THE QMMNWE ALTH
A Family Newspaper: For the Promotion of the Political, Social Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the People
VOLUME XXXIII.
TWICE-A-WEEK
SCOTLAND NECK, N. C, Ttft23X?4Y, AUGUST 4, 1916
READ IT FIRST IN THIS PAPER
NUMBER 50.
( : " , . I ! . .
f .
CASEMENT PUT
TO DEATH FOR
HIGH TREASON
London, Aug. 3. Roger Casement,
former British Knight and consul, was
hanged this morning at 9 o'clock in
Pentonville jail for high treason. He
was convicted of conspiring to cause
an armed revolt in Ireland and with
having sought German aid to that
end.
Two hours bofore the execution a
crowd of men, women and children
gathered before the prison gates.
Twenty minutes before Casement
mounted the scaffold the great prison
bell commenced to toll. The sound
was greeted with cheers from the
crowd, mingled with some groans. At
9 o'clock the crowd had swollen to
such proportions that it extended for
two blocks from the prison front. At
one minute after nine a single stroke
of the big bell announced that the
trap had been sprung. It was the sig
nal for a mocking, jeering yell from
the crowd, which suddenly died away
into dead silence.
Casement met his death with calm
courage, according to eye-witnesses.
Early in the morning two priests of
the -Roman Catholic Church adminis
tered the last rites in the cell of the
condemned man and shortly afterward
a little procession, headed by the cler
gymen with Casement following, a
warden on either side proceeded to the
execution shed, only five yards away.
The priests recited the litany of the
dying, Casement responding in low
tones: "Lord have mercy on my soul. "
According to one of those present
Casements last words were: "I die
for my country."
As the party reached the shed where
the gallows was erected the special ex
ecutioner, a hair dresser named Ellis,
approached Casement and quickly pin
ioned him. The two chaplains, the under-sheriff
of London and the under
sheriff of Middlesex then took up their
positions ' ''ont of the scaffold. Case--jmSitwMioi-i-iilie
ijhl!ow-t'pRfLr'T!,-
ly and commanded his spirit to God as
he stepped on the trap. A moment later
the lever was pulled.
Immediately after the trap was
sprung the prison engineer and phy
sician descended into the pit where,
after the application of the usual tests,
Casement was pronounced dead at nine
minutes after nine. According to the
custom in the case of prisoners hang
ed for crime similar to that of Case
ment, his body will be buried in quick
lime in the prison yard.
An affecting incident took place out
side the prison wall as the execution
was in progress. At the back of the
prison a little distance from the jeer
ing crowd about the gates was a group
of about thirty Irish men and women.
When the dull clang of the prison bell
announced that the doomed man paid
the last penalty this little group fell
on their knees and with bowed heads
remained for some moments silently
praying for the repose of the soul of
their dead fellow-countryman.
Immediately after the execution 3
notices were posted on the prison door
The first, signed by the under-sheriff
of London, the governor of the prison
and Father James McCarroll, Case
ment's confessor, read: "Judgment of
death was this day executed on Roger
Casement in his majesty 's prison of
Pentonville in our presence." A simi
lar notice was signed by the under
sheriff of Middlesex county. The third
bore the name of P. R. Mander, the
prison surgeon, who certified that he
had examined the body and found
Casern et dead.
Ellis, the executioner, arrived in the
prison early last evening and imme
diately made his preparations. ,Hc ex
amined the trap door in the execution
shed and tested it thoroughly with a
bag exactly the same weight as Case
ment. Ellis remained in the prison all
night.
Casement showed not the slightest
concern over his fate. He ate well
and chatted freely and cheerly with
two wardens in his condemned cell.
After a hearty late breakfast he di
vntfwi Viimsnlf for the last time of
his convict clothes and went to bed
He was notified that he would be al
lowed to wear his own civilian elothes
for the execution, though he would
not ie permitted to wear a collar.
