Newspapers / The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, … / March 12, 1909, edition 1 / Page 3
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, I .1 -- - ?? - Swift Retribution i. ..? By E. J. Hclt. Many years ago, when ! was a very small boy, I spent the most of my day-time with an old negro wan, whose principal work was driving an ox cart, hauling on the plantation where I was living. He was one of the old time negroes, wonderfully in dustrious, very kind to me and polite and deferential to all the white folks ?the kind of a negro that the boys of today know nothing of for that class of negroes has disappeared, leaving no successors. X rode hundreds of miles on the old man's cart, behind one of the finest pair of oxen I ever saw and many wonderful tales he told me. On one occasion, late in the even ing, he began to whip and hurry his team and said "I want to get by the Douglass Old Place before night;' that place is haunted and I am afraid to go along by there after sunset." That remark of the old man got me very much interested* and with a little effort I drew from him the following story. Shortly after the Revolutionary war there had come a man and his wife into this settlement, who built a cabin and cleared a few acres of land around it at this place. They lived there for some years. Douglass, for that was the man's name, spent most of his time in the woods hunt ing and on the creeks fishing. He was a silent, grum sort of a man, with very little use for neighbors and was very seldom seen by any of the few people who then lived in this part of the country, and never with out his rifle or fishing outfit, and not even on a fishing trip did he leave his gun at home. One evening, the old negro told me, there came to the Douglass cabin a man, a strang er travelling on foot with a pack on his shoulders. He appeared to be a pedler and asked permission to spend the night with the Douglass family, which was granted. That night he informed Douglass that he was a trader and was on his way to the head waters of Neuse river, where he hoped to dispose of the goods in his pack and invest the proceeds and other funds he had with him, in otter and mink skins, which he would load on a small boat and float down the river to New Bern, where he should sell out at a splendid profit. Soon the tired pedler was soundly sleeping after his hard day's tramp, with his heavy load, his pack of goods lying by his side. Some time after the pedler was asleep, Doug lass loaded his ever-ready rifle, and with no witness save his wife, de liberately shot the pedler in the head, killing him instantly. He then search ed the body and found quite a sum of money. Then he examined the package of goods which he happily found to be exactly what he most de sired?powder, lead, fish-hooks, gun flints, and hunters' knives. There was in the low grounds of the creek near by at the bottom of a high, steep hill, a noted quagmire or "cow mire," as the old negro call ed it, a marsh or bog of quick-sand covered over with rotting leaves and a thin layer ft black mud, all satu rated with water and so soft that no animal hea.itr than a squirrel or rabbit could pass c\er it with safety. Many a deer and cow had there found their last restiug place, never to be seen or heard of again. Douglass, after getting the pedler's money, carried the dead body through the woods to this quagmire and walk ing, on a fallen tree, which lay across it, dropped the body Into the bog. Soon it had disappeared beneath the surface and he felt sure his crime was covered for all time and that he would never be brought to Justice for his awful deed. He then return ed to his cabin and at early dawn, took the money which he had found in his victim's pockets, and went out into the woods and buried it, no one knowing he had it but his wife and even she not knowing where he had buried it. The next evening he be came uneasy, and was fearful that the woods or at the quagmire, which he might have left some trace through might lead to the discovery of the awful murder, and being superstiti ous and afraid to be alone so soon after his awful crime, he took his wife with him and together they fol lowed the trail through the woods to the place where he had deposited the dead body. He walked in on the st.ne fallen tree he used the night before, to the spot where he stood when he had shoved the poor ped ler under the surface. He found it nil right and no signs by which the crime could be discovered. In turn ing around o retrace his steps, he lost his balance. To avoid a fall head first, he attempted to Jump to another log, missed it and struck squarely on bis feet In that awful ! quagmire. He struggled, shrieked j and prayed for help. His struggles only served to cause him to sink ! faster and faster. The deadly quick- I i sands had a death grip on his feet and pulled him down deeper and deep er. His wife stood upon the bank and heard his fearful cries for help and looked upon his distorted fea ture as his body slowly settled in the quick-sands. Soon his cries were hushed as his head disappeared be neath the black soft mud. never to be seen again. A short time after the death of Douglass, his wife related the par ticulars of the tragedy to some of the neighbors and then went away and was never heard of or seen again in that part of the country. "There is one certain day In ev ery year," said the old man, "if the right sort of a person is near the place of the quagmire after night, he can hear old Douglass' cries and prayers for help, repeated in all their original agony, just as he made them as" he sank in the haunted cow mire." About five years ago, Wesley Wat i son, a colored man, while digging up j some pine stumps on Mr. John Gane's I farm in Boon Hill township, near the place where Douglass lived unearthed a nice lot of silver money of Span ish coinage with dates to correspond with the time of the old man's story of the killing and robbing of the pedler. The supposition is that it was the money belonging to the mur dered pedler. THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS. Lincoln's Oratorical Masterpiece, De livered November 19th, 1863. Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this con tinent a new nation, conceived in lib erty, and dedicated to the proposi tion that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so ded icated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final rest ing place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot con secrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have con secrated it far above our power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what We say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated her to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so r.< bly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from ihise honored dead we take increas ed devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. A Good Beginning. Everything in later life depends upon how we began it. You cannot be successful in life if you haven't good health. To insure good health in later life it is necessary to start right. Many of life's serious ills are caused by constipation, indigestion and liver trouble. The best way to cure them in old or young is by the use of Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin. It is absolutely guaranteed to do what we claim, and if you want to try it before buying, send your ad dress for a free sample bottle to Pepsin Syrup Co., 119 Caldwell Bldg., Monticello, 111. It is sold by Hood Bros, at 50c and $1 a bottle. A Witness Scores. ' An old plasterer Is called upon to give evidence for the plaintiff. Coun sel for the defendant tries to bully him. "Have you ever been in prison?" "Yes, twice." "Ah! how long the first time?" "One whole afternoon." "What! And the second time?" "Only one hour." "And pray, what offense had you committed to deserve so small a punishment?" "I was sent to prison to whitewash a cell to accommodate a lawyer who had cheated one of his clients."?Lon don Opinion. Pineules for the Kidneys are little golden globules which act directly on the kidneys. A trial will convince you of quick results for Backache Rheumatism, Lumbago and tired wornout feeling. 30 days' trial $1.00. They purify the blood. Sold by ? jil Bros. "No one should drink water t hasn't been bof'ed for at leaf ?n hour.' "You are a physician. I pre sume?" "Nope. Coal dealer." Cl< - veland Leader. "Do you think the color of i wo man's hair has anything to do with her temper?" "Not now. So very lit tle of it is her own."?Cleveland Plain Dealer. . A Child's Laughter. All the bells of heaven may ring. All the birds of heaven may sing. All the wells of earth may spring, All the winds on earth may bring All sweet sounds together; Sweeter far than all things heard, Hand of harper, tone of bird, Sounds of woods at sundown stirred Welling water's winsome word, Wind In warm wan weather. One thing yet there Is, that none Hearing ere lta chime be done, Knows not well the sweetest one Heard of man beneath the sun, Hope in heaven hereafter; Soft and strong and loud and light, Very sound of very light Heard from morning's rosiest height When the soul of all delight Fills a child's clear laughter. Golden bells of welcome rolled Never forth such notes, nor told Hours so blithe in tones so bold, As the radient mouth of gold Here that rings forth heaven. If the golden-crested wren . Wore a nightingale?why, then, Something seen and heard of men Might be half as sweet as when Laughs a child of seven. ?Algernon Swinburne Knowledge Notes. India lias 50 different langn :';ea. The coal output of Japan is i.. reas ing at a marvelous rate. A man can live in excellent stylt in Japan for $20 a month. A German army nunutrs oxer 5, 000,000 men. England s rood importations ? . <t age about $16 for each inhablta.. . The statue of Peter the Gr< .it St. Petersburg is the largest ti ..?e in existence. The annual mineral yield of the British Empire exceeds $1,000. . . i, )0C in value. Taking all her possessions into con' sideration, there are six colon d per sons to every white in the Lritish Empire. The greatest known depths of the ocean are six miles, while the great est mountain heights known are about five and a half miles. It is said that electric locomotives can pull heavier trains at a greater speed than steam locomotives rated at the same power. Of the races of the world, 600,000, 000 are white, 700,000,000 yellow, 215, 000,000 black, 35,000,000 brown, or Malayan, and 15,000,000 red, or North and South American Indians. Stockland, Christiana, Berlin and London in the order named have the lowest death rates of all the cities of Europe. England and Wales have three quarters of a million paupers. In Great Britain there are nearly two million trades unionists. A ton of Dead Sea water will yield 187 pounds of salt when evaporated." Aboirt 87 per cent, of the farmers of Canada preside over their own farms. The gifts of John D. Rockerfeller to the Whicago University now total over $25*000,000. Australia covers 26 times as much area as the British Isles, but its pop ulation is less than that of London. In London there are about 1800 charitable agencies, dispensing $50, 000,000 annually. North America supplies more than three-fifths of the world's consump tion of copper. The electric furnace is capable of attaining a heat of 7200 degrees. This is a temperature that will melt al most every solid known. In compari