oxford Jn the Armory last
Wednesday night has caused consid
erable comment in the ' community,
following as it ..did vso closely upon
the revival services. "The first inti
mation that the Public Ledger receiv
ed that there ,was to 'be a dance was
to the effect that a Washington City
orchestra had "been secured to fur
nish the music and that it would
eclipse anything of the kind ever v at
tempted in Oxford. We, were invited
to be present and give - them a good
write-up. We promise dto do so, but
later found that we could hot be
present, nor could we get any one
to cover the assignment for us. Our
friends were there in large numbers,
and we, too, had overlooked the fact
that one of the most successful re
vivals of rligion ever . experienced in
the community had come to a close
only a few days previous. Ministers
of the Gospel and other deeply con
secrated people of the community
could see in the dance a distraction,
following as it did so closely upon
the close of the revival services.
Rev. S . K . Phillips, pastor of the
Presbyterian church, spoke with
much feeling fromjthe pulpit Sunday
morning previous to the dance, re
gretting that it was scheduled to
follow so closely upon the revival, in
which - all of the churches of -, Oxford
manifested much interest in the up
lift of the community, ' and , which
was accompanied by a spiritual tidal
wave of such magnificent proportions
seldom experienced in our, sturdy old
town.' .
"Following so closely upon the re
ligious awakening' 'in , the com
munity, " said the man. of God, "it
can but be the work of, the Devil ! "
Buttotyonly -dtd Mnv Pfel? H$preach
against the approaching dance, but
he personally plead with certain ones
to use their influence, not to have the
dance at all.
Dr. Willis, pastor o f the Oxford
Methodist Church, preached a ser
mon last Sunday morning of much
feeling and. beauty. The theme of
his discourse was the "Betrayal of
the Son of Man an dthe Sad Hour in
Gethsemane." . After pointing ' out
the duty of a Christian, he referred
feelingly to those who run after the
worldly things. He, too, had heard
about the dance last week and was
pained by the dark shadow that fol
ic Continued On Page Eight)
GRANVILLE r COUNTY COURT
. .
HON. JOHN H. KERR, OF WAR
RENTO JUDGE PRESIDING v
There Is a Rather Large Docket of
Criminal Cases to Be Tried ai This
Terin of Court Two Men Will be
Tried Far Their Lives.
' ' '
The February term of Granville
County Superior Court convened
Monday morning with Judge J . H .
Kerr, of. Warrenton presiding. This
is Judge Kerr's first visit to the
bench in Granville, and he has al
ready made a favorable impression .
The Judge's charge to the grand
jury was short and was an able ex
position of the criminal law. He
transacts business with dispatch and
no .time is lost. Judge Kerr is a
native of Caswell county and is a
brotheri of Editor Kerr of the Cas
well County Democrat.
The criminal docket is rather large
the most important case being that
of Lee Edwards, colored, . charged
with the murder of his wife, as re
ported in the Public Ledger v last
week The case of John Henry Green,
colored, charged .with entering the
home of Mayor Bullock at . Stem last
week, is also a serious crime. The
negro who killed a man at the fair
grounds last October will also be
tried for his life. These cases wilL
probably attract a great deal of at
tention. Solicitor Gattis is on .hand
and ready for any emergency.
Judge Kerr runs a smooth court
with the able assistance of the court
ofllcials. Mr. John W- Hester is as
sisting the Clerk with the record.
The following is the' grand jury:
j. T .- Dean, W:S . Burweli; Jr.,
W . H . Dean, W. R . Currin, A. L ...
Oakley, D. W. Hart, E. E. Currin,
ST. Daniel, W , F. Parker, R . S,
Strother, : AUie Cash; H. T. Nor
wood, B . F .V Currin; J..- T. ;Harris,
C. G. Daniel, B. E. Coley, H. P.
Moon, J . E . Hester.
; : - ' "
Capt. A A . Chopman was in Ral
eigh this ; weekraendMg a meetihg
of the Indian Lake 1 Lumber - Com
pany. .. - .
