2f)r j&roitljfietb JlcfaliJ,
price one dollar per vear. "TRUE TO OURSELVES, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR GOD.'' single copies three cents.
VOL. 20. SMITHFIELD, N. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1902. NO. 43.
NELL CROPSEY FOUND.
Her Body Was Floating in the
River Near Her Home.
JURY SAYS SHE WAS MURDERED.
Wilcox Arrested and Lodged in
Jail?Story ot the Dead Girls'
Disappearance.
The body of Miss NellieCropsey
was found floating in the Pas
quotank river opposite her
father's home at Elizabeth City
last Friday morning.
The body was discovered bv J.
1>. Stillman, a fisherman. Upon
discovering that the floating ob
ject was the body of a young girl
ne gave notice, anil Coroner Fear
ing had it brought to the shore
When found it was floating face
downward.
The spot where the body was
found had been dragged several
times since her disappearance,
but with no previous result.
VEKD1CT CHARGES ill'It UK II.
Coroner hearing summoned a
jury of prominent men from
among the crowd that had as
sembled and call"d in lbs. ,1. E.
Wood and <>. .McMullen to make
a thorough autopsy so as to
learn if there was any signs of
violence on the body. The ver
dict of the jury was as follows:
"v\e report mm irum me in
vestigation made by physicians
of Elizabeth City, and from their
opinion, and also from our per
sonal observation, that HI la
Cropsey came to her death bv
being struck a blow on the left
temple and by being drowned in
the Pasquotank river. We have
not yet investigated nor heard
any testimony as to who inflicted
the blow and did the drowning.
We are informed that one James
Wilcox is -harged with the crime
and is now in custody. We recom
mend that investigation as to his
or anyone else's probable guilt
be had by one or more magis
trates in Elizabeth City town
ship), and that Wilcox be held to
await such investigation."
Wilcox was arrested and lodged
in jail. Fearing violence the
Naval Reserves were called out
to guard the jail.
The following stoiy of thedei)d
girl was published iu the Balti
more Sun last Saturday:
Ella Cropsey was 17 years ohl
and was one of nine children?six
daughters and three sons?of W.
H. Cropsey. Most of th- children
are younger. There were two
other grown daughters, Louise
and Olive. Their home is a (15-;
acre farm about half a mile from
the center of Elizabeth City. The
family went there from New York
about four years ago.
The house site back 100 feet
from the road. About 100 feet
tne other side of the road is the
Pasquotank river, a stream at
that point about half a mile wide.
One can walk from the veranda
of the house to the river bank in
half a minute. Half a mile back
of the house is a swamp.
James W ilcox. whorunsa small
engine ia a shipyard, had been
paying court to Ella Cropsey for
two years Leroy Crawford bad
been paying Miss Olive Cropsey
attentions for about the same
time. The two young men were
visitors at thehouseon tin night
of November 20. Miss Carrie
Cropsey, of New York, a cousin,
was in the parlor.
Wilcox rose to go about 11
o'clock. He asked Ella to st* p
to the door with him. At that
hour all the others had retired
except Miss Olive, who, with
Leroy Crawford, was sitting in
the parlor.
At 11:30 Miss Olive, thinking
her sister had retired after bid
ding Wilcox good night, told
Crawford it was time for him to
go home. Crawford left and Miss
olive, who occupied the same
room with Ella, went to bed
Noticing that Ella had not
come in, she supposed her sister
and Wilcox had stepped into the
sitting room across the hall to
have a privute chat.
At midnight a pointer dog
owned by Mr. Cropsey began to
bark. Mr. Cropsey's brother,
Henry X. Cropsey, took up a gun
and wentout. thinkiugtkat some
body was trying to steal the
turkeys or young pigs. The whole
family was aroused bv the noise.
Seeing her uncle with the gun,
and fearing her sister and Wilcox
were on the lawn, Miss Olive
screamed out warning him not
to shoot. Then she asked her
father if Ella wasnotdownstairs.
It was after midnight and nearly
an hour since the girl had been
seen by any member of the family.
Soon the fact was known that
Ella had disappeared.