son with this heat a red-Hot bar or iron would be called cold. Five hundred American Sunday papers would make 6,000,000 volumes of 500 pages each. % The State woods of Germany cover 10,000,000 acres and give employment to 100,000 persons. The cigarette appetite of Korea's 20,000,000 natives amounts to 840,000, 000 smokes per day. The smallest coin in use is coined by the Portuguese Government. It is worth 3-100 of a cent. The new electric railroad mileage built in 1908 in the United States, Canada and Mexico was 1258 miles, computed as single track road. New York State takes the lead In mile age with 184 miles, closely followed by Ohio with 171 miles. Pennsylva nia Is accredited with 114 miles, Tex as with 91, and Illinois with 84, while Wisconsin, Colorado and Indiana com close together, having 73, 68 and 66 miles, respectively.?Philadelphia Re cord. Woods Liver Medicine in liquid form regulates the liver relie .1 sick headache constipation stomach, kid ney disorders and acts as a gentle laxative. For chills fever and mala ria. Its tonic effects on the system felt with the first dose. The Jl.PO bottle contains 2'<4 times as much as the 50c size. Sold by Hood Bros. Men are so contrary that if their wives want them to stay out late thej probably wouldn't do it.?Chicago News. I We Sell yiKbi on the positive guarantee that if it does not give sat isfaction we will return the entire amount of money paid us for it. We ask all those who are run-down, nervous, debili tated, aged or weak, and every p< r Jon suffering from stubborn colds, hanging-on coughs, bronchitis or incipi ent consumption to try Vinol with this understanding. Sold by HOOD BROS., Druggists. Smithfield, N. C. Building Material We manufacture and sell Rough and Dressed Lumber, Shingles, Brackets, Porch > Trimmings and turned work. Heavy Turning a Specialty. > Come auu see our Material. Four Oaks Lumber Co. GASOLINE ENGINE FOR SALE. Having installed a 4 borse engine for our machinery wiilc:* <>h account ( of some additions, is heavier than ever before, we have a 3 a.irse Fair banks, Morse & Company's gasoline engine, second hand, for siile. It can be seen at THE HERALD Ifice. BEATY & LASS ITER, Smithfield, N. C. The Implement Co., RICHMOND, VA. It is very important both for effective and economical work to procure The best of FARM IMPLEMENTS Our New Descriptive Catalog V just issued tells all about the best y ft time and labor-saving machinery. A A It is one of the best and most in- A teresting Implement Catalogs is sued. Mailed free on request. We are also headquarters for Farm Wagons, Buggies, Barb Wire, Fencing, V-Crimp and other Roof ing, Gasoline Engines, Saw and Planing Mills. Write for prices and catalogs. The Implement Co., 1302 Main St., ? Richmond. Va. The Cough Syrup that rid3 the system of a cold by acting as a cathartic on the bowels is BEES LAXATIVE COUGH SYRUP i Beet it the original laxative cough syrup, contains no opiates, gently moves the bowels, carrying the cold off through the natural channels, Guaranteed to Miisfaction or money refunded. HOOD BR08. ** ** ri ; Plant Wood's Seeds For The G&rden 6 Farm. Thirty years in busine88, with a steadily increasing trade every year?until we have to-day one 1 of the largest businesses in Deeds in this country?is the best of evidence as to Y The Superior Quality of Wood's Seeds. We are headquarter* for G;ass and Clover Seeds, Seed Potatoes, Seed Oats, Cow Peas, Soja Beans and aJl Firm Seeds. Wood's Descriptive Catalog the most useful and valuable of Garden and Farm seed Catalogs mailed free on request. T. W. WOOD t SONS, Seedsmen, - Richmond, Va. t \ 15he ?1 / f. Bank of Wayne! Resources Over Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars! Your Business Is Invited! \ THE JNO. A. McKAY MFG. CO. _ J Dunn, North Carolina. Founders and Machinists, Mill Supplies and General Machinery. We make the most satisfactory STALK CUTTERS in America. Our Cutter won highest prizes at both the North Carolina and South Carolina 1908 State Fairs. The world is challenged to show the equal of the "McK" Cutter. S:lt| almost everywhere. ? Your Business Wanted! '$, 8Kemember that we pav hignestp ice fo' r,ot- 54 ton seed. Will pay cash for them or give meal and hulls in exchange. Try out t-uano U g this year "The four brands ht" Clayton ff Guano, Summer Queen, Cotton Queen .ml & Special Tobacco " W Clayton Oil Mill, Inc. cla^torr!- ^ I BEST ?CROUP, COLD ManORum If It's The And You Want ? PNEUMONIA ? REMEDY Get HOOD'S. Ask the hundreds who have used it about it. It's White and does not stain the clothing. Guaranteed. Price only 25c HOOD BROS., Prescription Druggists :: Smith field, N. C ************* ************* J FOR SALE! I )? One second hand Bricn Machine In good J condition. This machine has a capacity of ? Fifteen thousand brick per day. g| Will sell it cheap for cash or good paper. n f O. R. RAND, Smithfield, N. C. \* * 5 -ffie'Sm* Make Your Own Electric Light A FairbanRs - Morse ?J*F Electric Light Outfit " will give you all the light. water and power you need for your l J" farm or country place, at a surprisingly low cost. EniiMCin IfWri he left running f- r hours .iftrr starting without attention and WW 1 ? ifOTL mos: c 'nvrnifnt and healthful likht known It Is restful to the e\es and does not i k oc ? k.t*'i in your rooms I - um? ? nmnf runs pumps and other machines Kn^nt- r-perates on i * I gas. gasoline, kerosene or distillate. Cut out conrflrte adirrfisrmcnt and tend for special cataU'H Ao. C A S.">5 V -ZTT. \i TcairbanKs, Morse d Co. Chicago - - - - IU. Kj >'v>' ?)8^
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
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March 12, 1909, edition 1
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