ifWiB BERTIE COUNTY'S BIGGEST; DAY,
four Tlojsand Per pie
Orchestral ElusiiV
Many Home
Governor Craig and Judge
Two Excursion Trains over the
and One on the Steamer
Some Eestimate the Crowd
Free Dinnor to the Public;
Next Year, with the Hope
An Effort to be Made to Secure Governor Joseph W. Folk of
M issouri, a Bertie Cauntyj
ure. Bertie Did Herself
It was a big success a great day!
Uone greater has occurred in the his
tory of the old county. It was a
proud day. And the heart of eve -y
true citizen swelled with -pride for t le
old home, for the glories of her part,
the achievements of the present, a id
the prospects of k her great future.
To have a Home Coming Week, and
for the Chief Executive, the, first citi
zen of the state to be the chief partic
ipant, the first son of the old county
to return, is given to but few places,
andto that few but seldom. : Surely
it was a great day. ; -'.
Four thousand people were here.
The Gpverjnorand Judge Robert
Winston and his sister, formerly .Miss
Alice Winston, now Mrs. F. S. Spu--ill,
arrived the day before. They
-vere met ii Aulander by automobi es
and reached Windsor by noon. . In
Aulander the Governor and the Judge
we given their first ovation by their
countymen. . It was. the first opportu
nity of our county men to manifest their
county pride, and - they did so.royalIyf
Three hunored citizens or more of that
Bertie town greeted the returning atid
distinguished sons at the station, and
bid them a royal welcome arid a glad
and proud hand. Governor Craig and
Judge Winston responded to their wel
come in a short speech each, and they
left for the county-seat. They were
met several miles from the town by an
escort of parties in automobiles and
driven to the home of Governor Fran
cis D. Winston. , ..-j J;
Now in Bertie, i was Locke Craig
and Bob Winston. They were return
ing sons. They were with their frie ids
of childhood and youth, their i play-fellows
of years gone by; the friends of
their fathers, their kindred on their
native hearth the old home.
And that afternoon was spent fin
greeting: old acquaintances on the
streets and visiting scenes of tneir
childhood, and noting our progress.
Occasionally they would seei a - land
rnark, but always some old and beau
ful tree, or some spot where ha )py
'days were spent. For the old Town lad
changed. She had gone ahead. . 3he
had kept pace in material i progress
with the great careers of her great
sons. The whole county had grwn
and developed and prospered. It ras
not the old Har man's crcs3 roads
here they were first greeted in Bertie.
It was the New and Progressive town
tf Aulander. j-i And on their drive-from
Aulander to Windsor the magnificent,
wall kept farms, with , their luxjuriant
crops and pretty homes, and oyer ex
cellent roads, impressed our pros Jer
Y greater still and showed i thatthe
Progress and advancement 1 of their
native county; was well founded and
general. . ,
Wednesday night Mrs. 'and Irs.
J oseph L. Spivey tendered rj an elabo
rate reception te the Governor and the
distinguished guests an elaborate re
option, The guests were met at! the
to:r by Mr. and Mrs. I T Smith and
ushered in the reception robin w iere
tney met the following in the receiving
line: Gov. Craig; Mrs. J, L, Spivey,
Mr, Spivey, Mrs, F, S, -Spruill,' J?dge
Robert W. Winston, Mrs, C. J. Saw
yer, Mrs, F, M VAir-Mrs. Francis
I, Winston arid Rev. x) Speigjjt
From the reception room they were
taken to the hall by Mr; J J B, Gfflam
, and Miss Julia Gtokc3 where they
Here; Brass Band and
Receptions and Flay
Comers
Robert Winston the Speakers,
Wellington and Powellsville Road,
Mayflower all Heavily Loaded.
at Five Thousand. - A Bpuhtiful
Plans Already Being Made for
of even Possibly Eclipsing This.
Son by Parentage ; a National Fig-
Proud. ;
were served punch by Misses Isabelle
Brett and "Maud Mason Spivey. Then
they wered ushered to the - library ;r jora
and were served, chocolate and wafers
by Mrs, E, P, Srssoms; and cream and
cake by Mrs, Abram Burden and the
little Daughters. AJiss Josie Spivey
rendered excellent music during the
evening and toasts were said to Ber
tie's .Governor. ;
And thus the, guests and visitors
had been prepared to expect what was
to follow the next day.
Great were the preparations, arid
great were the results.- And J care
tully and minutely was every f eatui e
of the day's program carried out arid
executed. " ; It was magnicently done
.We wereproud ; of our' town and our
county : It "showed the'old tcpuntyup'
f or what she is, in her true ? light.
' Patriotism and prosperity abounded.