Here is a statement recently
made by Mr. Cropsey, fa her of
the girl:
"1 went to bed at 8:2." o'clock
that night, after sitiing for a
time with the children. Olive tells
me that all that evening Jim
Wilcox did not speak a word to
Ella. He told the others that he
was to be home at II o'clock.
He kept looking at his watch
every few nuriutes. In view of
what has happened 1 regard this
as important.
"At 11 :<>?"? o'clock he rose to go
and then spoke to Ella, asking
her to go to the door. That was
the last we saw of her. When we
found that she was gone after
midnight and my wife began to
weep I tried to cheer her by sav
ing that Ella and young Wilcox
had eloped. Hut my wife became
so worried that, with my brother,
I decided to go to the Wilcox
house to see if we could learn
something there.
"It was after 2 a. ni. when we
got there and told them what
had happened. They said they
would ask Jim. He never gotup
to see me or to volunteer any
help in the search.
"From the Wilcox home I went
to Chief of Police Dawson. I did
not want the young fellow arrest
ed even then. Wilcox was taken
to my home and questioned for
hours by my family. My wife
begged him for her sake and for
the sake of his own mother,
whom we all respect, to speak
frankly and tell everything he
knew
"All he would say was that he
left Ella crying on the porch; that
they were there about ten min- ;
utes, and that she cried and was
still crying when he passed out of;
the gate and started home.
"The girl never committed sui
cide. She was bright, happy and
healthy minded. She was looking
forward with thegreatest delight
to a visit to New York withner
cousin. Nor did she elope. Not
one of her things was missing,}
except the light clothing she wore.'
She had had a lot of trouble with
a corn 011 her right foot and that
night wore a large, loose rubber
instead of a shoe". ()n the other
she wore a low shoe.
"No, my girl was carried off
that stoop. I had the best train
ed bloodhound in Virginia down
here with 'Hurricane' branch to
direct its work. Thehound could
not find a fresh trail."
James Wile>x is about24years
old. He is short, standingabout
5 feet 1 or 2 inches, is stocky
built and wears a brown mails
tach. His lather, cx-Mierin Wil
cox, is one of the best-known and
best-liked men in the town. He
and ,M r. Cropsey are warm friends,
and the unfortunate happening
has not severed their friendship.
Young James hasa frank, open
face and does not look the part
that munycredithim with having
played.
"How do you account for
Klla's disappearance?" he was
asked.
"1 cannot account for it," he
replied. "You can account for it
as well as I."
"Would not the fact that you
returned her gifts and had a dis
agreement with her cause her to
drown herself?"
"No. It is true I gave her back
her photograph and a parasol
and some other things belonging
to her, and that we had a disa
greement some time before. Hut
that would not cause her to end
her life."
"Who could have taken lier
away, then? You know that a
great many people think you are
responsible for her disappear
ance."
"Yes, you can hear a lot about
? I
me if you listen to these people.
But I don't know who took her
away or where she is."
"What happened between you
while you were on the piazza?"
"I gave her back her things and
she began to cry. She was cry
ing all the time wewereout then?.
1 said very little."
Did you ever declare that Ella
would never go to New York?"
"No; not even in a joke."
"Did you say that you would;
suffer tortures before you would
tell all you knew about the mat
ter?"
"No; that is one of the lies put
up against me."
"W hy did you not get out of |
the bed the first night Dr. Crop
sey came to your house and help
him in the search for the girl?"
"I am a sound sleeper. My |
mother has to awaken me several
times every morning. I answer
every time and tell her that I'll
get up, and the next second I'm
asleep again. When they came
up that night and awoke me and ;
said Mr. Cropsey wanted to know
where 1 left Ella, 1 said, 'On the
front porch,' and fell asleep
again.
"Were you and Ellaengaged to
marry?"
"No; that had never been men
tioned by either of us."
A fortnight after EllaCropsey's
disappearance Wilcox was ar
rested, and at a hearing given in
Elizabeth City on December 3 he
was held in $1,000 bail to await
the action of the grand jury on
the charge of abduction. On the
e .11 . ? .1 _ . _
iouowmg uay a young woman
was detained at Wilson, N. C.,
on suspicion of being Ella Crop
sev, but she was soon released.