All the members of Casement's fam
ily were protcstants and he was brought
up in that faith, but became a convert
to Roman Catholicism within the last
few weeks. On June 29 he was regis
tered a member of the Roman Catholic
Church and since that time Fathers
McCarrell and Carey, of Edin Grove
Church, near the prison, have been
t.n him. He received hM
"-t,
first and only communion at seven
o'clock this morning when ha assisted
at mass in his cell. One of his atten
dants said that his overpowering love
for God and Ireland was most striking
snrl arcnrcWner t.n the attendant, the
la?t words of the condemned oian.aprt.
from his prayers, were: "I die 2nr my
country." Father Me Carrell said
he found Casement to be a beautiful
character and that he never instruct
ed anyone in his religion who show
ed himself a quicker or more prom
ising learner.
All hopes of an, eleventh hour re
prieve were dashed to earth yesterday
with the statement of Lord Rofcort Ce
cil, parlimentary undcr-socretary of
foreign affairs, that no government do
ing its duty could interfere with the
sentence. Supplementing this were the
dramatic disclosures by Lord Newton
in the House of Lords that the Ger
mans recently shot two Irish prisoners
who refused to join Casement's Irish
legion.
The morning papers mostly deal in
the briefest and most matter of fact
DEUTSCHLAND
SAFELY PASSES
OUT THE CAPES
Norfolk, Aug. 3. Somewhere out on
the Atlantic today the big German
submersible Deutschland probably is
journeying safely homeward after hav
ing successfully run the allied war
ship blockade off Cape Henry last
night. The giant undersea craft sub
merged a mile off the coast shortly be
fore 9 o'clock and, insofar as is known
here, she was unobserved by any of
way with the execution of Casement tne allied warship patrol which has been
The only editorial reference is in the guarding the capes against her escapo'
PROGRESSIVE LEADERS MAY DE
CIDE TO PIiACE FULL TICKET
IN FIELD
Daily News, which says: "We cannot
bue re-affirm our conviction that the
government exhibited grave unwisdom
in exacting the death penalty. No evil
results could have followed a commu
tation of the sentence. The hanging
gives the disaffected section of Ireland
another matyr, embitters feeling
throughout the island, alienates a large
and important body of American opin
ion and enables Germany to play off
the death of Casement against the
death of Fryatt."
Casement rose at about half past five
this morning. From then until seven
o'clock when Father McCarrell arriv
ed he spent the time reading the in
structions of the church for assisting
at mass and the taking of the first com
munion. After mass he ate a little
bread and butter and drank a glass of
water.
He had very little to say to the priest
only making a few remarks about the
immortality of the soul. He appeared
said Father McCarrell, like a man who
had, slept soundly his nerves were
completely calm.
A coroner's jury found that the sen
tence had been carried out in accor
dance with law and in a humane man
ner. Gavin Duffy, Casement's solici
tor, who appeared in behalf of his re
latives, identified the body.
Replying to a question by the cor
oner, Solicitor Duffy said that Case
ment's health at times was very bad.
He made a plea that thebody be hand
ed .ovpr to relative '- the authori
ties, he said, had refused. The coroner
declared he had no power to interfere
whereupon Duffy protested, saying it
was "monstrous act of indecency that
the authorities should refuse the re
quest. ' '
According to one news agency Case
ment had high hopes of being repriev
ed until the eve of his execution. He
did not hide the fact he expected his
many powerful friends would obtain
for him a free pardon, because many of
them exercised no little influence in
political as well as literary circles.
As there was no sign of reprieve
last night," this account says, 'Uhe
condemned man became very morose
and hardly spoke at all. He did, how
ever, inquire about the Zeppelin raids
and asked if any German airships had
reached London. Soon afterwards h
became resigned to his fate and afttr
he had done a considerable amount of
writing he retired to rest and sler';
soundly.
"When aroused this morning Case
ment showed considerable nervousne?3,
but he. was quite collected and thank
ed the warders for the many little
kindnesses they had shown him while
he occupied the death cell."
At the inquest the governor of the
prison and the chief warden testified
that death was instantaneous. Dr. Man
der was asked by Solicitor Duffy
whether there was any truth in the
statement published that Casement had
been insane. He replied:
"I saw no evidence of insanity. He
acted in a sane manner to the end."