MEN'S BIBLE CLASSES
Will Assemble at the Orpheum
- Theater s
It has been practically agreed
that the Men's Bible Classes of the
four Oxford churches will unite at
the Orpheum Threatre on" the first
Sunday of each month and engage
in the study of the International Sun
day Lesson.
This arrangement -will permit the
four Sunday schools to come under
the influence of our bet teachers,
and thereby enlarge their sphere of
usefulness. And it is thought that
the large number of young men whb
do not attend any Sunday school at
all will be attracted to the theatre .
The managers of the Orpheum
Theatre have tendered the use of the
house free, and the experiment will
be tried but for four months.
' 'f,r-.,--
TWO SHIPS ON TEST TRIPS
Well Marked, Carry Many Americans
in Their Crew; Loaded with
Contraband
With the stars and stripes flying
and in defiance of Germany's sub
marine warning the American steam
ship Rochester, sailed Saturday from
New York for Bordeaux.
The Rochester was followed by
the American steamer .Orleans, of
the Oriental Navigation company,
also bound for Bordeaux.
These are the second sailings of
American steamers for allied ports
since Germany warned of her extend
ed submarine warfare. The first ves
sel to brave destruction in the U-boat
zone was the Docha. She sailed on
February 2 for Genoa.
Upon the voyages,, of the Orleans
and Rochester, manned by crews, 22
pf whom are American citizens, may
depend the issue of peace or war
with Germany.'
Both carry contraband according
to the German point of view; They
are not armed for defense against
submarines.- Neither are they mark
ed to comply with the conditions set
down by Germany in her note warn
ing the , American vessels.
The Rochester of, the Kerr Steam
ship company has an American flag
painted on her bow- and another ? on
her stern. On the side in three foot
letters is her name and "U. S. A."
The Orleans is marked in a similar
manner.
SHIP OWNERS HELPLESS
American L:ne Declares It Is Unable
to Secure Either Gms or Gunners
"We are helpless. It's up to the
government."
Such in substance read the verdict
sounding the death knell of Ameri
can passenger traffic to England and
Franch while unrestricted U-boat
warfare keeps on. It was rendered
Saturday afternoon in New York by
P . A . S . Franklin, president of the
American line, who in a formal
statement given out to the press
"So far as - the American line is
concerned we have done our best in
every direction to secure guns and
gun crews. It does not seem possible
to us that a private corporation will
be able to properly equip their ships
with proper armament. It looks as
though the vessels of the American
line will remain in port unless the
United States government decides to
provide convoys or put on the steam
ers guns and trained gunners for the
protection of passengers nad crews.
"Unless our vessels are convoyed
by American warships in exchange
for proper naval guns and crews to
man these guns, American line
steamers will not sail.
"We would sail the St. Louis with
one gun, if we had that one gun. But
our government seems disinclined o?
unable to furnish that protection.
The American line bas not even one.
gun. We should have at least two
guns unless our ships are convoyed
and the guns should be properly
manned. The steamers of the Ameri
can line will not sail without suffi
cient protections There are too many
lives ami too much property at
stake, i ' v y
SCHOOL LAWS REMAIN SAME
The Famous Proprieta.ry Medicine
Bill Was iKlled Also.
(Raleigh News and Observer.)
Representative Page, whose bill,
providing machinery i for enabling
counties to elect county boards
of education on majority petition was
killed by the house, called up
the Oates bill for primary- nomina
tions in the counties and commission
ing of the nominees by thev governor
as members of these boards, adn
moved to table. . Mr. Grier asked
that the bill go over to Tuesday as
a special order because of the ab
sence of Speaker Murphy, but this
was voted, down and the Page motion
to table carried and the clincher ap
plied. So there will be no change in
present status this 'session. Likewise
Page moved that the 'open formula"
proprietary ' medicine bill be tabled
and it took that .course.
nOY OXFORD LOOKS TO OTHERS
VISITOR BELIEVES THAT OUR
TOWN WILL SOON BE MOST
THRTVING SMALL CITY
IN THE STATE.