Nearly $.'100 has been raised by
private subscription, bringing the
total reward offered for the Had
ing of the girl and the conviction
of those implicated up to $900,
without counting a special re
ward of $500 offered by A. G.
Cropsey, of New York, the girl's
u cle. Search for the missing
girl was kept up unremittingly.
Mrs. Eveline Mecom Dead.
In Kenly, N. C., on December
29, 1901, in her fifty-sixth year.
Mrs. Eveline Mecom, wife of
James Mecom, departed this life
in perfect peace, saying to those
about her, "1 am ready to go
and have no fear." She was
greatly beloved by the people of
her community, and was, when
able, going about doing good.
Surely in the home she will be
greatly missed, while we know
she has gone beyond our mortal
grasp, we are thankful for the
conviction that there is a better
and brighter world beyond the
shining stars. ?
She was a kind mother, a good
wife, and a devout Christian.
Let us not think that a life can
not be splendid unless it has the
glamour of publicity around it.
That woman lives the most and
best, gives most that helps so
ciety, who gathers into her life
the immediate forces of moral
strength and beauty, and thus
concretely embodies them forth
for her age to observe. This
alone seems a test of how much
one lives, and what the loss of
the community sustuiu's at
death.
\l..o vt?,-.,,, ' I
.hio. jirxum ?? n n a t"l
simple habits, and a pure life. 1
never heard hersay aught against
any one, neither have I heard any
one speak evil of her. Wonderful
testimony!
We tender our heartfelt sym
pathy to the bereaved family in
this, to them,so dark and trying
hour of attiiction. asking (lod to
comfort them, and to so direct
their faith that husband and
children may see Him as a tender
careful Father, in wlios^ near
presence the departed wife and
mother is now eternally happy.
The funeral services were con
ducted by the writer and her re
mains were laid to rest in Fleas
ant Grove cemetery.
Geo. H. 8tahli.no.
Last Monday .'12 applications
for divorce were tiled in the
Washington City Courts.
Four persons were killed and
18 injured in the wreck of a
Northwestern passenger train at
Malta, 111 , Sunday.
STATE NEWS.
Short Items ot Interest Clipped and
Culled From Our State
Exchanges.
i
Ex-Congressman W. H. H.
Cowles died at his home near ]
Wilkesboro Monday of pneu- ]
inonia. Col. Cowles was born in ]
Yadkin county 01 years ago.
The machinery is now being ,
installed in the newly completed
textile school building at the
Agricultural and Mechanical
College at Raleigh. The building
cost the State $25,000, and the
machinery, which is estimated to
be worth as much, is the gift of
many makers.
Mr. and Mrs. George Vander
bilt are entertaining some dis- 1
tinguished guests at Jliltmore,
near Asheviile. in the party are
our British Ambassador Joseph
11. Choate, Prince llelgracio
Talleyrand Perigord, and naval
Commander \\". J. Cowles,
brother in-law of President
Roosevelt.
"Peg Leg" Williams, well known
as tiie promoter of the great
negro exodus in 1890 and 1891,
was arrested Monday at Maxton
for conducting his business with
out a license, and was made to
pay a line of $50. He is not
securing many negroes now, not
over 250 having been sent away
so far, it is learned.
The Baptist State mission
board, which has appropriated
$25,000 to missions, had appli
cations for $30,000. It sets
apart $3,000 for schools in the
mountains, and the other appro
priations are for eastern mission
work in factories and co-opera
tive work among negroes. One
hundred missionaries are em
ployed.
John Morgan Green, a well
known tobacco dealer, formerly
of Durham was killed at Mount
Airy a few days ago, by falling on
a red hot stove. Hewasathome
standing near the stove, when he
had an epileptic fit. He fell across
the stove and seized the pipe in
his arms. The door was locked
and had to be forced by his
mother end brother, who found
the flesh nearly burned off much
of his body.
A trophy gun has been received ;
at the State museum in Ilaleigh.
It was part of the second battery
of the Cristobal Colon at Santi
ago. The Spaniards, during the
hot pursuit, threw overboard the i
breech blocks of most of theguus.