Practically to the very hour of Rog
er Casement's execution strenuous ef
forts were made, by his friends and
sympathizers in the United States, and
Ireland and even in England, to secure
a reprieve. Petitions for mercy pour
ed in upon the British government and
efforts were made to obtain action by
President Wilson. Repeated attempts
to pass a resolution through the United
States Senate requesting the President
to urge Great Britian to extend mercy
to. Casement failed. This agitation
was finally ended on July 27 when tiie
Senate Committee on foreign relations
ordered adverse report on all resolu
nrnnnsimr intercession by the
United States government: The only
action taken in Washington was the
passage of a resolution by the Senate
asking the President to use his good
offices with the British authorities to
obtain clemency for Irish political of
fenders in general
Many prominent men, both here and
in Great Britian, interested themselves
in Casement's behalf, including George
Bernard ShaW and the Irish poet, Wil
liam Butler Yeats. The hopes of the
condemned man's friends were extin
crnished when Lord Robert Cecil, min
ister of war trade, announced on Wed
nesday that the British government
would not grant a reprieve. Lord Ce
oil declared that Casement was much
t.hfln hostile" to
more iiiaift"w"
Great Britian' than were the leaders
who took an. actual part in the Sinn
for several weeks.
The final dash of the Deutschland
to the sea was virtually without inci
dent. Eighteen miles up Chesapeake
Bay, at the crossing of the Old Point
and Cape Henry channels, she began
to gather speed about sundown last
night, and in a little over two hours
was plunging along under the waters of
the Atlantic. With only a slight delay
after reaching the capes she dashed
into the sea and submerged. Only one
warship, a United States torpedo de
stroyer, was sighted by the submarine
in her entire trip from Baltimore, de
clared Captain Hinsch.
At Cape IIHenry today it was said
that only one, of the allied warships
was off the Virginia coast and that she
had two funnels. This is supposed to
be. a British cruiser that has been an
chored there for more than a week. It
is also supposed that the other vessels,
believed to be a French cruiser, with
three funnels, is steaming somewhere
in the Atlantic ocean in hopes of pick
ing up some trail ofi the Deutschland.
The dash of the German submarine
for the ocean was not observed at Cape
Henry last night. The vessel passed
out under cover of darkness and was
not visible from the shore
Capt. Zach Cullison, master of the
tug Timmins, that accompanied the
Deutschland down the bay and to with
in 'a mile of Cape Henry, declared that
the allies, with all their vessels and
aeroplanes they may have around the
capes, have not a chance to intercept
the German submersible."
ground which could be brought for
ward in mitigation of his offense.
Honored with knighthood a title
since taken from him by King George 's
order for his many years of service
for Great Britian an Consul and Con-sul-General,
Roger Casement assumed
leadership, at a period of his country 's
crisis, in the recent Irish rebellion, the
plans for which were laid while Case
ment was in Berlin, where he was re
ported to have negotiated an undr
standing with the German Imperial
authorities.
British naval supremacy brought an
abortive close to Casement's plans.
The German tramp steamship on which
there was transported an armed expe
dition from Germany nearly to the
west coast of Ireland in April of this
year was blown up by .its own crew
when the latter foresaw that it was
inevitable that the blockading English
warships would capture it. The crew
were made prisoners. The tramp had
been convoyed by a German submarine
from which Casement and a companion
landed on Irish soil, where they were
taken into custody before their plans
matured.
In May, Casement was given a pre
liminary hearing and was committed
for trial on a charge of high treason,
late in June the trial was begun, Case
ment pleading not guilty and uttering
a denial that he had worked in Ger-
. . . i ii i i i i
many's interests ana tnat ne uau ac
cepted German gold as a bribe. .
The court's verdict was guilty, and
the sentence of death by hanging was,
after appeal by his counsel, confirmed
by the Court of Criminal Appeal, late
in May.
The London press generally appro
ved the fate legally fixed for Casement
but in America persistent efforts were
made to save the noted prisoner from
death.
Adherents of John Redmond for
warded to Premier Asquith a petition
signed by six bishops, twentysix mem
bers of Parliament and fifty-one other
persons, including a number of educa
tors.
Pope Benedict interceded in Case
ment's behalf, endeavoring to obtain
grace for him from the British gov
ernment, influential Irish Nationists
having urged upon the Pontiff that the
prisoner was not a traitor, but was in
spired by Irish patriotism.