As advertised the exercisees began
with a parade from the Windsor Cas
tld, the home of Gov. Winston, where
the distinguished speakers were being
entertained, to the court house Where
the exercises were held. Automobiles
and ; carriages were all handsomely
decorated and banners and- flags and
bunting and ribbon donned the town
and waved from every h ouse-top. I n
the procession, were '
j Flag bearers---L. C, Floyd and G.
C. Davis.
j 'Band," - - ' 1 - 'M'H
p Boy Scodts. headed by Master Chas
. Sawyer. ' - : - .f'.
j Marshals F.M. Duns tan, Cadmus
Capehart and G. T. Davis.
In the 1st. automobile were: Gov.
Craicr. Judge Francis D. Winton, Mrs.
j J. L. Spivey (President of the U.;D.
' C. ) Rev. T. T. Speight (President of
the Veterans Association). J
J. 2nd. apto Judge Robert Winston,
Hon. C. W. Mitchell, Mrs. F. S. Spru-J
ill and Mayor H. P. Sewell. I
3rd. Mesdames. E..L. Gatling, C. J
Sawyer, F. M. Allen, H. M. Hell--officers
of the U. D. C. - 1
4th. Mrs. H. B. Kenney, - Mrs. M.
L. Griffin, Mess. Thos. Manning and J
B. Gillam. - . .
5th. Miss Renfrow, Miss Mary
Johnson and E. V. Gaskins. s -.. ;.
6th, Pony float Mr, Percy Davis.
7th. Pony float, .. Master Stephen
E. W. Kenney and Robert Turner
Bond
8th, Mrs. Francis D, Winston and
T. Gillam Jr. ' ' r :'J
At the court bouse awaiting the'ar
rival of th. procession, and our state's
first citizen arid . the county's Jionored
son, was the grandest sight of all
one necessarily pitiful short .double
rank of brave, enduring veterans of
the terrible struggle ,of the sixtle
every man but ajfew.days from his bibli
cal allotment ef three score and ten,
and not a comparative few beyond It
was a noble sight; and filled oiir heart
with emotion. 7 Yet it was, sad, as we
looked upon ' their bent forms and
weather worn and battle scarred faces
and. realized how soon it will be when
the last one shall have gone and noth
ing but a loving memory shall live.
May that ever' keep f iesh I and frag
ran t--and it shall. ! ' -
"-A halt of a few minutes was had
here, and' 'the ' Veterans gave three
long cheers for Bertie's Qovernor of
the great State that was the 'first at
Bethel the last at Appomattox and in
tha fiercest at Gettysburg; end the
band played . Dixie, the Old North
State and other r air s . ; Then ; the
protession of people followed the Sold
iers andif the 8 peak e rs j i n ' the court
house, passing under tf)e- fold of the
emblem of a ' united country supported1
by two manly-voting men, the descend
arits of those who bore ther; colors in
those , turbulent t.$mesof '61-'65.
In the court house' Aulander's ex
cellent Orchestra,, which is not sur
passed jru the state, dispensed some of
sweetest music it has been our pleas-r
ure to hear. Then : the program for
the meeting of the Old Soldiers began.
These rcxercises were held under the
aupi es of theDaughters- --the Frank
ByrdTChapter ofthe Daughters of the
Confederacy, of which Mrs. .Jos. L.
Spivey is now President, ; and who of
ficiated in rendering the exercises;
while: this President of the Veterans'
Association, the Rev: T. T. Speight,
presided.
4 Judge Francis D. Winston then in
troduced Governor Craig. In his in-
- s
:SSsi:::5sfty
-1
troduction Judge Winston paid an elo
quent -tribute to hisJife-long friend
and school-mate. They were boys to
gether; they were students v together
arid they have achieved eminence and
success together--one the present Gov
ernbr, the other a former Lieutenant
Governor and distinguished jurist. ' It
was therefore fitting: that be should
introduce him And his introduction
was appropriately worded, and delivered
4n his own liappy and inimical style.
He is as fine an orator and as distin
guished a sori as any who have left their
county. t Governor . Craig's speech
was great and eloquent. Cheer after
cheer greeted him. His tribute to the
Confederate Veterans was " most elo
quent. His references to-his; old home
were most tender and touching. His
statement of present day problems
were pointed and thoughtful.
At the conclusion of the oration the
business of the Association was had.
The Secretary, Mr. R. W. Askew,
called the roll and there was a - most
painful yet "eloquent silence fiifteen
times as fifteen- names were 'called
and a dead "stillness prevailed. They
had answered the call of the Great
Captain abpye.. They had passed Be -
vond within the last , twelve months
Then election of officers followed with
Rev. Ti T. Speight being re-elected
President;
. W. H. Smithwick, ' Vice-President
. R. W. Askew, Secretary. ,-;
Rev. J. R. 'Matthews, Chaplain, v
Benediction was then said and, an
adjournment had for dinner. 4 This
concluded the exercises for the Vet
erans. ; . , . '
Dinner .was served everybody.
