PUBUSHED S!'!f-WEEKLY—TOWN AND COUNTY OFFER
BRILLIAN OPPORTUNITIES.
VOL. XXXVIII
12 PAGES TODAY
OXFORD. N. C.. TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1923
NO. 21
^iLEY FERRY GETS
TH!RTY DAYS RESPITE
Y),. ^ Granville Coun
i Slater of Roy Aiken Postponed
Pays on Account of Sick
, 11 tb- Warden's Wife.
^ i- announced from Raleigh that
r uerno:* Morrison on Friday morn
granted a respite of 30 days
Wilhy Perry, negro, who was to
been electrocuted at 10:30
"'dock The respite reached the
penitentiary within the hour the ex?
(ution was scheduled to take place
and white the prisoner was being
prepared for the electric chair.
The governor granted the respite
bcause of Hie critical illness of the
wife of Warden Sam Busbee. Mrs.
Busbee has not been, expected to live
for several days The warden and
bis faniiiy have an apartment in one
of the penitentiary buildings.
pony was tried and convicted in
Granviik county Superior court- at
Oxford on February 10, last, and
was innndeiately sentenced by Judge
IT M. Bond, to die in the electric
chair at the State Prison.
It will he rememberel that Aiken
was assisting a Creedmoor policeman
in arresting Perry when the negro
shot and instantly killed him. He
escaped, and was later captured in
Norfolk and brought back to Gran- j
vile county to stand trial.
REVIVAL SERVICES
To Continue Throughout the Week
and Probably Longer.
The simultaneous revival meetings
at the Presbyterian, Methodist and
West Oxford Baptist Churches begun
Monday night. The Oxford Baptist
Church is not included in the service
for the reason that Mrs. Harte, wife
of the pastor is ill. Mr. Harte, how
ever will asist when he can, and it is
his wish and the wish of the congre
gation that the meeting will be a
blessing to the community.
With the usual lenten services now
going on at St. Stephens' church the
whole community is affected by these
meetings and much good is expected
to result.
MAN'S CLOTHES BILL
It Costs More Than $4,000 a Year To
Dress For All Occasions.
The Custom Cutters' Club, com
posed of tailors and stylemakers from
aii over the country, who held a con
vention in New York recently, made
pubiic detailed estimates of the bud
get of the well-dressed man.
"An annual appropriation of $4,
662 is required, according to revised
calculations, to dress a man properly
for aii occasions. The annual biii of
the correctly turned out man has four
major items, which are listed as fol
lows; Hate $347; boots and shoes,
$593; clothing $3,065; furnishings
$657. This is the minimum budget
for the man of quiet and refined
tastes. It may mount indefinitely in
the case of a man willing to sacrifice
correctness and simplicity for orna
teness."
Strange indeed that vain men com
plain when women are extravagantly
dressed.
THREE CORNERED
AUTOMOBILE WRECK
Two Automobiles and Truck Collide
On Raleigh Road Saturday After
noon.
A very pecular automobile wreck
took place on Raleigh road last Sat
urday evening when three cars came
together at the same time. A Ford
car had been stopped on the side of
the road in order that some repair
couid be made; a truck was going
towards Knott's Grove and a large
Ruick car coming to Oxford. Just
as the truck drove up beside the
t'ord car the larger car attempted to
Pass between them. In so doing the
car and truck locked wheels and the
unpact threw them into the rear of
the Ford All three cars were dam
aged to the extent that it was nec
essary to bring them to Oxford on an
ambulance. Fortunately no one
seriously hurt, only several
bruises were sustained The acci
dent happened aimost directly in
^ont of the colored orphanage.
ENTERS PROTEST
Otford-Raleigh Basketball Game Not
flayed According To Rules.
Trie Oxford High School through
' - L. Livengood, Athletic Trainer, C.
3^3!e, Supterintendent Schools
a n, w. Barnhart, principal High
, ool, has protested the Oxford-Ral
game of Saturday. The protest
Has been filed with G. B. Phillips,
b^sident of the Girls' Athletic Asso
^ atron of North Carolina, on account
d violations of referees duties as di
by Miss Stinnett of the N. C.