Roger Casement, prior to the war,
established a reputation through his
investigation of the Congo and South
American rubber atrocities committed
on natives by Belgian and British rub
ber hunters. The then Sir Roger
headed a commission of inquiry, which
hrniitrht. about reforms. In 1P13 he be-
-"
Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 2. Progress
ive party leaders from a number of
states, who disapproval of the action of
the Progressive national committee in
indorsing Charles Hughes for President
at its meeting in Chicago, June 26, will
hold a conference here tomorrow to
consider the advisability of reassemb
ling the party's national convention
within 30 days to nominate a candidate
for President as a running mate for
John M. Parker, of Louisana, nominee
for Vice President.
Mr. Parker who issued the call for
the conference, arrived tonight and
"onf erred with Progressive leaders from
' Jfter states, but no definite plan has
Men agreed upon for tomorrow's conference.
A majority of the party representa
tives who are here favor nominating a
candidate for President but amid a
lack of available candidates. Victor
Murdock, of Kansas, apparently in
choice of a majority but he has declin
ed to make the race.
Bainbridge Colby of New York, is
mentioned as a possible candidate but
his friends believe he will decline to
run. Another suggestion is that Mr.
i'arker be named for President and
another candidate selected for vice-
president.
A very few of the Progressive from
the eastern states, it is stated, oppose
the naming of a third ticket and either
urge the indorsement of President
Woodrow Wilson or fight to have the
conference adjourn without taking ac
tion.
While the leaders who will attend the
conference are divided as to the wis
dom of naming a national ticket at
this time they are a unit in protesting
against the action of the national com
mittee in endorsing Hughes and favor
some action which will tend to perpet
uate the Progressive party as a nation
al political organization.
Sarah E. Lyons of Minneapolis, was
the first woman Progressive to arrive
for the conference, and she favors nam
ing a third ticket. Bainbridge Colby
Matthew Hale and J. A. H. Hopkins,
of New Jersey, will arrive here tomor
row morning.
Judge Albert D. Ncrioni, of St. Louis
apparently reflected the sentiment of a
majority of the early arrivals, when he
said:
"I want somebody to vote for in No
vember. I will not vote for Wilson or
Hughes."
Cloudbursts in
KENTUCKY KILL
TWENTY PEOPLE
VIOLENT FIGHTING IN 8TOK
HOD RIVER REGION OF RUSSIA
Middlesboro, Ky., Aug. 3. Between
fifteen and twenty-five persons were
drowned and enormous property dam
age was sustained by a cloudburst on
Blair's creek, near Tazewell, Tenn.,
last night, according to information
which has reached here today.
Telephone messages from there said
about one hundred persons lived along
the creek and of these only a few have
been accounted for.
Nine bodies have been recovered.
City officials and citizens of Taze
well have organized rescue parties and
are scouring the stricken districts in
search of the dead. The region is verv
rough and communication has been
practically cut off.
Blair's creek is ten miles long and
it is estimated that 150 people lived
in 'that neighborhood, although only
100 of them are supposed to have been
directly in the path of the cloudburst
or endangered by the waters of the
creek overflowing its banks.
The bodies that have been found are
Robert Johnson, his wife and two
children; Mrs. Samuel Wiley and two
children; Bush Hargeson and wife.
The home of Crocket Edmondson
has completely disappeared and no
trace of the family is obtainable.
Two bridges on the Southern railway
between Middleboro and Knoxville are
washed away and train service is at
a standstill.
A special from Tazewell, Tenn., says
eight people arc known to be dead and
thirty or more reported missing as a
result of the cloudburst.
Germany Made Counter - Attacks
Against The British in Delville
Wood.
London, Aug. 3. Thursday passed in
all the war theatres without notable
gains for any of the belligerents. In
the Stokhod region of Russia violent
fighting continued between the Rus
sians and Austro-Germans while Ger
many counter-attacks against the Brit
ish in the Delville wood sector in
France, all of which were repulsed, and
bombardments characterized the opera
tions in France.