This gun is about 1J feet in
length. It will be placed beside
the gun captured from the Span
ish fleet at Manila, which was
presented to Raleigh by the
cruiser Raleigh.
The fact is not generally known,
but the Agricultural and Mechan
ical College is open to women in
j all departments. The board of
agriculture has established 120
agricultural scholarships which
are open to all young men in the
State, and young women too,
desiring to pursue agricultural
studies. Several young women
have applied for admission to
the wintercourses in dairying and
agriculture. It is expected that
tlie course in cotton manufact
uring will he very popular with
women.
The supreme court has upheld
the verdict awarding #12,000
damages against the Southern
Railway to Capt. S. (I. Coley, of
Raleigh. The opinion is one of
the most important that has
been rendered bytheeourt. estab
lishing the broad principle that
the fellow servant act, passed by
the legislature of 1S07. deprives
all railroad companies operating
in this Stale of the defense of the
assumption of risk. The Coley
lease is one of the most famous le
gal contests that has figured in tlie
State courts in years. Rack in
181)8 .Mr. Coley was yard master
for the Southern Railway in
Coldsboro and he fell from an
engine because defective piping
gave way. Suit was instituted
in| Wake for #.'50,000 damages
and he received a verdict for #12,
.">00. Since then there have been
three hearings of the casein the
supreme court..
NORTH CAROLINA IN l'HE LITER
ARY WORLD.
In almost everything North;
Carolina has been slow and con-;
servative. In nothing is this
truer than in the writing and
publishing of books. Our popu
lation is a rural one and as in all
rural communities the growth of
books and literature has been
slow. But the past year has
witnessed a great awakening in
matters educational and our
people are turning their atten
tion more and more to literature.
We are beginning to make a good
start us book producers, as the
following list from the Progres
sive Farmer will show:
Since January 1st, 1901, two
volumes of our Confederate Regi
mental Histories have been
issued.
Dr. J. Battle Avirett's "The
Old Plantation" has appeared.
Col. 1). Worthington has pub
lished a novel of reconstruction
days, "The Broken Sword."
Miss Sallie W. Stockard has
sent forth her "Lily of the Val
leys."
Col. II. B. Creecy's "Grand
father Tales of North Carolina
History" is just from the press.
"Cotton and Cotton Oil' sub
jects have been exhaustively dis
cussed in a volume by D. A.
Thompkins.
Prof. W. F. Massey has given
us "Crop Crowing and Crop
Feeding."
Emerson admirers have wel
comed Mrs. Margaret B. Shipp's
"Beautiful Thoughts from Ralph
Waldo Emerson."
"Among Flowers and Trees
with the Poets" has been com
piled chiefly by Miss Minnie Curtis
Wait.
Prof. W. C. Allen has published
his admirable collection of
"North Carolina History Sto
ries."
Doubleday, Page & Company's
sumptuous two-volume edition
of the "Memiors of Sir William
Byrd" is edited by Dr. Jno. S.
Bassett.
Prof. B. F. Sledd has issued a
new volume of poems.
"Stories of Bird Life," by Prof.
T. Gilbert Pearson, has appeared
and won golden opinions.
Moreover, one of the best sell
ing novels of the year, "Joscelyn
Cheshire," is a story of North
Carolina life written by a lady
who formerly lived in this State.
But the end is not yet, though
the prospective output is con
firmed to history and biography.
Judge Walter Clark and Mr.
Samuel A. Ashe are said to be
writing histories of the State,
while Prof Allen is at work on
another volume of the " History
Stories."
Mr. Marshall I)e Lancy Hay
wood is preparing a life of Gov
ernor Tryon.
A life of Nathaniel Macon may
be expected fro n Dr. Win. E.
Dodd.
Mr. W. .1. Peele will bring out
a second volume of tlie "Lives of
Distinguished North Caro
linians." i
The life of Gen. Joseph Graham
is being written by Maj. W. A.
Graham.
Ilenllvythi8 is not a bad show
ing for a beginner.
Lynching: in Northampton.