^Hege for Women at Greensboro.
/""Yonr battery should have water
bout every two weeks. Stop at Ox
Battery Go.
THE FASHION SHOW
To Be Held March 33d hi the High
School Auditorium.
Age cannot wither her, nor custom
stale her infinite variety."
We refer to the approaching Fash
ion Show to be given under the au
spices of the Woman's Club, March
23d at 8 p. m. in the High School
Auditorium.
William Shakespeare is cooperating
with the ladies and the local mer
chants to make the show a success,
and the lovely maids and matrons of
Oxford will grace the occasion by
acting as models.
For the Easter parade will be
shown all the lovely modes of the
season, and best of it all is the fact
that you will be able to see and buy
what is fashionable and lovely in
YOUR OWN HOME TOWN.
There will be shown also what is
good and new and useful in hard
ware, food, furniture, toilet articles,
jewelry, etc A full list of the
merchants to be represented will ap
pear in the next issue of the Public
Ledger.
For further information call the
committee in charge of arrange
ments.
MRS. R. C. M. CALVERT,
MRS. A. H. POWELL,
Committee of Arrangements.
ADVOCATES ANOTHER
HOTEL FOR OXFORD
Mr. Leake Peace, Who Travels Ex
tensively in the State, Compares
Oxford s Hotel Facilities With
Other North Carolina Towns.
Editor Public Ledger:
As the good, new hard-surface
roads leading into Oxford invite
rppre and ever-increasing numbers of
transients and tourists to visit Ox
ford isn't it high time that our pro
gressive citizens provide a new brick
hotel with all modern conveniences
to take care of the visitors within
our borders
This should be a modem hotel of
60 or more rooms and would cost
probably $100,000 including equip
ment. Would it pay? Well the ho
tels at Henderson, Durham-and Ral
eigh are crowded every night and
many guests of these hotels would
spend the night or day in Oxford pro
vided our facilities were equal to
these other places.
Ask any of these towns about the
size of Oxford, and not near as pros
perous or as well located, if a good
modern hotel pays?
Roxboro has a $75,000 hotel;
Warrenton a $100,000; Weldon
$100,000; Lillington $60,000; Pitts
boro $25,000; Sanford has four big
hotels, $150,000 invested in them;
Reidsville has a new hotel costing
$100,000, and even tiny Vass, N. C.,
in Moore county, with a population
of 500 people has a $60,000 modem
brick hotel.
Let us open our eyes to the fact
that from ten to fifty traveling men
arrive in Oxford on the early morn
ing train and by autos, having spent
the night in other places, and are
gone by dinner time. Other towns
and cities are maknig money enter
taining them; we could do it as well
I if we had the new modem mrick ho
}tel. W. L. PEACE.
PROMISE FINANCIAL
AID TO FARMERS
Washington, March 10.—The Fed-j
eral farm loan board, at the conclu-!
sion today of a three day conference {
with the Federal land bank presi-!
i dents, gave assurance that farmers
j of the country will have the benefit
of the government's financial aid, au
i thorized in the recently enacted rural
credits legislation by the time the
! spring planting begins.
! It was indicated that an early
j announcement may be made by the
I farm loan board regarding the meth
! ods it will employ in extending to the
! farmers the aid contemplated in the
; new laws. It was said some "rough
I places" may have to be smoothed
! out by the new legislation."
OSCAR CURR1N DEAD
Brother Of Mrs. S. W.
Parker.
Mrs. S. W. Parkekr has returned
from Raleigh where she was called
by the sudden death of her brother
Mr. Oscar Currin. Mr. Currin was a
prominent citizen of Raleigh, being
employed as auctioneer for the Atlan
tic Coast Realty Company. He had
been slightly indisposed for a few
hours but his death came very unex
pectedly. The funeral was conducted
in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon. The
deceased is survived by a widow,
three children &nd several brothers
and sisters.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
A BHI Of Sale Tells a
Tale.