Battles took place along the Sereth
and Dneister rivers in Galicia between
the Russians and the Teutons, while in
the Caucasus region the Russians near
Diabekr carried out a bayonet attack
against the Turks, which resulted in the
capture of a Turkish work and some
300 prisoners and guns.
In the Travananzes valley of the
Austro-Italian theater the Italians have
made fresh progress against the Aus-
tro-Hungarians. In the Adige valley,
in the upper Posina region and in the
district of Cortina d'Ampezzo the Aus-
trians are bombarding Italian posi
tions.
ALLIES SLACKEN
BIG OFFENSIVE
ON ALL FRONTS
PARALYSIS FOUND AT CONCORD
THE ONLY REIGNING QUEEN
RAILROAD MEN VOTE TO
DECLARE A STRIKE
Two Cases of Infantile Disease Loca
ted in Outskirts of Of That
City
Concord, N. C, Aug. 2. Two cases
of infantile paralysis have been dis
covered in the outskirts of Concord, ac
cording to local physicians. The pa
tients are more than one mile apart
and no connection between the two has
been traced thus far, it was said. Both
are quarantined, and every precaution
to prevent a spread of the disease is
being taken by the authorities. Both
cases are of a mild form it was said.
One case of the disease previously
reported from Kannapolis, brings the
total number of known cases in this
country up to 3.
They Are So Far Virtually Unanimous
ly in Favor of a Strike Will Take
Five Days to Complete Count
New York, Aug. 1. Ballots of one
fourth of the 400,000 members of the
four railroad brotherhoods, who are
voting on the question or calling a
general strike on 225 railroads already
have been canvassed, and they were
virtually unanimously in favor of a
strike, it was learned tonight.
The ballots counted here today were
received from the eastern and south
eastern territories and it is expected
the count in these districts will be
completed tomorrow. The count from
railroads west of Chicago and the Mis
sissippi river are expected here not
later than next Saturday. Timothy
Shea, assistant president of the Broth
er hood of Locomotive Firemen and En
ginemen, in charge of the staff of fifty
men counting the ballots said tonight
it will take a full five days to count ti e
votes from all territories.
When the complete vote has been
counted, probably on Saturday or Mon
day, Shea said, there will be. a meet
ing here of the National Conference
Committee of Railways and the result
will be submitted by the Brotherhood.
Negotiations then will be conducted
and a strike wilKbe called only if they
failed.
"The railroad workers feel that their
claims are just and righteous," Shea
said. "The eight hour day is the 'g
ing day' for laboring people and as a
penalty of working men overtime The
railroads must pay time and a half
overtime. Railway employees do not
care to work overtime."
NEW YORK PAPERS AGREE TO
DECREASE NUMBER OF PAGES.
New York, August 1. Publishers of
daily newspapers in Greater New
York, at a meeting this afternoon,
took action which will result in a de
crease in the number of pages in their
morning, evening and Sunday issues of
121 pages a week. The reduction of
so many pages is a step to relieve the
news print paper situation, which is
regarded by the publishers as very se
rious. Action was also taken to elim
inate returns of unsold copies.
Ruler of Holland, Woman Who Spurn
ed Crown Prince On The
Throne.
(From the London Ideas.)
The Queen of the Netherlands, as
Wilhelminia, Queen of Holland, is com
monly called, is one of the most in
teresting women in the world. She is
also the only woman who is a reigning
sovereign, and has been such since her
tenth year, in 1890, upon the death of
her father, the former king.
She was the only child, therefore her
education had to be particularly broad
and comprehensive. The system adopt
ed was naturally a methodical one and
severe. The different professors en
gaged to instruct the little queen on
special subjects were experts in their
chosen fields, and Wilhelmina proved
to be not a brilliant student at all, but
one of those steady plodders who get
there all over, as a small boy would
say. The great idea in systematizing
the course of study of the Queen was
that the greatest possible among of
work should be accomplished within
the smallest space of time.
The Queen 's first official public ap
pearance was at Amsterdam, when she
was but ten years old. The country
round was wild with excitement, and
great preparations were made by the
people to render meek homage to their
queen, to the two queens, in fact, for
Queen Emma was reigning sovereign
during the minority of little Wilhel-
mina.