Raleigh, N. C., Dec. 2S.?Gover
nor Aycock this morning issued
an order and com missioned J udge
Justice to hold a special term of
criminal court for Northampton
county, to try Jeter Mitchell, a
negro, for criminal assault on
Mrs. Lucinda Hall, n^ar (larys
burg, but before the documents
left the city a telegram was
received to the effect that a crowd
of infuriated citizens gave "Judge
Lynch" jurisdiction early this
morning, and Mitchell was hung
on the limb of a tree by the jail
The order for a special term of
court of course was revoked.
Six men wer killed in the Mc
Allister coal mine, Hartshorn,
Indian Teritoiy, by the cape
jumping from its guidings while
descending a shaft, Monday.
GENERAL NEWS.
A Partial List of the Week's Hap
penings Throughout the
country.
Frank Hutchinson Peavey, the
Minneapolis millionaire, who
ilied Monday in Chicago, carried
$1,876,000 insurance on his life.
-Chief Geronimo and his band
of 21)8 Arizona Apaches, who
have been held at Fort Sill, Okla.,
as prisoners of war, are to be re
leased.
A disastrous fire occurred at
Calvert, Texas, Saturday, in
which two lives were lost and
propertv destroyed to the extent
of $1000,000.
On Monday evening at Wash
ington City the Junior Order of
United American Mechanics pres
ented Admiral Schley a beautiful
jeweled silver medal.
During the year 1001 it is esti
mated that 53,i?U(>,000 tons of
anthracite coal were mined and
marketed in the United States,
breaking previous records.
Another effort will be made by
the Panama Canal company to
sell the Panama canal to the
United States. It is said the
price asked will be $40,000.
it is saiu tnat uov. I,. M. Stoaw,
of Iowa, selected for secretary of
the treasury by the president,
has made #800,000 out of specu
lating in the Texas oil fields.
Rear-Admiral Francis A. Itoe,
United StatesNavy, (retired)
died at Washington Saturday
night. He entered the navy in
1841 and was retired in 188a.
The Attorney-General of South
Carolina has brought suit against
the Yirgima-CarolinaiC h e in i c a 1
Company to revoke its charter,
on the ground that it is a trust.
Seven negroes were drowned
Saturday while attempting to
cross the M ississippi river between
the Hermitage plantation and
Riverside, two miles below
Donaldsonville, La.
The battleship Missouri was
launched at Newport News Satur
day. Fully la,000 people, it is
estimated, saw the big defender
go overboard. The launching
passed off without a hitch.
Suits have been brought to
revoke the charters of theColum
bus, Hocking Valley and Toledo
and other Morgan lines in the
Ohio coal region, on the ground
that they constitute a trust.
Rev. James Heath, who is
alleged to have -illegally secured
a divorce from his wife in New
York to marry a Kansas City
woman, was deposed from the
ministry and expelled from the
Calvary baptist Church at a
meeting of the congregation at
Kansas City Sunday.
United States Senator William
.1. Sewell died at his home at
Camden, N. J.. Friday. He suf
fered from diabetes complicated
with stomach and'heart trouble.
Senator Sewell's illness had ex
tended over a period of five years,
but his condition was not con
sidered serious until a year ago.
.uiss siary liouistne Henncr. i
cripple about 28 years old, com
mitted suicide Saturday night in
('base's Theatre, Washington,
after frantically waving a note
at David Lozelle, an acrobat
with whom she was infatuated.
The performer, it is said, had
ignored Miss (tenner's ail ? s
for several months. Her motner
was in the theatre when the girl
swallowed the poison. Death
was almost instantaneous.
Mr. and Mrs. I-'ran is A. Kinsev,
pioneer residents of Kosciusko
county, Indiana, now living at
Warsaw. Ind., completed the last
day of the sixty-eighth year of
their married life Sunday and
celebrated their sixty-ninth an
niversary. Mr. Kinsev is O.'l
years old and his wife is 87. Doth
are in excellent health. They were
married in Knox county, Ohio,
December 20, 18.'t;t, and were
natives of Delaware and Mary
land, respectively. They are the
parents of 10 children, all living
excent one, the oldest of whom is
nearly 70 years old.