A warehouse bill dated March 5,
1874, now in thd possession of Mr. T.
T. Smith, shows that he sold on that
date 744 pounds of Granville county
tobacco at the Liberty warehouse, in
Milton, for $384.04.
LISTED L!VE STOCK
INdRANViLLE COUNTY
Slight Decrease In Number Of Horses, j
Mules, Hogs and Cattle.
According to the tax listers enum-}
eration there was a slight gain in the!
number of norses in Granville county'
in 1922 over the previous year. The)
following is the tax listers' figures!
for 1-922, as compared with 1920 and)
1921: !
1920
1921
1922
Horses.
. 3,721
. 3,839
. 3,460
Mules.
1920
1921
1922
1920
1921
1922
1920
1921
1922
1920
1921
1^22
1920
1921
1922
. 2,419
. 2,731
.2,587
All Cattle.
.7,110
.7,316
. 7,035
Hogs.
. 8,639
. 7,723
. 6,468
Sheep
. 603
. 759
.768
Goats
. 19
. 19
. 39
DRUNK MAN IN CAR
A Rich Young Fellow Dashes Three
To Death And Is Held For Murder.
A few days ago a rich young hilari
ous young fellow, full of whisky and
driving a high-powered automobile,
ran into a crowd getting off a street
car in Philadelphia, dashing three
people to death.
The affair served to emphasize the
condition of recklessness which pre
vails there. The indignation aroused
caused a sudden activity on part of
the police in suppression of speeding.
On the first day, 500 automobilists
were placed under arrest for reckless
driving. The majority of the par
ties carried to the court had no
ilcense, or were driving when drunk.
It takes an affair like that to bring
the public into realizatio of the sit
uation, and the same conditions pre
vail to a more or less extent in small
towns, and Oxford has its quota of
fast and furious and reckless drivers
and occasional drunks, but it is in
deed fortunate that Mayor Stem has
put the check-rein on all who stand
before him convicted of driving a car
while under the influence of liquor.
Being a good Methodist^ he cannot
even tolerate the smell of mean
liquor, and woe be to the man who
stands before him the second time
charged with driving a car while the
least bit under the influence of
liquor. At the end of argument he
knows how to say "the fulles textent
of the law" in tones that shakes the
walls. His firmness has been the
means of saving many lives and limbs
in Oxford.
The Philadelphia police declare the;
campaign against reckiess driving is j
to be prosecuted permanently, but un- j
less history fails to repeat itself, the j
agitation will die down and things
will lapse into the old condition and
remain so until another killing oc
curs.
SOLICITORS PUT
ON SALARY BASiS
Tire New Bill Increase the Te^ns Of
Court in Granville.
After October 1, 1924, solicitors in
the several judicial districts of the
State will be placed on a salary of
$4,500, plus an expense allowance, in
lieu of present Tees. That measure,
representing extensive concessions, is
the only result of the program em
bracing four reforms in the judicial
system of the State which was ad
vocated by the legislature committee
of the North Carolina Bar Associa
tion. t
After failure of the redistricting
[ measure became assured, bills poured
} in changing or increasing the terms
i of court in the several counties and
such measures were passed for Gran
ville, Robeson, Catawba, Avery, Hert
ford, Iredell, Wilson, Forsyth, Yan
cey, Randolph, Washington, Pasquo
tank, Nash, Edgecombe .Scotland and
Henderson counties as well as the
Twelfth Judicial District.
NATIONAL HIGHWAY
Detour Established In the City Of
Durham.
The State Highway Commission has
issued the following information as
to the detour of the National High
way established in the city of Dur
; ham:
"Southbound traffic on Hillsboro
street. Durham, turn to right at
Broad street about 1-2 miles from
courthouse. Follow Broad street
about .3 mile to Cherry street. Turn
to left on Cherry street and follow
detour signs to the Durham road at
the county fair grounds. Turn right
on Route No. 75 and follow it to Dur
ham. Northbound traffic follow re
verse directions.