London, August 3. The armies in th
three great centers of recent activitr
-me oomme region of France, Russia
and Galicia evidently have let u
considerably in the violent fighting im
which they have been engaged and are
indulging in a breathing spell prepara
tory to further attacks and counter
attacks. The official communication
dealing with the operations in these
theatres Wednesday tell of no single
important engagement or of any one
table changes in the positions of any
of the belligerents.
Attacking in echelon on a three mile
line, from the Meuse river to Fleury,
north of Verdun, the French have cap
tured several German trenches and
organized points of support. In the
engagements 600 Germans were made
prisoners and ten machine guns were
eaptured.
On the Russian front, Petrograd re
ports merely artillery duels and infan
try attacks on the Stokhod and Turia
river fronts and of local Russian of
fensives on the Stripa river in Ga
licia, all of which were repulsed.
Attacks on the Austrian front againit
the Italians at various points, includ
ing Cimone, Monte Seluggio and Cas
tellatto, have been repulsed with heavy
casualties, according to Rome.
The Russians are keeping up their
advances against the Turks in the Cau
sasus region.
The Germans have carried out anoth
er air raid on the eastern countri-s of
England the third during the present
week.
HE SAYS KITCHIN WAS
EVERLASTINGLY
RIGHT
Washington Banker Says Order Would
Put Postmasters in the Banking
Business and Cost Democratic
Votes
(P. R. A. in Washington Star.)
Washington, D. C. Aug. 2. Wade H.
Cooper, president of the United States
Savings and Union Savings banks, of
Washington, and also interested in a
JERSEY CITY WILL EXCLUDE ALL
MUNITIONS
'SIAMESE TWINS" STAY SO.
Railroads Will Seek Injunction to Re
strain City From Enforcing
Order
New York, Aug. 2. The railroad
lines that have terminals in Jersey
CJty will apply for a temporary injunc
tion to prevent the city from exclud
ing shipments of munitions from that
port. Yesterday the commission in
charge of Jersey City voted to have
the director of public safety to stop
the railroad from putting explosives in
city. Order is to go in effect at 12
o 'clock, noon tomorrow. The authori
ties took the step to safeguard the
lives of the citizens- from a repetition
of the disastor of Sunday.
Jersey City, Aug. 2. Determined to
prevent a recurrence of the disastrous
fire and explosion on Black Tom Island
Parents of Eastern Prodigies Will Not
Agree to Separate Them
Margaret and Mary Gibb, world fa
mous "Siamese Twins," of Holyoke,
Mass., have just celebrated their fourth
birthday. They have grown steadily
in size and health since last year, when
it was almost decided to operate om
their little bodies and cut them apart.
The Siamese twins remain fastened
together at the hips, and their mother
declares that they shall continue so.
Laughter, play and noise resound
where Margaret and Mary Gibb chance
to be. Occassionally there are tears
and little tiffs between them. The last
are never serious.
Their feet twinkle in fascinating un
ison as the girls run, descend steps of
clamber into their porch hammock.
They spend much time in demonstrat
ing love for each other. They seem te
yearn for everything that pleases ehij
dren for their years. They are bril
liant, joyous youngsters, with normal
aspirations and usual notions. They are
like other little girls, only they can
never be apart.
The education of Mary and Margaret
has begun. Blackboard and chalks are
the principal appurtenances. The sehool
marm is their mother.
Mr. Gibb takes a positive attitude on
things connected with the twins. He
says they will never be operated npom
or exhibited. Their future has been
planned. It is for the parents to eare
for one and enjoy these children ia
their own domestic way. From the
Boston Post.
THEIR MOTIVE A MYSTERY
dozen other banks in the south, par
tieularly in North Carolina, told the!1 Sunday morning, the city commis
came actively identified with the or
ganization of the Irish national volun-
t , woe in the United States ! America, claimed
LrTl i3. 1 1
ANOTHER AIR RAID OVER
EAST COAST OF ENGLAND
London, August 3. German airships
have again flown over the eastern coun
ties of England, dropping bombs. An
official communication just issued says:
" A number of airships crossed the
coast of the eastern counties shortly
after midnight. Their objective has
not yet been definitely ascertained, as
the raid is still progressing. Some
bombs were dropped at various places.'
when the war began and addressed ant tropical sun had unbajanced him men
open letter to the Irish press advising j tally, basement was Dora on oeptem
ber, 1914, he went to Norway and
thence to Berlin, whence came the news
that startled the world Casement was
what his country looked upon as high
treason. His friends, recalling his
vears of service in Africa and South
for him that the
Fein
revolt and that there waa no) irishmen to remain neutral. In Octo-jber ,1 1864.