There-were two - tables. A table for
the Veterans and .the' Home . Comers,
and one for the general public free
with the compliments of the day. The
Dinner Comriiittee did its duty well.
It was considerable task to arrange
and feed such, a throng - of . people, but
the task was; in. the. hands of experi
enced men and was admirably perform
ed. The following genteleriien com
posed the Committee: Dr. E. : W.
Puirh, W. T. Heckstall. T. Gillam,, J.
T. Nicholls, T. C. Bond, E- L. Gatling
J. W, Cooper, ,W-' S. Pritchard J B.
Stokes, and J. L. Spivey. They were
assisted by Perry Hoggard. Geo, H.
Hoggard and S. W. Kenney; , ; a
The dinner was" in keeping with 'the
other excellent features of jth'e day's
nrntrram : chicken.' ham. ! beef' and
' ' , -. i
iresn meat, yegetaDies 01 : every Kina;
pickles,, cake, and other sweets, fresh
baker's bread, etc. And much : was
leftover, ... r . ;
After dinner tha Horns Centra
f. "
meeting .was heldi ;The court bouse
was idgain packed. The band played
Home Sweet Home and several other
appropriate - selections. The ; Orches
tra; followed with " quite i a ' number of
the select pieces and 4the "exercises
began. . ,,The musical numbers were
all fine.", Home Again brought i down
the house, . Those taking' part ,were
Mrs C J. Sawyer; Mrs. E. L. Gat r
ling, Mrs. Frank Allen, " Mrs. H.-Bell,
ilrs; L. ,B. Sutton, Mrs A. -Burden,
Mrs. S. W, Kenney, Mrs. I. T: Smith,
Mrs.; A. .B. Phelps; . Misses" .Minnie
Belle Riddick, Willie Pugh, May Nich
oll8:and. Af.C..MJchell and F. D. Win
ston. The Secretary them read a num
ber of letters from, absent sons and
daughters . . W e . J h . a v e here-,
tofore published them, save two "which
appear elsewhere in this issue, a tele
gram from South Carolina Signed by
sixt VBertie Countians' '; a letter from
Dr. Geo. T, Winston " of , Asheville.
Ther letters expressed regrets at not
being, able, to attend arid much love for
their native connty. Some were from
sons five thousand miles away.
'f- Gov. Winston, who, ,in the absence
of the Chairman of the' Association,
presented ou county man, Hon. C. V.
Mitchell; who introduced the speaker
for the Home Corners; Judge ; Robert
W. Winstonl. of Raleigh, C brother tp
our townsman. - Mr. Mitchell's 'intro
duction - was timely said He is a
strong- speaker, another s. distinguished
son of whom we . feel justly. proud.
His reference to the Home tayers"
who have' remained with us and assist
ed in our uplift, was indeed : pat and
appropriate:
v Judge Winston's v splendid address
was mostly reminiscent He paid fit-
ting tribute to the great men . and
good women the county has produced,
and he especially .voiced a great satis
faction at so many .evidences : of pros
perity Xknd progress. ; He js optimistic
grips tho attention of his i hearers and
holds them fast, and pleases, and in
8tructs. His address made a profund
impression and ' gave our people their
first chance to hear him in a public
address. They are delighted, that he
came. -
Several talks were made by the va
rious Home Comers, and Mr, "Moses B
Gillam and the exercises closed.
Thursday night the - climax of the
County's most gala day . was reached
when the Thespians, under that' mas
terful hand, who did so much for the
dayfs success, Mrs. j Francis D. Win
ston, a splendid play was nresented in
the opera house a war play, entitled
Weeping Willows Aulander's unex
celled Ochestra furnishing, the music.
It was a great day.
A Letter From Dr. Winston.
Asheville, N. C.
. Aug. 7th.
Mr. S. W. Kenney,. Secy.
v Windsor, N. C.; ' ' "',
My : dear Mr.1 Kenney : ' .
Though absent : in person, I anj
With vou heart and soul today in the
(great gathering of the sons and dau
ghters of Bertie to . welcome back his
native town ana county me niusiriaus
Governor of North Carolina, 'formerly
my friend and pupil, now . my, friend
and teacher, the Hen. Locke (Craig,
statesman, scholar, orator and philan
thropist; v It is over a hundred years
since Bertie County gave North Caro-.
lina a governor; but Bertie governors
are not of the 'ordinary sort: four
years of a Bertie governor are" equal
to a century of the average governor
In the illustrious list of our, state ex
ecutives no names, will shine v more
brightly than David Stone" and Locke
Craig. 1 ; 1 ' , " . ;
From the formation -ot pur state to
the present day; not a decade has pass
ed in which Bertie County could not
have furnished North Carolina 6 with a
capable and efficient governor. ,
:But, as a rule, the friends of-; Ber
tie have been too busy for gubnatorial
rpors their talents have been em
ployed on cotton, corn and peanuts;
herring, shad, and speckled perch; deer
foxes; and wild' turkeysl, Some un
able to keep up with the . Bertie pro-,
cession, . have wandered away .to 'slow
er communities, to Buncombe or to
Wake, to Tennessee - or to Missouri.