And He Believes it Will Only be a
Matter of a Fev Short Years Be
fore Local Business Men will Find
Their Ambition Filled
That people are incined to believe
that Oxford is destined to be one. of
the leading small cities of this section
of the State, was graphically depict
ed to the Public Ledger a few days
ago while conversing with a travel
ing man, who was in the city spend
ing a few days, and who, as an; ex
tensive traveler, had gained much
knowledge, of the things so essential
to the rap'id, growth and advancement
necessary to make the small town
today expand into flourshing small
cities of the South.
The gentleman in his conversation
with the Public Ledger, appeared to
be greatly pleased with the fine
growth which Oxford " had attained
during the past few years, and read
ily admitted that there was some
thing behind the great constructive
period that would eventually -place
the City to the front of the rank, and
easily class it with the thriving and
flourshing cities of eastern Carolina.
He contributed the towa's' past
growth to the fact of the progres
sive sprit of the business men, and
declared that, with this spirit contin
uing, it would not be very long be
fore the goal of the poeple's ambi
tions are fulfilled.
The gentleman said, that in all of
his travels, and general observations
of the thrifty, towns, he had never
before seen one that would compare
with Oxford, considering the short
time in which it attained such sub
stantial growth and confessed, that
though he had known other progres
sive towns to make fine advancement
in a comparatively short time, he
had never before seen such ardor and
earnestness displayed as has been ex
hibited here by the , local business
men in the' rapid advancement of "the
town during the past few years.
"Oxford's "future is a surety," the
gentleman declared, following a very
interesun gaiscourse with the Public
Ledger, "I do not feel that I am in
the least exaggerating when I say
that the next five or six years will see
it one of the most promising small
cities in this section of the State.
This will be principally due from
ihe strenuous erforts of the progress
ive business men, and it will not take
such a long time for. them to accom
plish their ambitions, after the town
has attained a few more manufactur
ing plants and the ball set rolling in
the direction of the brilliant goal."
"Of course," the gentleman con
tinued, apparantly deriving much
pleasure from his subject; "I am a
ware of the fact that it is going to
take something more than mere pro
gressiveness to- effect the natural
trasnsitions of which I have spoken
of; but I earnest ly believe that the
men of Oxford are built of the stuff
to make the progress continue and
am sure that, should they do so, Ox
ford will easily be one of the best
towns in the eastern section of the
State, and gradually develop into a
great commercial center."
The visitor talked very interesting
ly on the past history of Oxford, and
greatly marvelled at the great chang
es that transpired during the " past
year, when the town underwent one
of the greatest periods of develop
ment in its entire history; and was
free in his assertions concerning the
glowing future, of which he was con
fident is awaiting.
- "
FIRST NATIONAL BANK ANNEX
Union Bank Absorbed by the First
National
; A deal was consummated in Ox
ford last Saturday whereby the First
National Bank takes over the busi
ness of the Union Bank of Oxford.
In the deal the Union Bank looses
its identity. The details of the busi
ness, as regards the persconell, etc.,
has not as yet been announced.
. . '
Prof. Noble At Culbreth.
Next Friday is the last day of
school-at Culbreth.
The pupils of this school are to
give an entertainment consisting of
songs, recitations, etc.
Prof. M. C. S. Noble, of Chapel
Hill, will deliver , an address on
"Community Building." v The public
is invited. 7
Mrs. T . H. Street, of Roxboro, the
mother of Mr. K. L. Street, who re
cently attended a conference in .Wil
mington, was taken sick enroute
home and is dangerously" fit at" Rock
Mount. Mrs. K.L. Street's mother,
Mrs . W . L . Lewis, is also quite sick
and she is at her bedside in Roxboro.
Mr. Herbert Crews, of . , Watkins,
looked in upon Judge Kerr's court
Monday, c -r " " ; '
X
V
s.