CLOSE CALL AT LOCAL
RAILWAY CROSSING
Unknown Party, Driving a Ford and
Accompanied by a Woman, Plung
ed Headlong Into a Death Tran
and Narrowly Escaped Instant
Death.
At Rve o'clock last Friday even
ing as the Oxford-Hendreson Sea
board train approached the corporate
limits in East Oxford, as it sped on
its way to Henderson, Engineer
Steele and his fireman saw a Ford
car going east at a rapid rate on the
Oxford-Henderson highway in an
effort to cross the track before the
train reached the crossing.
As luck would have it, the engine
passed over the crossing only a few
feet in front of the auto, which was
moviig at a rapid rate. In an ef
fort to save himself, the driver turn- !
ed his car to the left, and in doing i
so, grazed the side of the train and
turned turtle.
The engineer and fireman looked
back and saw the two occupants of
the car, a man and a woman, emerge
from beneath the machine and brush
themselves.
themselves. It was learned that the
occupants were Mr. Powell of Hen
derson and Miss Irene Stem of Stem.
So far, the Public Ledger has not
been, able to secure the names of
the occupants of the car, where they
were from or wher they were
going.
Engineer Steele, who was an eye
witness of the accident, ran the
Florida limited on the main line for
a number of years. For long and
faithful service the Seaboard trans
ferred him to a lighter run. *We
found this pleasant and faithful old
servant in a reminscence mood. He
said that one afternoon some years
ago he saw an auto racing with his
train to reach the crossing first. The
limited train was moving at the rate
of fifty-five miles an hour as Capt.
Steele turned to his fireman and
said:
"Jim, do you see that auto coming
down the roads. I calculate that we
will meet on the crossing, but we
missed him by a hair-breadth. This
was nedr Graystone, and the four
occupanet escaped without injury.
"I hafe often seen autos racing
with trains ?o reach the crossing first,
and it is a great wonder that more of
them are not killed."
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS
Voters Will Be Asked To Limit Bond!
Issues, Protect Sinking Funds And
To Exempt Partially Mortgaged
Homes From Taxes; Bonds For
World War Veterans.
Four propositions, three of them
changes in the Constitution which
invoive the fiscal policy of the State,
and one referendum on a bond issue,
will be submitted to the people at
the next general election unless the
General Assembly should in special
session modify what has already been
done.
Three constitutional amendments,
providing for the (1) limitation of
the State debt to 7 1-2 per cent of
the assessed property valuation; (2)
the inviolability of sinking funds to
retire the State debt, and (3) to ex
empt from taxation one-half farm and
residential property under mortgage
and one-half of such mortgage, not to
exceed $8,000.
The fourth proposal of the Gener
al Assembly that the voters will have
submitted to them is the Grist bill,
providing a bond issue of $2,500,000
for long loans on easy terms to vet
erans of the World War for the pur
chase of homes ,the maximum of any
one loan to be $3,000.
A WISE LAWMAKER
He Kept His Mouth Closed For 58
Days and Nights While the Big
Noise Was Going On.
(News and Observer)
During the recent session of the
General Assembly, * Representative
Patterson, of Hoke county, voted
"No" and said nothing for 58 days
and then got up and moved that the
rules be amended to provide that no
body else should be allowed to talk
about any one thing for more than
five minutes. The idea appealed to
the House, and the next day it
adopted his suggestion as a rule. It
worked. Talk was curtailed tremen
dously, and the House did more in
the last four days than in all the rest
of the session put together. Mr.
Patterson promised his folks he was
going to do what he could to cut
down expenses. One vote cbuldn't do
it, but he was consistent throughout,
and he voted "no" when they were
spending money.
CO OPS WiLL CLOSE
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
Mr. W. Z. Mitchell, local manager
of th/e co-operative warehouses states
that the season will come to a close
on Thursday, March 22.