Star correspondent today that Majority
Lead'er Claude Kitchin was everlast
ingly right in Condemning the recent
order issued by Postmaster General
Burleson, directing postmasters through
out the country to collect checks drawn
on state banks who are not members
of the Federal Reserve system.
"Again Democratic Leader Claude
Kitchin has demonstrated hjs sound
sense in condemning the recent order
issued by Postmaster General Burle
son directing postmasters throughout
the country to collect checks for their
patrons," said Mr. Cooper. Such an
order, if carried into effect, he said,
would practically force all the small
postmasters in the United States to ac
tively engaged in the banking business,
that they would have to do the busi
ness of collecting checks and securing
and maintaining a force of office em
ployes just as any country bank would
do, and that Mr. Kitchin was correct
when he said such an order would cost
North Carolina 25,000 Democratic
votes.
"I tell yorf to compare Claude Kitch
in 's ability to the ability of some of
his critics would be like comparing the
radiant splendor of the sun to the flash
ing of the lightning bug. Mr. Kitchin
has always been found safe, sane and
practical in every emergency, and the
man who suggested the issnsance of
this recent order requiring postmasters
to collect ehecks manifestly did not
know what he was driving at."
sioncrs of Jerse3r City have voted to
exclude from that city within 24 hours
all freight cars laden with high ex
plosives. If the railroads fail to comply, Di
rector of Public Safety Frank Hague,
chief of the police department, is in
his power and at his command to en
force the order.
City employees were later sent to
the terminals of all railroads entering
the city to put into effect the order on
the storage of ammunition in cars, and
on piers in this city and on its ship
ment to the city for steamers going to
Europe. This action was taken because
of the great explosion of ammunition
at Black Tom Pier Sunday morning.
The order will become effective tomor
row. All the railroads having termin
als here have received notice to dis
continue receiving war munitions
through this city. Officials of some of
the railroads threaten to get out in
junctions restraining the city from
barring explosives.
75,612 BABIES BORN IN STATE IN
1915.
According to preliminary statistics
compiled today by the Bureau of Vital
Statistics there were 75,612 babies born
in North Carolina in 1915. This is
equivalent to a birth rate of approxi
mately 31 per thousand of population.
This birth rate is considerably above
the average birth rate reported in the iron bridge below the Kingsdale mill U
United States. go dwn to0
Why Was Attempt Made to Wreck
Bridge at Lumbcrton?
Lumberton, N. C.,Aug. 1. No satis
factory explanation has yet been ad
vanced as to the motive of the miscre
ant who early Sunday morning at
tempted to wreck the wooden bridge
over lumber river between midnight
and day Sunday, as reported in a di
patch published in the Star Monday
morning.
Only the timely arrival of Night Pe-'
liceman J. B. Boyle Sunday morninj
about 2:30 o'clock saved the going
down on the old wooden bridge which
crosses lumber river at the foot of
Third street, says the Robesoni&n.
Some misguided wret.rh had sawed ore
of the sills and all the sleepers under
the bridge on the east side in 'two ex
cept one, and had sawed the second sill
about half in two. A new crosscut saw
and a-new axe were found at the place
where the dastardly job was being
done. Mr. Boyle said he was down at
the Seaboard station and heard some-.
body making a noise down at th
bridge but never thought of what waa
taking place for some time. .However,
he decided to make some investigation
and walked down that way. Before he
reached the foot of the bridge the ma,
fled and Mr. Boyle saw him. leaving im
a hurry. No one seems to know why
anybody 'would have been so much in
terested in the bridge going away, but
some investigation may be made that
will clear up things. Had the bridge
gone down the stream it might .ha7
caused the Seaboard trestle and the