The other wanderers will - speak., for
themselves, f - r' '-r. - v
As for myself , memory , takes me I
back daily to some scene in my nauve
county; to the winding' shore of ths
f?-n eilsnt : Csshxa with its ; rccdy
banks and 'its fragrant festoons of
yellow jesamine, to the broad, ehady
streets arched with elms, to the wild,
rushing muddy Roanoi, to the broad,
placid Chowan, to the Albemarle," with
itsw, swamps and ; fishe'ies, its moss
garlanded cypress t ees and q &J
cvpress knees, . to the old fam ftp
roads, so often? traveled,, from Cole
rain and Merry Hill apd f Seaboard to
Windsoi. Above alj I see the gentlo
folks, the ' true ster i g . men and ,wo
men; v whose past live have made Beiy
tie county what .it.riow is, a land of
plenty and power,' a . land .of peac9,
virtue and happiness, a land worthy
'to live in and to die in. -
Where'er I'r6amt whatever lands I see,
My heart, unfailing fondly turns to the
My native land, my dear beloved Bertia
f . , .GEO, TAYLOE WINSTON,
COUNTY COM. PROCEEDINGS
The August Meeting of the Board
. pf Commissioners Routine ' '
. - ' t , - Business., ; '
Accounts Audited and Paid
The Board of County Commissioners
met .in Windsor' on ' August 4, with R,
1 Shield, Chairman pro tem, presidinc;
and Commissioners J, S, Jenkins, J, B
Stokes and T W. Griffin. -
Minutes of last meeting were read
and;approved, : after which the Board
transacted the following business. '
J On motion it was ordered that Lear
Jordan b a paid $1.00 temporary help
and be put on the poor list.
. On motion it. was ordered that' $30
be paid J. Shield for services ren
dered as' Commissioner.
1 - w in ' mti a uni v m w vjv u . mrnn . , w r a v ,.1
S Prichard,be;paid $200 for work on
computing the taxes. .; C , -
On motion it was ordered that
be ajlowed Judge Peebles to employ ft
stenographsr for September term of
court. ; ' ' -
On motion it was ordered thstt R, J
Shield and J. S. Jenkins be instructed
to order sr me parts to the roai mft
chine in their township,
. .The following accounts were audited
na oruerea paia.
P F Cobb, hand-hire and, ser
vices in Whites township ; '46,03
P F Cobb,, timber, work, etc. on ,
r bridges An. Whites township - 24,10
Whites township road fund from-
Merry Hill fund 120,00
Ernest White; hand-hire and ser
vices in Merry Hill township 56,40
C E.Hobbs,' house rent' for road
hands and team' Indian Woods 4, CO
Jesse Howard, hand-hire and ser ¬
vices Mitchells township 366,0?
S P Hale, work and hand-hire in
Sfiakebite township, IIQ
Austin Bros, rood drag . Colerain
V township, .20,00
W T Heckstall services and hand -
hire in Windsor, township, 253,04
Jesse Hoggard; work on road ma ,
. ( chine, lumberj etc, , - 78,72
Windsor Electric and Power Co. 1,85
Ed Skiles, fixing cable and opera- ,
, ting ferry, : . - . , 87, CO
W J Butler,, feeding prisoners 40, CO
A S Rascoe.jmdse court house. 21,07
P, T Perry, .mdse . for road mac
hine S,C3
W H Thompson, work on jail, 1S,00
RC azembrey'Daint, etc. for the ,
ri? eourt house and jail, " : 124,10
J F Phelps, mdse for Co. Farm 83,03
E. Rhodes,, lumber for jail. 17,07
S P Hale, Idmber and -work 6,C3
Stokes & Tadlock: mdse.. ' 1.C0
J F Phelps,, services, - 50,00
Ernest White, supplies machine 5,10
J J Mardre & Bro, mdse for jaii 1,C0
W T'Heckstall,' cement and. re- ;
1 pairs to machine, . - - 63,Q1
W M Sanderlin services ianitor. 10.0ft
Edwanes & Broughton, tax-bks, 33, Cj
P F Cobb4-building bridge, 75,L0
There being no furthvr business thl.
Board ad journed
R; J.. SHIELD,
- : . : . Chairman, pro t5Cli
W. S. Pritchard, Clerk. . , ,
Mr, D, A; Pierce, who left tho clr
town thirty years ago, C and hasn't TC
turned before, was among tho her. 3
comers, V He' was - in the jewelry Izzz
iness here and now lives in llctcn,
While here he was tha geest cf Fc:t
master Kmr: : -: -
1