"The growers will please take no
tice and be governed accordingly,"
said Mr. Mitchell.
THE TOWN ELECTION
To Be Held On the First Monday In
May.
All that is needed to precipitate ai
hot campaign in Oxford is the nam-;
mg of the date on which the town!
convention will be held. Major Will!
Landis is the chairman of the Oxford!
Democratic Executive Committee and!
it is up to him to name the date, and i
as soon as this is done the birds that I
have been chirping ever so long willj
burst forth in one mighty political j
'There are eight or ten candidates!
for the office of tax collector and]
town clerk. It is an appointive of-!
fice, and the respective candidates}
must look to the commissioners for t
the job. Those of the candidates;
who feel that the present board will!
not support them will work for the!
nomination of new board, and {
slates are being made and smashed}
accordingly.
One thing is certain, Mayor Stem
will have no opposition, and that fact
is very pleasing to everybody.
For the first time in the history of
the old town, the present board is
accused of being "too progressive."
Back in the days of muddy and
slushy streets it was customary to re
fer to the board as a set of "dead
men." The percentage of those who
desire to return "dead men" to power
is very small, but nevertheless there
is a decided movemnt on foot to in
fuse some new blood into the present
board, if the members stand for re
election as a whole.
MURDER IN BRASSF1ELD
Lizzie Hockaday Shot In the Back—
Her Son Held In the County Jail.
While sitting in her home over in
Brassfield last Friday night some one
aproached the house from the rear
and shot Lizzie Hockaday, colored,
through an open door, and she died
instantly.
Sheriff Hunt and Coroner W. D.
Bryan went over to Brassfiel^ early
Saturday and spent the day in search
of testimony, but nothing of a tan
gible nature developed. The verdict
of the coroner's jury was that the
woman was shot to death by an un
known party.
The sheriff visited the scene of the
murder again on Sunday and secured
sufficient evidence against Roy Hock
aday, son of the murdered woman, to
hold him.
Lizzie Hockaday, the murdered wo
man, owned a good farm and had a
substantial bank account, and she
often said that she did not have an
enemy in the world.
LETTER TO GROWER
Advising Them To Make Proper Set
tlement With the Association.
(Winston Sentinel)
It is learned that officials of the
Cooperative Marketing Association
are sending out letters to members
who have sold leaf during the sea
son at the local auction warehouses
advising them to make proper set
tlement with the association, by the
payment of five per cent of the
amounts received for the weed 'sold
on the open market—and thereby
prevent the institution of suits in the
courts.
It is known that a large quantity
of tobacco grown by farmers who
signed up with the Cooperatives has
been sold at the local warehouses
during the season, some of them con
tending that they were not in po
sition financiaily to hold their weed
in accordance with the plans of the
new organization.
THE TOBACCO WEEVIL
\ SITUATION SERIOUS
The Farmers Are Warned Mot To Let
Any Tobacco Dust Or Scrap Lay A
round In Which the Weevil Could
Breed.
In view of the serious tobacco
weevil situation throughout the
bright tobacco territory, the Oxford
Tobacco Board of Trade sounds the a
larm in this issue of the Public Led
ger. This is a very serious matter.
Very recently a hogshead of tobac
co was shipped from the bright belt
to Richmond, and when it was opened
a few days later it contained stems,
only.
THE WEATHER MENU
Fair Weather, Sunshine and Spring
Flowers Are Again In Prospect.
The first day of spring is only eight
days off—March 21—and if the pres
sent promises of the Weather Man are
maintained the home gardener may
begin his earthly labors soon.
The little yellow spirea in the
parkways are beginning to reflect the
first golden glows. The little frogs
are singing in the ditches along the
countryside. The trailing arbutus is
beginning to hit the trail, and the
pussy willows are swelling.
Negro Minstrel Show.
There will be a "Negro Minstrel
Show at Corinth School Friday even
ing, Match 16, at 8 o'clock. Admis
sion 25 and 15cts. 3-9-2tx
OXFORD IS THE
IDEAL LOCATION
Th. state Wit) EstabMsh Another
Training School.
its final reading in
which wilf ^ Legislature
^ inch v in arouse the interest of the
citizens .of several of the
c°"^s of the state. This
h 1?^ ^ introduced in the House
by Representative Fountain, of Edge
combe county, and provides for an es
tabhshment to he located somewhere
in the eastern part of the state to
correspond with the Stonewall Jack
son Training School, which is located
at Concord, in the western part of the
state. The bill carries with it a
building and equipment fund of $50,
000 ^ maintenance fund of $10,
The purpose of this institution is
to tram and discipline the delinquent
and wayward boys of the eastern half
ot biorth Carolina. It would seem
that some of the essential require
ments of the locatoin for this institu
tion would be a healthful climate, a
fertile and well-drained soil and a
Place easily reached by railroad and
highways.
Oxford offers an ideal location for
the new institution. There are sev
eral very desirable places within a
short radius of Oxford where the con
ditions for live stock production and
agricultural pursuits can be extend
ed as well as can be done anywhere
in the State; the products for manu
facturing and woodcraft can also be
found, here in abundance.
Before the Board of Directors take
final action as to a site, the Public
Ledger invite them to give Granville
county a carefql consideration.
SHERIFF DESTROYS 10
GALLONS OF WHISKEY
The Accumulation Of Old Stills Goes
To the Junk Man.
The teh gallons of the Davis whis
key, captured at Creedmoor several
weeks ago and stored in the county
jail for safekeeping pending the order
of the court, was destroyed last Sat
j urday in the jaid yard in the pres
ence of Sheriff Hunt, Commissioner
Thomas G. Taylor, Deputy Conrad
Walters and a dumber of other wit
nesses.
At the last term of the Granville
County Superior Court Judge Bond,
presiding, ordered the sheriff to de
stroy the liquor and smash the
large number of stills that had ac
cumulted in recent months.
The ten gllons of liquor destroyed
by the sheriff whs captured in Creed
moor several weeks ago and was
known as the Clhrence Davis whiskey.
It was in packages and hermetically
sealede No one was allowed to taste
the liquor while it was in the keep
ing of the Sheriff, but those who
smelled it when poured upon the
ground declared that it was a very
good brand of dorn whiskey.
As soon as the whiskey had been
destroyed, the large accumulation of
stills were smashed, and the copper
now awaits the bid of the junk man.
MRS. R. C. SMITH DEAD
Laid To Rest At Salem Church Sun
day Afternoon.
Mrs. Rebecca Cottrell Smith, an es
teemed Christian lady, died at her
home in Salem township last Friday
morning. She was about 70 years of
age. The remains were laid to rest
! at Salem Church Sunday afternoon.
Mrs. S^mith was the mother of Ira
[ Smith and a sister of J. A. Cottrell,
} who are known to many persons an
t Granville and Vance counties.
JUDGE DEVIN AS
A WISE TEACHER
Will Teach tho Whole Baptist Sun
day School Next Sunday Morning.
Mr. Ernest Howard, the very effi
! cient Superintehdent of the Oxford
! Baptist Sunday School, advises the
I Public Ledger that Judge Devin will
teach the whole Sunday School next
Sunday morning.
Judge Devin is one of the very* few
men who has the faculty to talk to
the old and the young at the same
time and hold their undivided atten
tion.
__
MOONSHINERS IN
FISHING CREEK
I They Took Wings and Flew Like
i Birds When They Saw the Officers
Approaching the Still.
Constable Ernest Bragg made a
raid in Fishing Creek last Saturdy
and returned with the usual trophy:
It was a twenty-five gallon capacity
copper still and it was sizzling hot
when the officers reched the secluded
spot down by a running stream. The
officers destroyed ten barrels of beer
and dismantled the still.
The officers saw the moonshiners
as they departed for the tall timber,
but were so far -away they could
not discern whether they were white
or black, and one of them appeared to
be a woman. ]